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Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center Fall 2009- Page 2

Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center Fall 2009

denise2
#25re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 1:36pm

I am very excited. Already planning my trip to Tampa Bay. I enjoy Wildhorn's music

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blaxx
#26re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 1:43pm

No.


Listen, I don't take my clothes off for anyone, even if it is "artistic". - JANICE

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LaRue
#27re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 1:45pm

So is this kind of like the movie of the Wiz with Dianna Ross and Michael Jackson?
I like the music and know it will be a hit. (hope so any ways)

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Kad
#29re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 2:59pm

The fact they're previewing in Tampa is, to me, a sign of this not being a "hit".


"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."

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DrTheatre
#30re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 3:11pm

Does anyone have the demo...would love to hear it!


"In the U.S.A. You can have your say, You can set you goals And seize the day, You've been given the freedom To work your way To the head of the line- To the head of the line!" ---Stephen Sondheim

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TheCharleston
#31re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 3:24pm

It's online... for the most part.

CHECK THE "WONDERLAND" website.

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chenothegood
#34re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 4:05pm

haha nope no theatre aspirations for me! I'll just appreciate from a distance! but it just seems like some people just say stuff to start fights!

Wow in 4 years it couldnt recoupe its initial investments... alright thanks for pointing that out! Thats kind of brutal then! lol

And i know he is going to be fine, and honesty is fine i appreciate honesty! But asking something if they lack a brain becasue they "know a show will be a hit" is kind of rude!

Oh and La Cage aux Folles :)


Spring Awakening 7.3.07!!, Wicked/ Rent 7.5.07!!, Legally Blonde 7.6.07!! The Color Purple 7.7.07!!, Gypsy 8.19.08!!, In the Heights/Wicked 8.20.08!!, The Little Mermaid 8.21.08!! Legally Blonde Tour 11.9.08!! Shrek 7.7.09!!, Blithe Spririt 7.8.09!!, 9 to 5 7.9.09!!, Next to Normal 7.10.09!!

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TheCharleston
#35re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 4:09pm

This is true.

I may be more brutal than honest, but alas... no one is perfect!

I certainly respect you. Thank you.

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chenothegood
#36re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 4:22pm

Thank you for seeing where i was coming from and for the respect! :)
And yes no one is perfect so I take back the ass comment! Just try and boost your honesty and lower your brutalness re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F Honesty is a wonderful thing! and i am so glad this did not turn into anything unnecessary and remained civil! so thanks for that too!

:)


Spring Awakening 7.3.07!!, Wicked/ Rent 7.5.07!!, Legally Blonde 7.6.07!! The Color Purple 7.7.07!!, Gypsy 8.19.08!!, In the Heights/Wicked 8.20.08!!, The Little Mermaid 8.21.08!! Legally Blonde Tour 11.9.08!! Shrek 7.7.09!!, Blithe Spririt 7.8.09!!, 9 to 5 7.9.09!!, Next to Normal 7.10.09!!

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BustopherPhantom
#37re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 4:54pm

After listening to the show's song samples, I can only, in my response, defer to Linda Winer (and the show doesn't even have to open, the critique is so apt for all his shows:)

"Mr. Wildhorn writes dunderheaded musicals for people who find Andrew Lloyd Webber too difficult."

And now, Charles Isherwood:

"His natural home is in Las Vegas. That might be his most sensible career move. Skip Broadway altogether."

And finally, Mr. Brantley:

"They're fine if you're in the mood to be emotionally knee-jerked."

Please, Mr. Wildhorn. I don't often say this. After all, there isn't a single show out there, no matter how terrible, that doesn't have at least one passionate fan.

But please. Please. Go away. Go to Vegas. Go to Europe. Go to wherever. Just LEAVE - US - ALONE.

*My thanks to a 2004 New York Times article for those quotes: "Cue the Pop Ballad, Warn the Critics"


"Y'know, I think Bertolt Brecht was rolling in his grave."
-Nellie McKay on the 2006 Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera, in which she played Polly Peachum

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TheCharleston
#38re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 5:10pm

Brilliant, Bustopher!

And I agree 100%

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philly03
#39re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 5:41pm

Unfortunately TheCharleston, I did not create those boards.

""Jekyll and Hyde ran for 4 years on broadway, it couldnt have been that awful."

Um. It was a flop. It never recouped its initial investments, therefore it was a flop... like every other production Wildhorn has brought to New York."

Jekyll & HYDE has since recouped, pretty well actually through it's highly acclaimed international productions & other touring/regional productions. In fact, I believe it recouped around May 2001 when the Non-Equity tour concluded it's run. Not to mention that it had some other debts/producers to pay off - don't forget it had a huge (and not cheap) national tour running across the national for a year; and I'm sure Gregory Boyd who created some of the staging got something of it too.

While I don't think this will be a hit either, it'll still draw plenty of people.

And to whoever said it could Lauren Kennedy -- it could be (although I'm not positive). Lauren does a lot for Frank -- world premiered the "Waiting for the Moon" with her husband Alan Campbell in Marlton, NJ; Dracula, the musical Demos; Dracula, the musical Concept Album with James Barbour, and ... basically was doing the Brandi Burkhardt roles before Brandi Burkhardt was tagged to them (for example: Emma in the Jekyll & Hyde: Ressurection, she did the first try-outs of it).

I really like the "Finding Wonderland" song and the duet song on the website is OK too...but the others aren't too special.

And TDH/Charleston, Michael Lanning originated roles in Frank Wildhorn's "The Civil War" and several of his workshops, clearly someone you'd hate right off the bat.

exedore
#40re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 5:42pm

Thankfully the West End, despite countless other issues, has not fallen prey to Wildhornism yet.

Now if only they could get rid of him in Vienna. I mean seriously, have any of you HEARD the single for Rudolf? It's so sappy that poor Drew Sarich sounds like someone cut his balls off.

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philly03
#41re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 5:53pm

"Thankfully the West End, despite countless other issues, has not fallen prey to Wildhornism yet. "

Almost, twice; the world premiere of his "Cyrano de Bergerac ~ The Musical" starring Douglas Sills was to take place in 2006, but never happened (I'm guessing Douglas dropped out and they didn't think to bring it over?). Jekyll & HYDE's team over there went towards a different...knowledge of the show (with a bad-Hoff-esque Jekyll; but a terrific Lucy: Louise Dearman I believe is her name) and flopped it up big time over there on a pre-West End national tour. Doesn't look like Frank'll be over there anytime soon.

The Rudolf stuff is good; I assume the released versions you're hearing are the pop versions of the song (and seen on the Rudolf website) which don't sound anything like what I have heard from it...(Similar to how "You are My Home" sounds crapp-ish if you ask me for the Linda Eder single-duet version as opposed to Christine Andreas & Gilles Chiason's verion). And it seems like Drew must like him some Wildhorn stuff; he's done DRACULA, das musical, Jekyll & HYDE and now Rudolf over there; I highly doubt it's a coincedence he's done three major TITLE roles in Wildhorn shows over there.

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Schmerg_The_Impaler
#42re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 5:57pm

The bunny rising above the New York skyline reminds me of Dinsdale the Hedgehog from Monty Python.


In my pants, she has burst like the music of angels, the light of the sun! --Marius Pantsmercy

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TheCharleston
#43re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 6:00pm

the Wildhorn minions, specifically Philly, are as persistent as [TOS]sers.

Amazing.

So Philly - you're very confusing. You always admit that Wildhorn's shows are a huge fail and talk poorly about the shows but NEVER address the actual material or Wildhorn as a composer and part lyricist.

Do you actually think he writes "good" material all the time???

As I've said before, a select numbers from Scarlet and Jekyll are decent... at best. But the majority of his stuff is awful.

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philly03
#44re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 6:24pm

First off, the Jekkies/The League/Wildhorn fans are no where near the level of the [tos]sers. I don't see any webshows out there, or demands to have a revival in the same season that the show flopped in. Sure they travel to see the tours or the Broadway versions, but that's nothing out of the ordinary if Sondheim or Guettel decided he was going to premiere a show in Tampa. But why do I assume that if he did that, you'd all think it was a wise choice? Frank had connections to the Asolo in Florida before he arrived on Broadway (and lived in FL), so I don't see why he couldn't just be premiering a show there .. just because. He's already tackled Alley (Jekyll), Asolo Rep. (Svengali - also Alley), Theatre Under the Stars (Jekyll), 5th Avenue - Seattle (Jekyll), La Jolla (DRACULA, the musical), Goodspeed (Camille Claudel), Marlton (NJ) Performing Arts Center (Zelda / Waiting for the Moon), ...

Yes, I'm the type of fan whilst I know the flaws it doesn't turn it off to me. I've never said any particularly Wildhorn show is perfect, but rather the oppposite. I've never understood why Frank writes so many shows at once -- it HURTS his shows if you ask me. Pimpernel, Jekyll, Dracula (even CIVIL WAR) have many good numbers; obviously not everyone likes the big ballad songs, but disregarding many of the lyrics for "Murder, Murder", his ensemble songs from the first two are great as well.

Think of the possibilities if we could merge "Gold" (Camille Claudel), "What's Never Been Done Before" (Camille), "Someone Like You", "This is the Moment", "A New Life", "In His Eyes", "Once Upon a Dream", "Where's the Girl", "Bring on the Men", "If I Could Fly" (ehh another Lyric problem though), "The Heart is Slow to Learn", "Storybook", "When I Look at You", "You Are My Home", amongst the others that could have potentially be in ONE show as opposed to five. If he didn't need to create so much "filler" songs and force his lyricists to create so much filler lyrics (I honestly do not see why they ended up putting "If I Could Fly" into Dracula -- GREAT tune though) that really dampen the show. Sure every composer/show has a song here or there that doesn't seem to fit or you'd like to see gone,...but Wildhorn shows always seem to make sure that it's atleast half of the material. (Which is his problem, if you ask me)

And again, plenty of his stuff is wonderful; just because it's not your cup of tea doesn't mean everyone has to hate it. Irregardless of what you think, Mr. Wildhorn has managed to do what his goal was: write music that can be viewed as "popular" and connect the theatre music world to the pop-music world. "Gold," "This is the Moment" have been sung in Olympics and other important events, he's had chart-hitting hits, amongst countless other achievements that you cannot take away.


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TheCharleston
#45re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 7:44pm

In all seriousness, wonderful response/post.

But.... "amongst countless other achievements that you cannot take away. "

He can KEEP them. I have no desire to take any credit for that music he writes.

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philly03
#46re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/6/09 at 11:41pm

Thankyou TDH -- I think.

I would happen to beg to differ to that last part though, I think a lot of people would love the credit..errr proceeds he gets from those tunes. Nearly all of Eder's music (10+ Albums), Whitney Houston's ginormous hit "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?," not to mention the cash he must get from Jekyll & HYDE productions. !!

bwaybabe2
#44re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/7/09 at 3:32am

OK...I'm going to come between TheCharleston and philly03 right now (...=O...).
Philly is quite right stating the fact that Wildhorn, inspite what anyone might opinion, has had not just one, but quite a few successes out there, and in different arenas of the entertainment industry. Which, nobody can deny, is in itself a great accomplishment, regardless of his other "not so succesful" ventures. I'm sure we can all agree that not EVERY project is going to be a resounding success. But, the fact that Wildhorn has been so profuse in coming out with semi decent material (not all the music is bad, and his musicals do have some redeeming qualities), can only be seen as a positive credential
(ie.: Good actors do not become "bad acors" all of a sudden, just because they've chosen to do a few not so great movies).
And, yes, as philly03 said, many a one out there would love to bask in Wildhorn's returns, monetary and artistically. So let's not dump him as a total failure :I

Oh, and I find a welcome honesty in the fact that philly03, inspite being an obvious Wildhorn fan/supporter, can still be objective in their discussions of his work.

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Mister Matt
#45re: Wildhorn's WONDERLAND to Premiere at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center F
Posted: 3/7/09 at 11:04am

While I'm not specifically a Wildhorn fan, I am a fan of some of his work. I found the world premiere ad initial tryout of Jekyll and Hyde to be thrilling, but I laughed out loud at the ridiculous Broadway production. I adored all aspects of the first version of Scarlet Pimpernel (as did my entire family), but I walked out of The Civil War world premiere (along with half the audience) during intermission. I never saw Dracula, Camille Claudel, Svengali or Waiting for the Moon, but I believe he has some melodies in each. And while his shows have flopped on Broadway, it is impossible to ignore that at the very least, Jekyll and Hyde has definitely endured and found its place in the musical theatre canon in its regional and international productions. Not mention that despite its detractors, it produced a couple of classic songs VERY early in the show's life that crossed over into other forms of popular entertainment.

Do you actually think he writes "good" material all the time???

Nobody does.

While some may find it pathetic or sad that I enjoy some of his work and that a couple of his shows thrilled and delighted me, I can be baffled that others cannot remove their blinders enough to admit the beauty and joy in even a few of his compositions such as Storybook or When I Look at You. But I refuse to treat them as inferior or ignorant for their tastes in theatre. And I have NO tolerance for the malice and cruelty displayed simply to stroke one's own ego. The immaturity outweighs the ignorance to which they respond and invalidates any worth they may have in their opinions.

I'll never feel shame in admitting to enjoying something regardless how others feel. I don't require the approval of the theatre elite or their minions to form my opinion. And right now, I sing and dance every time I listen to Walk Like a Woman from Wildhorn's Carmen. It's not Sondheim and I don't expect it to be, which is why I listen to it instead of Sondheim. So what?


"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Updated On: 3/7/09 at 11:04 AM


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