Will Avenue Q suffer the fate of URinetown?

[NomoreDisenyorALW]

Posted: 12/5/03 at 12:46pm

I just joined this website, and my name says it all about how i feel about broadway, Thank heavens for the writers of Urinetown and Avenue Q I can't wait to see what Mark Hoffman (URINETOWN) and Lopez and MArx (avenue Q) do next. I really hope that avenue Q (althodugh it way to early to tell) wins the tony, but it probaly won't. It'll probaly go to wicked for the same reason Millie beat Urinetown (It tours better) remember the critcs didn't like Millie ethier, not saying Miullie was bad even though I didn't like it, I just think Urinetown is best new musical in years, and Avenue Q is not far behind, I hope Avenue Q makes a strong showing in the tonys but i think it have Urinetown's problem of opening too early and being alittle too imatie for it's own good,

What are you thoughts

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 12/5/03 at 12:59pm

im sorry, but...what does your name mean...i got to the "NO MORE" part and then i got lost...HELP!

[Princess MimiChica]

Posted: 12/5/03 at 1:49pm

does your name mean no more Seany on Broadway!? how mean! he hasnt even gotten to Broadway yet!!!

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 12/5/03 at 1:50pm

I would hope the creators of 'Urinetown' have something original up their sleeves, rather than more in-jokes and knowing winks.

[Broadwaylilhead]

Posted: 12/5/03 at 2:20pm

I think it means NO MORE DISNEY OR ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER. Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Tarzan!??!? Disney is looking to take over Broadway with their kiddie theatre. I liked Lion King but I was not BLOWN AWAY as most were. It was just like watching a live interpretation of the movie. Shows like Urinetown and Avenue Q and even Wicked are original in song and design, not just reproductions of live celluloid.

Posted: 12/5/03 at 2:26pm

Why Lloyd Webber. Years ago, I am sure if we had these message boards we would have been praising him on high. Why not do we turn on him? Sure there are some of his shows that I did not like from the get go... but still.

[Broadwaylilhead]

Posted: 12/5/03 at 2:28pm

Whatever happened to Webber anyways? Whistle Down the Wind flopped....so now what? I know they are filming Phantom but what else is he working on? I had heard he was writing a sequel (because we have so many unanswered questions...right!) to Phantom, set in NEW YORK.... that just sounds like a show ready to close.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 12/5/03 at 2:34pm

He did a show after 'Whistle' called 'Beautiful Game' that never came over here (nor have I ever heard the cast album.) Now he's got an adapation of 'The Woman In White' set to start up in London.

Lloyd Webber's catalogue is like any creators, he has his creative hits and misses. He hasn't hit in the US in almost 20 years and people act like he's still taking over The Great White Way. It really doesn't make much sense. You can't even say his style is overtaking Broadway as few new composers are using even a variation of his style.

[Broadwaylilhead]

Posted: 12/5/03 at 2:42pm

"The Woman in White"-- is that the eerie ghost tale that they made a movie about?

[LouW95]

Posted: 12/5/03 at 2:50pm

Thank goodness for Disney and all the jobs their three shows have created. We certainly dont need a higher unemployment rate in the theater community. We can make room for Disney shows even if they dont have the "sophistication" (yeah, right) of Passion (which won the Tony over Beauty & The Beast).

[mamamia sammy]

Posted: 12/5/03 at 3:01pm

I've heard that Disney actually has money in LSOH

[thirdrowcenter]

Posted: 12/5/03 at 3:01pm

If I am extremely entertained, I'm more than happy. Aida did that for me.

[DonnaMurphyRocks]

Posted: 12/5/03 at 6:40pm

I think as long as people like Disney shows (and they provide jobs), they should definitely stay on Broadway. But when it comes to the Tony Awards, I think more original shows like Avenue Q & Urinetown should have a chance to win more often. Some Disney shows, like Beauty and the Beast, are just not that imaginative and seem homogenized.

[AugustBurns2]

Posted: 12/5/03 at 6:45pm

I liked Aida. I didn't like Lion King or Beauty. I thought they were boring. I just came back from the California Adventures park where I saw their Aladdin production. Same thing. Bored! And I liked (even loved) the movies!

I like Lloyd Weber. He's amazing in many regards. I am certainly anticipating Woman in White. Sure, some scores don't work, but overall, he has made a tremendous achievement to the theater.

But I also root for shows like Urinetown and Avenue Q. They're wit, take no prisoners mentally make theater great! I only wish that Urinetown didn't have to close. I hope they find another theater!

[Broadwaylilhead]

Posted: 12/6/03 at 2:30pm

Whatever happened to HUNCHBACK- I heard the production put up in Germany was amazing and received very well. I could definitely see this sort of show much more than something idiotic as Tarzan. Little Mermaid?!?!?! Please help us oh lord.

[Corine2]

Posted: 12/6/03 at 2:34pm

An FYI
Avenue Q won the Drama Desk last year Off Broadway.
It has a very good chance of winning many Tony Awards.
I want it to win Best Musical! I also want Wonderful Town to win best revival.
I also loved Little Shop but Wonderful Town blew me away.
But I still need to see:
Wicked
Fiddler
Taboo so I can not make any predictions yet. I just adored Avenue Q. Updated On: 12/6/03 at 02:34 PM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/6/03 at 2:39pm

I'm with BoxOfficeJon.

ALW has become the whipping boy of b'way, but it's sort of silly. Those of us who are his age remember when he was cutting edge. Seriously.

As for the much maligned CATS -- the symbol of the nadir of pop culture to many -- people forget that when it opened in London in 1981, it was a RISKY show. A bunch of poems by T.S. Elliot set to music? No book, no plot? A small production in an old tv studio (in London). No one saw the Winter Garden sign up for two decades, trust me. Its success was a surprise to all, including ALW.

When I was in college, you were cool if you owned a copy of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. So the URINETOWN and Q people should remember: today you're hip, tomorrow the butt of somebody ELSE's jokes.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 12/7/03 at 10:13am

To get back to the intial topic, I can't say that suffering the fate of Urinetown is such a bad thing. Urinetown won three Tonys, made back it's investment, and has been just generally a success. If the theatre wasn't being torn down, it would probably continue to run indefinitely.

And I'm sorry, but I just can't understand what NoMoreDisneyorALW means when s/he says that Urinetown is a little too "imatie" for its own good. What does the word "imatie" mean?

[NomoreDisenyorALW]

Posted: 12/8/03 at 12:40pm

I'm sorry guys, I'm not a real good speller, and people have been making fun of me, I really picked my name becasue i couldn't of think of anything esle, I meant inmatie, it just didn't tour well is why Millie won which in my opion was thw wrost decison since '72 but i am happy the oringal stuff like Urinetown and Avenue Q exits it gives me hope with the master (SONDHEIM) eneded the end of his career

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/8/03 at 1:06pm

Without Disney or Andrew Lloyd Webber, Broadway probably would not be as popular as it is now. These shows bring in the tourists who would normally not attend Broadway musicals and as a result, inspire them to see the other shows as well. Not mention the hundreds of jobs they provide in long-running shows. Without them, there would be a lot more empty theatres. Disney has brought 2 shows based on films and one completely original show. Beauty and the Beast was the experiment of transferring the most Broadway-accessible Disney film to the stage. The Lion King took it one step further artistically, and Aida was Disney's first original musical for the stage. So what's the beef? Lloyd Webber dominated in the mid-eighties and has had 2 long-runners on Broadway, but he hasn't had a new show on Broadway since Aspects of Love (my personal favorite of ALW). I saw Whistle Down the Wind and The Beautiful Game and they were quite fresh and new, though not his best. Long-running shows are the result of what the tourists want to see, not the hard-core musical theatre fans.

I agree your opinion about Urinetown losing Best Musical to Millie, but it was not the worst since 72. Don't forget the fates of Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Parade. All won Best Score and Book, but lost to Phantom, Crazy for You, and Fosse. But also a matter of personal preference. I love Sondheim, but I cannot STAND Follies. Boring book and least appealing score (with the exception of the current Bounce). I cannot sit through any of the recordings of Follies, but I always enjoy listening to Two Gentlemen of Verona.

[Princess MimiChica]

Posted: 12/8/03 at 3:35pm

Why is everyone so against The Little Mermiad? its already a play (and a really good one at that) so whats the big deal?

[magruder]

Posted: 12/8/03 at 3:51pm

NoMore-

One more time on 'inmatie'? Are you trying to write intimate?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/9/03 at 3:10pm

The Berlin production of Hunchback was a great idea, but the staging was exceedingly dull. They beefed up the score a bit and added a couple of new songs including the pop duet heard in the credits of the film. The biggest change from the Disney movie was the death of Esmerelda. The costumes and lighting were gorgeous, but the set consisted of a series of blocks that made up the stage floor. They would rise out of the floor at various levels and the sets would be projected onto the blocks. After about 5 minutes, you had seen everything it could do and it was very dull to watch.

But at least it wasn't Notre Dame de Paris (shudder)

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/9/03 at 3:24pm

"The master" has fallen somewhat. Bounce is terribly boring and the score is extremely weak. The entire plot centers around two completely unlikeable characters for whom the audience cares nothing about. I only stayed for the second act out of sheer curiosity. Luckily, the second abandonded most of the vaudeville theme and was more watchable, but the show was never climactic or emotional.

[tpdc]

Posted: 12/9/03 at 4:37pm

I disagree with you on BOUNCE. While not perfect, I never found it boring. I liked a lot of the score as well. Had he actually written the show in the 50s, I think Best Thing That Ever Happened would have been recorded by a lot of singers and would have been an even bigger hit for him than Send in the CLowns. And certainly the title song would have been done on lots of variety shows. Next to You might have gotten attention as well. It's not a groundbreaking show but the authors said that before the first performance. If you go looking for COMPANY, SWEENY or SUNDAY, you'd be disappointed. Maybe you saw it in Chicago. I saw two performances of it in DC. I attended the last performance which came off quite well. Richard Kind played it even stronger than before. The audience certainly responded to his character at both performances I saw.