gatsby the musical....really- Page 2

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 10:00pm

massofmen: Really, you bash The Great Gatsby as pseudo-intellectual, pretentious reading but then bring up Catcher in the Rye as a counter-example? And Les Miserables is my favorite novel, but most people wouldn't pick it up at a book store because it's super long and, let's face it, rambling at times.

And I love Lolita, it's a brilliant book, but it's not what I would call a fun read by any means.

[bk]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 10:05pm

Everyone understands that this isn't a production, yes? This is an evening of songs from a long-aborted musical from the early 70s.

And I'm happy to have inspired the name of the company producing it :)

[LuminousBeing]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 10:50pm

Okay, former English Major coming out of the woodwork here:

"Magnanimous" means unresentful and noble in terms of forgiving one's enemies. No book can have this characteristic, as a book is an inanimate object. And the characters of this particular book don't really foster this noble-mindedness so I'm not sure what OP was talking about.

I would LOVE to hear a Michael John LaChiusa musical based on or inspired by "The Great Gatsby." The David Bowie idea is also a fascinating one and could really work in the right hands. It's a fantastic book that I very much enjoyed when I was in high school and continue to enjoy now that I'm an adult.

Sorry, that was bugging the heck out of me. Please continue.

[massofmen]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 11:43pm

mag·nan·i·mous? ?[mag-nan-uh-muhs] Show IPA
adjective
1.
generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness: to be magnanimous toward one's enemies.
2.
high-minded; noble: a just and magnanimous ruler.
3.
proceeding from or revealing generosity or nobility of mind, character, etc.: a magnanimous gesture of forgiveness.



sooo it can also be "high-minded" can it not english major?

And the catcher in the rye is pretty incredible in myriad of fashions especially psychologically about the change of...never mind its not worth it, this isn;t a literary critique board.

sporkgoddess, i am glad that you too have opinions on books..as we all do. I think gatsby blows.

[LuminousBeing]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 11:57pm

massofmen:

No: in this case, "high-minded" means "just" and "noble," as in forgiving and fair--particularly to underlings and those who have wronged one. Think King Arthur or Louis XIV. It does NOT mean "high-minded" as in "intelligent" and "witty."

I'm also a big fan of "Catcher in the Rye," by the way. That book was a seminal contributing factor in my becoming a psychologist.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 12:09am

Well, I guess we'll just have to disagree then. But I think The Great Gatsby should be valued for its beautiful language alone.

Updated On: 8/10/11 at 12:09 AM

[massofmen]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 1:37am

hmmm..well thanks! good to know the definition...I am being serious..you learn something new every day!

[tazber]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 4:03am

Thasnk you for pointing out the misuse of "magnanimous". I wasn't even sure what the poster was trying to infer by using that particular word.

As far as Fitzgerald's novel is concerned, not everyone has to like it but to imply that the majority of people are just drinking the Kool Aid in regards to its classic status is just an unfounded and uninformed generalization.

Regarding the musicalization it's far far too early to even begin to have an opinion. But a jazz age story about the decadent rich and their hollow lifestyle seems like a great fit for musical theater to me.

There is also another Hollywood treatment coming next year (with Oscar pedigree - Baz Luhrman, Leo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan etc.) so interest will be piqued in the title.

Posted: 8/10/11 at 5:39am

I read it in AP English high school and not only is it one of the few books I've re-read several times (granted it helps that it's so short), it was also by far one of the most liked books our class had to read. Of course maybe I'm just trying to sound intellectual.

There are a lot of classic, well loved books (and movies, and plays...) that I find overated, but that's just my personal view, I'd never pretend nobody else could genuinely like it.

Anyway, Gatsby does seem pretty hard to stage in a traditional way. There's the Clayton movie with a seemingly ideal cast Redford, and I remember a TV version when I was a teen with Paul Rudd (!), but it never seems to really work. Maybe Baz Luhrmann will prove me wrong (because, as much as I like some of Baz's stuff, the one thing Gatsby always needed to come to life on screen has been lots of quick cuts, oh and to be in 3D! Sigh).

I think it COULD work as a musical, but it would be hard to pull off. The use of narrator, many locations, the fact that while most of it is very intimate around a few characters it also has those huge party scenes... (Actually, it's starting to sound more and more like Sunset Blvd, down to car scenes).

Oh, and because nobody asked, Catcher in the Rye is a book I have never really liked--but I do get why so many people do. (Give me Salinger's Glass Family stories over it, anytime.)

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 7:29am

A great American novel that simply doesn't lend itself to musicalization, except in opera form.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 7:39am

I read this book in high school because I "had to," and it's been one of my favorite novels ever since.

Pass me the Kool-Aid!


EDIT: As far as musicalizing it, I would much rather see this than some of the "ice show" adaptations of pop-culture movies being thrown up on Broadway and the West End lately.

Updated On: 8/10/11 at 07:39 AM

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 7:54am

Is anyone else getting tired of the whole "kool aid" schtick?

"You're just drinking the kool-aid!"

Sheesshhh. Jim Jones and his bunch were thirty years ago. Cant we find anything else to express one's taste in things?

Sorry, but that phrase is really starting to bug the hell out of me.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 7:57am

I think it's 'AMAZING."

Or as the Brits say, 'BRILLIANT."

[tazber]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 8:08am

Sorry, but that phrase is really starting to bug the hell out of me.

Then suggest something else to replace it and I will happily use it (provided it conveys the same sentiment).


A great American novel that simply doesn't lend itself to musicalization, except in opera form.

Anything lends itself to musicalization provided there is a strong creative vision.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 10:18am

I completely understand how one of the most famous classic American novels could be something people only pretended to like to appear smart.

Oh, wait. No, I can't. That makes absolutely no sense at all. I just forgot for a moment that people can like whatever they like for whatever reason they like. I hated a lot of stuff i had to read in school (A Light in the Forest, Call of the Wild, A Separate Peace, Brave New World), but I enjoyed The Great Gatsby. I was intrigued by the period and the characters. I really wanted Nick and Gatsby to hook up near the end.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 10:36am

"As far as musicalizing it, I would much rather see this than some of the "ice show" adaptations of pop-culture movies being thrown up on Broadway and the West End lately."

Me too! But that doesn't make it a good idea, just a less painful one.

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 10:41am

A great American novel that simply doesn't lend itself to musicalization, except in opera form.

Henrik, I'd go even further and suggest that the opera wasn't even successful. I found it unending and musically uninspired. Aside from Myrtle's one spectacular aria (performed beautifully, in the Met premiere, by the late Lorraine Hunt), I barely remember any of the music. I don't think the novel has ever been successfully adapted, and it will likely stay that way.

That said, it is one of the great works of American literature. I regularly teach it despite the fact that most of my students have already read it in high school and think they know it inside-out. They (and I) are surprised by how many layers they discover in a second, more thorough examination of the text.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 10:42am

The Fitzgerald estate for years put a blitz on any stage musical of THE GREAT GATSBY. There have been several composing teams that have approached and been denied permission to adapt it. Recently there have been some changes in the governing of his estate, though, and a lot of Gatsby related projects have been approved, so it does seem inevitable that eventually a Broadway stage musical will happen.

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 10:45am

I'm not particularly in favor of a musical adaptation, but Jill Paice does have "Daisy Buchanan" written all over her.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 10:51am

I would guess time is running out on the estate's rights anyway.

Actually, I just looked it up. It's already public domain in certain countries. The U.S. rights run out on January 1, 2021.

Less than a decade. After that, it's fair game for all.

Updated On: 8/10/11 at 10:51 AM

[Sauja]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 11:00am

I'd actually love to see a musical version of Gatsby if it can be done well, but...is it wrong that I have virtually no hope for it at all since the New York Musical Festival is putting the concert on? I think out of the 100 or so shows I saw last year, three of my bottom five came out of NYMF. Did I just generally have terrible luck? Is it worth giving this thing another shot? Because I really felt burned by it.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 11:06am

>> Then suggest something else to replace it and I will happily use it (provided it conveys the same sentiment).

Hey, you're supposed to be creative theatre people, remember?

It's just this absurd cultural cliche at this point, like "at the end of the day" or "I'm just sayin'." God.

As for the rights, dont be surprised if Disney pulls another one to protect its mouse, and Gatsby gets taken along for the ride.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 11:40am

"As for the rights, dont be surprised if Disney pulls another one to protect its mouse, and Gatsby gets taken along for the ride."

That's not possible under U.S. law. The rights to The Great Gatsby will be public domain in 2021, and they can't be renewed by anyone.

EDIT: And by the way, it's already in the public domain in Canada and Australia, so you can do what you want with it there.

Which leads me to believe that's why Baz Luhrmann is moving forward with his film adaptation now. He'll have to obtain the rights to release it in the U.S., but not in his own country of Australia. Interesting.

Updated On: 8/10/11 at 11:40 AM

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 12:00pm

I'm really curious about the Lurhmann production. He's so very big on crash-cuts that it makes me wonder what he'll do to a pretty low-tone book like this one.

As for the law, well, hate to say it, but I'll believe it when I see it. Copyright laws in the states do tend to drag the protection on and on and on and... on..........

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/10/11 at 12:05pm

I never saw the opera, AC, but I can see Gatsby working as an opera. At least much moreso than I can see it as a musical.