_____ ruined one of my favorite shows

Joey Fatone killed Little Shop of Horrors for me.

---

Unfortunately, for me, it's a FILM musical that comes to mind instantly... and that's "Phantom of the Opera." The MUSICAL DIRECTION almost single-handedly ruined this film. It was drastically under-tempo to the point of killing any tension, the (potential) acting, spontaneity (since we could feel what was coming SIX WEEKS in advance), the excitement, the passion, and the "natural" (if you can call it that) aspects of this piece. And then there's "Masquerade" which was ridiculously fast. I have no idea WHY those choices were made, but they were ill-advised... and ANY any actor/singer's performance you can name would have been RUINED while crawling along with those crappy tempos, no matter how gifted they might be.

So any beefs I have with the film's cast and direction are secondary to the BASEBALL BAT that passed for a conductor's baton.

---

Updated On: 6/16/06 at 10:34 AM

The Merriam didn't seem too bad when I was there a few years ago. Maybe it depends on the show.

---

I also thought of a film musical first:

THE MUSIC MAN, starring Matthew Brodrick (sp?) and Kristin Chenoweth.

Matthew was HORRIBLE! He had showed no feelings for Kristin the entire movie. His singing almost made me skip on the soundtrack. Fortunetly, I did get it and loved Kristin's solos, at least. Her "My White Knight" is my favorite number in the movie.

---

Margo writes:

"Wayne Cilento's lame and uninspired choreography (among other things) killed the SWEET CHARITY revival for me.

And don't get me started on the overrated Joe Mantello."

AMEN TO BOTH OF THOSE; I have never understood Cilento's continued "success" in the business; perhaps it is that he is well liked, and has the Chorus Line mystique.

Mantello has never impressed me as a director, and I think that this season showed him for the hack that he is; I liked him as an actor, however.

The Merriam Theatre sound is hit or miss... Hairspray in Sept. and Miss Saigon a few years back were a mess. I could barely hear a word.

And for that matter, why does the beautiful Forrest Theatre stay dark all the time?

Updated On: 6/16/06 at 11:03 AM

Off topic: "The last mosquito that bit me had to book into the Betty Ford Clinic."

The last time I saw Les Mis it was at a high school. I went to see it because I knew the three female leads, and they were great. It's the boys that couldn't do anything.

Haven't liked it since.

*Hopes OasisBroadway gets the quote.*

Updated On: 6/16/06 at 11:30 AM

Well it isn't my favorite show, but Mickey Dolenz ruined Aida.

---

This is a little off topic, but if we're going to talk about actors stopping movies in their tracks, it's Allie and Noah's children in THE NOTEBOOK. Awful actors! And it's such a good movie to that point too.

The concert cast of JaH (yes, it is a guilty pleasure of mine)... can't remember her name offhand, but the girl who plays Lisa/Emma. She belts EVERYTHING. Would it kill her to use her upper register every so often? Gahhh!

Gary Morris ruins the Les Mis CSR for me. Which is sad, because otherwise it's practically perfect.

Oh, and Patti LuPone ruined Passion for me in that concert production. I HATED her Fosca.

---

Updated On: 6/16/06 at 12:16 PM

John Schneider ----> The Music Man

Robert Preston he ain't. He wasn't even a Craig Bierko.

Le sigh.

Second on the GYPSY movie, although the true abomination was Lucille Ball in MAME. Talk about wanting to block something out! I had to go back and listen to Angela for two days.

---