would BELOVED work as a musical?

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 12:49am

the novel BELOVED written by Toni Morrison, it was also made into a movie starring oprah winfrey and Danny Glover

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 12:50am

And the movie was not good.

ANYTHING could be made into a musical with a good creative team, however, the material of BELOVED obviously doesn't scream theatre...

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 12:51am

the book is much better and very poetic so I can see if it was based on the books soley

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 12:53am

I think it could work as a musical if a good concept is found, but like munkustrap said, it is not material that you read and feel that the characters are about to start singing.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 12:55am

I did not like the book.

Call Tesori in here!
Updated On: 11/18/05 at 12:55 AM

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 12:56am

I do not think so, I loved the book, but no.

[sfboy20]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 2:15am

the book is incredible, yet - like all of ms. morrison's work - very unorthodox in terms of narrative and structure.

i thought the film did a nice job of navigating those issues, yet was unable to pull of the power and pain of the novel.

if the piece was to be musicalized, it seems it would implode any form other than an opera.

perhaps an operetic piece written for the musical theatre... however, i can think of no current composer well-suited to the work at this time.

the work could certainly sing, i believe.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 2:47am

Not a musical that anyone would want to see.

[JBSinger]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 9:20am

I believe that it has already been made into a spectacular opera called Margaret Garner. It has been produced all over the country this year in a rather high-profile way. Toni Morrison even wrote the libretto. It's supposed to be awesome!
Margaret Garner opera

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 9:22am

You have GOT to be kidding me...

[Barihunk]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 9:34am

Opera Company of Philadelphia will be presenting the east coast premiere of Margaret Garner in February.

Beloved is only very losely based on the true story of Margaret Garner. Aside from the murder of her children, Beloved bares no resemblence at all to Margaret Garner the opera - which Toni Morrison has also tweaked the ending to make it more "operatic" in nature. It's being directed by Kenny Leon (Raisin in the Sun, Gem of the Ocean). We're really lookin forward to working on it.





OCP presents Margaret Garner

Updated On: 11/18/05 at 09:34 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 9:41am

...Only if Cole Porter wrote it.

He could call it "Belovely."

[whateverman]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 9:59am

Do we need another show where African Americans are portrayed as slaves or maids and the like? its our countrys history but its been beaten into the ground. I know there have been other images here and there in various shows. But as far as an all Black cast theater piece, where are the positive contemporary images? hmmm. no more slave pieces please.
Updated On: 11/18/05 at 09:59 AM

[ianacts]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 10:15am

Beloved would be a great musical. it has characters and situations that easily lend themselves to musicalization. Ms. Morrison has a way of blending prose with poetry making it considerably easier for the book to flow into song and vice versa. Also Beloved is about FREED slaves and the price of freedom. And though its characters are largely African-American, the themes of freedom and liberty are universal.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 10:28am

this would be an amazing opera in the right hands. i'm a big fan of magical realism.
the movie was shot in a way that made me nauseated. the camera angles, quite literally, were off-kilter and confrontational. the images are unsetteling enough in themselves. i don't think demme supported the narrative with the visuals.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 10:41am

I agree GG. A great movie could've been made, and Oprah was not bad at all and the rest of the cast was amazing. Demme wasnt sure how to tell this great story.
Beloved is my favorite book, and I definitely think it could be staged, and an opera would be fantastic.

[whateverman]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 10:43am

yet SLAVES .. PLEEEEEEEZ. these images do more damage in the end than u will ever know or understand. this is AMERICA and in a sugar coated world we would love to think that its fine but its simply not. contemporary positive images please thank u! we have all the retrospection we need and then some.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 11:06am

whateverman ~ I think you need to get out more. Last time I checked there number of shows that black people portrayed slaves is minimal compared to the number of shows where they are not. Slavery is part of our history and the only way to make sure it doesn't happen again is to continue to have it portrayed in all mediums. It's the same thing with concentration camps, genocide, etc. When I see a skin and bones skeleton of a human being playing a concentration camp victim I don't think that does damage. Nor does seeing a person playing a slave.

As for BELOVED as a musical, I don't think so. It is a great novel, the film was very off kilter and I just don't think that either would translate well on stage let alone as a musical.

[whateverman]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 11:21am

ur reponse was expected and common. fact is u will never know how that affects AA people simply becasue u are not. and as i said before "this is AMERICA and in a sugar coated world we would love to think that its fine but its simply not." these types of images perpetuate views that have lived far too long in this country and are still rampnat today. CLEARLY if we want to move forward we need to portray images that represent the modern accomplished AA.

and i as i SAID BEFORE "I know there have been other images here and there in various shows. But as far as an all Black cast theater piece, where are the positive contemporary images?"

read the text.

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 11:23am

We get it whateverman... you poor, misunderstood black person, you. Nobody knows but you.

Can we move on now?

[whateverman]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 11:27am

white people hate to discuss race in this country i've noticed. makes u feel terribly uncomfortable. wonder why.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 11:28am

whateverman, you need to go to this link. there you will find many people just waiting for you. it will be much more satisfying than hanging out here. if you want to tell non AA people that they are stupid and have irrelevent opinions, here's a never-ending supply....you can thank me later.

free republic

Updated On: 11/18/05 at 11:28 AM

[whateverman]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 11:29am

white people hate to discuss race in this country i've noticed. makes u feel terribly uncomfortable. wonder why.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 11:33am

you bait people and then tell them how WRONG they are because they're not YOU! that's not dialogue.

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 11:33am

And "angry" black people pass judgment faster than any white person I know. Are you really that scared?

Why don't you put down that chip. It must weigh a lot sitting on your shoulder.

You're posting on a "Broadway Musicals" message board, for God's sake. This isn't exactly mainstream or white conservative America here. We know about outcasts and unfair treatment. Go fight your race battles where they count. In most cases you're preaching to the choir here, but you wouldn't know that because you're not seeing straight. You're passing all sorts of distorted judgment.

EDIT: As your own user name says: "Whatever, man."

Updated On: 11/18/05 at 11:33 AM