New On Broadway: Not So New
"The Wedding Singer," that celluloid celebration of the 1980s starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, has been transformed into a Broadway musical and booked for a New York opening for April 2006. Yahoo!
Broadway is so inspiring, especially in the past 4 or 5 years. Musical theater has never been so fresh, inventive and challenging. Dreamers are wide awake and hard at work on the West Side. Theatrical aspirations breed limitless inspiration. The days of lame original musicals have passed, much to the chagrin of "Brooklyn" and "Urinetown." (Does anyone remember a single tune from "The Scarlet Pimpernel?" I'll give you a hint: the word Pimpernel is in there somewhere, all over, again and again, and 3 more times after that.) It’s almost as if producers, beloved for their fiscal generosity, renown for their creative integrity, have adopted a new credo.
“Show me original material and I’ll kick you in the nuts. I want movie adaptations! Negotiate rights to the catalogs of perennial pop superstars! Book be damned, I want a Score the people can already hum! Songs now, plot later, or never! We're in the magic business!”
What a blessing this raison d'etre has been for followers of the Great White Way! The magic is back on Broadway. Since Julie Taymor's visionary "The Lion King" we’ve been spoiled with similar quality and quantity. Take “Mama Mia,” for example, based on the revelatory music of ABBA. The story centers around a young girl who gets lost at Waterloo. She wants someone to take a chance on her, and realizes that money must be funny in a rich man’s world. Gaiety ensues when wacky wild Fernando flashes the audience. It’s truly edgy stuff. “Saturday Night Fever” was another artistic achievement worthy of high praise. I personally saw this show 24 times, and it just got better with each experience. The plot was sucked directly from the movie, and the entire score was a copy of the classic 1977 soundtrack. WOW. WOW. WOW. Years later, Orfeh’s performance in the Donna Pescow role still haunts me. (www.orfeh.com) After the curtain call each night, the cast encouraged everyone to disco! Well worth the trip from Great Neck and $85 obstructed mezzanine seats!
But I don’t mean to single out only my favorites. Plenty of shows have proven that nothing succeeds like repetition warmed-over: “Hairspray,” “Footloose,” “Beauty and The Beast,” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” Not a crapper in the bunch! How about the divinely inspired “Little Women” the musical? It’s a fucking laugh-a-minute riot fest. Kate Hepburn, if she were breathing, would be damn proud. (PS--If a musical's title includes the tag "The Musical," that means it's gonna be awesome. Buy the Original Cast Recording at intermission before it sells out.) Cudos, too, to the paunch bellied singer songwriters of yesteryear. We honor your genius with “Movin’ Out,” “All Shook Up” and “Good Vibrations.” Word on 42nd St. is that the Eagles are looking to join the party, “Hotel California” anyone? Might there soon be “A Heartache Tonight” at The Minskoff? Or will “Desperado” let someone love him, and ride his fences all the way to The Shubert?
posted by Shannon E. Ennis at
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Broadway is so inspiring, especially in the past 4 or 5 years. Musical theater has never been so fresh, inventive and challenging. Dreamers are wide awake and hard at work on the West Side. Theatrical aspirations breed limitless inspiration. The days of lame original musicals have passed, much to the chagrin of "Brooklyn" and "Urinetown." (Does anyone remember a single tune from "The Scarlet Pimpernel?" I'll give you a hint: the word Pimpernel is in there somewhere, all over, again and again, and 3 more times after that.) It’s almost as if producers, beloved for their fiscal generosity, renown for their creative integrity, have adopted a new credo.
“Show me original material and I’ll kick you in the nuts. I want movie adaptations! Negotiate rights to the catalogs of perennial pop superstars! Book be damned, I want a Score the people can already hum! Songs now, plot later, or never! We're in the magic business!”
What a blessing this raison d'etre has been for followers of the Great White Way! The magic is back on Broadway. Since Julie Taymor's visionary "The Lion King" we’ve been spoiled with similar quality and quantity. Take “Mama Mia,” for example, based on the revelatory music of ABBA. The story centers around a young girl who gets lost at Waterloo. She wants someone to take a chance on her, and realizes that money must be funny in a rich man’s world. Gaiety ensues when wacky wild Fernando flashes the audience. It’s truly edgy stuff. “Saturday Night Fever” was another artistic achievement worthy of high praise. I personally saw this show 24 times, and it just got better with each experience. The plot was sucked directly from the movie, and the entire score was a copy of the classic 1977 soundtrack. WOW. WOW. WOW. Years later, Orfeh’s performance in the Donna Pescow role still haunts me. (www.orfeh.com) After the curtain call each night, the cast encouraged everyone to disco! Well worth the trip from Great Neck and $85 obstructed mezzanine seats!
But I don’t mean to single out only my favorites. Plenty of shows have proven that nothing succeeds like repetition warmed-over: “Hairspray,” “Footloose,” “Beauty and The Beast,” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” Not a crapper in the bunch! How about the divinely inspired “Little Women” the musical? It’s a fucking laugh-a-minute riot fest. Kate Hepburn, if she were breathing, would be damn proud. (PS--If a musical's title includes the tag "The Musical," that means it's gonna be awesome. Buy the Original Cast Recording at intermission before it sells out.) Cudos, too, to the paunch bellied singer songwriters of yesteryear. We honor your genius with “Movin’ Out,” “All Shook Up” and “Good Vibrations.” Word on 42nd St. is that the Eagles are looking to join the party, “Hotel California” anyone? Might there soon be “A Heartache Tonight” at The Minskoff? Or will “Desperado” let someone love him, and ride his fences all the way to The Shubert?
5 Comments:
I vote for "Operator - The Jim Croce Musical" featuring Bad, Bad Leroy Brown with his Cat in the Cradle. I think he only had a few hits, so that way we can save Time in a Bottle. I need a nap...
By
Carolyn, at 1:09 PM
I'm an anal retentive bitch ass mutha f***er, which is why I must not resist the temptation to say that 'Cat's in the Cradle' is NOT a Jim Croce tune, but rather one of Harry Chapin's biggest hits. What can I say? I love deceased, hypersensitive 70's folksters!
By
Shannon E. Ennis, at 3:30 PM
Oh, but I googled it and EVERYTHING! Fuckball.
By
Carolyn, at 1:20 PM
Maybe we could throw a few Jimmy Taylor hits in there, the female lead could sing only Carly Simon songs and we could call it "Sleepers of the 70's." You likey?
By
Carolyn, at 1:21 PM
Me lovey. James Taylor is the most steady, calming influence in my life (other than yoga and 15mg of Ativan every 12 minutes). There's something about his voice that just sucks out the irritable, restless bitch in me. Spoken word included. I've seen him live too many times to count. Mmm, mustn't forget the stalking on Martha's Vineyard...And can I say, as a die-hard dyke, that the cover of SWEET BABY JAMES causes an emergency panty change every time I see it?
By
Shannon E. Ennis, at 5:21 PM
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