| I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | DistantDrumming 01:54 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| I think one of the biggest reasons this broadcast was such a letdown was the 'look'. It looked like a cheap, chintzy daytime soap opera, ala Days of Our Lives. This had no 'live event' excitement. If they wanted that they should have considered doing a full production on stage with an audience. With the production values a modern audience is used to, a musical performed like this can't help but look flat, confined and lifeless. One of the reasons the Cinderella tv production from the 90s wasn't dragged down by Brandy's anemic performance was the visual interest. In fact, I remember that feeling more 'live' to me than this one does. A few other unsolicited observations: Was Captain V.T.'s constipation in the original script? Laura Benanti was marvelous in a thankless part. How dare she interject such lovely, but understated vocals and emotionally engaging acting to this community theatre production? I hope she's back on Broadway soon and in a vehicle truly worth of her talent. Audra McDonald was very fine -- as is to be expected -- but what's the backstory on a black mother superior in WWII era Austria?? I'm all for color blind casting -- there should be more of it, but come on, really? If they do another of these "live" presentations, they really should choose a musical that doesn't have such an iconic film version -- a film version which improved on the stage production in nearly every possible way, at that. Anyway, kudos, to NBC for having the guts to try this out. And, hey, that Make-A-Wish kid who go to star as Maria probably had a great time. | |
| reply to this message | | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 12:27 pm EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - DistantDrumming 01:54 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| nuns are always moved out of their original communities. and if they are an international order nothing unusual about moving them out of their country. this is particularly true for leaders of religious orders. no reason at all why there couldn't be a black nun in austria before the war. | |
| reply to this message | | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | Zelgo 11:52 am EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - DistantDrumming 01:54 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| They didn't all talk in English or sing every 10 minutes in WWII Austria either, but we accept those without question. You're suddenly worried about accuracy when it comes to race? | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | TGWW 09:57 am EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - DistantDrumming 01:54 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| "I think one of the biggest reasons this broadcast was such a letdown was the 'look'. It looked like a cheap, chintzy daytime soap opera, ala Days of Our Lives. This had no 'live event' excitement." What did you want it to look like? Ever see a live concert or Broadway show on HBO? PBS? That's what video tape looks like. The whole point is that it was LIVE and not film. They couldn't have made it more clear. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| Right, but they tried to make it too literal... | |
| Posted by: | DistantDrumming 03:22 pm EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - TGWW 09:57 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| ... like a soap opera set, so it looked cheap and chintzy. I've enjoyed many live theatrical productions on PBS and in cinemas at things like NT Live. Because they happen on a proscenium stage (or some kind of stage) with a live audience and because they are better lit, it is much easier to get lost in the play. During this production I was always keenly aware of watching actors on a soundstage. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | tmdonahue (tmdonahue@yahoo.com) 09:57 am EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - DistantDrumming 01:54 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| I truly agree with everything you wrote. I would add another technical reason it seemed like a soap opera: the lighting on the characters was flat and the cameras were set mostly to see them from the front, that is, in profile. Well, that alone wouldn't have defeated the production. Of course, unlike most musicals, SOM's movie was so good and sticks in one's memory. This production offered nothing to disrupt that remembered production. The children were not in any way individualized, which is not my memory of the material. I liked the choreography of "You Are Sixteen..." I left at the intermission...i.e. Maria returning to the abbey. | |
| URL: | Stage Money |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | mamaleh 08:55 am EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - DistantDrumming 01:54 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| Laura Benanti is such an engaging and capable performer that she elevates the level of whatever vehicle she is involved with. Oddly enough, her brilliance may have skewed the proceedings. She seemed a much better match for Captain VonTrapp than Maria. This is the first time I've rooted for Elsa to win his heart. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 08:54 am EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - DistantDrumming 01:54 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| "What's the backstory on a black mother superior in WWII era Austria?? I'm all for color blind casting -- there should be more of it, but come on, really?" Aren't you contradicting yourself here? | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| No, I'm not.... | |
| Posted by: | DistantDrumming 03:18 pm EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - Michael_Portantiere 08:54 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| ... perhaps color-blind isn't the right term. What I mean is that, minority actors are still often only cast in roles that specifically call for that minority in the break-down/description. I think it's even worse for Asian and Middle Eastern actors. I have a friend who went in for something two weeks ago. He's Korean American. The role was "30s, male, handsome, best-friend of lead character". The lead was a male white. There was also a much smaller role being cast, that of a recent Asian immigrant, working in IT or something. When he walked in to the audition, the casting dir (whose associate had apparently called my friend in), actually told him he was at the wrong audition. I know that's a rather strong example and that this sort of thing is often handled more surreptitiously, but it's real. But, when a show has such a specific time and place (an abbey in Austria during WWII), it does seem like a stretch. But, frankly, last night it was no more a stretch than having some wide-eyed country gal play Maria. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: No, I'm not.... | |
| Posted by: | Ann 12:08 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | No, I'm not.... - DistantDrumming 03:18 pm EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| You're not being blind enough. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| Diminishing returns over three long hours. | |
| Posted by: | Delvino 07:21 am EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - DistantDrumming 01:54 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| I salute the effort, and certainly some of the results. What startled me the most was how long it seemed. I looked at my cable box at 8:47 and thought, "surely this has been on for well over an hour..." That may seem glib or random, but the pacing and monotony were negatives (Maria's costume matched the burnished interior of the Von Trapp home, did anyone notice?) Everything seemed to go on too long, no matter how it was staged or framed (and sometimes the camera blocking and theatrical were at odds; soap directors generally get that right, but we had pan and scan moments that were bizarre.) Mostly, I felt Underwood's work started strong enough for a neophyte and then ebbed; at some point, she disappeared when she might've found a focus. She could play the intention of individual moments -- you could hear coaxed and coached line readings -- but they didn't add up to a cohesive take on a characterization. She was putting out fires, dramatically, rather than finding a through-line. She seemed to start every scene with the same smile, the same look of curiosity. Conventional wisdom states: surround her with B'way's best and she will shine. Yet at a certain point, the better actors (Benanti, Borle, Nielson) became yardsticks against which we could measure Underwood's deficiencies. Rather than raise her game, they made hers look minimal. That said, she was generally okay with Audra, however, but then Audra took over. And always, always at her worst with the Captain. About his performance, the less said the better. He was the serious casting error, and he kept the romance, indeed the whole story, from blossoming. His inadequacy was startling. That lack of gravitas, vocal variety, and charm undermined Underwood's chances in the second half. Finally, I thought: if you cast a star with this skill set, why not choose a vehicle that would serve? Wouldn't ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, opposite, say, Tim McGraw, be a wiser choice? I think Underwood would sing the hell out of all of Annie's songs, and the characterization would fit comfortably on her persona. An Austrian nun is a stretch for many; for this non-actor, an unfair leap. Yes, I know, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN is not iconic enough as a "brand." But the iconic nature of SOUND OF MUSIC's film only made last night more challenging. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | FriendofDorothy 02:37 am EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - DistantDrumming 01:54 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| DD, I see your points but can't agree with all of them. Adding an audience to the broadcast would have added a lot of time, and awkward, unnatural pauses in the action waiting for applause to die down. I agree that mostly it was not a visual stunner, but the Cinderella you compare it to was filmed and edited, without the constraints of one soundstage over a few hours. Cinderella would not be done live with those same sets. As for your suggestion about choosing a less iconic title to perform, that is tough. A show without a very well known film version probably wouldn't garner the faith of the producers and network as to it's marketability. I think SOM will do okay in the ratings (even a lot of non-theatre friends were on Facebook talking about it; a lot of people with kids). If it got good ratings, what will have done it is the combination of Big Title & Star. I would imagine that will need to be replicated in any future project. My suggestions for consideration: Oliver!, Forum, The King & I, maybe Hello, Dolly!. I also think Into the Woods would be great, although obviously that won't be on the agenda soon. Also, while not a big title to most of America, Pal Joey could effectively be done for TV, I think. Did you hear that, Timberlake? Agree entirely about Laura and Audra's performances. I shared a little worry that Audra's race would seem jarringly odd; for me, though, it didn't. What was odd is that she still managed to look so young and attractive. Also loved Christian Borle. The only performance I seriously disliked was the Captain. If Carrie can be accused of under-acting, he went overboard the other way. Also, in the film, Plummer is cool to the children. Here, he seemed hostile. The Captain should be calm, imperial, an in-charge sea captain. He wasn't here. The kids seemed fine, although I think in this format, with the few lines most of them have, they can't charm in quite the same way they can either onstage or in a normal film. Also, I think the Rolf-Leisl roll-down-the-hill was too much. Less is more. A nervous first kiss is both more exciting and romantic. And yes, thanks to those who put this on. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | TGWW 08:25 am EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - FriendofDorothy 02:37 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| "in the film, Plummer is cool to the children. Here, he seemed hostile. The Captain should be calm, imperial, an in-charge sea captain. He wasn't here." And once again, this isn't the movie. The Captain is still mourning the loss of his wife. He's bitter AND has The Nazi's breathing down his neck, as he sees his homeland being taken. He takes it out on his family. And as for Plummer, the film was nominated for ten Oscars including Andrews and Peggy Wood. Plummer was ignored. Perhaps the Academy wasn't impressed with his 'coolness'. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | FriendofDorothy 12:21 pm EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - TGWW 08:25 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| Gee, you're right. I guess he was much better than Plummer, performance notwithstanding. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | LegitOnce 02:18 am EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - DistantDrumming 01:54 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| I think this reflects a problem with theatrical realism as a style in the era of film, which is to say that no matter how naturalistically detailed a theater set is, it's still going to look artificial when compared to actual locations or an interior set built on a soundstage. That hill Maria was discovered on was trying oh so hard to be "real," but all the detail just looked cluttered, like a bad theater set, especially since it was holding itself up to direct comparison with the location filming at the opening of the 1965 film. Also, the recycling of the sets began to wear on me a bit. The Trapp house had only two locations, the entrance hall and the adjoining terrace, and I thought it incongruous that such a ramrod as the Captain would give a formal ball outdoors. And the abbey very obviously recycled the Mother Abbess' office as the altar of the chapel. Plus, of course, there was Maria's hill where Rolf and Liesl went to spoon, and then the exact same spot stood in for the peak of the Alps in the finale. The reason this recycling so called attention to itself was I think the elaborate realism: the "hill" was so specifically dressed that it couldn't be understood to indicate "a place in the mountains" but rather only the one place, which of course makes the Rolf and Liesl scene nonsensical, however cute they looked rolling down the hill. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | theaterbear 07:53 am EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - LegitOnce 02:18 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| The Von Trapp house had 3 locations: Maria's Bedroom | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | LegitOnce 08:07 am EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - theaterbear 07:53 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| Yes, you're right, but that was only the one scene. Otherwise the house seemed to consist of nothing but a terrace and a foyer with a secret passage to the abbey. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | mikem 09:43 am EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - LegitOnce 08:07 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| I think the recycling of the sets was inevitable, given the constraints of the live telecast and that the sets were much more elaborate than most stage sets and couldn't be lowered into place. Cast interviews talked about how the sets took up a huge amount of space, and it wasn't that quick to walk from some of them to others. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! | |
| Posted by: | LegitOnce 10:48 am EST 12/06/13 |
| In reply to: | re: I really enjoyed 'Day of Our Lives' The Musical with Carrie Underwood! - mikem 09:43 am EST 12/06/13 |
|
| |
| Well, there's more of your problem: those sets didn't have to be so massive and literal. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
All That Chat is intended for the discussion of
theatre news and opinion
subject to the terms and conditions of the Terms of Service. (Please take all off-topic discussion to private email.)
Please direct technical questions/comments to webmaster@talkinbroadway.com and policy questions to TBAdmin@talkinbroadway.com.
[ Home | On the Rialto | The Siegel Column | E-Opinions | Cabaret | Tony Awards | Book Reviews | Great White Wayback Machine ]
[ Broadway Reviews | Barbara and Scott: The Two of Clubs | Sound Advice | Restaurant Revue | Off Broadway | Funding Talkin' Broadway ]
[ Broadway 101 | Spotlight On | Talkin' Broadway | On the Boards | Regional | Talk to Us! | Search Talkin' Broadway ]
Terms of Service
[ © 1997 - 2013 www.TalkinBroadway.com, Inc. ]
Time to render: 1.026764 seconds.