| re: The last great musical to open on Broadway | |
| Posted by: | Chazwaza 03:49 pm EDT 03/13/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The last great musical to open on Broadway - perfectlyfrank 12:58 pm EDT 03/13/14 |
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| I love NINE, and I think it's a great musical by any definition. But I think ALNM did everything it was doing as well as could ever be done. Not a bad lyric or song in the batch. I don't think I can say the same of NINE which has some bad lyrics (though not many by 80s standards) and less than amazing songs here and there. But that's my opinion. | |
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| re: The last great musical to open on Broadway | |
| Posted by: | perfectlyfrank 05:06 pm EDT 03/13/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The last great musical to open on Broadway - Chazwaza 03:49 pm EDT 03/13/14 |
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| It's hard to compare any score to a Sondheim score, that's true. But for overall entertainment, I'll take the original NINE, which for me was the greatest Broadway musical production I have ever seen. While ALNM may have had brilliant lyrics to be sure, the choreography in NINE was extraordinary. Also, for me, NINE was far more emotional and heartbreaking but also funnier and more exuberant. As fun as "A Weekend in the Country" may be, it pales to the sheer joy of "Be Italian" or "Folies Bergeres". "The Miller's Son" may be clever but it doesn't come close to the sexiness of "A Call from the Vatican" (especially as performed by Anita Morris). But my point is not to argue which musical is better - everyone has their own personal reasons for why one show or another resonates with them - but rather I wanted to counter the original post which stated there were no great musicals written after 1973's ALNM. For me, there are many and NINE is but one example of a great show - particularly the original, perfect Tommy Tune production. And I could also add that 4 musicals after 1973 won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. So, to say that no great musicals were written after ALNM just seems silly to me. We all have our personal preferences and ALNM is certainly a great musical. But great is in the eye of the beholder. :-) | |
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| re: The last great musical to open on Broadway | |
| Posted by: | Chazwaza 06:08 pm EDT 03/13/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The last great musical to open on Broadway - perfectlyfrank 05:06 pm EDT 03/13/14 |
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| This is definitely for the "production" files rather than judging the musical on its own. I didn't see the original Nine, though I know well of its legend. And I agree about the excitement and emotion of the material and, I can only imagine, that staging. But "A Call From the Vatican", for example, is one of the songs I'd put in the "not really great" category... serviceable, for sure, and with the Anita Morris performance and the Tune choreography, I'm sure it was incredible. But the song on it's own doesn't do much for me, and didn't do that much for me in the revival despite the inventive staging. I find "The Miller's Son" a MUCH more rousing and climactic song. I understand also what you mean about "A Weekend in the Country" vs "Be Italian" or "Folies Bergeres" but I often get caught on lyrics like "Be Italian, you rapscallion." It is a totally different kind of show though, and it's very hard to compare. The mood, the intention, everything is different between the two shows. Scandinavian repression vs. Italian lust. People finding each other vs one man finding himself. So I don't fault ALNM for not having those kinds of big, splashy, rousing production numbers (or the overtly sexy ones) like Nine because they just don't belong in that story. The only reason I compare them in terms of quality is that I can't pick out anything I have issues with or find to be second rate amongst the first-rate-ness of the rest of the show in ALNM, and I can find a couple of things in Nine. So they are still in the same tier of great musicals, but if I'm ranking them on the perfection of their written material, I think ALNM is going to be ranked higher. But in terms of original productions, you couldn't have found two shows that were served better by all the elements of their original productions. I would offer up some others as well, of course, but if we're talking ALNM and NINE, both seem to have been utterly perfect productions of arguably/close-to perfect musicals. | |
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| re: The last great musical to open on Broadway | |
| Posted by: | perfectlyfrank 02:05 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The last great musical to open on Broadway - Chazwaza 06:08 pm EDT 03/13/14 |
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| I totally agree with what you're saying. That's my point. BOTH shows were well served by their productions. I tend to prefer NINE (both production and material - and score, though I will admit that Sondheim is the stronger, more exacting lyricist). I like both shows and they and shows like them that keep me going back to the theatre. | |
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| re: The last great musical to open on Broadway | |
| Posted by: | LegitOnce 10:21 pm EDT 03/13/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The last great musical to open on Broadway - Chazwaza 06:08 pm EDT 03/13/14 |
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| I find "The Miller's Son" a MUCH more rousing and climactic song. I'm afraid we have nothing to talk about, then. I hate "The Miller's Son" with every fiber of my being and I grit my teeth until that boring, undeveloped character of Petra is done with her caterwauling so the show can continue. This song is a glaring example of "but the girl can sing, so we have to write a song for her." As obligatory numbers go, it's less motivated and definitely less well crafted than "It's Nicer in Nice." | |
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| re: The last great musical to open on Broadway | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 12:02 am EDT 03/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The last great musical to open on Broadway - LegitOnce 10:21 pm EDT 03/13/14 |
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| This song is a glaring example of "but the girl can sing, so we have to write a song for her." You do realize that's factually wrong. Sondheim wrote the song, then they discovered the original Petra couldn't sing it well enough - and she was fired, and replaced by D'Jamin Bartlett. It would seem that Sondheim (and Prince, assumedly) felt the song was too important at that point. You have a right to hate the song (as unfortunate as that is), but don't make false statements about its composition, please. | |
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| re: The last great musical to open on Broadway | |
| Posted by: | Chazwaza 12:32 am EDT 03/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The last great musical to open on Broadway - Chromolume 12:02 am EDT 03/14/14 |
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| Thank you! And honestly, who writes "The Miller's Son" when they are trying to shoehorn in a showcase for an actor they discovered could really sing? | |
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| re: The last great musical to open on Broadway | |
| Posted by: | Chazwaza 10:55 pm EDT 03/13/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The last great musical to open on Broadway - LegitOnce 10:21 pm EDT 03/13/14 |
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| I'm not sure what "It's Nicer in Nice" has to do with it. I think "The Miller's Son" is a fantastic song and it's always thrilling to hear it performed. I also think it fits well into the show and its themes and gives a needed break at the right time. I don't dislike "A Call From the Vatican" but like I've explained, as a song it leaves something to be desired... which is, if you're lucky, made up in the performance and staging. | |
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