| Stroman and comedy | |
| Posted by: | Chazwaza 11:50 am EDT 03/14/14 |
| In reply to: | Saw BULLETS last night... - dwing 10:29 am EDT 03/14/14 |
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| I may be wrong but it seems like Stroman has a problem doing comedy. I know The Producers, a straight up comedy and one of the funniest ever on Broadway, was her biggest success... but with laugh-out-loud comedy genius Mel Brooks writing the score and co-writing the book off his movie, and with comedy genius performer Nathan Lane, I think they must have brought it out in her and found the funny themselves a lot, not needing her to do it. When she directed the movie it didn't seem like she had much skill directing comedy... everything that was funny on stage just fell flat. I'm not sure who to blame considering it was the same material and same Nathan Lane, with other funny people in there (I never found Broderick funny in the stage version either so I leave him out)... but surely she takes the bulk of it. Woody Allen isn't laugh out loud funny the way Brooks is, not in the broad way a big old fashioned musical comedy way at least. And this show doesn't have an original comedic score. Anyway, just a thought. | |
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| re: Stroman and comedy | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 05:24 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
| In reply to: | Stroman and comedy - Chazwaza 11:50 am EDT 03/14/14 |
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| I do think that the film Bullets Over Broadway is laugh-out-loud funny and perhaps funnier (to me) than most of Brooks's films (with the exceptions of The Producers and Young Frankenstein, and even the latter is iffy for me on this particular comparison). I'm old enough to have seen movies like Annie Hall and Bananas in the theatres on their original releases, and audiences certainly found them extremely funny (at least the audiences with whom I saw them). Obviously, many of Allen's later movies don't strive to be as comedic — some don't strive to be comedic at all — but I found Bullets Over Broadway extremely funny. | |
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| re: Stroman and comedy | |
| Posted by: | Chazwaza 06:37 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Stroman and comedy - AlanScott 05:24 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
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| I agree, Bullets is one of his funniest (without being zany) and best movies... and is funny not just for Woody, I think. I'm just saying that I think Mel Brooks' type of comedy is more the sure-fire laughs kind especially in a big theater or a musical comedy... by it's nature, that doesn't mean it with dictate what the actual show is like. | |
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| re: Stroman and comedy | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 06:47 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Stroman and comedy - Chazwaza 06:37 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
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| Yeah, Brooks is a different kind of comedy, although some of Allen's earlier movies are actually rather similar to Brooks's movies in being parodies of genres and full of absurd juxtapositions. Even Don't Drink the Water is easy to imagine as an Allen-Brooks collaboration. Brooks certainly could have played the lead. Still, as we saw with the Young Frankenstein and even The Producers as the run went on, Brooks's comedy is not necessarily so sure-fire. FWIW, one of a handful of times that I couldn't stop laughing for a long time at a particular line or moment in a movie was in Hannah and Her Sisters. Maybe being Jewish helps. ;) | |
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| re: Stroman and comedy | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 11:23 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Stroman and comedy - AlanScott 06:47 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
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| I'm still waiting for "Sleeper" to be made into a musical. I want to to see how the Orgasmatron especially is dealt with and the inflatable costume. It's one of Woody's funniest earlier films, as are "Broadway Danny Rose" and "Radio Days" which came during his Mia relationship. | |
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| re: Stroman and comedy | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 09:47 pm EDT 03/15/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Stroman and comedy - PlayWiz 11:23 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
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| Just imagine the "Cloning The Nose" production number...;-) | |
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| re: Stroman and comedy | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 02:06 am EDT 03/16/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Stroman and comedy - Chromolume 09:47 pm EDT 03/15/14 |
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| Hmm - "Cloning the Nose" -- somewhere between "Finishing The Hat" and "Ballin' the Jack"! Although if Woody is using pre-existing songs, now that I think of it "Ballin' the Jack" could be used for the Orgasmatron sequence! :) | |
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| re: Stroman and comedy | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 12:15 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
| In reply to: | Stroman and comedy - Chazwaza 11:50 am EDT 03/14/14 |
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| All these dire pronouncements seem to be ignoring the fact that it has had only three preview performances, and no out of town tryout. Comedy, especially, needs time in front of an audience to really find out what works and what doesn't. Can we please give this team of professionals the time to do the trimming and fine-tuning that previews are for before we decide that the show is DOA? How can it be dead on arrival when it hasn't even arrived yet? | |
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| re: Stroman and comedy | |
| Posted by: | Chazwaza 12:40 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Stroman and comedy - MikeR 12:15 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
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| I'm talking mostly about past work, off of what people have said about this show, and just discussing a possibility. There aren't pronouncements and they aren't dire (and least not on my part and not where Bullets Over Broadway is concerned). | |
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| re: Stroman and comedy | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 12:47 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Stroman and comedy - Chazwaza 12:40 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
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| I used the plural because there are dire pronouncements in multiple threads on this board. My post wasn't intended solely as a reply to you. And my points still stand. Three (I think) previews. Comedy takes time in front of an audience. Let's give it a chance. | |
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| re: Stroman and comedy | |
| Posted by: | FriendofDorothy 05:22 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Stroman and comedy - MikeR 12:47 pm EDT 03/14/14 |
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| I agree. It is sometimes possible to see if a show is great in a few previews, but it is not possible to tell if it won't be great from a few previews. Although Bullets is not one of my favorite Woody Allen films, I think it is good material for a show; I do think Stroman is an inspired director, including for comedy but especially for character; and the cast is top notch. I love the music of the period, but I don't know the specific songs and arrangements they will be using, so the score is a big question mark for me. I would bet this show ends up being quite good, if not everyone's cup o'tea. | |
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