| re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” | |
| Posted by: | Bwayguy 09:38 am EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” - jesse21 09:06 am EDT 03/31/14 |
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| Pretty incredible range of reviews - NY Times vs Vulture. I get the sense that critics are giving it an extra star simply because it's an "original" musical, and want to reward them for it. | |
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| re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” | |
| Posted by: | kidmanboy 10:28 am EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” - Bwayguy 09:38 am EDT 03/31/14 |
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| Are they being extra kind, or is it simply more enjoyable to sit through something unique of which you have no preconceptions and no familiarity. Isn't it easier to get lost in a story that you haven't heard before? I think that's why some musicals based on well-known commodities, don't do well (Rocky, Legally Blonde, etc.). While things loosely based on well-known commodities or that have a recognizable name but don't have a plot familiar to everyone, seem to sell more tickets (Wicked is one terrific example). | |
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| re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 10:46 am EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” - kidmanboy 10:28 am EDT 03/31/14 |
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| "Is it simply more enjoyable to sit through something unique of which you have no preconceptions and no familiarity? Isn't it easier to get lost in a story that you haven't heard before?" I would say yes. But the theory is that, at current Broadway prices, fewer people are willing to take the chance on an unknown commodity. | |
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| re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” | |
| Posted by: | Bwayguy 10:57 am EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” - Michael_Portantiere 10:46 am EDT 03/31/14 |
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| Everyone is hypocritical about this topic of "original musicals". I didn't hear anyone complaining about Once, The Producers or Hairspray for example. Quality is quality no matter what the source. | |
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| re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” | |
| Posted by: | BestFriend 05:14 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” - Bwayguy 10:57 am EDT 03/31/14 |
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| I wouldn't necessarily accuse everyone of hypocrisy. Those were all based on a certain kind of film - quirky indie or cult following films, rather than mainstream commercial Hollywood blockbusters. (Kinky Boots is another indie example.) | |
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| re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” | |
| Posted by: | kidmanboy 01:07 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” - Bwayguy 10:57 am EDT 03/31/14 |
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| I think Once, The Producers, and Hairspray differ from Rocky or Bridges of Madison County or Legal Blonde in the sense that I doubt that many of the people that saw those musicals had actually seen the source material. And I am not talking of quality, but of marketability and word-of-mouth. | |
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| re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 12:47 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” - Bwayguy 10:57 am EDT 03/31/14 |
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| i think much of the current distaste for musicals from movies has less to do with quality and more to do with quantity. we're drowning in the them. quality does factor in. you certainly hear less about it when the approach is as successful as, say, ONCE was. | |
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| re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” | |
| Posted by: | ryhog 01:08 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” - enoch10 12:47 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
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| I think if we analyzed what it is that people are actually saying, it is really about a distaste for banal exploitation regardless of source. If a film is imaginatively and creatively utilized as the foundation for a play, I don't think we hear objections. Likewise, if a musical exploits something that has nothing to do with any film, but it is exploiting something in a banal way, we are going to complain about it. Conversely, if a musical is written on a completely blank slate, but tells a banal story with banal songs, we are not going to praise it. So we end up pretty much where we started: we like what we find good, we dislike what we find bad. | |
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| re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 11:07 am EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” - Bwayguy 10:57 am EDT 03/31/14 |
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| I wouldn't say yhat "everyone is hypocritical" on this topic; obviously, it depends on the specific show. As wonderful as it can be to see an entirely new show with an unfamiliar story, I'm sure we'd all rather sit through a great musical based on familiar material than a bad one that's completely original. | |
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| I think .... | |
| Posted by: | jdm 10:20 am EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” - Bwayguy 09:38 am EDT 03/31/14 |
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| that once Idina Menzel leaves, it will tank, based on these kinds of reviews. I would love to be a fly on the wall when the producers start to negotiate a new salary when her current contract is up! :-) Jim | |
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| Sounds like another SONG AND DANCE.... | |
| Posted by: | Delvino 11:35 am EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | I think .... - jdm 10:20 am EDT 03/31/14 |
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| No, not in content. (Though it's not as far removed as one might imagine...) But when the Lloyd webber show opened, it was basically must-see because of Bernadette Peters, the show that marked her "arrival" and won her a Tony. No one really thought it was very good. It went on with Betty Buckley, but not as a hit, and then Melissa Manchester toured. My guess is, only a hunch: a search for a new star will commence almost immediately. Any 40ish top 40 singer with a big voice will be wooed. It's a vehicle for a pop, rangy voiced singer, and that might give it legs, if big enough stars can be found, wooed and promoted. Just a thought. SONG AND DANCE isn't done much, is it? Other than in the UK. It did have one big hit, "Unexpected Song," and several pleasant ALW melodies. | |
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| (And yes, I know Peters was a star before...) | |
| Posted by: | Delvino 12:17 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | Sounds like another SONG AND DANCE.... - Delvino 11:35 am EDT 03/31/14 |
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| Bernadette Peters was a Broadway star, but had appeared in shows that survived her absence before. SONG AND DANCE came along as the show that might finally give her a Tony and that name-above-the-title status. It did that for her, though yes, she was already reason to see many shows prior. It does seem somewhat similar to Menzel's position now. If it's not a perfect parallel, it's in the ballpark. | |
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| re: (And yes, I know Peters was a star before...) | |
| Posted by: | tpdc 03:56 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | (And yes, I know Peters was a star before...) - Delvino 12:17 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
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| Peters was above the title in Mack & Mabel and Sunday in the Park. Tell Me on a Sunday is still performed. I saw two productions of it after Peters, including a production at the Kennedy Center starring Alice Ripley. And didn't Marti Webb just do it again in London? | |
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| re: (And yes, I know Peters was a star before...) | |
| Posted by: | Delvino 08:43 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | re: (And yes, I know Peters was a star before...) - tpdc 03:56 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
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| Uh, her billing was not my point (she hardly kept MACK AND MABEL going, and SUNDAY went on long after she left, since we're quiblling). I was well aware of her placement over the title(s), and saw both of those shows. The issue here is star power, entirely independent of vehicle. I would argue that Peters first demonstrated that quality -- to sell tickets despite the reception afforded the material -- in SONG AND DANCE, a show critics were indifferent to (like IF/THEN). That's why the comparison sprang to mine. I believe the ages of the leading ladies/stars even match up. Peters would've been Menzel's age, approximately, when she triumphed in S&d and won her first Tony. | |
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| I know what you mean... | |
| Posted by: | garyd 12:39 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | (And yes, I know Peters was a star before...) - Delvino 12:17 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
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| I had Pandora (or one of those online music things) on last night and Peters came on singing 'Unexpected Song" and I had similar thoughts to those you posted. It is certainly in the ballpark. The reviews are even similar. As a matter of fact the whole "search for love an meaning in life" theme runs through both pieces. I guess it will be interesting to see if Ms. Menzel can sell close to 500 performances. | |
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| re: I think .... | |
| Posted by: | hitbycab 10:29 am EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | I think .... - jdm 10:20 am EDT 03/31/14 |
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| What does John Travolta think? | |
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| re: I think .... | |
| Posted by: | Ann 10:24 am EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | I think .... - jdm 10:20 am EDT 03/31/14 |
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| She may not leave for a very long time. However, since it will probably not spawn thousands upon thousands of new Idina fans as Wicked did (this is no slight to her), I wonder how far out her fandom will carry the show. The will go, but will they go over and over? | |
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