| HONEYMOON IN VEGAS last night (longish) | |
| Posted by: | NeoAdamite 11:59 am EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| [I usually don't go to early previews, but LIPS TOGETHER was cancelled. I haven't seen the movie.] This is a case like NEWSIES, where the creatives and cast are experienced, know the ropes, and simply do their jobs correctly. I can't say I liked the story, but the machine runs properly and gets you from A to B without many potholes along the way. I realize this is very faint praise, but I've sat through too many recent musicals with major WTF? moments: THE LAST SHIP, HANDS ON A HARDBODY, BIG FISH, CHAPLIN, LEAP OF FAITH, GHOST... So this is going to run or not based simply on how much people like the story, and how much they like Tony Danza. The Tony Danza character is a problem. He's a terrible person, but he has to be around a lot, so they've tried to make him more 'likeable', lest we grow irritated and wish him off the stage. This is a common mistake. He doesn't need to be likable, but watchable. Villains can be brilliant, or buffoons, or sardonically amusing, and we don't mind them being around (that's how Disney does it). It's only when they're both unpleasant and uninteresting that we want them off the stage in a hurry. And this guy, even 'humanized' is not really interesting. Danza does fine. His songs, though perhaps there are too many, are tailored to his vocal limitations and he manages them well. Rob McClure is excellent, though he doesn't get to show off his knack for physical comedy. Brynn O'Malley is a wonderful actress with a good voice, but when she sings she tends to stop acting; that will probably get fixed. There are bits that drag, but I assume they're going to trim ten or fifteen minutes somewhere. | |
| reply to this message | | |
| most villians | |
| Posted by: | dramedy 01:27 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | HONEYMOON IN VEGAS last night (longish) - NeoAdamite 11:59 am EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| may be liked by the audience, but aren't liked by the surrounding characters. He has to be likable otherwise there would be no reason that he would consider dating him and get on the plane. he is a jerk trying to take the girl from the lead, but there has to be plausible belief that he can steal her away. I felt Danza did a nice job walking that tightrope--little sleazy, likable and you kind of want him to succeed in taking her from the lead. | |
| reply to this message | | |
| re: most villians | |
| Posted by: | NeoAdamite 01:33 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | most villians - dramedy 01:27 pm EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| We don't disagree, we're talking about two different things: the audience knows the truth about the bad guy, the heroes in this case don't. So yes, the woman here has to find the villain likable, but the audience doesn't. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: most villians | |
| Posted by: | dramedy 01:50 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: most villians - NeoAdamite 01:33 pm EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| that's a good point that she doesn't know his past and only what he tells her. I was still routing for him. I felt the lead was young but so bland for her, she needed to hook up with the rich guy--but maybe my age is showing (first marry for love, second for money!) | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: most villians | |
| Posted by: | BroadwayTonyJ 02:36 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: most villians - dramedy 01:50 pm EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| "first marry for love, second for money!" -- That's what Jackie Kennedy Onassis used to say. I never saw the play Jackie that played Broadway in the late 1990's, but there was a little bit of a hint of her philosophy about men in Grey Gardens. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| unfortunately, i'm old enough | |
| Posted by: | dramedy 03:27 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: most villians - BroadwayTonyJ 02:36 pm EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| to skip the first marriage but too old to find that rich daddy for the second! | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: HONEYMOON IN VEGAS last night (longish) | |
| Posted by: | Logan69 12:23 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | HONEYMOON IN VEGAS last night (longish) - NeoAdamite 11:59 am EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| I've been skeptical about this one from the beginning. At least Bullets Over Broadway and Women on the Verge were based on solid sources; Honeymoon in Vegas wasn't even a good movie. In a spring season chock full of musicals, this one may need a lot of gambler's luck. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Paper Mill Run | |
| Posted by: | SuzanneR 04:47 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: HONEYMOON IN VEGAS last night (longish) - Logan69 12:23 pm EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| I saw it at the Paper Mill and couldn't understand the raves... | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| On what to adapt... | |
| Posted by: | NeoAdamite 12:32 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: HONEYMOON IN VEGAS last night (longish) - Logan69 12:23 pm EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| Assuming the base story is solid, with a clear protagonist and clear antagonist, it's easier to adapt mediocre source material, because you get more flexibility. Some of the best moments in HONEYMOON IN VEGAS -- the ones with Nancy Opel -- are moments that are not in the movie. Conversely, great source material tends to be tightly coupled to its medium (there are exceptions, of course). | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: On what to adapt... | |
| Posted by: | JohnPopa 04:10 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | On what to adapt... - NeoAdamite 12:32 pm EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| I think recently many of the movie adaptations stick too close to the source, not because of quality per se, but because of a perceived-familiarity. It creates that feeling that the stage show is just the movie where they pause for songs, instead of feeling like something being thoroughly adapted for the stage. (Haven't seen 'Honeymoon' to see how it skews so no judgement on that show at all.) | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: On what to adapt... | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 04:38 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: On what to adapt... - JohnPopa 04:10 pm EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| That does typically seem to be the case, especially in recent years. But Honeymoon in Vegas doesn't strike me as an automatically bankable title. I don't have the perception that the movie is well-loved (I actually thought it was a lot of fun, but I saw it once, when it first hit home video). It's not the kind of movie that's shown endlessly on TBS or TNT. It doesn't seem to have any cult status. All that to say my first reaction upon hearing that JRB was making a musical out of it wasn't "I can't believe he's trying to cash in on that title" (which is how I felt about Bridges of Madison County); it was "Huh, that's an unexpected choice." | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: On what to adapt... | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 01:46 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | On what to adapt... - NeoAdamite 12:32 pm EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| "Assuming the base story is solid, with a clear protagonist and clear antagonist, it's easier to adapt mediocre source material, because you get more flexibility...Conversely, great source material tends to be tightly coupled to its medium (there are exceptions, of course)." This has been said many times, and I generally agree, but of course there are exceptions -- like MY FAIR LADY. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: On what to adapt... | |
| Posted by: | NeoAdamite 04:39 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: On what to adapt... - Michael_Portantiere 01:46 pm EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| of course there are exceptions -- like MY FAIR LADY. And a grand exception that is! But remember that no less than Rodgers and Hammerstein tried that one too, and gave up. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: HONEYMOON IN VEGAS last night (longish) | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 12:03 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | HONEYMOON IN VEGAS last night (longish) - NeoAdamite 11:59 am EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| You and BroadwayNate (see below) seemed to have seen different shows! | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: HONEYMOON IN VEGAS last night (longish) | |
| Posted by: | NeoAdamite 12:26 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: HONEYMOON IN VEGAS last night (longish) - lowwriter 12:03 pm EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| You and BroadwayNate (see below) seemed to have seen different shows! I didn't see his writeup until after I posted, but our only real disagreement is on O'Malley, everything else is just a matter of emphasis. Well, I don't think the score is dull, but the choreography certainly is. The Elvis-pastiche number defeats Brown as a lyricist--that style is unkind to all but the simplest lyrics, and Brown doesn't write those. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: HONEYMOON IN VEGAS last night (longish) | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 12:37 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: HONEYMOON IN VEGAS last night (longish) - NeoAdamite 12:26 pm EST 11/20/14 |
|
| |
| But you didn't make the show sound like a turkey. | |
| 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 | Cabaret | Tony Awards | Book Reviews | Great White Wayback Machine ]
[ Broadway Reviews | Barbara and Scott: The Two of Clubs | Sound Advice | Sound Advice Upcoming Releases CDs/Books/DVDs, etc. | 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 - 2014 www.TalkinBroadway.com, Inc. ]
Time to render: 0.108578 seconds.