| Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 09:52 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| "Despite her success, Brice 'doesn't think that she deserves a guy. She thinks she's ugly. She takes him on, but infantilises him. And when he gets into trouble, Brice bails him out. Finally, in a tragic way, she destroys him - and he's got to get away from her. I'm not sure it was really understood at the time.'" Oh? I certainly understood it "at the time," although I'm not sure that "infantalises" is the correct word here. "Fierstein cut 40 pages from the script during his first read-through. He likened his work to an 'excavation.' Fierstein spoke of uncovering a 'really lovely story about a woman in showbusiness who wants to have a personal life and the career...and that still resonates." Really? I think that aspect of the story has always been very clear, and didn't need to be "uncovered." "Fierstein said he'd reshaped the show so it's all seen through Brice's eyes. 'It's not Ziegfeld Follies with 500ft staircases and 60 girls in white ostrich feathers. Hopefully, we can find the human being in the legend.'" Of course he's going to phrase it that way. This is a Menier Chocolate Factory production. | |
| reply to this message | | |
| Film Vs Stage Musical | |
| Posted by: | John_Patti 12:41 pm EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - Michael_Portantiere 09:52 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| Great to see all this love for the original stage musical but having been introduced to the property via the film I have found every stage production I've seen since very disappointing. The last production I saw was at The Papermill with a spectacular turn by Leslie Kritzer which saved the night. | |
| reply to this message | | |
| UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... | |
| Posted by: | 2hrsOfJustPow 12:20 am EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - Michael_Portantiere 09:52 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| That doesn't NEED reinventing..... What a mess... | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 03:03 am EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... - 2hrsOfJustPow 12:20 am EDT 10/31/15 |
|
| |
| This show has an entertaining first act; the second act had two great ballads that were left out of the film, and 2 fine comic numbers ("Sadie" and "Rat-tat-tat-tat"), the latter of which was replaced by the uninspired "Swan" ballet. The show had lots of problems with the final Fanny-Nick scene, which involved many, many re-writes during the original production. But with the great score and Streisand (and the original book seen on opening night), it worked. I don't think this needs to be turned into a psycho-dramatic working of what's going on in Fanny's mind. I think this is almost as bad as if they said Harvey Weinstein was going to re-write it instead of Fierstein! | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| "...so it's all seen through Brice's eyes." | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 10:40 am EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | re: UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... - PlayWiz 03:03 am EDT 10/31/15 |
|
| |
| "Fierstein said he'd reshaped the show so it's all seen through Brice's eyes." As to this particular remark, it's worth noting that, in a sense, the show has always been seen "through Brice's eyes." Both the original stage version and the movie are told as a flashback, with Fanny looking back over her life as she waits in the theater for Nick on the day of his release from prison. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... | |
| Posted by: | simbo 03:16 am EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | re: UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... - PlayWiz 03:03 am EDT 10/31/15 |
|
| |
| Rat tat tat tat is of course bad history as Brice married Arnstein after WWI but is shown doing a WWI number after her marriage... | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... | |
| Posted by: | pierce 01:35 am EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | re: UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... - simbo 03:16 am EDT 10/31/15 |
|
| |
| Rat tat tat tat is of course bad history as Brice married Arnstein after WWI but is shown doing a WWI number after her marriage Funny Girl was never concerned with accuracy or "good history," and we can start with the fact that Fanny Brice's marriage to Nick Arnstein was her second one, along with the fact that Arnstein (the rascal) was more than happy to live off his wife's money. Funny Girl was mostly concerned with giving its audiences good songs, good performances and good entertainment - and down the road, giving its investors a nice profit. A few facts were thrown in to keep the show within the ballpark of Brice's life, but it was never intended to be a documentary - just an entertaining Broadway musical. And the relevant point about "Rat Tat Tat Tat" was that it was a funny, rousing number, and "The Swan" wasn't. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... | |
| Posted by: | simbo 05:47 am EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | re: UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... - pierce 01:35 am EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| I dunno. Of the two numbers we get where Fanny is actually funny on stage, "His Love Makes Me Beautiful" is by far the funnier of the two. It makes me wonder why they didn't do a Baby Schnooks number. Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat just kinda sits there. Yes, it's got energy ,but it's pretty empty calories (I tend to feel the same way about "Find yourself A Man", which is funny, but would be just about as funny in any other show, since it doesn't actually take the plot anywhere) | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 02:16 pm EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | re: UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... - simbo 05:47 am EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| I think "Find Yourself a Man" also serves a purpose to give Fanny a rest, as she has a big load of songs to sing; she's very rarely off the stage. I don't know if the real Brice ever sang as Baby Snooks, who I believe she mainly performed on radio, but I agree that it would have been a fun thing for the creators to have musicalized. In either the film "Funny Girl" or "Funny Lady" (I forget which) there is a short scene where she has just finished performing Snooks in costume in front of an audience watching a radio broadcast. "Rat-tat-a-tat" is amusing, as there is a YouTube video of Mimi Hines doing it. The film's problem is the much weaker 2nd half: besides "Sadie, Sadie" it doesn't have much comedy in it. "The Swan" is too weak and not really funny, even if we are shown cutaway shots to the audience enjoying it. Also, the song "Funny Girl" isn't anywhere as good as "Who Are You Now" and "The Music That Makes Me Dance", two gorgeous ballads which were dropped. Yes, "My Man" works extremely well as the replacement for the latter, but the 2nd half is too melodramatic and lacking in "funny". The stage show at least has "Sadie", "Find Yourself A Man" and "Rat-tat-tat-tat" to keep things from getting too heavy. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 02:54 pm EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | re: UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... - PlayWiz 02:16 pm EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| "In either the film 'Funny Girl' or 'Funny Lady' (I forget which) there is a short scene where she has just finished performing Snooks in costume in front of an audience watching a radio broadcast. I don't know if it's also in FUNNY LADY, but it is in FUNNY GIRL, although I don't think it's a radio broadcast. From the wings, we see Fanny cavorting on stage as Baby Snooks, then she comes offstage and hears the new that Nick was arrested. "The film's problem is the much weaker 2nd half: besides 'Sadie, Sadie' it doesn't have much comedy in it." Another reason why "Find Yourself a Man" is a useful number in the stage version, even if it's not a great song. "'The Swan' is too weak and not really funny, even if we are shown cutaway shots to the audience enjoying it." I don't believe that number has cutaway shots of the audience enjoying it. I think there is some humor in the number, but it's not filmed well, and it's something of a mess in the way they edited it down from the much longer version. Nice to have Tommy Rall in it as the Prince, though! | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| Lisa Kron would've been my choice... | |
| Posted by: | Delvino 10:58 am EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | re: UGH! I can't think of a worse choice to re-invent this material... - simbo 03:16 am EDT 10/31/15 |
|
| |
| Perhaps she was approached. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| "Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter." | |
| Posted by: | Delvino 06:17 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - Michael_Portantiere 09:52 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| Per all your cogent points, I keep wondering what anyone thinks can be excavated here. It's the most straightforward musical story imaginable, with every root-for built into the almost by the number trajectory, every reversal comprehensible and a love letter to Brice. If anything, it needs texture, grit and something to make it all less of an obvious valentine. Fanny demonstrates few if any negative traits (self-depricatory humor isn't exactly a ball in chain in this tale). She's a great girl who gets a guy who's less than perfect, but still worthy of her. The lyrics, in 2015, are rather blandly generic. Take "Don't Rain on My Parade." Who has tried to rain on her parade? She wants a show-biz career and then wants the guy, too. It's always seemed sort of overcooked outrage. Gee, she has to finish her run in the Follies before she can go after Nick? So she says to hell with it an chases him anyway. The song is wonderful, and it seals the romance. But really, it's devoid of much nuance. Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter? Her life is pretty good, headlining, and she sings the number to make it pump up the first act curtain. Okay. Good lucky, Harvey. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | BrianJ 12:57 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - Michael_Portantiere 09:52 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| Yes, I would think all but the most unusually, exceptionally dense audience members understood that at the time.... I'm trying to picture Fierstein standing outside the Winter Garden after a performance in 1964 explaining these insights to departing theatregoers, presumably baffled by the unexplained psychological complexity of what they'd just seen and grateful for the clarifications. And yes, regarding his Ziegfeld Follies comment, I don't think I've ever heard anyone complain that the show was/is an overblown spectacle which focuses so much on gaudy pageantry that the leading character gets lost in the shuffle, and that it will take a lower budget, stripped-down production to properly put the focus on that character in a way that the original production missed. But I guess you have to say more in an interview then, "Eh, I enjoy working, I enjoy the paycheck, a paid visit to London for a bit will be fun, so I took the job." | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | young-walsingham 02:04 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - BrianJ 12:57 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| "Eh, I enjoy working, I enjoy the paycheck, a paid visit to London for a bit will be fun, so I took the job." So you believe Mr Fierstein has no artistic integrity? | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | sf 02:52 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - young-walsingham 02:04 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| "So you believe Mr Fierstein has no artistic integrity?" Unfair question - at least, for anyone who has seen/read Mr. Fierstein's adaptation of "La Cage Aux Folles" *and* the film it's based on. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 06:28 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - sf 02:52 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| ...and the ridiculously stripped-down orchestrations for the Menier-spawned recent Broadway revival?? Maybe this Funny Girl will just be piano and trumpet. (There's no escaping "Cornet Man" after all. Unless that gets cut too.) | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | sf 07:03 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - Chromolume 06:28 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| At the Menier, I've no problem with the tiny orchestra. When their productions transfer to the West End or Broadway and prices go up, I'm not thrilled when the band stays the same size as it was on Southwark Street. Having said that, I'm curious enough about Smith that I'm sure I'll see this - at the Savoy, because I was busy during the two hours it took the run at the Menier to sell out. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 12:01 pm EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - sf 07:03 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| When their productions transfer to the West End or Broadway and prices go up, I'm not thrilled when the band stays the same size as it was on Southwark Street And of course that's the problem. If these shows are going to transfer intact, they shouldn't be going to Broadway. If they're going to go to Broadway, they need to be scaled up appropriately. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 07:24 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - sf 07:03 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| Funny Girl doesn't not need to turned into a chamber musical. I hope when they revive it in NYC, hopefully at Lincoln Center, they give it the big production it deserves. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 03:05 am EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - lowwriter 07:24 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| I agree; I don't want to see a show that has scenes recreating the extravagant "Ziegfeld Follies" done on the scale of the "Fantasticks". | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | tandelor 08:29 am EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - PlayWiz 03:05 am EDT 10/31/15 |
|
| |
| I remember the same criticism of the movie when it opened, that it made the Ziegfeld stages way too large and too filled with an unrealistically large cast and production. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 02:35 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - young-walsingham 02:04 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| "'Eh, I enjoy working, I enjoy the paycheck, a paid visit to London for a bit will be fun, so I took the job.' So you believe Mr Fierstein has no artistic integrity?" I really don't see how that pretend quote leads to your interpretation. That's quite a leap. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 01:05 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - BrianJ 12:57 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| "But I guess you have to say more in an interview then, 'Eh, I enjoy working, I enjoy the paycheck, a paid visit to London for a bit will be fun, so I took the job.'" And if you work for the Menier Chocolate Factory, you HAVE to say that a stripped-down, bare-bones production with minimal production values and a miniscule orchestra is going to do a far better job of "focusing on the story" of a beloved musical than those awful, overblown Broadway production of yore, with all those pesky sets, costumes, and musicians. David Babani, the artistic director of the Menier, is usually the one to spout these annoying statements, but I guess he let Fierstein do so this time :-) | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | LynnB 12:53 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - Michael_Portantiere 09:52 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| Everything Fierstein is 'uncovering' and 'excavating' sounds exactly like the 'Funny Girl' I remember, too. Based on these quotes, Fierstein's rewrite won't be very different from the original. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 06:30 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - LynnB 12:53 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| ...except that 40 pages of script will be missing. ;-) | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| Where did the interview appear? nm | |
| Posted by: | kieran 12:49 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - Michael_Portantiere 09:52 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| nm | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Where did the interview appear? nm | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 01:07 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | Where did the interview appear? nm - kieran 12:49 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| In the Daily Mail. See link. | |
| Link | FUNNY GIRL article |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Where did the interview appear? nm | |
| Posted by: | sf 01:54 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Where did the interview appear? nm - Michael_Portantiere 01:07 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| OK, it's an interview - but don't believe anything you read in the Daily Mail, down to and including the date, until you get it corroborated by a more reliable source. It's toilet paper, and should be treated as such. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Where did the interview appear? nm | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 02:32 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Where did the interview appear? nm - sf 01:54 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| I don't disagree, but are you suggesting the quotes in this interview aren't accurate? | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Where did the interview appear? nm | |
| Posted by: | sf 02:50 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Where did the interview appear? nm - Michael_Portantiere 02:32 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| I'm suggesting I wouldn't believe anything I read in the Daily Mail. And I do mean *anything*. Or to put it another way, it is certainly not unheard-of for that publication to edit quotes so that they look like they mean something quite different from what the speaker actually intended. If the interview had appeared in, say, the arts section of the Guardian, I'd be far more inclined to take it at face value. The Mail, even when it looks like it's publishing a direct quote, is not a reliable source. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| I Have to laugh | |
| Posted by: | Greg_M 11:50 am EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - Michael_Portantiere 09:52 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| Reshaped the show so it's all seen through Brice's eyes????? How about reshaping the score so it would sound like Fanny Brice singing??? | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I Have to laugh | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 06:40 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | I Have to laugh - Greg_M 11:50 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| The film already made the mistake of getting rid of some of Styne's score in favor of Brice's iconic songs. I would have rather they kept the show score as is. Funny Girl was never meant to be an academic treatise on vaudeville music nor on Brice's life. If you want that, you'd have to write a new show. Tinkering around with Styne's score won't do anything but weaken the show. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I Have to laugh | |
| Posted by: | garyd 03:27 am EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | re: I Have to laugh - Chromolume 06:40 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| An interesting post. If the show is not about vaudeville and not about Brice then what is it about? I am truly not challenging you here. I think you have hit upon the major reason this is a weak show. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I Have to laugh | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 10:44 am EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | re: I Have to laugh - garyd 03:27 am EDT 10/31/15 |
|
| |
| "Funny Girl was never meant to be an academic treatise on vaudeville music nor on Brice's life." I think "academic treatise" is the operative phrase here. Of course the show is about Brice, despite the historical inaccuracies. And, of course, it's a Cinderella story at heart. Or sort of an ugly-ducking-becomes-a-swan story, which is maybe why they decided to include "Swan Lake" in the movie :-) | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I Have to laugh | |
| Posted by: | garyd 02:09 pm EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | re: I Have to laugh - Michael_Portantiere 10:44 am EDT 10/31/15 |
|
| |
| LOL, yeah I agree Actually I suppose I consider the stage version to be an odd love story between an interesting woman and a not so interesting man. The film, on the other hand, is a love story about the love of a talented actress for herself. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I Have to laugh | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 03:42 pm EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | re: I Have to laugh - garyd 02:09 pm EDT 10/31/15 |
|
| |
| The film, on the other hand, is a love story about the love of a talented actress for herself. Ha! ;-) | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I Have to laugh | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 07:17 pm EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | re: I Have to laugh - Chromolume 03:42 pm EDT 10/31/15 |
|
| |
| I'll second that: HA HA!!!! | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: I Have to laugh | |
| Posted by: | garyd 06:06 pm EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | re: I Have to laugh - Chromolume 03:42 pm EDT 10/31/15 |
|
| |
| I realize the comment in my post is tacky but I will never forgive or forget what she did to "Prince of Tides". | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | WaHiGuy 10:10 am EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - Michael_Portantiere 09:52 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| Well, I realize he's working with the existing script and the legend it creates, but a re-write might include the fact Brice lived with Arnstein for six years before marrying him, during which time he served a sentence at Sing Sing for wire tapping. She was no innocent babe when they met (having been married once already), and I assume she knew what she was getting in to. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 10:16 am EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - WaHiGuy 10:10 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| That is fascinating, but it's just the kind of info that tends to get streamlined (or thrown out entirely) as part of the compression and simplification of a life story that's usually done for a musical, a play, or a film. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | larry13 11:48 am EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - Michael_Portantiere 10:16 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| My memory of FUNNY GIRL--at least as far as the book--is that the writing just isn't that good, NOT at all that Fanny's life and/or point of view gets swamped by the Follies. So, unless Fierstein is trying to be diplomatic for some reason, that's what he should be cutting and rewriting: lots of poor, soap-opera dialogue. It is possible that some of the problem with the book relates to having the producer and his wife breathing down the neck of the writer to make sure that her precious father--who was also still alive--wasn't shown to be the scum he really was. If Fierstein could be free of that hindrance, that might also be beneficial. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 11:50 am EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - larry13 11:48 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| Larry13, I had a similar reaction to the Fierstein interview. I think many people agree that there are problems with FUNNY GIRL, but necessarily the problems Fierstein noted. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | NightMusic77 02:07 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - Michael_Portantiere 11:50 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| I seem to remember reading somewhere that when the show was originally being written, they had to be very careful to not paint Nick Arnstein in a bad light because of Frances Arnstein's involvement with the show. It would be interesting to see the book rewritten without having to meet that condition this time around. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 11:47 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - NightMusic77 02:07 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| >> It would be interesting to see the book rewritten without having to meet that condition this time around. next to the criticism of the transfer of the production no one's seen yet this is my favorite part of this thread. you want a FUNNY GIRL with a more unsympathetic nick because what ... that would make it such a better love story? | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | simbo 06:08 am EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - enoch10 11:47 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| I don't need it to be a better love story. I want it to be a better story, fullstop. As the Lennart script stands, act two kinda wiggles around looking for a story and not really finding one (this could be one of those functions of casting Sydney Chaplin, who tended to be the leading man you'd get when all the good ones didn't want to be dominated by the leading lady - I've never thought much of him in any of the roles he initiated - a Nick that had a song and a point of view beyond "dejected puppy" for act two would give the act a point that it currently lacks for everythign that isn't the 3 minutes 52 seconds of "Music that Makes Me Dance". | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 11:58 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - enoch10 11:47 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| "...the criticism of the transfer of the production no one's seen yet..." This objection is so tiresome. I was commenting on Harvey Fierstein's quotes about how he is rewriting the show, and about the fact that people involved with Menier Chocolate Factory productions always go on about how whatever show they are doing is going to be improved by a cheap, bare-bone presentation with a tiny orchestra. Some judgments about a production can be made based on known facts and upon statements made in advance by the creative team, as was certainly the case with PORGY AND BESS. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 02:40 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - NightMusic77 02:07 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| Even more importantly, Nick Arnstein was still alive when FUNNY GIRL opened on Broadway, and lived for more than a year thereafter! P.S.: To correct a typo in my previous post, I hope it was understood that what I meant was: "I think many people agree that there are problems with FUNNY GIRL, but NOT necessarily the problems Fierstein noted." | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| Btw, 'Funny Girl' transfers to the West End April 9 | |
| Posted by: | jesse21 09:59 am EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | Harvey Fierstein on his rewrite of FUNNY GIRL for the Menier production - Michael_Portantiere 09:52 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| - "Following the end of the show’s run at the south London theatre in March [Menier Chocolate Factory run ends March 5.], Funny Girl will transfer to the Savoy Theatre on April 9, and will play there until July 12." Read story here. - | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Btw, 'Funny Girl' transfers to the West End April 9 | |
| Posted by: | alvy_singer 05:36 pm EDT 10/30/15 |
| In reply to: | Btw, 'Funny Girl' transfers to the West End April 9 - jesse21 09:59 am EDT 10/30/15 |
|
| |
| seeing it November 27 as part of my anti-Thanksgiving theater weekend. looking forward. | |
| 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 - 2015 www.TalkinBroadway.com, Inc. ]
Time to render: 0.463118 seconds.