| I think your last sentence sums up the missed opportunity here. Why not tell us through narration and song choice how PRINCE shaped these stagings and how that contributed to the show's success (or lack of). I know--and lots of us theatre lovers too--from a lifetime of following his career, reading interviews, etc. some of these things, but you really have to fill in the blanks. What about the people who don't have all that knowledge? For example, what a chance to talk about the way he was influenced by theatre in Europe. How be brought back this black box idea and worked with it in various ways from Cabaret all the way through the Phantom. How about having to a take an existing recording, and with only a few changes, and no dialogue, shape and tell a story (Evita). Many of the original reviews noted that his work made more of the material than was actually there. This was certainly confirmed in my mind seeing the recent lackluster revival. How about how he had to have Sweeney set in a factory? How about the complete re-shaping of Spiderwoman after the disaster in Purchase? This is just the tippy top of the iceberg. |
