| I largely agree. But I think Evita is a special case. One, since it was written in advance of ever being staged, and underwent very few changes from concept album to stage show, Prince didn't have much of a hand in shaping the book/score. I think we agree that most musicals are not completely written on the first day of rehearsal, so in a way the directors and others do have an (uncredited) authorship as they suggest new scenes, new songs, shifting plot points, etc. Since Prince came in after the fact, his contributions seem to me a more obvious author contribution than all the stuff that might be happening behind the scenes when a musical is being written in conjunction with a whole team and not just the composer/lyricist in a room. Two, since I have never seen a version of Evita that soared without the Prince template--certainly including the lackluster revival--I have thought more and more that the story doesn't really work without his contribution. It seems like it IS the show, in the same way the score is the show. I have longed to see someone else make their mark on this show, and I have no doubt it will happen eventually. In which case I can throw my argument out the door :-) |
