Threaded Order Chronological Order
| Is PAL JOEY really so sacred?!? | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 01:48 am EDT 07/15/23 | |
| In reply to: re: City Center Announces Casting Update for Pal Joey - Chromolume 06:43 pm EDT 07/13/23 | |
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| Hardly anyone's actually seen this show. The songs which are well known have all become popularized far beyond the context of the musical, in cabarets and recordings of the American Songbook. Yes, people are not going to show up for this expecting the classic Broadway musical. But a whole lot of people are going to come see this precisely BECAUSE it's something new, most excitingly something new from the mind of Savion Glover. Having seen audiences reactions to SUFFLE ALONG, there's an entire fan club of admirers who fully appreciate what a remarkable talent he is. - GMB, who's also VERY excited for Ephraim Sykes |
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| re: Is PAL JOEY really so sacred?!? | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 02:34 pm EDT 07/15/23 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 02:32 pm EDT 07/15/23 | |
| In reply to: Is PAL JOEY really so sacred?!? - GrumpyMorningBoy 01:48 am EDT 07/15/23 | |
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| Many of the books about the history of musical theater tend to give lots of importance to "Oklahoma!" for its place in the repertory, and for good reason. But among other shows, there were great innovations and scores in shows which came before it such as 'Porgy and Bess", "Of Thee I Sing" and, yes, "Pal Joey". Other shows from that pre-"Oklahoma!" period in American musicals that are still done include "Anything Goes" and "The Boys From Syracuse". But "Pal Joey" was significant for having rather original leading characters in a Broadway musical -- other than the sweet ingenue, they are unsavory folks who use other people for their own purposes. As I've written below in this thread, the original book is quite performable still, and would probably work well with non-traditional casting without really having to alter hardly anything from the original text. They'd still have plenty of space to showcase the choreographer as well as a fine dancing lead as Joey, as the original made Gene Kelly a star. But new creatives are going to do what they want to do. But, while "Pal Joey" isn't always given its due as a significant historical musical, it actually is -- even though some critics originally hated it like Brooks Atkinson ("Can you draw sweet water from a foul well?"). I think he and others eventually came round to appreciate it when it was revived. | |
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| Dialogue that was a bit shocking for the time | |
| Posted by: BHandshy 04:10 pm EDT 07/15/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Is PAL JOEY really so sacred?!? - PlayWiz 02:32 pm EDT 07/15/23 | |
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| From the script: Joey has just auditioned for a nightclub proprietor, Mike. Mike offers Joey a drink, but Joey declines, saying he's given up drinking. MIKE: Ummm - so you don't drink. How about nose-candy? JOEY: Not that, either. Oh, I have my vices. MIKE: I know that. Well, we have a band here. The drummer is just a boy. JOEY: Hey, wait a minute! MIKE: We got that straight. Be we also have some girls. |
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| re: Is PAL JOEY really so sacred?!? | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 09:21 am EDT 07/15/23 | |
| In reply to: Is PAL JOEY really so sacred?!? - GrumpyMorningBoy 01:48 am EDT 07/15/23 | |
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| Yes - all valid. I just thought I was in the twilight zone when I started reading a a press release for Pal Joey and off the bat found references to characters that have never been in that script before. But I guess, yeah, no one cares what the show was, or even is. :-( |
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