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Bel_Canto posted:My favorite musical of all is Gypsy, which I first saw in 2008 starring Patti LuPone, who gave easily the best performance I've ever seen from anyone doing anything ever. I loved Imelda Staunton as well, but I didn't think her supporting cast measured up to her at all, and that made the production weaker. Imelda is everything. Literally the best thing I've seen happen on a stage. Lara Pulver was definitely a good Louise, Peter Davison has been mediocre in every musical he's ever touched. But Imelda forever. Bel_Canto posted:If you want something to change your conceptions of what musical theatre can do, see Sunday in the Park with George, whose first act might actually be perfect. The second act is by no means bad, but when the first act had me weeping with sheer aesthetic joy, that's gonna be hard to top. Totally agree. You can tell the second half was written in a hurry as they hadn't finished it by the time the production started. But the first half is amazing. I have the dvd, must watch it again.
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Jan 4, 2016 15:14
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Peter Davison from Doctor Who?
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Jan 5, 2016 08:09
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Acaila posted:Peter Davison from Doctor Who? The very same. I saw him in Legally Blonde too.
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Jan 5, 2016 11:29
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I'd completely forgotten he was in that actually! The thought of him being all sleazy made me sad  I've just watched the film of Little Shop of Horrors! What a weird ending though 
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Jan 7, 2016 23:04
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Acaila posted:What a weird ending though Which one?
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Jan 8, 2016 01:04
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Theglavwen posted:Which one? Is there more than one to the film? Just a super ridiculously long scene of plants killing everything. Doesn't really seem the way to finish a musical.
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Jan 8, 2016 17:39
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Acaila posted:Is there more than one to the film? Just a super ridiculously long scene of plants killing everything. Doesn't really seem the way to finish a musical. The musical-stage version ends differently to the musical-film version.
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Jan 8, 2016 17:46
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Acaila posted:Is there more than one to the film? Just a super ridiculously long scene of plants killing everything. Doesn't really seem the way to finish a musical. That's... not the ending to the movie. That's the original ending that they changed before releasing it. Super weird that that's the one you saw. The real movie ending is them living happily in a nice house with a white picket fence and you see that there are some Audrey IIs growing in the garden. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtJtYayW4VQ
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Jan 8, 2016 18:07
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AnonymousNarcotics posted:That's... not the ending to the movie. That's the original ending that they changed before releasing it. Super weird that that's the one you saw. The real movie ending is them living happily in a nice house with a white picket fence and you see that there are some Audrey IIs growing in the garden. There's also a musical-film and a not-musical-film (starring Jack Nicholson!)
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Jan 8, 2016 18:11
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AnonymousNarcotics posted:That's... not the ending to the movie. That's the original ending that they changed before releasing it. Super weird that that's the one you saw. The real movie ending is them living happily in a nice house with a white picket fence and you see that there are some Audrey IIs growing in the garden. Eh, I think it's tough to say which is 'the ending'. The picket fence ending was what went out in the theatrical release, because people reacted badly to the intended ending in screenings, so they changed it last minute to something that marketed better. People wanted a happy ending. The happy ending is pretty awkwardly shoved in there though, especially when you view them side-by-side, it was a rush job and it shows. Just 'oh hey I'm okay! Alright, let's go rambo on this thing! Bam, electricity, we win!'. I think the lead actress had to wear a wig or something too, as she'd already changed her hair. I guess you can say the happy ending fits in with the love-story elements of the movie, but I at least think it's more jarring than the 'rampaging plants' ending, it just doesn't really fit with the overall theme of the movie. People get surprised by the 'bad' ending because it's unexpected, I think, but once you get over that it's much more satisfying in a perverse sort of way. It's more and more usual for people to see the 'bad' ending on their first exposure now, as it's generally preferred among 'cult' fans or whatever.
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Jan 8, 2016 18:35
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Speaking of Little Shop, I was at last year's concert with Jake Gyllenhaal, Ellen Greene in her original role (looking and sounding much the same thirty years later), and Taran Killam. The men were very good, but I don't think I've ever been in an audience that loved a performer as much as this one loved Greene. Anyone else think Little Shop would make a good live televised event?
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Jan 8, 2016 18:57
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It was more that it seemed so dragged out and not very much like a musical which generally finishes with some sort of bang, both narratively and musically. The theatre ending does indeed look quite rushed, though it's at least a bit more snappy. I kinda like that thing with the little smiling Audrey 2.
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Jan 8, 2016 19:01
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I went to a really fun Little Shop movie screening sing-along a year or so ago. There was a shadow cast too, like live Rocky Horror screenings. http://www.nytix.com/news/6765/little-shop-of-horrors-sing-along-at-bam-october-25
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Jan 8, 2016 19:17
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The plant-rampage ending is arguably the more "real" one, since that's how the stage musical ends, but it's kind of annoyingly unmusical and overlong (I wish the Greek chorus were involved more). There's something slyly subversive about the original theatrical ending, though, that fits in with the anti-consumerism/suburbia/50s dark humor that was popular in underground comics and indie movies at the time, which is satisfying in its own way. Frank Oz talks somewhere about the audience reaction to the original ending underlining the difference between stage and film - on stage, your beloved characters can die and then come out and take a bow, but in film they just die, and the audience hates that.
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Jan 8, 2016 21:02
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The kicker to that story is that the original ending was the most costly part of the entire film. I can't remember the exact figure, but it was millions of dollars entirely cut to be replaced with a cheap rush job. Someone mentioned Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, and I have to agree with loving that show. I loved their performance at the Tony's but wasn't thrilled when I heard some of the other music as it's very quirky. The show is amazing, though, and the music is perfect for it. I saw it again recently when my mom was visiting for Christmas, and she loved it as well. I didn't think the two newer female leads were as good as the originals, but Bryce Pinkham and Jefferson Mays were still great.
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Jan 8, 2016 21:41
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Acaila posted:It was more that it seemed so dragged out and not very much like a musical which generally finishes with some sort of bang, both narratively and musically. Yeah, the ending on the director's cut of the movie is so ridiculously long. It's the same as the stage musical's ending, except obviously the effects were better, and they added an extended & repetitive instrumental segment to show more footage of giant plants trashing stuff. Probably would have been edited down if it ever made it to the final cut, but well, do what must... Acaila posted:Oh man, how have I not seen this thread before! You have some rare tastes. Or maybe the West End version of Lord of the Rings was less of a car crash. Apparently they cut an entire half hour out of the original trainwreck when they shipped it across the Atlantic. The version I saw was actively unendurable. I got orchestra seats for $20 per and regretted it.
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Jan 11, 2016 09:02
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Yeah, between my friend who saw it in Toronto and the highlights video I have of it from there, the West End version was a lot better. Far better performed too. We saw a matinee and actually discussed potentially going back for the evening performance we loved it that much! Speaking of car crash musicals, anyone ever encountered Lestat? I kinda love it in a so bad it's good way for its homoerotic woobies, but it has possibly the worst lyrics ever sung in a theatre (yes, even including Rent!)
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Jan 14, 2016 22:01
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I saw School of Rock last night and it was amazing. I had a wonderful time. Alex Brightman was amazing as Dewey. They actually sell the soundtrack as both CD and Vinyl, which is a neat touch.
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Jan 27, 2016 23:21
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Recently saw a musical adaption of Ghost. I'm probably biased because I saw it before the film but I actually preferred it, though my main concrete reasons depend on cast (I prefer Jemma Rix's Molly to Demi Moore and Alex Rathgeber's Carl looked like a smug banker douche instead of a dweeb, making his breakdown more satisfying.).
AlphaKretin has a new favorite as of 14:50 on Jan 31, 2016 |
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Jan 31, 2016 14:44
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I really liked Ghost, I thought it was very well directed and designed, though it's the same director as LOTR and Matilda, and IIRC the same designer as both, so it's probably not a surprise since I'm a big fan of Matthew Warchus. I do think the main weakness was the score though - Unchained Melody was the only real tune in it. But definitely one I enjoyed.
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Jan 31, 2016 15:50
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Yeah, I can definitely agree with that. The two songs that seemed to take up the most time amounted to "Gee, life in New York sure is fast-paced" and "Wowee, that black woman sure is zany", though maybe that's self-fulfilling in that they seem long because they lack substance.
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Jan 31, 2016 15:54
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Just a reminder that tonight Grease: Live will be airing on Fox tonight at 7:00 EST. Personally I'm not a fan of Grease at all but I am interested in seeing how they pull this one off. They're using a live studio audience, multiple sound stages, and some outdoor scenes they've promised regardless of weather. Also in sadder news Vanessa Hudgens, who plays Rizzo in the show, just lost her father to cancer last night . But she says she's going to do the role anyway in his honor. Can't even imagine how rough that would be.
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Feb 1, 2016 00:12
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Grease is a collection of some good songs surrounded by a thoroughly contemptible plot.
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Feb 1, 2016 01:01
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Cruel and Unusual posted:Grease is a collection of some good songs surrounded by a thoroughly contemptible plot. Couldn't have put it better myself. Also they wrote a new song for Frenchie since Carly Rae Jepsen is playing her, and the Teen Angel is being played collectively by Boyz II Men 
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Feb 1, 2016 01:04
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I'm down on Grease Live since it really looks like they were given strict instructions to look as much like the movie as possible. Exact same costumes, hair, sets etc. I feel like if the original ending to Little Shop hadn't been dropped altogether it likely would have been fine tuned in editing- the restored version seems like pretty much all the FX roll, and they even draw out the end of the song to make room. But since it is a restoration I guess they decided not to trim it at all.
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Feb 1, 2016 02:10
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Tommy Kail absolutely killed it directing Grease tonight.
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Feb 1, 2016 04:02
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Aside from a few technical glitches and the subpar song they added for CRJ (who still did a great job at it), that was just about perfect. This will almost certainty change how live TV musicals are done in the future. Between this and John Scott winning MVP at the NHL All Star game I am a very happy camper tonight  .
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Feb 1, 2016 04:07
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Wow. So these things don't have to be awkward, arch, turgid affairs after all. They can actually be fun (almost) all the way through. But it's surprising, given the quality of the rest of the production, that nobody demanded a better song for Carly Rae Jepsen. That was a turd even by the standards of today's pop music.
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Feb 1, 2016 05:56
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It's probably because I was exposed to it at an early age, but 1776 the Musical is my favorite.
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Feb 1, 2016 05:58
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Cruel and Unusual posted:Grease is a collection of some good songs surrounded by a thoroughly contemptible plot. To be fair, that could describe a LOT of musicals. The show tonight was pretty good, despite the musical itself being meh. The inclusion of an audience seems so loving obvious a decision, I'm not sure why it hasn't been done before. I'm certain it'll be standard from now on, since it added the energy all the live shows before have lacked. It's kind of cool these have become a thing and brought attention back to theatre. Between these and Hamilton, it's been a pretty good time for theatre's popularity.
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Feb 1, 2016 06:16
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I generally hate Grease but I enjoyed it tonight. Except Carly Rae Jepsen. She's awful. And the lame racing scene. I think they should have done more to make this its own without trying to be the movie.
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Feb 1, 2016 06:55
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AnonymousNarcotics posted:Except Carly Rae Jepsen. She's awful. A word of warning. Don't ever go into the Pop Music thread and say that. 
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Feb 1, 2016 16:48
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AnonymousNarcotics posted:I generally hate Grease but I enjoyed it tonight. Except Carly Rae Jepsen. She's awful. And the lame racing scene. It's been years and years since I've seen any production of Grease; how do they usually handle the race? Also, if it wasn't for the fact that someone probably would have been badly hurt, I really would have wanted one of these things to tip over during We Go Together.  LIVE TV.
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Feb 1, 2016 16:56
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Can people post their favorite "villainous" songs from musicals? It's my favorite kind.
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Feb 4, 2016 22:38
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Depends what you consider a villain really. There's tons of good antagonist songs, but they're not necessarily outright evil. Like, are Javert and Judas villains? Because anything of theirs. For more clear cut villains, Another Pyramid from Aida. Poor Unfortunate Souls from The Little Mermaid is all kinds of awesome. Since I'm going all out on cheesy musicals, I'll throw in One More Angel in Heaven from Joseph. After All This Time from Lestat is catchy pretentious nonsense. The American Dream from Miss Saigon. Actually, mentioning Judas, I suppose Herod might be a more obvious villain and I adore Herod's Song I have a weird fondness for Cooties from Hairspray after being involved in a production of it (though I think Miss Baltimore Crabs is rubbish) Cop Song from Urinetown? That's What He Said from Parade, or Come Up To My Office maybe, though not really sung by a villain as such even if it's played that way I'm Alive from Next to Normal arguably And pretty much the entirety of Assassins would hypothetically count.
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Feb 4, 2016 23:58
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RgR0-EWuNY
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Feb 5, 2016 02:44
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Kurtofan posted:Can people post their favorite "villainous" songs from musicals? It's my favorite kind. Does "No Good Deed" from Wicked count? It's probably my favourite number to go back and listen to.
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Feb 5, 2016 02:49
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Acaila posted:I'm Alive from Next to Normal arguably Oh god yes. I love that song so much. Pretty much the entire musical kicks rear end and I'm sad that no one performs it, at least near me. If you want another "villain" song from there, then There's A World might count, given the subject matter. As far as other "villain" or antagonist songs go, Blood in the Water from Legally Blonde: The Musical is a lot of fun. So Disney just released the cast recording album of the newest stage version of Hunchback of Notre Dame a couple weeks ago, with the US premiere cast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIoxqM4loNw It still hasn't made it to Broadway (it ran at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego and the Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey in 2014 and 2015), and supposedly it was because there were some issues with the union. The show requires a HUGE choir - and they would be counted as a full cast member, meaning that it would cost the union a whole lot of money to pay everyone. They asked Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken to decrease the number of people in the choir, and they said no. It's a shame because just from the clips of the songs in the video it sounds amazing.
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Feb 5, 2016 04:01
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Kurtofan posted:Can people post their favorite "villainous" songs from musicals? It's my favorite kind. "Good Old Days" from "drat Yankees" is an oldie but goodie.
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Feb 5, 2016 04:20
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I will put "Lonely Room" from Oklahoma in the mix.
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Feb 5, 2016 04:48
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