"The book was so traditional, something had to be done to pique the interest of anyone in the audience over the age of 7. "
Uhhh, I have a sneaking suspicion that many of those who have posted dissatisfaction with the new book, whether having seen it or not, are over the age of 7.
"It sounds like they may have overreached, but to me, anything mildly contemporary or witty sounds like a vast improvement"
Well, you're wrong.
As I pointed out previously, the New York City Opera did a faithful mounting of R&H's Cinderella, no monkeying around, and it pleased young and old alike.
I would say you have a very constricted idea of what will please whom. Many adults love Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, and are charmed and enchanted by the story, music, and stage magic time and time again. And so would they be by a faithful stage presentation of R&H's Cinderella.
From what has been said, it does sound like this "Cinderella" over does the politics. Cinderella is my favorite fairy tale, and I prefer a sweet/romanic version. So the politics, and the fact that I don't agree with those politics would bother me a little but not that much. Les Mis is my favorite musical and I disagree with the politics; I focus more on the human stories and the religous/spiritual aspects of the story rather than the politics.
One thing is certain, Cinderella will have the finest score of any musical on Broadway when it officially opens. I know the performers will do it justice, I hope the orchestrations will do it too. But I continue to worry about the fact that numbers are being brought in from other R&H musicals and that could make it look like more of a medley of R&H songs than the original Cinderella. Now I'm hearing about a wink-wink political agenda being brought in too. May seem to be a positive to the folks on this board, but not to those who have grown up with it on TV and who will want to buy ticket to see it on stage. But time will tell.
Les Mis ISN'T the French Revolution. That happend many, many, many years before Les Mis even starts. The rebellion is the student rebellion or The June Rebellion, or the Paris Uprising of 1832.
Saying Les Mis is the French Revolution is like saying the plot of 1776 was during the War of 1812.
Yes, and I am hoping that Colle can provide us with a brief historical lesson about the causes and effects of the Student, or June Rebellion, or the Paris Uprising, so that we all might understand the political disagreement.
And for the sake of historical accuracy, this rebellion was actually a precursor to The Third French Revolution of 1848 in which the Orleans monarchy was overthrown and the Second French Republic was established.
"It sounds like they may have overreached, but to me, anything mildly contemporary or witty sounds like a vast improvement"
Well, you're wrong.
No, I'm not. It does sound like a vast improvement to me. Your opinion of it has nothing to do with that statement.
I would say you have a very constricted idea of what will please whom.
Perhaps with regards to Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, but only because that's the only show I was referencing. But I'll revise my quote for you to be a little more specific:
Based on my experience, the book was so traditional, something had to be done to pique the interest of anyone in the audience over the age of 7 who isn't After Eight and the old and young alike who may or may not have enjoyed the New York City Opera production performance After Eight attended which I did not see but could have succeeded in masking the the generic and dated thin book.
Hansel and Gretel is an apples/oranges comparison. People are also charmed and enchanted by Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty. There is not the same expectation with regards to the book from the audience.
"But I continue to worry about the fact that numbers are being brought in from other R&H musicals and that could make it look like more of a medley of R&H songs than the original Cinderella."
No. The numbers brought in are unused songs from other R&H musicals. No one has ever heard I Have Loved and I've Learned that was dropped from The Sound of Music. And, there are only six trunk songs.
By the way, for those who have seen the show, I'm just curious, what exactly occurs in I Have Loved and I've Learned, and which Sound of Music character would've sung it had it been used in that show (based on the lyrics)? Thanks!
Why do you have such trouble recognizing-- in the face of all the evidence presented in this one thread alone -- that not everyone is as jaundiced as you when it comes to this work, and to life in general?
Wake up. Strange as it may seem to you, some people actually like something beautiful, simple, and enchanting.
Here's one thing to say in favor of the revised book: This discussion thread has amassed 369 comments over just nine days. I wonder how many comments there would have been had they gone with the traditional book without adding any songs. Not nearly as many, I'd dare say. One thing to be said is that this production has certainly attracted interest.
Why do you have such trouble recognizing-- in the face of all the evidence presented in this one thread alone -- that not everyone is as jaundiced as you when it comes to this work, and to life in general?
You almost had me until you said "life in general" which makes no sense whatsoever.
Wake up. Strange as it may seem to you, some people actually like something beautiful, simple, and enchanting.
If I didn't think that, I wouldn't have a boyfriend. To be clear, because your comments indicate some misunderstanding on your part, I was speaking about the justification of the old Cinderella book being brought to Broadway. Not all things that may appeal to anyone for any reason. You enjoy the old book to Cinderella and find it completely satisfactory with no need for revision. Great! I'm sure Bette Davis would be thrilled. I disagree. So what?
You can bicker about this all you like but the fact is that this is shaping up to be a major hit. They've been ****ing around with their discount code since day one, suddenly blocking out dates without warning.
They put the show on TDF for Valentines Day (probably a stupid choice by the producers given the romantic nature of the show).
NOW, they have pulled the Valentines Day tickets from TDF members and refunded their fees. Annoying but not at all surprising given that producer greed knows no bounds. If they had any integrity, they would have realized they goofed, honored the TDF seats, and chalked it up to a minor loss.
Regardless, this kind of stuff shows there is big audience interest here. I wonder if Matilda better run from the stampeding pumpkin, cause this one might steal her thunder.
"Les Mis ISN'T the French Revolution. That happend many, many, many years before Les Mis even starts. The rebellion is the student rebellion or The June Rebellion, or the Paris Uprising of 1832."
True but the French Revolution of 1789 is far more controversial than the Uprising of 1832, as the former led to the Reign of Terror (in musical theater terms the oppression depicted inThe Scarlet Pimpernel and A Tale of Two Cities).
Accordingly, the fact that the Uprising is not the Revolution of 1789 reinforces, rather than undermines, the value of Pal Joey's question as to which part of Les Mis's politics Colle disagrees with.
The French Revolution was a very good thing but its aftermath was pretty horrible. The Uprising of 1832 didn't succeed so there is no way to know if its heroes would have used any power gained from it in a destructive and vindictive way had they succeeded, such as the heroes of 1789 did.
So Colle, exactly what in Les Mis is politically objectionable?
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joined:6/5/09
Posted: 1/31/13 at 01:38pm