THE NUTTY PROFESSOR, Pre-Broadway Tryout in Nashville -- Discussion

[sparrman]

Thank you, BK. I did search, and found the answer in an interview on his own website.

[HauteCraigture]

If it was that personal, he wouldn't have talked about it in interviews. He stopped writing plays after his daughter passed away. Was that so hard?

[sparrman]

Not hard, but quite inaccurate. After his daughter died, he found it hard to write music, and so he essentially-but-not-entirely stopped composing.


But people can read it on his website for themselves.

[devonian.t]

A frank, moving and fascinating interview.

[iluvtheatertrash]

I'm hearing the divine Klea Blackhurst is stopping the show, which isn't surprising in the least. Is it true?

[bk]

"If it was that personal, he wouldn't have talked about it in interviews. He stopped writing plays after his daughter passed away. Was that so hard?"

HIM talking about it is one thing - you, who don't know him, is entirely another. I have respect for people and Rupert is a friend of mine. The ten questions with posted above was done by me.

[chrisampm2]

BK, your discretion makes sense to me. Thanks.

[EricMontreal22]

He did continue writing some music for his AMC TV show Remember WENN (which despite some problems, I kinda loved).

I never knew that about his daughter--very sad. The musical that it turned into a book instead sounds pretty interesting, too...

[jayclay]

My mother-in-law saw this last week. She happened to be sitting next to Michael Andrew's mother, who said the previous night their section had been full of backers. She said it does not have the money to go to Broadway at this point.

[best12bars]

I think Rupert is kind of a genius. Always have. HIs music constantly surprised me when I sat in the audience for a preview of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Wholly unique and wonderful.

I understand his reasons. Still, it's our loss that the music went out of his life.

I completely respect his decision, however.

[tazber]

Meanwhile the clips BWWTV is showing look great.

Colorful, tuneful, and fun.

I really hope this continues and further enhances hi

[Playbilly]

Just saw it. The show is fun, which is more than you can say for recent B'Way musicals, especially those based on movies, ahem. Still needs work, and from I hear a Broadway production would also include higher production values. The show needs tinkering, and the creatives know it.

It's a pleasant show that could certainly have a life on tour. Yes, Klea stops the show.

I feared it would be a Lewis vanity project, but it comes off more like a Holmes' show. I think they would be smart to wait to transfer if they can. There will be a slew (too many?) family friendly shows this Fall and Winter.

Not every show that comes to Broadway has to be Theatre Changing Art.

[henrikegerman]

"though he was generally likable despite being more Carol Burnett show than legitimate Broadway star throughout most of the show."

I'm sure you have something in mind here but it's not clear. Given that Carol Burnett = textbook legitimate (in the sense of consummate, not in the sense of non-musical) Broadway star. And Korman, Lawrence and Conway were/are great talents.

[jpbran]

I guess my point is the character is played in a "sketch" tone, meaning something fine in a small dose, but tiresome in a 2+hour show (though the character is actually two throughout the show.)

Even for a show of this type, it just seemed overly cartoonish/broad (esp the Kelp half of the character.) Hard to explain, but more of a skit/sketch level character. Sorry for the muddy explanation.

[broadwaybabytn]

I'm seeing the show tonight. For anyone interested, I will try to collect and share my thoughts.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Please do! I'd love to hear more about the divine Klea Blackhurst.

[Playbilly]

Klea was fantastic! She brought 100% to this show and role! I hope they give her more as the show develops, but as it is, she has the showstopper. I'm sure it wasn't designed to be tbs showstopper, but she makes it so.

She nails the comedy, singing of course. She also has a good dramatic moment and rocks.

[DrMark]

So, I saw it last night and thought I'd share some of my musings. First, let me say that the cast is really doing the very best they can with the material they have been given. I will say that there are noticable differences in the technique of the dancers' abilities. This is most apparent with the female cast members when you see some of them pointing their toes and others apparently unable to do so. The male cast members are more consistently outstanding. Michael Andrew does a fantastic job of bringing life to the dual role of Julius/Buddy. Each character is completely distinct to the point that sometimes it is hard to believe that the same actor is playing both roles. The set is pretty cool for a pre-Broadway tryout in a smaller venue. The lack of automation is noticable, as actors are pushing the set pieces around by hand.

Now, the real problem with the show is the book and lyrics. The music is fun, but not at all memorable. Some of the jokes are quite funny, while many land with a thud. It is almost as if you are watching a revival of a 1960's show. It's a new show, but immediately feels dated. If you were not a fan of Jerry Lewis and the comedy of the 1960's, much of the humor might go over your head. One example is the gym manager who is a direct hommage to Jack LaLanne. If you don't know who Jack LaLanne was, then you're likely going to miss quite a bit of the humor in this show. There was a completely boring, long production number with cheerleaders and band majors that really did nothing to advance the story. It looked like the casts of "Bring It On" and "Legally Blonde" were sort of passing through the theatre on the way to their shows. The whole teacher-student romance was a bit creepy in today's culture. The character of Stella started off strong, but became uninteresting as the show progressed. Ms. Lemmon went the other way and finished strongly. I could go on and on, but I'll spare you all the details.

They are going to need to rework the show substantially if they don't want to be laughed off Broadway. I really wanted to like it, and there were several parts that I did like, but it's just not there yet.

The direction wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great, either. Apparently, Mr. Lewis thinks that every time a leading actor has to deliver a solo, duet, or monologue they have to do it downstage center. It really got tiring. It is possible to be in focus and not be in the downstage center spotlight. The choreography was servicable, but not great.

They did not provide any opportunity for audience feedback. No surveys, no talkbacks, nothing. For a show that is trying for Broadway, I felt like they should have had something to measure the audience's reaction to the show. I wish I could sit down with Mr. Lewis for about an hour. I really do have some thoughts about how they could improve the show, but unfortunately they didn't seem interested in feedback. I hope that sort of vanity is not going to doom this show for good.

[TxTwoStep]

what i'd love to see is a Holmes musical of his novel WHERE THE TRUTH LIES based on the Martin/Lewis partnership. i love his many talented sides, and that's a fascinating mystery with a strong relationship at the center...miles above, though not as instantly recognizable, NUTTY.

[TxTwoStep]

the movie version of TRUTH LIES is pretty good too. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373450/

[bk]

"They did not provide any opportunity for audience feedback. No surveys, no talkbacks, nothing. For a show that is trying for Broadway, I felt like they should have had something to measure the audience's reaction to the show. I wish I could sit down with Mr. Lewis for about an hour. I really do have some thoughts about how they could improve the show, but unfortunately they didn't seem interested in feedback. I hope that sort of vanity is not going to doom this show for good."

Surveys? Talkbacks? This is the theatre, not the movie business. They measure the audience's reaction to the show the way musical theatre creators always used to do - by listening. It's really simple.

[DrMark]

When I went to "Billy Elliot" previews on Broadway, they distributed surveys and pencils to all the audience members and solicited audience feedback. When I went to the "Bring It On: The Musical" pre-Broadway tryout, the creative team was at the back of the theatre after the show, and they invited the audience to stop by and offer comments. There was nothing of the sort at this tryout.

[sparrman]

DrMark, Thanks for the review, I agree with a lot of what you've said. They have had talkback sessions after a couple of performances. And there is certainly SOME automation in the scenery, from fly rail and hydraulics, but clearly they're basically just trying to get the show "on its feet". I'd interpret the current set as more about "style" than ultimate functionality.

And I would suggest that another kind of "vanity" is imagining Jerry Lewis would want to sit down with you and hear your ideas! (And I intend that much more as a comment on him, not you.)

[DrMark]

"And there is certainly SOME automation in the scenery, from fly rail and hydraulics, but clearly they're basically just trying to get the show "on its feet". I'd interpret the current set as more about "style" than ultimate functionality."

You're quite correct. I omitted the flying in of the lab set and the lab table which rises from the floor. The lab set is really cool, complete with bubbling flasks. There was still a lot of pushing of things around, and I clearly saw stage hands pushing and pulling things (and I was in the center orchestra). I felt like the cast had to do too much of the heavy lifting (literally). I thought the style was really cool, and I could imagine how this could be translated into a great automated set. I understand they need to be somewhat frugal at this point.

"And I would suggest that another kind of "vanity" is imagining Jerry Lewis would want to sit down with you and hear your ideas! (And I intend that much more as a comment on him, not you.)"

Oh, I have no delusions of grandeur, and that statement was not vanity on my part. I said I wish I could, not that I think he would care to hear what I had to say. I still have some thoughts. For example, why did Stella say she had to go change for the big pep rally/Buddy Love concert, but then she was in the same dress at the show?

[bk]

I didn't say they don't do survey, they do - and it's stupid. If they can't figure it out then they should get out of the business. Why do you think the movie business has devolved into what it is today? I think you know the answer. You think Hal Prince needed surveys when he was trying out Cabaret? No, he had a brain and talent and he listened, as did the show's creators, and they fixed. And that's the way it was for every musical up until THIS decade.

[Playbilly]

I went to On A Clear Day.. after the closing announcement & they handed out surveys. Seemed odd unless they were planning a tour.