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

[jacobsnchz14]

Nashville and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) host the world premiere of “The Nutty Professor” Musical this month. Directed by Jerry Lewis, the show is a new musical comedy based on the 1963 film of the same name.

The Broadway at TPAC Special Event runs from tonight, July 24 to August 19 in TPAC’s James K. Polk Theater. Featuring music by Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Marvin Hamlisch (A Chorus Line) and a book and lyrics by three-time Tony Award winner Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), “The Nutty Professor” is a musical treat for the whole family, based on the classic 1963 film in which Lewis starred and co-wrote.

Actor, singer, and entertainer Michael Andrew stars in this new production as Professor Julius Kelp. Andrew, who counts Lewis and the film as principal influences on his career, worked with Executive Producer Ned McLeod and Lewis to bring the production to the stage. Mac Pirkle, co-founder and former Artistic Director for Tennessee Repertory Theater, is also producing.

The Broadway-bound THE NUTTY PROFESSOR musical also features the talents of Broadway favorites Mark Jacoby and Marissa McGowan, as Dean Warfield and Stella, respectively.

Additional cast members include: KLea Blackhurst (MISS LEMON), Alex David (KELP DOUBLE), and Jamie Ross (HARRINGTON WINSLOW), as well as Meghan Glogower, Blair Goldberg, Autumn Guzzardi, Sarah Marie Jenkins Allison Little, Charles MacEachern, Lindsay Moore, Ronnie Nelson, Patrick O'Neill, Dominique Plaisant, Carly Blake Sebouhian, Jason Sparks, Christopher Spaulding, Kristopher Thompson-Bolden, Kyle Vaughn, and Ryan Worsing in the ensemble.

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If anyone is going, please report back!

[jamiekennywicked]

Anyone get to see this last night?

[Playbilly]

Going on August 11. Should be all polished and shiny by then. Will report.

[Overkill]

I live in MS and was gonna head up to try to see it, but got a callback I need to go to. ( I was really looking forward to it, and I can't wait to hear some reports!


Here's a really nice article about the show:
Nashville goes nutty for Jerry Lewis' 'The Nutty Professor' Musical

[ClumsyDude15]

Has anyone seen this yet? I love the original movie and wondering how the musical is.

[jpbran]

Going Sunday night. (couldn't pass up $35 center orchestra tix!) Looking forward to it... sorta.

[Famebroadway2]

Any word on this yet?

[jpbran]

Eerily quiet on this one... doesn't bode well. (even with a non-typical market for a tryout, just the people involved would -- you think -- invite more coverage and discussion)

[Overkill]

I really think it's the location. I mean, I'm glad pre-Broadway shows are trying out other places besides Chicago and Seattle now, but I feel that it kind of discredits it to others in "the biz"...

Either way, I'm still very anxious to hear about the show. I'm such a huge Jerry fanatic, I REALLY want this to be good/succeed.

[jamiekennywicked]

Is this hoping to open on Broadway this season?

[jacobsnchz14]

[jpbran]

jacobsnchz: Are you referring to "Into the Woods?" This is about "Nutty Professor..."

[jacobsnchz14]

Whoops! Had both tabs open and confused the question for the other thread! :P

[AEA AGMA SM]

"(even with a non-typical market for a tryout, just the people involved would -- you think -- invite more coverage and discussion)"

Or maybe they chose such a non-typical market to avoid the coverage and discussion. There is a reason shows used to go out of town for try-outs in the pre-internet age, to be able to avoid the scrutiny of the New York scene while they work the kinks out.

[ggersten]

Found this on line of two unknown people about seeing the show
Two people

[jpbran]

Just got home... Not too exciting for me to say "it was just... ok" but that's about it. Haven't seen the original movie since I was a kid, but it seemed to follow pretty closely from what I remember.

It was sorta funny, sorta moving, sorta memorable (well, actually I can't remember a single song just an hour after curtain call.) The cast was energetic and did as well as possible with what they had to work with. Melissa McGowan as Stella seemed like she was in a different, more traditional/less slapsticky show at times.

Michael Andrew often seemed to be doing more impression than full-fledged performance at times, though he was generally likable despite being more Carol Burnett show than legitimate Broadway star throughout most of the show.

Jerry Lewis came out and spoke at the end and said "we're going to Broadway." I think that still may be optimistic in the absence of a real release or announcement. As is, to quote my partner-- "Broadway will eat the show alive."

It's basically a serviceable musicalization of a well-known property, complete with a fairly accurate if by-the-numbers impression. A smidge more "Cry-Baby" than "Hairspray" (to compare to two other 50s and 60s set film adaptations.

Staging was simple -- mostly backdrops with a handful of physical sets, the largest being the oft-used nightclub stage. (The band/orchestra is at the back of the stage for the last 1/4 or so; reminded me of CMIYC.) A small "lab" apparatus drops in several times; seemed like a small, lower-budgeted piece of the "Young Frankenstein" set. Oh, and NO show curtain.

Could have used the elimination or shortening of a couple of the dance breaks. The show seemed about 10-15 mins too long.

[jpbran]

PS-- One of those dance numbers was an overlong and somehow low-energy cheerleading routine, seemingly in vogue for recent musicals.

[BwayGeek2]

I know you said you don't remember the score afterwards, but while you were in the score how was it??
(I know that Hamlisch's SWEET SMELL score, I didn't "remember" songs afterwards, but still thought that the score was very good.)

[jpbran]

Was ok overall... "Serviceable" is the word that comes to mind. (already used by me I think)

Even during the reprise numbers, it would take me a minute to go "oh, yeah." Nothing too cringe-worthy, but nothing memorable.

[jpbran]

RIP Marvin Hamlisch.

How do things work in a situation like this? If there are changes being made either on the fly or between Nashville and wherever-it-goes-next, will they bring someone else in (maybe after waiting a while) to make some updates/improvements? Or will they freeze it and hope for the best?

Any other examples of this happening before something is "locked?" (aside from "Rent")

[Dollypop]

Yes, VICTOR/VICTORIA lost its composer, Henry Mancini, before the show came into NYC. Someone names Frank Wildhorn was brought in to provide additional music. CURTAINS had Rupert Holmes providing lyrics when Fred Ebb passed away.

[sparrman]

Holmes could of course do additional work on the SCORE of Nutty Professor, too.

What's the deal with Holmes? I'd say Drood's strongest element is the musical score, but Holmes seems to have abandoned composing for book and lyric writing, which I feel are the lesser of his abundant talents.

[bk]

If you search around you'll find the reason. No need to post it here, as it's very personal.

[ghostlight2]

If that's true that it's very personal, how considerate of you to draw attention to it.

[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?