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May 2, 2003:

THE GYPSY EFFECT

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, we had a glorious start to tra la, tra la, the lusty month of May here at haineshisway.com – the posts were plentiful and filled with lust and I think I can say without fear of contradiction that soon we will be the most popular site on all the Internet. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too?

The new revival of Gypsy opened last night and, as I predicted privately many weeks ago, it received pretty much unanimous raves from all the critics. So, how did I know this? Well, I’ll tell you how I knew this, because why should I keep such things from you? I knew this because the buzz on certain Internet boards was so bad and then Michael Riedel’s endless bashing of both the production and Miss Bernadette Peters was so strong (without having seen the production of course), and the news that Miss Peters was having terrible vocal problems and had missed shows already (just prior to the critics seeing the show – she came back one day before that happened), that it became clear to me that the critics would go the opposite direction and declare the production and Miss Peters wonderful. This is not a rare occurrence, it happens more often than you’d think. A cynic might think some of it was calculated, because from what I understand, other than sharpening and honing what was there from the beginning of the previews, the show did not change that much. Of course Miss Peters improved during the four weeks of previews, and of course she came back from her illness in total triumph. So, what happened (other than vocal rest for three days) to turn her performance around? Many complaints on certain Internet boards had to do with the sparseness of the setting and staging, and certain directorial choices. It was said that people had read the criticism and were making set changes, etc. No set changes were made, no directorial choices were changed because of anything said on certain Internet boards. Yes, people in the business read the boards, no, the boards have no power whatsoever despite the media’s attempt to make it so. And why? Because, really, how many people read and/or post at those boards? In the scheme of things, not very many, despite the media’s attempt to have you believe otherwise. So, kudos to Gypsy, Mr. Mendes and Miss Peters – I have no idea if the critics went overboard in their praise or if they are spot on, but I will be seeing it and I will let you know. What I can tell you is that they did react to all the negative buzz in a very predictable way – they made the production a winner, critically. Call me a cynic but it’s what I believe. It happened to Nudie Musical – Paramount tried to bury the film so overtly that the critics had to pay to see it to review it, and they embraced it, figuring why is Paramount trying to sneak this one in and hide this from us? While they enjoyed it, I’m sure, many of them went overboard in their championing of the film (for which I was, of course, grateful) simply because Paramount was so negative about it.

What am I, Ken Mandelbaum all of a sudden? Last night I watched a very strange motion picture entitled Le Mans, starring Mr. Steve McQueen. Despite virtually no plot other than the running of the twenty-four hour Le Mans race (there is a perfunctory bit with Steve and the widow of a driver killed in an accident the year before), despite the fact that there are only three or four real dialogue scenes in the entire 108 minute running time, despite the fact that the first real dialogue isn’t spoken until thirty-eight minutes into the film, somehow it works – it holds one’s interest and the racing footage and editing is spectacular, especially as scored by Michel Legrand (there is one sequence early on that is breathtaking in its music and montage. The entire film takes place during the race and never leaves that location. There’s never really been a film like Le Mans – the other racing films, Grand Prix and Winning are dripping with plot and characters compared to Les Mans. You never know anything about any of the characters in Le Mans, other than that they race and/or maybe have a little rivalry going (although dramatically nothing is made of it). The transfer (as is the case with all these Cinema Center films Paramount is releasing) is astonishing, vivid, colorful and sharp as a tack.

What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Aren’t Friday’s notes supposed to be short? Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below before this section gets even lengthier, which would be most unseemly (and did you notice that Mr. Ben Brantley used the word “unseemly” in his Gypsy review – proof positive that he reads this here site every single day).

My goodness, it was lively and sparkling around these parts yesterday. We found out all about who had a crush on who, and the discourse was especially entertaining. Especially, do you hear me? Not merely “specially” but “especially”. What do you think of that? I think it splendidly splendid.

I had an excellent work session with Mr. Grant Geissman, and our hope is that early next week we will complete the arrangements and the basic tracks and then we’ll be all set to book the vocal session in New York, New York.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must go hither and thither and run amok, I must dance about gaily for it is May and we have started this month of lustily. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your DVD/video player and CD player? I’ll start – CD, a compilation album of music from Studio Ghibli anime films of Miyazaki, a terrific bunch of music, mostly by my new favorite, Joe Hisaishi. Also, the new RCA import of George Duning’s marvelous Me and the Colonel score. DVD, Jean Renoir’s La Bete Humaine and a David Lean double bill of The Sound Barrier and Hobson’s Choice. Your turn. Post often and I’ll be checking back with some regularity to see your excellent and lively posts.

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