Well, dear readers, it’s back to work. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, it’s back to work. No more shilly-shallying or even shally-shillying. It’s the nose to the grindstone or, at the very least, the grindstone to the nose. The four-day Thanksgiving holiday is officially over, and now we officially begin the big push to opening night for The Brain From Planet X. We have a lot of work to do this week, which not only includes as many run-throughs as we can do, but also some adjustments and additions to the blocking of a few scenes, and my beginning to work with the lighting designer on both paper and dry-teching the show before we do our first tech rehearsal on Saturday. I dry-teched both What If and Deceit, sans actors (but with some cast members standing in) and it really made the tech much easier. So, it’s going to be a busy, busy time, because I also have to prepare and address close to 150 packages so that when the Alice and Emily CDs arrive they can get shipped off immediately. I shall need some tender loving care (TLC, in Internet lingo) from anywhere I can get it from. Speaking of tender loving care (TLC, in Internet lingo), yesterday was a very nice day. For example, I woke up. That was nice. I then had to gather up Miss Merrill Grant and we toddled off to Mr. Donald Feltham’s to tape next week’s radio show. We were then met by Mr. Cason Murphy, and we then had quite a good time talking all about The Brain, and playing some songs from the show. It was quite irreverent at times, and Miss Grant and Mr. Murphy were delightfully delightful guests and raconteurs. After the taping, Miss Grant and Mr. Murphy and I went to Don Cuco’s and had a large and lively Mexican meal. And then it was time to toddle over to the DGA for the screening of Dreamgirls.
I went into the screening ever hopeful that I would love Dreamgirls. It is a musical I’m very fond of, and I thought Mr. Michael Bennett’s production was one of the best things I’ve ever seen. As most of you dear readers know, I am not so much a fan of moviemaking today. I thought Chicago was okay – not great, way to cutty for my tastes, way too Bob Fosse-lite, but still had some enjoyable things. I thought The Producers and Rent were hideous films. I’ve been reading the drooling with adoration comments from youngsters on some chat boards from recent preview showings of the film. Some of them I’m quite certain are studio shills, others are just young gung-ho musical theater lovers who are so excited that a film has been made from a Broadway musical that they are predisposed to love it no matter what. Many of them say that despite some weak spots they only want to shout hurray so that more film musicals can be made. And that is my long preamble to my thoughts on Dreamgirls.
I will begin by saying that Dreamgirls and its creative staff have their hearts in the right place – the film was made with a good deal of craftsmanship and care. I will continue by saying there are very enjoyable things in the film. I will, however, also say that there are an equal if not more amount of things that don’t work and which made the film a disappointment for me. They have added several new songs to the film – unfortunately, the show’s original lyricist is deceased and the new lyricist is average at best. The new songs are all designed as performance numbers that also “show-and-tell” the emotions of the characters in the scene that is bracketing the numbers, which is a little to hit ’em on the head for me. It’s the sledgehammer approach and really unnecessary. Because most of the sung recitative has been removed the film sort of lumbers along during dialogue scenes. Bill Condon doesn’t really trust his audience at all, and therefore panders to them (he admitted as much in the Q&A that followed). Book songs are directed as if they weren’t book songs at all, but performance songs (songs sung in performance). And I Am Telling You I Am Not Going, which originally took place in the dressing room, now takes place onstage, and even though it’s not a performance number it feels like one, with light cues and effects that have no place being there if the song is a book song. Trust the material and the audience, but Mr. Condon clearly doesn’t. He continually stated that his aim was to make it work for “today’s” audiences – to me, that’s the kiss of death for art. Most of the performance numbers are, as you’d expect, overcut. The sound is so loud as to border on ear-splitting. It’s like being assaulted and it’s blatantly designed to get audience reaction – I guess it works, but I resent it.
I also detested the new choreography, which is mediocre and uninspired and not a patch on the butt cheeks of Michael Bennett and Michael Peters’ original, which was breathtaking and completely original. I will also say that Mr. Bennett’s original staging occasionally seemed more film-like than the film. Which brings us to the performances: I really liked Mr. Eddie Murphy – he’s very charming, very real, and he sings very well. I don’t know that his character’s fate was necessary (different than the show), but it’s a winning performance that I’m sure will receive an Academy Award nomination. Jamie Foxx is Jamie Foxx – competent and not my favorite actor in the world. Beyonce Knowles, who is being touted as a front-runner for Best Actress (by whom I have no idea, but that’s what the studio would have us believe) is good, but the role is simply not commanding enough for a best actress nod (she may get one, but I don’t believe she’ll have a shot at the prize). And then there is Miss Jennifer Hudson. I knew nothing about her going in – have never watched American Idol. I’ve heard the “buzz” but, you know, I never believe that stuff. Well, in this instance, the buzz is on the money – she’s very good indeed, and even if she occasionally seems to be channeling Jennifer Holliday in the big number, she really does make the part her own and she delivers the goods. Her big number got an applause (carefully designed to elicit that reaction by the sound designer). Speaking of crass ways to get applause, the film ends with “bows” – each cast member gets their own little montage with their name – for Miss Hudson, hers is preceded by a loud timpani roll and big fanfare. Note to filmmakers: Totally unnecessary – we’re not stupid – we’ll applaud if we want to. This is something I notice more and more on Broadway – in the Piazza curtain calls, as each principal comes out for their bow, the light on each gets brighter and brighter until whoever’s playing Margaret comes out, when the light gets brightest. It’s a none-too-subtle way of eliciting louder and louder ovations. But, back to Dreamgirls.
The film is well-shot, although it is filled with digital manipulations, which I’m very bored of. Someone on some board said every frame of the film had the ghost and spirit of Michael Bennett on it – were that only the case. The film is dedicated to him, which is nice, but it needed more of his sensibility, frankly. The film seems very long, and that’s not something Mr. Bennett would have allowed – and I certainly don’t think he would have condoned all the new songs. All that said, the audience seemed to enjoy it, and, as I said, there are good things to be found, but for me it’s not the miracle I would have liked it to have been.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I am telling you I am not going.
Last night, I also managed to watch a motion picture on DVD entitled The Fountainhead. It’s a real talking picture, but I’m rather fond of it and Mr. King Vidor’s helming of it. Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal deliver some very difficult dialogue very well, and it’s always a pleasure to watch Mr. Raymond Massey. The film (and novel’s) themes are still very relevant and should be heard and understood especially by today’s generation. I completely “get” Howard Rourke’s idealism – not bending his art to satisfy anyone but himself – not the collective, not his bosses, not anyone. And sadly, we still live in a world where that’s exactly what artists are asked to do all the time, whether architects or screenwriters or directors or whatever. The transfer is very nice. I attempted to watch the little making of documentary, but as soon as I saw the grotesque “A film by” credit (as if these yokels doing a puff piece on The Fountainhead can be called “a film”) I knew I was in trouble. The “film” consists of ninety percent clips from the movie, with some awful voiceover narration spoken by someone with a Canadian accent. Nothing of any interest is said and it’s a complete waste of time. Note to yokels: You are not good enough or interesting enough to take the “A film by” credit, nor is putting some clips together with bad narration making a “film.” Get over yourselves and understand that you are making a puff piece for Warner Bros. and a DVD.
Today, I have much to do and not really enough hours in which to do all the much. We’re going to attempt two run-throughs and it will be interesting to see if everyone is on their toes after four days off. Woe to those who aren’t, that’s all I have to say.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, address packages, buy shipping envelopes, have many telephonic conversations, answer many e-mails and then have two run-throughs. Today’s topic of discussion: What DVD have you watched more than any other, and why do you watch it more than any other. What DVD has contained your favorite special features and why? And what DVD has your favorite audio commentary? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and if anyone has some tender loving care (TLC, in Internet lingo) do send it my way.