Well, dear readers, remind me never to eat at the Sizzler again. In the 1970s, we liked to go there – they had a good salad bar, and their steaks were fine, not great, but fine. And it was a bargain. So, why did I do it, what did it get me? Oh, a Gypsy reference. I did it because they were having a nice sale on Doordash. I ordered the steak and fried shrimp combo, a baked potato, and clam chowder. It arrived about forty minutes later. The chowder was rank – it looked good, actually, but looks are one thing and taste is another and it just didn’t taste very good. The steak was tough as shoe leather and about as tasty as shoe leather. The fried shrimp were fine, and, of course, you can’t really ruin a baked potato, so I ate all of that. All in all, we must learn to just say no, even when there’s a sale on. The fact is, even with the sale it wasn’t exactly cheap. I don’t think there are many Sizzlers left. And speaking of unsatisfying, last night I watched the first forty-five minutes of the new version of The Color Purple. I liked but didn’t love the Spielberg film. I never saw the musical on the stage. When this new version opened, the trades and the studio were hyperbolically spouting that this thing, based on the initial grosses, was going to go through the roof. Well, guess what? Opening day grosses did not hold and the film did not only not go through the roof, it was a huge flop, grossing only $67-million on a budget of $100-million. They say it lost the studio $40-million. What, they don’t want to remember the additional 75-100-mil for promotion? So, what do we have here, at least in the first forty-five minutes. Not much, I’m afraid. I have no idea what the stage show was like, but when you cut thirteen songs from its score, that can’t be a good thing. This film is so afraid to be a musical and when it IS a musical the director fails it completely. In fact, I cannot stomach the direction of any of it – it’s just classic filmmaking of today – a camera that moves on almost all the shots, for no reason whatsoever, horrible choreography, also typical of today’s choreography that doesn’t come from character but from random stupid-looking steps that you now see in every show. The songs that are left seem truncated, the director does not know how to button a number, and there is so much CGI crap going on and why? Does every shot need CGI sun flares and burn-outs? The acting is fine, the singing is fine, and maybe there’ll be some numbers that land at some point, although if they cut thirteen songs from the show, and added the song from the Spielberg film, then what’s left but some bad new stuff not written by the people who wrote the stage musical. There is no question in my mind as to why this bombed. You know when a film musical won’t bomb? When they trust the material and learn how to film musical numbers – not with ten cameras – but designed musical numbers, like the used to. THAT is what’s exciting and all one need do to understand what I’m talking about is watch the title song of Singin’ in the Rain – there is NO master shot of the entire number. Every shot is designed to cut to the next shot. There would be no two ways to edit that number. Look at the Prologue from West Side Story and see how brilliantly designed for the camera it is. Anyway, I suppose I’ll try to finish it tonight.
I slept around seven hours, maybe a bit less. Once up, I answered e-mails and had some text volleys. I did not do the two things I needed to – write and go to the mail place. I woke up late and there was too much to do here, including answering lots of questions about the photo spread. That finally got to me, we’re proofing the captions, and then I can send it to the designers, hopefully today. I had that awful Sizzler and later I had some white rice with a bit of butter and sauteed onions. It was okay but I need to only eat food I know I’m going to like and that will taste good. I posted another song to Facebook, too. I love the comments they get.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll hopefully send the book and photo spread to the designers, I’ll go to the mail place, I’ll eat, I’ll write, and then at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is more of the same, some meetings and meals, and just trying to keep my head above water.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, hopefully send the book and photo spread to the designers, go to the mail place, eat, write, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite stage to film musical adaptations? And which don’t work at all for you? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, while I ponder the Sizzler scenario of why did I do it, what did it get me?