Topic: THE LATE SHOW (Read 22629 times)

divarobbie · « **Reply #30 on:** May 22, 2004, 09:24:15 AM »

BK: Re the Bounce recording's two producers:

Tommy Krasker took very ill when he was supposed to go to DC for the sessions. As the studio and orchestra/cast were set of that date, [Nonesuch president] Robert Hurwitz instead produced the sessions. The masters were then mixed by Tommy in NYC. Hence the wierd credit.

Jane · « **Reply #31 on:** May 22, 2004, 09:34:02 AM »

How do I set up a new website?

JMK · « **Reply #32 on:** May 22, 2004, 09:46:01 AM »

BK, you must hie yourself to a music store and purchase all of Toninho Horta's CDs, especially Diamond Land, Moonstone, and his self-titled one on World Pacific. You will not be disappointed, I promise you. DR Panni, since I believe you mentioned you love Brasilian music, you should go with BK and buy them, too! I had a really hilarious piece of mail arrive yesterday, which you can read about at:

http://journals.aol.com/jmkauffman/JMKsblog/

Jane · « **Reply #33 on:** May 22, 2004, 09:54:32 AM »

JFK I made the same comment as your son when Keith received his photo, months ago. His only came by regular mail-guess you really rate special attention.

JMK · « **Reply #34 on:** May 22, 2004, 09:59:37 AM »

Jane, first of all, thanks for making me a former President.

The hilarious part of this all is Betsy and I are pretty well-known Democratic Party of Oregon "activists"--I wrote and music directed the Campaigners' Revues here for well over a decade, where all of Oregon's leading Democratic candidates and office-holders did parody versions of musicals, and Betsy was Media Director for the Democratic Senate Caucus, and later Bill Bradbury's (Oregon's SOS) Media Director. On the other hand, if the Reps want to waste their trillions of dollars doing mailings to registered Dems, that's fine with me.

Jane · « **Reply #35 on:** May 22, 2004, 10:04:23 AM »

"Why are they dressed the same?" my prescient 5 year old asked

What I meant is I said the same comment as the above.

As a joke Keith framed the photo and put it on his desk for a week.

JMK · « **Reply #36 on:** May 22, 2004, 10:07:00 AM »

I'm using my photo as a dartboard.

Jane · « **Reply #37 on:** May 22, 2004, 10:09:20 AM »

We should have done that before trashing it.

Jane · « **Reply #38 on:** May 22, 2004, 10:11:23 AM »

Off to walk the fields with Echo.

JMK · « **Reply #39 on:** May 22, 2004, 10:12:34 AM »

Campaigners' Revues memories (for the Oregonians amongst us):

Barbara Roberts singing "I Ain't Down Yet," when she looked like she was going to get trounced (she won) after now-disgraced Neil Goldschmidt dropped out of the gubernatorial race.

Atty. Gen. Hardy Myers singing "Donations" (to the tune of Maria--"Donations, I just met a PAC with donations") in our "West Side Story" parody, called "Nest Side Story" (it was the height of the spotted-owl controversy. One of my all-time fave parodies, everything just clicked).

Rep. Tom Novick portraying "Doc" Kitzhaber (our former Governor who also is a physician) in a musical version of "Gunsmoke".

US Rep. Earl Blumenauer's completely hilarious stand-up routines based on "state mottos": e.g., "Kansas--our state's more rectangular than yours."

Judge pro tem Marc Abrams as Rep. candidate Gordon Smith (he had to run twice to finally win, changing all of his ultra-right positions on the way), singing to his cloned-self, "What Do I Have That I Don't Have".

....pressed between the scoresheets of my mind.

Jrand73 · « **Reply #40 on:** May 22, 2004, 10:40:51 AM »

Oh, I received a picture of the President & Mrs Bush as well....oh, I thought I was special.

Congratulations on your date, DRJOSE. There is hope for all of us singles, I guess.

bk · « **Reply #41 on:** May 22, 2004, 10:45:00 AM »

Re young theatergoers: Make no mistake - I'm happy they're going, that wasn't the point of the topic. WHY has it suddenly become so in? That was the point. If you've read Kritzer Time you know that I was practically a majority of one as a young person attending theater, whether musicals or straight plays - I would virtually be the only teen in the theater.

bk · « **Reply #42 on:** May 22, 2004, 10:45:54 AM »

Can you believe I slept until ten-thirty?

bk · « **Reply #43 on:** May 22, 2004, 10:53:17 AM »

Thanks for the info re Bounce, diva.

Now, might I just ask where in tarnation IS everyone? You'd think it was Saturday.

Do we suppose this waiter who made Tarnation is a lurker here? Just kidding. Although, if the film is about a wacky website well, then, I'll be up in arms, whatever the HELL that means. Or, maybe I'll be down in feet.

Noel · « **Reply #44 on:** May 22, 2004, 11:13:47 AM »

Quote from: William E. Lurie on May 22, 2004, 08:48:20 AM

Regarding teenagers and musicals... the "pop" music of today is so bad that some of them prefer good show music, and rather than take a chance on a show they don't know much about they find a show they like and see it over and over again. This goes at least as far back as GODSPELL. When I was working at Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo in the mid-70s we did GODSPELL and we got ticket reservations from all over the country. These were from people in their mid to late teens who travelled all over the country to see different productions of the show.

Yesterday we discussed MERRILY WE ROLL along a show which I am in the minority liking. The production I saw last night was the first time I've seen the "final revised" version (the one done at the York and recorded by BK), and I enjoyed it a lot. The main difference I noticed was the expansion of the part of Gussie which, I assume, was done because Michelle Pawk played the role at the York. There were a lot of lines/jokes that were not up to what Furth wrote fof COMPANY, but all in all it is far better Sondheim than PASSION and a couple of the other later shows.

I agree that Merrily is better than everything Sondheim did after winning the Pulitzer Prize for Sunday in the Park. Far better, I'd say... although I've many problems with the show.

If anyone's still aware of groupies who must see Godspell, our production at the Circle-in-the-Square (50th between Broadway & 8th) is free: Sunday, May 30 at 8; Monday, May 31 at 2 & 8

Stuart · « **Reply #45 on:** May 22, 2004, 11:38:49 AM »

Personally, all the new boys (Brown, Guettel, Brown) leave me quite cold. I suppose in a sense, they write muscial theatre pieces. Nothing wrong with that, except that on occasion i still enjoy a roof-raising, chorus-boy-dancing old fashioned musical comedy. This is not to say that I don't like serious themes in my musicals, because I do, but there was a certain ethic to the old/semi-old school way of writing shows.

Now, Ahrens & Flaherty...they are the newcomers that most resemble what I am talking about......to me RAGTIME was the last great American musical written, and I rue the day Garth decided to open it in the same season as that overblown claptrap aka THE LION KING. If it had opened the following season, I think it would have attracted much more acclaim, and possibly still be running.

Those are my two cents.

Panni · « **Reply #46 on:** May 22, 2004, 11:43:05 AM »

Here's how old I am... I remember Victor Garber doing the stage version of Godspell in Toronto (Gilda Radner was also in that production).

Jane · « **Reply #47 on:** May 22, 2004, 12:17:10 PM »

Quote from: JRand53 on May 22, 2004, 10:40:51 AM

Oh, I received a picture of the President & Mrs Bush as well....oh, I thought I was special.

Jane · « **Reply #48 on:** May 22, 2004, 12:29:41 PM »

Bruce I think it is great you slept in so late but don’t I get any sympathy from you for my sad story? I thought of all people, considering your post yesterday, you would understand how we felt.

Yesterday from Bruce: “Cisco Kid. Love it - Duncan Reynaldo and Leo Carillo - "Hey Ceesco" "Hey, Pancho".”

But then we were missing "Oh Poncho!" "Oh Ceesco!". Maybe that was the reason for your lack of sympathy.

Noel · « **Reply #49 on:** May 22, 2004, 12:36:26 PM »

Quote from: Stuart on May 22, 2004, 11:38:49 AM

Personally, all the new boys (Brown, Guettel, Brown) leave me quite cold. I suppose in a sense, they write muscial theatre pieces. Nothing wrong with that, except that on occasion i still enjoy a roof-raising, chorus-boy-dancing old fashioned musical comedy. This is not to say that I don't like serious themes in my musicals, because I do, but there was a certain ethic to the old/semi-old school way of writing shows.

That's what I'm here for, Stuart.

http://hometown.aol.com/mprovizr/Index.html

www.weddingmusical.com

Panni · « **Reply #50 on:** May 22, 2004, 12:45:50 PM »

Shakalaka, baby! Thought I'd post as it's pretty dead around here.

Modified to add the last "ka" to Shakalaka - I keep leaving it off.

Jane · « **Reply #51 on:** May 22, 2004, 12:49:21 PM »

Sure is Panni. That's why I thought I would give Bruce something to comment on, but he has disappeared. Probably doing important morning stuff, like having breakfast.

Matt H. · « **Reply #52 on:** May 22, 2004, 12:52:30 PM »

I was just reading in VARIETY today (2 weeks old) about shows paying off. THE PRODUCERS did it in 6 months. HAIRSPRAY did it in 7. AVENUE Q is the latest to do it. It took AIDA 99 weeks to pay off. WICKED will take 16 months to pay off.

bk · « **Reply #53 on:** May 22, 2004, 12:56:31 PM »

I don't believe those Variety figures, otherwise someone would have to explain why a lower-budgeted show like Millie has not paid off after TWO YEARS. Uh uh. Avenue Q, maybe... MAYBE. It was much lower budgeted and is much cheaper to run, so it's possible.

Jane: Sympathy in spades.

Matt H. · « **Reply #54 on:** May 22, 2004, 12:56:41 PM »

My Disney tins are all finally here. I guess I'll have to start with the World War II one so I can see VICTORY THROUGH AIR POWER, I've always been so curious about it ever since reading about it in Leonard Maltin's THE DISNEY FILMS.

Matt H. · « **Reply #55 on:** May 22, 2004, 01:00:58 PM »

Quote from: bk on May 22, 2004, 12:56:31 PM

I don't believe those Variety figures, otherwise someone would have to explain why a lower-budgeted show like Millie has not paid off after TWO YEARS. Uh uh. Avenue Q, maybe... MAYBE. It was much lower budgeted and is much cheaper to run, so it's possible.

BK, I'm sure you know it's not the length of time of the run but what the grosses are during your run. MILLIE was only a sellout for a few weeks, and has had as many losing weeks as winning ones during the past year.

JEKYLL & HYDE ran four years and didn't make its money back. I liken MILLIE to WOMAN OF THE YEAR which ran over 900 performances (like MILLIE) and didn't make its money back either.

The article also said the Bernadette Peters GYPSY will only have earned about 60% of its capitalization back by the time it closes.

S. Woody White · « **Reply #56 on:** May 22, 2004, 01:14:23 PM »

Re: Kids in the Theater...

The third time der Brucer and I saw Ragtime in Los Angeles, we were up in the balcony. We'd bought our tix through a special LA Times bargain, as had a large contingency of teens. During intermission, it was interesting listening to them chat among themselves.

Many of the young women were in love with the character of Mother, and how her personal growth inspired them. The young men, not really having a character to identify with as well, were less thrilled with the show.

So I wonder if this identification, something that can come through musicals or through films (the biggest repeat audience for Titanic was young women, lusting after Leo and being inspired by Kate), has a lot to do with the "groupie" aspect for the younger generation and specific shows. Mother and Millie both say "Yes, I Can!" Phantom and Les Miz are great romances, where the heroines are not just loved but adored totally. These are messages that these young people need.

And, hopefully, when the thrill of the first story that hits that nerve begins to dull, they will find other stories to be just as thrilling.

I wonder how much of the audience, back when Oklahoma! and Carousel were new, were young people, but not recognized as such at the time.

Jennifer · « **Reply #57 on:** May 22, 2004, 01:20:05 PM »

Hello. Well, I wonder if that many young people really are interested in theatre. I mean there are so many young people, that of course some of them are into everything.

I just found the most beautiful flower baskets by accident. Yeah! I was going to a different flower place and just turned in to the one where I got the baskets. There were palates of baskets still wrapped. So I was the first one to look at them. Double yeah!

Jed · « **Reply #58 on:** May 22, 2004, 01:23:20 PM »

Popping in to say that I'll be popping out for the next couple days. Heading down to Ellensburg for the university's choir concert tomorrow afternoon. My former director is leaving (got a job at Illinois State, I believe) and she's inviting all "her" alumni to sing on the finale, "Make Our Garden Grow." I know some of my good friends are also making the trip over for it, so it should be great fun... plus I just love singing that song! Will be staying down there Monday for a lecture by Thomas Blatt, a survivor of the 1943 mass escape from the Nazi death camp Sobibor. Quite interested to hear him.

I shall return to this wonderful lunacy Monday night!

Matt H. · « **Reply #59 on:** May 22, 2004, 01:29:23 PM »

I just read the VARIETY review of the Cole Porter biopic DE-LOVELY. Much to my surprise, it wasn't a pan. The reviewer had some problems with some of the modern singers' attempts to handle the Porter catalog, and commented that director Irving Winkler had NO feel or understandning of the gay Hollywood scene of the 1930s (no kidding!). Lots of pretty boy pool posing has to suffice in many instances to what was going on sexually with Porter during those years.
And the reviewer didn't much like Ashley Judd's portrayal of Linda either. (Well, she is only about 20 years younger than Kevin Kline while Linda Porter was actually older than Cole.)

Still, it was a mixed-to-positive review overall. Kline was liked a lot, especially since he chose to cut back his singing voice to approximate Porter's untrained, barely on-pitch warbling.

As for me, I guess I WILL go to see it now, but Kevin Kline's singing was one of the things I was looking forward to. As a two time Tony winner for musicals, he at least understands what show singing is about.

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Author Topic: THE LATE SHOW (Read 22629 times)