I have seen both the Book of Mormon and Avenue Q on broadway. Yes. They do pause for laughs. No, they don't stop the plot. It's not the style. Genie directly talks to the audience. In theatre, this is called "aside" and "farce."
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Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
- Thread starter WondersOfLife
- Start date
I have seen both the Book of Mormon and Avenue Q on broadway. Yes. They do pause for laughs. No, they don't stop the plot. It's not the style. Genie directly talks to the audience. In theatre, this is called "aside" and "farce."
So since you want to compare this show to the book of mormon as "lowest common denominator" as far as jokes go... Tell me, how in the world is a lead character named "General Butt ****ing Naked" not in this category? They reference modern entertainment just like the genie... Lord of the rings, star wars.. They both share the same jokes. The difference is that the Genie forms a connection with the audience as he makes his jokes.. Which I prefer. But, to each their own.
Tony Perkis
Well-Known Member
Pausing for laughs =/ Pausing the plot
Exactly. Jokes in any form of show that get belly laughs have to pause for laughs. That's kind of common sense.
Kamikaze
Well-Known Member
Aka the average guest. You know - the people that watch/follow the Kardashians.
Tony Perkis
Well-Known Member
Immature humor within its own established universe still doesn't break the illusion of location, time, and relative context.
Neither does referencing popular culture that has stood the test of time for over 40 years. Those are pop culture straples that most characters within their established worlds have heard of.
Why would Jafar and Aladdin know about the longevity of Kim Kardashian's marriages?
Humor like that are lazy throwaways that don't and shouldn't exist in these shows. There's nothing adult or mature about it; they're ripped directly from bad gossip columns for people that need celebrity gossip in their lives.
It's lazy, pandering, and generally unintelligent. It's the stage version of the kind of humor Family Guy displays. Why aim for the Family Guy faithful?
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Tony Perkis
Well-Known Member
I don't think you quite get my point.
Pausing for a joke = actor literally pauses so laughs do not drown the advancement in the plot or general conversation of the scene.
Pausing the plot = breaking away from the plot to perform an unrelated and inconsequential act.
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Tony Perkis
Well-Known Member
Wow, two pages of discussions on what should be the proper category of a live performance at DHS... 
I thought Beauty & The Beast was leaving. Which is why I told my daughter we needed to see it. Belle is her favorite and she was very disappointed in the show, especially after seeing Festival of the Lion King. We were expecting a show of that caliber.
I have to agree with Tony - throwing in current cultural references in a live show solely to get laughs, not to further the plot, breaks the rhythm of the show and dialogue. This is NOT a stand up routine, but a live, scripted performance. Nothing wrong with adlibbing, but you better know what you are doing or you risk making the show look amateurish and the ire of your fellow performers (and the director). And Wonders, actors pause all the time during live performances if there is applause that would prevent the audience from hearing the dialogue. So says someone who has been on the boards. And has a BFA in Theatre.
I watched the videos and found the Genie annoying and a distraction. Watch Robin Williams again in Aladdin. While a great deal of his performance was improvised, he was a master and knew how and when so as not to distract from the overall film. Not that subtle and Robin Williams are used in the same sentence frequently, but his performance was not nearly as over the top as his standup. And the man had perfect timing. I feel for the poor CM playing the Genie, because Robin will always be the benchmark for comparison of that character.
Having spent years staging live theatrical performances, the open amphitheatre Beast is currently performed in is not conducive to productions that require a lot of theatrical effects. You cannot control the ambient lighting, the acoustics are terrible and the stage crew would also have to contend with the weather. While actors may love live performances in such a venue, the running crew hates it. Shakespeare in the park may be great, but anything that requires smoke, fog, rigging for flying, etc., would be a nightmare.
Disneyland can keep Aladdin. If Beast is going to be replaced, the first criteria must be a show that is appropriate for the venue it will be performed in. Just don't let it be more Frozen.....
And Indy either needs some improvement or it has to go. Love, love the movies but the show is meh.
Disney would be smart to replace Beast with a show not based on a popular movie in order to avoid unfavorable comparisons. Or get the people who created Lion King to create a new show. Try to see the show almost every visit to Animal Kingdom and still am amazed by the quality.
I thought Beauty & The Beast was leaving. Which is why I told my daughter we needed to see it. Belle is her favorite and she was very disappointed in the show, especially after seeing Festival of the Lion King. We were expecting a show of that caliber.
I have to agree with Tony - throwing in current cultural references in a live show solely to get laughs, not to further the plot, breaks the rhythm of the show and dialogue. This is NOT a stand up routine, but a live, scripted performance. Nothing wrong with adlibbing, but you better know what you are doing or you risk making the show look amateurish and the ire of your fellow performers (and the director). And Wonders, actors pause all the time during live performances if there is applause that would prevent the audience from hearing the dialogue. So says someone who has been on the boards. And has a BFA in Theatre.
I watched the videos and found the Genie annoying and a distraction. Watch Robin Williams again in Aladdin. While a great deal of his performance was improvised, he was a master and knew how and when so as not to distract from the overall film. Not that subtle and Robin Williams are used in the same sentence frequently, but his performance was not nearly as over the top as his standup. And the man had perfect timing. I feel for the poor CM playing the Genie, because Robin will always be the benchmark for comparison of that character.
Having spent years staging live theatrical performances, the open amphitheatre Beast is currently performed in is not conducive to productions that require a lot of theatrical effects. You cannot control the ambient lighting, the acoustics are terrible and the stage crew would also have to contend with the weather. While actors may love live performances in such a venue, the running crew hates it. Shakespeare in the park may be great, but anything that requires smoke, fog, rigging for flying, etc., would be a nightmare.
Disneyland can keep Aladdin. If Beast is going to be replaced, the first criteria must be a show that is appropriate for the venue it will be performed in. Just don't let it be more Frozen.....
And Indy either needs some improvement or it has to go. Love, love the movies but the show is meh.
Disney would be smart to replace Beast with a show not based on a popular movie in order to avoid unfavorable comparisons. Or get the people who created Lion King to create a new show. Try to see the show almost every visit to Animal Kingdom and still am amazed by the quality.
Wow, two pages of discussions on what should be the proper category of a live performance at DHS...
I thought Beauty & The Beast was leaving. Which is why I told my daughter we needed to see it. Belle is her favorite and she was very disappointed in the show, especially after seeing Festival of the Lion King. We were expecting a show of that caliber.
I have to agree with Tony - throwing in current cultural references in a live show solely to get laughs, not to further the plot, breaks the rhythm of the show and dialogue. This is NOT a stand up routine, but a live, scripted performance. Nothing wrong with adlibbing, but you better know what you are doing or you risk making the show look amateurish and the ire of your fellow performers (and the director). And Wonders, actors pause all the time during live performances if there is applause that would prevent the audience from hearing the dialogue. So says someone who has been on the boards. And has a BFA in Theatre.
I watched the videos and found the Genie annoying and a distraction. Watch Robin Williams again in Aladdin. While a great deal of his performance was improvised, he was a master and knew how and when so as not to distract from the overall film. Not that subtle and Robin Williams are used in the same sentence frequently, but his performance was not nearly as over the top as his standup. And the man had perfect timing. I feel for the poor CM playing the Genie, because Robin will always be the benchmark for comparison of that character.
Having spent years staging live theatrical performances, the open amphitheatre Beast is currently performed in is not conducive to productions that require a lot of theatrical effects. You cannot control the ambient lighting, the acoustics are terrible and the stage crew would also have to contend with the weather. While actors may love live performances in such a venue, the running crew hates it. Shakespeare in the park may be great, but anything that requires smoke, fog, rigging for flying, etc., would be a nightmare.
Disneyland can keep Aladdin. If Beast is going to be replaced, the first criteria must be a show that is appropriate for the venue it will be performed in. Just don't let it be more Frozen.....
And Indy either needs some improvement or it has to go. Love, love the movies but the show is meh.
Disney would be smart to replace Beast with a show not based on a popular movie in order to avoid unfavorable comparisons. Or get the people who created Lion King to create a new show. Try to see the show almost every visit to Animal Kingdom and still am amazed by the quality.
I have spent a few years staging, directing and teaching theatre, myself. It's just a matter of opinion in different peoples taste in entertainment. Whether it's a stand up routine or not, it's obviously working somehow. The show is obviously working better than Beauty and the Beast at HS.
fireworksandfairytales
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I was completely blown away by Aladdin when I saw it for the first time last month and I wish any of our stage shows in WDW were up to par with it. I think the one that comes the closest is Nemo, and even that doesn't cut it. I'd be sad to see Beauty & the Beast go, but I definitely think it needs an update (especially when they use that blanket for the Beast's transformation. There has to be a better, more magical way to make that happen). I would just really love to see our current stage shows brought up to par with Aladdin, not necessarily replaced.
Matt_Black
Well-Known Member
Actually, if you want a live show to for an underrated movie, Meet the Robinsons. Five words to sell ANYBODY on this idea- Bowler Hat Guy Musical Number.
Just as long as the BHG costume isn't a stable head piece.. I'd like an actual actor to do the part! Unlike how they have the parts for Ms. Potts, Lumiere, Beast, ect. I'd prefer those kind of live-performance characters to stay in Parades and outdoor mini-shows!
Other than that.. That would be a very interesting show to see! I personally think that Animal Kingdom should get a musical show to Brother Bear.
Matt_Black
Well-Known Member
Of the two, I think MtR is more likely, as Disney's more acknowledging of it's existence, getting frequent play on the various Disney channels- it was just on Disney XD yesterday.
Tony Perkis
Well-Known Member
Matt_Black
Well-Known Member
Except there already was a Hunchback show in DHS. While I love the film to bits, doing a new show out of it would feel like going backwards rather than forwards. I suppose it all hinges on if they can get a good Frollo for the show, because Frollo is awesome.
Tony Perkis
Well-Known Member
If we're talking about a new show that's just people in overstuffed costumes that look just like the films with sound taken directly directly from the master recording, then quite frankly, who cares.
A real stage, theatrical version of Hunchback like the French production? Get that in there ASAP.
My take on the genie puns..
Club Cooloholic
Well-Known Member
The DL Alladin show is amazing, but could never be done at the HS Theater you have in mind. The current production there is not even half the scale of the DL Alladin, and the theater is on par with some Broadway ones.
Anything can be adjusted for a theatre space! Trust me, I would know.