Musicals (Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Others)

Princess Leia

Princess Leia

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Speaking of live TV musicals, I couldn’t find the cast list for next year’s Rent, so you’re welcome everyone
4828BAAD-AF7E-4F8D-AD4B-2BAB73300D65.jpeg


Brandon Victor Dixon is going to make me cry again.


I am very interested to see how Fox and NBC adapt these two musicals. From what I’ve read and know about Hair, Rent’s pretty tame compared to it, but it still lost a bit when it was adapted into the movie (mostly the swearing). Both need the live audiences that JCS had, and I would also say that Hair could probably benefit from having a stationary set like JCS.
 
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BuddyThomas

BuddyThomas

Well-Known Member
Princess Leia said:
Like JCS, this is one that I know some of the music, but have never actually watched before. I loved JCS (though 1. I wish they had a better actor for Jesus and 2. Brandon Victor Dixon was robbed of that Emmy), so I’m looking forward to this.

Is there a cast list yet?
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I haven't seen a cast list yet.

This is a bit of a strange show.

The stage musical barely even has a plot. It is almost a song cycle....but those songs are so good.

The movie musical, directed by Milos Foreman, is, in my opinion, excellent. They add a full plot, and the direction is fantastic.

Here is the final scene in the movie, which added a case of mistaken identity, where one of the members of the "tribe", Berger, (played by Treat Williams) is mistakenly shipped off to war instead of enrolled service member, Claude (John Savage). Since none of this happens in the stage musical, and since this movie is 39 years old, I don't feel the need for a spoiler alert....and it's as great scene:

 
MisterPenguin

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
Ugh, Rent.

Act I: One night of avoiding paying rent.

Act II: Where is everyone now a year later introduced by a song that has nothing to do with the play.

Yeah, it's oversimplification, but, that's all I got out of it.



Now, if you want to get into Hair...

 
BuddyThomas

BuddyThomas

Well-Known Member
MisterPenguin said:
Ugh, Rent.

Act I: One night of avoiding paying rent.

Act II: Where is everyone now a year later introduced by a song that has nothing to do with the play.

Yeah, it's oversimplification, but, that's all I got out of it.



Now, if you want to get into Hair...

Click to expand...

I have to admit that I like the music, but I think a lot of why this became such an enormous hit is because, sadly, Jonathan Larson died the day of the first preview. Total tragedy. Rent was in no way close to perfect, but it makes you wonder what else he would have come up with. It's as if Lin Manuel Miranda had passed away after writing IN THE HEIGHTS. Therefore, no HAMILTON.

As for Larson, I actually prefer Tick, Tick, Boom, which was a show put together from his songs after his death. My favorite song from that, and one of my favorite recent theatre songs ever is Louder Than Words. Here is the original cast performing it, a little blurry, but the sound quality is decent. It is scarily relevant to what is happening in the country today. Sigh.

 
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Princess Leia

Princess Leia

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
MisterPenguin said:
Ugh, Rent.

Act I: One night of avoiding paying rent.

Act II: Where is everyone now a year later introduced by a song that has nothing to do with the play.

Yeah, it's oversimplification, but, that's all I got out of it.



Now, if you want to get into Hair...

Click to expand...

BuddyThomas said:
I have to admit that I like the music, but I think a lot of why this became such an enormous hit is because, sadly, Jonathan Larson died the day of the first preview. Total tragedy. Rent was in no way close to perfect, but it makes you wonder what else he would have come up with. It's as if Lin Manuel Miranda had passed away after writing IN THE HEIGHTS. Therefore, no HAMILTON.

As for Larson, I actually prefer Tick, Tick, Boom, which was a show put together from his songs after his death. My favorite song from that, and one of my favorite recent theatre songs ever is Louder Than Words. Here is the original cast performing it, a little blurry, but the sound quality is decent. It is scarily relevant to what is happening in the country today. Sigh.

Click to expand...

I have a love/hate relationship with Rent.

As in, I love the music (I’ll Cover You & Santa Fe are my two favorites), but I hate most of the characters most of the time (friendly reminder that Angel kills a dog in Act 1; I like her for most of the play but then I always remember that she kills Benny’s akita without question). I’m a person in my mid-20s paying rent- grow up, Mark, and pay your rent and maybe work at the place Benny was talking about.

I’m sure it will be performed well (like I said, Brandon Victor Dixon is probably going to make me cry again), regardless of how it’s aged over the years.

From what you said @BuddyThomas, Hair seems mostly sung-through, and honestly, I think that’s what helped JCS feel more natural than the other live shows I watched. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a stage production of Rent, but that was a rock opera too, right? I don’t remember too much dialogue happening in scenes (but I do in the movie).
 
Princess Leia

Princess Leia

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I’m just going to put out a wishlist for these live musicals:

“Safe” (Because JCS, Rent, and Hair aren’t exactly for tiny kids)-
  • Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
  • My Fair Lady
  • South Pacific

If they continue on the risqué track-
  • Assassins (I don’t see a network actually having the brass to do this, but I really enjoy that show)
  • Cabaret
  • Avenue Q
And the ‘It’s Never Going to Happen on this format’ list-
  • Phantom of the Opera
  • Into the Woods
  • Hamilton
  • Chicago
  • Wicked
 
BuddyThomas

BuddyThomas

Well-Known Member
My amazing clients Valerie Vigoda and Brendan Milburn, who have written so many songs for Disney parks that I have lost track (including a song for the upcoming Star Wars Cantina) have a great musical called ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME and it is on right now on PBS, channel 13 in the NY area. There are a few rebroadcasts, and in other parts of the country, they may air on other dates. Catch this if you can. It's a wonderful story about the power of optimism. Something we can all benefit from these days.

http://www.playbill.com/article/off...on-loves-me-broadcast-on-thirteen-november-26





 
BuddyThomas

BuddyThomas

Well-Known Member
Here is the clip from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that had homophobes from coast to coast losing their minds and declaring that Macy's had ruined Thanksgiving because of one very innocent same sex kiss.

I was on the fence about seeing this show, but once all the homophobes began blowing up NBC's Facebook page, I bought two tickets for this past Saturday night, and this thing is incredible. So hysterical. So touching. The show America needs right now. The NY Times review I posted earlier was spot-on.

The only thing I object to in this video is that it is the final number in the show, so.....spoiler alert. Macy's basically broadcast the final number and the ending.

 
MisterPenguin

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
BuddyThomas said:
Here is the clip from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that had homophobes from coast to coast losing their minds and declaring that Macy's had ruined Thanksgiving because of one very innocent same sex kiss.
Click to expand...

Forget the same sex kiss... it had something worse and more vile... same sex dancing!!
 
Princess Leia

Princess Leia

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
BuddyThomas said:
Here is the clip from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that had homophobes from coast to coast losing their minds and declaring that Macy's had ruined Thanksgiving because of one very innocent same sex kiss.

I was on the fence about seeing this show, but once all the homophobes began blowing up NBC's Facebook page, I bought two tickets for this past Saturday night, and this thing is incredible. So hysterical. So touching. The show America needs right now. The NY Times review I posted earlier was spot-on.

The only thing I object to in this video is that it is the final number in the show, so.....spoiler alert. Macy's basically broadcast the final number and the ending.

Click to expand...

Huh, add this to the list of ‘Why are you performing the last number of the show??’ for the parade. It happened with Once on this Island last year too.

Anyways, I follow some Broadway actors on Instagram, and they all have been raving about The Prom (I’m going to skip watching the video for the spoiler reason, but I’m assuming everyone dances and sings to their happily ever after).
 
BuddyThomas

BuddyThomas

Well-Known Member
Princess Leia said:
Huh, add this to the list of ‘Why are you performing the last number of the show??’ for the parade. It happened with Once on this Island last year too.

Anyways, I follow some Broadway actors on Instagram, and they all have been raving about The Prom (I’m going to skip watching the video for the spoiler reason, but I’m assuming everyone dances and sings to their happily ever after).
Click to expand...
It's really a great show.
 
Princess Leia

Princess Leia

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So I’ve been a fan of Team Starkid since almost the beginning (they’re the team that made the Potter musicals), but their new show is probably their best original non-parody musical. It’s called ‘The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals’, and it’s a horror-comedy. Lots of words that you can’t say on this site, if that’s a deterrent for you, but I laughed my butt off tonight watching this:




Also, a shout out to Darren Criss (a founding member of Starkid) FOR WINNING A FREAKING GOLDEN GLOBE TONIGHT! Proud fan here
 

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