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Post by digne on Nov 20, 2011 20:42:12 GMT
Thanks, I'm trying not to parrot too much since more info is coming through FB and Twitter. But I will say their social media is a little slow finding some of the stories they've posted. I'm much faster That said, I think it's important to follow/like the Twitter and FB accounts. Even if you don't think you can get to NY to see the show. If anything it will push their numbers up. They've thrown a few questions out on the Twitter account but not many seem to be answering them: Ex.: twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23MaximdeWinter Still crossing my figures for them. No really news, but there were quite a few nice comments on this thread at Broadway World's message board: www.talktheatreworld.com/board/readmessage.php?thread=1038907&dt=30&boardid=1Of course there are a few Rebecca haters in there. There always are over on that board.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2011 7:07:02 GMT
Of course there are a few Rebecca haters in there. There always are over on that board. Really? What do they say about it? It would be interesting to know?
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Post by Havanah on Nov 21, 2011 12:12:06 GMT
Quote against Rebecca off that board:
"Least: Rebecca. Everything I've heard and seen from this show has screamed 'Eurotrash disco.' Since the book and movie are two of my favorites of all time, I'll be disappointed if the show isn't radically different from what I think it will be."
Can't see how Rebecca is Europop but oh well. Acually most of the comments seem to be looking forward to it
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Post by digne on Nov 21, 2011 15:03:34 GMT
A lot of the thread over there have more Rebecca haters than that. I posted that thread because it was so nice. If you want to read more from the haters go here: www.talktheatreworld.com/board/readmessage.php?thread=1037984&dt=45&boardid=1 Example: I'll never really understand the idiotic hubris of people who think they can make a great work better with their lesser talent.
Of course, there'll always be enough lowbrows who love anything, as long as it's sung loud and high, to cheer them on. I suppose that's enough to keep them at it. But I like the guy who responds to the above quote: "You really need a new hobby. " Then there's Just a reminder guys, this is a Eurotrash pop muzak / "Dance of the Vampires" musical adaptation of the story (complete with 'voguing' house servants and dancing zombie ghosts. Based on my love of the book, I agree names like Jill Paice and Betty Buckley would be fabulous if this were being written by John Michael La Chiusa or Stephen Sondheim, but as it is, we should honestly throw all hope to the wind and pray for a camp fest that will at least be worthy of this musical's destined to be 28 performances or less run. Another thread worth checking out over there is: www.talktheatreworld.com/board/readmessage.php?thread=1038512&dt=34&boardid=1Anyway, you get the gist
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Post by rachel on Nov 21, 2011 16:12:03 GMT
Rebecca:Eurotrash!!?? Some people have no taste!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2011 16:29:08 GMT
Rebecca:Eurotrash!!?? Some people have no taste! Amen, my friend! Rebecca is a beautiful piece of work, and I really hope the show will open people's eyes when it opens.
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Post by digne on Nov 21, 2011 16:57:46 GMT
Notice that some of these haters can't even tell the difference between Dance of the Vampires and Tanz der Vampire!
That said, some of these low-expectations could actually play to the show's advantage. What's one of the first rules of politics before a debate? Lower expectations. As long as enough people are willing to give the show a chance then Rebecca can work its magic. But you can't please everyone.
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Post by rachel on Nov 21, 2011 17:06:04 GMT
I hope you're right.
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Post by digne on Nov 21, 2011 18:34:16 GMT
As I'm one of the few Americans here I'll explain a few things about B'way. Some of you probably know this but I'll put it all together here for anyone who doesn't know. And just to be clear I'm in no way an expert on the American musical scene but I do know quite a lot about it so ... The 1950s were the heyday of Broadway and the American musical. Music from B'way shows were at the top of the charts and B'way's influence in American culture had reached a peak. By the late 50s this new thing called rock 'n' roll came along. And B'way choose to ignore it. After all when you're on top you don't have to acknowledge the little guy. By the early 60s the Golden Era of B'way ended and B'way has never gotten over it. Watch any number of documentaries about B'way (just for an example see this one) and you will get a fair amount of pining for the good ol' days and complaining about the current days. By the 1960s many of the old greats of musical theater began to retire (Irving Berlin said he was no longer relevant), some left the business with bitter feelings cursing this new rock music. As B'way lost power and relevance in American culture the people in American musical theater (both the fans and the artists) began to splinter into groups. When an art form is in danger of dying it begins fighting amongst itself. So B'way enthusiasts began passing the blame around. This sort of splintering usually only causes an art form to die faster. Thus began the musical theater wars. First, it was the traditional 1950s musical fans vs. Sondheim and his new concept musical. Read some of the reviews of Sondheim's shows from the 1970s -- those things are brutal! They called his work soul-less and tuneless. This fight reached a peak at the 1984 Tony's when Jerry Herman's La Cage aux Folles took the lionshare of the prices. In his acceptance speech Herman said that (quote from memory:) "there was a rumor that the a simple, hummable tune was no longer welcome on Broadway. But it's alive and well at the Palace [Theater]." Although he later denied it, Herman's comments were an obvious jab at Sondheim's pointillistic score for Sunday in the Park with George. Sondheim was quite mad about the remarks (sorry I don't have my Sondheim book with me that has all the good quotes, when I get home I'll double check these quotes). The next musical theater wars were the Sondheim fans vs. Andrew Lloyd Webber. And to a certain extent you can group Les Mis and Miss Saigon with ALW here. The words "British spectacles" were tossed around a lot. In the 1990s, Sondheim seemed to make extra effort to show a unified view of theater (see his Hey! Mr. Producer segment with ALW). But even Sondheim had previously expressed doubt about the legitimacy of rock musicals: "One of the continuing problems plaguing the theater is the obvious split between popular and theatrical music. It has widen over the last twenty years because the notion of popular music, which has to do with relentlessness, electric amplification, and a kind of insistence that is, I think, anti-theatrical; anti-dramatic, to be a little more accurate. I don't think that kind of music can ever define character, because it's essentially always the same, and it must be the same, because that's its quality. It's also a performer's medium; it's the singer, not the song. In trying to cultivate a young audience, how can I tell them the musical theater is just a different way of looking at things? They haven't been exposed to it, so it seems wishy-washy and unsatisfying to them because it's not what they require from music." (source: Sondheim & Co. (second edition, 1986, page 367 -- I had posted this to a LJ entry so I had access to the full quote) With the arrival on B'way in 2001 of The Producers die-hard 1950s fans rejoiced at the resurgence of their art form. However, by 2011 many of the original 1950s die-hard have, well ... died. Although their influence is still felt, it isn't as strong as it once was. So don't be alarmed by the Rebecca naysayers. When they call Rebecca "Eurotrash" what they are really saying is: "Ack! Rebecca has rock music in it!" And yes, the above is an over generalization.
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Post by digne on Nov 21, 2011 20:41:03 GMT
There's a rumor going around Twitter that Tam Mutu will be Maxim. Still only a rumor, but he did just leave London for the U.S.
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Post by Havanah on Nov 21, 2011 21:28:51 GMT
I want to know who's playing Maxim so I can moan about him not being right for the role (hey, it's what I do best!)
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Post by rachel on Nov 21, 2011 22:14:30 GMT
If Uwe could put on a better English accent, I'd be hoping he would get the part. But that's not going to happen
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Post by digne on Nov 22, 2011 3:42:27 GMT
As for Sierra: The PotO 25th concert is going to be shown on PBS here sometime next year. I really hope it's right around April. That would be some great PR for Rebecca. Thinking about it, I think we got Les Mis 25 on PBS in March so that should be about right. ETA: PotO 25 airs on PBS Feb. 7. So that's a little earlier than I would like. First, it was the traditional 1950s musical fans vs. Sondheim and his new concept musical. Read some of the reviews of Sondheim's shows from the 1970s -- those things are brutal! They called his work soul-less and tuneless. This fight reached a peak at the 1984 Tony's when Jerry Herman's La Cage aux Folles took the lionshare of the prices. In his acceptance speech Herman said that (quote from memory:) "there was a rumor that the a simple, hummable tune was no longer welcome on Broadway. But it's alive and well at the Palace [Theater]." Although he later denied it, Herman's comments were an obvious jab at Sondheim's pointillistic score for Sunday in the Park with George. Sondheim was quite mad about the remarks (sorry I don't have my Sondheim book with me that has all the good quotes, when I get home I'll double check these quotes). I now have my big book (be afraid, be very afraid! ) So to correct the above quote and add others: Jerry Herman's quote from the Tony's: "This award forever shatters a myth about the musical theater. There's been a rumor around for a couple of years, that the simple, hummable show tune was no longer welcome on Broadway. Well, it's alive and well at the Palace!" (source: Sondheim & Co., second edition, 1986, page 315) I really like what Hal Prince (who was Michael Kunze's mentor) said about the fight: "But look what's happened to the theater community. Look what happened at the Tony Awards with that hostile contest between La Cage aux Folles and Sunday in the Park with George ... with all that nonsense about 'popular songs being alive and well.' You just sat there and thought, 'What is all this b***s*** and why does it have to be this ugly and counterproductive? Why can't there be a sense of community in the theater?' Why is that so naive? There wasn't that in the past. And one of the reasons for it is that there isn't numerically the theater community that there once was. I mean, you look back at the list of all the composer and directors and librettists who were working when Steve and I first came into the theater. It was incredible. And now look. So maybe that sense of crisis is making people less generous. And that's very dangerous. It's unnecessary. The sense of community is absent, and one of the reasons is that no one is secure. Security makes people generous. Insecurity makes people competitive and hostile." (source: Sondheim & Co., second edition, 1986, page 362) I think a lot of people need to read that again. Why isn't there room on B'way for Frank Wildhorn, Stephen Sondheim, Rogers and Hammerstein revivals AND Kunze and Levay? Here's the clip:
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Post by digne on Nov 30, 2011 4:42:15 GMT
Sorry no news yet. BUT, I have a feeling something might be revealed about B'way Rebecca tomorrow (Wednesday). I'll be away from my computer for most of the day so I will rely on you all the seek out the news. Try searching the internet for "Sierra Boggess Rebecca" starting sometime after noon (New York time).
Most of the official announcements have happened on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. I could be totally wrong about this. But look:
Opening night set -- announced: July 12 (a Tuesday) Sierra joins, theater named -- announced: Nov. 2 (a Wednesday) James joins -- announced: Nov 15 (a Tuesday)
Anyway, the holiday last week is probably the reason no announcement was made last week. So I'm thinking they are hot to announce something.
I could be wrong. But find out if you can.
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Post by Havanah on Nov 30, 2011 10:41:08 GMT
Wondering if it might be their Mrs Danvers - twitter hinted that she was going to be announced soon!
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