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Post by hughmanity on Apr 23, 2017 22:08:54 GMT -5
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jo
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Post by jo on Apr 23, 2017 23:26:16 GMT -5
Hugh has often been compared to HOWARD KEEL -- maybe it is the air of masculinity and the booming lung power and the strong film/stage presence! And a bit of insouciance  Here's a treat -- Howard Keel in his golden years ( hair and mustache now all white) singing a medley from OKLAHOMA! Howard was Curly in the original West End transfer of the show! I can find traces of the joy of performing in Howard's performance that reminds me a lot of Hugh Jackman! PS: Maybe that is why I could not get behind Gordon McRae's beautiful singing but dull presence -- the reason why I have thought in the past that of all the Rodgers and Hammerstein major movie musicals that I have seen, I have always thought that the McRae Oklahoma! was the most boring ( I think it was all about the acting which created such an impression with me)! Sorry, no offense meant! ... Until that day when I finally saw the live production in London with someone with such a commanding stage presence and a strong legit singing voice - that was when the show had already transferred to the Lyceum in 1999!. Jo |
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Post by mamaleh on Apr 24, 2017 0:27:36 GMT -5
Agree about MacRae. No question, his booming baritone was impressive, but I was never impressed by his lackadaiscal acting.
Ellen
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Post by njr on Apr 24, 2017 8:18:10 GMT -5
Howard Keel would have been 73 then. His voice was still great. He died in 2004 at age 85.
Nancy
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jo
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Post by jo on May 13, 2017 7:21:02 GMT -5
From the London production programme.
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jo
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Post by jo on May 28, 2017 17:38:02 GMT -5
Oklahoma! ( Hugh Jackman version) has been re-released on a BluRay format. There was a BluRay release a few years ago but that format release was not very good. kjzz.com/entertainment/new-dvd-and-blu-ray-releases-for-may-30-2017It's more than just a curiousity piece -- the Royal National Theatre production was very well-received because Trevor Nunn chose to tell the story with much more realism! The portrayal of the characters of Curly, Laurey, Jud, and Aunt Eller redefined the way the landmark musical was perceived from the well-known film adaptation. |
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Post by mamaleh on May 30, 2017 7:46:18 GMT -5
I have read that schools preparing for a student production now show the Nunn/Jackmam DVD to their student casts beforehand.
Speaking of that stellar production thankfully captured for posterity--and apropos of nothing--I ran into Shuler Hensley in midtown the other day. He's looking very good. I asked if he were going to repeat his role in the Broadway iteration of PRINCE OF BROADWAY, a musical featuring the greatest numbers from Harold Prince's shows. (The show previewed in Japan last year with Shuler among the cast.). He said no--he's going to London in a completely revamped YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN that he says is so much better than the earlier version of the Mel Brooks musical. I saw that show and didn't think it was bad, even though many critics threw brickbats. Hope the new version makes its way back to NYC.
Ellen
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Post by njr on May 30, 2017 23:41:12 GMT -5
Ellen, I took my son to NYC in 2008 for a week (he was 21 then) and we had front row seats for Young Frankenstein and loved it! Also got to meet Shuler at the stage door, talked about Hugh, us being from Atlanta, and got pics with him! He was so nice.
Nancy
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jo
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Post by jo on Jul 19, 2017 19:51:56 GMT -5
London is revisiting OKLAHOMA!' But at THE PROMS this time -- The Proms is actually a very famous and well-loved yearly concert of classical music, occasionally interspersed with some musical theatre choices. www.bbc.co.uk/events/e9qgwhThe role of Curly is being sung by a musical theater actor named Nathaniel Hackmann ( any relation to Jackman  ) He has also played the role of Gaston in a tour of Beauty and the Beast...but I found his rendition of OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNIN' here ( although it was some years ago) -- Unless he has changed his style, he sings it just like most other musical theatre stars ...and even like Gordon McRae -- sing it as beautifully as you can -- but no acting dimensions that gives you an insight into the charm of the character of Curly. That was the magic of Hugh Jackman's stage presence in OKLAHOMA! |
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jo
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Post by jo on Aug 15, 2017 2:40:01 GMT -5
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jo
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Post by jo on Aug 24, 2017 17:17:15 GMT -5
Broadway director and RNT Oklahoma! choreographer Susan Stroman was very impressed with Hugh Jackman's impact on the production --
It seems that Hugh Jackman has that uncanny impact on some important portrayals/performances from the time he was introduced to worldwide audiences --
*He had the same impact on the first XMen film...and for 17 years, he became the frontman and the star of the franchise. solidifying the appeal of comicbook hero Wolverine as the favorite XMan!
*At the Oscars -- his hosting in 2009 became a much-applauded example of how to charm and connect with audiences since the days of Bob Hope and Billy Crystal!
*On Broadway -- his impact has been so strong that it led to that very complimentary article from Oscar-winning screenwriter William Goldman and those love letters from foremost critic Ben Brantley ( Carousel concert and BACK ON BROADWAY)! The Boy from Oz was heavily panned, yet the star was a shoo-in for a TONY right from his Opening Night performance!
*Movie musicals are risky and not usually favored by everyone, let alone by OSCAR. Yet, Hugh became a nominee for his role of Valjean as he led the movie-star-cast... and the musical won both box office glory and artistic nods.
*Can he handle drama -- who became the most astonishing performer in the fairly star-studded cast of PRISONERS? The storyline was seen by most from the prism of a very aggressive father who may have lost his daughter!
OKLAHOMA! was just the beginning!
Jo
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jo
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Post by jo on Oct 18, 2017 2:34:55 GMT -5
Fresh-faced Hugh and Josefina in OKLAHOMA!  |
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hemma
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Post by hemma on Oct 28, 2017 18:31:40 GMT -5
It all depends on how long it takes to get such a remake ready to shoot. Hugh might be more suited for the John Carradine role by that time!
However, I'm generally not in favor of remaking a classic.
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jo
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Post by jo on Oct 28, 2017 19:36:58 GMT -5
Hmm... sorry are you referring to a movie remake or a stage revival?
Was John Carradine in the first Oklahoma! staging -- that was in the late 1940's? Or did you mean the film adaptation with Gordon McRae?
I don't think the movie was ever remade. People mistake the filmed version of the staging by the Royal National Theatre of the musical, which starred Hugh, as a film remake only because we were lucky to get a filmed version ( although I was lucky enough to have seen the live London staging, too)? The latter was well-acclaimed because Trevor Nunn ( Artistic director for both the Royal National Theatre and earlier for the Royal Shakespeare Company where he staged the first English version of the Les Miserables musical) infused some new elements to the musical play -- exploring the dark sides more in depth. It was no longer a musical that some people tended to dismiss as on the boring side but a much welcomed revival of a landmark musical! If you have the BluRay/DVD disc of the RNT version with Hugh, do you remember the long behind-the-scenes part which recounted the whole process of how to revive an iconic musical play successfully?
Jo
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jo
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Post by jo on Nov 4, 2017 17:26:20 GMT -5
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Post by carouselkathy on Nov 5, 2017 17:27:15 GMT -5
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  I showed this version of OKLAHOMA! to 4th &5th graders years ago. You can't even SEE the pictures on the wall. I also showed them the Gordon MacRae version, You can't see photos in that one either. Curly's line says that it's a picture of a naked woman, but you CAN'T SEE ANYTHING! Students need to learn about theater classics. Our 5th graders presented a student production of Oklahoma! & we went on a field trip to see a high school production. Parents need to grow up! |
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Post by mamaleh on Nov 5, 2017 19:05:25 GMT -5
Local standards at play here. I believe the school in question serves a very religiously conservative population in Utah.
Of course to most of us—including me — the use of the word “pornography” in connection with the landmark American musical is pretty laughable.
Well, as the Okinowan translator for the US Navy explains in TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON, “Pornography is a question of geography.”
Ellen
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jo
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Post by jo on Nov 5, 2017 19:57:35 GMT -5
In the meantime, I just discovered a nice job in the theatre -- And she probably got to do it for the entire yearlong run of the RNT Oklahoma!  |
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alma
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Post by alma on Nov 5, 2017 20:52:33 GMT -5
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I showed this version of OKLAHOMA! to 4th &5th graders years ago. You can't even SEE the pictures on the wall. I also showed them the Gordon MacRae version, You can't see photos in that one either. Curly's line says that it's a picture of a naked woman, but you CAN'T SEE ANYTHING! Students need to learn about theater classics. Our 5th graders presented a student production of Oklahoma! & we went on a field trip to see a high school production. Parents need to grow up! And maybe grow some brains, and develop just a minimum of common sense? Alma.  |
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jo
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Post by jo on Nov 5, 2017 21:12:33 GMT -5
A favorable side benefit of this issue -- From close to 600 comments on the article ( with probably 99.99 3/4 % finding the attitude of the person who raised the issue absurd and ridiculous ) -- Good for the RNT Jackman-led OKLAHOMA! And the fanboys will probably be dismayed to find out that Wolverine once sang and danced - LOLOL!   Jo |
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jo
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Post by jo on Nov 5, 2017 21:16:10 GMT -5
"Oh what a beautiful day...to watch it again"  |
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jo
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Post by jo on Nov 23, 2017 3:23:15 GMT -5
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jo
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Post by jo on Nov 25, 2017 19:38:31 GMT -5
So Hugh did come to the reunion!
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jo
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Post by jo on Nov 25, 2017 19:58:08 GMT -5
 I can't believe I was having a conversation with Maureen Lipman  twitter.com/maureen_lipmanShe even retweeted my tweet re why Hugh deserves an Oscar for LOGAN! |
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Post by hughmanity on Nov 25, 2017 21:15:11 GMT -5
So awesome, Jo!!!!!!
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OZalots HQ - a place to celebrate The Boy(s) From OZ
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