alma
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Post by alma on Jan 15, 2017 23:37:21 GMT -5
I agree with you, Jo.
I have a feeling the final curtain coming down on the real thing will spark nostalgia—and hopefully interest—in a broad spectrum of audiences to see the musical. I just hope the finished product is really good and pleases those audiences. Nostalgia can only help with initial spark. Word of mouth must do the rest.
Alma
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Post by jo on Jan 16, 2017 0:14:51 GMT -5
Yes, it will of course depend mainly on how beautiful and entertaining the film turns out to be!
It will not be just the quality of the product and word of mouth. In addition, it can also depend on the success of the marketing campaign!
These are very recent quotes from James Mangold re the publicity and interest in LOGAN --
I am quoting the above because LOGAN seems to have been publicized with a new, innovative, and strong marketing campaign ( the first trailer alone, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER as gathered from Fox insiders, was the most-watched trailer of all movies in the XMen franchise!). It looks like that with the current reorganization at FOX ( starting with the moving in of the two Murdoch sons, vice Rupert Murdoch, as the people now responsible for the FOX studio operations, among others) has also focused on the full strengthening and reorientation of the marketing/publicity arm. There is also some indication that new studio head Stacey Snider has been active in the planning for The Greatest Showman, which will likely extend to production and marketing ( distribution and publicity strategy).
So, my hopes are that SHOWMAN, will ride on the quality of the movie and the interest in it ( created by purblicity and/or via word of mouth)!
One other note -- this has been a long-standing passion project of Hugh Jackman! To the extent that he was even willing to risk his post-surgical condition by singing against doctor's wishes, just to impress the Fox execs present during the final workshop on how there is such a great potential in the film project ( artistic and commercial -- these are top studio execs who need to be convinced on the commercial viability of the project)! Hugh has worked so hard on this and over a long term period of time - so he must have seen the great promise that this movie musical may have in store! His other longterm musical project was BACK ON BROADWAY -- remember how he said that he had thought about it since he was just out of school) -- and look at how successful it turned out to be! With him giving this project his all, the promise will likely be realized !
Jo
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Post by jo on Jan 16, 2017 0:47:54 GMT -5
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Post by jo on Jan 16, 2017 3:31:44 GMT -5
It may still be too early -- but I wonder if CHINA will be quite keen to release the movie there?
When I saw the Las Vegas LE GRAND CIRQUE here, many of the acrobatic/juggling acts (maybe almost half of the show) were performed by Chinese-looking performers. I think Chinese people have an affinity with this kind of skills -- almost unbelievable! Also, in one of the photo stills from the AP report on the closing of the Ringling/Barnum/Bailey circus, one showed Asian-looking performers atop show animals. So, there could be much interest in the movie here in Asia?
Jo
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Post by jo on Jan 16, 2017 3:36:35 GMT -5
An avid tweeter who plays "Mom" ( of Phineas Taylor?) in the movie shares a few more things about the filming --
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Post by jo on Jan 16, 2017 4:38:28 GMT -5
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Post by jo on Jan 16, 2017 4:48:42 GMT -5
The photo was likely taken a bit way back ( when the three had a chance to be together) -- maybe during rehearsals?
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Post by qwerty on Jan 16, 2017 6:50:20 GMT -5
What I'm afraid of is that Animal activists might hate this movie because there are some people who think the Ringling Bros abuses animals (although I think they don't). Seeing how so many people are against animal abuse, I hope the movie wouldn't get affected from animal activists
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Post by qwerty on Jan 16, 2017 6:51:48 GMT -5
I'm new here btw 😃 I'm excited about this movie. Hopefully it will be as successful as La La Land but I'm not counting the chickens just yet.
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Post by jo on Jan 16, 2017 7:27:37 GMT -5
Welcome to our Forum, Qwerty  We hope you can join us in the conversatons! We don't really know yet what the movie details will be about. So far, we have seen photos or read reports about big musical numbers ( rehearsals and actual filming) and that some filming happened in historical places to show that this is a period piece movie. We know that the characters will also be about Barnum's family and other people who were part of his entertainment shows, including the character of Jenny Lind ( the Swedish singer with whom there was a rumored relationship which would probably provide one of the key dramatic parts of the movie, as his wife Charity also plays a prominent part in the story). There is also a supposed side story of a romance between the characters played by Zac Efron and Zendaya which might have been controversial at that time due to her background. Also, there were reports of dancing rehearsals that evokes Fred A and Ginger R movies. The sets and the costumes seem to be well and beatifully-designed --at least from those we have seen in photos so far. There has been mention of the so-called circus freaks and this is the reason for the song THIS IS ME. Do you remember the very first Instagram/Twitter posted by Hugh re THE GREATEST SHOWMAN - it showed a historical photo of the many members of the circus at that time. A story about people involved in this entertainment sector could provide moments of drama, gaiety, fun, much laughter and the entire range of emotions -- that could really be what the whole movie is all about. Would there be circus animals, too - maybe? But in all these, I am simply completely guessing! And rambling  The NYTimes has reported that there will be a dozen original songs in the movie. We are hoping Hugh will get the lion share of those -- including solos, duets, and ensemble singing. Keala was identified with THIS IS ME, so I expect her to lead the song. Maybe they have not filmed any of the big top acts yet-- but it is likely that they are aware of the sensibilities and will treat the issue with much respect. Movies reflect historical events and the conditions of human sufferings -- but as the events have actually occurred, they cannot be treated in movies as non-existent. There have been issues of slavery, the savageness of war, the human suffering of the world's les miserables. Yet, in a movie like Les Miserables, the movie audiences were confronted directly with how a destitute Fantine found herself without dignity and without hope -- but Hooper did not hide it and made it one of the themes of the film adaptation. The most active proponent of this film project, The Greatest Showman, in the person of Hugh Jackman has been known for his personal advocacies and stands on certain issues. Surely, we can trust his judgment, too, as co-producer and part of the creative team, to be fully cognizant of sensitive issues. To me, from what I know about the project, this is building up to be an entertaining and spectacular movie, with drama infused into the story ( why waste the like of Michelle Williams if it is only about singing and dancing?)...True, some people may use it to advance their advocacy but maybe they are not the market for this kind of movies. Btw, has anyone from the public ever complained about the rights of performers ( movies and stage) not to be hurt while performing, save by their unions? Has anyone in the public complained about the risks in some action movies or the risks that theatre dancers take when they perform incredible physical acts? Remember when someone was seriously hurt while performing in the Brodway version of SPIDERMAN -- people were sorry for them but I do not remember any public outcry about stopping the physical threats to these performers. One other aspect discussed in the main media reports on the demise of the Ringling/barnum/Baiey circus -- was it the activism of animal rights advocates that did them in.... or was it the evolution of the entertainment industry? The types, availability, and access to mass entertainment have definitely changed since 146 years ago. I think it might be this factor and the relative cost of this kind of entertainment that may have worked against it. But of course we also know that Broadway shows cost so, so much more and the level of spectacle could even be less awe-inspiring! Hey, maybe the key to the artistic and commercial success of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is to combine the drama of a movie, the appeal of a Broadway musical, and the spectacle and novelty of a circus! Let's cross our fingers that we get the kind of movie that Hugh has dreamed of for this project! Let's hope it is a crowd-pleasing and family-friendly movie musical biopic! Sorry for the rambling! Jo |
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alma
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Post by alma on Jan 16, 2017 8:06:40 GMT -5
Yes, it will of course depend mainly on how beautiful and entertaining the film turns out to be! It will not be just the quality of the product and word of mouth. In addition, it can also depend on the success of the marketing campaign! Jo Oh, yes!! That too. But additionally, it has to be released in multiple cinemas. I never understood why Eddie the Eagle was in only 3 out-of-the-way cinemas locally, and not even full schedule, but at 3:00 in the afternoon and only again 10:00 at night, and for just two weeks...after what must have been a very extensive and exhausting marketing campaign with Hugh and Taron traipsing all over the world. Go figure.  Alma |
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Post by jo on Jan 16, 2017 8:32:54 GMT -5
Eddie the Eagle was, unlike THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, not a FOX studio production. Fox only handled the distribution. When a studio is also the producer, that means that they fork out the money for the film project itself and therefore they would be spending a very good amount to promote it to make sure they recover their investment and make more money on top of it! Another advantage for a studio project is probably getting a priority ranking for the distribution availabilities ( this is the actual placement in cinemas, including frequency of screenings). A major studio may produce films maybe at the rate of only 18-25 movies a year. All the other projects are produced independently, with some independent producers having a first-look deal with a major studio. Examples -- Eddie the Eagle was produced mainly by the production company of Matthew Vaughn ( director of XMEN : First Class) but distributed by Fox. I am not sure whether Fox spent a lot of money for promotion as they would for, say, an XMen movie ( via expensive TV advertising and other collaterals, although they did try to get some mileage from an early mention on the pre-SuperBowl show) -- it looks to me that the media tour by Hugh and Taron did much of the promotion.
On the other hand Les Miserables was produced by WORKING TITLE, a British outfit, and by Cameron Mackintosh. But Working Title itself was a subsidiary of UNIVERSAL STUDIOS which must have forked out the money for the actual film project. That was why they had the final say on the casting of Jackman and Crowe ( even if Mackintosh was touting Boe for the role initially)! I think Mackintosh might have only been an industrial partner, without any significant investment. UNIVERSAL even hired a marketing outfit to focus solely on the awards campaign alone -they were supposed to have spent something like $ 10 million just to promote the Oscar chances of the movie.
In the case of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, it is already being touted that it is the first original movie musical in decades that is being both produced and distributed by one of the big six film studios! That also means that they will get the full studio support when the movie is ready to be promoted. Even the movie release schedule was a big indication on their expectations of the movie ( holiday season releases are meant for holiday entertainment and, if good enough, for notice by the awards community}. Of course if the movie turns out to be bad or not appealing to the audiences, the studio may not support it fully along the way -- such as when the first week results are terribly disappointing. The studio would then be cutting its losses!
Also, on EDDIE THE EAGLE -- it focused on a sports figure who was not even a sports champion in the little-known sport ( to Americans) of ski-jumping, in what is basically a very British movie. Hugh was actually simply playing a supporting role but he was used primarily to promote the movie because he was the well-known actor. Maybe if the movie was about a sports hero played by Hugh - the movie could have worked as a box office hit?
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Post by jo on Jan 16, 2017 10:02:47 GMT -5
They are talking about the new Hugh Jackman movie musical about Barnum on ALL THAT CHAT! www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat_new/d.php?id=2361334It all started with the news of the closing of the Ringling/Barnum/Bailey Circus, which brought on the Broadway musical Barnum, but which was updated to focus on the new movie musical about Barnum. I had to put in my two cents' worth  Jo |
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Post by mamaleh on Jan 16, 2017 10:32:23 GMT -5
Your "two cents" are worth a heck of a lot more than that, Jo. I join Jo in welcoming you, Querty. Ellen |
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Post by jo on Jan 16, 2017 20:19:02 GMT -5
Filming...filming...  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2017 6:54:50 GMT -5
When Spielberg realized Jurassic Park, dinosaurs were extinct for millions of years but despite that, all his movies have been a great success. The Barnum circus closed yesterday, so....But this fact is not a cause for my concern, the classical musical genre on the big screen no longer attracts the wider audience like in the 40's/50's, especially younger audiences, unless you tell stories of our days, La La Land is a perfect example. Off from Broadway, classic musicals do not work, are like the Barnum circus, outmoded. Must be taken note of this fact demonstrated by a long series of cinematic musical flops over the years. Sorry but Les Misérables was not a world-grossing, despite the artistic merit of the film and Hugh Jackman is an international superstar now, he should not make films just for an elite group of audience, especially after having shown what he can do in films like Prisoners.
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Post by qwerty on Jan 17, 2017 8:28:21 GMT -5
Welcome to our Forum, Qwerty We hope you can join us in the conversatons! We don't really know yet what the movie details will be about. So far, we have seen photos or read reports about big musical numbers ( rehearsals and actual filming) and that some filming happened in historical places to show that this is a period piece movie. We know that the characters will also be about Barnum's family and other people who were part of his entertainment shows, including the character of Jenny Lind ( the Swedish singer with whom there was a rumored relationship which would probably provide one of the key dramatic parts of the movie, as his wife Charity also plays a prominent part in the story). There is also a supposed side story of a romance between the characters played by Zac Efron and Zendaya which might have been controversial at that time due to her background. Also, there were reports of dancing rehearsals that evokes Fred A and Ginger R movies. The sets and the costumes seem to be well and beatifully-designed --at least from those we have seen in photos so far. There has been mention of the so-called circus freaks and this is the reason for the song THIS IS ME. Do you remember the very first Instagram/Twitter posted by Hugh re THE GREATEST SHOWMAN - it showed a historical photo of the many members of the circus at that time. A story about people involved in this entertainment sector could provide moments of drama, gaiety, fun, much laughter and the entire range of emotions -- that could really be what the whole movie is all about. Would there be circus animals, too - maybe? But in all these, I am simply completely guessing! And rambling The NYTimes has reported that there will be a dozen original songs in the movie. We are hoping Hugh will get the lion share of those -- including solos, duets, and ensemble singing. Keala was identified with THIS IS ME, so I expect her to lead the song. Maybe they have not filmed any of the big top acts yet-- but it is likely that they are aware of the sensibilities and will treat the issue with much respect. Movies reflect historical events and the conditions of human sufferings -- but as the events have actually occurred, they cannot be treated in movies as non-existent. There have been issues of slavery, the savageness of war, the human suffering of the world's les miserables. Yet, in a movie like Les Miserables, the movie audiences were confronted directly with how a destitute Fantine found herself without dignity and without hope -- but Hooper did not hide it and made it one of the themes of the film adaptation. The most active proponent of this film project, The Greatest Showman, in the person of Hugh Jackman has been known for his personal advocacies and stands on certain issues. Surely, we can trust his judgment, too, as co-producer and part of the creative team, to be fully cognizant of sensitive issues. To me, from what I know about the project, this is building up to be an entertaining and spectacular movie, with drama infused into the story ( why waste the like of Michelle Williams if it is only about singing and dancing?)...True, some people may use it to advance their advocacy but maybe they are not the market for this kind of movies. Btw, has anyone from the public ever complained about the rights of performers ( movies and stage) not to be hurt while performing, save by their unions? Has anyone in the public complained about the risks in some action movies or the risks that theatre dancers take when they perform incredible physical acts? Remember when someone was seriously hurt while performing in the Brodway version of SPIDERMAN -- people were sorry for them but I do not remember any public outcry about stopping the physical threats to these performers. One other aspect discussed in the main media reports on the demise of the Ringling/barnum/Baiey circus -- was it the activism of animal rights advocates that did them in.... or was it the evolution of the entertainment industry? The types, availability, and access to mass entertainment have definitely changed since 146 years ago. I think it might be this factor and the relative cost of this kind of entertainment that may have worked against it. But of course we also know that Broadway shows cost so, so much more and the level of spectacle could even be less awe-inspiring! Hey, maybe the key to the artistic and commercial success of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is to combine the drama of a movie, the appeal of a Broadway musical, and the spectacle and novelty of a circus! Let's cross our fingers that we get the kind of movie that Hugh has dreamed of for this project! Let's hope it is a crowd-pleasing and family-friendly movie musical biopic! Sorry for the rambling! Jo Thank you for the warm welcome Jo! Yes, now I feel more confident TGS will showcase a good musical. Now that you mentioned how history was like shown in movies, I guess I shouldn't be too scared advocates will affect this movie. And tbh, if this movie is successful, who knows, the Ringling Brothers might re-open again I don't wanna count the chickens just yet though but fingers crossed for this one! |
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Post by qwerty on Jan 17, 2017 8:29:27 GMT -5
Your "two cents" are worth a heck of a lot more than that, Jo. I join Jo in welcoming you, Querty. Ellen Thank you for the warm welcome |
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Post by qwerty on Jan 17, 2017 8:35:16 GMT -5
I remember hearing about this project way back in 2015. I actually thought it was gonna be something like Les Miserables but when I heard it's gonna be something classical, it excites me more.
Considering my parents grew up in classical musicals, this will cater to older audiences who wants to feel nostalgia in watching musicals. Also,my parents still remembered watching the Ringling Brothers on TV so it will be a nostalgia to the older generation.
As for the millenials like me, I wouldn't be too worried because TGS got Zac and Zendaya. Second, I speak up most of the millenials are actually more interested in classical style. La La Land had a good recption to both young and new.
For the cast and crew? Say no more, the writers for the songs are the same as La La Land! And Bill Condon is also involved. I'm not sure about the director because he is a newbie. Nevertheless, I wish them luck for this project 😄
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Post by qwerty on Jan 17, 2017 8:38:33 GMT -5
BTW, I'm a bit bummed out that set photos are not allowed to be shown. I actually want to see how Zac looks like and Michelle. But hey, I love surprises 😂 I do like how they are so secretive about it, so the suspense will be higher than usual
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Post by qwerty on Jan 17, 2017 8:40:02 GMT -5
I also want to add I'm sad that Ringling Bros closed down. Is this a sign that TGS should happen in order for people to see the importance of circus to showbiz? Hopefully 😃
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Post by jo on Jan 17, 2017 8:41:28 GMT -5
When Spielberg realized Jurassic Park, dinosaurs were extinct for millions of years but despite that, all his movies have been a great success. The Barnum circus closed yesterday, so....But this fact is not a cause for my concern, the classical musical genre on the big screen no longer attracts the wider audience like in the 40's/50's, especially younger audiences, unless you tell stories of our days, La La Land is a perfect example. Off from Broadway, classic musicals do not work, are like the Barnum circus, outmoded. Must be taken note of this fact demonstrated by a long series of cinematic musical flops over the years. Sorry but Les Misérables was not a world-grossing, despite the artistic merit of the film and Hugh Jackman is an international superstar now, he should not make films just for an elite group of audience, especially after having shown what he can do in films like Prisoners. Er...are you saying that Les Miserables was not a box office success worldwide? I think I have to disagree with you on that point. Les Miserables, up to now, is the second largest grossing movie musical after Mamma Mia! ( although I have a feeling that Beauty and the Beast will likely outpace both movies when it is released because it will appeal to the young demos). But back to Les Miserables -- Based on worldwide figures, it grossed $ 442 million ( better than Hugh's 2 past solo Wolverine movies) and had actually sold $ 78 million worth of DVD/BluRays in the USA alone. This is remarkable since it has been reported that the film budget was only $ 61-65 million! That makes Hooper's efforts even more notable! www.the-numbers.com/movie/Miserables-Les-(2012)#tab=summaryThe international box office was also not focused only in one or two countries. The UK, Japan. South Korea, Australia, and China were some of the best markets for the film but other countries also enjoyed the movie a lot. www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=lesmiserables2012.htmJo |
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Post by qwerty on Jan 17, 2017 9:30:13 GMT -5
When Spielberg realized Jurassic Park, dinosaurs were extinct for millions of years but despite that, all his movies have been a great success. The Barnum circus closed yesterday, so....But this fact is not a cause for my concern, the classical musical genre on the big screen no longer attracts the wider audience like in the 40's/50's, especially younger audiences, unless you tell stories of our days, La La Land is a perfect example. Off from Broadway, classic musicals do not work, are like the Barnum circus, outmoded. Must be taken note of this fact demonstrated by a long series of cinematic musical flops over the years. Sorry but Les Misérables was not a world-grossing, despite the artistic merit of the film and Hugh Jackman is an international superstar now, he should not make films just for an elite group of audience, especially after having shown what he can do in films like Prisoners. "Sorry but Les Misérables was not a world-grossing, despite the artistic merit of the film " Er...are you saying that Les Miserables was not a box office success worldwide? I think I have to disagree with you on that point. Les Miserables, up to now, is the second largest grossing movie musical after Mamma Mia! ( although I have a feeling that Beauty and the Beast will likely outpace both movies when it is released because it will appeal to the young demos). But back to Les Miserables -- Based on worldwide figures, it grossed $ 442 million ( better than Hugh's solo 2 past Wolverine movies) and had actually sold $ 78 million worth of DVD/BluRays in the USA alone. This is remarkable since it has been reported that the film budget was only $ 61-65 million! That makes Hooper's efforts even more notable! www.the-numbers.com/movie/Miserables-Les-(2012)#tab=summaryThe international box office was also not focused only in one or two countries. The UK, Japan. South Korea, Australia, and China were some of the best markets for the film but other countries also enjoyed the movie a lot. www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=lesmiserables2012.htmJo Les Miserables was discussed in my literature class while ago and my professor is planning to make us watch the 2012 version. I could say it is successful coming from literature students like me 😂 |
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Post by jo on Jan 17, 2017 9:46:02 GMT -5
When Spielberg realized Jurassic Park, dinosaurs were extinct for millions of years but despite that, all his movies have been a great success. The Barnum circus closed yesterday, so....But this fact is not a cause for my concern, the classical musical genre on the big screen no longer attracts the wider audience like in the 40's/50's, especially younger audiences, unless you tell stories of our days, La La Land is a perfect example. Off from Broadway, classic musicals do not work, are like the Barnum circus, outmoded. Must be taken note of this fact demonstrated by a long series of cinematic musical flops over the years. Sorry but Les Misérables was not a world-grossing, despite the artistic merit of the film and Hugh Jackman is an international superstar now, he should not make films just for an elite group of audience, especially after having shown what he can do in films like Prisoners. Hugh Jackman is a different kind of performer. What has differentiated him from many others is his extreme versatility! No one is close to the overall talent he can show in so many genres. Hugh Jackman is also a theatre person, by training and primarily by inclination. If you have been a long-term fan of Hugh, you would have gotten used to how he chooses his projects in movies and on stage. Interestingly, this forum is an offshoot of the official forum for his first Broadway show called THE BOY FROM OZ. If you ask many people here - they can't wait to see Hugh come back to the stage once again ... What can be more elitist in the perception of many than a Broadway show ... Only fans who live near New York or who chose to travel to New York will have a chance to see him in live performances. But many of us will swear that there is nothing like seeing Hugh perform live on stage, whether in a musical or in a straight play ( usually drama). Some of us are XMen fans, some probably watch the XMen movies only because of Hugh! Some want romcoms because of Kate and Leopold. Some want drama ( like Prisoners). Some want inspirational stories (like Real Steel or Eddie the Eagle). Some want more action (like superhero movies) and even fantasy (Pan). Some believe that he is very good in arthouse movies ( The Fountain). A few of us even like when he plays a villain ( as in Deception or Pan). Some prefer him to look aristocratic ( Scoop/The Prestige/Kate and Leopold) while others like his manly ruggedness ( Australia). Some would prefer him to work with noted directors! Even on stage, some prefer him in musicals, while others enjoy both musical theatre and straight plays ( like A Steady Rain, with compelling portrayals-against type for him and Daniel Craig). But we have gotten used to Hugh announcing a completely unexpected project out of the blue...and even in some cases, like Les Miserables, he has unabashedly admitted that he really pursued getting the role very actively. The Greatest Showman is a longtime passion project of Hugh. He has been involved in its development since around 2009. He worked hard in the entire development process. A story for the books was that during the final reading for FOX execs to get the coveted greenlight ( the OK to get the movie project approved), Hugh was told by his doctors not to sing because he had a skin cancer surgery the previous day -- when the finale number was being performed, it was said that Hugh could not help himself and stood up and started singing ( shushing away another well-known Broadway actor, Jeremy Jordan, who was hired to substitute for him) while the crowd was completely stunned for his being such a trouper! Even when he was filming LOGAN, there were stories about how he would handle his co-producer duties for SHOWMAN by being part of the casting process for other major roles. He only took a short break ( required!) after LOGAN filming and then started producer duties and heavy rehearsals for Showman right after! He believed in the project, regardless of whether it would cater to a universal market or not! It could all be simply artistic motivation! But since this is the first major studio-produced and -distributed original movie musical in decades --it did go through the rigid commercial viability test! And Fox is now being run by the younger Murdoch sons, who come from major business backgrounds! It will also be one of the first Fox movies that will be identified with the leadership of the new FOX chairman, Stacey Snider! That it has passed the test indicates that they have faith in the film project to deliver artistically-speaking and box office- wise! Personally, I just go with the flow ( of Hugh's choices)! That is how he is...and he has some firm career directions that he sets his mind on. Some projects may not have strong box office appeal or even artistic potential -- but he seems to thrive on that kind of career. He has once said that one of the best pieces of advice was given to him by his longtime agent, Patrick Whitesell ( who is now co-head of the largest talent agency in Hollywood/sports/the entertainment business named WME-IMG) who told him to follow what he believes in! Patrick did not stop him when Hugh decided to put Hollywood at bay when he accepted one year on Broadway for The Boy from Oz -- but actually encouraged him to do it, as well as the highly successful Back on Broadway project. You can even see Patrick occasionally watching his performance. I discovered Hugh while he was performing in Oklahoma! in London because I am a theatre person. I guess I am biased when it comes to musical projects for Hugh because I am a great fan of musical theatre, which makes me very excited about THE GREATEST SHOWMAN! Why would we find this project outmoded when it has an excellent creative team -- script written by Oscar winner Michael Arndt( who won his Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine and was nominated for Toy Story 3, and had written scripts for blockbusters like Star Wars:The Force Awakens and Hunger Games) with inputs from Bill Condon ( Dreamgirls and Beauty and the Beast) and a musical score by the hottest composer team these days, Pasek and Paul ( who wrote the lyrics for Lalaland and composed the entire score for the new Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen, a very contemporary musical) and directed by Michael Gracey whose forte are contemporary commercial ads/visual effects/choreography. It also has a very strong cast whose forte are musicals and drama in some cases! Actually, after seeing him in Oklahoma!, it took me over two years to find out that he actually moved to a Hollywood career afterwards -- I thought he was simply a London theatre actor. I was not a comicbook reader, but since he became Wolverine and because I admired him as a performer/actor, I became a fangirl as well ... I am sure that I will be one of those who might be emotional when I see him in his final Wolverine movie in LOGAN! ...On the other hand, I was so excited when I saw the recent tweet showing him watching an operatic-sounding musical which I even find difficult to spell ( SCHIKANEDER) in case he has finally been convinced by mentor Trevor Nunn and one-time Houdini composer Stephen Schwartz-of-WICKED to take the show to Broadway! But I am also excited by the change of pace if and when he finally gets to do his co-project with Affleck and Damon called APOSTLE PAUL! I am glad that I have this attitude towards his career -- explore all interesting options...and let him show the world how he loves to perform as an actor! It has sometimes been a wild ride ...but this is why many of us follow his career. But to each his own taste Jo |
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Post by hughmanity on Jan 17, 2017 17:17:23 GMT -5
After seeing various news reports and fb postings this weekend, I see that people do have a certain nostalgia for the circus as introduced by Barnum. Knowing that, I am going to remain optimistic that the "nostalgia factor" will actually spur interest in the film. I do find it to be an interesting turn of events in terms of timing, however! Hugh finally starts filming and the circus closes. Just strange.
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