Houdini

[alma]

I loved these words from Broadway.com:

"Hugh Jackman Won't Let Houdini Escape
Hugh Jackman has been touting his planned tuner Houdini from The Wolverine red carpets, and he isn't going to let anything, including the lack of a book writer, stop him from bringing the show to Broadway. The Tony winner said that if the Houdini workshop "goes well," the new musical could end up on the Main Stem next year. If anyone can wave their hands and make a musical magically appear on Broadway, it's definitely Hugh! Who's going to say "no" to the guy who can rock metal claws, gold lamé pants and a wild beard all with the same pizazz?"



King of Broadway... cancan

Alma

[jo]

Somewhat OT --

A lot on Jack O'Brien's plate!


www.broadwayworld.com/article/Jack-OBrien-to-Direct-GUYS-AND-DOLLS-in-Concert-at-Carnegie-Hall-April-3-2014-20130815


He is also set to direct the Ethan Hawke Macbeth at Lincoln Center in the fall this year and now this one-night concert of GUYS AND DOLLS at Carnegie Hall in April, 2014!

I wonder how he will cope if the workshop results for HOUDINI point to a Chicago tryout and a preview/opening on Broadway in the spring of 2014.

Jo

[lucky]

Doesn´t alone this point to the direction that Houdini will rather have the out of town try out in Fall 2014, like Jack said some weaks ago? :-( OK, this Guys and Dolls in only for one night, right? So then maybe it means nothing.

[jo]

Another HOUDINI project -- a TV mini-series, with Adrien Brody, for airing on the History TV channel in 2014.

www.joblo.com/movie-news/adrien-brody-to-play-harry-houdini-in-an-upcoming-history-channel-mini-series


Competition ... or will it enhance the curiousity for the stage musical, if the latter is actually staged at around the same time?

[jo]

Can't trace the actual quote and what else Stephen Schwartz might have said -- but this tweet is interesting:

Donna Hoke‏@donnahoke1h
Hugh jackman is incredibly... not Jewish.__Stephen Schwartz on jackman playing Hughdini #saydg @dramatistsguild #fbre

Hugh is known for playing characters whom he did not resemble a lot --

*Wolverine is 5'3" ...and has a runty appearance
*Valjean was not the noble-looking le Maire in the book, compared to the film M Madeleine
*Hugh did not look like Peter Allen, either
*Critics said he did not look like a typical cop, when he portrayed Denny in A Steady Rain

Alright - he probably had Gaston's big muscles and ladies appeal, but not his braggadocio

Hey, "HUGHDINI" -- that is going to stick


Jo

[jo]

OT - an insight on how Stephen Schwartz works as a musical score composer, via his experience in WICKED.

This is the thread on the topic, which includes the link to the very long video of Schwartz and book writer Winnie Holzman re their writing WICKED, and some comments on the creative process and the qualities of Schwartz as a creative talent.

www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.php?thread=1063858&dt=17

Very interesting -- esp if you are a musical theatre fan or a great fan of WICKED.

*It seems that it was a very, very long and laborious process -- many, many years before they were ready to do the workshops, the tryouts, and the Broadway opening. I am not sure that other musicals ( which are not jukebox musicals or revues) would take this long ( but maybe so?). But as an example, ALWebber seems so much more prolific and can accomplish his multi-projects in much shorter periods of time. But people work to different drumbeats!

*One particular comment on the thread struck me about Schwartz's creative abilities.

I feel from the super-informative video that Stephen Schwartz seems to be very smart as a play architect and shaper, and somewhat less talented as a songwriter, which is a shame. I feel like the structure of the play WICKED is very sound, and a more consistently gifted composer-lyricist would have made it a work of true greatness.

.

Hmmm... I am not enamoured with WICKED - but given that it has been the top show on Broadway for the last ten years, it could very well speak of his ability to use his craft to mesmerize an audience?


*Stephen is a fascinating personality- he is funny and candid. But what was coming out was that he could be strong-willed, somewhat stubborn and controlling, maybe a muller, but very focused and determined. He does like to work at his own pace -- which means long and laborious months and years before he is happy with anything. The clashes he had with the director ( Mantello) seemed to underscore this. His relationship with bookwriter Holzman seemed positive ( but he seemed to have Holzman completely under his wing), but what if the bookwriter is also uber-talented, strongwilled, and worked at a much faster pace? I am not suggesting that there could have been creative differences with Aaron Sorkin which might have caused the break -- but it could have happened, given Schwartz's seemingly different work persona??

*I wonder how his creative goals and Hugh's own aspirations/practical goals for HOUDINI are now being met??


Jo

[jo]

Did Stephen Schwartz and David Ives ( who was mentioned not so long ago by Jack O'Brien as the new book writer for Houdini) really talk about HOUDINI in the Dramatists Guild conference this weekend ?

Kit Goldstein Grant‏@kitgoldstein1h
Great to hear Stephen Schwartz & David Ives talk about this exciting project at the DG conference! #SayDG
www.playbill.com/news/article/180414-Houdini-Musical-Starring-Hugh-Jackman-May-Materialize-on-Broadway-in-2014 …

Joey Stocks‏@joeystocks5h
Photo: Big attendance for David Ives & Stephen Schwartz’s discussion with Michael Kerker about collaboration... tmblr.co/ZaKRVwtAmp7g

I gotta find the discussions - maybe BWW might have taped them smiley-computer004


Jo

[jo]

Finally, word from Stephen Schwartz himself --

www.kansas.com/2013/08/29/2970552/schwartz-working-on-draft-of-musical.html

Schwartz working on draft of musical 'Houdini'
By CARYN ROUSSEAU
Associated Press
Published Thursday, August 29, 2013, at 6:16 a.m.
Updated Thursday, August 29, 2013, at 6:16 a.m.


FILE - In this Sept. 16, 2009, file photo, acclaimed Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz is seen in Santa Barbara, Calif. During an interview with the Associated Press on Friday, Aug. 23, 2013, Schwartz said he's hard at work on a full draft of his next work, the musical "Houdini" that has actor "Hugh Jackman" playing the legendary illusionist. "




CHICAGO — Acclaimed Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz says he's hard at work on a full draft of his next endeavor, the musical "Houdini" that has actor Hugh Jackman playing the legendary illusionist.

"I'm specifically writing for Hugh in terms of what I think will sound good in his voice and what sorts of things will really help him to do the things that he does," Schwartz said in a recent interview with The Associated Press during the Dramatist Guild of America's conference in Chicago. He is the group's president.

The Academy Award- and Grammy Award-winner — famous for "Wicked," "Godspell" and "Pippin" — said a reading of the new full show is scheduled for December and he's been "writing away on it" with a collaborator. So far, he said, they have a full first act of "Houdini."

"As soon as we finished it, of course, we immediately said, 'We have to rewrite this entire thing,'" Schwartz said. "But nevertheless we're moving on to try to get a complete draft of the show."

"Houdini" is scheduled to reach Broadway during the 2013-2014 season. Schwartz said he hopes the show will make an out-of-town debut in Chicago before it premieres on Broadway.

So far, the fun, he said, has been writing music and lyrics with Jackman in mind. Schwartz said he's considering "Where does he want to stretch himself? Where does he want to do something that he feels he has and we feel he has that he hasn't really shown before?"

In April, admirers of the composer packed Carnegie Hall in New York for a tribute marking both Schwartz's 65th birthday and the 10th anniversary of "Wicked," which is still a tough ticket. But that show's success doesn't amount to pressure, he said.

"It sort of makes you feel, 'I have this big hit running, well if this doesn't work out, it doesn't work out," Schwartz said.

Schwartz's work on "Houdini" could serve to counteract what he calls a recent "artistic slump" in commercial musical theater with shows that he says are safe and formulaic.

"I've found the last couple of Broadway seasons pretty disappointing from the point of view of musicals," Schwartz said. "Though from the point of view of plays it's been pretty exciting."

Besides "Houdini," Schwartz has been focusing on his role as president of the dramatist guild. He cited censorship at schools and theaters as one threat that is proving stifling and discouraging for playwrights. He said his own 1971 work, "Godspell," has become more controversial recently. The guild has a legal defense fund that can help writers with censorship, copyright and other issues, he said.

"Really that's what theaters should be doing, is causing audiences and people to think about things and look at things in a different way," Schwartz said. "Not flag-waving for whatever the prevailing point of view is at that point."

" 'As soon as we finished it, of course, we immediately said, 'We have to rewrite this entire thing,' Schwartz said. 'But nevertheless we're moving on to try to get a complete draft of the show.' "

I laughed at this one, instead of feeling nervous, because if you listened/read that longish interview I posted about Schwartz - he said that the best part of composing a musical is the rewriting! LOL!


Jo

[mamaleh]

I thought the first act was go-ready a while ago. I guess, as Jo pointed out, Schwartz seems to prefer rewriting over writing. Well, as someone who spends more than half her workday writing, I'd opine that rewriting is much more difficult. I wish him luck--and a fire lit under his tush. Let's get this thing going already.

Hmmm... "...something...he hasn't really shown before." Obviously a reference to a nude scene: perfect. OK, just wishful thinking. But, hey, Nicole did it for a nanosecond in THE BLUE ROOM; why not another Aussie?)

Back to reality: A full reading in December is now confirmed--or at least scheduled. It's getting closer!

Ellen

[jo]

There is pressure on both sides --

*The fact that he is writing this with Hugh in mind (music and lyrics...and other stuff that Hugh has not done on stage) kind of makes it difficult for Hugh to leave the project if delays are inevitable and he has some very interesting film projects ahead.

*Stephen, on the other hand, is under pressure to deliver asap given how tight Hugh's schedule and run availability could be . If you have watched the interview re the development of WICKED - it took him and his team many years to write and rewrite and to put together a Broadway-ready musical.


Since Hugh at the moment is on sabbatical from any film project, he will likely be following up on Stephen and David's progress often - LOL!

In the meantime - we are all on a wait-and-see starting block


Jo

[carouselkathy]

Aug 29, 2013 8:14:00 GMT -5 mamaleh said:

I thought the first act was go-ready a while ago. I guess, as Jo pointed out, Schwartz seems to prefer rewriting over writing. Well, as someone who spends more than half her workday writing, I'd opine that rewriting is much more difficult. I wish him luck--and a fire lit under his tush. Let's get this thing going already.

Hmmm... "...something...he hasn't really shown before." Obviously a reference to a nude scene: perfect. OK, just wishful thinking. But, hey, Nicole did it for a nanosecond in THE BLUE ROOM; why not another Aussie?)

Back to reality: A full reading in December is now confirmed--or at least scheduled. It's getting closer!

Ellen

Amen, Ellen! giggles I'd also like a score that features more of the baritone range we heard in OKLAHOMA!

[birchie]

I was please & intrigued by that article this morning. I particularly liked seeing these bits:

"I'm specifically writing for Hugh in terms of what I think will sound good in his voice and what sorts of things will really help him to do the things that he does,"...
...So far, the fun, he said, has been writing music and lyrics with Jackman in mind. Schwartz said he's considering "Where does he want to stretch himself? Where does he want to do something that he feels he has and we feel he has that he hasn't really shown before?"

That could make for a very interesting and enjoyable night at the theater! And it certainly is beginning to sound like a dream role for a performer like Hugh to sink his teeth into! I really hope this all gets done in a timely fashion for Hugh. Since he's only going to be more in demand once Prisoners opens, based on all the early buzz which is so high on the film. Then we seem to have new life being given to Unbound Captives so Hugh's window of opportunity for Houdini is looking fairly narrow.

For me I hope it definitely happens next year. It's a show that I will somehow find a way to get to see live! ...I'm not above bribery with my boys!
Sue

[mamaleh]

Quote from Carousel Kathy: Amen, Ellen! giggles I'd also like a score that features more of the baritone range we heard in OKLAHOMA!
[/quote]

Yes, I've stated this before, but I truly believe Joan Lader has damaged Hugh's voice or hopefully just temporarily misdirected it. I'd love it, too, if he abandoned the head voice and returned to the virile, full, chest-voice baritone he displayed so beautifully in OKLAHOMA! and even when first learning to sing as Gaston in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

Ellen

[birchie]

Aug 29, 2013 10:25:37 GMT -5 mamaleh said:

Quote from Carousel Kathy: Amen, Ellen! giggles I'd also like a score that features more of the baritone range we heard in OKLAHOMA!

Yes, I've stated this before, but I truly believe Joan Lader has damaged Hugh's voice or hopefully just temporarily misdirected it. I'd love it, too, if he abandoned the head voice and returned to the virile, full, chest-voice baritone he displayed so beautifully in OKLAHOMA! and even when first learning to sing as Gaston in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

Ellen
[/quote]
Double amen!!! Bring back the beautiful chest voice baritone we love!!!
Sue

[jo]

Re the current update, Broadway.com gets back to a previous Jack O'Brien interview --

www.broadway.com/buzz/171454/stephen-schwartz-is-writing-away-on-houdini-for-hugh-jackman-chicago-premiere-planned-before-2014-run/

The musical’s director, Tony winner Jack O’Brien, gushed to Broadway.com about the score that Schwartz is creating for the show. “The two ballads Stephen has written, one that closes Act I and one that closes the show, are among the greatest things he’s ever written,” O’Brien said. "Hugh just kills with them. It’s vintage Schwartz, it’s gorgeous.”

Hugh did that first reading in June 2012 ( right after he completed Les Miserables filming)

I wonder which vocal range Hugh used to test these songs

Could it include a male version of DEFYING GRAVITY ( as part of Houdini's magic tricks) - LOL!


Jo

[carouselkathy]

Aug 29, 2013 20:45:21 GMT -5 jo said:

Re the current update, Broadway.com gets back to a previous Jack O'Brien interview --

www.broadway.com/buzz/171454/stephen-schwartz-is-writing-away-on-houdini-for-hugh-jackman-chicago-premiere-planned-before-2014-run/

The musical’s director, Tony winner Jack O’Brien, gushed to Broadway.com about the score that Schwartz is creating for the show. “The two ballads Stephen has written, one that closes Act I and one that closes the show, are among the greatest things he’s ever written,” O’Brien said. "Hugh just kills with them. It’s vintage Schwartz, it’s gorgeous.”

Hugh did that first reading in June 2012 ( right after he completed Les Miserables filming)

I wonder which vocal range Hugh used to test these songs

Could it include a male version of DEFYING GRAVITY ( as part of Houdini's magic tricks) - LOL!


Jo

Hughey,

"May the Schwartz be with you."

[jo]

For "an actor who just fell into singing" ( Hugh's own words) - Hugh must feel very flattered --

*The composers of one of the biggest stage and movie musicals ( Les Mesirables) Schonberg, Boublil, and Kretzmer wrote a song for him for the film adaptation - SUDDENLY!

*The composer of one of Broadway's biggest hits ( Wicked -- 10 years and running...at the top!), Stephen Schwartz, is now writing a musical with Hugh in mind - music and lyrics to suit Hugh's talent and stage presence!


Jo

[mamaleh]

Schwartz, incredibly, has never won the Tony for Best Score. (I still prefer the WICKED score to AVENUE Q's, which won in 2004.) Maybe the combo of all those talents will pay off for HOUDINI's creators (and star, please!) in the not-too-distant future.

Ellen

[Kelly]

Aug 29, 2013 11:07:55 GMT -5 birchie said:

Aug 29, 2013 10:25:37 GMT -5 mamaleh said:

Quote from Carousel Kathy: Amen, Ellen! giggles I'd also like a score that features more of the baritone range we heard in OKLAHOMA!

Yes, I've stated this before, but I truly believe Joan Lader has damaged Hugh's voice or hopefully just temporarily misdirected it. I'd love it, too, if he abandoned the head voice and returned to the virile, full, chest-voice baritone he displayed so beautifully in OKLAHOMA! and even when first learning to sing as Gaston in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

Ellen

Double amen!!! Bring back the beautiful chest voice baritone we love!!!
Sue[/quote]


I completely agree! Though soft in texture, Bethlehem Morning is also an example. He is still overly influenced by the Peter Allen character, particularly evident in his nasal tones during the one man show audience interaction segments. PA's character gave him the freedom to interact with the audience, realizing a new aspect of his talents. I think he reverts back to Peter, consciously or subconsciously, as a comfort level. I adored TBFO the play, Hugh's acting and singing and the unforgettable experience of attending 6 performances including the final show, knowing I was witnessing the birth of a major super star. I may be alone on this board, but I was quite disappointed with the singing choices he made for Les Mis and feel those choices impacted his chances of winning the Oscar. Let’s hope he figures all this out and makes a concerted effort to return to his vocal roots.

Read more: ozalots.proboards.com/posts/recent#ixzz2dVVKVS1u

[juliefoz]

I would love to see this project come to fruition in 2014! Question for my Broadway-savvy friends: How long does an out-of-town tryout generally last?

[mamaleh]

Hi, Julie! I've noticed lately that out-of-town tryouts seem to run 3-5 weeks, the latest example being BIG FISH in Chicago from April 2-May 5. I wonder if HOUDINI will "Hugh" to that standard.

Ellen

[jo]

Wall Street Journal's Barbara Chai asks about HOUDINI in this media interview for PRISONERS --

stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-329210/

What are your plans for “Houdini?”

I love going on Broadway. This is very exciting to me, because I’ve never done a new musical before. Everything I’ve done, from “Oklahoma” or “The Boy From Oz,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Sunset Boulevard,” someone else had developed.


Stephen Schwartz recently said he’s composed Act One for you.

You know what is unbelievable? He came to see my show once or twice. In my one-man show, I sing maybe 20 songs. He’s like, I got this guy’s voice, and he wrote these songs. It was astonishing to me. It’s, I would say, the greatest luxury ever known. People say having a hand-fitted suit or a handmade pair of shoes is great. Trust me, when someone like Stephen Schwartz writes a song for you, that is luxury.

Second time for you, Mr. Jackman ... "Suddenly" was written with your character and your voice in mind...and you got to sing it at the Oscars, too!

[lucky]

There´s a new interview with Stephen Schwartz and there he confirms again that the out of town try-out will be in fall 2014.

www.3news.co.nz/VIDEO-Full-interview-with-Wickeds-Stephen-Schwartz/tabid/418/articleID/313936/Default.aspx

(It´s at the end of the vid)

[jo]

Interesting! I wonder if Hugh and Stephen are actively communicating on this -LOL!

Will Hugh now consider doing another movie in the meantime? He has been mentioning another musical as something that could happen next year - but this time, another movie musical. He has mentioned that the project GREATEST SHOWMAN ON EARTH ( on P.T. Barnum) is finally getting off the ground and could be a possible project next year.

Hmmm... I wonder, is Hugh definitely committed to Houdini? It seems strange to have two musical projects one after another in the works, especially now that he is getting some great reviews for his dramatic turn in PRISONERS??? Could HOUDINI fall by the wayside, as far as he is concerned? Or could it also take the route of PRISONERS - he was committed to do it in 2009, dropped out of the project, then came back in 2012 with a change of director.

We don't know what kind of script offers he may be considering these days. If it happens for Hugh, I hope HOUDINI is worth the wait. No offense meant - but I have never been a fan of WICKED or can even remember any Schwartz song that much, except for the ubiquitous, shrieking Defying Gravity ...Oops, I forgot "Meadowlark" from The Baker's Wife which I do like a lot!

Here's Stephen's songbook list --

www.stephenschwartz.com/music/song-list/

We'll see...

Jo

[jo]

Hugh himself, according to the UK Daily Mail Baz Bamigboye, has confirmed the delayed opening --

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2426045/BAZ-BAMIGBOYE-Im-going-fired--Cate-Blanchett-spent-week-thinking-going-axed-Woody-Allen.html

Watch out for...


Keep an eye on:

Hugh Jackman, who told me he’s going to do a third workshop for a musical about Houdini. Jackman hopes to play the famed escapologist on Broadway ‘within a year or 18 months’, he told me.

He also mentioned that he’s still trying to find a two to four-week window in his bonkers schedule to do his terrific one-man song-and-dance show in London.

‘We were just talking about it and poring over dates,’ he said. His latest film, Prisoners, a terrific thriller that is still sending shivers down my spine three weeks after I saw it in Telluride, opens here next Friday.

So, either fall of 2014 or spring of 2015 on Broadway?? I'd bet more on a spring opening, in time for the June 2015 TONYs! But unbelievable development time for this musical -- Hugh was already talking about the play being rewritten in 2009, so work must have started on this much earlier. If it opens in 2015, that could be about 7 years or so in development before it gets to Broadway!! Yikes!

Okay, who is going to London?? I wish!

Next -- let us speculate on his next film project, while he waits for the ever-protracted Houdini to get completed. Another dramatic turn? Maybe a movie musical ( Greatest Showman on Earth? Six Years by Corben? Even Unbound Captives, assuming a studio picks it up - which I honestly think will only happen if the director is replaced - the western is not box office gold anymore and it needs a top helmer to get it greenlit)...Or something out of the blue??


Jo ( not too happy about developments on Houdini )