jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Mar 31, 2019 20:53:28 GMT -5
Wishful thinking only
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Apr 10, 2019 6:22:02 GMT -5
Now a planned prequel to GREASE, called SUMMER NIGHTS! At Paramount -- www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/grease-prequel-summer-loving-works-1200358It looks like movie musicals are really making a great comeback! In a big way, maybe due to the universal attention and affection for The Greatest Showman and some recent musical biopics! Paramount is also rumored ( no official announcements yet) to sponsor the film adaptation of SUNSET BOULEVARD with Glenn Close. Hope Paramount chief Jim Gianopulos ( erstwhile head at FOX...and who partly gave the greenlight for TGS) gets to work with Hugh Jackman in a movie musical sometime in the future. An interesting comment from Hugh during the media tour for MISSING LINK -- while sharing with Jimmy Fallon how he was discouraged from taking up dance when he was young... he said now youngsters openly display their love for song and dance. That's true - check out not just movies or TV but most especially reality TV and social media in particular! Jo
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Sept 21, 2019 5:46:04 GMT -5
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Nov 17, 2019 10:41:31 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by mamaleh on Nov 20, 2019 1:47:05 GMT -5
FOLLIES is my all-time favorite musical. HJ would be a perfect Benjamin Stone. I hope at least that part of the dream cast comes true.
Ellen
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Nov 20, 2019 5:31:12 GMT -5
Ellen
A few questions, please?
*There have been so many productions over the year - which one did you see first...and which is your favorite?
*Do you think this can adapt well to a film version? I have not seen the musical on stage ( I do have a DVD of a concert version but have not really watched it in full) but my impression is that the material is mainly for the theatre. Just like A Chorus Line -- it may have worked so well on stage...but its film success was doubtful.
*On stage, did they have two sets of the characters ( the younger and present-age)? I wonder if de-aging can work on film ( Hugh in TGS) so there would no need to cast another actor to portray the younger Ben/Sally/etc?
*I know a few songs from the score ( Broadway Baby, Too Many Mornings, Losing My Mind...and am familiar with Beautiful Girls) -- but other than Losing My Mind - will the other songs in the score be memorable to the general public. Of course, most theatre fans can sing the first or two lines of Broadway Baby. What are Ben's songs - Too Many Mornings? and ??
*It is ensemble casting and Ben for Hugh would only be one of the major roles. Maybe if this were a full-on drama and they focus mainly on the 4 characters ( with the others more as part of the scenery) - it could be a great film story. And Hugh could be outstanding in the role of Ben?
*Modern film musical audiences put so much weight on the score - will this be a big hit - since many and maybe incorrectly think that Sondheim is more of an acquired taste? Not theatre audiences, but movie musical audiences??
*Would Hugh want to play an ensemble part in a musical that has become a classic or would he prefer a musical where the focus is on the character he plays?
*And lastly - what do you think about this film project being a BBC initiative? Will there be more Brits in the cast -- when it is essentially an American theatre story?
Jo
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Nov 22, 2019 16:24:02 GMT -5
FOLLIES is my all-time favorite musical. HJ would be a perfect Benjamin Stone. I hope at least that part of the dream cast comes true. Ellen Quite a few suggestions from the theatre message boards for a Hugh Jackman casting for Ben Jo
|
|
|
Post by mamaleh on Nov 22, 2019 18:35:23 GMT -5
Ellen A few questions, please? *There have been so many productions over the year - which one did you see first...and which is your favorite? *Do you think this can adapt well to a film version? I have not seen the musical on stage ( I do have a DVD of a concert version but have not really watched it in full) but my impression is that the material is mainly for the theatre. Just like A Chorus Line -- it may have worked so well on stage...but its film success was doubtful. *On stage, did they have two sets of the characters ( the younger and present-age)? I wonder if de-aging can work on film ( Hugh in TGS) so there would no need to cast another actor to portray the younger Ben/Sally/etc? *I know a few songs from the score ( Broadway Baby, Too Many Mornings, Losing My Mind...and am familiar with Beautiful Girls) -- but other than Losing My Mind - will the other songs in the score be memorable to the general public. Of course, most theatre fans can sing the first or two lines of Broadway Baby. What are Ben's songs - Too Many Mornings? and ?? *It is ensemble casting and Ben for Hugh would only be one of the major roles. Maybe if this were a full-on drama and they focus mainly on the 4 characters ( with the others more as part of the scenery) - it could be a great film story. And Hugh could be outstanding in the role of Ben? *Modern film musical audiences put so much weight on the score - will this be a big hit - since many and maybe incorrectly think that Sondheim is more of an acquired taste? Not theatre audiences, but movie musical audiences?? *Would Hugh want to play an ensemble part in a musical that has become a classic or would he prefer a musical where the focus is on the character he plays? *And lastly - what do you think about this film project being a BBC initiative? Will there be more Brits in the cast -- when it is essentially an American theatre story? Jo My favorite FOLLIES will always be my first: the original production at the Winter Garden in 1971. Back then, when I was still in school, John McMartin was my 'Hugh." He was the initial reason I saw that original production several times. But each time I liked it more and more, until it became my favorite Broadway show of all time. Still is. I've seen every major revival, as well as FOLLIES IN CONCERT on PBS. It's beautifully written and the score is tuneful, touching and clever, as well as faithful to the time periods it reflects in the pastiche numbers representing Follies extravaganzas of the early 1940s. The plot has ex-chorines from a Ziegfeld-type Follies series and their husbands attending a last reunion at their theater where they all met before it is to be torn down to make a parking lot. I'm not sure how it would fare as a film. There would have to be a lot of suspension of disbelief, as the four protagonists appear alongside each other as youths, commenting on their younger selves and their foolishness. So de-aging Hugh wouldn't make sense, as the younger and current Ben, for example, appear side by side. The costuming of the younger characters is period-specific. In the "Who's That Woman" number in the 1971 production, the older ex-chorines recreate their favorite Follies number as their younger selves dance away costumed in ghostly black/white/silver behind them. It was chilling and very effective. Ben's main songs are "Too Many Mornings," "The Road You Didn't Take," "The Girls Upstairs" and "Live, Laugh, Love." The last is his personal "folly" number, done as a nervous breakdown in a surreal Loveland sequence in which each of the four main characters sings of his or her delusional folly. Special effects could enhance that sequence, assuming the moviegoing public buys the surreality of it. Although a minor character, Carlotta sings probably the best known song from the show, "I'm Still Here. " The plot does indeed concentrate on the four characters: Ben (law student, then years later a well-off financier/philanthropist) and his wife Phyllis (former showgirl who educated herself to keep up with her upwardly mobile husband); and Buddy (Ben's longtime friend, in his later years a failed traveling salesman) and his wife, Sally (former showgirl who loved and still loves Ben.) In her delusional mind, she has convinced herself that attending the reunion after 30 years will somehow result in a happy-ever-after with Ben. All the love has gone out of Ben and Phyllis' marriage; Buddy is still nuts about his wife but is at the breaking point because of Sally's continuing obsession with Ben. Ben is actually the emotional crux, the leading figure of the four, so I could see Hugh's being interested in the role. His personal "folly" number is the most emotionally gut-wrenching. His performance morphs into a nervous breakdown on stage as past and present come together, his stoic business leader mask coming off to reveal his inner demons. He believes himself unworthy of love and therefore cannot love himself and can't go on with the charade of happiness. I remember at the 1972 Tonys, renown director Hal Prince thanked John McMartin for his beautifully realized Ben. He even said he (Prince) was so invested in Ben that he was mixing himself up with that character. That's how important Ben is to the story. The productions at the Winter Garden and at the Paper Mill Playhouse in NJ wisely cast old movie and TV stars, such as Yvonne DeCarlo, Gene Nelson, Alexis Smith, Dorothy Collins, Kaye Ballard, and tapper extraordinaire Ann Miller, among others--very appropriate since nostalgia permeates the show. I don't think adding Brits to the cast would be detrimental. One of the universal themes of the show is aging; others are the stories we tell ourselves to get through the day, the year, our entire lives and the relationships we try to maintain as well as the legacy of grand old theaters being torn down to build parking lots; and the legacy of fabled entertainments that got audiences through the Depression and other troubled times. The Brits have, of course, a very long theatrical/showbiz history! I truly hope this does become a film. Hugh would be ideally cast! Ellen
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Nov 22, 2019 20:10:57 GMT -5
> > > I'm not sure how it would fare as a film. There would have to be a lot of suspension of disbelief, as the four protagonists appear alongside each other as youths, commenting on their younger selves and their foolishness. So de-aging Hugh wouldn't make sense, as the younger and current Ben, for example, appear side by side. The costuming of the younger characters is period-specific. In the "Who's That Woman" number in the 1971 production, the older ex-chorines recreate their favorite Follies number as their younger selves dance away costumed in ghostly black/white/silver behind them. It was chilling and very effective. Ben's main songs are "Too Many Mornings," "The Road You Didn't Take," "The Girls Upstairs" and "Live, Laugh, Love." The last is his personal "folly" number, done as a nervous breakdown in a surreal Loveland sequence in which each of the four main characters sings of his or her delusional folly. Special effects could enhance that sequence, assuming the moviegoing public buys the surreality of it. Although a minor character, Carlotta, sings probably the best known song from the show, "I'm Still Here," the plot does indeed concentrate on the four characters: Ben (law student, then years later a well-off financier/philanthropist) and his wife Phyllis (former showgirl who educated herself to keep up with her upwardly mobile husband); and Buddy (Ben's longtime friend, in his later years a failed traveling salesman) and his wife, Sally (former showgirl who loved and still loves Ben.) In her delusional mind, she has convinced herself that attending the reunion after 30 years will somehow result in a happy-ever-after with Ben. All the love has gone out of Ben and Phyllis' marriage; Buddy is still nuts about his wife but is at the breaking point because of Sally's continuing obsession with Ben. Ben is actually the emotional crux, the leading figure of the four, so I could see Hugh's being interested in the role. His personal "folly" number is the most emotionally gut-wrenching. His performance morphs into a nervous breakdown on stage as past and present come together, his stoic business leader mask coming off to reveal his inner demons. He believes himself unworthy of love and therefore cannot love himself and can't go on with the charade of happiness. I remember at the 1972 Tonys, renown director Hal Prince thanked John McMartin for his beautifully realized Ben. He even said he (Prince) was so invested in Ben that he was mixing himself up with that character. That's how important Ben is to the story. > > > I don't think adding Brits to the cast would be detrimental. One of the universal themes of the show is aging; others are the stories we tell ourselves to get through the day, the year, our entire lives and the relationships we try to maintain as well as the legacy of grand old theaters being torn down to build parking lots; and the legacy of fabled entertainments that got audiences through the Depression and other troubled times. The Brits have, of course, a very long theatrical/showbiz history! I truly hope this does become a film. Hugh would be ideally cast! Ellen Thanks, Ellen, for your insights and sharing your thoughts on FOLLIES I think I will rewatch the concert version which I have somewhere, but will concentrate more on the characterization, if that is evident from the song interpretations. What your insights have told me is that this is really a dramatic piece, with strong characterizations including their complicated relationships and attachments to the past, so much so that maybe it is even what actually what drives the show and with equal emotional heft brought on by the score? If this were so, I think this could be a very good role for Hugh - not so much because it is a musical but because the Ben character seems to be quite complex and undergoes further development as the story goes on? Hugh is very good at portraying a man who lets go of his grip? Re de-aging -- that seems to be a new thing these days ( apart from what we have seen in TGS - much has been talked about the main characters in The Irishman by Scorsese - where famous faces such as Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are made to look younger thru technology... Otherwise, which actors can show not just the physical characteristics of a Hugh Jackman, complete with the full-on charisma ( I assume Ben had such a magnetic personality, hence two women fell for him...and that may have also helped him rise in the big world of business). If this comes to pass -- *I hope funding can be assured readily and pre-production does not take too long, as Hugh has a yearlong commitment for The Music Man, assuming he is offered the part? *I hope Sondheim writes another song or two - for Ben? Hugh has sang Sondheim only once - that duet with Debra Byrne ( No One Is Alone/Children Will Listen, from Into the Woods)' We'll see... Jo PS : I 'll see what I can dig up re the much-raved British production for which the same director has been chosen for the film adaptation.
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Nov 22, 2019 20:33:48 GMT -5
Playbill summarized some of the reviews of the revival at the National Theatre ( formerly the Royal National Theatre, which launched the revival of Oklahoma! ) -- www.playbill.com/article/what-did-london-critics-think-of-the-return-of-londons-folliesI have also read the feedback section of the Time Out review ( about 15 readers) and about half dissed the show - some expecting a light-hearted musical and not the dramatic show that Sondheim usually composes. Maybe it would be a divisive show, with some expecting a Greatest Showman type of entertainment. Also, there was emphasis that this is basically an ensemble piece! I didn't know that Philip Quast played the role of Ben! He of the great voice of Javert and in The Secret Garden...and a very well-admired performer at the West End, who comes from Australia, too. Jo
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Jan 2, 2020 19:59:39 GMT -5
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Jan 2, 2020 21:03:07 GMT -5
A comment on ATC --
Of film adaptations, Les Miserabbles was a hit because the musical itself is a universal brand that is popular around the world. That it was nominated for an Oscar helped broaden its popularity to those who might not have seen the stage musical itself. Beauty and the Beast was a very huge hit because it first came out as big hit Disney animation musical (also nominated for Best Picture Oscar) whose title song was a big universal favorite. Chicago, also a stage original, made it to Best Picture Oscar because the film adaptation was not a literal version of the stage musical.
Jukebox musicals or biopic musicals get entrenched with movie audiences ( Mamma Mia!/Bohemian Rhapsody/Rocketman) because of the enduring popularity of the original artists!
Original movie musicals become hits if they are fronted by currently popular film stars who star in dramatic comedies with music ( La La Land)… and of course the universal favorite ( which has seeped into the cultural consciousness), The Greatest Showman did it with a well-loved musical score and winning characterizations by triple-threat talents.
CATS is a dismal failure at the box office and with critics. Will the public embrace "In The Heights" (with LinManuelMiranda) and the "West Side Story" remake, to be released this year? Coincidentally, both deal with the story of Hispanic-Americans trying to settle down in America. Beyond 2020, Baz Lurhmann is planning an Elvis Presley biopic.
Per Wikipedia --
Will those themes have universal appeal?
Jo
|
|
|
Post by hughmanity on Jan 3, 2020 8:24:00 GMT -5
Don't think IN THE HEIGHTS and WEST SIDE STORY will meet the same fate as CATS. Aside from not having to deal with questionable special effects and a limited plot, I think the public will embrace anything Miranda does, and WSS remains one of the most beloved musical properties and scores, with a still-relevant message. A comment on ATC -- Of film adaptations, Les Miserabbles was a hit because the musical itself is a universal brand that is popular around the world. That it was nominated for an Oscar helped broaden its popularity to those who might not have seen the stage musical itself. Beauty and the Beast was a very huge hit because it first came out as big hit Disney animation musical (also nominated for Best Picture Oscar) whose title song was a big universal favorite. Chicago, also a stage original, made it to Best Picture Oscar because the film adaptation was not a literal version of the stage musical. Jukebox musicals or biopic musicals get entrenched with movie audiences ( Mamma Mia!/Bohemian Rhapsody/Rocketman) because of the enduring popularity of the original artists! Original movie musicals become hits if they are fronted by currently popular film stars who star in dramatic comedies with music ( La La Land)… and of course the universal favorite ( which has seeped into the cultural consciousness), The Greatest Showman did it with a well-loved musical score and winning characterizations by triple-threat talents. CATS is a dismal failure at the box office and with critics. Will the public embrace "In The Heights" (with LinManuelMiranda) and the "West Side Story" remake, to be released this year? Coincidentally, both deal with the story of Hispanic-Americans trying to settle down in America. Beyond 2020, Baz Lurhmann is planning an Elvis Presley biopic. Per Wikipedia -- Will those themes have universal appeal? Jo
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Jan 3, 2020 9:19:39 GMT -5
Have you seen CATS? The film and/or the stage musical? It is a different kind of animal, poetically-speaking I saw the stage musical and thought it was my least liked musical of Webber's works, because I thought it was interminable ( unless one is a dancer or a poet)… But I was curious enough to research the musical after I had seen it. It seems that the book/lyrics were based on the poems of one of England's best poets (TSEliot) and when I took time to read some of those poems depicting each character - it then made more sense to me. One of my favorites is about Gus, The Theatre Cat...and Rum Tum Tugger, the Rock Star Cat.... It is almost like A CHORUS LINE with each character having his/her own time in the spotlight...I think it is not meant for movie audiences...but more for the more adventurous tastes of theatregoers. Perhaps this is confirmed when one realizes that the show ran for 18 years on Broadway (most of which were spent at the now-controversial theatre, the Winter Garden). To many, the dance aspect created such a novelty because it is one of the musicals that emphasize more of the dance than anything else! So, everyone off to the Jellicle Ball - this melody is guilty pleasure to everyone. Btw, many of us probably know the song MEMORY from the musical score of CATS - as it has become a very popular song from way back. it is the only song whose lyrics were not derived from the poems of TSEliot. The famous lyrics was written by the man who directed the show... the man who also directed another show, a revival by the Royal National Theatre called OKLAHOMA!...also the man who directed the stage version of LES MISERABLES for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Yup, Sir Trevor Nunn!! Hugh Jackman's theatre mentor! A long time ago, I once thought Hugh Jackman would have been great as Rum Tum Tugger in CATS I think I may get a copy of the video release of CATS when it happens. Jo
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Jan 3, 2020 9:28:20 GMT -5
My post was a little misleading --
I meant this, when I asked the question --
|
|
|
Post by hughmanity on Jan 3, 2020 18:49:58 GMT -5
When I saw CATS I was a young woman and was blown away by the costumes, make-up and theatricality of the cats, especially as they "clawed" their way through the audience. I had never seen that before. I thought the songs were pretty catchy, and still am in awe of Betty Buckley singing "Memory". I could totally see all this not transferring that well to film, but like you, Jo, I am sure I will view it at some point! Have you seen CATS? The film and/or the stage musical? It is a different kind of animal, poetically-speaking I saw the stage musical and thought it was my least liked musical of Webber's works, because I thought it was interminable ( unless one is a dancer or a poet)… But I was curious enough to research the musical after I had seen it. It seems that the book/lyrics were based on the poems of one of England's best poets (TSEliot) and when I took time to read some of those poems depicting each character - it then made more sense to me. One of my favorites is about Gus, The Theatre Cat...and Rum Tum Tugger, the Rock Star Cat.... It is almost like A CHORUS LINE with each character having his/her own time in the spotlight...I think it is not meant for movie audiences...but more for the more adventurous tastes of theatregoers. Perhaps this is confirmed when one realizes that the show ran for 18 years on Broadway (most of which were spent at the now-controversial theatre, the Winter Garden). To many, the dance aspect created such a novelty because it is one of the musicals that emphasize more of the dance than anything else! So, everyone off to the Jellicle Ball - this melody is guilty pleasure to everyone. Btw, many of us probably know the song MEMORY from the musical score of CATS - as it has become a very popular song from way back. it is the only song whose lyrics were not derived from the poems of TSEliot. The famous lyrics was written by the man who directed the show... the man who also directed another show, a revival by the Royal National Theatre called OKLAHOMA!...also the man who directed the stage version of LES MISERABLES for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Yup, Sir Trevor Nunn!! Hugh Jackman's theatre mentor! A long time ago, I once thought Hugh Jackman would have been great as Rum Tum Tugger in CATS I think I may get a copy of the video release of CATS when it happens. Jo
|
|
|
Post by njr on Jan 4, 2020 14:18:44 GMT -5
You guys won’t believe this, but when I saw CATS in the mid-‘80s at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, it was so warm in the place (it was winter) that I fell asleep for a short time! 😂
Nancy
|
|
|
Post by mamaleh on Jan 5, 2020 2:27:20 GMT -5
I believe it. When I saw the original Broadway production of CATS, I nearly fell asleep--and I was in standing room! I found most of the show excruciatingly boring and couldn't believe it was such a worldwide hit.
Ellen
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Jan 31, 2020 20:31:40 GMT -5
Another rumored remake - this time LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, with an interesting pairing of Taron Egerton and Scarlett Johansson -- comicbook.com/movies/2020/01/29/little-shop-of-horrors-reboot-reportedly-targets-taron-egerton-scarlett-johansson/Theatre fans seem to be alright with the casting of Taron (after "Rocketman"...but are skeptical with Scarlett re her ability to sing. That brings back a few memories -- *Andrew Lloyd Webber was supposed to have offered her the part of Maria in the revival of Sound of Music, after hearing her sing many songs. *She did study at the Professional School in NYC which trains young people for triple-talent skills. *When they were filming SCOOP in London ( and if I recall right, they also saw GUYS AND DOLLS with Ewan McGregor on stage in London) and then had dinner with the now-infamous Harvey Weinstein ( producer of KATE AND LEOPOLD) at the famous IVY Restaurant ( not sure if this is still true today... but the IVY, an almost unpretentious restaurant, is where all the celebrities from the entertainment world in London would spend time). Harvey was complaining that he was getting hungry because Hugh and Scarlett kept singing -- exchanging songs to show who had the greater knowledge of show tunes (Boy, would I have wanted to have sat next to their banquette -- a friend from London once invited me there ...and in some areas, people would be seated in banquettes ( like in some fine restaurants) next to each other - so it would have been easy to eavesdrop on their singing ) Jo
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Jan 31, 2020 21:58:57 GMT -5
Remember this -- Taron was a guest at one of Hugh's London O2 performances of TheManTheMusicTheShow --
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Feb 24, 2020 21:57:30 GMT -5
A hit and/or a cult favorite ?? It looks like movie musicals are descending upon movie audiences faster than ever
|
|
|
Post by njr on Feb 25, 2020 13:10:09 GMT -5
I just watched Rocketman (Elton John bio) on EPIX and loved it! Taron Egerton was fantastic as Elton!
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Apr 17, 2020 10:52:17 GMT -5
Poor CATS!
It is being maligned left and right! The film adaptation, mostly! Even the recent interview with Hugh on many key topics have been stolen by a lot of disparaging tweets on the movie and how Hugh escaped sure downfall.
CATS as a film adaptation should not have been probably made! It should have stayed as a stage sensation!
*CATS is a pure theatrical show! One can find similarity to the structure of A CHORUS LINE, where each participant has a story to tell! It is the drama of the individual stories which elevate the performance, and performed in complementary song and dance!
It doesn't really have a proper plot or storyline! What movie audience would like that??!! They usually want the drama of a prologue, the story proper, and the epilogue. You can hardly find that in CATS!
In the theatre - it is not so much the full story that enthralls us -- it is the performance! Even for straight plays - it is usually the dramatic or comedic interaction of a few people/actors. Sometimes, it works as both play and as film. Plays like Tennesee Williams's work. Plays like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. When the play ends, the applause is not so much for the material but for the performance of the material ( although there could be exceptions).
*CATS on stage succeeded ( it ran for 18 years on Broadway, most of it at The Winter Garden) because it is a mix of song and excellent dance performances. That was my first misgiving about the film casting -- could those actors, excellent as they are either in acting or singing, be also spectacular in their dancing?? Dance excellence cannot be learned in several weeks or even months. The body has to learn to adapt to its rigid requirements. Look at Hugh - how long he prepares when he has dance numbers. He is already doing dance practice for Music Man since as early as February. In the Greatest Showman, the number that had the most rehearsal was The Other Side. They practiced it every day before filming and even during filming. Everything was choreographed - including the glasses ( which had their own dance numbers)!
The essence of CATS is the dance -- as the characters mimic the sinewy, almost balletic movements of the furry creatures! Cats are unlike other pets - they can mesmerize sometimes with only their stares! In the musical, you needed to believe that what you see on stage ( suspension of disbelief) are cats, looking a bit like humans. I have not seen the movie -- but how did the actors perform with the dance form? Was it mesmerizing?
*I did not like it that much when I first saw it on stage. What made me appreciate it is when I was able to read the source material ( the poems of TS Eliot dwelling on the behavior of cats, each character taking on some human characteristic). I did like some individual characters - they each have their own unique characters ( the main players).
I do not know how much technology, and not artistry, dominated the film adaptation. Maybe that is part of why it did not succeed...plus the matter of taste! Musical theatre or a musical with a story to tell?
Jellicle Jo
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,456
|
Post by jo on Apr 17, 2020 19:37:10 GMT -5
Preparing for the JELLICLE BALL
(Filmed stage performance)
|
|
|
Post by mamaleh on Apr 17, 2020 20:12:05 GMT -5
I’ll probably watch the movie version of CATS when it comes on TV, basically out of curiosity (speaking of cats), but I’m in no great hurry. As stated earlier, it’s not one of my favorite theater pieces.
Ellen
|
|