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Post by jo on Mar 26, 2019 21:47:28 GMT -5
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Post by jo on Mar 27, 2019 11:07:56 GMT -5
How long has WORLD THEATRE DAY been celebrated?
Jo
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Post by njr on Mar 27, 2019 12:10:19 GMT -5
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Post by jo on Mar 27, 2019 15:35:28 GMT -5
Kristin Chenoweth tweets her congratulatory note to Sutton and expresses her expectations of the coming revival with Hugh --
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Post by jo on Mar 28, 2019 10:52:48 GMT -5
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Post by jo on Mar 28, 2019 17:39:44 GMT -5
Thanks to JackmansLanding for the find -- someone offered this photo of the students from Knox Grammar who were part of the cast of The Music Man. Hugh is supposed to be the one standing on the left -- but it is not confirmed. Based on his other young photos when his face has not yet developed the more angular, chiseled masculine facial features, it looks like Hugh with some baby face features? |
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Post by hughmanity on Mar 28, 2019 17:59:16 GMT -5
I think it could be him especially judging by shape of eyebrows, chin and earlobes! Thanks to JackmansLanding for the find -- someone offered this photo of the students from Knox Grammar who were part of the cast of The Music Man. Hugh is supposed to be the one standing on the left -- but it is not confirmed. Based on his other young photos when his face has not yet developed the more angular, chiseled masculine facial features, it looks like Hugh with some baby face features? |
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Post by ruby on Mar 28, 2019 18:08:33 GMT -5
I think it could be him especially judging by shape of eyebrows, chin and earlobes! Thanks to JackmansLanding for the find -- someone offered this photo of the students from Knox Grammar who were part of the cast of The Music Man. Hugh is supposed to be the one standing on the left -- but it is not confirmed. Based on his other young photos when his face has not yet developed the more angular, chiseled masculine facial features, it looks like Hugh with some baby face features? I’m surprised this is even a point of discussion. It seems so obvious to me, certainly helped a bit by the context of the Music Man stage set up. |
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Post by jo on Mar 28, 2019 23:37:24 GMT -5
I've just watched a DVD ( I think it is a remastered version -- great visuals and sound) of The Music Man. I used to have an original DVD lying around but I never had a chance to watch it because I do not recall doing it. Okay --
Viewing it of course maybe with Hugh-colored glasses --*This is of course the movie version ( which has the advantage of cinematic spectacle and sound) but I am sure a live version will have as strong an appeal, for the live singing and dancing...and the character portrayals, depending on the stage actors involved. It will also have the advantage of a live audience reacting to what will be happening onstage and in a musical, reactions can be very openly expressed! *This musical has a stronger appeal to me compared to Hello,Dolly! ( albeit there is similarity in the period setting, interesting characters and a very catchy score) - because it has a more cohesive and stronger book! Hello,Dolly! was more of character study focused mainly on one person ( if I remember right it was based on The Matchmaker) and the links to the other characters (except maybe for Horace Vandergelder) were loosely connected. The Music Man centered on a typical American town at the turn of the century full of cultural symbols ( the 4th of July celebrations. the cooperative spirit when they become banded together, the different characters populating a town, the appealing small-town setting, etc). Maybe I am biased, but a marching band never fails to appeal to me. Maybe because I did study and lived in a small school town in Massachusetts ( Amherst), maybe because attending football games introduced me to the appeal of the marching band)? The setting and story are pure Americana! I can anticipate how the theatre audiences will react to the sound of the marching band onstage! *Robert Preston is pure con man and set the gold standard for his portrayal of Harold Hill. What can Hugh Jackman bring on to the live staging -- ***Hugh can play con man with all the ways of seduction at his command. Does he have something else that he can bring to the role compared to Preston! Yessss!! He is very, very charming and does not have to try really hard ( look how he convinced fans to support a 76-showdates for his tour/a yearlong run of TBFO/sold-out shows esp of BackOnBroadway...and leading the charge for The Greatest Showman). Preston is more of a fast-talking salesman type who can sell most anything although he needs a bit of time to do it. Hugh can do it with just a wink and that killer smile...not to forget his looks and how he can command a room with his presence. Hugh can also dance! There wasn't much dancing from Preston except for leading the band and that Shipoopi number. With Warren Carlyle and with excellent dancer Sutton Foster, we will likely see more spectacular numbers in the revival, even if the movie per se is already a dancer's dream ( but from the young people in the town). Acting-wise -- both are very good actors! On film however, one is more able to see the nuances of physical acting. I am hoping I can find a seat that will be very close to the stage when the revival opens, if I can! *Shirley Jones was probably the best choice at the time to play Marian The Librarian. But her persona is the same as the ones I saw acting in Oklahoma! and Carousel. ***Sutton, I think, would be very good casting. Marian is a strong character, occasionally feisty, but thinks through what is important in assessing characters and situations. She can go toe to toe not just with Harold Hill but also the the opposition town mayor... Why Marian has to have a soprano voice is not a must to me ( of course, that is a personal opinion only). It is almost anachronistic - while the rest of the cast sings with normal range ( although I do not know how to classify the singing of the barbershop quartet  ) , her Marian sings in a different range. If this were Sigmund Romberg's Student Prince where the singing of the leads are complementary in range, I would go for it. I think it is incidental that the original casting onstage and the movie were both sopranos ( maybe the original was written with Barbara Cook's soprano in mind). I also look forward to special dance numbers designed by Carlyle for her and Hugh and the ensembles! My off-the-cuff first impressions! Jo |
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Post by jo on Mar 29, 2019 5:20:46 GMT -5
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Post by jo on Mar 29, 2019 7:21:38 GMT -5
I didn't realize she has been involved in so many musicals --
I don't know if these were all Broadway stuff, or part are from places other than Broadway or in her cabaret act -- but she has sang a lot of roles :
*Surprised that she was an Eponine - very tall non-waif like Eponine
*Liked her a lot singing the songs of Svetlana in Chess ( I am biased, I like the songs of Chess a lot).
*I saw her perform only once - in Drowsy Chaperone. I do remember her split
I think she is going to be quite an acting performer in Music Man -- I find Marian to be a woman who can stand her ground, even from the beginning. I thought Shirley Jones seemed a bit prim, despite her change of heart at the end. I would like to have a real romantic scene and what goes towards developing the attraction between Prof Hill and Marian. That would add more dramatic depth. And maybe a more poignant scene between Hill and Winthrop - Hugh has such a soft touch with kids and the audience feels the sincerity in his acting ( LesMis/Swordfish/RealSteel/Logan/Greatest Showman).
A long time to go!!!!!
Jo
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Post by mamaleh on Mar 29, 2019 9:21:35 GMT -5
She was a fabulous Reno Sweeney in the recent revival of ANYTHING GOES. Fantastic dancer and in fine voice, as she'd shown in DROWSY CHAPERONE, too. I wanted to go see it again after Stephanie Block took over the lead but somehow I missed the chance.
Ellen
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Post by jo on Mar 29, 2019 16:33:32 GMT -5
Fun Fact - per Wikipedia : Now I have to watch it again Jo |
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Post by jo on Mar 29, 2019 16:36:30 GMT -5
Proof  |
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Post by jo on Mar 29, 2019 16:52:33 GMT -5
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Post by jo on Mar 29, 2019 21:54:37 GMT -5
Unfortunately, he will be on Broadway at that time!
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Post by jo on Mar 31, 2019 13:13:42 GMT -5
What is interesting is that Hugh Jackman was in the RNT revival of OKLAHOMA!, sang in the concert version of CAROUSEL at Carnegie Hall to mark the Rodgers centenary … and will be the lead for the upcoming Broadway revival of THE MUSIC MAN. All classic film musicals featured Shirley Jones as the leading lady.
I wish I still had that clip of Hugh doing a duet with Shirley Jones of PEOPLE WILL SAY WE'RE IN LOVE during the inaugural ceremonies of FOX Studios-Australia sometime in 1999.
From a past article about Australian talent involved in musical theatre --
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Post by jo on Mar 31, 2019 13:22:15 GMT -5
If you scroll down, there is a picture of Shirley with Hugh and others...and a short description of her participation in the Fox inagaurals -- www.shirleyjones.net/recent.htmlI used to have a VHS tape of the whole event which featured Hugh Jackman as Main Host. Jo |
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Post by jo on Mar 31, 2019 13:30:11 GMT -5
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Post by njr on Apr 1, 2019 12:26:20 GMT -5
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Post by jo on Apr 1, 2019 14:39:34 GMT -5
Thanks!!
That must have been a well-edited version of the ceremonies produced for Australian TV! It was uploaded on YouTube only early 2017.
But it did capture Hugh's own musical numbers ( Oklahoma!'s Beautiful Morning/People Will Say We're In Love) and his hosting skills then.
The one I saw from a long time ago was very long, almost interminable, as it covered everything and took the best of a few hours. This version did not include some aspects of the ceremonies described in the Shirley Jones website --
I also remembered if my memory serves me right some other musical numbers ( such as from Kylie Minogue, including one channeling Marilyn Monroe's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)...and there were speeches, too.
This one is a concise one and featured mostly the Fox musicals in its rich history.
Touch of irony - as the Disney acquisition of FOX creative assets has just been legally completed. I wonder what direction will Disney take in terms of utilizing the huge array of talent identified with studio. But that's another story.
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Post by njr on Apr 2, 2019 11:55:27 GMT -5
Kylie Minogue is in that video I posted, starting at 6:02. (When you click on the link it begins at 10:41 at the end of her performance)
Nancy
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Post by jo on Apr 2, 2019 18:02:10 GMT -5
Yes, I saw her in that pink Monroe-esque gown ( Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - did you see Hugh give a nod to Deb, when he mentioned that number?) but it was only a glimpse -- I do remember seeing that in full.
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Post by mamaleh on Apr 2, 2019 19:55:52 GMT -5
My VCR has long been in disrepair, but I used to enjoy that hours-long video of the opening of Fox Studios Australia. It’s almost startling to hear him singing as the cocky young cowboy Curly. I’ve always lamented the fact that, however much we enjoyed TBFO and THS, he never again essayed another booming, big-voiced Rodgers & Hammerstein role in a full production, his concert versions of CAROUSEL’s “Soliloquy” excepted. Well, at least we can happily anticipate his tour dates and MUSIC MAN.
Ellen
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Post by jo on Apr 6, 2019 16:29:31 GMT -5
Someone's speculating on the potential chemistry of Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in the roles of Harold Hill and Marian Paroo -- www.paulsvalleydailydemocrat.com/community/i-want-to-be-a---producer/article_a4e5afd9-d188-5dd6-a10e-623d8cac5feb.htmlShould revivals always be a complete mirror of the original production? Take the case of Oklahoma! as revived by the Royal National Theatre in London. Trevor Nunn sought out the dark side of Jud's character and that actually strengthened the role. Gordon McCrae originally portrayed Curly as simply a genial cowboy ( great voice but very boring characterization) ...and Hugh Jackman added a more cocky and sometimes even mean-minded ( Poor Jud is Daid) portrayal... and with his natural charisma, made him a more interesting stage persona! Shirley Jones was beautiful and with an enchanting soprano but she would have an odd chemistry with the Jackman/Curly cowboy. Josefina Gabrielle was feisty but sometimes unsure of her appeal - and her relationship with the cocky cowboy proved to be a more provocative match! The revival proved to be a great success in its staging...and thanks to the wisdom and drive of Trevor Nunn to pursue a filmed version which brought in a wider audience - the portrayals of Curly and Laurey in this version made audiences see a much more interesting road to this romantic relationship! It made this sometimes-forgotten Rodgers and Hammerstein musical a much more arresting fare. It is not only me - but quite a few have proclaimed that they found Oklahoma! the most boring of the 5 great musicals by the 2 musical masters -- in the company of Carousel/King&I/SouthPacific/SoundOfMusic. We'll see how it goes for THE MUSIC MAN! For one, I do see this Harold Hill to be an even greater Pied Piper than Robert Preston. Preston did not have the natural charisma to me and he had to work on the townspeople very hard to get them into his scheme! He was a complete con man but slick and a great talker. Hugh Jackman - his stage presence alone will have children and ladies following him to whichever road he takes them . As Maureen Lipman once wrote about his Oklahoma! co-star, everyone including the puppies loved him on sight! It is not just the looks - it is a natural charm that Hugh Jackman has in spades that he draws the theatregoer's attention to him whenever he is on stage. I knew not him when I stumbled on his live portrayal in London in 1999, but 2 factors drew me to his characterization ( and I could not even see his face clearly from where I saw him in Dress Circle/Front Mezzanine in that London theatre) - his powerful legit stage voice... and his commanding stage presence!In The Music Man, he will carry that gift in his portrayal! Sutton is seen as more perky than the usual Marian. Yet when you rewatch the Shirley Jones interpretation, her feisty characterization ( despite her image of being more prim and proper) was obvious in the latter parts of the story. Sutton can bring that element in very well! As to a softer image -- did you see the short clip of Sutton singing a part of " 'til There Was You"? She sang it so softly that it sounded more like a lullaby! That gave me the hope that maybe we will see a different Sutton Foster ( both feisty and romance-minded in this upcoming interpretation)! Btw, I have seen clips of Barbara Cook on a TV show reprising her singing ( Lovely soprano!) from The Music Man. Unfortunately, her style would be too old-fashioned for a current interpretation...or even in the film adaptation. I wonder if that was the factor that won Shirley Jones the role over Barbara? There must have been some very interesting audition scenes between Hugh and Sutton - to see if the Sutton persona can have a great match with the overwhelming Jackman presence Jo |
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) , her Marian sings in a different range. If this were Sigmund Romberg's Student Prince where the singing of the leads are complementary in range, I would go for it. I think it is incidental that the original casting onstage and the movie were both sopranos ( maybe the original was written with Barbara Cook's soprano in mind). I also look forward to special dance numbers designed by Carlyle for her and Hugh and the ensembles!
