Theater Billy Elliot or Sister Act ?
Discussion
Flintstone said:
The distaff side of my household are avid theatregoers. The missus and two daughters (15 & 13) recommend Sister Act above Billy Elliott.
If you go and the Mrs hates you, blame them.
If you go and the Mrs hates you, blame them.
Thanks for that. I may default to her old fav Les Mis. I may choose Sister Act ..... FFS .....Compare the fillums to gauge the stage version.
Sister Act = s
t
Billy Elliot = ace
Sister Act on stage, even with Whoopi there, will be st.
Why?
Because you can't polish a turd. (of a fillum into a stage show)
Les Mis has some special 25th Anniversary shows coming up soon, and a 22 date amended version running at the Barbican.
Sister Act = s
tBilly Elliot = ace
Sister Act on stage, even with Whoopi there, will be s
t.Why?
Because you can't polish a turd. (of a fillum into a stage show)
Les Mis has some special 25th Anniversary shows coming up soon, and a 22 date amended version running at the Barbican.
M4FFU said:
I've seen Billy Elliot and I did't think it was that great.
Saw Oliver a few weeks ago which I thought was superb, fwiw.
Genuinely new, classy original musicals are now few and far between. Most are re-threads of movies or collections of pop hits shoehorned into a weak storyline.Saw Oliver a few weeks ago which I thought was superb, fwiw.
To be honest, even classic musicals borrow from other art forms. "Oliver" is a good example. However, the dearth of newly written original "music" for musicals is depressing.
"Billy Elliott" and "Sister Act", although based on pre-existing movies, actually do both contain quite a bit of new, original music.
Has she seen the stage version of Oliver or just the film?
The stage version is darker than the film and there are a couple of additional songs - mainly for Bill Stykes (Oliver Reed couldn't really sing so Sykes' songs were cut from the film). The undertaker and his wife (Mr and Mrs Sowerberry) also have a song that is not in the film.
The stage version is darker than the film and there are a couple of additional songs - mainly for Bill Stykes (Oliver Reed couldn't really sing so Sykes' songs were cut from the film). The undertaker and his wife (Mr and Mrs Sowerberry) also have a song that is not in the film.
Eric Mc said:
Has she seen the stage version of Oliver or just the film?
The stage version is darker than the film and there are a couple of additional songs - mainly for Bill Stykes (Oliver Reed couldn't really sing so Sykes' songs were cut from the film). The undertaker and his wife (Mr and Mrs Sowerberry) also have a song that is not in the film.
Yeah just the film. I really like the film but for some reason she has a proper downer on the whole Oliver thing. The stage version is darker than the film and there are a couple of additional songs - mainly for Bill Stykes (Oliver Reed couldn't really sing so Sykes' songs were cut from the film). The undertaker and his wife (Mr and Mrs Sowerberry) also have a song that is not in the film.
It's always a bit rash to write off a stage musical based on a film version. They are often wildly different and, by and large, the stage version is generally better.
In the case of "Oliver", the movie is pretty close to the stage version, with the excception of the omitted songs and the generally lighter tone. The problem is "Fagin". Ron Moody plays him too much for humour in the film. He can be played MUCH darker and "evil", as originally intended by Dickens and as accurately portrayed by Alec Guinness in the 1948 film "Oliver Tweist". My hunch is that the "Anti-semetic" overtones of the Fagin character were deliberately toned down in the film so as not to cause upset in the US. They are definitely there in the stage version.
In the case of "Oliver", the movie is pretty close to the stage version, with the excception of the omitted songs and the generally lighter tone. The problem is "Fagin". Ron Moody plays him too much for humour in the film. He can be played MUCH darker and "evil", as originally intended by Dickens and as accurately portrayed by Alec Guinness in the 1948 film "Oliver Tweist". My hunch is that the "Anti-semetic" overtones of the Fagin character were deliberately toned down in the film so as not to cause upset in the US. They are definitely there in the stage version.
mark387mw said:
I thought Les Mis was quite heavy and you need to be 'into it' to appreciate it, whereas WWRY everyone knows the music whether a fan or not and it's a big pisstake of microsoft, the future of kids and music and you will enjoy it
That's the "problem" with a lot of the most recent musicals. They know that they can get a guaranteed pre-made fan base because the music is already familiar. Producers aren't brave enough to risk genuinely new music in new musicals. mark387mw said:
Mamma Mia, Chicago? 
I've seen Jersy Boys in Melbourne and thought it was very good. The amount of songs you know but never attributed to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. A good musical history lesson
Chicago is a "proper" show - all the music is original and was written specially for the show. It isn't a cobbled together medley of someone's Greatest Hits.I've seen Jersy Boys in Melbourne and thought it was very good. The amount of songs you know but never attributed to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. A good musical history lesson
Chicago was originally written back in 1975 but was not a commerrcial success back then. I think the problem back then was that the audiences truly "got" the message of the show which is all about media manipulation and how justice can be a flexible thing, given the right management of your case.
When it was revamped and put on stage in 1996, modern audiences "got it" straight away.
Hope you enjoy it. I've seen it performed four times - all by different companies.
Three of the performances were of the original 1975 version (which I actually prefer). Two shows were put on by amateur societies (Jersey and Farnborough) and one by the Guildford School of Acting.
I eventually saw the current London production (with Ruthie Henshall, Utya Lemper and Nigel Planer) and thoroughly enjoyed it too - even though there have been some significant changes to the sets and costumes compared to how it was originally set thirty plus years ago.
The most famous song from the show is "All That Jazz".
Three of the performances were of the original 1975 version (which I actually prefer). Two shows were put on by amateur societies (Jersey and Farnborough) and one by the Guildford School of Acting.
I eventually saw the current London production (with Ruthie Henshall, Utya Lemper and Nigel Planer) and thoroughly enjoyed it too - even though there have been some significant changes to the sets and costumes compared to how it was originally set thirty plus years ago.
The most famous song from the show is "All That Jazz".
Edited by Eric Mc on Thursday 26th August 10:26
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