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| La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] | |
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unpseudoriginal
Messages : 46 Inscription : 03/07/2007
| Sujet: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Mar 3 Juil 2007 - 22:24 | |
| C'est le 3 novembre 2007 que debutera à Broadway la comédie musicale de La Petite Sirene (apres un passage par Denver cet été). Alan Menken reviens et nous livre une adaptation enrichie de nouvelles chansons inédites! le site officiel: http://disney.go.com/theatre/thelittlemermaid/index.html Le castSierra Boggess - Ariel Norm Lewis - Le Roi Triton Sherie Rene Scott - Ursula Eddie Korbich -Eureka Tituss Burgess - Sebastian Sean Palmer - Prince Eric Jonathan Freeman - Grimsby Derrick Baskin - Jetsam Tyler Maynard - Flotsam Cody Hanford and J.J. Singleton - Polochon John Treacy Egan - Chef Louis Heidi Blickenstaff - Carlotta rencontre avec le cast: http://www.broadway.com/gen/General.aspx?ci=549978 Tracklisting1. Overture/Descent Into the Sea2. That World Above (Ariel) 3. Fathoms Below (Eric, Ariel, Sailors) 4. Fathoms Below [demo] (Eric, Ariel, Sailors) 5. The World Above [reprise] (Ariel) 6. Daughters of Triton (Mermaids) 7. That Oughta Show Her (Sebastian, Triton) 8. Human Stuff (Scuttle, Gulls) 9. Wasting Away (Ursula, Flotsam, Jetsam) 10. She's In Love (Flounder, Mermaids) 11. That Oughta Show Her [reprise] (Sebastian, Triton) 12. The Storm13. Under the Sea (Sebastian, Ensemble) 14. Sweet Child (Flotsam, Jetsam) 15. Her Voice (Eric) 16. Ursula's Incantation (Ursula, Ariel) 17. Positoovity (Scuttle, Gulls) 18. Beyond My Wildest Dreams (Ariel) 19. If Only/Her Voice [demo] (Ariel, Eric) 20. Ursula's Incantation II (Ursula, Ariel) 21. Kiss The Girl [end vox only] (Sebastian, Ensemble) 22. All Good Things Must End (Ursula) 23. If Only/ Her Voice II, Finale (Ariel, Eric) |
| | | Kinoo Mister DCP 2004
Messages : 3215 Localisation : Paris Inscription : 03/07/2007
| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Ven 6 Juil 2007 - 17:49 | |
| Je suis fan de Sierra Boggess en tout cas. Dans la vidéo de Broadway.com elle a la fraîcheur et elle est pétillante pour le rôle. Vivement plus d'infos (photos sur scène et vids!!) |
| | | Ytreza
Âge : 38 Messages : 2974 Localisation : Un peu de partout Inscription : 04/07/2007
| | | | CaptainJackParade
Âge : 37 Messages : 39 Localisation : France Inscription : 04/07/2007
| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Mar 17 Juil 2007 - 22:04 | |
| J'attend avec impatience ce musical, je suis tellement fan de la petite sirène !!! j'espère sincèrement qu'il sera aussi bien mis en scène que Mary Poppins et Beauty & the Beast. |
| | | Pierre
Âge : 34 Messages : 684 Localisation : Là où il faut Inscription : 04/07/2007
| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Mar 31 Juil 2007 - 21:53 | |
| Le site officiel s'agrandit d'une partie "scrapbook" avec photos des répétitions! Le spectacle est actuellement en "test" à Denver. N'importe quoi-ffure... |
| | | zapseb
Âge : 36 Messages : 212 Localisation : Metz~Nancy Inscription : 04/07/2007
| | | | Lucky
Âge : 34 Messages : 2806 Localisation : île de france Inscription : 04/07/2007
| | | | Kinoo Mister DCP 2004
Messages : 3215 Localisation : Paris Inscription : 03/07/2007
| | | | Kinoo Mister DCP 2004
Messages : 3215 Localisation : Paris Inscription : 03/07/2007
| | | | Lucky
Âge : 34 Messages : 2806 Localisation : île de france Inscription : 04/07/2007
| | | | Evy
Âge : 40 Messages : 2134 Localisation : Belgique Inscription : 04/07/2007
| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Sam 25 Aoû 2007 - 12:51 | |
| Waouw, ces 2 photos sont absolument sublimes ! Franchement, je leur tire mon chapeau parce qu'il faut une sacrée imagination pour mettre en scène un spectacle qui se déroule à moitié sous l'eau avec une sirène qui doit "nager". C'est vrai que la comédienne qui joue Ariel à l'air de très bien coller au personnage, bon choix. When I'm standing in the dark, I'll still believe that someone's watching over me. |
| | | Dingoofy
Âge : 33 Messages : 2126 Localisation : Besançon Inscription : 04/07/2007
| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Sam 25 Aoû 2007 - 14:08 | |
| C'est vrai que la comédienne colle bien avec Ariel, et j'aimerais bien voir la chanson poor unfortunate soul visiblement remplacé par Ursula's incantation, ou tout simplement ursula, comment ils vont faire ppour ses tentacules. |
| | | Bombyx
Âge : 35 Messages : 476 Localisation : Paris Inscription : 17/07/2007
| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Sam 25 Aoû 2007 - 14:22 | |
| idem... Et qu'advient-il de la magnifique cultissime scène de Partir la bas (reprise) sur le rocher... "prince de la chance la vie commence pour toi et moi..." ou encore l'image somptueuse quand Ursula transforme Ariel et qu'elle jaillit hors de l'eau... ? Pourquoi un corbeau ressemble t-il a un grain de sel ? KATERINE - PATATI PATATA |
| | | Fomy
Âge : 34 Messages : 267 Inscription : 06/07/2007
| | | | Ptitmath
Âge : 41 Messages : 1965 Localisation : Paris Inscription : 03/07/2007
| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Lun 27 Aoû 2007 - 18:06 | |
| Je n'avais pas encore vu ces photos, et je suis vraiment très emballé par ce que je vois! Ariel est sublime et les décors superbes! |
| | | Alex'90
Âge : 34 Messages : 528 Inscription : 06/07/2007
| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Lun 27 Aoû 2007 - 20:41 | |
| Merci beaucoup pour ses photos, c'est vraiment superbe J'ai hâte d'entendre les chansons et de voir d'autres photos dont une d'Ursula. |
| | | Invité Invité
| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Mar 28 Aoû 2007 - 11:06 | |
| Une nouvelle vidéo avec l'équipe créative.
Le spectacle a débuté depuis quelques jours et n'a pas un echo hallucinant. espérons que ce n'est que le début et qu'il y aura beaucoup de changements.
Et Ariel retrouve sa voix à la fin, non pas parce que le coquillage d'Ursula se brise, mais parce qu'Eric l'embrasse...
http://www.denverpost.com/theater/ci_6564406 |
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| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Mar 28 Aoû 2007 - 11:12 | |
| Une 3e vidéo sur l'histoire :
http://www.denverpost.com/littlemermaid/ci_6681229
Mer-mania is on.
It began in earnest with Thursday's colorful and entertaining opening of "The Little Mermaid," the latest entrant in Disney's quest to take over Broadway, one children's spectacle at a time.
"Mermaid" was greeted by a thunderous and appreciative (and undemanding) Denver audience. How likely that love is to carry over to New York in December depends on how willing the creative team is to accept that their very adorable little guppy has not quite yet found its full sea legs.
But that's exactly why these multimillion-dollar high-risk ventures incubate in smaller cities like Denver before going up against a school of nasty New York piranhas (critics!) who, if given the chance today, might pick this fish to the bone.
This Denver run (through Sept. 9 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House) is an opportunity for the team to confirm what works, identify what doesn't (most notably, a chaotic ending and a few bizarre set pieces) — and fix them, fast.
What's good about "Mermaid" is very, very good, starting with diminutive Denver native Sierra Boggess as the animated Ariel virtually come to life. Boggess simply inhabits the headstrong, 16-year-old princess who defies her well-meaning but ill-equipped single father. Bet on it: This tiny kid's gonna be a big Broadway star (hey, it's not homerism when she obviously hit a home run).
More propitious is its faithfulness to the beloved 1989 film, which all but guarantees the show a long life in Times Square. There are those who will quibble with its liberties — Prince Eric's wedding to disguised sea witch Ursula is replaced by a silly singing contest, for example — but this expanded telling from an essentially slight source solves far more storytelling problems than it introduces.
(Though I'm still not sure just how the Mer-king Triton and the octopus Ursula can be siblings. And while writer Doug Wright smartly addresses that nagging question, "Just what did
Denver native Sierra Boggess stars as Ariel in "The Little Mermaid." (Joan Marcus / Disney Theatricals)
happen to Ariel's mother?" he never answers it — and therein could lie a much more satisfying explanation for Triton's feud with his "sis.")
The waterless staging conceit is original and magical in execution, though not without its problems. Through an innovative intermingling of lights, multimedia projections and lots of streaming clear plastic strips, director Francesca Zambello and scenic designer George Tsypin move us fluidly (sorry) from above water to below simply by having "sea level" rise and descend. One moment we're on the ocean's floor, mingling with fishies gliding around effortlessly on their "heelie" shoes; the next Eric's ship lowers until it hovers just a few feet above the stage, the waving plastic strips underneath creating the sense his ship is floating on water. Wonderful.
Despite the intoxicating spectacle — and there is lots of it — Zambello wisely isn't trying to fool anyone into thinking we are actually underwater, or that her human actors don't really have legs. It's a much more evocative and suggestive approach. She establishes place, then lets your imagination do the rest. And by not simply trying to replicate the animated creatures on stage, she smartly allows the humanity of the actors to come through.
The inhabitants of this underwater world owe much to "The Lion King." These aren't puppets, but their headdresses similarly imply species. Actually, there's fairly liberal borrowing throughout the show from any number of stage spectacles: Ariel's wonderful human transformation is pure "Peter Pan"; the hit-and-miss costumes are in league with "Beauty and the Beast"; and, most evidently, Sherie Rene Scott's fantastic first entrance as the eight-armed Ursula will make you think "Audrey II" from "Little Shop of Horrors" — with a little Madam Morrible thrown in ("Wicked"). You'll also notice trace elements of "Cinderella," Crazy for You" and more.
Ironically, it's only when the story moves to dry land that we start to encounter real staging problems. At the messy climax, we don't know whether we're in water or on dry land. The writer, Wright, wisely takes the final conquest of Ursula away from Eric and gives it to Ariel, where it belongs, but how the
Audio
LISTEN to an excerpt from John Moore's interview with Sherie René Scott, who talks about her 3-year-old's take on Ursula.
LISTEN Director Francesca Zambello talks about returning to her roots in Colorado.
LISTEN Denver native Sierra Boggess talks about embodying Ariel.
LISTEN Sean Palmer, who plays Prince Eric, on seeing the film for the first time.
LISTEN Book writer Doug Wright on the influence of Howard Ashman.
LISTEN Norm Lewis, who plays King Triton, talks about dancing on "heelies."
LISTEN Tituss Burgess on playing Sebastian the crab.
LISTEN Choreographer Stephen Mear on how heelies aren't roller skates.
LISTEN Alan Menken talks about Sierra Boggess.
girl fells the great and all-powerful sea witch is ridiculously easy — and no amount of strobe lights and smoke can cover that up.
The casting is impeccable. Boggess and Scott could be destined for Tony Award nominations (Tyler Maynard and Derrick Baskin would, too, if there were a category for best dastardly, slithery eels). Lighting designer Natasha Katz ought also be Radio City-bound. John Treacy Egan nearly steals the show in a brilliant cameo as chef Louie.
The gigantic white elephant here are actually two gigantic, (probably million-dollar) corkscrew columns that anchor Tsypin's stage, but to what effect I have no earthly idea. All I can say is that corkscrews are for bottle-opening, not for undersea set-anchoring.
As might be expected, the familiar songs are the strength of the score, while much of the new material doesn't quite flow together yet. The strongest new entrants are Ursula's "I Want the Good Times Back"; the Mersisters singing a delightful "She's in Love" with a young Flounder who's been polarizingly reimagined as a pouty, spiky-haired teen; and Eddie Korbich's glorious seagull tap, "Positoovity." (But why are the gulls costumed to look like dirty, tattered pillows?)
Composers Alan Menken and Glenn Slater have wisely given Eric (a terrific Sean Palmer) his own songs to put the story's central romance on more equal footing (sorry again), but the new material he's been given isn't particularly memorable.
Audiences, of course, most loved Ariel's "Part of Your World" (a song Menken stole from his own "Somewhere That's Green") and "Under the Sea" (slightly rearranged to match loveable Titus Burgess' higher voice). This is clearly the show's bread-and-butter number, and audiences ate it up.
But ironically, this joyful, exhaustive dance doesn't serve the meaning of the song all that well. It's just ... a big dance number. It makes no attempt to further the point that life under the sea is better than above (they have dancing up there, too). After seeing choreographer Stephen Mear's revolutionary upside-down chimney-sweep dance in "Mary Poppins," I was hoping for something similarly contextual here.
The number that best combines movement, mood and song is an evocative and visually stunning "Kiss the Girl."
People are already asking where "The Little Mermaid" falls in the pantheon of Disney's theatrical spectacles. Despite its innovations, it's really not trying to reinvent the storytelling form like "The Lion King." It's conventional in that regard, much more in league with "Beauty and the Beast."
Despite its flaws, Zambello's staging would likely be a hit even if it opened tomorrow just based on audiences' sheer love for the story, and for its positive exploration of a now complex and interesting father-daughter relationship. The emotional power of the tale of a girl learning to stand on her own two feet is not only preserved but enhanced. Families will take positive messages of inclusion and tolerance from it.
My guest was Disney's target audience: a 14-year-old female "Mermaid" film fanatic named Jaime. She understands the creators' need to expand and fill out the story for the stage, but warns that lengthening it also creates disjointed tangents that might make hardcore fans impatient and wanting them to get back to business.
And she'll never understand why it is that the girl has to always make the ultimate sacrifice. After all, Ariel will never see her father and beloved sisters again. All for the love of a man.
"If he's such a prince," Jaime asked, "why doesn't he just become a merman?"
Theater critic John Moore can be reached at 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com. |
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| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Sam 1 Sep 2007 - 19:07 | |
| Attention, âmes sensibles s'abstenir.
La Petite Sirène est déjà morte 3 mois avant d'arriver à Broadway.
Tout le monde à l'air unanime, des critiques spécialites au public : Ariel est un flop !
Je met les critiques dnas des posts à part |
| | | Invité Invité
| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Sam 1 Sep 2007 - 19:08 | |
| On commence avec Variéty, le plus influençable sur les spectateurs :
The Little Mermaid
(Ellie Caulkins Opera House at Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Denver; 2,016 seats; $77 top)
By DAVID ROONEY
Sierra Boggess stars as Ariel in Disney Theatrical's 'The Little Mermaid.'
A Disney Theatrical Prods., Thomas Schumacher presentation of a musical in two acts with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater, book by Doug Wright, based on the Hans Christian Andersen story and the Disney film produced by Ashman and John Musker, written and directed by Musker and Ron Clements. Directed by Francesca Zambello. Music direction, incidental music and vocal arrangements, Michael Kosarin. Choreography, Stephen Mear.
Ariel - Sierra Boggess
Prince Eric - Sean Palmer
King Triton - Norm Lewis
Sebastian - Tituss Burgess
Scuttle - Eddie Korbich
Grimsby - Jonathan Freeman
Jetsam - Derrick Baskin
Flotsam - Tyler Maynard
Flounder - Cody Hanford/J.J. Singleton
Ursula - Sherie Rene Scott
With: Adrian Bailey, Cathryn Basile, Heidi Blickenstaff, James Brown III, Robert Creighton, Cicily Daniels, John Treacy Egan, Tim Federle, Merwin Foard, Bahiyah Sayyed Gaines, Ben Hartley, Meredith Inglesby, Michelle Lookadoo, Joanne Manning, Alan Mingo, Jr., Zakiya Young Mizen, Betsy Morgan, Arbender J. Robinson, Bret Shuford, Jason Snow, Chelsea Morgan Stock, Kay Trinidad, Price Waldman, Daniel J. Watts.
There are lots of questions to ponder while being otherwise unengaged by Disney's new stage version of "The Little Mermaid." How can a merman and a squid be brother and sister? When the ocean's surface and the depths below are so clearly delineated, why does the ship float in the night sky? If the sea witch is so powerful, how is she so easily dispatched? How does King Triton maintain those abs? What are those giant baroque corkscrews that keep appearing? And while we're on that track, did no one at any point worry that the designs for this show are just plain ugly?
While director Francesca Zambello is new to Broadway, her opera and musical productions elsewhere have been lauded for their balance of spectacle with emotional detail. But by choosing frequent opera-world collaborators, set designer George Tsypin and costumer Tatiana Noginova, Zambello has allowed emotion, charm and enchantment to be drowned in a sea of bewilderingly over-stylized designs.
In a musical for which children are the primary audience, clarity of representation is fundamental. But in the magical underwater kingdom that beautiful young mermaid Ariel (Sierra Boggess) longs to leave behind to marry the human prince (Sean Palmer), we often require explanation to know what we're looking at.
We suppose the kid with the faux-hawk in the yellow sack (J.J. Singleton, alternating with Cody Hanford) is a flounder because that's what people call him. We believe the guy in the red tail suit and hat (Tituss Burgess) is a crab because he says so. Even though they resemble land reptiles out of "Seascape," the eels (Tyler Maynard and Derrick Baskin) are helpfully identified as such. And despite an outfit that looks like Patricia Field playing a joke on Sarah Jessica Parker, we know Scuttle (Eddie Korbich) is a seagull because he sings about "gull ability." As for the random Mardi Gras revelers whizzing all over the stage on Heelys, I guess the fact they're singing "Under the Sea" would make them fish.
While some imaginative work is required of the audience to ignore the skirts and focus on the tails, the mermaids at least look like mermaids.
Then there are Tsypin's bizarrely alienating Plexiglass stage-scapes, overhung by giant disks that look like Christmas decorations but serve as the sun, the moon, a chandelier that could be an alien spacecraft and some unidentifiable marine orb. All this visual incoherence, plus some not always useful elaboration of a simple, disarming storyline, make what should have been a slam-dunk for stage presentation a waterlogged misstep.
One of the most beloved of Disney's modern animated features, "Mermaid" was the turning point after a long fallow period for the sector. Having elevated animation to an art form and produced a formidable string of popular classics through the 1940s, '50s and '60s, the Mouse House's toon division slipped into workmanlike mode in the late '70s and '80s.
With its catchy songs, its plucky, independent-minded heroine, its irresistibly campy villainess and a happy ending far more accessible and uplifting than Hans Christian Andersen's ethereal original, "Mermaid" single-handedly changed all that.
The $211 million worldwide gross from its 1989 release and 1997-98 reissue, not to mention massive home-entertainment revenues, put animation back on studios' radars, kickstarting a renaissance for the form that carried through the arrival of computer animation. Additionally, "Mermaid" came along at a time when the movie musical had become genre non grata; it showed that a narrative partly driven by songs could still work, an achievement recognized in its Oscars for original song and score.
That history, and the affection of multiple audience generations, gives Disney a potent new brand to add to its family-friendly theatrical stable. In a neat exchange, when "Mermaid" takes up residence in New York at the Lunt-Fontanne -- beginning previews Nov. 3 for a Dec. 6 opening -- it replaces "Beauty and the Beast," another show with songs by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, based on the movie that consolidated the animation rebirth.
But that's where the symmetry ends. Quaint and clunky as it was, in the theme-park style that predated Disney's explosion into more stylistically adventurous territory with "The Lion King," "Beauty" told its fairytale story cleanly and efficiently.
Doug Wright's book for "Mermaid" joins the dots well enough but it constantly struggles against the visual conception, which distracts from the story's essence and makes it hard for the audience to lose themselves in the underwater environment. Wright's work in "I Am My Own Wife" and "Grey Gardens" showed his connection to maverick personalities, so this tale about letting children step out into the world, make mistakes and follow their own path should be a good fit. Yet, that comes through only perfunctorily, despite Boggess' committed performance and crystalline vocals. And much of the humor falls flat.
What's surprising is how underwhelming the movie's most delightful numbers are here. The joyous calypso frolic "Under the Sea" and gloriously romantic "Kiss the Girl" are wonderful songs but Zambello has compromised both with chaotic presentation, not helped by Stephen Mear's uninteresting choreography. ("Under the Sea" would have been a more obvious scene-setting opener than the ho-hum sea chanty "Fathoms Below," expanded from a few throwaway bars in the film.) "Part of Your World" fares better despite Boggess being stuck in a plastic cave for most of it.
Aside from some neat transitions early on between above and below sea, the show generally is most persuasive when Tsypin's clutter is cleared away, leaving the gorgeous color palette and delicate strokes of Natasha Katz's lighting to take the descriptive lead. Despite Zambello's much-quoted creative choice of "no water, no wires," it's the simple wire work of Prince Eric's near-drowning in the storm or Ariel's underwater transformation from mermaid to human that come closest to engendering a sense of wonderment.
Among the better new songs penned by Menken and Glenn Slater, "Her Voice" gives Palmer's standard-issue dreamboat prince a yearning anthem to match Ariel's "Part of Your World"; Korbich leads a fun bunch of tap-dancing seagulls in "Positoovity"; the Mersisters do an exuberant girl-group riff in "She's in Love"; and scheming sea witch Ursula (Sherie Rene Scott), who offers Ariel human transformation in exchange for her voice, vamps about the evil old days before she was banished in "I Want the Good Times Back."
Somewhat different from the film Ursula (a cross between Mae West, Divine and Bea Arthur), Scott creates the most fully formed character. She deadpans her cutting remarks with casual aplomb and brings venomous relish to "Poor Unfortunate Souls." A voluptuous hourglass figure with blond Medusa locks and eight moving tentacles that form an Elizabethan skirt, her costume is one of Noginova's more successful contributions.
Rest of the cast acquit themselves fine though the material, as reconceived for the stage, is simply not nuanced enough to allow any performer to emerge. As Sebastian the Caribbean crustacean, Burgess skirts uncomfortably close to minstrelsy and might want to tone down the mugging a notch. Norm Lewis is underused as King Triton, his impressive gym results getting more exposure than his mellifluous baritone. John Treacy Egan injects comedy as Chef Louis, rhapsodizing about "Les Poissons."
As for "Mermaid's" Broadway prospects, the strength of the property might help it stay afloat awhile, especially with tourist traffic. But if Disney Theatrical chief Thomas Schumacher's aim in enlisting Zambello and team was to develop another eye-popping theatrical event to transcend the kid-fare label, he needs to keep fishing. |
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| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Sam 1 Sep 2007 - 19:18 | |
| La critique d'avant est quand même faite par le boss de la partie theatrale...
Et le New york Post
August 31, 2007 -- ON the heels of the fiasco that was "Tarzan" and the lumbering bore that is "Mary Poppins" comes Disney Theatrical's latest stage cartoon, "The Little Mermaid" - which Variety has helpfully dubbed "a waterlogged misstep."
The $15 million-plus musical, now trying out in Denver, doesn't arrive in New York until November. So Disney's got about a month to retool director Francesca Zambello's baffling production.
But given Variety's brutal review (which was written not by a local stringer but by the paper's chief theater critic) and the show's tepid industry word-of-mouth, theater people are starting to wonder: What's gone wrong in the Magic Kingdom - and, if "Mermaid" flops, how much longer will Disney keep throwing its cartoons at Broadway stages?
First, though, the gossip on "Mermaid," which is based on the beloved 1989 movie about a mermaid who swaps her tail for a pair of legs.
Zambello, an opera director who's making her Broadway debut, is taking a drubbing for a production that, even some Disney insiders concede, is visually almost as unappealing as "Tarzan" was.
The visual motif on "Tarzan" was glow-in-the dark spinach fettuccini. On "Mermaid," it's moving modules of Plexiglas, designed by Zambello's opera crony, George Tsypin.
Sometimes you can spot what appears to be a wave. But often you have no idea what you're looking at, as with two gigantic diaphanous towers, which might be corkscrews or, possibly, nutcrackers.
Or maybe dental instruments.
Zambello has created one of those modern, hyperstylized productions you find in opera houses in Eastern Europe. What little girls from Scarsdale who carry "Little Mermaid" lunchboxes will make of it is anybody's guess.
Disney insiders also are fretting about Tatiana Noginova's costumes, which are notable for their absolute refusal to resemble anything you'd find under the sea (or on this planet, for that matter).
Eels look like lizards; a guppy looks like a kindergartner wearing a smock for his art class; seagulls look like nothing I've ever seen that flies.
Noginova is under intense pressure to redo many of the costumes. Says one source: "She'd better be sewing now, because there isn't much time."
There were also rumors yesterday that Disney was hunting for a real Broadway director to help ease Zambello out of her European Opera House aesthetic and make "The Little Mermaid" more family-friendly.
But a Disney spokesman says the rumors are not true.
Disney was on the offensive this week, flying about 40 group-sales ticket agents to Denver to see the show. Disney gave them dinner at the Opera House and put them up in the Grand Hyatt. But the agents grumbled that they were flown out in coach.
"I might have liked the show a little better if I'd been in first-class," one says.
The agents weren't overwhelmed by the show, and no one seems too eager to snap up many tickets. (They were badly burned on "Tarzan.")
Advance ticket sales for "Little Mermaid" are said to be around $10 million, far short of the $20 million "Mary Poppins" had in the bank on its opening night.
"The Disney brand is not what it used to be on Broadway," says a source involved in ticket sales.
That, sadly, is true.
Once upon a time in the Magic Kingdom, Disney Theatrical could do no wrong. "Beauty and the Beast," though not a critical favorite, ran for 13 years and earned hundreds of millions of dollars. "Aida," which Disney shut down in Atlanta and completely reworked for Broadway, was a guilty pleasure that ran for five years.
And "The Lion King" remains one of the most thrilling productions in Broadway history. The show - and Disney's refurbishment of The New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd Street - played a huge role in the revitalization of Times Square.
Some theater people think the people running Disney's theater division have gotten too artsy for their own good. They hired Bob Crowley, a respected set designer of serious plays (and "Aida"), to make his misbegotten directorial debut with "Tarzan." They brought in Richard Eyre, the former head of London's National Theater, to stage "Mary Poppins," from which he managed to eliminate any trace of wonderment.
As for Zambello, it's clear to people working on "The Little Mermaid" that she does not know her way around a Broadway musical.
Still, it must be pointed out that Disney's artsy impulse also brought the great Julie Taymor to "The Lion King."
"They're hiring serious artists to direct basically cartoons," says a veteran theater producer. "It worked with 'The Lion King.' It hasn't worked since."
Should "Little Mermaid" go the way of "Tarzan," how much longer will Disney stay in the game?
The Broadway division was created by former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, who grew up on Park Avenue and has been in love with the theater since he was a kid.
He oversaw every detail of "Beauty and the Beast" and lists "The Lion King" as one of his proudest achievements during his tenure at Disney.
Robert Iger, Disney's current chief, does not have that same passion for the theater, sources say. He was deeply unhappy with "Tarzan" and, I'm told, worries that Disney is cannibalizing itself on Broadway. Indeed, both "The Lion King" and "Poppins" are offering discounted tickets in the fall.
"I doubt we're going to see a lot more Disney shows after 'Mermaid,'" says a veteran theater producer. "I just don't think this is really Bob Iger's bag."
As for "Mermaid," hardheaded Disney insiders don't expect an easy ride from the New York critics. But they cling to the hope that "The Little Mermaid" will be like "Beauty and the Beast" - a hugely popular title no critic can take down.
They may be in for a big disappointment.
When "Beauty and the Beast" opened in 1994, there were very few family shows on Broadway.
Today, the street's full of shows that appeal to families - "Wicked," "Hairspray," "Legally Blonde," "The Grinch," "Mary Poppins," "The Lion King."
All will give "The Little Mermaid" stiff - and possibly ruinous - competition.
michael.riedel@nypost.com |
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| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Sam 1 Sep 2007 - 19:24 | |
| OU encore ça qu'on pouvait voir dés ce matin sur le web :
Is The Fish Tale a Flop? - Will 'Mermaid' Resurface From Under the Weight of Bad Reviews?
That is the question that most reviews are asking. Will 'The Little Mermaid' survive its run in Denver and actually make it to Broadway? One only has to glance at recent reviews (just take alook at the news bar at the top of my site) to notice a similar theme occuring. The show is ok, it has a solid cast, but it isn't really up to scratch in comparison to it's competition. If it was to only be played in Denver it would be fine - however, critics of the show are already reviewing it as if it were on Broadway right at this very moment. With headlines such as "Will Mermaid Sink of Swim?", "Mouse of Blues" and "Overproduction weighs down lively 'Mermaid'" things aren't looking too good for this little fish. This screams Shawshank Redemption.... "Here fishy fishy fishy!" ... and 'Mermaid' is the fat guy - you get my drift. So as the reviews beat 'Mermaid' to within an inch of it's life, I am trying to look a little further into the problems that it is facing - but can't seem to find any real solutions.
I haven't seen the show. I live no where near Denver, but will I make the effort to see it on Broadway? Probably not - That is the response that would be scaring Disney to death. Those who don't see it in it's early stages - will they want to see it on Broadway, or will they just jump on the well worn 'Lion King' Bandwagon. Sure, both are making money for Disney, however could the 'House of Mouse' take another Broadway failure. Will 'The Little Mermaid' go down the track of 'Mary Poppins' and 'Tarzan'? - 'Tarzan' was on Broadway? - usually the response here.
So the video killed the radio star. It looks like the internet is killing this broadway show. Since the demo tapes were released this show has been under constant scrutiny by bloggers (such as myself), broadway critics/reviews and message boards. Unlike 'The Lion King' and 'Beauty and the Beast' it has been under constant survalience from the great wide web. At one point, there was question over whether Ariel would still have her gorgeous flaming locks. If that isn't a lack of faith in the show, I don't know what is. Did we ask whether Belle would be brunette? I don't think so. Would Simba be a Lion? Of course! It shows that after 'Tarzan' and 'Mary Poppins' adaptations, we don't trust Disney messing with their own classic film canon. Are these Broadway shows Disney's new version of the straight to DVD sequels? Cashing in on the success of past ventures with crappy re-hashings? Looks like it to me.
One may argue that this sort of discussion is publicity for the show, and creates hype. However, shouldn't the mermaid be given time to take its first breath in denver without negativity being rammed down it's throat. It surely can't be good moral for the cast and crew. One has to wonder if sites such as mine, are killing this broadway show before it got it's chance. The answer I believe is a resounding 'No'. New shows are released on broadway each year. Why should this one be any different. A Disney Broadway show should not be wrapped up in cotton wool. I doubt that 'Wicked', 'Spamalot', 'The Producers' or 'Hairspray' recieved any special treatment, all based on movies and/or books. They, like 'The Little Mermaid', all had expectation placed apon them by their audiences. They survived the harsh reality of Broadway. If 'Mermaid' doesn't it has nothing to do with reviews or critics, it is to do with the quality of their work and whether it is worth the dollars they expect us to cough up to go and see it. Quite simply demand and supply. Perhaps the only fish that people want to see this year are on their plates, not skating around on stage in some strange cirque du poissons escapade.
Are people sick of Commercial Broadway? Yes. Broadway for Disney has become a commercial enterprise, rather than a true artistic outlet. Sure, every show is trying to make big bucks on broadway, however, is Disney turning Broadway into an extension of DisneyLand. 'The Little Mermaid' seems slightly reminiscant of a show you would expect to see in their themeparks. Big flashy lights, a couple of good singers and some second rate set pieces - is 'Mermaid' trying to be big and attention seeking on purpose? Big and flashy is kitsch, overdazzling and a total letdown. Intimate, warmth and and character are key.
Speaking of warmth; 'The Little Mermaid' is in cold water. It is Blue. Cold Blue. Every picture I have seen of this show has been blue. It is dark and a real dampener to the spirits - being underwater doesn't limit the colour scheme to blue (just look at the movie's gorgeous bright 'Under the Sea' sequence). Why couldn't 'Kiss the Girl' be performed in front of a gorgeous sunset -nope its a blue sky. Every picture I see of 'The Lion King' contains warmth, glowing setpieces in bright colours. Browns, reds, orange, yellow. It is inviting. Blue is overbearing and depressing. Just a thought. Perhaps a few warmer colours would brighten everyone's spirits including reviewers.
Personally, I believe that Disney have got in over their heads on this one. 'The Little Mermaid' lends it's self to animation perfectly, it would be impossible to create on the silverscreen convincingly ('Splash' anyone?) - so why would it be any better on Broadway? 'Mermaid' and 'Aladdin' were successful animated films because they took elements (underwater scenes and mermaids, a genie and magic) that could not be presented in live action well. It is stated on the 'Aladdin' DVD, that having a shape shifting genie is something that only animation could do. Isn't having singing mermaids, a huge squid (ursula has only 6 legs) and a talking crab only something that animation can do? Usually and animated film is animated for a reason. So why take it to Broadway?
Overall, 'The Little Mermaid' has a month to prove it's self before it's Broadway debut. Lets hope it can find it's sea legs rather than looking like it was put together by a drunken money hungry sailor. |
| | | nancy
Âge : 38 Messages : 73 Localisation : Belgique Inscription : 12/08/2007
| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Lun 3 Sep 2007 - 18:49 | |
| Toutes ces photographies sont magnifiques, elle ne font que donner envie de voir le spectacle, je me demande si la scène avec le chef de cuisine à été mise en scène car c'est un moment des plus comique pour moi. J'espère que malgré les critiques négatives le spectacle pourra continuer, car ce n'est pas après une ou deux fois que l'on peut juger il me semble qu'il faut laisser à toute l'équipe la chance de conquérir le public, en tout cas du peu que j'ai vu et entendu, je suis en ce qui me concerne conquise http://disneypassion.canalblog.com/ |
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| Sujet: Re: La Petite Sirène [Musical - 2007] Jeu 6 Sep 2007 - 14:49 | |
| heu les critiques, c'était pas sur les comédiens, mais sur les décors, les éclairages, l'histoire remaniée et surtout les costumes. Je vois pas en quoi on ne peut pas juger de ça dés la 1er vision... |
| | | Mlle lady Miss DCP 2005
Âge : 36 Messages : 1350 Localisation : Dans mon nez Inscription : 03/07/2007
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