I've always considered myself to be on the up-and-up of what's going on theater-wise. Translate that to mean that I've always thought I preferred newer musicals to older ones. I'm a real connoisseur, can't you tell? Then I realized that by newer I actually meant shows that opened from 1965-1995. Sure, there are some more recent favorites of mine- Urinetown, Avenue Q, Hedwig - and the puppetry in The Lion King is brilliant - and I still want to see Spamalot - but I just haven't been drawn to most of what's on Broadway lately.This is what I was thinking this morning when I read there were mixed reviews for 'Lord of the Rings' - the musical. Originally written by the Finnish folk group Varttina, it's gotten two re-writes, including one by a famous Bollywood composer. Am I just behind the times or is this the sign of a weakening art form?
The Lion King aside, I'm truly annoyed by the recent number of movie-to-musical creations trying to cash in on big screen success. Granted, some were obviously books first - but the movie is where they should have ended. Let's look:
- At what's on Broadway now: Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, Legally Blonde, Hairspray, Mary Poppins, The Color Purple, Xanadu. Check out ibdb.com for these shows.
- And what's already closed or said to be coming soon: High Fidelity, The Wedding Singer, The Little Mermaid, Young Frankenstein, Shrek, Goonies, Spider-Man (music by Bono) and The Addams Family.
- And don't even get me started on Mamma Mia! - that's a whole separate Abba rant. You know, they actually can write real shows.
As box office revenues are finally up, I guess I should take this as a sign that I'm behind the times, or at least out of touch with demand. But Lord of the Rings?
This post would not be complete without Clay's list of his top 5 favorite musicals. They're eclectic and witty picks. I feel especially proud to have introduced him to most of these shows, though #1 was all him.
- 5. Sweeney Todd
- 4. Falsettos
- 3. Assassins
- 2. Hedwig
- 1. South Park
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