Everything I Know I Learned from Musicals

Hamlet 2: High School Musical Goes to Hell

A while back, I got an invite to a screening of the upcoming movie "Hamlet 2." The screening was in New York, and I wasn't going to be in the city at that time, so I didn't pay much attention to it.

Then earlier today I was watching something on IFC and there was a trailer for "Hamlet 2." It was one of those "red-band" coming attractions, the ones meant for restricted audiences, so there were like swear words and stuff. The trailer certainly made me laugh, and more than once, so this might be a movie to look out for. Or it could also be one of those self-consciously wacky movies that thinks it's so funny that it winds up being not funny at all.

IMDB describes "Hamlet 2" as the story of a failed actor, turned worse high school drama teacher, who, faced with the cancellation of the school's drama program, rallies his students to the cause as he conceives and stages a politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet.

As Catherine Keener says in the trailer, "Doesn't everybody die at the end of the first one?"

The movie also features David Arquette, Amy Poehler, Broadway's Skylar Astin (Spring Awakening), and Elizabeth Shue in one of those increasingly frequent Hollywood cameos in which movie stars play themselves, often to faux self-effacing effect. (Think Neil Patrick Harris in Harold and Kumar, or David Hasselhoff in "The Spongebob Squarepants Movie.") The director is one Andrew Fleming ("Dick") who co-wrote the screenplay with Pam Brady ("South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut," "Team America: World Police")

As I said, this could be a welcome antidote to "High School Musical" mania, or it just might suck major league moose wang. We'll find out when the movie opens on August 27th.

Mamma Mia!? More Like "Oy Gevalt!"

I was actually kind of looking forward to seeing the movie version of Mamma Mia!, mostly because of the film's terrific cast. I was a bit deflated when the reviews came out last Friday, but nonetheless resolved to see the movie over the weekend, lest the word-of-mouth sway me too far in either direction.

Well, let's just say that the reviews were overly kind, even the scathing ones. This atrocity sets movie musicals back twenty years. Yes, you'd need to go back to John Huston's bloated "Annie," Richard Attenborough's insipid "A Chorus Line," or Colin Higgins' flaccid "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" to find a movie musical this clumsy, charmless, and just plain painful to sit through.

The worst of the movie's crimes lies in wasting its wonderfully talented cast. Poor Meryl Streep is forced to mug, snort, writhe, and squeal her way through this discomfiting affair. The marvelous Christine Baranski comes off as an awkward mix of Mae West and Frank N. Furter from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." And the otherwise wonderful Julie Walters gives the most over-the-top and painfully frenetic performance in a movie chockablock with same.

The rest of the cast doesn't fare much better, although the young lovers Amanda Seyfreid and Dominic Cooper come off marginally less embarrassing than their more mature co-stars. To say that Pierce Brosnan can't sing would be an understatement. Not since Audrey Hepburn in "Funny Face," or perhaps Vanessa Redgrave in "Camelot," have we heard warbling this forced and tuneless. Stellan Skarsgard somehow manages to maintain his dignity, despite the humiliating business Lloyd gives him in a misguided effort to add life to his songs. And the less said about the normally reliable Colin Firth the better.

How do you make this slate of pros look lame and amateurish? You hire an inexperienced director and a hack writer. Phyllida Lloyd should never be allowed to make another movie. Her enervating mix of hyper-reality and lame musical comedy drains what was an amusing trifle of a stage show of whatever charm to which it might once have laid claim. Her tyro director status makes itself readily apparent in myriad ways, including her use of hackneyed camera tricks. (Example: When the Meryl Streep character first sees her three former suitors, Lloyd has the camera zoom quickly in on each of the men's faces. What is this, "Looney Tunes"? I'm surprised she didn't ask the sound guy to throw a "SPROING!" effect into the soundtrack.) 

Screenwriter Catherine Johnson also wrote the book for the stage version of Mamma Mia! To begin with, the plot is stolen from Alan Jay Lerner's little-known musical Carmelina. (Admittedly, Lerner himself stole the story from the movie "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell", although he denied it to his dying day.) But more important, there's no credible drama, no believable emotion, and no genuine wit to be had anywhere in the script. But somehow the show works, whereas the movie holds an unflattering light up to the holes in the plot, the dearth of humor, and the lack of character development. And Anthony van Laast's choreography, which on stage was passable, here looks like something out of a local PTA talent show.

Normally, I'll buy the DVD to pretty much any movie musical, if only to help prove that there's a market for this stuff. However, I would sooner endure a colonoscopy and a root canal simultaneously than suffer through the pain of Mamma Mia! ever again.

Clearing Off My Desk - Part 1

I've been coming across a bunch of interesting news tidbits lately, but none of them has inspired in me the desire to craft a full-length post. So I thought I'd do a series of those desk-clearing posts, sort of like the ones that lazy newspaper columnists do at the end of the year. (Since this is sort of the end of the theater season, and I'm sort of a lazy guy...)

NERDS THE MUSICAL: We can add another quirky little musical to the 2008-2009 season. This tuner by Hal Goldberg (music) and Jordan Allen-Dutton and Erik Weiner (book and lyrics) was formerly called Nerds://A Musical Software Satire, began life as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and focuses on the longstanding rivalry between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs
Do I care?: The subject matter doesn't scream musical to me, but it sounds like it could be fun with the right treatment. There are some moderately amusing clips on YouTube that the creators have put together to promote the show. So, we'll see.

NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT: The original production team for the upcoming Harry Connick Jr. tuner has parted ways, and Kathleen Marshall has dropped out as director and choreographer. (According to Michael Riedel, Marshall's main squeeze was one of the original producers, but when he bolted, so did Marshall.) Connick remains as the star, and Broadway Across America has become the lead producer.
Do I care?: I already have my ticket for the Boston tryout, but I have serious doubts that the show will work without Marshall. Depending on whom they can line up to replace her, this project may be doomed.

MY FAIR LADY: Cameron Mackintosh is planning a new movie version of the Lerner and Loewe classic. The original score will remain, but the screenplay will reportedly veer a little closer to the original George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion. Kiera Knightly is currently in talks to star.
Do I care?: At first, I found it presumptuous that they would jettison Alan Jay Lerner's book, but then I recalled that Lerner himself strayed significantly from Shaw's intent. Will they return to Shaw's original ending, which would necessitate cutting "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face"? Somehow I doubt it.

Check back tomorrow for more musical nuggets.

Final Rent Performance to Be Filmed

The final performance on September 7th of the long-running Broadway musical Rent will be filmed for "future screenings in movie theaters around the country," according to Playbill.com. No doubt "director" Chris Columbus's execrable film version of Rent wasn't document enough of this landmark show.

This effort is apparently part of a new venture from Sony Pictures called The Hot Ticket, which will film live events such as concerts, sporting events, and arts performances for viewing in special digital movie theaters nationwide. Among the other Hot Ticket performances will be Cirque du Soleil's music concert Delirium, which is currently touring Europe.

I wonder if, after the new filmed version of Rent is through touring the country, the movie will then be released on DVD. It certainly stands to reason: Why would Sony eschew this additional revenue stream?

I also wonder if the notion of filmed Broadway shows will catch on, much in the same way that The Metropolitan Opera has started simulcasting productions in movie theaters nationwide. Of course, operas are more limited-run events, and often quite dependent on the particular performers involved. And operas don't tend to tour the country as Broadway musicals do. But then, the recent MTV broadcast of Legally Blonde has demonstrated that people will still see a show live even when they've seen it on TV. The show is even going to tour as part of Broadway Across America's 2008-2009 season.

Of course, future efforts similar to the Rent event will be contingent on whether this one makes money. So, if you're interested in seeing more Broadway shows at a theater near you, you might want to check out Rent when it comes to your cineplex.

Follies Movie and Merrily Revival

BroadwayWorld.com recently held an online chat at with Stephen Sondheim in conjunction with the current Roundabout Theater production of Sunday in the Park With George. During the chat, both Sondheim and Todd Haimes, the Roundabout's artistic director, hinted at some intriguing upcoming projects.

First, Haimes confirmed that Roundabout is planning a revival of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along as part of its 2009-2010 season. The show is slated to be directed by longtime Sondheim collaborator James Lapine, and not the show's original director Harold Prince. Also, Sondheim himself revealed plans afoot to film a movie version of Follies, with what he described as "a major star" and "a major director," although he wouldn't yet reveal who they are.

Sondheim seems to have reached the point in his career where, rather than forging new works, he's cultivating new versions of shows from his considerable catalog. As excited as I am about the prospect of both a Merrily revival and a Follies movie, I'd be much more excited if he was, to borrow a line from Dot in Sunday, working on something new. In the chat, he confirmed that at one point he was considering a musical version of the Bill Murray film "Groundhog Day," but he eventually dropped that idea because, and I paraphrase, the movie is already perfect the way it is and to musicalize it would be gilding the lily. (Hmm...)

But anyway, back to the stuff that actually is in the works. Merrily is arguably the most beloved flop of all time, and certainly Sondheim's. This is probably the only way the show would ever make it back to Broadway: in a limited run under the auspices of a non-profit. I list it on my page of fascinating failures: although it has a marvelous score, I've never seen the show work, in any incarnation. I will be very interested to see if Lapine can bring out the heart of this cold but admirable work.

Because the problem with the show is not that the plot goes backwards in time; it's that we don't care enough about these people. The changes that Sondheim and company have made over the years have made the show different, not better. The added and rearranged songs, if anything, make the show more cynical and heartless. Here's hoping they go back to something a little closer to the original, at least in terms of the score.

As for the Follies movie, although I'm excited personally, I can't imagine that such a property would have any real commercial value. It's an art-house film at best. A friend of mine speculated that the "major star" might could be Barbra Streisand. "They're inseparable," he says. That would certainly lift the movie above art-house status. (Would Babs play Phyllis or Sally? My bet would be Phyllis.)

Care to speculate, dear reader, as to who that major star and major director might be?

Javier Bardem Drops Out of Nine Movie

Bad news, folks.

Oscar winner and major hottie Javier Bardem has dropped out of director Rob Marshall's movie version of Maury Yeston's Nine. Bardem is reportedly suffering from exhaustion and is taking a year off to recoup. Whether we can really believe that remains to be seen, but there haven't yet been any reports of "creative differences." (I'm always kind of nonplussed by these people who take a year off to recharge. Must be nice.)

So, who's going to replace him? No word yet, but certain names spring to mind as possibilities: Antonio Banderas, Hugh Jackman, Freddie Prinze Jr.

Kidding.

Care to speculate, dear reader, as to who will replace the departing Mr. Bardem?

Upcoming DVD Releases

There are quite a few DVDs coming out soon that should be of great interest to theater aficionados. Here's a sampling:

COMPANY: As I watch and re-watch the TV broadcast of the recent Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's Company, the production is really starting to grow on me. As I said in my review, when I saw this show at the Ethel Barrymore Theater, I found it smart but cold. I was seated in the balcony, which made it hard to connect with the performers; it's not really the sort of show that plays well to the back row. But there's something about the PBS-telecast version that brings out the tension and subtlety of John Doyle's direction. Raul Esparza and Barbara Walsh in particular were a lot more impressive on the small screen than in person. The street date for the DVD is May 20th, but if you order it through New York's Channel Thirteen, they'll ship it to you in March. Will I order from Channel Thirteen, or wait for the regular release? Do you even have to ask?

SWEENEY TODD: Another DVD release that I'm eagerly awaiting is Tim Burton's movie version of "Sweeney Todd." In my review, I called the movie a "masterwork," and I'll be interested to see if it holds up to repeated viewings. I imagine that it will, in particular the nuanced performances by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. (I will probably fast-forward through most of the really gory stuff. I'm kind of a puss when it comes to graphic violence.) The film will be available in both a regular version and a two-disc special edition. Which will I be getting? Do you even have to ask?

ENCHANTED: I haven't really been going to the movies all that much lately, but in addition to "Sweeney Todd," I also saw "Enchanted" during the recent holiday season. I remember seeing the preview one time when I took my eight-year-old niece Alyssa to see something or other, and I turned to her and said, "Oh, sweetie, we have to see that." She agreed, and we both had a blast when we finally got to see it, as I mentioned in my review. I particularly had fun picking out all the theater people both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Not only was Amy Adams utterly disarming as Giselle, but the cast also included two dreamboats: Patrick Dempsey and James Marsden. What's not to love?

Also of interest: The recent ABC broadcast of A Raisin in the Sun, the 1955 film version of Kismet, and the 1961 film of Fanny. Will I be getting them all? Do you even have to ask?

BlueGobo.com: YouTube for Theater Geeks

I recently I posted about YouTube, and the plethora of musical-related videos one can find therein. Reader Scot Colford, co-author of the Just Giblets blog, tipped me off to BlueGobo.com, which is sort of a YouTube for musicals, with clips from the Tony Awards, "The Ed Sullivan show," the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parades, and other sources. (Much obliged, Scot.) Lots and lots of good stuff here, and once I figure out how to post, I hope to be adding stuff from my extensive collection. Here are some clips on BlueGobo that you simply don't want to miss:

Little Shop of Horrors: When the DVD for the movie version of Little Shop first came out, it contained a black-and-white version of the original ending. You know: the one in which everybody dies, as they do in the stage version of the show. After the studio showed the movie to preview audiences, they said it was too much of a downer, so the studio re-shot the ending and made it all happy and nice nice, essentially destroying the movie, and removing whatever satirical intent it may have had. Well, apparently producer David Geffen never signed off on releasing the DVD with the original ending, and when he found out about it, he promptly ordered a recall. Of course, this made what few copies that actually got out into the hands of the general public instant collector's items, and these precious gems periodically sell on eBay for big bucks. Well, if you've always wanted to see what that original ending was like, it's now just a mouse click away.

The Will Rogers Follies: On the Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit CD, Gerard Alessandrini refers to Thoroughly Modern Millie as "the worst best musical ever." Much as I admire Alessandrini and his work, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with him. My nominee for that ignominious distinction would have to be The Will Rogers Follies, which won the 1991 Tony Award over two vastly superior shows -- The Secret Garden and Once on This Island -- and one show that would become far more successful, at least financially, Miss Saigon. Although these other shows have, to varying extents, survived in regional and international productions, Will Rogers is virtually forgotten. But the show did receive a television broadcast in Japan, probably because the original show was produced "in association with" Japan Satellite Broadcasting Inc. Although Will Rogers as a whole didn't really work, there was a lot of great stuff in it, mostly thanks to director/choreographer Tommy Tune. BlueGobo has two clips from the Japan airing, including the terrific opening number "Will-A-Mania" and the act-one finale. You can see the best number from the show -- "Favorite Son," which the cast performed on the Tony Awards broadcast -- over on YouTube.

Buck White: One of the greatest musical-theater oddities of all time, Buck White starred Cassius Clay. That's right: Muhammad Ali. It played 7 performances in 1969. The cast performed "We Came in Chains" on "The Ed Sullivan Show" after the show had closed. The number speaks for itself, but it's interesting to note that Muhammad Ali wasn't all that bad as a singer. Of course, we know he had his own stunning sense of theatricality, but he could also carry a tune. Go figure.

Nine Film Boasts Recent Oscar Winners

OK, so Johnny Depp didn't win the Oscar for best actor for his masterful performance in Sweeney Todd. There was still cause for musical-theater fans to celebrate at last night's Academy Awards ceremony.

Two of the winners in the acting categories are "attached" to Rob Marshall's upcoming film version of Maury Yeston's Nine. Javier Bardem, who took home a best supporting actor award for his performance in best picture "No Country for Old Men," is slated to star as Guido Contini. And best actress Marion Cottilard, who won for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose," will reportedly play opposite Bardem as Contini's wife Luisa.

The movie was delayed because of the recently resolved writer's strike, and according to IMDB is still in pre-production, although the IMDB page hasn't been updated since November. Anyone know whether this baby is filming yet, or whether Bardem and Cottilard are definitely going to be involved?

Sweeney Todd: A Masterwork on Stage and Screen

I'm going to cut right to the chase: Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is a thrilling piece of cinema, nothing less than a masterwork. Who else but Tim Burton could have truly done justice to Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece?

The success of the film hinges on its two central performances: Johnny Depp as Sweeney and Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett. In the vocal department, well, they're no great shakes, although Depp comes off slightly better. Depp possesses a soulful wail, Bonham Carter a wistful, slightly off-pitch penny whistle. But somehow, the vocal limitations become secondary to the two laser-sharp performances. As I've said before, Depp and Bonham Carter are two of the finest actors of my generation, and in every scene they demonstrate mastery of their craft.

The rest of the cast is uniformly excellent. Alan Rickman is remarkable, as always, and brings a suitably menacing and credibly creepy quality to his portrayal of Judge Turpin. Timothy Spall is likewise superb as the deliciously slimy Beadle Bamford, and showcases his trademark nuance and depth in what could have been a cardboard role.

But Tim Burton is certainly one of the stars of this movie, particularly via his signature visual style: there's a soot-covered, gaunt, fetid feel to the entire movie. Compelling, too, are Burton's dynamic and illuminating camera angles. The camera never seems to sit still, just as Sweeney's vengeful mind is never idle for a moment. Burton does a masterful job building tension throughout the movie, particularly impressive to me in that I've seen the show MANY times in various forms (the original Broadway production, the concert version, the Broadway revival, the national tour of same, etc.)

Burton achieves a good deal of this tension by making significant cuts in the score, both in terms of entire numbers excised ("Ah, Miss," "City on Fire," "Parlor Songs," etc.) and shortened versions of remaining numbers. Sondheim purists will no doubt balk, but I'm convinced that the shorter form actually made the piece more effective, more compelling, and ultimately more terrifying. The various versions of "Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd" have been cut, but this is understandable, given the inherent, Brechtian theatricality of those songs. Burton maintains the melody as underscoring, a recurring leitmotif that accents a ruminating Sweeney. The slightly trimmed "A Little Priest" as Todd and Lovett stare out the shop window and "select" their pie flavors from the "menu" of passersby is a monstrous joy, and one of the few light moments in an otherwise grim succession.

Because, make no mistake: this is a gruesome, graphic, gut-wrenching movie. Burton doesn't shy away from showing in full color (well, red, for the most part) the true extent of Todd's and Lovett's horrific crimes. From the very first murder, Burton makes it clear that this won't be stylized violence, but rather full-on gore.

Burton's concept for casting seems to have been to skew the entire cast younger than those that we've witnessed in the various stage versions. Apparently he wanted most of the cast to seem younger than Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, both of whom are in their early forties, but could certainly pass for younger. Jamie Campbell Bower as Anthony is a little slip of a girlie boy, aged 19. Ed Sanders as Toby can't be more than eleven or twelve. Both actors took a bit of getting used to, but eventually they won me over. There's really not a single weak performance in the movie. Sacha Baron Cohen (yes, THAT Sacha Baron Cohen: Ali G and Borat) didn't impress me as Pirelli at first, but when he comes to blackmail Todd and gets his comeuppance, he redeemed himself quite nicely.

[SPOILER ALERT: STOP READING HERE IF YOU'VE NEVER SEEN THE SHOW AND DON'T WANT TO SPOIL THE ENDING.]

Burton employs two significant flashbacks, one to show Benjamin Barker being stolen away from his wife and child, and one to show Lucy being tricked and raped by the judge. The first is a bit twee and unnecessary, but the second really helps establish the menace of the judge character. Another problem with the flashback is that we get a strong sense of what Lucy looks like, which makes things a bit harder on Burton when he has to introduce the beggar woman without revealing her identity. Minor quibbles, to be sure.

The entire movie builds to a shattering climax, made all the more visceral by Burton's graphic approach. Mrs. Lovett's death is especially horrifying: Burton shows the character catching on fire and languishing in the flames as Todd stares maniacally on. Burton also employs some heart-breaking touches as Todd discovers what he's done to his beloved Lucy. One significant change Burton makes from the stage version is that the Toby character witnesses all of the hideous events from a sewer grate, and rather than going insane, he emerges angry and seeking vengeance.

The result of all of Burton's efforts is quite simply the best movie musical in decades, an absolute tour-de-force. Go see this movie. Multiple times. I just might see you there.