stephenoles@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Sweevil)
I'm sorry to see the show get such a negative review from Brantley. If
you want your new musical to be taken seriously by critics and musical
theatre mavens, the theatrical Zeitgeist seems to forbid open- hearted
sentiment, romance, optimism, generosity of spirit, beauty, elegance,
and tenderness.
The gentle liberal pieties of SOUTH PACIFIC devolved into the
sledgehammer irony and sour victimization of shows like RENT, SIDE SHOW,
and PARADE. New musicals must be harsh and "in your face" to be taken
seriously, like SPRING AWAKENING.
Why is it impossible to imagine critics praising a new show today as
charming, beautiful, graceful, or witty?
I played Gaston last night in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. At the curtain call
I saw a young woman in the second row, totally bald presumably from
cancer chemotherapy. She was beaming with pleasure. BATB is considered
silly fluff by most critics and "serious" theatre aficionados, but I
submit: how many preachy dreary "socially conscious" plays have made
life better for a single person on this planet, as our silly show
clearly did for this young woman last night?
I'm all for progressive ideas, but one can get them from a million
sources: from thinkers, politicians, on TV, books, magazines,
newspapers, and all over the internet. It's time the theatre got back to
what it does best.
Beauty, poetry, wit, charm, and entertainment in themselves can make the
world a better place -- in today's theatrical climate, believing this
may be the most radical idea of all.
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I agree with the above and totally enjoyed the original B&TB on
Broadway. I've long thought Brantley an asshole-- and like the idea of A
CATERED AFFAIR as a musical, although not with Harvey in it. Based on
several reviews: Tom Wopat, Faith Prince, and possibly Leslie Kritzer
seem destined for Tony noms.
http://community.webtv.net/New****tsRetro/HolidayHello
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