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Post by ali973 on Apr 11, 2018 17:38:22 GMT
That's a great rendition. And I love her "bee-YANG" versus "bee-ing"Alive. That'll make a great finale. We'll cry, we'll clap until our hands start to bleed, and in the middle LuPone will splash her fake martini on us who will be sitting in the front row, and we won't wash our face for a week. And THAT is showbiz, kid.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 11, 2018 14:34:58 GMT
Guys..Just thought I'd share this. I'm copying and pasting because I'm helpless and don't know how to attach screen grabs.
I recently sent an email to Patti LuPone's fan account on a recent concert she did. It wasn't a gushing fan letter, but more of a feedback on something she said. TBH I can't tell if it's her or an assistant, but the response was from a gmail address with a random noun followed by her initials. I don't think she'll mind me sharing this with a private theatre community, especially since contact information is removed. Take a gander.
MY EMAIL: Dear Ms. LuPone,
You’ve recently performed “Omar Sheriff” from David Yazbek’s The Band’s Visit at your Far Away Places concert in Tallahassee. In your introduction, you beautifully spoke about our shared experiences as human beings, despite cultural barriers and differences. When you described the plot of the play, you refer to the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra musicians as Muslim.
As Egyptians, their default religious background is not Islam by default.
Egypt (part of the "Arab world”) and “Muslim countries” are two separate populations. The countries with the largest Muslim populations happen to be ethnically non-Arab (Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Iran and Turkey). While Islam is the dominant religion in Arab world, there are close to one million Christians in Syria, one million Christians in Lebanon, 70,000 Christians in Palestinian, and 350,000 Christians in Egypt.
The material in the play does not refer to the faith of the musicians. My personal interpretation is that they are not devout people to begin with, but we can immediately infer from their names that this group has more than one religious denomination:
-Tewfik (Maestro/Tony Shalhoub’s character) and Camal (Oud/George Abud’s character) have religiously ambiguous names that are commonly used by any of the denominations in Egypt.
-The name Halid (Trumpet/Ari’el Stachel’s) is typically given to Muslim boys, while Simon (Clarinet/Alok Tewari’s character) is typically given to Christian boys.
While the band is not specifically Muslim, they may be better described as “Arab”, a term that is loosely used to describe 400 million people from 22 states with their unique and diverse cultural prescriptions and heritage. In my opinion, the best way to describe them is Egyptian, especially since the play is very clear about their nationality.
Ms. LuPone, as an Arab man, I am so thrilled that someone of your pedigree and influence also appreciates the beauty of this play. I too, grew up watching Omar Sherrif and listening to Om Kalthoum. I just wanted to share my perspective with you, hoping you’d consider it should you wish to perform the song and describe the characters’ background in the future.
PS-I have a ticket to the first preview of Company in London. Can’t wait.
PATTI'S RESPONSE: Dear Ali,
Thank you so much for correcting me and I will definitely use Arab instead of Muslim. I'm almost trying to drive a point home to American audiences but I also don't want to misrepresent.
I'm exhausted by the hatred and the divisiveness that only a few with powerful voices indoctrinate the rest of us. I'm especially exhausted by the despicable thing in the White House. How far we have fallen. I fear we'll never come back from this.
Again thank you for reaching out and instructing me. I'm too ignorant to speak in the first place but I love what that film/ musical represents. Next time I do the show, I will have Om's voice play throughout the intermission.
I hope you enjoy Company.
Warmly,
Patti
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Post by ali973 on Apr 11, 2018 10:19:38 GMT
The recording is funny, isn't it? I gave it a quick spin this morning. There are some parts that just fade away so strangely (the ending of Beautiful, which has this weird long whistle..) and then all of a sudden Work of Art has a round of applause, and I never thought this was a live recording. It feels a bit choppy. But I'm so glad to have a cast recording at last.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 11, 2018 4:17:39 GMT
I also find her overrated, TBH. She wasn't on when I saw Urinetown, but I thought she was okay like everyone else in the cast of Merrily We Roll Along. I never thought she was anything special.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 11, 2018 3:47:53 GMT
I know what I wanted to ask. Is Ray meant to be Priti’s Mum? I couldn’t understand what they said when they hugged near the end. No way! Priti is clearly a daughter of a conservative family..and Ray..ISN'T! Doesn't she snap her fingers in a z-formation and say Priti mashallah you look so good?
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Post by ali973 on Apr 10, 2018 3:19:16 GMT
It's so lame that the show was nominated for several awards but won..none? And how predictable was it for Hamilton to sweep? Boooring....
I love Hamilton but this beautiful little show deserved a shot.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 10, 2018 3:17:21 GMT
I had no idea she was involved in this. So yea, if she is, it'll transfer to London. with Jon, once DREAMgirls is out, MEANgirls could replace it.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 7, 2018 19:55:42 GMT
It just occurred to me to mention that this is probably THE most cramped and tight theatre I've sat it, and I am by no means big or tall. I cannot imagine how uncomfortable it is for people who are bigger and taller.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 7, 2018 11:38:51 GMT
I read on another board that Christian is no longer a narrator and that they've added Firework (Katy Perry).
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Post by ali973 on Apr 6, 2018 19:52:08 GMT
So unusual that it's released digitally later - especially of a show that is predominantly acted by a bunch of teens and whose fan following has a good number of young people. I guess I'll wait until end of April! I also don't have the equipment to play a CD anymore.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 5, 2018 10:04:48 GMT
I have a faith in this - the creative team is of a better pedigree than that of Strictly Ballroom. Alex Timbers is a great director. He gave us a disco dancing Imelda Marcos and brought a revolving boxing ring to the stage. He was probably too radical for Disney, which caused him to be fired from Frozen.
I am sure most of the songs you mentioned will be in. The Show Must Go On fits like a glove and will be absolutely thrilling performed by Danny Burstein.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 5, 2018 8:31:36 GMT
I think they'll have to include new material anyway. Wouldn't be surprised if it has some Beyonce and/or Gaga. It seems crazy if neither of those are in it. Why would it be crazy if Beyonce or Gaga song weren’t included? I disagree here, sorry. Part of what made the soundtrack Moulin Rouge so successful, in my eyes, was the (modern) reinterpretation of so many classic songs. With the exception of Nirvana’s Teen Spirit, and the original compositions for the the film, the music included predated the movie by a good 20-30 years. Shoehorning in some current pop music in an attempt to plug gaps or make the musical more relevant would be a ludicrous move. Any additional music should only be included if they absolutely bring some crucial element that is otherwise lacking. Just a hunch. Their songs are part of public psyche now, and could easily imagine the actors, prostitutes and all the bohemians on the fringes singing "Born This Way". Additional music WILL be included for sure as there many gaps in the story as it is.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 4, 2018 18:13:07 GMT
here we go..Tveit is perhaps the least interesting person in this lot.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 4, 2018 17:34:03 GMT
I think they'll have to include new material anyway. Wouldn't be surprised if it has some Beyonce and/or Gaga. It seems crazy if neither of those are in it.
I just watched it again on the plane, and it practically has no "real" ending. They'll definitely have to give it something more dramatic at the end. The Caroline O'Connor character is also in dire need for a song to flesh her out, as would the Duke, who is probably going to be a lot more threatening and less of a goofball if it's Tam Mutu.
Aesthetically I would imagine it might have similarities to the film, but the book might be a bit more involved.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 4, 2018 16:16:13 GMT
Here we go: www.emersoncolonialtheatre.com/calendar/moulin-rouge-the-musical/Moulin Rouge! The Musical tells the fictional story of an ambitious, lovesick writer, Christian (Aaron Tveit), and a dazzling, entrancing chanteuse, Satine (Karen Olivo). Their lives collide at the Moulin Rouge with its many characters including the host of the Moulin Rouge, Harold Zidler (Danny Burstein), the brilliant and starving artist Toulouse-Lautrec (Sahr Ngaujah), the greatest tango dancer - and gigolo - in all of Paris, Santiago (Ricky Rojas), the tempting Nini (Robyn Hurder), and The Duke of Monroth (Tam Mutu), the wealthy and entitled patron of the club who thinks he can buy anything he wants, including love.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 2, 2018 22:51:17 GMT
Saw it tonight. Sight. Wow. This must be the worst thing I've seen in the last ten years. It's like the original Carrie mixed with Starlight Express. Absolutely shocked. But it clearly has its crowd and fans, so...
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Post by ali973 on Apr 2, 2018 22:32:11 GMT
I think a casting announcement is coming. It's looking like Karen Olivo will be Satine again.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 1, 2018 8:55:42 GMT
It's Laura Osnes. I normally can't stand her but I have to say this is a good recording.
As for Jeremy Jordan..no. Just way too much. He over does it all.
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Post by ali973 on Mar 29, 2018 22:37:53 GMT
A lot of people around me thought this was going to be a tribute show and that they'd boogie from the minute the curtain went up. It's pretty serious as far as jukebox musicals go, and deals with domestic violence and racism from the get go, and I don't know if many of the audience members around me really signed up for that. I say so because of the combination of nervous giggles, or otherwise giggles in appropriate times when certain derogatory terms were used.
The beginning felt a little bit Color Purple, and a little bit like Dreamgirls when Tina teams up with Ike. There is a montage well into Act I that shows Tina getting pregnant, Tina performing, Tina being abused, Tina becoming Buddhist, Tina performing, Tina giving birth on a bed and the baby shown to the audience (think the opening number of Wicked with the green baby), which needs to be tightened and streamlined.
The LED screen in the background seemed unnecessary and slightly distracting, especially in the beginning. The images captured didn't really enhance the setting, and stylistically, it completely crashed with the rustic South, but was put to better use as we moved into urban settings and into the '60s.
I had issues understanding all the lyrics when Adrienne Warren's sings, but they seemed to have been ironed out by the second act. I actually enjoyed the second act better as I really never knew what happened after the Ike saga ended as they've shown us in the Angela Bassett film. I think I enjoyed seeing Tina's struggle with her self and her own identity rather than her domestic issues with Ike.
As for Adrienne Warren: simply the best. How this woman does this night after night is astonishing. I hope she sustains through the run and keeps her voice and body healthy throughout.
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Post by ali973 on Mar 29, 2018 22:30:12 GMT
Just going to play devil's advocate here, but in this era of colourblind casting, is imperative that Rachel is played by an African-Caribbean actress? There is no reference to Rachel's ethnicity in the stage script (if I recall) and nothing is made of it being an interracial relationship or any other race related theme to the show... Let's define color blind casting. Color blind casting is a practice used to give minorities, people of color, a chance to play parts that they would not be able to normally book because of their ethnicity. So it's really a problem to cast a white person in a role typically played by a person of color and call it color blind casting. Big big no no.
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Post by ali973 on Mar 29, 2018 22:20:13 GMT
Sure! I'll be there with my friends. I'm in the stalls Band A Row H.
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Post by ali973 on Mar 29, 2018 16:02:01 GMT
Most of the reviews seem to be gentle enough - but these are Chicago reviews who probably don't want to stop these out of town trials from running in their city. Most of them seem to be encouraging but give a lot of feedback on what to do and what to fix. Whatever they decide to change, I don't think the New York press will be as supportive.
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Post by ali973 on Mar 29, 2018 14:10:10 GMT
She's supposed to give us the Beyonce effect in Hamilton, and she didn't deliver. And therein lies your problem - you expected her to give the "Beyonce effect", as you put it. That's the expectation you put on her, and thus her failure to match up to your personal expectations. You're entitled to dislike her performance, of course, but it's not fair to judge her by a standard that simply doesn't apply. I know what you're saying - and I think I need to be clear that I don't mean this quite literally. What I meant by Beyonce is that the audience is supposed to take note and think, oh I better keep an eye on that one. Angelica is written to be witty, sharp, intense, intelligent.. but Rachel's version was a bit of a dud. I even thought Rachelle had more of a bite at the end of "Burn". She has this FTS attitude as she grabs the lantern violently after she gets up and turns around. PS-I still don't understand what "Ben Franklin with a key and kite" is, but I read somewhere it has to do with discovering electricity. And noticed that the lanterns that are suspended for Satisfied blink on and off on that line. The details in this show are astounding.
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Post by ali973 on Mar 29, 2018 10:49:08 GMT
She's a very good singer. I saw her in The Bodyguard as both Rachel and Nikki and for a Rachel understudy, I've seen so many bad ones and she was one of the better understudies for sure. She's supposed to give us the Beyonce effect in Hamilton, and she didn't deliver. In The Reynolds Pamphlet, her character is probably on the verge of ripping Hamilton's eyes out, but I found her quite blasé. I don't know. Not a disaster, but not Olivier worthy, not even for a nomination.
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Post by ali973 on Mar 29, 2018 9:55:36 GMT
^ No. The OBC is an award-winning cast recording, so they won't and don't need to produce another album that could potentially alter OBC sales. In my opinion, the London cast, although is good enough, is really not that special to warrant a cast recording. Now that it's sinking in three nights after seeing it, I am quite surprised how unremarkable someone like Rachel John was.
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