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Post by taboolie on Jul 24, 2016 22:54:04 GMT
I forgot :-
7.) I don't get the Sheridan Smith thing. I saw here in Funny Girl and wished I'd got the understudy. I only went because Menier productions are usually extremely good and because I love the songs. And I have seen her in other musicals too so I'm not basing this on one off night but I believe there are much better singers out there. Sorry, just my humble opinion.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2016 23:08:21 GMT
I have a letter from Colm. He is one of the nicest performers ever. My unpopular opinions are:- 1.) (...) Jade McEwan (...) should not be allowed in musicals anymore; 2.) Webber is better than Sonheim in general; 1) I don't know who Jade McEwan is. I am familiar with Jade Ewen though. 2) Well duh. Sondheim isn't a good composer at all. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 9:59:20 GMT
Given the new this morning I feel compelled to add: I'm wildly indifferent about Bowie. I respect his contibution to music, think he seemed like a really interesting person...but I have never felt compelled to listen to his music.
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Post by Raven on Jul 25, 2016 11:55:27 GMT
I thought I might as well add a few of mine on here.
1) I don't personally understand the hype about The Book of Mormon. Sure, some of the songs are catchy and there are parts I found genuinely funny but I wasn't blown away by it and certainly wouldn't give it "The Best London Musical" title.
2) I'm not a fan of Sondheim's work and much prefer ALW. The only Sondheim musical I like is West Side Story but I can't listen to it the same as I do ALW's music.
3) Having given the Hamilton cast recording several tries, I only find myself liking around 5 songs so although I can't comment or pass judgement on the show itself, I'm not going crazy over the cast recording.
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Post by ShoesForRent on Jul 25, 2016 12:00:38 GMT
*WestSideStoryIsBernsteinNotSondheimHeOnlyWroteTheLyrics* ohh cough cough lol
but no the Sondheim hate makes me sad and confused, even though I too enjoy ALW slightly more (musically) but Sondheim is such a good lyricist - and on this board THIS seems like the unpopular opinion O.O
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Post by infofreako on Jul 25, 2016 12:08:02 GMT
I have a letter from Colm. He is one of the nicest performers ever. My unpopular opinions are:- 1.) Gary Wilmot, Nick Jonas, Michael Crawford, Paul Nicholas, Sporty Spice, Elaine Paige, Jade McEwan, Jason Donovan and Marty Pellow should not be allowed in musicals anymore; 2.) Webber is better than Sonheim in general; 3.) From Here to Eternity and Imagine This are both really good shows; 4.) Mamma Mia is boring; 5.) Jukebox shows and shows for children should be axed asap (and plans gor anymore musicals based on British films), 6. ) The best Broadway shows never reach the West End - Bonnie & Clyde, Jane Eyre, Bridges of Madison County, Aida, Next 2 Normal, Carrie, Sideshow (Southwark playhouse short-runs don't count), Scarlet Pimpernel, etc.., etc... . Im sure theres elements of 1,4,5 and 7 that are closer to popular than unpopular opinions |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 12:09:48 GMT
*WestSideStoryIsBernsteinNotSondheimHeOnlyWroteTheLyrics* ohh cough cough lol but no the Sondheim hate makes me sad and confused, even though I too enjoy ALW slightly more (musically) but Sondheim is such a good lyricist - and on this board THIS seems like the unpopular opinion O.O Yep, you'd get eaten alive for giving a negative opinion on Sondheim on the BroadwayWorld boards. |
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Post by ShoesForRent on Jul 25, 2016 12:16:56 GMT
*WestSideStoryIsBernsteinNotSondheimHeOnlyWroteTheLyrics* ohh cough cough lol but no the Sondheim hate makes me sad and confused, even though I too enjoy ALW slightly more (musically) but Sondheim is such a good lyricist - and on this board THIS seems like the unpopular opinion O.O Yep, you'd get eaten alive for giving a negative opinion on Sondheim on the BroadwayWorld boards. Yep. But in that place you get eaten alive for saying/ asking ANYTHING if your registration date is not before the year 2010, and you've earned your "seniority" or if you don't agree with the masses on any subject at all really (can you tell I hate the BWW boards...?) lol |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 12:31:55 GMT
I don't 'get' Book of Mormon either...admittedly basing that one recording/clips of it, but while a few songs are catchy/entertaining I don't LOVE it or quite find it as hilarious as I feel I'm supposed to.
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Post by westendcub on Jul 25, 2016 12:46:30 GMT
I don't 'get' Book of Mormon either...admittedly basing that one recording/clips of it, but while a few songs are catchy/entertaining I don't LOVE it or quite find it as hilarious as I feel I'm supposed to. I felt the same, I'm glad I won it via online lottery and can say I have seen it (as it's so 'must see' and the ridiculous ticket prices and demand) but I too only found it slightly amusing, a few good songs here and there but I wasn't wowed by it and have no plans to ever visit it again, there is so much better things to see!! Of course saying this, the friend I took said it was the best show he has ever seen!! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 13:06:40 GMT
*WestSideStoryIsBernsteinNotSondheimHeOnlyWroteTheLyrics* ohh cough cough lol It's still a Sondheim musical. Just like Evita is also a Tim Rice musical, and not just Andrew Lloyd Webber's. I think this approach is a big problem, because lyricists and book writers are just as important, if not more important in the case of the latter, than the composer. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 13:08:05 GMT
I really like BOM but it definitely didn't live up to the hype. I remember that quote they used to use on the ads which was something like 'if aliens invade and this show was all we had to show for humanity I would be okay with that.' Like...really? It's a funny show with catchy songs and puts you in a good mood by the end. It's one of the better musicals currently running in the West End but it's not even close to being the best musical ever made.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 13:25:23 GMT
That's how I feel about seeing it! I kind of want to just to 'tick off' and say I did and can form a full opinion, BUT it's still so expensive and/or there's so much else to see I keep putting it off. I should try the lottery a few times!
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Post by ShoesForRent on Jul 25, 2016 13:27:15 GMT
*WestSideStoryIsBernsteinNotSondheimHeOnlyWroteTheLyrics* ohh cough cough lol It's still a Sondheim musical. Just like Evita is also a Tim Rice musical, and not just Andrew Lloyd Webber's. I think this approach is a big problem, because lyricists and book writers are just as important, if not more important in the case of the latter, than the composer. yes but this is what Mystifyre said: Bernstein wrote the music for WSS. Some ( EDIT- not most at all I just counted lol) Sondheim shows aren't actually composed by him, and while they are still his, the music was what i was replying to. (And I agree that the lyricist and book writers are just as important, but not more important- all three are crucial to making a musical work equally.) |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 13:37:15 GMT
It's still a Sondheim musical. Just like Evita is also a Tim Rice musical, and not just Andrew Lloyd Webber's. I think this approach is a big problem, because lyricists and book writers are just as important, if not more important in the case of the latter, than the composer. yes but this is what Mystifyre said: Bernstein wrote the music for WSS. Most (/some- I haven't counted) Sondheim shows aren't actually composed by him, and while they are still his, the music was what i was replying to. (And I agree that the lyricist and book writers are just as important, but not more important- all three are crucial to making a musical work equally.) My bad. And yes, they are at least equally important. Although I think a strong story with a mediocre score has more chance of surviving than a great score with a mediocre book. But of course, ideally all 3 components are great. |
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Post by Michael on Jul 25, 2016 13:52:22 GMT
Bernstein wrote the music for WSS. Some ( EDIT- not most at all I just counted lol) Sondheim shows aren't actually composed by him, and while they are still his, the music was what i was replying to. (And I agree that the lyricist and book writers are just as important, but not more important- all three are crucial to making a musical work equally.) Doesn't matter for me. If Sondheim is involved (be it score or lyrics or whatever), I call it a Sondheim show and I ain't going. That's the reason why I haven't seen Gypsy - despite the rave reviews it got. My bad. And yes, they are at least equally important. Although I think a strong story with a mediocre score has more chance of surviving than a great score with a mediocre book. But of course, ideally all 3 components are great. It's exactly the other way round for me. A strong book is a nice addon, but if the score is weak (or even just average), it's highly likely that I won't enjoy the show - irrespective of the strength of the book. That's also one of the reasons why I enjoyed Rock of Ages that much. |
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Post by ShoesForRent on Jul 25, 2016 13:59:44 GMT
Ha see Michael I was just going to say Gypsy is like the strongest book musical there is, and the music isn't Sondheim's either- but I see you're more of a score person than a book one. I too prefer a strong score- I'm drawn to music more than words. And while I don't find myself listening to a Gypsy recording, well, ever- I have watched the Imelda recording a few times now. I think it's a great show. It's one of those really rare ones where music, lyrics and book are just right- just what they should be. I wonder why you dismiss anything with Sondheim's name on it? I don't like his melodies very much either (depending on the tone of the show- but they do sound the same-ish to me too). Is it the lyrics for you? The tone he writes in? I'm genuenly curious- because his shows are quite different (especially the ones he didn't compose) in tone and subject at least, and the books he writes for are usually very finely tuned. Do you not like west Side Story either? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 14:11:15 GMT
My bad. And yes, they are at least equally important. Although I think a strong story with a mediocre score has more chance of surviving than a great score with a mediocre book. But of course, ideally all 3 components are great. It's exactly the other way round for me. A strong book is a nice addon, but if the score is weak (or even just average), it's highly likely that I won't enjoy the show - irrespective of the strength of the book. That's also one of the reasons why I enjoyed Rock of Ages that much. That may be true for you, and I can understand that. But in general, shows with a great score and mediocre books don't tend to do well, while shows with a great book and a mediocre score often succeed. |
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Post by ShoesForRent on Jul 25, 2016 14:17:42 GMT
It's exactly the other way round for me. A strong book is a nice addon, but if the score is weak (or even just average), it's highly likely that I won't enjoy the show - irrespective of the strength of the book. That's also one of the reasons why I enjoyed Rock of Ages that much. That may be true for you, and I can understand that. But in general, shows with a great score and mediocre books don't tend to do well, while shows with a great book and a mediocre score often succeed. Is there actual research to back this up, or just your observation?- Im curious. I'm trying to think of really succsful musicals (Phantom, Les Mis, Wicked) and while those don't have what I'd call 'weak' books- they aren't the smartest either. and other long runners (Mama mia, heck most Jukebox, Cats, Lion King) have books that in my opinion- range from boring to plain dumb, and their scores are the stronger contenders (but of course this topic is all very subjective to the individual). But it would be interesting to really dig deep into this one (maybe I'll make my thesis next year, maybe I'll make it about Sondheim and consult Michael  ) |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 14:23:14 GMT
Considering the likes of We Will Rock You, Wicked, Cats, and Mamma Mia!, I'd say the West End is a strong argument for shows with a memorable score and a terrible book doing better than the other way round. I'm honestly surprised anyone's arguing the opposite. Even a bunch of golden age musicals have a terrible book - look at Oklahoma! for example. There's a huge dramatic scene about a picnic basket auction for heaven's sake!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 14:32:50 GMT
Cats, and Mamma Mia!, I'd say the West End is a strong argument for shows with a memorable score and a terrible book doing better than the other way round. Nice debating point but ... Does Cats have a book? And how dare you criticise Catherine Johnson, one of my theatre heroes? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 14:36:04 GMT
I mean, EVERY show has a book. It's not just the dialogue, it's also the structure and the stage directions. So Cats must have a book, thin though it must be.
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Post by Michael on Jul 25, 2016 14:42:28 GMT
Cats, and Mamma Mia!, I'd say the West End is a strong argument for shows with a memorable score and a terrible book doing better than the other way round. Does Cats have a book? T.S. Elliot would be turning in his grave... |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 14:44:47 GMT
I mean, EVERY show has a book. It's not just the dialogue, it's also the structure and the stage directions. So Cats must have a book, thin though it must be. I pondered that before I posted, but I'm not sure it's the case with Cats. Didn't ALW write music to TS Eliot's lyrics and then the creative team made a show? No one wrote a book of stage directions beforehand, did they? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 14:46:54 GMT
T.S. Elliot would be turning in his grave... Well, he might be a little pissed off that you can't spell his name, but his poems were used as the lyrics of Cats and not as the book. |
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