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Post by oxfordsimon on Feb 1, 2022 23:40:16 GMT
Can any Taboo experts on the board do a quick summary of the differences between the London and Broadway productions? I know the latter was reshaped to be more about Boy George but that's about all As far as I can remember the Broadway version doesn’t feature Billy at all? It is all about George. Or if Billy did feature it wasn’t as the main character at all. Also there’s no Kim. To be honest I think this show would do better now than it did 10 and 20 years ago. As George said on Sunday it really was ahead of its time. It would work perfectly in somewhere like The Other Palace. The Broadway version expanded the Leigh storyline by bringing in his wife as well as Sue |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2022 23:49:31 GMT
The Broadway production cut Billy (but became a character called Marcus, still a photographer, but very much a secondary character) Josie and Derek (Billy's parents) Kim became a character called Nicola (Leigh's wife) Petal's song was cut thankfully. Can't remember if Petal as a character was cut. Big Sue was made into a bigger role. The focus was solely on Boy George and Leigh Bowery, without the distraction of Billy and his home life. Songs were given to other characters, or other characters were added to some songs. My favourite of these changes was giving 'Pretty Lies' solely to George and works brilliantly in that spot. Pie in The Sky was cut and replaced with Come on in from the Outside. Steve Strange was cut and in the best change, 'Out of Fashion' became a 5 or 6 character song and should never be done as a solo again! I can't remember all the specific changes. I'll have to disagree with oxfordsimon I didn't care about Kim, Billy or Josie. The 'boy wants to see the bright lights of the city and falls out with his suburban parents' story has been told so often and it feels cheesy, especially when mum stands up to Dad and becomes an 'Independent Woman' So I'd cut a lot of the UK version, but have a mix of the 2 |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Feb 2, 2022 0:01:32 GMT
I think you need some sort of everyman/woman element to the piece. Just as a dramatic contrast to the club characters.
Billy works for me. But he isn't that important. I always responded to Kim's journey and Josie singing Talk Amongst Yourselves is always a teary moment for me. I know it gets shifted to the Leigh storyline in the US version.
The book has always needed attention. But I do want something more than just the club characters to give the piece balance.
I would just love to direct it.
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Post by danb on Feb 2, 2022 8:42:50 GMT
Yes. The reality might broaden their horizons a bit eh? Nice idea but they'd probably behave like the two women sat in front of me on Sunday who talked through most of it and started dancing in their seats every time a Culture Club song was sung “featuring nearly 6 songs by Boy George and Culture Club” “Ooooh come on Sandra, that sounds right up our street!” |
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