tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post3047284070911127902..comments2024-03-26T05:01:57.793-07:00Comments on DREAMS ARE WHAT LE CINEMA IS FOR...: CHICAGO 2002Ken Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-70290295416114109832023-11-07T14:05:19.754-08:002023-11-07T14:05:19.754-08:00Hi Kip - Yes, seeing Alain Delon in "The Leo...Hi Kip - Yes, seeing Alain Delon in "The Leopard" slipped my mind when I was responding to Gill earlier. I would hate to think that was due to my finding him forgettable, but my mind goes so swiftly to Claudia Cardinale and Lancaster (who seems so much better in Euro films like 1900 and Conversation Piece).<br />Thanks for mentioning those other films, I will put them on my "Yet To See" Delon list.<br />Nice to hear from you, Kip!<br />Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-43676311560055267032023-11-07T07:52:13.861-08:002023-11-07T07:52:13.861-08:00Oops. Rereading your L'INNOCENTE review I gue...Oops. Rereading your L'INNOCENTE review I guess you have seen THE LEOPARD. I guess I was confused because you stated you had only seen Delon in 3 movies and THE LEOPARD wasn't included. My bad.Kiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10281290996597528859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-42504434558466164632023-11-06T17:37:21.501-08:002023-11-06T17:37:21.501-08:00Since you're a Visconti fan (DEATH IN VENICE, ...Since you're a Visconti fan (DEATH IN VENICE, THE INNOCENT) I'm surprised you haven't seen Alain Delon, Claudia Cardinale and Burt Lancaster in Visconti's THE LEOPARD, which is usually regarded as his masterpiece. It's a long, long movie, but some people think Lancaster's performance is his best (dubbed, but brilliant. maybe that's why it's brilliant). Leonard Maltin said Delon and Cardinale are the last word in romantic pairings. I'm not sure who's prettier, but it's probably a tie. The ball scene is one for the ages. Definitely recommended. Delon is also great as a hitman in LE SAMURAI and a homicidal head case in PURPLE NOON based on the same novel as THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY.Kiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10281290996597528859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-14838664167163697312023-03-17T15:50:55.636-07:002023-03-17T15:50:55.636-07:00Thanks for the recommendations. Will check these o...Thanks for the recommendations. Will check these out...Realweegiemidget Reviewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07112425802962283173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-86448759693230533082023-03-16T15:26:32.245-07:002023-03-16T15:26:32.245-07:00Yes! Alain Delon is marvelous... But he's some...Yes! Alain Delon is marvelous... But he's something of a new discovery for me, too. I haven't seen many of his films. THE SWIMMING POOL (with the exquisite Romy Schneider) is superb. I liked him in BORSALINO, and the only other film I've seen him in is SPIRITS OF THE DEAD. But he's a stunner and you're sure to have a great time exploring his filmography.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-65327914794333239232023-03-15T09:03:58.962-07:002023-03-15T09:03:58.962-07:00I do love it when we coincide with reviews. Need s...I do love it when we coincide with reviews. Need some recommendations from you on all things Alain Delon.. he's just replaced Helmut as my current No1...Realweegiemidget Reviewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07112425802962283173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-54132565685829831872023-03-14T13:40:49.211-07:002023-03-14T13:40:49.211-07:00Hello, Gill - I just now read your wonderful 2019 ...Hello, Gill - I just now read your wonderful 2019 post on CHICAGO to be up to speed on what you liked about the film. It's so well made, the satire is on point, and the talent on display is, to a person magnificently up to the task. I was always afraid my longer history with the show would spoil any movie adaptation, but Rob Marshall triumphed with this one, didn't he? <br />I don't know that you're missing out on much in not having seen any of the stage incarnations (the stunt casting stuff), but the music endures, and maybe you'd get a kick out of a theatrical revival that recreated the original choreography. <br />Because stage shows are so unavailable to most, I tend to be grateful if any Broadway musical gets a film release (although A CHORUS LINE would seem to be the exception to prove the rule!) It's just great to have a lasting record of these classic shows. <br />It sounds as though you liked much of the same things about the film version of CHICAGO as I do. And you make the good point of citing what a departure a singing and dancing role for Zellweger is for those who were introduced to her via Bridget Jones' Diary. <br />Thank you for reading this and commenting. I am happy and well and hope you can say the same. Hope all is well in Twitter-land, a place I both miss and kinda-don't. <br />Cheers to you!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-86223828861520695932023-03-14T00:27:09.624-07:002023-03-14T00:27:09.624-07:00I loved your take on this.. Chicago is one of my f...I loved your take on this.. Chicago is one of my favourites and only seen the 2002 version sadly. I loved it and was so immersed in everything.. although Gere was better on a rewatch. These earlier versions sound much better, I totally agree your thoughts on with the celeb of the day casting choices.. just heard Pamela Anderson. I totally envy you for seeing these back in the day. As for A Chorus Line, I remember watching and waiting with bated breath to see if Michael Douglas would sing.. and it was poss geared for an Eighties viewer with Dallas star Audrey Landers in the line up.. enough said. Hope you are well and happy xRealweegiemidget Reviewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07112425802962283173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-61857873200446890262022-05-27T01:28:59.413-07:002022-05-27T01:28:59.413-07:00Hi Max - I can relate to your fondness for COMPANY...Hi Max - I can relate to your fondness for COMPANY. I too, discovered it in my teens and I wore out my library-loaned copy (another "blind" selection. I'd not heard a note of the score, but was intrigued by the LP cover and the liner notes). I also was too young to really "get" the sophistication of the show and its attitude towards relationships, but like FOLLIES, I grew up into really appreciating what I had already loved. I've seen only two productions of COMPANY, one a regional theater version and one an original cast reunion concert version. You're so fortunate to have seen the 2020 revival! I think the DVD of the 2006 revival was the last production I saw. But isn't it remarkable when you can connect with a show like you have? To be able to enjoy it through the years in its many incarnations and still find it gratifying. <br />I keep wondering if they'll ever do FOLLIES as a film. I was bummed when plans for a SUNSET BLVD film was put on ice. But maybe I shouldn't be. <br />Thanks for commenting again , Max, and I LOVE the "Six Degrees of Separation" reference! Made me laugh.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-85070547016200427662022-05-25T17:49:20.706-07:002022-05-25T17:49:20.706-07:00Thanks for your kind words, Ken, it's always a...Thanks for your kind words, Ken, it's always a pleasure to engage here, I only wish I had more time to do so. Of all the records, the one that I really liked was COMPANY. Even though at that age, I had no context for much of the subject matter of the show, I couldn't get it out of my head. It does seem like it fell out of favor for a long time. The web says there was a revival around 1995, but I was not aware of that previously. Then about another ten years to the 2006 revival with Raúl Esparza (he got a Tony nomination for this!) that I have a DVD of. Then the 2011 concert version, which I have a Blu-Ray of. As you may know, there was a revival in 2020, and I was so fortunate to see the last preview before everything shut down. It was an electric experience. I'm sure the staging would not be to everyone's taste, but I liked it quite a bit. PBS Great Performances is showing an episode about it this Friday "Keeping Company with Sondheim". I've gone a bit off topic for this review, but I'm thinking there won't be a film adaptation. I somewhat hope not, it can remain in unfilmed perfection, like Sidney Poitier's movie adaptation of Cats. ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-69703157595921008972022-05-25T05:44:43.045-07:002022-05-25T05:44:43.045-07:00Incredible! What a fabulous introduction to NY. An...Incredible! What a fabulous introduction to NY. And what a testament to youth. Nowadays if I have but a single event that involves an exciting evening out, not only am I exhausted, but it takes nearly a week to recover. Glad to hear you saw PACIFIC OVERTURES as well. I saw it at the Curran or Geary Theater on the same season ticket that got me A CHORUS LINE. Oddly, I can't remember a single thing about it save for getting Mako's autograph afterward.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-51611209349726680372022-05-23T08:50:59.611-07:002022-05-23T08:50:59.611-07:00In answer to your question, CHICAGO was first at 2...In answer to your question, CHICAGO was first at 2 p.m. PACIFIC OVERTURES was second, at 8 p.m. And at midnight, it was Dorothy Collins at the Grand Finale. I daresay no one ever had a better first day in New York City.George W. Tushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13050905945846094987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-66218348256665063722022-05-22T14:04:37.302-07:002022-05-22T14:04:37.302-07:00Hi George –
So jealous of your having CHICAGO be y...Hi George –<br />So jealous of your having CHICAGO be your first Broadway show! (Was A Chorus Line your second?) …and that you got to see the original cast and production so many times. You really seized the moment in a way that makes your statement “ I cannot be rational about CHICAGO” fully understandable.<br />When it comes to the sheer number of times you’ve seen CHICAGO in various forms, I can also understand your feelings about the movie I like the term “attitude adjustment”…perfectly described the adaptation). <br />Thanks for providing some background information on the individuals involved in bringing CHICAGO to the screen. That both men had an extensive history in theater speaks a great deal to perhaps why CHICAGO’s translation to the screen succeeded where so many others haven’t. You can’t beat having people who understand musical theater in particular, who have experience with the genre, and who are invested in the material. (Assigning guys like Richard Attenborough or John Huston [“Annie”] to musicals is an expensive gamble. It worked with the unlikely Robert Wise [West Side Story/The Sound of Music] but how often does that work out?)<br />You’ve added a great deal to this post with your contributing an up close and personal “I was there!” account of a very exciting time and place. With the Internet’s propensity to rewrite and reimagine history through the often revisionist prism of youth (all those false, anachronistic “empowerment” quotes being ascribed to Marilyn Monroe online make my head spin), folks our age have to be the living historians of our era. Thanks, George…for the kind words, for reading this post, and taking the time to comment!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-78475982321829837302022-05-21T06:02:58.610-07:002022-05-21T06:02:58.610-07:00Everything you've written here is spot on. Th...Everything you've written here is spot on. The original production of CHICAGO was the first show I saw on Broadway. The first time I saw it was on a Saturday matinee on the first day of my first trip to NYC. I landed at La Guardia at 10:00 a.m. and was sitting in the 46th Street Theater at 2:00 p.m. When Gwen and Chita finished the Hot Honey Rag, I gave them a standing ovation (until a friend grabbed me and hissed, "It's not over!" Duh. I was 19 years old and overwhelmed.) I saw the production on Broadway a total of five times, no small feat when you live in Indiana. I even saw the National Company at the Blackstone Theater... in Chicago! Then there was that summer stock tour with Larry Kert which I saw 7 times. Being young and innocent, I thought they were all going to be like this one.<br /><br />I cannot be rational about CHICAGO. So I'll be brief. I like the movie of CHICAGO because I didn't hate it. I was prepared to hate it, but I didn't. They got so very much of it right, so why be a churl? It lacks the dark cynicism of the original, but the original production opened the year after Nixon resigned and literally only a month after the Vietnam war ended. It was a dark and cynical time. Maurine Dallas Watkins, the reporter who started all this, wrote a dark and cynical story. When you know more about what she was doing and her own role in it all, the whole story falls into place. And it's dark tale with a surprising feminist core. But there is a fuck of a lot of money involved in producing a movie. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS got a new ending to make the story more commercial. It happens. CHICAGO got an attitude adjustment. But they didn't kill it.<br /><br />The credit for that goes primarily to Martin Richards and to his producing partner Sam Crothers. They both have deep roots in Broadway theater and the movie CHICAGO shows that. It is so theatrical in so many ways. In my years toiling in the business offices of Broadway, I had contact with them both via several different projects. Sam was one of the nicest men in the New York theater and an expert in producing. He had a great eye and knew the business and producing, inside and out. Just the man you would want to work for and there are so very few of those in the business. Marty Richards was also a showman and he was filthy rich. Enormous family money. Seriously enormous. But also a very decent guy. Treated people well. He was rich and you knew it, but I never knew him to be an asshole to anyone. He was also one of the producers of the original Broadway production. (By extension, I suspect Sam was also involved.) His enthusiasm for the property was huge. <br /> So, Marty knew this property well and when he got the rights to film CHICAGO, I was heartened that something good could come of it. And it did. There are lots of little things I could quibble about with the film, but why? Marty did a great job bringing it to the screen. He deserved that Oscar. The movie really is deeply rooted in Broadway. Had it been produced in Los Angeles by L.A. producers, well…. But, luckily, it wasn’t. <br /><br />That’s it. I just wanted to jump in and give Marty and Sam the credit they richly deserve on this one. Thanks for your thoughts on a favorite musical. Two, actually. What a cultural phenomenon we experienced with A CHORUS LINE. I still wonder who I am, anyway.George W. Tushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13050905945846094987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-11738506214767660642022-05-16T18:17:40.099-07:002022-05-16T18:17:40.099-07:00As someone who relied on LPs for perhaps the first...As someone who relied on LPs for perhaps the first ten to 15 years of my teaching career, there can be no substitute for being able to arrange the songs in the order of preference; never having to deal with listening to a song that has had a pop-scratch-skip on it for so long it has become part of your memory of the itself; warping. The cover art and liner notes are the most missed things for me, too. It will never not feel like a sci-fi fantasy dream come true that I have 13,000 of my favorites songs in my pocket. Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-81701407658873017282022-05-16T11:14:18.285-07:002022-05-16T11:14:18.285-07:00OMG "get up and turn the record over". A...OMG "get up and turn the record over". As someone who was always scratching up those records and couldn't afford a really good stereo system I am totally perplexed by the vinyl resurgence. What's next, VHS tapes? Outhouses? I only miss the covers.loulou de la falaisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15851948084925475093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-20805936640972391402022-05-15T14:01:32.251-07:002022-05-15T14:01:32.251-07:00Hi Max - Thanks for crediting the striking Desmond...Hi Max - Thanks for crediting the striking Desmond Richardson. I had no idea he was a Tony-nominated performer, but he has a great look and captures the eye in each number. In fact, I think the casting of the dancers in CHICAGO is unusually good, in that most have the facial expressiveness of actors, and others look to be more "mature" and have a great period look for a movie set in the 1920s. <br />Yes, discovering the joys of a show's cast album can be a thrilling experience. You're lucky to have had access to what sounds like a broader scope of cast albums than you would have sought on your own. (I sometimes miss LPs, but I don't miss having my listening bliss interrupted by having to get up and turn the record over). There are still so many older shows I've yet to explore. I think one of my late-in-life discoveries (thanks to the internet) was Sondheim's score for 1965's "Do I Hear a Waltz?" It's a show I don't think I would care to see performed, but the music is wonderful. Thank you very much for your informative contribution to this post and for visiting my blog!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-57852052462265045432022-05-15T08:59:01.260-07:002022-05-15T08:59:01.260-07:00Forgot to say, it's MaxForgot to say, it's MaxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-61828551884102116092022-05-15T08:58:24.914-07:002022-05-15T08:58:24.914-07:00I certainly identify with listening to cast record...I certainly identify with listening to cast recordings with little or no knowledge of the story behind the songs. I was lucky enough to be taken under the wing of an older man (who was probably all of 30 at that time) who seemed to know all these things, so I had access to a rather large catalog of records (real vinyl!). It was great and Chicago was certainly one of the favorites. I still have that record. <br /><br />Seeing the movie, I have to say I enjoyed it enough. The biggest surprise was seeing Desmond Richardson (pictured above with the Zs) in a movie! He had been nominated for a 1999 Tony for Fosse but I think Chicago was his first film credit...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-79439915183017418822022-05-14T01:38:53.505-07:002022-05-14T01:38:53.505-07:00Hi David – There’s something enviable about your n...Hi David – There’s something enviable about your not knowing anything about CHICAGO when you saw the movie. It’s like the mixed-blessing of my never having read a single Agatha Christie novel until I was in my 40s. On the downside, I missed out on a lot of terrific reading as a youngster, but on the plus side, imagine the thrill I had seeing all those early Hercule Poirot movies with absolutely NO idea whodunnit!<br />Seeing CHICAGO under those circumstances must have been a blast. So much so that your later observation—that only after the smoke cleared did it hit you how reprehensible everyone in the film is—makes a lot of sense. I think CHICAGO being so razzle-dazzle entertaining is both its boon and its bane. In its essence, the laughter that CHICAGO inspires should catch in our throat, and we as an audience should (ideally) leave the theater asking ourselves what happened to us if a little bit of glamour and showmanship can make us root for two amoral murderers.<br />Moving on to the topic of OBCRs, I wondered if seeing the film of CHICAGO inspired you to check out the Broadway album.<br /><br />With your comments about favoring traditional musicals in your teens echoes the sentiments of a couple others here. I think I’m not particularly familiar with a lot of shows from the 40s to the early 60s. I’ve never heard the scores to “Far from Heaven”, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” or “The Girl in Pink Tights.” With so many of these soundtracks on YouTube, perhaps I will discover some new favorites. <br />You mentioned HAIR (did you ever see the film?) and I genuinely think that was the first Broadway album that really got me. My parents got it through Columbia House mail-order. So it’s fair to say most of what I think of as Broadway is from HAIR to DREAMGIRLS. <br />I like that you don’t particularly follow the most popular classics and that your collection reflects your interest rather than just what won the most Tony Awards (one of my favorites that was never made into a film is NO STRINGS). <br />Sometimes (like with CABARET) the difference between the Broadway album and the movie soundtrack is so drastically different, I can’t even align them as being the same show (hit happens with THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN and PAINT YOUR WAGON for me, too).<br /><br />And on the topic of perhaps being too old to appreciate contemporary tastes and trends, I find I have little patience with all those Disney animated films becoming Broadway shows. Nor am I fond of hearing songs by Donna Summer or Motown having the soul sucked out of them by being converted into showtunes for the latest trend in Jukebox Musicals.<br /><br />I recently have been listening to (over and over) the movie soundtrack of 2021’s WEST SIDE STORY (finally saw it and really loved it). So great to hear those full arrangements of that great music. I guess that’s always the allure of Broadway albums…listening to the music alone is an experience separate and apart from seeing the show on stage or on a screen. The imagination gets to run the show.<br /><br />Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby says to her cousin Nick “ I always love to see you at my table.” To you, David, I say a variation of the same. I always get a kick when you visit me here and comment so thoughtfully and personally (and kindly…I’m not crazy about that Fonda photo) on what you’ve read. It means a lot and I enjoy hearing from you. Thanks!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-34000689280312359512022-05-13T08:57:27.801-07:002022-05-13T08:57:27.801-07:00Dear Ken: Hi! When I saw the film "Chicago&qu...Dear Ken: Hi! When I saw the film "Chicago" on its initial release, believe it or not I was unfamiliar with the Broadway show. But I found the film dazzling and entertaining; in fact, it is one of the few films from the past several decades that I actually saw more than once in the theater (the others, if anyone is interested, were "Amelie," "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Producers.")<br /><br />But like you, for me “Chicago” the movie has lost some of its appeal since I first saw it. I think it's because, once I got past the flash and excitement of its musical numbers, I realized this is a show about some REALLY nasty people. (Lord knows they're not nearly as nasty as any number of today's elected officials, but still. . .)<br /><br />So I'd like to devote my comments to horning in on your and Mark's wonderful conversation about original cast albums. I loved, Ken, reading about your purchase of “Chicago” and “A Chorus Line's” albums on the same day, note unheard (so to speak). (And by the way, I really love that photo of you and Jane Fonda—you look great in your “Chicago” t-shirt!). I also discovered Broadway cast albums in high school, although my tastes ran more toward the traditional. Back then I loved most the brassy, melodic shows of the 1950s—in many ways, they're still my favorites today. I especially loved discovering shows that were new to me (i.e., ones that were not available from the Cedar Rapids Public Library or my parents' record cabinet): “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” “The Girl in Pink Tights,” etc.<br /><br />My current show album collection goes from “Porgy and Bess” (1935, although the cast didn't record an album until 1940) to “Far from Heaven” from 2013. Like you and Mark, though, Broadway music of the past few decades has lost its appeal for me. I prefer those composers who work out of the popular but pre-rock/r & b/hip hop/what-have-you music tradition. So shows like “Next to Normal,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Spring Awakening,” “In the Heights,” “Hamilton” etc. are well written, but their style of music does nothing for me. (That said, Eric and I did buy the original cast album of “Hair” after we saw a revival tour about 10 years ago.)<br /><br />My collection is somewhat eclectic, though, with gaps that might surprise some people: no “West Side Story,” “My Fair Lady,” “Annie,” for example. And also, for the most part, if a Broadway show was made into a movie (“Oklahoma!”, “Gypsy,” “Funny Girl”), I have the soundtrack album instead of the cast album, because the soundtrack is the version I grew up with. <br />Dave Kucharskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10780946474352916520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-41436066369409838152022-05-11T07:13:26.215-07:002022-05-11T07:13:26.215-07:00I'm like you...I tend to experience most music...I'm like you...I tend to experience most musicals through their cast albums (by the way, I absolutely adore TITANIC! And when I see the staging and choreography to "It's Your Wedding Day" from THE WEDDING SINGER on the Tony Awards, I get waterworks every time. It's exhilarating). <br />I like envisioning a production in my head. Also, since I'm one of those guys who can't stand most musical comedy plotting (my greatest struggle with the classic MGM musicals of the 40s and 50s is that I love the music, but those insipid storylines keep my finger on the FF button) listening to the score alone is often the best way to fall in love with it. But my ear is different now. I have no sense of contemporary music: I liked two songs from HAMILTON, but the rest of it gave me a headache. And don't get me started on Spring Awakening and Book of Mormon...<br />Thanks, Mark! And I'm going to give a listen to The Secret Garden, I don't know it except as a couple of sweet films.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-50773718231420916132022-05-11T07:01:09.181-07:002022-05-11T07:01:09.181-07:00Yes! It's precisely what you say. It has all t...Yes! It's precisely what you say. It has all the earmarks of a professional production. I usually don't have the stomach or fortitude for the high school productions posted on YouTube, but the one you directed me to was a real eye-opener. Something so encouraging about so much care being lavished on a teen production, too. I liked it so much.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-60597116060690759932022-05-10T21:22:37.635-07:002022-05-10T21:22:37.635-07:00It's really something, isn't it? I've...It's really something, isn't it? I've watched it several times now and the video was obviously shot by real pros using multiple cameras and then seamlessly edited. The production values - sets, costumes, lighting, the orchestra up on the balcony! - are remarkable. It's almost like one of those ridiculous GLEE episodes where everything looks like it took months of rehearsals and millions of dollars. (If you want to torture yourself watch Gwyneth Paltrow and Lea Michele do this same number.). But the most impressive part of it all is these two extraordinary young women. Not only do they pull of this difficult choreography with aplomb but they look smashing in 20's frocks and hairstyles and fully inhabit their characters. That toughness that somewhat eluded Zeta-Jones is on full display with this Velma and the girl who played Roxie has the most gorgeously expressive face and eyes. (Far more expressive than Zellweger, sorry to say.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-43100526340663226032022-05-10T08:51:02.551-07:002022-05-10T08:51:02.551-07:00Thanks, Ken. I would say my main interest is coll...Thanks, Ken. I would say my main interest is collecting cast albums from that 50-year era of 1943 ("Oklahoma!" and the beginnings of American cast recordings becoming the norm) to 1993 or so. I have tried to be enthusiastic about new musicals of the last three decades (a few are worthy such as 1997's "Titanic" and 2002's "Thoroughly Modern Millie"), but, like you, my interest has waned. Many of the newer styles are mediocre and don't excite my ear. (A good comparison is between Lucy Simon's magnificent score for "The Secret Garden" of 1991 and her dismal follow-up a few years ago "Doctor Zhivago.")<br />Mind you, I primarily experience musicals through their cast albums (although I did attend a Seattle pre-Broadway performance of 2006's "The Wedding Singer" and have seen a few other stage shows here and there) and subsequent movie versions, so I have to use my imagination to imagine how they're meant to performed - live and on stage - as they were meant to. "Oh Brother" is one of the funniest musicals I've ever heard - on disc - but it only lasted two days on Broadway, so perhaps it doesn't play well live and I wouldn't have as much fun actually seeing it. Mark R.Y.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13477108436907995362noreply@blogger.com