not logged in
| re: Whistle gets a second wind | |
Posted by:  |
Smeghead 09:57 pm UTC 09/09/07 |
| In reply to: | re: Whistle gets a second wind - pidunk 09:34 pm UTC 09/09/07 |
| You are a lying cunt, so who cares what you have to say? If your doctors need any help coming up with a way to finish you off faster send them my e-mail address I have some lovely ideas... > > > > The sad thing is that audiences are going to see this > > nuetered version and thinks it is the real show. There > > was nothing confusing about the London show. Taking the > > show and making it family friendly and focusing on the > > kids makes it a disneyfied thing killing it's soul. I > > remember when the London show came out ALW said that it > > was the one show of his he felt was perfect and he > > wouldn't change anything. Now he says it needed > > changing. > > > One of Jim Cypherd's phrases spoken to me which I remember > well, (I love some of his phrases) applies to a situation > such as this..."Life changes, things change". Since its > inception, it has been experiencing evolutions, as life > gives evolutions. I think of WDTW like this: it has a > message, that one could not make assumptions, that > assumptions can easily be made; it has another message, > that mass insanity is a phenomenon that can both originate > from and be brought to children, with rebellions on either > side. It also shows how one very unethical man can mislead > a group of people to his benefit, which upsets the order > of everything in their lives, and hurts all involved. The > play revolves around a ruse set from a misunderstanding, > which is not corrected. The absence of correction, is the > very thread that pulls the elements together of the entire > story. > > However this story gets told, and whoever would heed its > messages is bound to love the music, and be enchanted by > the children on the stage. If the adults are cast well, I > would be glad to see it, and I do not know what could be > "disneyfied" of it, when Disney themselves put the > atrocity of Anastasia on the screen. I ran into one of the > men of Disney's heyday yesterday and listened to him talk, > and he discussed the ways that Disney was in the forties, > and does not consider the Disney of today to be the same. > One thing he said was, "They talk too much. In the old > Disney, not the Corporate Disney, which they are now, the > characters talked just as much as they had to, not all the > time. I see Disney things now and say to myself, that > there is much, too much talking and noise. It's nothing > like Disney used to be." I paraphrase, but this is what he > said and I wasn't able to catch his name, as I was > eavesdropping on a conversation he was having in public > with someone else. > > I don't like "Anastasia" because it should never have been > made, and as made, has elements which are highly > misleading, things that are too accurate for my comfort, > mixed together in a story about swindlers accidentally > stumbling on the genuine article. In it, Rasputin is > depicted as a would-be murderer, when his nature was the > exact opposite, and whose death brought by the success of > several sequential murder attempts, is the single most > important element that brought the Russian Revolution to > the fore. Vilifying Rasputin in this Disney production, is > horrifyingly political, and horrifying at all, because > this man had a large family who must bear the burden of > false information about their ancestor. > > Whistle Down The Wind stands on its own without such > analogies, and if a cast is made which supports the story, > it should be as successful and wonderful as anticipated. > > > > > > > Whistle gets a second wind > > > Musical transplants popular English novel and film to > > > rural Louisiana in the 1950s > > > > > > By EVERETT EVANS > > > Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle > > > > > > Whistle Down the Wind at last gets a second chance with > > > U.S. audiences, courtesy of the national tour that opens > > > Thursday at Hobby Center, presented here by Theatre Under > > > The Stars. > > > > > > Based on Mary Hayley Bell's 1958 novel and the 1961 film > > > version that starred a teenage Hayley Mills (the author's > > > daughter) and Alan Bates, Whistle centers on 16-year-old > > > Swallow and her two younger siblings, who encounter an > > > escaped convict and become convinced he is Christ. > > > > > > The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical's pre-Broadway tryout > > > opened in December 1996 in Washington, D.C. Interest was > > > high, as the show reunited the composer with director Hal > > > Prince, who had staged two of Lloyd Webber's greatest > > > successes, Evita and Phantom of the Opera, and gave the > > > composer a new lyricist in rock songwriter Jim Steinman > > > (Total Eclipse of the Heart, Bat Out of Hell). > > > > > > But while business was solid, the critical reception was > > > poor. Even the creators agreed Whistle wasn't working. The > > > Broadway opening was canceled. That was the last U.S. > > > audiences saw of Whistle, till now. > > > > > > In the intervening decade, Whistle went on a long journey > > > that brings it back to these shores in much-altered form, > > > thanks to London impresario Bill Kenwright, best known as > > > producer-director of the long-running Blood Brothers. > > > > > > Kenwright came on board to make revisions to a version > > > that premiered in London in 1998. Reviews remained mixed, > > > yet everyone agreed his treatment was more focused on the > > > characters and displayed the show to better advantage than > > > it had been seen. > > > > > > "Andrew became this production's biggest fan," Kenwright > > > says. "He said, 'I can see the show now. This is the one I > > > want to go to the U.S.' " > > > > > > "Bill has always been passionate about this story," Lloyd > > > Webber says. "He gave the show simplicity, stripping it to > > > the bare bones. He understands the essence of the piece, > > > the delicate balance between the innocence of the girl and > > > her sexual awakening." > > > > > > One might suspect Lloyd Webber initially was drawn to the > > > property because of its religious overtones. After all, he > > > made his name with Jesus Christ Superstar, and here was a > > > tale whose leading man was the nearest thing, someone > > > assumed to be Christ by its leading lady. > > > > > > "No, it wasn't that at all," Lloyd Webber replies. "I was > > > drawn to its story of childhood innocence, blind faith and > > > adolescent sexuality. We don't know if the Man (as he > > > called in the show) is a murderer or not, but that these > > > children believe he could be Jesus Christ. And as the girl > > > becomes more infatuated, how far will this relationship > > > go?" > > > > > > Early in planning the musical version, Lloyd Webber > > > changed the story's locale from Lancashire, in England's > > > North Country, to rural Louisiana in the late 1950s. He > > > felt transplanting the tale to the Bible Belt would help > > > explain the children's leap of faith in mistaking the > > > fugitive. > > > > > > "That kind of belief that used to be found in small-town > > > rural England doesn't exist anymore," Lloyd Webber says. > > > "What's more, setting it in the U.S. at the time when rock > > > music was first coming to backwater Louisiana would give > > > it an edge and let me return to my rock roots." > > > > > > Another factor is that, when Whistle was planned in the > > > mid-'90s, it was conceived as an original film musical; > > > the U.S. setting was thought to have a broader appeal. > > > > > > But before the film got under way, the score was offered > > > in concert form at the Chichester Festival. "That went so > > > well," the composer recalls, "that there was immediate > > > interest in a stage production. Hal Prince heard about it > > > and wanted to direct. Because of my history with him, I > > > let it proceed as a stage musical." > > > > > > Lloyd Webber says that was one of the problems with the > > > D.C. premiere: What had been constructed as a film had not > > > been sufficiently reworked for the stage. > > > > > > "When it opened in Washington," Kenwright recalls, "I went > > > to see it, and it was a mess." > > > > > > That was especially painful to Kenwright, because he'd > > > heard some of Lloyd Webber's music for the show early on > > > and asked to be involved. "But for many reasons, at that > > > point, he was already set to go with other people." > > > > > > Kenwright's affection for the project goes all the way > > > back to the original movie. > > > > > > "It's one of the most famous and loved films of all time > > > in Britain," Kenwright says. "I remember seeing it at 14 > > > and immediately going out and buying the Decca single of > > > the Wayfarers singing the movie theme, as well as the Mary > > > Hayley Bell novel. I've always loved its story about the > > > innocence of children." > > > > > > Viewing simplicity as the tale's great virtue, Kenwright > > > cringed when he attended the show's 1996 world premiere, > > > which he considered overproduced. > > > > > > "Simplicity is the greatest gift you can give an audience. > > > When you have actors onstage doing good material, you > > > don't need to cloud it with a lot of this and that. Seeing > > > it in D.C., I was immediately thinking of what to get rid > > > of, how to focus it." > > > > > > After the original London run, Kenwright finally got that > > > chance when he took charge of the show for its first U.K. > > > tour. > > > > > > "I sat in a room with the script and score for two days, > > > with a couple of actors reading through it, and just took > > > the whole thing back to basics. And we toured for a year > > > to sold-out houses and standing ovations." > > > > > > As to the perhaps far-fetched premise of the three > > > children mistaking the fugitive, Kenwright says "it's my > > > job as director to make the audience accept it. And in > > > this production, so far as I've seen, the audience never > > > questions it." > > > > > > Kenwright says that, while Whistle is somewhat dark, he's > > > proud it's a show children can attend. > > > > > > "It's about children. There are 25 kids in the show. And > > > it's great that children are coming back into the theater > > > to see it." > > > > > > Kenwright recognizes that U.S. audiences are a "different > > > breed" than British audiences. And that, with a new cast > > > performing it, the dynamic of the show may change somewhat > > > from the version that registered so well during the U.K. > > > tour and the show's return to London. > > > > > > "But I have never been as convinced about anything," > > > Kenwright says, "as I am that U.S. audiences will take > > > this show to their hearts." | |
| reply | | |
| Previous: | re: Whistle gets a second wind - Leesa 12:11 am UTC 09/10/07 |
| Next: | re: Whistle gets a second wind - Jacqueline 10:47 pm UTC 09/09/07 |
| Thread: |
|