| re: New Jim Interview | |
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Posted by: |
Jacqueline 12:57 am UTC 10/06/07 |
| In reply to: | re: New Jim Interview - Willis 12:45 am UTC 10/06/07 |
| He went to CT -- check out Justin's pix and post below... That said, I think it's safe to assume he won't be in MN. :) Sorry. > Hey, that's my city's paper... > > Probably time to get tix... > > To JD: Any word if Jim's attending any shows? I'm betting > not. > > > http://www.startribune.com/onstage/story/1465418.html > > > > OnStage: Lyricist out of 'Hell' > > > > Jim Steinman worked with Meat Loaf and Celine Dion on > > records -- and with Andrew Lloyd Webber on "Whistle Down > > the Wind." Ahead of an Ordway run, Steinman recalls the > > musical's legendary stops and starts. > > > > By Rohan Preston, Star Tribune > > > > Last update: October 05, 2007 – 3:13 PM > > Rock lyricist, songwriter and record producer Jim Steinman > > is perhaps best known for his work with such artists as > > Meat Loaf ("Bat Out of Hell") and Celine Dion ("Falling > > Into You"). But Steinman also writes for theater. The > > musical "Whistle Down the Wind," his 1996 collaboration > > with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, died en route to New > > York but was successfully revived for a long run in > > London. It opens Tuesday at the Ordway Center. > > > > Based on the Mary Hayley Bell novel of the same name and > > set in the South in the 1950s, "Whistle" is a story of > > youthful faith and innocence. Three orphaned children, > > living by themselves, discover a bearded man hiding in a > > barn and become convinced that he is Jesus. Eventually, > > word of the kids' secret savior gets out. "Whistle" was > > made into a 1961 movie before being adapted for the > > stage. > > > > Q How did you first become involved with this project? > > > > A It started in 1995. At first, the idea was to do it as a > > film. Patricia Knop ["9½ Weeks"] wrote the most brilliant > > screenplay. And Andrew and I thought that [Steven] > > Spielberg was going to direct it. But, in the end, > > [Spielberg] got scared because he'd never done a musical. > > > > Q So theater was the fallback option? > > > > A Well, at the same time that all of that Spielberg stuff > > wasn't happening, we did it as a condensed theater piece > > at Andrew's summer festival in England. The audience loved > > it. The question everyone had was, 'Why aren't you doing > > this bloody thing onstage?' Switch to the Peninsula Hotel > > in L.A. not long after. We are there, I don't remember > > why, and Hal Prince, whom Andrew just revered, calls and > > asks why he hasn't been contacted about it. It was decided > > that it would be a play, with Hal directing. It would try > > out in Washington, then go to New York. > > > > Q Prince and Lloyd Webber had worked together on "Phantom" > > and "Evita." What were the rehearsals like for "Whistle"? > > > > A Well, Hal only directs from 10 to 2. Then he has to get > > home to see the soaps. > > > > Q Was that enough time? > > > > A Well, I assumed the main work would go on after it > > began, that this would be perfected that way. I had this > > great vision of a '30s movie musical being worked on out > > of town, with me doing rewrites and all of us making it > > perfect. > > > > Q Did you have a gut feeling about how it was going? > > > > A I remember meeting with Andrew at Trump Tower later and > > he was indecisive about the whole thing. One week he would > > say, 'Jim, I just don't know, should Hal Prince direct > > this or not? He's getting on in years.' Hal was in his 50s > > then. The next week, he would say the same thing, only Hal > > is now in his 60s. In three weeks or so, Hal had aged > > three decades in that conversation. > > > > Q When the show opened, was it ready? > > > > A No. But everyone knew it. I wanted to work on it. > > > > Q And after the Washington Post review came out, what was > > that like? > > > > A I get tons of bad reviews. They don't bother me. But > > Andrew was stung by it. The [reviewer] did a hatchet job > > on Andrew, sending him into the deepest depression. He > > felt shattered. You would think that he would be immune to > > it with all of his $850 million, but he was almost in > > tears. The next day I woke up, went to the theater, ready > > to start the rewriting. The stage manager said that Andrew > > was gone and Hal's off skiing. I stayed in Washington for > > two weeks, hoping to get cracking on it. But they were > > gone. > > > > Q "Whistle" is legendary for failing before Broadway. You > > also wrote "Dance of the Vampires," which wasn't exactly > > well-received in New York. > > > > A Well, the critics were right about that one. The New > > York production was totally ruined. I didn't go to the > > opening. [Star] Michael Crawford was awful. He played the > > vampire as a clown, with a horrible Italian accent. > > > > Q You seem to have better luck abroad. > > > > A In Austria, that show is called "Tanz der Vampire." It > > was staged brilliantly by Roman Polanski in Vienna, where > > it's been running for 10 years. > > > > Q What was it like to see this new version of "Whistle" > > onstage? Is it still your work? > > > > A Disorienting. So much of the script has changed. And > > they have taken out many of the great effects. But the two > > leads were brilliant, which is the key to the show. The > > heart of the show was intact. > > > > Q Will this new production get to New York after all? > > > > A That's up to [director/producer] Bill [Kenright]. I have > > no idea. I think his attitude is to do it over a period of > > years, to build an audience for it regionally, then > > perhaps take it to New York. It's an amazingly daring > > thing to finance a touring production of a musical no one > > knows. > > > > Q What made it work in Britain but not in the U.S.? > > > > A I love the premise, but generally, it's been > > misunderstood here. People have a hard time dealing with > > the idea [in the show] that Jesus is outside in the barn. > > But you have to remember that the kids' mother has just > > died, why wouldn't you want Jesus around, since he can > > raise the dead? It ran for 5½ years in England. They got > > it. | |
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