(no subject)
May. 18th, 2005 12:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ceebeegeeLast week, New York 1 advertised a special for the show Little Women, mezzanine tickets for $18.65 (I guess because that's the period in which it takes place, although it begins in 1863 and ends in 1867). So Tracy and I saw it last night. I pretty much enjoyed it, albeit with significant qualifications. The score is completely unmemorable--not one song (except for "Off to Massachusetts" which I thought was adorable) stuck in my head. The lyrics and melodies were all so bland--I read this on theatermania.com this morning:
When the overture started, it sounded amazingly like the one on that 1986 Secret Garden album that Barbara Cook recorded -- the one that Heidi Landesman heard when considering a stage version of The Secret Garden and the one that made her say, "We need a new score."
I have that recording of The Secret Garden and I was thinking the exact same thing last night. Way too many power anthems which actually makes sense if you think the story's some sort of Victorian-era American Idol, all "you can achieve your dreams!" But it's not, not really (that's certainly a sub-theme, though since Jo does succeed as a writer). What it's about is the power of family, specifically sisterhood. Little Women wasn't one of my favorite books as a child--it always seemed a little tame and I much preferred more boisterous books like Caddie Woodlawn and LW's sequel, Little Men (about the school that Jo and Professor Bhaer found). But it is a sweet story (I think appreciate it better as an adult) and I like how Alcott plotted it. I think Beth's death is better as drama than as literature (Alcott could really lay on the Christian piety and homilies which get in the way of the grief she must've felt about her own sister's death). The dramatization of Beth's death in the 1994 movie is amazingly powerful--I bawled when I watched it, it really took me by surprise. I find it fascinating that in 1850s in Massachusetts, a girl died, her sister grieved. Such a simple, ordinary, unremarkable event. And yet over 100 years later it still moves us. We still feel for those two girls. That's quite a memorial. That's what the story is about.
Anyway, so I found the score unmemorable (and too much, they musicalized every moment). I wasn't crazy about the book either--I didn't see the need to change the dramatic structure of the novel. We all remember exactly how the novel begins, with the girls hanging out together on Christmas Eve, sighing "Christmas won't be any fun with no presents." Why mess with a bad thing? The romance with Bhaer was badly handled--it felt a little perfunctory and I really didn't like that he got his own song, the show was already too long. As Tracy said, after the show you're not thinking "There's someone I wanted to get to know a little better." Who cares about Bhaer? They cut some of the episodes from the novel (including one of my favorites, Amy's "Valley of Humiliation" episode with the limes) but they probably could've cut more, and focused instead on longer, better developed book scenes showcasing the relationships between the sisters. Again, that's what the story is about.
Shallow note--Laurie needs to WASH HIS HAIR. And cut it, or curl it. Laurie is supposed to be a heartthrob, like Orlando Bloom, all sweet-faced and fun and cute, not this greasy-looking guy. When he was expressing his condolences to Jo re: Beth's death, he said something like "I grieved for weeks" and I wanted to whisper to Tracy "I couldn't even shower."
HOWEVER. The good stuff. The cast is quite good, and that's really why I liked it. The sisters are all excellent (with the possible exception of Amy, who was nicely bratty in the beginning, but never quite got better--Amy is supposed to grow) with really strong voices. Sutton Foster was KICK-ASS. She really deserves that Tony nomination. And she was so funny! The aunt was pretty good, John Brooke was pretty good. And I liked the set; it was very cozy.
It must sound like I mostly didn't like it but I did--I guess a strong cast can overcome a lot with me.
Exciting postscript--Tracy and I went to a bar/restaurant on 8th Avenue to get a drink afterward, and the women who played Aunt March walked up next to us and ordered a drink! I nudged Tracy and started talking to the woman--I recognized her on the stage, because she's been in a lot of movies. We had a great time talking about the show. I love New York.
When the overture started, it sounded amazingly like the one on that 1986 Secret Garden album that Barbara Cook recorded -- the one that Heidi Landesman heard when considering a stage version of The Secret Garden and the one that made her say, "We need a new score."
I have that recording of The Secret Garden and I was thinking the exact same thing last night. Way too many power anthems which actually makes sense if you think the story's some sort of Victorian-era American Idol, all "you can achieve your dreams!" But it's not, not really (that's certainly a sub-theme, though since Jo does succeed as a writer). What it's about is the power of family, specifically sisterhood. Little Women wasn't one of my favorite books as a child--it always seemed a little tame and I much preferred more boisterous books like Caddie Woodlawn and LW's sequel, Little Men (about the school that Jo and Professor Bhaer found). But it is a sweet story (I think appreciate it better as an adult) and I like how Alcott plotted it. I think Beth's death is better as drama than as literature (Alcott could really lay on the Christian piety and homilies which get in the way of the grief she must've felt about her own sister's death). The dramatization of Beth's death in the 1994 movie is amazingly powerful--I bawled when I watched it, it really took me by surprise. I find it fascinating that in 1850s in Massachusetts, a girl died, her sister grieved. Such a simple, ordinary, unremarkable event. And yet over 100 years later it still moves us. We still feel for those two girls. That's quite a memorial. That's what the story is about.
Anyway, so I found the score unmemorable (and too much, they musicalized every moment). I wasn't crazy about the book either--I didn't see the need to change the dramatic structure of the novel. We all remember exactly how the novel begins, with the girls hanging out together on Christmas Eve, sighing "Christmas won't be any fun with no presents." Why mess with a bad thing? The romance with Bhaer was badly handled--it felt a little perfunctory and I really didn't like that he got his own song, the show was already too long. As Tracy said, after the show you're not thinking "There's someone I wanted to get to know a little better." Who cares about Bhaer? They cut some of the episodes from the novel (including one of my favorites, Amy's "Valley of Humiliation" episode with the limes) but they probably could've cut more, and focused instead on longer, better developed book scenes showcasing the relationships between the sisters. Again, that's what the story is about.
Shallow note--Laurie needs to WASH HIS HAIR. And cut it, or curl it. Laurie is supposed to be a heartthrob, like Orlando Bloom, all sweet-faced and fun and cute, not this greasy-looking guy. When he was expressing his condolences to Jo re: Beth's death, he said something like "I grieved for weeks" and I wanted to whisper to Tracy "I couldn't even shower."
HOWEVER. The good stuff. The cast is quite good, and that's really why I liked it. The sisters are all excellent (with the possible exception of Amy, who was nicely bratty in the beginning, but never quite got better--Amy is supposed to grow) with really strong voices. Sutton Foster was KICK-ASS. She really deserves that Tony nomination. And she was so funny! The aunt was pretty good, John Brooke was pretty good. And I liked the set; it was very cozy.
It must sound like I mostly didn't like it but I did--I guess a strong cast can overcome a lot with me.
Exciting postscript--Tracy and I went to a bar/restaurant on 8th Avenue to get a drink afterward, and the women who played Aunt March walked up next to us and ordered a drink! I nudged Tracy and started talking to the woman--I recognized her on the stage, because she's been in a lot of movies. We had a great time talking about the show. I love New York.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-05-18 09:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-19 05:50 am (UTC)