Originally Posted By LindsayC Well I hope you enjoy the DVD when you eventually see it. â€Ungern ‘56†is one of my all time favourite pieces of music and Helen Sjöholm’s vocal is fantastic.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>But that is the nicest thing I'll say about "Phantom" - it didn't rip anything off. >>It didn't?? I thought it was based on the old "Phantom of the Opera" movie from the 1930's....<< Well, that's just silly. They were both derived from the same source material. Now there were a lot of people who did point out that Phantom's music is, perhaps, a bit too beholden to other composers (especially Puccini!)...
Originally Posted By leemac <<Lee, there's a serious difference between "quite enjoyed" and knowing all the lyrics to One Night in Bangkok, (and in more than one language, so I hear...!) <:-0 >> Very funny. Thankfully I'm not in the latter category. Although I probably do know the words to "I Knew Him So Well" as Lindsay can attest as I happily (and drunkenly) "sang" it down the phone to him from a Thai karaoke bar!
Originally Posted By leemac <<Thankfully I'm not in the latter category.>> Good God what a slip-up. I'm in the FORMER category!
Originally Posted By BlueDevilSF <<Lee, there's a serious difference between "quite enjoyed" and knowing all the lyrics to One Night in Bangkok, (and in more than one language, so I hear...!) <:-0 >> Or one who sings all four parts of "Quartet." Simultaneously. Like me.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA My final year in college 1985-86, was at Wagner College on Staten Island, so headed into the city all the time to see shows. 'Sunday in the Park with George' -- Betsy Joslyn had already replaced Bernadette Peters. Act One, great. Act Two, huh? 'Song and Dance' with Bernadette Peters was great. She was phenomenal. 'Cats' -- saw it on Broadway, saw it in L.A., just saw it again at a dinner theatre in Fresno. Everytime, I get bored right after the opening number. Bleh. 'Singin' in the Rain' -- it was good, but so much like the movie, that I wondered why bother? 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' -- Betty Buckley as Drood. Cleo Lane, George Rose -- excellent show. Also saw some fantastic dramatic stuff at Circle on the Square. In more recent years, am I the only person on earth who doesn't like 'Mamma Mia!'? We saw it in L.A. when it first opened and man, what a stinker. Thought it was a mistake to play the whole thing so glip and constantly winking to the audience and so forth. The music is actually pretty decent, and had they played it 'straight' it might have made for a better show. But, hey, it seems to be doing just fine.
Originally Posted By BlueDevilSF >>In more recent years, am I the only person on earth who doesn't like 'Mamma Mia!'? We saw it in L.A. when it first opened and man, what a stinker.<< No, you're not. I couldn't (and still can't) stand ABBA, and I am tired of all these shows built around the songs of one particular band or songwriter.
Originally Posted By leemac <<No, you're not. I couldn't (and still can't) stand ABBA, and I am tired of all these shows built around the songs of one particular band or songwriter.>> Definitely not. Terrible musical. London is full of this crap right now like Queen's We Will Rock You and Billy Joel's Movin' On (or whatever it is called) has just arrived for a brief run.
Originally Posted By TheRedhead Oooh, Ooooh. Can we talk about how terrible "Cats" is? I know, I know: Fish in a barrel. But still... In 1995 I had seen every show that was playing on Broadway, except for three that I was dreading - "Miss Saigon," "Cats," and "Phantom." My friend and I relented and bought tickets for "Cats." Oh the humanity. That horrible "Jellico Cats" opening number started and I wanted to throw myself over the balcony. After what seemed like an eternity, I turned to my friend and said, "If this number goes on for one more minute, I am going to kill myself." The number went on for AT LEAST another nine minutes. IT WOULDN'T END! But I decided NOT to kill myself, so as to warn others of my tragic matinee. And then later the smelly cats came into the audience, and I just put my head between my legs. Awful, awful, awful, awful, awful.
Originally Posted By BrnardM <<'Cats' -- saw it on Broadway, saw it in L.A., just saw it again at a dinner theatre in Fresno.>> Roger Rockas, eh Jim? That's a fun little venue, they put on a pretty good rendition of Beauty and the Beast last year (my friend was in it too). Plus the preshow proves that the Mickey Mouse club is alive and well!
Originally Posted By Santa Monica <<In more recent years, am I the only person on earth who doesn't like 'Mamma Mia!'? We saw it in L.A. when it first opened and man, what a stinker. >> I saw it in Pasadena recently and thought it was awful! It's the only musical I've fallen asleep during. I hate how they ended the story too. "Oh it doesn't matter!" Stupid.
Originally Posted By DlandDug If only I could go back and "Miss" Saigon. I was shocked that something that dreadful could end up a success... (Now Dirty Blonde, on the other hand, was delightful.)
Originally Posted By xrayvision <<In more recent years, am I the only person on earth who doesn't like 'Mamma Mia!'? >> I don't get all the hype over this show. Bring on the Jersey Boys to see good "oldies but goodies" being performed! JB rocks.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <(Now Dirty Blonde, on the other hand, was delightful.)> YEAH, Dude! I thought I was the only person in the world who saw that. Did you see it on Broadway, or did it tour? I thought Kevin Chamberlin, who did Charlie and all those others, was amazing.
Originally Posted By TheRedhead (Now Dirty Blonde, on the other hand, was delightful.) Loved, loved, LOVED that show. I saw it in it's original Off-Broadway run, and then I saw it again on Broadway. Just great. Kevin Chamberlain needs a good show to show off his talent. "If only I could go back and "Miss" Saigon. I was shocked that something that dreadful could end up a success..." I blame the helicopter. It's all his fault people saw that show. It certainly couldn't have been for those amazing lyrics. "Chris!"
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA 'The Heat is on in Saigon/ And thing are not going well' Sounds like a Saturday Night Live sketch.
Originally Posted By DlandDug I hadn't heard a single song from Miss Saigon until I saw it on Broadway. I was, as I said, just dumbfounded at how bad they were. Yes, I saw Dirty Blonde on Broadway. What's interesting is that I knew about so many of the things they were describing. I almost always drive out-of-town friends by the Ravenswood Apartments, since they are near Paramount (and one block over from the house used as the exterior of the Cunningham's in Happy Days).
Originally Posted By Dabob2 It inspired me to get some Mae West movies. Great line (won't be exactly right): Would be Latin-lover to West: Oh my darling. To kiss you just once I would give up half my life. West: Yeah? Well, come and see me; I'll kiss ya' twice.
