Pinnochio on Broadway

[bwtk]

I understand that Julie Taymor (of Lion King fame) is working on a Broadway version of Pinnochio. Anyone hear when this will be opening? Will is start off Broadway as the Lion King did before going to New York? Any word on who else is collaborating in this project?

 

[*Glitter Serenity*]

Nope... I haven't heard anything about this, and I'm fairly "up" on all the Broadway news. I definitely don't like the idea of 'Pinnochio' as a full-length musical. Wish they'd do 'Mary Poppins!' *sigh*

*Serenity*

 

[bnlbebes]

Pinnochio sounds like a prime choice for the next Broadway show. Couldn't they just splice together the charscters, storylines, and music from the Pinnochio cartoon and the Gepetto television movie. I agree that Mary Poppins would be a much better choice. (I've thought that for years!) But isn't Disney going to do what comes easiest, and cheapest?

Whatever it is, I can't wait to find out. B&tB and Lion King were both amazing, and I am hopefully getting to see Aida in October.

Chris

 

[*Glitter Serenity*]

Heaven forbid Disney should actually put more money than absolutely necessary into something... :rolleyes

I saw 'Beauty and the Beast' on Broadway a couple years ago and it was amazing. Of course, it's the only Broadway show I've ever seen, so I had nothing to judge it from. Plus, I was all astounded that I was actually on Broadway, since musicals are one of my biggest obsessions. I got the soundtrack to 'The Lion King' about a month ago, and it took a while to grow on me, but I'm liking it more and more! Never heard anything from Aida.

*Serenity*

 

[Safari Steve]

Keep in mind that Ms. Taymor has been doing theatre for many many years and was attached to BVTG for TLK. She is not a 'Disney Person', nor does she work exclusively for Disney. Not everything that BVTG includes her, and not everything that she does includes BVTG. I don't have any knowledge of this particular rumor, but it is entirely possible that Ms. Taymor is working on a theatrical production of Pinnocchio that has absolutely no connection to Disney.
I'm sure that we'll all find out soon enough to buy tickets (or not buy tickets).

Kungaloosh!

 

[jsok]

In Development: Taymor and Disney Are Working on a New 'Pinocchio'
The Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles, Calif.; Oct 8, 2000; SUSAN FREUDENHEIM;

After the phenomenal success of "The Lion King," Disney and director Julie Taymor are working together again,
exploring the idea of a theatrical version of "Pinocchio."

Taymor says her inspiration for the project comes from Italian author Carlo Collodi's original story, first published in
1880, rather than Walt Disney's 1940 classic film "Pinocchio."

The tale has stuck with Taymor, 47, since childhood, she says, and 20 years ago she told New York producer Joseph
Papp that she wanted to interpret it for the theater. That project never materialized, but her interest hasn't waned.

"It's a wonderful allegory, and there are moral lessons," she says, and she hopes to update the point of view for our
time. In the Disney film, she says, Pinocchio is "an innocent who is abused," a reflection of the war era in which it
was made. Taymor is interested in the Collodi character's more positive sides; she sees him as an "incredible,
wonderful free spirit of rebellion."

On the project, Taymor would act as director, working with her frequent collaborator and longtime companion,
composer Elliot Goldenthal. American novelist Robert Coover is developing the musical's book. Goldenthal is a
classical composer who has also done film, including Taymor's "Titus" and two "Batman" sequels. Coover's 1991
ironic, post-structuralist fiction "Pinocchio in Venice" imagines Pinocchio as an old man. Taymor and Goldenthal
recently traveled to Spain to visit Coover for the project and she said she does not expect him to directly adapt his
book. "I love the notion of this old man going back to relive his experiences as a puppet," she says. "There's something
that really intrigues me about that idea of what happened to Pinocchio when he became a human being."

Stuart Oken, executive vice president of Disney's Buena Vista Theatrical Group, says the next step in the project's
development will be a "style workshop," planned for early December, in which Taymor will present ideas from which
the script can be formed. He says that even if everyone agrees to go ahead, however, it will likely be years before the
show will be in a theater.

"We'll have a story before [December]," Oken says, "but then we'll have to sit down and really put it together. I think
that will take a year. It will take another year to workshop and design it. And then from the time you actually green-light
anything, our schedule is about 60 to 65 weeks between final design, casting, out-of-town tryouts, to get to Broadway.
So the schedule is about three years."

 

[Laurajean1014]

This sounds wonderful. It's my favorite story and will bring small boys to the threatre!

A boy who can not be good, might just as well be made of wood.