The Broadway show thread where we discuss all things Broadway

[sharonW]

Seeing Jersey Boys, "again" on New Years Day!!
Can't wait, its my favorite Broadway show by far!!
What's really nice is I get to experience all the holiday
decos too, double the fun!!!

 

[snapppyd]

Seeing Jersey Boys, "again" on New Years Day!!
Can't wait, its my favorite Broadway show by far!!
What's really nice is I get to experience all the holiday
decos too, double the fun!!!

One of my favorites also! Enjoy!

 

[elgerber]

DH and I have taken DS8 and DS10 to see Mary Poppins and Lion King. They loved both! We're talking about Newsies this spring too. What other kid-friendly shows would y'all recommend? (I really don't have any interest in seeing Spiderman.) Thanks in advance!

My dd was 10 when she first saw Wicked, and she's been obsessed ever since.

 

[MissDisney121]

My dd was 10 when she first saw Wicked, and she's been obsessed ever since.

I would 2nd Wicked. I'm not a kid but the last time I saw it there were tons of kids there and they seemed to love it. Plus it is equally interesting for kids and adults.

*editing this to note that this is my 1000th post! YAY!

 

[Deb in IA]

I'd love to see her get the part too. She's written to be such an annoying brat on Glee that you forget how talented she actually is. I saw her in Spring Awakening on Broadway awhile back (and I saw her in Ragtime when she was a little kid), and she was terrific.

I just hope those Taylor Swift rumors are wrong.

Oh dear Lord.....nooooooooo!!!!!!!!

I know right. I've only seen her act on in Valentines day and that was awful.

Did you guys see this? It is on the Huffington Post, so I don't know how accurate it is, but they are reporting that (ugh)
Taylor Swift has been cast as Eponine, and Amanda Seyfried is Cosette.

I'm OK with the casting of Cosette, but I do think Leah Michele would have been SO much better as Eponine.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...e-taylor-swift-amanda-seyfried_n_1182963.html

 

[TifffanyD]

We are going to see Million Dollar Quartet tonight! Can't wait!

 

[elgerber]

Did you guys see this? It is on the Huffington Post, so I don't know how accurate it is, but they are reporting that (ugh)
Taylor Swift has been cast as Eponine, and Amanda Seyfried is Cosette.

I'm OK with the casting of Cosette, but I do think Leah Michele would have been SO much better as Eponine.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...e-taylor-swift-amanda-seyfried_n_1182963.html

I have actually read that they were offered the parts, in multiple places, so I fear it's true.
Amanda Seyfried isn't too bad, at least she can sing. Now, I am a BIG Taylor Swift fan, but no way in hades does she have the voice for Eponine!!!!! I just saw Les Mis two weeks ago, and yuck, she will be terrible. Lea Michele would have been perfect for the part, I have no idea what they are thinking. They just shot the credibility of the entire movie out the window.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, after all, Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx?? YUCK!

This is a stupid statement though, considering Fantine dies when she is a young girl...
<<Seyfried, who is classically trained as an opera singer and appeared in the film musical "Mamma Mia!," also has an interesting challenge ahead of her: she will be portraying the daughter of Fantine, who is to be played Anne Hathaway, who is just three years her elder.>>

 

[snapppyd]

We're going to see Sister Act on Sunday - found out Carolee Carmello is playing Mother Superior - my DH would swim the ocean to see her in anything!

 

[AllisonK]

We're going to see Sister Act on Sunday - found out Carolee Carmello is playing Mother Superior - my DH would swim the ocean to see her in anything!

I have to get back to see Carolee. I saw Victoria Clark four times and saw her understudy the last time I went back in October and they were both wonderful so I'd like to see Carolee, as well.


I think the next show I'll be seeing is Evita! I have to wait until they announce the alternate Eva's performance schedule so I can buy my tickets to see her! I'll probably go sometime in April and make a weekend out of it (or a mid-week trip if I can get some vacation time).

 

[JenM]

I have actually read that they were offered the parts, in multiple places, so I fear it's true.
Amanda Seyfried isn't too bad, at least she can sing. Now, I am a BIG Taylor Swift fan, but no way in hades does she have the voice for Eponine!!!!! I just saw Les Mis two weeks ago, and yuck, she will be terrible. Lea Michele would have been perfect for the part, I have no idea what they are thinking. They just shot the credibility of the entire movie out the window.[/

Oh, it's not all over yet.

I'm not happy with the casting of Taylor Swift either - she definitely doesn't have the pipes for "On My Own" - but, I definitely think this was a casting move the studio wanted to make the movie more marketable to people who are unfamiliar with the stage show. Which, if you look at the box office receipts for the movie versions of Rent, Phantom of the Opera, and The Producers...it's pretty much proof that a mega-popular musical can still flame out at the box office even though it has a devoted fan following from the stage version.

I would have loved to see Lea Michele get the part as well. But again, if this was a marketing move, I'm guessing the studio looked at the declining ratings of Glee vs. Taylor's album/ticket sales and thought this was the safer choice to attact a wider audinece outside of the theater fans.

In that respect, it's a fairly smart move. Again, I'm not much of a Taylor Swift fan (I'm not in the "SHE CAN'T SING!!" camp, but I'm definitely in the camp that thinks she's just not a very strong singer), but it's not the worst thing that could possibly happen to this movie. That would have been if they cast Lindsay Lohan, Snooki, or a Kardashian.

I've been a Les Miz fan since 1989, when I spent an entire summer saving up my babysitting money to buy tickets to see it on Broadway. I had a cassette tape of the cast album that broke because I listened to it so much. I've seen the show 9 times, once on a school field trip for a class I wasn't even in - the teacher knew I liked the show and offered me an extra ticket. Despite the fact that I can't even remotely sing, I've known the entire score backwards for most of the last 20 years.

So trust me, I really don't want them to screw up this movie either. And outside of this one hiccup, it all still looks really, really good so far.

Don't give up hope yet.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, after all, Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx?? YUCK!

Actually, there was a test screening of Rock of Ages last week, and reports are that Tom Cruise steals the whole movie. They even said his singing was amazing.

This is a stupid statement though, considering Fantine dies when she is a young girl...
<<Seyfried, who is classically trained as an opera singer and appeared in the film musical "Mamma Mia!," also has an interesting challenge ahead of her: she will be portraying the daughter of Fantine, who is to be played Anne Hathaway, who is just three years her elder.>>

Yeah, the writer is clearly pretty clueless about the show. Although it looks like there are some corrections on that in the comments section.

 

[elgerber]

Actually, there was a test screening of Rock of Ages last week, and reports are that Tom Cruise steals the whole movie. They even said his singing was amazing.
.

Based on the trailer I finally saw it looked to me (and my dd) that they have deviated a lot from the Broadway version. It looked like there was a ton of Stacee Jaxx, when in the show, his part is not terribly big. I LOVE Rock of Ages (more than I liked Les Mis) and I am afraid (based on the trailers) that I won't love the movie.

Funny timing, I have my Itunes on shuffle at work, and Lea Michele is belting out On My Own as I type this

 

[Deb in IA]

I have actually read that they were offered the parts, in multiple places, so I fear it's true.
Amanda Seyfried isn't too bad, at least she can sing. Now, I am a BIG Taylor Swift fan, but no way in hades does she have the voice for Eponine!!!!! I just saw Les Mis two weeks ago, and yuck, she will be terrible. Lea Michele would have been perfect for the part, I have no idea what they are thinking. They just shot the credibility of the entire movie out the window.

Oh, it's not all over yet.

I'm not happy with the casting of Taylor Swift either - she definitely doesn't have the pipes for "On My Own" - but, I definitely think this was a casting move the studio wanted to make the movie more marketable to people who are unfamiliar with the stage show. Which, if you look at the box office receipts for the movie versions of Rent, Phantom of the Opera, and The Producers...it's pretty much proof that a mega-popular musical can still flame out at the box office even though it has a devoted fan following from the stage version.

I would have loved to see Lea Michele get the part as well. But again, if this was a marketing move, I'm guessing the studio looked at the declining ratings of Glee vs. Taylor's album/ticket sales and thought this was the safer choice to attact a wider audinece outside of the theater fans.

In that respect, it's a fairly smart move. Again, I'm not much of a Taylor Swift fan (I'm not in the "SHE CAN'T SING!!" camp, but I'm definitely in the camp that thinks she's just not a very strong singer), but it's not the worst thing that could possibly happen to this movie. That would have been if they cast Lindsay Lohan, Snooki, or a Kardashian.

I've been a Les Miz fan since 1989, when I spent an entire summer saving up my babysitting money to buy tickets to see it on Broadway. I had a cassette tape of the cast album that broke because I listened to it so much. I've seen the show 9 times, once on a school field trip for a class I wasn't even in - the teacher knew I liked the show and offered me an extra ticket. Despite the fact that I can't even remotely sing, I've known the entire score backwards for most of the last 20 years.

So trust me, I really don't want them to screw up this movie either. And outside of this one hiccup, it all still looks really, really good so far.

Don't give up hope yet.

Shhhh - don't give the idiot producers any more stupid ideas!!

Just kidding. I was really, REALLY hoping that the Taylor Swift rumors were all a bad joke, but sadly, it does not appear to be the case. I'm with you; I would have much rather seen Lea Michele, scrunchy-face and all, than I-only-sing-in-monotone Taylor . And now I'm really dreading how Taylor is going to sound on "On My Own", one of my favorite songs from the entire show.

I'll still go see the show, because like you, Jen, I love it so much. We've been waiting SO LONG for a really good screen version, that I also really wanted them to "get it right". But I'm not happy at all with this casting. Oh well, at least we will get Hugh - and THAT alone, is worth the price of a ticket - and probably the DVD later too.

On a more positive note, it appears that Helena Bonham Carter is confirmed at Madame Thenardier!

 

[TDC Nala]

I did wonder about the whole Tom Cruise/Rock of Ages thing as Stacee is pretty much a peripheral character in the show.

 

[gometros]

Can Taylor Swift act? Usually what we see in movie musicals is casting of actors whose singing is in question (Sweeney Todd) or Singers who don't necessarily have the acting chops. Since we all seem to agree that Taylor Swift doesn't have the voice for the role, if she can't carry the role as an actor, this movie is doomed.

 

[violetrose]

I'm dying to see Seminar but doubt I will make it for Alan Rickman's run.

We have tickets to see Book of Mormon in the spring. Has anyone seen it?

My favorite broadway musical of all time was In The Heights, and I have seen many many musicals. I went into that not knowing what to expect, I really only bought the tickets for my teenagers who love rap/hip hop music, and ended up treasuring it beyond words. We were lucky to see one of the last performances with Lin Manuel Miranda. I wish they would make a movie out of that! Hated Rock of Ages - not sure why since I came of age in the 80s. I really can't even imagine what they are thinking casting Taylor Swift - she doesn't even look the part, let alone have the talent for it. I'm not anti Taylor either, but don't see her having enough presence to carry it off.

 

[JenM]

I'll still go see the show, because like you, Jen, I love it so much. We've been waiting SO LONG for a really good screen version, that I also really wanted them to "get it right". But I'm not happy at all with this casting. Oh well, at least we will get Hugh - and THAT alone, is worth the price of a ticket - and probably the DVD later too.

Of course...and if anyone thinks I'm missing Hugh as Jean Valjean because I'd rather have stay home having a hissy fit over Taylor Swift, they're crazy!

By the way...did I miss the memo where Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman had their Oscar, Tony, and Emmy taken away? The way people (all over the internet) are now proclaiming a movie they couldn't wait to see 24 hours ago as "doomed", I guess I didn't realize that Taylor Swift's other ability was to apparently suck the talent out everyone around her just because of the possibility she was miscast in a movie that hasn't been made yet.

I get (and share) the disappointment, but not the pre-emptive funeral march.

 

[Kitzka]

I think the next show I'll be seeing is Evita! I have to wait until they announce the alternate Eva's performance schedule so I can buy my tickets to see her! I'll probably go sometime in April and make a weekend out of it (or a mid-week trip if I can get some vacation time).

out of curiosity can i ask why you want to see the alternate evita? someone else i know mentioned this as well and i was curious why the alternate was in such high demand.

i'm really looking forward to seeing this show.

Lara

 

[JenM]

I'm dying to see Seminar but doubt I will make it for Alan Rickman's run.

I want to see this too. Luckily, I work in NYC so I'm hoping to TKTS is one night soon. It's supposed to be great!

We have tickets to see Book of Mormon in the spring. Has anyone seen it?

Yep! I loved it. It's competely and utterly offensive to just about everyone...but in a good way. Just do yourself a favor, and skip listening to the cast album until you see the show to avoid spoilers. It's best to wait until you see it live.

My favorite broadway musical of all time was In The Heights, and I have seen many many musicals. I went into that not knowing what to expect, I really only bought the tickets for my teenagers who love rap/hip hop music, and ended up treasuring it beyond words. We were lucky to see one of the last performances with Lin Manuel Miranda. I wish they would make a movie out of that! Hated Rock of Ages - not sure why since I came of age in the 80s. I really can't even imagine what they are thinking casting Taylor Swift - she doesn't even look the part, let alone have the talent for it. I'm not anti Taylor either, but don't see her having enough presence to carry it off.

I loved In the Heights too. Lin Manuel was amazing! They were supposed to make a movie, but unfortunately it fell through. Hopefully someone will pick it up eventually.

I didn't expect to like Rock of Ages, but I loved it. Wasn't too sure about the movie, but there was a test screening last week and it apparently went very well so I'm looking forward to it a bit more now.

Like I said, I'm not a Taylor Swift fan either (especially not a fan of her being in the movie version of my favorite musical), but I'm willing to wait to see how she does before I make any serious judgment on it. There's way too much that's gone right as far as the casting for this to have me freaking out yet.

 

[Kitzka]

I'm dying to see Seminar but doubt I will make it for Alan Rickman's run.

We have tickets to see Book of Mormon in the spring. Has anyone seen it?

My favorite broadway musical of all time was In The Heights, and I have seen many many musicals. I went into that not knowing what to expect, I really only bought the tickets for my teenagers who love rap/hip hop music, and ended up treasuring it beyond words. We were lucky to see one of the last performances with Lin Manuel Miranda. I wish they would make a movie out of that! Hated Rock of Ages - not sure why since I came of age in the 80s. I really can't even imagine what they are thinking casting Taylor Swift - she doesn't even look the part, let alone have the talent for it. I'm not anti Taylor either, but don't see her having enough presence to carry it off.

I saw book of mormon. it was SOOOOO good. and so funny. but fyi it can be crude and you ahve to have a sense of humor. if you watch south park at all it will give yuo an idea of their sense of humor. but the creators are talented!

Lara

 

[disbabyndaddy]

Back in 2004, my friends & I experienced the single most perfect NYC day, a Saturday, no less:

* All four of us put our names in for $20 front row lottery tickets to an AVENUE Q matinee...and two of us were drawn!! Each name selected could get two tickets for $20 each, so all four of us got to sit in the front row. (A nice person traded so we could sit together.) We saw the original cast with the Christmas Eve understudy...hilarious & perfect!

* Lunch at Ray's Pizza...one of *the* pizza place you've got to visit in NYC.

* Early evening drinks at Tavern on the Green

* Saw the original cast of WICKED, sitting on the floor, Orchestra, row 8(?). The lights came up at intermission, and Susan turned to me (as I was wiping away tears) and say "You sissy." Haha! We both laughed because she was crying too ~ such an emotional show AND a special evening to see both Idina and Kristen that night. It is one of the only shows during which I was too exhausted at intermission to even stand and stretch! (I've seen the national tour twice since, excellent both times...just a fabulous show.)

My perfect New York City theatre day with some of my three closest friends. Ahhh....just thinking about it...now I wanna go back!!