British Imports

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The Mega Musical

The Mega Musical was something truly introduced during the 1980’s. Generally a Mega Musical is a production that has large ensembles, lavish sets and expensive special effects. The three longest running musicals of all time are examples of Mega musicals. They are also all British Imports.

Cats

I first saw  Cats on home video when my little sister convinced my parents to purchase it on DVD, so she could finish watching the production (they had watched some during one of her classes). I ended up watching the film with her and at first was indifferent about it. Days later though, the songs remained in my head and I found myself re watching the DVD. This continued and I got to the point where I was watching the DVD nearly every day, for several weeks. This isn’t unfamiliar for me. But I began to talk about nothing but Cats. At the time I fell in love with the production, it was still the longest running musical on Broadway, though not for long. Only a few years later was it trumped by Phantom of the Opera. My entry about Phantom of the Opera can be found here.

I was so enthralled by Cats that I was able to convince my parents, with the help of my sister, to take us to see the production live in Washington DC. Right before the play began, I was so overcome by my excitement that I began to cry just from the first few notes of the opening theme. I was ecstatic. My favorite song and pair of cats within the show had always been Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, so I kept my eyes upon them for the majority of the show. I had been quite pleased with the experience, even though I knew by the intermission I was the only one who was really excited out of my family.

I had such a reputation for my love of Cats that one of my friends, Alicia, even made me my very own Mr. Mistoffolees arm warmers for Christmas that year.

In the background you may notice on the wall a framed vinyl of the original cast album for Cats. Also, I began to collect figurines that were released over the years that were based off the musical. As you can see, I was thoroughly obsessed. I saw it one additional time as a University production and I have potential plans in the near future to see it for a third time in Hershey Park. The plot of the musical may be minimal but I still adore it.

Les Miserables

The Day I saw Les Miserables, it rained all day. It felt appropriate.

Les Miserables may no longer be on Broadway, but it still is playing on West End. Due it still playing in London, it has now become the longest running musical in history. And for good reason.

The friend I mentioned earlier, Alicia, was one of my true confidants in the world of musical obsession; along with the girl I mentioned in the Phantom of the Opera post, Mary. Les Miserables was one of my first cast albums and during my freshman year of college, I caught a commercial for the tour. Realizing it was going to be stopping in Washington DC, I pleaded with my father for him to get me tickets. Alicia was the girl who I ended up going with for that show.

I am very picky when it comes to Les Miserables. Even though I have three different cast albums, my favorite is the Complete Symphonic Recording. I feel as if the other cast albums will never hold a candle to the Symphonic recording and I rarely listen to the other versions, even though I own them.

“On My Own” was my gateway into the world of Les Miserables. I had heard the song in an episode of “Dawson’s Creek“, way back in the 5th grade, when Katie Holmes was my idol. In other words, along time ago.

I then proceeded to have a friend in the seventh grade who was already obsessed with this musical. She introduced me to “Master of the House” and the recordings were often in the background when we spent time together. Soon enough I got the cast recording myself and not long after that, we had an entire Broadway based marching band show in my high school. I was one of the few who understood that “I Dreamed a Dream” was not a cheery song, without being told by my band director.

Being able to see it on tour solidified the show as my favorite musical of all time. Only recently has this position been rivaled and that has been due to my experience seeing Hair, which now shares the spot of favorite with Les Miserables.

Miss Saigon

I only own a Best of recording for Miss Saigon, a fact that I am very upset over. Eventually I plan to get my hands on the entire cast album, but it doesn’t seem likely any time soon. I hope that one day Miss Saigon will be revived on Broadway, only out of my own yearning to see it.

Favorite Clips

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer from the Cats film. It is my favorite song from the musical and I hate the fact that it is impossible to find this version of the song on CD. Originally this song  was much slower and had a jazz feel to the tune. Then there was another version that was sang by Mr. Mistoffelees and the two characters were puppets he conjured up. I believe this peppy duet is the best version of the three choices and the best song from the entire production. Who cares about Memory? Cats has so many rich and lively songs. Memory is just a worn out ballad that really needs to be put to rest.

My favorite song from Miss Saigon by one of my favorite performers. It is a horrible camera video but it really should be viewed for the 30 or so seconds of Patrick Wilson rocking out the tune.

Lea Salonga is also one of my favorite performers. She played the character of Éponine in Les Miserables for a time and is the singer for the part on the Complete Symphonic Recording (as well as the 10th anniversary concert). My love for her vocals is what lead me to Miss Saigon, as I was trying to find more of her work. She plays Kim in the original production and this is a video of her supposed audition for the musical.

Earlier I posted the clip from “Dawson’s Creek” that got me interested in Les Miserables. Here is a video of Lea Salonga performing the song at the 10th Anniversary Concert. She will always be my favorite Éponine and this is a chilling performance. The entire DVD is superb and really worth checking out if you are a fan of the musical.

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The Phantom of the Opera

Broadway Strike of 2003

When I was a sophomore in high school, I was able to experience New York City for the very first time. My first musical experience was meant to be the Phantom of the Opera. The morning we were to leave for the city, my father drove me to the school. He was listening to an AM station that was dealing with the news and I was half asleep. He then proceeded to tell me that I might not be able to see the play. In confusion, I began to listen to what the news was saying.

The Broadway musician’s union had started a strike. In a panic, I rushed into my band music room to ask my Professor if we’d still be able to see our show. We didn’t.

We took the trip anyways and I missed out on the Phantom of the Opera. Instead, since the trip was a marching band field trip, we traveled all around the city. Many of us stopped and talked to the people participating in the picket lines. I was new to the musical world and really had no idea who I had a chance to speak with, though I remember some were performers from Aida and some were performers from The Producers. After touring the city, my specific group of friends and chaperon ended up joining in the marches down time square. People carried coffins and tossed sheet music into them, symbolizing how the music would die if musicals were to being relying upon taped music. The protests shut down nearly every show on Broadway at the time. Performers sang on the streets in front of their empty theaters. It was an event I was so glad to be able to witness for it solidified my respect for musicians and performers who put some much heart into their productions.

The Phantom of the Opera

The reason I bring this up is because whenever I think of the Phantom of the Opera I think of this weekend. I eventually had the privileged to see the Phantom of the Opera twice, once during my senior year of high school and once during this year.

The Phantom of the Opera truly is the definition of a mega-musical. It is the longest running musical on Broadway and it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. The theater is constantly selling massive amounts of tickets for each show. It is one of the few Broadway shows in history to be given a sequel, something that is traditionally reserved for film and television only. It is the true King of New York City.

My First Viewing

My first Phantom was portrayed by Hugh Panaro. I was a senior in high school and it was the second musical I had seen at the time. Just as my sophomore trip was, this trip was with my high school marching band. We had managed to get a group rate with very good seats because a student in our class was related to one of the performers. I sat beside one of my best friends, Mary, and we analyzed the entire theater before the show even began, noticing the very detailed and naughty angel sculptures that surrounded the stage.

Nothing is like your first experience with the Phantom of the Opera, when it is brand new to you individually. The chandelier rose from the stage after a crack of music, the famous overture starting. I sunk down in my seat, staring up at it in amazement, before focusing back on the stage. When the chandelier fell at the end of the first act, I was one of the many who gasped loudly and almost cowered, afraid it may actually fall upon us. Which clearly it would not have, but I was naive back then.

Then the second act came. All of the second act, I was in tears. I was just overcome with emotion and I could not believe how sad the production was, or how much I wanted to know more.After the play we even got a chance to ask the performers questions. It was absolutely thrilling.

The Obsession

The Phantom of the Opera truly was an emotional roller coaster for me, something I would not stop talking about for several months after seeing the play. It didn’t help that the film came out in time to coincide with my viewing of the play. I devoured everything I could that was related to Phantom. I read the original novel and the many novels that came out over time that were inspired by the musical. My favorite novel was ‘Phantom‘ by Susan Kay and it is still one of my favorite novels to this day. As an additional note, I’m still holding out hope for a ‘Phantom’ by Susan Kay based filmed.

Billy Crudup for Charles de Chagny!

Love Never Dies

I used to desperately want a sequel. I sought out these additional novels (and often I sought out fan written stories known as fanfiction) just to get as much as I could out of the fandom. But I hated the novel ‘The Phantom of Manhatten.’ I felt it was poorly written and was really just fanfiction that was lucky enough to be published. Notice it’s amazon rating? Yeah check out Gaston Leroux’s original novel’s amazon rating. I’m not the only one who feels this way.

The funny thing…or perhaps the ironic thing…is that novel is what the new Phantom of the Opera sequel, Love Never Dies, is based upon. I got wiser in my years and began to realize that sequels rarely live up to the original. It is typically best if sequels are just never made. I am able to laugh at the fact I used to so desperately want a sequel and I am now getting one, but from the novel I truly hated as a Phantom fan. It’s truly ironic.

Love Never Dies may surprise me. I have no way of knowing just yet. I have to wait for it to arrive on Broadway. I just highly doubt it. Perhaps I’ll discuss my full feelings in one of the podcasts.

I just felt that I needed to post about the Phantom of the Opera, since I just recently saw it. I’ll be posting about all British Imports later this afternoon.

Videos

My clip from the Phantom of the Opera film is ‘All I ask of You.’ Patrick Wilson is my ideal Raoul and the best thing about the film. Let it be known, I am a Phantom fan who can appreciate both Erik (the Phantom) and Raoul. I think it is quite unjust of Andrew Lloyd Weber (and the original author of ‘The Phantom of Manhatten’) to butcher his character in the way they do with the sequel.

The Phantom of the Opera came out during the prime of MTV and due to the popularity, they made this music video based on the title song. It’s rather comical from a modern view. Some of the lyrics are changed. This video features Steve Harley, who was the original Phantom for a portion of the rehearsals, before he was replaced by Michael Crawford. I, for one, am glad that he was replaced by Michael Crawford because Michael Crawford seems to evoke the feeling of the Phantom better. Steve Harley feels too young and has too much of the rock vocals, which was my primary issue with Gerard Butler in the film version.

Michael Crawford shows how it should be done, again with Sarah Brightman. From the Tony awards.

I may have little faith in this show, but man do I love this song.

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Spring Break Trip – Hair

The Beginning of  My Obsession with Hair

I have a long standing history with the musical Hair. It was one of the first film musicals I remember viewing as a pre teen and one of the first I remember obsessing over. I viewed it for the first time somewhere around the age of ten years old, after my mother decided I was finally old enough to watch the film. I later came to realize it was one of her favorite films and since my viewing of the film, it has become a film we watch on mother/daughter days (other films  that we’d do this too were Moulin Rouge, Little Shop of Horrors, Across the Universe and the non musical film Hook. Clearly, we like musicals). Of course, my mother did her best to try and censor the film for my young eyes. The song “Sodomy”did not exist in my version of Hair. She fast forwarded through the controversial track and well into my adult hood, I did the same. I’ve broken the habit but to this day it still feels like a taboo if I view or listen to the “Sodomy” segment.

But I’ve gotten off track. I had a point and the point is very simple. I love Hair. During my brief years of entertaining the prospect of becoming a director, of both film and stage, I always dreamed of bringing Hair back to Broadway for my generation. Once America entered the war on Terror, my desire for a Hair revival became greater. Hair seemed necessary in my eyes in our political climate. I wasn’t the only one to have this view and in 2007, Hair began to play in Central Park.

The Central Park Performances

The Central Park performances became my dreams. I wanted to visit New York and watch one of the performances. I had every thing in preparation as well until my lodgings fell through, this being before I realized I was capable of making day trips to the city. I was briefly sullen at my missed opportunity, having been under the impression it was a very limited engagement, and did my best to not sulk too much about the incident. The Central Park performances proved to be so popular that the revival was commissioned, first beginning at the Public Theater then moving to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where I was lucky enough to view the show two days ago.

My Viewing of Hair on Broadway

Hair became the third show I’ve seen in New York City. I ventured to New York City as a Spring Break trip with my roommate. Hair was a Christmas present from my parents to her and I, while her parents got us tickets to see Phantom of the Opera later that evening. As I saw the musical on the 17th of March, the original revival cast (which included most of the cast members from the Central Park and Public Theater performances) had just left the musical. The original cast is now working on originating a revival on the West End stage. While it certainly would have been nice to see the original participants of the revival, it didn’t matter much to me as a viewer. It was a revival no matter how you looked at it and all that mattered to me was energy. Energy was something that my cast certainly did not lack. Every cast member seemed to be full of exuberance, loving the performance they were a part of, and seemingly having a great time.

I admit that prior to my viewing of the stage show, I had never put any effort into researching the production. I assumed that the film was a close adaptation of the source material and that perhaps the stage show had a few extra songs. I was of course wrong and I am glad of it. While I will continue to love and cherish the film, it fails in comparison to the stage show. The stage show’s plot is vastly different from that of the film. The differences are so great that one wonders just how a director could take so much creative liberty with the material. When placed together in an effort to find a comparison, one only finds that the songs are identical and characters share the same names. Nothing else is identical.

Differences between Stage and Screen

In the stage show, Claude is a member of the tribe of hippies. The tribe is larger then the four members the film portrays, in fact it comprises of most of the cast. Claude is not the only member in the tribe that obtains a draft card, but is the only one who does not burn his during the Be-In. This makes it so that Claude’s focus in the second act is on what to do. Being drafted into the Vietnam war goes against all of Claude’s beliefs and values. Berger suggests that Claude immigrate up to Canada but Claude never makes it. Claude dies before he is able to escape his fate, appearing on stage in a uniform with a military hair cut, stating how “They got me.”

Claude is where all of the major changes in the film version start. They rip Claude from his family, that of the tribe, and present him as an outsider in the film. By doing this, Claude is not a loved member of the cast but a mechanism for the plot. He is who meets the hippies and does not how to interact with them. He is the one who leaves an impression upon George Berger, even though they only knew each other for the span of several days. He is the one who desperately falls for Sheila, a bastardized version of her stage counter part. Berger knows of Claude’s feelings and wants to see his friend once again, so sparks the road trip to the boot camp that Claude goes to several months after his visit to New York City. Berger gets Claude to sneak from Boot Camp, staying in his stead, and accidentally gets shipped off to Vietnam with no training. The film ends with Claude living and Berger dying.

Two Separate Entities

While the film is a wonderful story, it should be separated completely from the musical. It is important that a viewer thinks of them as two separate entities, as both are good in their own right, but once compared, one wonders why the producers felt the need to change nearly everything. The source material, that of the stage show, was already drastically popular and thus had a guaranteed audience. The most logical explanation would be that they wanted a more concrete plot line. But one does wonder if the producers of the film also wanted a watered down version of the source material. The film is not as explicit as that of the stage show. The audience does not get the impression that Claude, Berger and Sheila are one entity. They appear to be a romantic trio in the stage show, with Jeannie even making a comment to the audience how “Berger is hung up on Everything and Claude is hung up on a cross between Berger and Sheila.” Woof’s apparent sexuality is watered down for the film as well, with Woof making the comment he’d not kick Mick Jagger out of his bed as an apparent in joke. In the stage show, Woof means this statement and appears to have not come to full grasp with his sexual interests, as he is at the very least bisexual. Nudity also does not appear on as large a scale in the film as it does in the stage show. The first act ends with every stage member undressing during the Be-In, after burning the draft cards. All of these elements come together and can be viewed, from at least some perspective, as a watering down of the stage show for the film audiences of the 1970s. Which is a true shame and makes me really yearn for an actual remake of Hair on film. I normally do not support remakes but I feel as if the stage show deserves a chance to be portrayed as it truly is and that it’d be well received in our modern age.

Additional Materials

I discovered the song ‘Going Down’ while I was at the show. Of course there were other songs that I hadn’t heard before but this was the one I particularly enjoyed. I liked it so much I might include it in the final show, where I finally get the chance to play music from Hair.

One really cool thing that Hair does as a stage show is the cast invites the audience on stage to dance with the cast. While dancing, everyone on stage sings a rendition of ‘Let the Sunshine In.’ Not willing to pass up that chance, my roommate and I rushed for the stage once the show was over to participate. What I was not expecting was to find myself in a video online the next day. The video is located here.

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