West End Prince of Egypt- Page 2

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/5/19 at 7:39pm

JennH said: "P of E, at least what I saw at T.W. was basically a travesty and much of it missed the point to why the movie is a much beloved masterpiece. Of course I can't speak on the book for any other production after T.W. but if they didn't overhaul it, it's gonna have a rough road if they're gonna take it to NY, and it's seems like that's the plan considering this West End production, limited though it may be."

I'm wondering if the book was drastically different or at least revised. The Tuacahn production was pretty straightforward and staged in a large amphitheater so the design was large scale like the West End production looks to be shaping up to be. The pictures from Theatre Works do look like the production was very sparse and presentational. I imagine the book must have been revised somewhat to adjust for the change in scale.

[JennH]

Posted: 9/6/19 at 9:59am

CATSNYrevival said: "JennH said: "P of E, at least what I saw at T.W. was basically a travesty and much of it missed the point to why the movie is a much beloved masterpiece. Of course I can't speak on the book for any other production after T.W. but if they didn't overhaul it, it's gonna have a rough road if they're gonna take it to NY, and it's seems like that's the plan considering this West End production, limited though it may be."

I'm wondering if the book was drastically different or at least revised. TheTuacahn production was pretty straightforward and staged in a large amphitheater so thedesign was large scalelike the West End production looks to be shaping up to be.Thepictures from Theatre Works do look like the production was very sparse and presentational.I imagine the book must have been revised somewhat to adjust for the change in scale."

It was VERY sparse and more REPresentationl than anything, it was strange mix of both actually. Some parts were more presentational and others were more abstract. Never a good thing, as it leads to a show identity crisis. I distinctly remember my brother laughing at how people were playing the chariots and burning bush. I did too, honestly...

 

Updated On: 9/6/19 at 09:59 AM

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 9/6/19 at 10:49am

What precisely was wrong with the book? The writer is the screenwriter of the movie, so I’m confused how he can mess up his own movie.

[JennH]

Posted: 9/6/19 at 11:22am

Same way many screenwriters have messed up their own work when translating it to the stage? Frozen's screenplay was never all that great, but Lee made it even worse on stage. Some writers can write for one medium but not the other. 

But the T.W. script was changed entirely from the film when it didn't need it. That screenplay is a marvel. I daresay it's also the Schwartz's having imput, since as always, they're trying to not just rehash the film on stage, they're always trying to differentiate them. Which as a general practice in translation is fine, but as I've always said, P of E is already so good already that it doesn't need much change, if any at all. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The script was pretty trite and lacking character development, but also it lacked a lot of focus on the TWO BOYS. That's what this particular piece is about, and that was another thing my brother noticed before even I did when we saw it. 

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 9/6/19 at 11:31am

Are they not using child actors for this production or have they just not cast them yet because of some kind of child labor laws I don't know about?

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 2/6/20 at 7:04pm

Well, the show has started last night and...woof. I'm so devasted if it's as bad as it sounds. 

https://twitter.com/miltonesque/status/1225562786249482242

https://twitter.com/AnnaPridgeon/status/1225554716622544896

https://twitter.com/jamesd_27/status/1225529997504458770

https://twitter.com/Joe_punchbowl/status/1225201500714078208

https://twitter.com/nakhaneofficial/status/1225347125971648512

https://twitter.com/GoodillMatthew/status/1225248859410046976

https://twitter.com/CorvustheCorvid/status/1225208094822666240

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 2/6/20 at 7:04pm

double

Updated On: 2/6/20 at 07:04 PM

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 2/6/20 at 8:00pm

I saw it tonight, and it's bad. The cast is great, but the direction is abysmal, this must be one of the worst cases of nepotism in recent theatre history lol. It's not just the lack of a real set that bothers me, but the complete absence of vision, creativity and stage-craft. Everything is done with projections, the plagues are only described (a part from a few globes of fire falling down at the end of the song, but it's the same effect of POTO) and the least said about the parting of the Red Sea the better

Updated On: 2/6/20 at 08:00 PM

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 2/6/20 at 8:36pm

imeldasturn said: "I saw it tonight, and it's bad. The cast is great, but the direction is abysmal, this must be one of the worst cases of nepotism in recent theatre history lol. It's not just the lack of a real set that bothers me, but the complete absence of vision, creativity and stage-craft. Everything is done with projections, the plagues are only described (a part from a few globes of fire falling down at the end of the song, but it's the same effect of POTO) and the least said about the parting of the Red Sea the better"


how sad. 

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 2/6/20 at 8:37pm

Well, I heard the about Red Sea part and that’s actually incredible, but yup the community theatre direction from Scott is what we feared and expected.

I can not believe after 6 years, the book is still the same from CA and it seems like a huge mess from what I read. That Disney ending, omg!!! It’s too late to replace now.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 2/6/20 at 10:22pm

Sounds like the Papermill Hunchback all over again. Still devastated over how absolutely amateurish and cloying that production was, after all those years of waiting. The nepotism has got to stop. Imagine that next we'll get Pocahontas with an ensemble of "trees" (it's just a burlap sack put on right in front of our eyes, is that CLEVER or what?!) who pave over the entire show with school pageant narration. 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 2/6/20 at 11:14pm

Someone tell him to stop! The Sunday School story telling in Hunchback ruined that show for me and that’s one of my Top 5 theater scores.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/6/20 at 11:55pm

I was really hoping this would turn into the hit the songs deserve.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/7/20 at 12:05am

Now I’m even more excited to see it next month than I was before lol

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 2/7/20 at 12:11am

It’s got Dreamworks money behind it! It should be an EVENT! Ugh.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/7/20 at 2:22am

Hopefully the cast album will still be decent even if the production is not as grand as it should be. The Hunchback cast album isn’t too bad.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 2/7/20 at 10:10am

So disappointed

[JennH]

Posted: 2/7/20 at 10:59am

And there it is. I really don't want this transferring. It sounds like it'll get torn apart by critics there, and rightly so, because the same would likely happen here. And that gif tweet from Joe Punchbowl is an AMAZING way to get the message across and it uses a potent scene and lien from the ACTUAL movie LOL!

"That Disney ending!" Oh lord...what happened now?? I know how the TW production ended, and it was bad, but seems like it might have not been changed. 

[darquegk]

Posted: 2/7/20 at 2:39pm

How did that production end?

[DrewJoseph]

Posted: 2/8/20 at 8:16am

I’m going next week and getting nervous. I really was devastated how they butchered THOND at Paper Mill. The german production was miiiiiiles better and they couldn’t see that? And now its happening all over again..

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 2/8/20 at 8:59am

darquegk said: "How did that production end?"

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Ramses and Moses literally make up. When they part the Red Sea, you know how the army comes tries to kill them and stuff? Well, Idk if they kept the war scene or not. But, Ramses is like, "Sorry." And Moses forgives him and that's it. Guess even the Torah and the Bible's message & point of how pride is the downfall of one's self is no match for another Wicked.  

And I also found the "set"  on a IG video and OMG, what happened to that gorgeous concept art?! 

Updated On: 2/8/20 at 08:59 AM

[rpvee]

Posted: 2/9/20 at 10:22pm

How was the instrumentation? Did they keep the authentic Middle Eastern elements, at least? Kind of like a new Band’s Visit instrumentally speaking?

Also, how was Yocheved? How’d they handle Ofra Haza’s vocal parts of the score, like when Moses wanders in the desert?

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 2/12/20 at 4:59pm

The song list, according to someone who has seen it:

ACT 1
Deliver us - Egyptian Overseers, Hebrews, Yocheved, Tuya,Young Miriam
Faster - Moses, Ramses, Hotep, Priests
One Weak Link - Seti
Footprints in the Sand - Moses
One Weak Link (Reprise) - Ramses, Moses
Seti’s Return - Egyptian Court
Dance to the Day - Tzipporah
All I Ever Wanted - Miriam, Moses, Yocheved, Seti, Tuya
The Laws of the Gods - Hotep, Ensemble
Make it Right - Ramses, Moses,
Moses in the Desert - Moses, Ensemble
Through Heaven’s Eyes - Jethro, Midianites
Faster (Reprise) - Ramses, Moses
Never in a Million Years - Tzipporah
Act One Finale - Full Company
ACT 2
Through Heaven’s Eyes (Reprise) - Tzipporah
The Naming Ceremony - Tzipporah
Always on Your Side - Ramses, Moses
Simcha* - Moses, Tzipporah, Miriam, Hebrews
Deliver Us (Reprise) - Aaron, Hebrews
The Plagues - Ramses, Hotep, Miriam, Aaron, Moses, Tuya, Priests, Hebrews, Egyptians
For the Rest of My Life - Moses
Heartless - Nefetari
When You Believe - Miriam, Tzipporah, Young Girl, Moses, Hebrews
Act Two Finale - Full Company

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/12/20 at 5:19pm

Thank you for the song list. What does the asterisk mean?

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 2/12/20 at 6:03pm

I have no clue lol