BIG The Musical

[jamiekennywicked]

Having only heard a few songs from the cast recording and seeing clips on youtube from regional/school productions, I was wondering, what did people think of the Broadway production of Big The Musical?

[Mr Roxy]

I enjoyed it. I have no idea why it tanked

[Elphaba]

I think we have our answer

[Huss417]

I was not a fan of the show. It was one of the only times I wanted to leave at intermission but my partner wanted to stay.

I recall at intermission we were talking and I said this is one of the worst things I have ever seen. The woman sitting in front of us turned around and said "Have you seen Passion?" She felt that was even worse then Big.

Funny that is all I even recall of the show. Well that and a bunch of super hyper kids onstage.

[BwayEqs]

I never saw it, but I love the movie.

[iluvtheatertrash]

It was my first Broadway show. I loved every second of it, but wouldn't you have, too, if it was your first?

[Rypm25]

I saw it...I remember enjoying it while I watched it. When it was over I never gave it a second thought. In fact, I forgot I had even seen it until I saw this thread.

[Jon]

Bad book, bad direction. Annoying kids. Super creepy number in which, while the girl is seducing "big" Josh, 12-year old Josh appears to sing the thoughts inside his head. Ridiculous final scene in which the entire neighborhood of kids SEES Josh turn back into a child.

Finally, Daniel Jenkins' voice sounded like Tom Hanks - his speaking voice, and if Tom Hanks was ever to sing, Jenkins' singing voice is exactly what you'd expct it to sound like. But he wasn't Tom Hanks. It's probably better to cast someone COMPLETELY, different, so the audience isn't constantly reminded of the original.

[ucjrdude902]

I'd like to see a revival of the tour.

[dramamama611]

While I understand the sentiment of loving your firt b'way show -- I hated mine, Grease. This was in the late 70s, so it was the original run (obviously, NOT the original cast.)

Hated, hated, hated it.

[Tsao5]

Enjoyable and forgettable. Some decent songs. The cast was good but it seemed forced and rushed and the kids songs about the woos of being teenagers a bit toooo cutesy.

I believe the tour was changed to eliminate most of the kids.

I was a bit surprised it closed so quickly because I thought families would have liked it more.

[winston89]

I am a little bias since it was the first Broadway show I saw, and the show that turned me on to a lifelong love of theatre. But, awhile back, I went to the Lincoln Center archives to see it again. And, I must say, that the book might not be the best but I still really loved it. Too bad it won't be revived.

[temms]

It was my senior year of college in Bloomington, Indiana and I had a light schedule that semester, so a couple friends and I did a long daytrip to go see a preview of "Big" in Detroit because, why not? It was cool to see a show that early in previews, and I even got to meet David Shire in the lobby before the show.

I saw it again post-Broadway opening a couple months later, and it had definitely improved from what I'd seen in Detroit. Whether it was good on its own or not was harder to judge. But they had completely redone the opening (they took part of the verse of the old opening, and added the "Can't wait" chorus), written a new first song for Susan (in Detroit it was something called "I'll Think About It Later" which got changed to "Here We Go Again"), and there was a different song in the bedroom that got replaced by "Stars, Stars, Stars". There was no Act One finale at all - "Cross The Line" was totally new when I saw it.

It was my first real chance to see a show in early out-of-town previews and then again post-opening, having read so many books about the development of shows. Seeing how they took half-formed ideas in Detroit and filled in so many of the places I thought they should was really exciting to see. It was clear that the piece needed a better first act closer and a clearer opening - it definitely got those. But again - was it a good show, or merely a better version of the lackluster one I'd already seen? I can't really say for sure.

I also saw the tour sometime later, which made even more changes. I appreciated that they got rid of some of the super-hyper Stroman kid choreography which was kind of grating. "Fun" went from being an obligatory full ensemble number to just Josh and his boss, and it was a genuine bonding moment for them in a way that it wasn't before. I really loved a song they added for Susan after "Stars" when Josh has fallen asleep called "Little Susan Lawrence", about how she was remembering how it felt to be a teenager. It wasn't the most dramatic of songs, but it was great to hear a straight-up Maltby & Shire character ballad sung in the context of a show.

But at the same time, it lost a lot of flavor and while the tour version lacked a lot of the obnoxiousness, it felt somehow slower and duller. I'm not sure either version is definitive, and I get the impression Richard Maltby feels similarly.

That said, were it not for "Rent" and the Tonys debacle that season, things might have panned out very differently for "Big".

[ucjrdude902]

Tonys debacle?

[theatreguy]

In 1996, Rent and Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk were clearly going to be nominated for Best Musical and dominate the awards (which they did). It was assumed that Big and Victor/Victoria, while not exactly acclaimed, would fill out the Best Musical category. Instead, the other nominees were Chronicle of a Death Foretold (a Lincoln Center Theater limited run that run from May to July, 1995) and Swinging on a Star (a flop which had closed in January, 1996 and received no other nominations). It was a pretty big controversy at the time - some of it is detailed in the book Making It Big - and the following year they Tonys changed how nominations are voted on.

Big was nominated for Book, Score, Lead Actress, Featured Actor and Choreography.
Victor/Victoria was only nominated for Lead Actress.

[CATSNYrevival]

^Not even that since Julie Andrews rejected the nomination. Did they still read off her name that year or was she no longer nominated at that point?

[ucjrdude902]

So is that why Julie Andrews declined her nomination?

[theatreguy]

They did read her name, Cats. Here's the video, for anyone who's interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtd76ah26rs

And here's a portion Andrews' speech declining her nomination: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WZ-q88WhWE&feature=fvwrel

[temms]

They did read Julie's name at the broadcast, and just used a headshot when they read hers. I think most people assumed she'd win anyway, and Donna Murphy seemed genuinely shocked when they called her name.

I happened to be in town the week of the nominations, and I was crashing on the floor of a friend-of-a-friend from college who worked for a Press Agency. He called to give us a heads-up that Julie Andrews would be declining her Tony nomination, and if we wanted to watch the circus we should go over to the Marquis after the matinee.

I didn't manage to get in to actually watch the announcement, but I was outside in the Marquis lobby when it happened, and so got to watch the ensuing circus of TV cameras and reporters and such. I got to watch Frank Rich give some on-camera interviews. The producers of the V/V were there working the room. It was a fun afternoon.

I also remember the Tonys being the front page of the NY Post for three days running - Day One the big headline was "Tony Baloney", which came the day after the nominations were announced and "Big" and "V/V" were snubbed (along with "State Fair", produced by David Merrick who would have one last press hurrah with the all the hubbub). The day after Julie declined the nom, the headline was "Mary Poppins Hoppin Mad!" I forget what Day Three was, but it was something equally ridiculous.

I do remember that Merrick placed an ad in the Times the week of the awards that simply said: "Julie: Dinner? Sunday at 8? My place? - David" along with the "State Fair" logo.

The whole thing is chronicled in much detail in "Making It Big", but it was definitely one of the biggest circuses I've gotten to witness, aside from the various strikes. Changes were made to the nominating process the next year.

[ucjrdude902]

I hate to keep asking questions (but I like to learn) what were the major difference of voting processes?

[Dollypop]

Loved the show and saw it several times. It was a well-constructed, old-time musical. some of the tunes were really fine. I don't know why it didn't last.

[Mr Roxy]

Dolly agrees with me. Pigs are now flying overhead.

[morosco]

Love the song "Stop Time".

[Owen22]

Even though it was far from the first, "Big the Musical" seemed to usher in the modern film-to-stage adaptation trend, an influx we are still seeing today. It was a Maltby/Shire score so that set it apart, but the semi-stodgy book that unimaginatively merely reset the film on stage, the attempts to be modern-teenage-relevant-hip, and some of the casting did work against it.

But...

Compared to most movie to musical adaptations we've had since (I'm talking to you, "Legally Blonde") it now seems like a masterpiece.

[TimesSquared]

That bedroom scene with big Josh in bed with the girlfriend, and little Josh off to the side looking on and singing in a plaintive soprano, was one of the most squirm-inducing moments I've ever seen on stage.

My friends and I still laugh about the roller coaster on the carnival set. Hanging upstage center, there was a curved track representing the bottom of a loop-the-loop. Every few minutes, a tiny string of cars passed under the loop, accompanied by a sound-cue of rumbling wheels and loud screams. In the cars were little figures, upside-down, with their hands in the air. I distinctly remember one of the figures had long blond hair which hung straight down from her little upside-down head. The audience roared with laughter every time it passed. Soon we were laughing the second we heard the sound cue start. There was a scene going on the whole time downstage, apparently an important one, but we missed it completely--we were just waiting for that roller coaster to pass again. Hilarious.

The entire show suffered from the kind of directorial sloppiness described above.

There were a few good moments and numbers, but most of "Big" was unbearable.