Either way, yes, I believe they went replica with this production, as Roman Polanski was directing. I do agree with you about it being able to do well in the West End; if need be, they could always just transfer the sets and costumes from Paris over to London to save up on some of the costs. I think that, if they are willing to take risks and if they do the RIGHT job this time, the show could receive very good word of mouth as a West End production and succeed; all they would need to do is market the show as "EUROPE'S HIT BLOCKBUSTER MUSICAL" and not reference the Broadway production at all. (It wasn't that American audiences didn't get the "Grimm Fairy Tale" aspect, it's that the Broadway production completely removed these themes and tried to Americanize the humor overall, which proved to be a horrible idea from the start.)
"Was uns befreit, das muss stärker sein als wir es sind." -Tanz der Vampire
Well it was my birthday... My recipe for London would be a visual revamp, if you'll pardon the expression, an astute bit of casting for the count but otherwise leave it well alone as it's fabulous.
Why don't you go? Why don't you leave Manderley? He doesn't need you... he's got his memories. He doesn't love you, he wants to be alone again with her. You've nothing to stay for. You've nothing to live for really, have you?
Is that so? Well, happy belated birthday, then! :)
I see where you're coming from. There would only need to be a few tweaks to the libretto once it's translated and adapted to sound better to the English-speaking ears. (I'm not sure how well English audiences would take to hearing, "GOD IS DEAD!!!" being blurted out by a baritone vampire.) However, in terms of the script and the meaning behind most of the lyrics, they really should just leave it the way it is; major changes to this show really aren't all that necessary.
"Was uns befreit, das muss stärker sein als wir es sind." -Tanz der Vampire
There's new footage of what looks like the press call, and the production is spectacular.
Unlike the Broadway version, this is the franchised StageEntertainment version, which has had successes in Europe. This production is directed by Polanski himself. I would imagine that it would be successful..They have an aggressive advertising and social media campaign going on, and compared to other productions in Paris, this is seriously spectacular with a mega-musical feel to it (vs the bare bone concept/arena concert style that is famous in France).
Footage link below. The part starting at 2:21 looks amazing.
I'm having a really difficult understanding how this musical is still circulating. Granted there are some great vocal moments it was just a mess in the end. I only hope they learned from the Broadway production. Visually the previews look amazing! I can't believe it has over a decade since I saw it.
Well, as stated in the thread before, the Broadway production was not representative of the best of the show, and it's largely still going around because it isn't/wasn't the Broadway production. English-speaking audiences did not get to see or hear much of what had wowed Europe in the years preceding; most of Polanski's and Kunze's original story and libretto, filled with black comedy, were scrapped in favor of an ultra-campy, slapstick, more "Americanized" approach, which did not sit well alongside the score that remained (in large part) from the original.
I'm so glad to see they're using the turntable for this production (Hamburg didn't). I absolutely LOVED the show when I saw it in Berlin and that scene was especially effective (it gets even better shortly after where that clip cuts off). Wish I could get to Paris to see this. It was depressing that the Broadway production simply destroyed one of my favorite shows.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Saw this at the weekend and it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I thought it would be entertainingly dreadful (and I do love a good Bad Musical) but actually, apart from a couple of questionable moments, I actually thought it was pretty wonderful.
For starters, it is almost entirely tongue-in-cheek so there is no chance of rolling in the aisles in the wrong places, as the show itself is one step ahead of you there. Then there's the score: yes everybody knows "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" is in there but on top of that there's almost an embarrassment of good tunes, any one of which Andrew Lloyd Webber would kill to have in any of his more recent scores, from power ballads to comic patter songs to a rollickingly rousing finale. Every number lands but there are moments when the music is breathtaking, helped by the fact that the singing in a large company is uniformly magnificent.
Physically, the production is opulent, clearly no expense has been spared in the settings, costumes and wigs. Many of the stage pictures (but especially the floating graveyard) are gorgeous. Also, the staging makes full use of the entire auditorium, much to the consternation of the small children in my row (who otherwise sat still, entranced, as was I).
I think it is such a shame that this piece, which plays like an unholy (undead?!) alliance of Phantom, Beauty & The Beast and Rocky Horror (though is considerably more fun than the former two), is known primarily by the Michael Crawford-led turkey that lost a fortune on Broadway in 2002. The terrific evening I had in Paris suggests to me that we are really missing out.
Thanks, was the theatre full? I went near the start of the run and there were a few empty seats. If the show goes well in France, who would deny it a London run...
Why don't you go? Why don't you leave Manderley? He doesn't need you... he's got his memories. He doesn't love you, he wants to be alone again with her. You've nothing to stay for. You've nothing to live for really, have you?
Does anyone know if there is going to be a cast recording for this production? As much as I'd love to just up and fly to Paris and see this, I'm going to have to settle for listening to an album instead, if they even decide to release one.
"Was uns befreit, das muss stärker sein als wir es sind." -Tanz der Vampire