EVER AFTER musical to be featured with Christy Altomare and Corey Cott

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 5/10/21 at 1:22pm

In May of 2021, the creative team of the new musical Ever After will participate in Discovering Broadway Inc.'s writers retreat program in Central Indiana. On Sunday, May 23rd, at 5:00PM and 7:30PM, Discovering Broadway Inc. will present songs in concert from the new musical Ever After starring Christy Altomare and Corey Cott at the newly opened Feinstein's Cabaret located in the Hotel Carmichael, Autograph Collection.

Ever After will be the second show to participate in Discovering Broadway Inc.'s program, following the February Writer's Retreat of the new musical The Devil Wears Prada. Founder of Discovering Broadway Inc., Joel Kirk, says, "We are excited to host this brilliant team of artists as they craft this enchanting story."

https://www.broadwayworld.com/indianapolis/article/EVER-AFTER-Starring-Christy-Altomare-and-Corey-Cott-to-be-Featured-at-Discovering-Broadway-Inc-Writers-Retreat-20210507

[degrassifan]

Posted: 5/10/21 at 1:29pm

So exciting! I want this show to succeed! 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 5/10/21 at 2:09pm

degrassifan said: "So exciting! I want this show to succeed!"

So do I. This show has been in development for so long now; I recall James Snyder singing a song from it on the If/Then Broadway.com vlog all those years ago.

Zina goes to my synagogue and it was a great pleasure meeting her a long time ago. She’s written some good music too. 

[lucynewlife]

Posted: 5/10/21 at 6:15pm

Does this writer's retreat program involving actually working/rewriting the show? The version they did in Atlanta was...not great. Aside from the almost entirely forgettable musical score, the book was horrible, immature, pop-modern in a way that clashes with the quasi-modern, quasi-historical feel of the film.

It basically destroyed the character dynamic (oh Rodmilla de Ghent... what did they do to you??) and tone of the original film. No character from the story Ever After should be making quips like ""I'm totally hyperventilating right now!!" It felt like they were playing off the lighthearted tone of R&H at times--in tone, not quality--but with a more "2010s" feel, which isn't exactly a good thing when you're trying to adapt another Cinderella for the stage.

From what I've heard of the Papermill Version, it wasn't much better book wise, but at least it seems to have kept some of the better dialogue from the film versus the later Atlanta production. Oh and the "Breathe" gown from Papermill, while certainly not as beautiful as the film version, was far, far superior to the... thing they concocted for Atlanta.

it's kind of interesting that Christy Altomare is participating in this concert, since IMO "Anastasia" had the same types of problems. Writers both attempting to coast on the nostalgia of an earlier property while removing or altering the elements that people enjoyed from them to the detriment of the story. When something works, it works. Updated On: 5/10/21 at 06:15 PM

[Addendum]

Posted: 5/10/21 at 7:32pm

My office is in the same development as the Hotel Carmichael / Feinsteins Carmel, I reached out to the club manager last Friday to see about tickets and she didn't know anything about this!  Wonder what's going on here..

Side note....The new club is beautiful, Saw Marilyn Maye open the room 2 weekends ago - she was spectacular as always.

Updated On: 5/10/21 at 07:32 PM

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/10/21 at 9:32pm

lucynewlife said: "Does this writer's retreat program involving actually working/rewriting the show? The version they did in Atlanta was...not great. Aside from the almost entirely forgettable musical score, the book was horrible, immature, pop-modern in a way that clashes with the quasi-modern, quasi-historical feel of the film."

Saw it at Papermill. Aside from my opinions on the merits of the individual songs, I agree that the biggest problem was that the show didn't seem to know who it was for. Was it a kids show or was it for an audience that would know Thomas More's Utopia? Christy seems like a good fit if they're moving even farther from Drew Barrymore than Margo Seibert. 

I always thought the issues with the unnecessary rewrites of Anastasia were partially to do with the rights/lawsuit.

[lucynewlife]

Posted: 5/10/21 at 9:57pm

VintageSnarker said: "I always thought the issues with the unnecessary rewrites of Anastasia were partially to do with the rights/lawsuit."

The rights/lawsuit issue was with the Marcelle Maurette playwright estate, not with 20th-Century Fox, so the changes from the 1997 film to stage were unrelated to the lawsuit. Digging into the history of the show, the idea to axe Rasputin for some type of Russian official was there as early as the 2012 workshops.

McNally's stance (and the stance maintained all the way through the decision to settle out of court, once it became clear that no judge was going to dismiss the lawsuit; note how new productions of Anastasia all credit the Maurette playwright) was always that they didn't need to secure any rights to the play whatsoever because their material was either "only" from the 1997/1956 film, was original, or was a concept which couldn't be copyrighted.

How the showrunners went with this stance when both films they admitted to adaptation for the show were, themselves, legally licensed adaptations of the play, I don't know.

None of the changes made from Hartford to Broadway or during Broadway previews were related to avoiding rights or the lawsuit. If anything Broadway was "closer" to the film is some ways, such as including the blue opera dress.

The bad writing seems to have been there from the start.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/10/21 at 10:23pm

I didn't like the villain swap, but I get it. I was thinking more about the way everything about the music box was rewritten. They did that on purpose??? Why???

[lucynewlife]

Posted: 5/10/21 at 11:35pm

There's no apparent rhyme or reason for it. Sometimes I think that maybe they thought theater audiences would be too moronic to understand the concept of "Once Upon a December" using the melody of their special song, but not the same lyrics?

TBH so many of the decisions that they made for Anastasia can be summed up with: "They did that on purpose??? Why???"

I hope the "Ever After" team takes a nod from Anastasia's mistakes and actively works to fix them, but I'm not terribly confident, particularly with the direction the show took in Atlanta to be even further away from the film. Both book and creative wise.

(I will never, ever be over the mustard yellow dress, complete with matching mustard yellow sings, that they substituted for the "Breathe" ballgown in Atlanta. Her mother's dress was intended to be kept for her wedding... poor stage!Danielle, her mother had terrible taste.)

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 2:36am

I want this show to make it. I really do. But I can't help feel like that keep on failing to capture what was so good about the source material. Going further and further from what people want the show to be. What IS this show trying to be?! I would like to see it be, much like the movie, a charmingly witty and grounded adaptation of a classic fair tale. But if this show keeps on ending up looking like the revival of R+H Cinderella, with a delicate ingénue type actress as Danielle and with bright wild colors (seriously why was there a bright neon green costume in that last tryout)... then they will have totally missed the mark.

[JennH]

Posted: 5/13/21 at 10:33am

I may not be a super duper regular on this board, but I've commended on EVERY thread about this show. I've been following it since literally day one over a decade ago. It's still amuses me that people still aren't aware of how long it's actually been around, but I digress. 

I have opinions yo, (this is one of my top favorite films of all time) and they are plentiful. I remember thinking back in college that it could work as a stage piece...but strangely even then when I wasn't as astute to what works in various mediums, I recall thinking it could be a better straight play than musical. I didn't know why at the time, but back when Papermill came around, someone said that it's seemingly not working as a musical because musicals generally live in their own unique universe, almost like a 3rd dimension. So the film that treated as 'history' isn't translating well as a musical. But then again, I don't think a straight play would get a lot of people to see it because it could come off as boring because 'no music'..maybe? I'm not entirely sure. That said, I still am of the belief it could work as a musical, but it really needs more careful thought and creativity than it's been given because in it's current state, it's just a rehashed, messy hodge podge of its' source thrown on stage...an all too familiar problem. I''ll also admit I'm not huge on Goldrich/Heisler, the only song they've ever written that's memorable to me in any way is that chestnut, Taylor, the Latte Boy.

I saw Papermill, and there was more weaknesses than strengths. A almost Shakesperean production design for a musical isn't a great mesh, moments that don't needs songs (sadly almost all of them), a lack of a linear structure which I think it desperately needed, and as many have said...a lack of consistent tone and POV, which ties into much of the above. The strengths were few, but one was Margot to a degree. I appreciated more than words than say that they didn't cast an ingenue but she lacked a pointed humor. I'm not sure if that was Margot herself or the book...that book is a bit WOOF. I didn't see Atlanta, but it seemed to go more in the 'fairy tale' design direction but still seemed to be balanced well with the historical costuming aspect. I remember thinking if Danielle's gown were Atlanta's design but Papermill's color, it could have been glorious. I've heard Sierra was decent considering her career has been almost nothing but delicate ended ingenues, and I do love her, but she still feels just a bit too 'doe eyed' for a witty, pointed, basically Elizabeth Bennet type. Same with Christy. Talented and her voice fits the music, but even more ingenue than Sierra. An ingenue works for the RnH, it's fairy tale as fairy tale gets, but the opposite is why I love the film and Danielle so much. It's my favorite "Cinderella with a twist' adaptation, bar none. It's not a cookie cutter princess role, so seeing them go the ingenue direction is bit disheartening. 

This isn't even the comprehensive list of my opinions, but I've already written half a novel. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/14/21 at 1:12pm

This is now on its third director and, with all respect, the director's track record goes down a notch each time:

Paper Mill was directed by Kathleen Marshall

Alliance Theatre was directed by Susan V. Booth

Now it's being directed by Marlo Hunter. Also, Kate Wetherhead has been brought in to contribute to the book (which she is also doing on Devil Wears Prada)

 

Who are the commercial producers attached to this and why do they keep sinking money into it??

Updated On: 5/14/21 at 01:12 PM

[degrassifan]

Posted: 5/14/21 at 1:19pm

Maybe they see promise in it? It's a good score with lots of potential. Just needs some fine-tuning. This has been in development since 2005 and while that is a long time, people must still believe in it. 

[JennH]

Posted: 5/15/21 at 9:48am

degrassifan said: "Maybe they see promise in it? It's a good score with lots of potential. Just needs some fine-tuning. This has been in development since 2005 and while that is a long time, people must still believe in it."

Ehhhh that score like many have said above, is quasi, derivative, MT pop which clashes with the 'period'.  This ties into the "musicals live in a third dimension" idea I mentioned. What's basically a historical fiction, period piece already makes it difficult to adapt musically. It's two clashing ideas that inherently aren't tonally consistent with each other. The only 'period' piece musical that I can think of offhand that works is Secret Garden. I'm not sure how/why it works...but it does. 

Ever After truly was the show that taught me how structure and consistent tone are everything in terms of making something work. The only song that seemed to work was "I Remember" because it's placement is correct. Songs forward a plot differently than a script/book. It made ALL the sense in the world to me that Danielle would stop the shows' momentum with a song and sing about memories of her father. The song itself isn't good, but it's the placement of a song that works. Not to mention the plot hole of her mentioning 'stepmother' in it when she's with Henry before he knows who she really is continues to bother me to this day, I still can't believe that was overlooked :P And the catfight scene for whatever reason was musicalized...like...HUH?? I can't stress enough that songs and dialogue forward plots in different ways. Songs are almost like a moment frozen in time to give us, and maybe another character, information we/they need to know. A stage fight relies on smoothly choreographed, high action and literally stopping that momentum with a song came off as ridiculous. 

I do believe in this show, I want it to do well, but it needs LOTS of work. Broadway? Somehow I doubt, I think it would better going straight to the regional market ala "Hunchback".

[Fan123]

Posted: 5/31/21 at 1:05am

Some vague hints about the revisions in this article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/28/theater/ever-after-indiana-broadway.html

"Cott [...] said that this version was a “dramatic change” from the previous stagings. Goldrich, the composer, and Heisler [...] wrote five new songs, and the others on the team, including the director Marlo Hunter (“American Reject&rdquo, collaborated to revamp much of the rest of the show, including writing a new finale."

Honestly, from what I've seen and heard of past incarnations, I'm not too hopeful about this show. But who knows.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 5/31/21 at 1:35am

I still don’t think there’s anything in Ever After that screams “Musical!” And based on the versions I’ve seen...it shouldn’t.

That being said, Altomare is miscast.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 5/31/21 at 8:00pm

Have to admit that I would loved to see Corey Cott in a hit...thought he was great in Gigi and Bandstand...think he has a great voice.  He seems like a good fit for the prince as well.