Thursday, September 27, 2007

Do You Think Linda Lavin Will Have A Big Number In This One, Too?

Well, we're living in the age of the "Jukebox Musical" - - and a few of those have won Tony Awards (God help us) - - but are we prepared for the age of the "Comic Book Musical?"

Apparently, yes.

Because I guess
Zatanna "mind-wiped" the memory of IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE, IT'S SUPERMAN from the theatre community's collective conscious.

I'm talking about SPIDER-MAN: THE MUSICAL.

I guess the reading of the musical that was supposed to take place this past July actually DID take place and that people liked what they heard of the music by Bono and the Edge and the book by Glen Berger.

Neither of those two names thrill me and even though I'm a lover of both comic books AND musical theatre, the combination of the two into an evening at the theatre sounds both ridiculous and frightening to me.

The only name attached to the project that makes me feel even slightly optimistic is the director, Julie Taymor.

And according to a recent interview with Ms. Taymor, both the book and the music are so strong that they are searching for a venue....

"We want to open in New York, and there aren't enough Broadway houses. It's really tricky because ours is a big musical that's really unusual.

"It will have some fabulous things in it because it's got a very strong book. I'm very proud of the songs that Bono and Edge wrote.


"It's a real rock-and-roll musical, so we're not worried about that aspect. We just have to find wher
e we're going to do it -- even if we have to do it in a tent, which we're looking into -- and when. It'll at least be a year away."

I wish I had given the above interview, because then I could have responded with the following...

Yeah, Julie. "Big musical" is unusual these days.

Unless you count WICKED... and MARY POPPINS... oh, and GREASE... And XANADU... a
nd... well, anyway...

So, you're not worried about a "
real rock-and-roll musical," huh?

Yes, I know... RENT... and SPRING AWAKENING... Those are rockin' scores those kids today like, aren't they?

But Julie, RENT opened over 10 years ago and then SPRING AWAKENING opened last year.

Well, my POINT is that that's an average of one SEMI-real rock-and-roll musical every 10 years.
That makes a SPIDER-MAN "real rock-and-roll musical" something you MIGHT wanna worry about. Ya know?

Especially when you take into consideration who is asking to be a part of the show.


I'm talking about Marilyn Manson.

Yep, Spidey-fan Marilyn Manson has asked Ms. Taymor for a part in the Spider-Man musical.

I think he'd make a FABULOUS (and frightening) Aunt May, don't you?

P.S. Is Broadway so jammed packed with hit plays and musicals that Julie friggin' Taymor might have to do her gazillion dollar musical written by Bono IN A FUCKING TENT!?!?!

What is this?!?! BABES IN ARMS?!?!?


P.S.S. Does anyone get my reference from the title of this post? Anyone?

11 comments:

Jeremy Rizza said...

"You've got possibilities, let me give you a try...!"

Okay, so I only know it from the Pillsbury ad, but still!

God, a Spider-Man musical... yeesh. Y'know, the Transformers are a hot property again; maybe they could do a Tranformer's musical... kind of a "Starlight Express" kind of thing...

Stephen R. said...

Blockade Boy - I love that you know YOU'VE GOT POSSIBILITIES. Love that!

But be careful about your suggestion of a TRANSFORMERS musical. Andrew Lloyd Webber could take you up on that. And the musical theatre would never recover from it.

Aaron said...

Some things should just not happen...didn't they learn that from that "Carrie" musical back in the 80s? The UN-ironic, serious one? With the spandex outfits?

Stephen R. said...

Aaron - Oh, CARRIE. The Little Musical That Didn't. And Should Never Have.

What a hunk of junk.

Lance Noe said...

HEY CARRIE IS MY FAVORITE.

to prove this point

i have the cd of the broadway show, the london show, the demo, the backers audition AND some random shit that was cut out

the score and lyric sheets from both london and broadway

DVDs of both shows and the one done at stage door manor

the book about it

AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE the window card from the box office!

and i don't think it is terrible. oh don't get me wrong its tragic but there is hope in it yet. just doesn't happen with any of the songs not written for betty buckley or barbara cook!

Stephen R. said...

Lance -
"It's a simple little gig.
All you do is kill a pig."

Well, that wasn't a song for Buckley or Cook, so I guess you're right. :)

Lance Noe said...

the lyric is

it's a simple little gig, HELP ME kill a pig!

Jesus christ!


:) oh yeah... peace and love

Stephen R. said...

Lance - I stand corrected!! :)

I don't know why I've wasted all these years praising uber-Sondheim rhymes like "personable" and "coercin' a bull." Those CARRIE lyrics are really... something... special...

(special in the "Corky from LIFE GOES ON" way, but "special," nonetheless...)

Lance Noe said...

here's a question:

best and worst lyric by sondheim, and favorite and worse lyric of all time.

Mine

Sondheim - best - "while her withers wither with her!" actually any lyric written for Jacks mother is gold!

worst - "got up in his rings and fancy silks. had him a temper but kept it level everybody called him wilkes!" - were you in a hurry?


fave of all time - I always come back to "move on" the lyrics are so true and honest and profound and simple and and and (thought fred ebb lyrics are brilliant too)

worst - i should say carrie but... i am going to say anything from Notre dame de paris. example: "then you stolen in my heart and awaken desire. I dream i'm inside you and i wake up on fire. OOOHHHH!!! i'm a priest and i love this girl!"

Lance Noe said...

p.s. you know these musicals? what do you think about them?



http://bushisbadthemusical.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthless!_(musical)

www,stephenradersucksdonkeydicksinhell.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownstone_(musical)

[title of show] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_of_show

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_American_Trailer_Park_Musical

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spitfire_Grill_%28musical%29

Stephen R. said...

Lance - I know some of those shows, but I'll have to wait until tonight to look them all up, but even so...

There is no stephenradersucksdonkeydicksinhell.com.

Well, it doesn't exist now. It will after I purchase the rights to the site and start putting me... ummm... videos up. :)