They should've put Hunchback on Broadway instead. I'm still salty that they took a beautiful score, an amazing cast, and a heartbreaking and heartwarming story and shit all over it by teasing us like, "oh yeah, let's put this on an amazing two coast tryout and then say oh yeah we are coming to Broadway soon," and then rip everyone's hearts out by just replacing an extremely relevant story and score with a money grabbing shit show that Disney didn't really have to give much thought to because it would've made money even if it was a low budget, tin can lights in a run down roach motel theater. I like Frozen, but it is so overblown and overdone. I'm done 😩 BRING HUNCHBACK TO BROADWAY.
Stephanie Conklin Thank you, somebody said it! I saw it in the Paper Mill Playhouse. It is the best musical I have ever seen. And I have seen 27 Broadway Musicals!
Nolan Maggio I only watched the bootleg because I live in Australia, but it was even amazing in the bootleg I've never been so blown away by a musical.
I'm sorry you didn't get to see Hunchback. A regional theater near me did the Broadway production and it was glorious. You may or may not find the full show on a certain tube for you and I highly recommend you watch it immediately. Papermill version rather than La Jolla.
Stephanie Conklin I couldn't agree with you more! Hunchback has one of the most beautiful scores I have ever listened to and its story is just amazing. I have read in multiple places that the reason it never went to Broadway was because they didn't want to pay all the members of the choir. In addition to the main characters and the ensemble actors in the show there was a "church" choir I guess you can compare it to because the score definitely will not be done justice if it doesn't have that big, full sound. Going to Broadway would mean they would have to pay all those excess singers and they didn't want to do that.
I'd love it if you'd make a video talking about The Great Comet (again)! there's so much to adress about it and the fanbase has really grown since you last spoke about it. Let's keep that magical thing alive! :)
I'm very interested in seeing how this Broadway season turns out. SpongeBob, Mean Girls, Frozen... so many franchise musicals alongside long-running hits like Hamilton, Waitress, Dear Evan Hansen, and Come From Away. (Still sad about Great Comet and Groundhog Day, though.)
Ariella Kahan-Harth It will be interesting to see how The Band's Visit fairs in this highly commercialized season. It could be a breath of fresh air, or it could just drowned out by all of these mega-franchise musicals.
imalreadysorry I see it too and while it doesn’t suck it wasn’t great either. Found it to be mediocre at best. But to each his own, I definitley see why people like it and I see why people hate it.
Also, while the costumes were GORGEOUS, they were all almost exact recreations from the movie, which I found super disappointing. I am all for giving each character one of their iconic outfits, but all the costumes for me felt very much "lets just make the movie, but on stage" and very theme-parky.
Ben Lebofsky I thought the costumes were a lot different from the movie. The colors and silhouettes were the same. But the patterns were completely different. I thought they shouldn't change this because their dress patterns are iconic and recognizable.
Peter Pan Skywalker, Jedi Master I'm all for keeping the iconic costumes, it just makes sense. But certain ones like the one Hans wears when he is handing out blankets, just felt like unnecessarily close to the movie's you know? Like no one is going to be like "Omg I can't believe they changed Han's outfit when he is handing out blankets." And don't get me wrong, I LOVED the costumes, they were stunning and I loved the way they combined movie costumes with traditional garments and patterns of that region. I just wish there were a bit more deviation to make it stand apart from it movie and theme park iterations, because they all felt like largely recreations or heavily inspired by the movie costumes. I did however love Anna's new costume that she wears in Act 1. Thought that was a great addition and wish they had done more of that.
I'm glad you mentioned the three act versus two act problem that the musical has. That was one of the first concerns I had about the show when I first heard they would be making it into a Broadway musical.
That three-act vs. two-act thing seems odd to me. Act I of musicals is the longer of the two, yet apparently stage Frozen has the movie's acts II and III in its Act II. Wouldn't it have made more sense for stage Act I to contain Acts I and II of the movie? From a narrative perspective, it seems to make sense, and you'd have less padding to worry about. Maybe throw some of the movie's Act II into stage Act II for good measure.
Just dealt with a pretty crappy role rejection (A Chorus Line). Watching this guy made me remember my love for theater when it temporarily escaped me. Thanks
In the out-of-town tryouts of Aladdin, his 3 friends (babkak Omar and kaseem) narrated the show and opened/closed it. The 3 sang comical arranged versions of Arabian nights. When it opened on Bway, those Arabian Nights reprises were cut along with the boys' narration. And Genie now sings Arabian nights. So what I'm saying is, the moss-people narration will probably be cut
OMG ARE YOU SERIOUS??? THAT SOUNDS AWFULL!! glad they cut it, I saw aladdin with the obc and arabian nights just gave me the CHILLS, It was the best song translated to stage version by far
I remember seeing the Lion King the musical when I was a youngling. I was, and still am today, blown away by the theatrics and grandness of it all. Some things separate Aladdin from Lion King in production (1) Aladdin was put on Broadway in 2011, long after its hype died down. Lion King was put on Broadway in 1997, while the Disney Renaissance was still in full swing. Riding off this hype helped it getting into people's minds early. (2) Lion King starred animals so the production had to find a creative way of making you see animals and the actors without them being in furry suits. So the costume designer took inspiration from the African culture (masks, traditional garb, etc) and some other ideas like kabuki theater puppets, to make an experience that was different from The Lion King movie. It made you feel like a traditional African story was being told. Aladdin was flashy and paid very little to the source's source (the Arabic culture) except in one-off jokes. It felt like you were watching a live action movie rather than experiencing a new show. (3) Also Aladdin took all the fun side-kicks out or turned them human. Abu and Rajah are gone and replaced by human posses for Aladdin and Jasmine. They could have easily make them puppets like they did for Lion King. Iago is also replaced by a human but of the same name. Honestly, those things are what really change the shows for me to make me love one and try to pretend the other doesn't exist. Frozen should do what Lion King did and take inspiration from Nordic culture and their way of storytelling into the musical to make it stand apart from the movie. (Also if you want to see someone make fun of Disney using Aladdin, then check out Twisted by Starkidpotter here on RUclips. Its like Wicked where its all from Jafar's prospective. Its great and has some catchy Disney-esc songs and a lot of curse words.)
18:56 I'd just like to note both Beauty and the Beast and Lion King came to Broadway really quickly while people were still super hyped about them. I don't see how Frozen is that different it's been about three years now.
I wouldn't say that the Broadway version of Aladdin is a recreation of the animated film. They went back to Howard Ashman's original vision by presenting it as an old-fashion musical comedy with the Genie as this Cab Calloway/Fatz Waller type of person.
I've always wondered how the creation of Frozen the Musical will come out bringing the animation to the stage! Hopefully they build off of what they have and create something even better!!! Sounds like it has potential (Still waiting on Sister Act the Musical show of the week lol)
I feel like your conspiracy theory is probably right. There's no danger for them to hold off - it's not like they're working hard to transfer. This review makes me far more excited to see and examine the show than I was before! Glad you're back 😊
Also, in terms of Tony season, I think we should treat it like any other adaptation. View it knowing it was adapted, and if we're familiar with the source material (which we are), compare the two, but not too critically. Theatre blinders is probably the best way to put it, but perhaps not to the extent you described of viewing it as a wholly new entity.
I Agree, it could also be that the stage might have to be considerably adapted to do these illusions... Which would make sense to hold their funds to o it to the actual theater. I believe Wicked did this with Defying Gravity actually. I seem to remember watching a documentary where they were saying the try out stage just simply was not equipped space wise to do the show the way the creators envisioned the final.
Hello my friend, I have a musical recommendation for you! It’s called Bare. It’s absolutely fantastic. The story circles around two lovers who are at a catholic boarding school, where love is forbidden, and they have to stay secret. So many other things happen, someone gets pregnant, someone ODs, I don’t know. But it’s fantastic
That Act 1 padding issue is what made Beauty & the Beast only very good instead of amazing. It's a bummer to see that issue continue. (Edit: Beauty & the Beast and Lion King were on Broadway about 3 and 5 years after film release respectively, too.)
This narrative dissonance you're describing reminds me a lot of the issues I have with Wicked. Like, someone's mourning the death of a family member, and then there's a joke and a humorous catfight. Side-note that's related, I think the only solution to the Let it Go problem would be to write another Act 1 Finale song that you know for 100% certain is going to be a better song. Usually, I would say "that's at least as good", like with "The Wizard and I" and "Defying Gravity", but the difference is that no one but theater nerds went into Wicked knowing either of those songs, so Schwartz didn't have to outdo himself in the same way. Contrastingly, like you said, a whole lot of people go into Frozen thinking Let it Go is the best song of the decade, so any Act 1 Finale song that wasn't Let it Go would have to be a guaranteed knock out of the park.
It seemed to me like he was saying that the problem with Let It Go in the stage adaptation was the lack of props / stecial effects / spectacle related to her using her powers; not the song itself being there.
Frozen broadway: comes out like 4-5 years after the movie The lion king: out on broadway like only 2 years after the movie Musical Theatre Mash: “Disney has never jumped the gun on getting something to broadway so quickly”
I think Hunchback of Notre Dame Musical would be better for challenging audiences! I loved the ideas of the Broadway version of Anastasia for nixing the magic and showing what it was like in Communist Russia in the late 1920's. The villain is a Bolshevik soldier who has a tragic past and a Javert like passion to pursue the lost Russian Grand Duchess. They add more songs but keeps all the good songs we remember! This was not the movie put on stage, but new and different and challenging! I desperately want to see it!
i saw Aladdin's obc and it was amazing. and i thought there was a kind of new thing, the theatre is so different than the movie. Aladdin had amazing dance numbers and songs that translated really well to the stage. and i'm actually looking forward to frozen because i think it has a lot of potential
Something Official he is kind of harsh on Aladdin, which I actually thought is one of Disney's strongest endeavors (4th behind Lion King, Mary Poppins and BATB for me). I think they did a great job keeping all the things we wanted to see from the movie while still making something new for the theater. I was so skeptical about turning that movie into a stage show but I thought they really killed it in execution. Unlike with Frozen, the new songs are all great and I especially love Proud of Your Boy. The only thing I didn't really love was the finale, but to be fair the finale of the movie is crazy so I kind of get it.
I saw aladdin with the obc too, I LOVED the cast (I mean JMI is a BEAST) but I was dissapointed, out of the new songs only 1 was memorable (proud of your boy, which was written by Howard Ashman before the movie came out so I don't think it counts as a new song) It also doesn't try to expand on the characters minds/ feelings (except maybe aladdin with proud of your boy, but then again it is not a new song so therefore it's not much of an expansion, its more of an addition) and the ending was extremely, extremely disapointing, I mean I get that the ending is insane but even shreck the musical had a dragon puppet, idk I thin they could have gotten way more creative with it, I mean I loved the show, and I had a great time, but I feel like it is more like a spectacle, rather than being a challenging artistic piece, It's not like with newsies or Lion king where the new content feels like expansion, It's more like little mermaid or beauty and the beast where the additions feel like additions. But hey everyone has different tastes, and I would be lying if I love me some marketing produced disney spectacle broadway shows
12345 Nltsaaegcj oh yeah there were definitely moments that it could have been better. i just think that as a whole it was well put together and the casts did a great job. i love artistic pieces that are different and new, but sometimes you just want to be entertained and i think Aladdin did very well with that
12345 Nltsaaegcj i disagree I love all the additions Babkak Kassim and Omar all are such good character's. And I love the songs they had it. Ive been singing High adventure everyday since ive seen it. Also a million miles away added so much to Jasim and aladdin for me at least
I just saw the Broadway Musical in New York a few weeks ago, and if you haven't seen it yet, yes you were correct that the narrator role was cut from the show. They did, however keep the background on their mother being raised by the mountain people and so that is why she calls on them through the window after Anna was struck. I don't know if in the out of town try out they explained that the mother used to be in the mountain folk tribe and was fallen in love with by the father who was king bound, so she then became royalty too. I liked that. It was the only reason I didn't find the call thing stupid. As far as the mix between direct translation from the movie with Olaf and then the loose translation from the stone-troll people to the mountain folk, you can see that in Lion King too. Pumba and Timon are pretty much the same kind of cartoony puppet trick as Olaf, but all the other characters are very broken down and abstract. Just like in Lion king, it worked for Frozen. There is no way they could have removed the Olaf character, just like Julie Taymor didn't want to deconstruct Pumba and Timon, which are all essentially the Shakespeare clown role of the show. I really enjoyed the stage adaptation in New York and would be interested to hear what you think seeing its final version after seeing the out of town version!
Aladdin the musical was very different from the movie. It had the basic plot but they added characters and songs and different plot points. It's not just a recreation.
I've seen Mermaid and Aladdin on Broadway, and my main issue with them is that the conflict and resolution seem to happen in the last 30 minutes of the show, and then makes it feel rushed.
Wonderful insight! Towards the end of your video, you mention this possibly being the fastest Disney has brought a film to the stage. It is certainly the fastest within the last decade or so, but both Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King were adapted and brought to Broadway faster (less than 4 years). What's interesting is that BatB was basically a slavish recreation of the film, while TLK took the time to really figure out how to make it work theatrically and it sounds like this production is caught in between. Hoping it comes to together as the potential is there!
Nardo218 x it'll probably be on RUclips a few weeks after the premiere with a title like "this is not a musical about an icequeen, what even is snow?" and it won't be like seeing it live but at least you saw it.
lou mertens That is exactly what happened with Bette in Dolly. It popped up one evening so I stayed up and watched thinking it wouldn't be there for long. Sure enough it was pulled the very next day. So fingers crossed!
lol, yes. I'm very thankful for yt's brave and valiant bootleggers. i wish broadway would cotton on to the idea that they would make a ton of money professionally filming plays and charging the internet to watch them. They do it in england with the RSC and the Old Vic, charge 15 pounds, and make money worldwide.
I wonder where a show like Mary Poppins would land on that spectrum between "Lion King" and "Aladdin". It has many things similar to the movie, but there are many things extrapolated from the original source material of P.L Travers books. Not to mention that musically, the composers took the music to new levels and used it to tell the story more so than the movie did.
I think your dichotomy is slightly false, I think it really just comes down to what creatives they pick. I think that Lion King has reached the level it has because of the inherent problem of putting animals onstage. Because Julie Taymor knew just how to handle it, it is what it is today. They tried to replicate this magic with their directing/design choices for Tarzan and Mermaid but fell short. I think Der Gloeckner worked so well because they went all out on a new book writer who turned that show into something new. Newsies worked for me because they wrote as straight-up a musical as you could imagine. I think that they really fail when they try to replicate the Lion King success on shows that need a different strategy.
I can confirm that the calling of "the magic people of the mountains" is very much in the Broadway show. I'm not sure if that's amazing or the worst news I have ever heard, but I'm happy I got to see it.
Several of Disney's screen-to-stage adaptations have been Tony nominated for Best Original Score before. Beauty & the Beast (which had 6 new songs when it opened) was nominated, lost to Passion. The Lion King (which had 6 new songs) was nominated, lost to Ragtime. The Little Mermaid (which had 11 new songs on Broadway) was nominated, lost to In the Heights. Newsies (which had 6 new songs on Broadway) was nominated and won. Aladdin (which had 4 brand new songs along with 3 others that were previously cut from the film) was nominated, lost to The Bridges of Madison County.
I wonder if a way to fix the whole awkwardness with the 3 Act movie --> 2 Act Musical could be helped if Let It Go was put after some of the Anna scenes from the movie Act 2, like still end on Let It Go, but allow for some plot points with Anna and Kristoff to be thrown in, like her first meeting him, Oaken's cabin, the wolves, etc. That may be the way it really is, can't see it yet, but I feel like that would help maybe...
i think the fact that the songs are known could be treated like american idiot, whereas they're mostly not new songs but 1) they're new to the tonys and 2) there's new orchestrations and staging and such, so it's like it's brand new.. especially if it goes the lion king route, i feel like it could really be treated as a new musical. it's not like it's a revival
Laurel Morgan I was in Beauty and the Beast and it wasn't quite an Aladdin type show. There was a lot of change, but it wasn't really all the artistic.
Somewhere in the middle, I think. There were plenty of changes (most notably the addition of the beautiful If I Can't Love Her) but a lot of it was the same too. It was somewhat artsy, but not too much.
But Lion King truly didn't change much either story wise. Yes the have a nice design but the story is still pretty much scene for scene the Disney movie. Personally I'd say Aladdin changed more when it comes to story with taking out Abu and switch to the three friends and making Iago human.
I think the only other option for an act 1 closing number would be for the first time in forever reprise, but then again that one is the movies act 2 finale, you would end up with a very drawn out and padded act 3
Amazing video. I was there on opening night. I agree with you 100% on the uninteresting staging of Let It Go. I was so frustrated that I wrote an email to the theater about it... but I also thought about the "Disney is saving it" theory. Hope it is indeed the case.
I heard the “plot rocks” referenced as “the nomadic people of the North” in the video I saw. Also Olaf is still played by the guy (josh gad) from the movie I think
I would like Frozen to be at par with Wicked in terms of depth of plot development, probably because Cassie Levy was Elphaba and her standby was also Elphaba, Idina was also Elphaba, but the musical kinda felt short of how it was written in the novel, but it turned out to be ok. I would expect let it go to close act I or they have to write another song that is almost as great as let it go - kinda like "the wizard and I" in Wicked, and Let it go would be the defying gravity counterpart, probably because they emerge as a brand new woman sort of thing. I don't even know why I feel like comparing this show to Wicked.
I really do think that Frozen has potential to be a great show and I've been very hyped about it. I really hope that it will be successful because the cast is amazing
You’re so right. Pabbie’s role as the narrator got cut but not Elsa and Anna’s Mum calling out to the Hidden Folk... because that actually alludes to the fact that... SPOILER! The Mum is part of the Hidden Folk. I interviewed Pabbie (Tim Hughes) on my channel if you are interested to dig deeper.
tangled is a much better musical to be adapted to broadway. it should have been made into a musical waaaaayyyyyyyy before frozen. also hunchback definitely needed to be put back on broadway instead of frozen.
Couple Things: Three Act Structure: the 3 Act structure is prevalent in western drama and has been since Aristotle. The idea that the dramatic acts in the 3-act structure are the same as act breaks in plays is a common misconception. Shakespeare wrote in the 3-act structure and most of his plays have five acts. The 3-act structure is dramatic beats -- not necessarily bringing down the curtain and having an intermission. Generally, the third act in 3-act structure is shorter because that is the bit that is leading us to the climax and denouement. It usually starts after it looks like the hero/protagonist has lost all hope but takes one final drive at achieving their want/goal/objective. Again, this is all a common misconception but it is important to note because pretty much every show on Broadway follows this. Let It Go: I think they may have added to it since this review was posted. Variety had a review dated Sept 14 (only a week later, but....) which opened talking about the magic in that number: " In its live rendition of “Let It Go,” the signature tune from the 2014 Oscar winner, the musical wows adults as much as kids with a brilliant spectacle - as poignant as it is jaw-dropping." variety.com/2017/legit/reviews/frozen-review-musical-pre-broadway-denver-1202558998/ I saw The Producers in its pre-b'way run in Chicago. I remember some of the sets were definitely incomplete. I went back later in the run and there was definitely more stuff. So, I wouldn't worry about Let It Go being a let down. How long will it run: Our dear reviewer poses an interesting question. But one which has a wider impact on Broadway. Again, Variety recently had an article about how the Hollywood Blockbuster mentality is impacting B'way. Yes, it means that revenues are up and even long running shows (like Lion King currently at $7.9 BILLION) are still raking in big bucks. But it also raises the question of whether this is sustainable. It basically means that plays can't make a good run on Broadway. It means that Broadway may be pricing itself out of the general market (the cheapest tix for Hamilton are $250 going up to nearly $850 in some cases). This should concern all of us because we are less likely to see really inventive and creative musicals like Fun Home or even something like Groundhog Day in the near future. Let's face it, B'way is the epicenter but like expanding ripples in a pool as long as shows move on, then that feeds regional, community and high school programs. If the only shows are long running, then where does the new material come from? Is this a bubble waiting to happen? This worries me. It should worry all of us. variety.com/2017/legit/columns/broadway-blockbuster-obsession-hollywood-frozen-harry-potter-1202578471/
You're so smart about all this. My brief thoughts (I saw it in Denver): Act One should close with the snow monster attack. A giant, King Kong The Musical-style snow monster scene...Disney can afford it and, dramaturgically, that's how you can go out of Act 1 with a logical bang. I feel like Elsa is rendered harmless as it stands now. I imagined they'd cut the monster, but after seeing it, I kinda think it's the thing that renders her a violent threat to the village...as well as the soldiers and Hans discovering this ICE PALACE she's built. Your best point is that the audience waits for "Let It Go" WAY longer than they should...thing is, it's really not the climax of the story. I feel like the snow monster (or some other huge threat) would make Elsa being arrested later so much more significant and make her redemption so much more potent. Because, at this point, it's like...meh. Also, I think Fixer Upper needs to go. Stylistically, it doesn't match with the theatricality of the "Mountain People". It seems silly for these dramatic, Scandinavian, Midsummer Night's Dream-type mountain-people to suddenly sing this number that makes sense if it's sung by mossy-rock-Disney-comedic-relief-characters. I don't think kids would miss it.
The point you made at the end about the Tony nominations- they've given best score to Newsies, another huge Disney musical. Granted, Newsies is not a fraction as capitalized as Frozen, but I don't think that means they will automatically be turned off because most of the score is from the hit movie.
To the best of my knowledge, a certain percentage of the score has to be new to the show in order for it to be considered for best 'new' score, but I couldn't tell you what that percentage is. 50% maybe?
Ever seen Arrivals and Departures? If not, check it out. There are two plays called by that same name. I don't know anything about the other one, but just choose the one involving the main characters Esme and Barry.
Do you think the Act One plot spreading issues could be fixed by adding plot details from Once Upon A Time's Frozen storyline? Or perhaps by spending more time developing the parents and their shipwreck? Or even more about Hans in the Summer Isles or the Duke in Weaseltown?
No. Once Upon A Time is its own thing and its own canon. They do not need to mix and mesh them together and I hate when people try to do that. Like when people try to act like Wicked is really canon to the wizard of oz. It isnt
It's funny that you mentioned that the Spongebob musical is coming to Broadway soon, because the long-awaited (as in there have been talks about it for a good 3 - 4 years) Mean Girls: The Musical is coming soon too. So theoretically, we could get Tony nominations that are almost entirely adaptations.
I know it has felt faster, but it was about the same if not less- for Beauty and the Beast (1991 movie/1995 Broadway) and The Lion King (1994 movie/1997 Broadway). Frozen was released in 2013... maybe it just has been more present because Disney has capitalized like crazy on it all this time :P
I'm so glad that The 5th Avenue in Seattle is putting on The Hunchback of Notre Dame next summer .I don't think that Frozen is bad but I was really disappointed that they decided to put it on Broadway instead of Hunchback :(
You could be right with your conspiracy theory. But, Caissie Levy just slays Let It Go - the "magic" is in her singing. When I saw this, the audience was absolutely buzzing as soon as she finished. The cheers were strong and genuine. Yeah - it could be even more magical and wow. But, sometimes, just a great vocal performance is all you need. See, e.g. The Story Goes On in Baby. What the show needs - as all shows need - is a bigger tap number! (In Summer would be my pick to add in a tapping ensemble). Also, Sven is a really great puppet performance as good as Lion King. Elsa's Act Two number, Monster, is the best number in the show, in my opinion. And the freezing of Anna in Act Two is that wondrous stage magic that takes the audience's breath away (which you hinted at).
I think a lot of these Disney Broadway musicals are more about the life the show has after Broadway. The Little Mermaid may have been short-lived on Broadway, but it tours constantly and community theatres and high schools do it all the time. I'm not sure Disney really cares about the Tonys.
Averybindups children can't pay attention for two acts the best in my experience. Three wouldn't be the best. Frozen is a musical with a child demographic.
After the Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella costume transformations, no other transformations amuse me. Thank you for the review. Sounds just like I thought it would
What I hope to get out of Frozen is not a recreation of the movie, but a piece of musical theatre. I can't say right now if I'm gonna love it or hate it or maybe something in between, but I'm not gonna lower my standards because this is Frozen. I'm still expecting good musical theatre that touches my heart in some way. I'm really hoping I'll get that with Frozen, but ya never know!
Unrelated to this, but this just got me thinking about the structure of musicals and stories in general, and I was just wondering whether Into The Woods is 2 acts (act one and two obviously), 6 acts (in which we consider act one and act two to be two distinct stories, each with 3 acts), or 3 acts (with act one being the first act and part of the second act and act two being the rest of the second act and act 3)? Or something completely different? Am I overthinking this? I think I am. I also said act like 50 times but there's no turning back now
I found a bootleg of the preview on google drive and you are completely right let it go is extremely underwhelming there’s no castle no staircase I don’t even think a chandelier when I watched that i was like what the actual heck it felt lame
The only thing holding this musical back is the fact that it's rushed to Broadway to keep up with the hype. Loyalty to the movie is demanded. Had I been a part of the creative team I'd have cut Olaf, immediately. He takes the story down in seriousness and is only there for comedic relief. His musical number is so strange and visualizing it would break uo the rest of the show.
I saw frozen in the Broadway musical last night and I thought it was fantastic! The mossy stone people telling the story and moving it along, really wasn't there. I definitely know some of the costumes and choreography changed from the pre-Broadway run. I love the addition of The songs that were not in the movie. I felt like it was leaning closer to lion King then Aladdin, because of these differences. The opening was different, the little girls childhoods were played out longer, and there was overall more development for those characters. Some of the plot points were moved around as well. I love how during the quartet, The ensemble was singing "and the storm still raged on"and other things from let it go that made it really cool. Let it go was a little bit different from how they did in the movie, but seeing as it's the staple song they really shouldn't change that much. Some of the lyrics were changed, and some of the notes were different as well. All in all, I really really loved it and would love to see it again. Another thing worth mentioning, is that when Elsa was running out of the castle all in all, I really really loved and would love to see you again. Another thing worth mentioning, is that when Elsa was running out of the castle,Right after they discover her powers, the whole entire set Brooke. Now, I didn't notice this until you could tell everybody on stage was panicking just a little bit and the show completely stopped. Somebody came on the loudspeaker and said they were having technical difficulties, then close the curtain and open the doors. It was close to 20 minute intermission just randomly in the middle of act one. They opened the snacks and refreshments, the merchandise,And the bathrooms. After this the show went on for about five more minutes, until right after reindeer's are better than people. A few lines after Anna walked on stage, they stopped the show again for this time about 10 minutes. I do not know what was wrong with everything this time.However, Anna and Kristof made some really funny jokes because they started again right before reindeer's are better than people and made hilarious jokes we are the whole audience just laughed and laughed. Everybody was confused but these things totally happen and I thought it was kind of funny.
please make a video of you watching the tv version of "christmas carol" musical with kelsey grammer, jason alexander, and so many others! i think it would be gold.
Is there a way that Act One can be shortened and Act Two lengthened, despite the fact that Act Ones are traditionally longer than Act Twos with intermission, so that it's a more even split and the Act One problems can be straightened out a little? What are the acting/production requirements that generally necessitate the longer Act One/shorter Act Two?
re: tony rules and adaptations, to be nominated for best score the new music has to comprise at least 51% of the score, though how they determine the exact percentage i don't know
I teach 6th and 8th grade, I can't even count the number of times I heard Let it Go. Most recently, one of my former students played it at her Quinceañera!
Title: "I Saw Frozen the Musical!" Me: And it must have sucked balls, considering you made a video about it. Just kidding. I'm new to your channel so please don't kill me.
I thought Aladdin took some different routes and such and I thought it a different experience then the movie personally but I understand your point. What were your thoughts on the song colder by the minute? It is my favorite part of the cast album by far
The trolls? You mean 'plot rocks'?
I think he might have been confused because they aren't being called trolls in the stage version. They have some other name.
Zach T Rock Smurfs!
Is he calling Grandpabbie, the ancient rock troll, "Rafiki" ?🤔
When musical theatre mash uploads my life span is lengthened, my skin clears, and my crops grow.
Laurel Morgan so you turn into daisy Gamble ?
Why can't you like more than once? ToT
They should've put Hunchback on Broadway instead. I'm still salty that they took a beautiful score, an amazing cast, and a heartbreaking and heartwarming story and shit all over it by teasing us like, "oh yeah, let's put this on an amazing two coast tryout and then say oh yeah we are coming to Broadway soon," and then rip everyone's hearts out by just replacing an extremely relevant story and score with a money grabbing shit show that Disney didn't really have to give much thought to because it would've made money even if it was a low budget, tin can lights in a run down roach motel theater. I like Frozen, but it is so overblown and overdone. I'm done 😩 BRING HUNCHBACK TO BROADWAY.
Stephanie Conklin Thank you, somebody said it! I saw it in the Paper Mill Playhouse. It is the best musical I have ever seen. And I have seen 27 Broadway Musicals!
Nolan Maggio I only watched the bootleg because I live in Australia, but it was even amazing in the bootleg I've never been so blown away by a musical.
I'm sorry you didn't get to see Hunchback. A regional theater near me did the Broadway production and it was glorious. You may or may not find the full show on a certain tube for you and I highly recommend you watch it immediately. Papermill version rather than La Jolla.
I think they're launching a tour for Hunchback....
Stephanie Conklin I couldn't agree with you more! Hunchback has one of the most beautiful scores I have ever listened to and its story is just amazing. I have read in multiple places that the reason it never went to Broadway was because they didn't want to pay all the members of the choir. In addition to the main characters and the ensemble actors in the show there was a "church" choir I guess you can compare it to because the score definitely will not be done justice if it doesn't have that big, full sound. Going to Broadway would mean they would have to pay all those excess singers and they didn't want to do that.
Shouldn't his name be...
Rock-fiki?
tttrevor ttturner *grrrroooaaaaaan*
GET OUT
just kidding I love it
Grandpabbie?
I'd love it if you'd make a video talking about The Great Comet (again)! there's so much to adress about it and the fanbase has really grown since you last spoke about it. Let's keep that magical thing alive! :)
w PLEASE
I'm very interested in seeing how this Broadway season turns out. SpongeBob, Mean Girls, Frozen... so many franchise musicals alongside long-running hits like Hamilton, Waitress, Dear Evan Hansen, and Come From Away. (Still sad about Great Comet and Groundhog Day, though.)
Ariella Kahan-Harth It will be interesting to see how The Band's Visit fairs in this highly commercialized season. It could be a breath of fresh air, or it could just drowned out by all of these mega-franchise musicals.
Fun fact: the spongebob musical was on broadway in Chicago like a year ago and I saw it and it doesn't suck so yeaaaaahhhhhhhh
imalreadysorry I see it too and while it doesn’t suck it wasn’t great either. Found it to be mediocre at best. But to each his own, I definitley see why people like it and I see why people hate it.
@@Broadway_Ben It actually won the Tony awards.
Also, while the costumes were GORGEOUS, they were all almost exact recreations from the movie, which I found super disappointing. I am all for giving each character one of their iconic outfits, but all the costumes for me felt very much "lets just make the movie, but on stage" and very theme-parky.
Ben Lebofsky I thought the costumes were a lot different from the movie. The colors and silhouettes were the same. But the patterns were completely different. I thought they shouldn't change this because their dress patterns are iconic and recognizable.
Peter Pan Skywalker, Jedi Master I'm all for keeping the iconic costumes, it just makes sense. But certain ones like the one Hans wears when he is handing out blankets, just felt like unnecessarily close to the movie's you know? Like no one is going to be like "Omg I can't believe they changed Han's outfit when he is handing out blankets." And don't get me wrong, I LOVED the costumes, they were stunning and I loved the way they combined movie costumes with traditional garments and patterns of that region. I just wish there were a bit more deviation to make it stand apart from it movie and theme park iterations, because they all felt like largely recreations or heavily inspired by the movie costumes. I did however love Anna's new costume that she wears in Act 1. Thought that was a great addition and wish they had done more of that.
I'm glad you mentioned the three act versus two act problem that the musical has. That was one of the first concerns I had about the show when I first heard they would be making it into a Broadway musical.
That three-act vs. two-act thing seems odd to me. Act I of musicals is the longer of the two, yet apparently stage Frozen has the movie's acts II and III in its Act II. Wouldn't it have made more sense for stage Act I to contain Acts I and II of the movie? From a narrative perspective, it seems to make sense, and you'd have less padding to worry about. Maybe throw some of the movie's Act II into stage Act II for good measure.
Just dealt with a pretty crappy role rejection (A Chorus Line). Watching this guy made me remember my love for theater when it temporarily escaped me. Thanks
Asummersdaydreamer14 Thanks, that's really helpful. Every time I get rejected I go crazy looking for another audition, so hopefully that works out.
It be like that in theatre.
Don't give up, your art contribution matters.
In the out-of-town tryouts of Aladdin, his 3 friends (babkak Omar and kaseem) narrated the show and opened/closed it. The 3 sang comical arranged versions of Arabian nights. When it opened on Bway, those Arabian Nights reprises were cut along with the boys' narration. And Genie now sings Arabian nights. So what I'm saying is, the moss-people narration will probably be cut
I believe that they did a good job taking the narration out of these musicals because it makes it boring.
OMG ARE YOU SERIOUS??? THAT SOUNDS AWFULL!! glad they cut it, I saw aladdin with the obc and arabian nights just gave me the CHILLS, It was the best song translated to stage version by far
kchrules yeah agreed with the other comments, Arabian nights was a highlight for me so I'm glad they cut the narration!
Not gonna lie id love to see that. Babkak, Kassim and omar are my life
It’s a cautionary tale...
Having seen Frozen touring production in 2019, I am very happy about the things they changed.
I remember seeing the Lion King the musical when I was a youngling. I was, and still am today, blown away by the theatrics and grandness of it all. Some things separate Aladdin from Lion King in production
(1) Aladdin was put on Broadway in 2011, long after its hype died down. Lion King was put on Broadway in 1997, while the Disney Renaissance was still in full swing. Riding off this hype helped it getting into people's minds early.
(2) Lion King starred animals so the production had to find a creative way of making you see animals and the actors without them being in furry suits. So the costume designer took inspiration from the African culture (masks, traditional garb, etc) and some other ideas like kabuki theater puppets, to make an experience that was different from The Lion King movie. It made you feel like a traditional African story was being told. Aladdin was flashy and paid very little to the source's source (the Arabic culture) except in one-off jokes. It felt like you were watching a live action movie rather than experiencing a new show.
(3) Also Aladdin took all the fun side-kicks out or turned them human. Abu and Rajah are gone and replaced by human posses for Aladdin and Jasmine. They could have easily make them puppets like they did for Lion King. Iago is also replaced by a human but of the same name.
Honestly, those things are what really change the shows for me to make me love one and try to pretend the other doesn't exist. Frozen should do what Lion King did and take inspiration from Nordic culture and their way of storytelling into the musical to make it stand apart from the movie.
(Also if you want to see someone make fun of Disney using Aladdin, then check out Twisted by Starkidpotter here on RUclips. Its like Wicked where its all from Jafar's prospective. Its great and has some catchy Disney-esc songs and a lot of curse words.)
18:56 I'd just like to note both Beauty and the Beast and Lion King came to Broadway really quickly while people were still super hyped about them. I don't see how Frozen is that different it's been about three years now.
I wouldn't say that the Broadway version of Aladdin is a recreation of the animated film. They went back to Howard Ashman's original vision by presenting it as an old-fashion musical comedy with the Genie as this Cab Calloway/Fatz Waller type of person.
I've always wondered how the creation of Frozen the Musical will come out bringing the animation to the stage! Hopefully they build off of what they have and create something even better!!! Sounds like it has potential (Still waiting on Sister Act the Musical show of the week lol)
I feel like your conspiracy theory is probably right. There's no danger for them to hold off - it's not like they're working hard to transfer. This review makes me far more excited to see and examine the show than I was before! Glad you're back 😊
Also, in terms of Tony season, I think we should treat it like any other adaptation. View it knowing it was adapted, and if we're familiar with the source material (which we are), compare the two, but not too critically. Theatre blinders is probably the best way to put it, but perhaps not to the extent you described of viewing it as a wholly new entity.
On the other hand, with Aladdin they finished previews without having a good, working flying carpet, so...
True, but that wasn't an element that was totally missing - just not yet up to par.
It could be that the illusions they want to do for Broadway just aren’t ready yet.
I Agree, it could also be that the stage might have to be considerably adapted to do these illusions... Which would make sense to hold their funds to o it to the actual theater. I believe Wicked did this with Defying Gravity actually. I seem to remember watching a documentary where they were saying the try out stage just simply was not equipped space wise to do the show the way the creators envisioned the final.
This was so interesting! Thank you!
Can't wait to see a bootl... I mean an officially released version, professionally filmed :)))
"The mossy stone people" ...do you mean the trolls?
Tierney Banco They aren't using the trolls in the show, it's another set of mythical beings.
Hello my friend, I have a musical recommendation for you! It’s called Bare. It’s absolutely fantastic. The story circles around two lovers who are at a catholic boarding school, where love is forbidden, and they have to stay secret. So many other things happen, someone gets pregnant, someone ODs, I don’t know. But it’s fantastic
ruclips.net/video/VPB5aVXnEjs/видео.html :D tada
That Act 1 padding issue is what made Beauty & the Beast only very good instead of amazing. It's a bummer to see that issue continue. (Edit: Beauty & the Beast and Lion King were on Broadway about 3 and 5 years after film release respectively, too.)
This narrative dissonance you're describing reminds me a lot of the issues I have with Wicked. Like, someone's mourning the death of a family member, and then there's a joke and a humorous catfight. Side-note that's related, I think the only solution to the Let it Go problem would be to write another Act 1 Finale song that you know for 100% certain is going to be a better song. Usually, I would say "that's at least as good", like with "The Wizard and I" and "Defying Gravity", but the difference is that no one but theater nerds went into Wicked knowing either of those songs, so Schwartz didn't have to outdo himself in the same way. Contrastingly, like you said, a whole lot of people go into Frozen thinking Let it Go is the best song of the decade, so any Act 1 Finale song that wasn't Let it Go would have to be a guaranteed knock out of the park.
It seemed to me like he was saying that the problem with Let It Go in the stage adaptation was the lack of props / stecial effects / spectacle related to her using her powers; not the song itself being there.
Frozen broadway: comes out like 4-5 years after the movie
The lion king: out on broadway like only 2 years after the movie
Musical Theatre Mash: “Disney has never jumped the gun on getting something to broadway so quickly”
I think Hunchback of Notre Dame Musical would be better for challenging audiences! I loved the ideas of the Broadway version of Anastasia for nixing the magic and showing what it was like in Communist Russia in the late 1920's. The villain is a Bolshevik soldier who has a tragic past and a Javert like passion to pursue the lost Russian Grand Duchess. They add more songs but keeps all the good songs we remember! This was not the movie put on stage, but new and different and challenging! I desperately want to see it!
There is a fabulous stage version of Disney's Hunchback. I hope this link works.
ruclips.net/video/VIoxqM4loNw/видео.html
nut the La Jolla an the Papermill Playhouse isn't going to Broadway.
I’m going to see Mean Girls the musical in November in DC before it goes to broadway. I know exactly what you are talking about.
i saw Aladdin's obc and it was amazing. and i thought there was a kind of new thing, the theatre is so different than the movie. Aladdin had amazing dance numbers and songs that translated really well to the stage. and i'm actually looking forward to frozen because i think it has a lot of potential
Something Official he is kind of harsh on Aladdin, which I actually thought is one of Disney's strongest endeavors (4th behind Lion King, Mary Poppins and BATB for me). I think they did a great job keeping all the things we wanted to see from the movie while still making something new for the theater. I was so skeptical about turning that movie into a stage show but I thought they really killed it in execution. Unlike with Frozen, the new songs are all great and I especially love Proud of Your Boy. The only thing I didn't really love was the finale, but to be fair the finale of the movie is crazy so I kind of get it.
I saw aladdin with the obc too, I LOVED the cast (I mean JMI is a BEAST) but I was dissapointed, out of the new songs only 1 was memorable (proud of your boy, which was written by Howard Ashman before the movie came out so I don't think it counts as a new song) It also doesn't try to expand on the characters minds/ feelings (except maybe aladdin with proud of your boy, but then again it is not a new song so therefore it's not much of an expansion, its more of an addition) and the ending was extremely, extremely disapointing, I mean I get that the ending is insane but even shreck the musical had a dragon puppet, idk I thin they could have gotten way more creative with it, I mean I loved the show, and I had a great time, but I feel like it is more like a spectacle, rather than being a challenging artistic piece, It's not like with newsies or Lion king where the new content feels like expansion, It's more like little mermaid or beauty and the beast where the additions feel like additions. But hey everyone has different tastes, and I would be lying if I love me some marketing produced disney spectacle broadway shows
12345 Nltsaaegcj oh yeah there were definitely moments that it could have been better. i just think that as a whole it was well put together and the casts did a great job. i love artistic pieces that are different and new, but sometimes you just want to be entertained and i think Aladdin did very well with that
Something Official totally agree, specially when the story is already amazing, you just want a good ol nostalgia trip
12345 Nltsaaegcj i disagree I love all the additions Babkak Kassim and Omar all are such good character's. And I love the songs they had it. Ive been singing High adventure everyday since ive seen it. Also a million miles away added so much to Jasim and aladdin for me at least
I just saw the Broadway Musical in New York a few weeks ago, and if you haven't seen it yet, yes you were correct that the narrator role was cut from the show. They did, however keep the background on their mother being raised by the mountain people and so that is why she calls on them through the window after Anna was struck. I don't know if in the out of town try out they explained that the mother used to be in the mountain folk tribe and was fallen in love with by the father who was king bound, so she then became royalty too. I liked that. It was the only reason I didn't find the call thing stupid. As far as the mix between direct translation from the movie with Olaf and then the loose translation from the stone-troll people to the mountain folk, you can see that in Lion King too. Pumba and Timon are pretty much the same kind of cartoony puppet trick as Olaf, but all the other characters are very broken down and abstract. Just like in Lion king, it worked for Frozen. There is no way they could have removed the Olaf character, just like Julie Taymor didn't want to deconstruct Pumba and Timon, which are all essentially the Shakespeare clown role of the show. I really enjoyed the stage adaptation in New York and would be interested to hear what you think seeing its final version after seeing the out of town version!
Totally agree with you on how Disney does broadway. I as well am not a fan of "theme park" version.
Aladdin the musical was very different from the movie. It had the basic plot but they added characters and songs and different plot points. It's not just a recreation.
I really like videos like this! Almost like the show of the week but you go more in depth, I really like knowing all the info I can
I've seen Mermaid and Aladdin on Broadway, and my main issue with them is that the conflict and resolution seem to happen in the last 30 minutes of the show, and then makes it feel rushed.
Wonderful insight! Towards the end of your video, you mention this possibly being the fastest Disney has brought a film to the stage. It is certainly the fastest within the last decade or so, but both Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King were adapted and brought to Broadway faster (less than 4 years). What's interesting is that BatB was basically a slavish recreation of the film, while TLK took the time to really figure out how to make it work theatrically and it sounds like this production is caught in between. Hoping it comes to together as the potential is there!
I saw Hood the musical adventure (look it up) and I hope it goes on to more places because i’d love to see your review on it!!
Anthony Morehead Hood was amazing!!
I am still thoroughly pissed that "Frozen Heart" is not in the stage musical
Whattt????
Yeah, the song was taken out of the musical. I am not happy.
It wasnt really a relevant song tbh
Sigh these tix are gonna be like $350 even on tour. No way will I be able to see it.
Nardo218 x it'll probably be on RUclips a few weeks after the premiere with a title like "this is not a musical about an icequeen, what even is snow?" and it won't be like seeing it live but at least you saw it.
Living Broadway Trashcan is a savior
lou mertens That is exactly what happened with Bette in Dolly. It popped up one evening so I stayed up and watched thinking it wouldn't be there for long. Sure enough it was pulled the very next day. So fingers crossed!
Is that a youtube channel? Boots are getting really good thanks to fancy iphone cameras. :)
lol, yes. I'm very thankful for yt's brave and valiant bootleggers. i wish broadway would cotton on to the idea that they would make a ton of money professionally filming plays and charging the internet to watch them. They do it in england with the RSC and the Old Vic, charge 15 pounds, and make money worldwide.
But Katherine Steele said they weren't even trolls.
I wonder where a show like Mary Poppins would land on that spectrum between "Lion King" and "Aladdin". It has many things similar to the movie, but there are many things extrapolated from the original source material of P.L Travers books. Not to mention that musically, the composers took the music to new levels and used it to tell the story more so than the movie did.
I think your dichotomy is slightly false, I think it really just comes down to what creatives they pick. I think that Lion King has reached the level it has because of the inherent problem of putting animals onstage. Because Julie Taymor knew just how to handle it, it is what it is today. They tried to replicate this magic with their directing/design choices for Tarzan and Mermaid but fell short. I think Der Gloeckner worked so well because they went all out on a new book writer who turned that show into something new. Newsies worked for me because they wrote as straight-up a musical as you could imagine. I think that they really fail when they try to replicate the Lion King success on shows that need a different strategy.
nicoleloveswalt you just nailed it dude, you are absolutely right
nicoleloveswalt GENIUS
I can confirm that the calling of "the magic people of the mountains" is very much in the Broadway show. I'm not sure if that's amazing or the worst news I have ever heard, but I'm happy I got to see it.
Both of my musical theatre RUclips senpais were in my state, without my knowledge.
Several of Disney's screen-to-stage adaptations have been Tony nominated for Best Original Score before.
Beauty & the Beast (which had 6 new songs when it opened) was nominated, lost to Passion.
The Lion King (which had 6 new songs) was nominated, lost to Ragtime.
The Little Mermaid (which had 11 new songs on Broadway) was nominated, lost to In the Heights.
Newsies (which had 6 new songs on Broadway) was nominated and won.
Aladdin (which had 4 brand new songs along with 3 others that were previously cut from the film) was nominated, lost to The Bridges of Madison County.
Exactly how I felt when seeing it, it's felt like there were two directors fighting each other.
this made me realize that i really missed you and your videos. Gonna binge watch you agaain :)
What Mossy-Stone-People? There are Mossy-Stone-People? In Frozen? Okay, they are not important, if you can't remember them, right?
They're Trolls
Spongebob, frozen and mean girls, this is going to be a very commercial season...
I wonder if a way to fix the whole awkwardness with the 3 Act movie --> 2 Act Musical could be helped if Let It Go was put after some of the Anna scenes from the movie Act 2, like still end on Let It Go, but allow for some plot points with Anna and Kristoff to be thrown in, like her first meeting him, Oaken's cabin, the wolves, etc. That may be the way it really is, can't see it yet, but I feel like that would help maybe...
i think the fact that the songs are known could be treated like american idiot, whereas they're mostly not new songs but 1) they're new to the tonys and 2) there's new orchestrations and staging and such, so it's like it's brand new.. especially if it goes the lion king route, i feel like it could really be treated as a new musical. it's not like it's a revival
With Disney Broadway musicals, would beauty and the beast be lion king style? Aladdin way? Or somewhere in the middle
Jimmy Wallace I'd say Aladdin they don't really change much the musical is practically the movie.
Laurel Morgan I was in Beauty and the Beast and it wasn't quite an Aladdin type show. There was a lot of change, but it wasn't really all the artistic.
Somewhere in the middle, I think. There were plenty of changes (most notably the addition of the beautiful If I Can't Love Her) but a lot of it was the same too. It was somewhat artsy, but not too much.
Kaija Schmauss I have to agree with you. Also a lot of the throw away characters got larger parts like the Silly Girls and Monsieur D'arque.
But Lion King truly didn't change much either story wise. Yes the have a nice design but the story is still pretty much scene for scene the Disney movie. Personally I'd say Aladdin changed more when it comes to story with taking out Abu and switch to the three friends and making Iago human.
god i would love to hear you talk about hadestown
I think the only other option for an act 1 closing number would be for the first time in forever reprise, but then again that one is the movies act 2 finale, you would end up with a very drawn out and padded act 3
Amazing video. I was there on opening night. I agree with you 100% on the uninteresting staging of Let It Go. I was so frustrated that I wrote an email to the theater about it... but I also thought about the "Disney is saving it" theory. Hope it is indeed the case.
I heard the “plot rocks” referenced as “the nomadic people of the North” in the video I saw. Also Olaf is still played by the guy (josh gad) from the movie I think
I would like Frozen to be at par with Wicked in terms of depth of plot development, probably because Cassie Levy was Elphaba and her standby was also Elphaba, Idina was also Elphaba, but the musical kinda felt short of how it was written in the novel, but it turned out to be ok. I would expect let it go to close act I or they have to write another song that is almost as great as let it go - kinda like "the wizard and I" in Wicked, and Let it go would be the defying gravity counterpart, probably because they emerge as a brand new woman sort of thing. I don't even know why I feel like comparing this show to Wicked.
That little bit from 21:16 on made my day that much brighter :)
I really really love your videos!! You are officially my broadway guru
I have yet to hear a middle-schooler sing "Let it Go", but I have heard preschoolers do it. Many many times...
I really do think that Frozen has potential to be a great show and I've been very hyped about it. I really hope that it will be successful because the cast is amazing
When I saw the movie, I could tell immediately Frozen was written for Broadway. They were probably written at the Same time
You’re so right. Pabbie’s role as the narrator got cut but not Elsa and Anna’s Mum calling out to the Hidden Folk... because that actually alludes to the fact that... SPOILER! The Mum is part of the Hidden Folk. I interviewed Pabbie (Tim Hughes) on my channel if you are interested to dig deeper.
tangled is a much better musical to be adapted to broadway. it should have been made into a musical waaaaayyyyyyyy before frozen. also hunchback definitely needed to be put back on broadway instead of frozen.
~Let it Go Stats~
Middle schoolers: probably hundreds.
High schoolers: infinite.
Couple Things:
Three Act Structure: the 3 Act structure is prevalent in western drama and has been since Aristotle. The idea that the dramatic acts in the 3-act structure are the same as act breaks in plays is a common misconception. Shakespeare wrote in the 3-act structure and most of his plays have five acts. The 3-act structure is dramatic beats -- not necessarily bringing down the curtain and having an intermission. Generally, the third act in 3-act structure is shorter because that is the bit that is leading us to the climax and denouement. It usually starts after it looks like the hero/protagonist has lost all hope but takes one final drive at achieving their want/goal/objective. Again, this is all a common misconception but it is important to note because pretty much every show on Broadway follows this.
Let It Go: I think they may have added to it since this review was posted. Variety had a review dated Sept 14 (only a week later, but....) which opened talking about the magic in that number: " In its live rendition of “Let It Go,” the signature tune from the 2014 Oscar winner, the musical wows adults as much as kids with a brilliant spectacle - as poignant as it is jaw-dropping." variety.com/2017/legit/reviews/frozen-review-musical-pre-broadway-denver-1202558998/ I saw The Producers in its pre-b'way run in Chicago. I remember some of the sets were definitely incomplete. I went back later in the run and there was definitely more stuff. So, I wouldn't worry about Let It Go being a let down.
How long will it run: Our dear reviewer poses an interesting question. But one which has a wider impact on Broadway. Again, Variety recently had an article about how the Hollywood Blockbuster mentality is impacting B'way. Yes, it means that revenues are up and even long running shows (like Lion King currently at $7.9 BILLION) are still raking in big bucks. But it also raises the question of whether this is sustainable. It basically means that plays can't make a good run on Broadway. It means that Broadway may be pricing itself out of the general market (the cheapest tix for Hamilton are $250 going up to nearly $850 in some cases). This should concern all of us because we are less likely to see really inventive and creative musicals like Fun Home or even something like Groundhog Day in the near future. Let's face it, B'way is the epicenter but like expanding ripples in a pool as long as shows move on, then that feeds regional, community and high school programs. If the only shows are long running, then where does the new material come from? Is this a bubble waiting to happen? This worries me. It should worry all of us. variety.com/2017/legit/columns/broadway-blockbuster-obsession-hollywood-frozen-harry-potter-1202578471/
You're so smart about all this. My brief thoughts (I saw it in Denver): Act One should close with the snow monster attack. A giant, King Kong The Musical-style snow monster scene...Disney can afford it and, dramaturgically, that's how you can go out of Act 1 with a logical bang. I feel like Elsa is rendered harmless as it stands now. I imagined they'd cut the monster, but after seeing it, I kinda think it's the thing that renders her a violent threat to the village...as well as the soldiers and Hans discovering this ICE PALACE she's built. Your best point is that the audience waits for "Let It Go" WAY longer than they should...thing is, it's really not the climax of the story. I feel like the snow monster (or some other huge threat) would make Elsa being arrested later so much more significant and make her redemption so much more potent. Because, at this point, it's like...meh. Also, I think Fixer Upper needs to go. Stylistically, it doesn't match with the theatricality of the "Mountain People". It seems silly for these dramatic, Scandinavian, Midsummer Night's Dream-type mountain-people to suddenly sing this number that makes sense if it's sung by mossy-rock-Disney-comedic-relief-characters. I don't think kids would miss it.
I saw this musical on opening night and lol, they had technical difficulties
The point you made at the end about the Tony nominations- they've given best score to Newsies, another huge Disney musical. Granted, Newsies is not a fraction as capitalized as Frozen, but I don't think that means they will automatically be turned off because most of the score is from the hit movie.
So, are we getting our first video for Sondheim September soon, or what?
I wanted "Let it Go" to have a "Les Mis" barricade style appearance for that castle.
To the best of my knowledge, a certain percentage of the score has to be new to the show in order for it to be considered for best 'new' score, but I couldn't tell you what that percentage is. 50% maybe?
Ever seen Arrivals and Departures? If not, check it out. There are two plays called by that same name. I don't know anything about the other one, but just choose the one involving the main characters Esme and Barry.
Do you think the Act One plot spreading issues could be fixed by adding plot details from Once Upon A Time's Frozen storyline? Or perhaps by spending more time developing the parents and their shipwreck? Or even more about Hans in the Summer Isles or the Duke in Weaseltown?
No. Once Upon A Time is its own thing and its own canon. They do not need to mix and mesh them together and I hate when people try to do that. Like when people try to act like Wicked is really canon to the wizard of oz. It isnt
hahahah. "confetti canons" made me lol
It's funny that you mentioned that the Spongebob musical is coming to Broadway soon, because the long-awaited (as in there have been talks about it for a good 3 - 4 years) Mean Girls: The Musical is coming soon too. So theoretically, we could get Tony nominations that are almost entirely adaptations.
Kaija Schmauss Oh god I hope that doesn't happen.
The whole tree analogy goes back to George Kaufmann and his 1930s screwball stage comedies: I believe he coined the concept.. Just FYI.
I know it has felt faster, but it was about the same if not less- for Beauty and the Beast (1991 movie/1995 Broadway) and The Lion King (1994 movie/1997 Broadway). Frozen was released in 2013... maybe it just has been more present because Disney has capitalized like crazy on it all this time :P
I CAME AS SOON AS I HEARD
Cecelia Olszewski angelicaaaa....
Cecelia Olszewski ALL THE WAY FROM LONDON?
Damn
I'm so glad that The 5th Avenue in Seattle is putting on The Hunchback of Notre Dame next summer .I don't think that Frozen is bad but I was really disappointed that they decided to put it on Broadway instead of Hunchback :(
I swear to god if this music takes Wicked's theatre I'm gonna have a fit
You could be right with your conspiracy theory. But, Caissie Levy just slays Let It Go - the "magic" is in her singing. When I saw this, the audience was absolutely buzzing as soon as she finished. The cheers were strong and genuine. Yeah - it could be even more magical and wow. But, sometimes, just a great vocal performance is all you need. See, e.g. The Story Goes On in Baby. What the show needs - as all shows need - is a bigger tap number! (In Summer would be my pick to add in a tapping ensemble). Also, Sven is a really great puppet performance as good as Lion King. Elsa's Act Two number, Monster, is the best number in the show, in my opinion. And the freezing of Anna in Act Two is that wondrous stage magic that takes the audience's breath away (which you hinted at).
I think a lot of these Disney Broadway musicals are more about the life the show has after Broadway. The Little Mermaid may have been short-lived on Broadway, but it tours constantly and community theatres and high schools do it all the time. I'm not sure Disney really cares about the Tonys.
but there are several 3 act stage productions out there. why wouldn't they just give it 3 acts?
Averybindups children can't pay attention for two acts the best in my experience. Three wouldn't be the best. Frozen is a musical with a child demographic.
Yay, a new video! Missed you
After the Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella costume transformations, no other transformations amuse me. Thank you for the review. Sounds just like I thought it would
What I hope to get out of Frozen is not a recreation of the movie, but a piece of musical theatre. I can't say right now if I'm gonna love it or hate it or maybe something in between, but I'm not gonna lower my standards because this is Frozen. I'm still expecting good musical theatre that touches my heart in some way. I'm really hoping I'll get that with Frozen, but ya never know!
Unrelated to this, but this just got me thinking about the structure of musicals and stories in general, and I was just wondering whether Into The Woods is 2 acts (act one and two obviously), 6 acts (in which we consider act one and act two to be two distinct stories, each with 3 acts), or 3 acts (with act one being the first act and part of the second act and act two being the rest of the second act and act 3)? Or something completely different? Am I overthinking this? I think I am. I also said act like 50 times but there's no turning back now
I found a bootleg of the preview on google drive and you are completely right let it go is extremely underwhelming there’s no castle no staircase I don’t even think a chandelier when I watched that i was like what the actual heck it felt lame
The only thing holding this musical back is the fact that it's rushed to Broadway to keep up with the hype. Loyalty to the movie is demanded.
Had I been a part of the creative team I'd have cut Olaf, immediately. He takes the story down in seriousness and is only there for comedic relief. His musical number is so strange and visualizing it would break uo the rest of the show.
I saw frozen in the Broadway musical last night and I thought it was fantastic! The mossy stone people telling the story and moving it along, really wasn't there. I definitely know some of the costumes and choreography changed from the pre-Broadway run. I love the addition of The songs that were not in the movie. I felt like it was leaning closer to lion King then Aladdin, because of these differences. The opening was different, the little girls childhoods were played out longer, and there was overall more development for those characters. Some of the plot points were moved around as well. I love how during the quartet, The ensemble was singing "and the storm still raged on"and other things from let it go that made it really cool. Let it go was a little bit different from how they did in the movie, but seeing as it's the staple song they really shouldn't change that much. Some of the lyrics were changed, and some of the notes were different as well. All in all, I really really loved it and would love to see it again. Another thing worth mentioning, is that when Elsa was running out of the castle all in all, I really really loved and would love to see you again. Another thing worth mentioning, is that when Elsa was running out of the castle,Right after they discover her powers, the whole entire set Brooke. Now, I didn't notice this until you could tell everybody on stage was panicking just a little bit and the show completely stopped. Somebody came on the loudspeaker and said they were having technical difficulties, then close the curtain and open the doors. It was close to 20 minute intermission just randomly in the middle of act one. They opened the snacks and refreshments, the merchandise,And the bathrooms. After this the show went on for about five more minutes, until right after reindeer's are better than people. A few lines after Anna walked on stage, they stopped the show again for this time about 10 minutes. I do not know what was wrong with everything this time.However, Anna and Kristof made some really funny jokes because they started again right before reindeer's are better than people and made hilarious jokes we are the whole audience just laughed and laughed. Everybody was confused but these things totally happen and I thought it was kind of funny.
please make a video of you watching the tv version of "christmas carol" musical with kelsey grammer, jason alexander, and so many others! i think it would be gold.
Is there a way that Act One can be shortened and Act Two lengthened, despite the fact that Act Ones are traditionally longer than Act Twos with intermission, so that it's a more even split and the Act One problems can be straightened out a little? What are the acting/production requirements that generally necessitate the longer Act One/shorter Act Two?
7:44 cracked me up lol 😂
re: tony rules and adaptations, to be nominated for best score the new music has to comprise at least 51% of the score, though how they determine the exact percentage i don't know
do you have a video on your favorite act one closers?? because I'd love to see that!
Frozen The Musical!!??
I teach 6th and 8th grade, I can't even count the number of times I heard Let it Go. Most recently, one of my former students played it at her Quinceañera!
pandasan67 I feel so sorry for you stay strong!
I love your videos! Congrats on such fantastic vids! Also you're super cute :)
What happened to to this channel? I miss these videos.
Title: "I Saw Frozen the Musical!"
Me: And it must have sucked balls, considering you made a video about it.
Just kidding. I'm new to your channel so please don't kill me.
18:34 i swear to god if you don't stop it with the damn puns
The trolls? I've seen many plush trolls. My aunt has two in her excessively frozen-there's bathroom
Won't you cover Leonard Bernstein? His centenary is just around the corner.
You were so right about them demoting the troll father!!!! Now the ensemble narrates!
I thought Aladdin took some different routes and such and I thought it a different experience then the movie personally but I understand your point. What were your thoughts on the song colder by the minute? It is my favorite part of the cast album by far