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Post by bobbievanhusen on Feb 21, 2023 17:26:08 GMT
In the description, the pronoun "they" is used in reference to Finch which leads me to believe that Finch will be non-binary. Which description is this in? I cant seem to find it. I've read both the SP and WoS but can't see it in there. |
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Post by showtoones on Feb 21, 2023 17:59:36 GMT
In the description, the pronoun "they" is used in reference to Finch which leads me to believe that Finch will be non-binary. Which description is this in? I cant seem to find it. I've read both the SP and WoS but can't see it in there. It’s in this description The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical follows J. Pierrepont Finch as they climb the corporate ladder from a window washer to a high-powered executive. Along the way, they navigate the office party, co-workers, and company politics. |
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Feb 22, 2023 2:16:37 GMT
Thanks! It's interesting that they have changed it ever so slightly for the other sites.
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Post by Fleance on Feb 22, 2023 3:23:46 GMT
I love the show and think this revival has potential to be really interesting.
Btw one of the nice things about the movie is that many of the original Broadway cast members got to reprise their roles on screen, including Broadway veterans Ruth Kobart and Sammy Smith. That didn't happen often; The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees are two other films that imported the original casts, apart from a lead or two (e.g. Doris Day and Tab Hunter, instead of Janis Paige and Stephen Douglass).
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Feb 22, 2023 9:53:25 GMT
I don't think I have ever seen the film on TV here in the UK. I have it from a download though.
As much as I love the original version (Cinderella Darling is the better Act 2 opener) The Megan Mullally, Matthew Broderick and Victoria Clark is the recording I go to. Been A Long Day, Paris Original, I Believe In You, Brotherhood of Man, all of them great numbers.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Feb 28, 2023 9:13:06 GMT
I don't know what she's currently up to, but Emma Williams played Finch in the most recent all female workshop of this. Hopefully there will be a casting announcement soon.
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Post by zahidf on Mar 21, 2023 13:06:01 GMT
Tracie Bennet cast in this
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Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 21, 2023 15:12:36 GMT
Tracie Bennet cast in this as JB Biggley Much as I like TB as a performer, this only confirms to me that this production will be too far removed from the original for me. A real shame as the original has plenty to say about contemporary issues as well as those from the time it was written. This is just change for the sake of change. |
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Post by Being Alive on Mar 21, 2023 15:51:58 GMT
It's by the people who did Whistle, so this will be nothing like the actual musical
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Post by c4ndyc4ne on Mar 21, 2023 16:07:11 GMT
Tracie Bennet cast in this as JB Biggley Much as I like TB as a performer, this only confirms to me that this production will be too far removed from the original for me. A real shame as the original has plenty to say about contemporary issues as well as those from the time it was written. This is just change for the sake of change. Change, for me, is always exciting. Seeing musicals in new light (Company, Guys and Dolls etc) always add something new and connect the issues then to the issues now. Plus it's all just a bit fun! Guess it's down to what you want your theatre going to achieve. |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 21, 2023 16:14:35 GMT
as JB Biggley Much as I like TB as a performer, this only confirms to me that this production will be too far removed from the original for me. A real shame as the original has plenty to say about contemporary issues as well as those from the time it was written. This is just change for the sake of change. Change, for me, is always exciting. Seeing musicals in new light (Company, Guys and Dolls etc) always add something new and connect the issues then to the issues now. Plus it's all just a bit fun! Guess it's down to what you want your theatre going to achieve. On the whole I want to go to see the show that the writers created. Not what a director wants the show to be. Modern theatre has placed too much emphasis on the director and too little emphasis on the writer(s) In this particular case, I don't believe the director actually understands the original and certainly not what it is satirising. And that is troubling. It feels like exploiting an existing known piece to use it as a vehicle to tell a completely different story. And that is lazy. If you want a musical exploring how women bosses behave in modern business, go ahead and commission one. Don't impose an agenda on an existing show. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 21, 2023 16:15:04 GMT
Director Georgie Rankcom: “Our approach to this wonderful show is to trust the brilliant original and let the satire shine. To find the best possible company to tell this story, we expanded our ideas of who can play and embody these roles. When you’re looking for someone with the charisma and power to be the high powered boss with a flare for the occasional musical number, Tracie Bennett quickly becomes the top choice. I’m honoured and excited to be working with her on bringing this new version of How to Succeed to the stage.”
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Post by Jon on Mar 21, 2023 16:17:34 GMT
I think some people just don't want theatre to be refreshed and reinterpreted.
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Post by sph on Mar 21, 2023 16:38:41 GMT
I think sometimes when a piece is reinterpreted in a very modern way, it can fall short of being as clever as it thinks it is.
The last revival of Company was a good example of that. An unmarried 35 year-old woman who's dating multiple men and has a busy life and career? It wasn't groundbreaking, Sex and the City was doing that exact story 20 years before.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 21, 2023 16:42:50 GMT
There is a difference between refreshing a show and just using it as a vehicle for the whims and caprices of a director.
What is key, for me, is respecting the essence of the original. This is something that brilliant reinterpretations do. And reinterpretations are at the top of my list of best shows I have seen over the past 30/50 years.
There is nothing about what has been announced about this version that gives any real indication that this necessary respect to the material is being given.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2023 17:14:12 GMT
I think sometimes when a piece is reinterpreted in a very modern way, it can fall short of being as clever as it thinks it is. The last revival of Company was a good example of that. An unmarried 35 year-old woman who's dating multiple men and has a busy life and career? It wasn't groundbreaking, Sex and the City was doing that exact story 20 years before.
Totally agree about Sex and the City covering similar ground, but it is much less common for it to be realized in a musical stage production, particularly one as iconic as Sondheim's Company. Changing Bobby to Bobbie did break ground in its own way.
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Post by zahidf on Mar 21, 2023 19:11:41 GMT
I think sometimes when a piece is reinterpreted in a very modern way, it can fall short of being as clever as it thinks it is. The last revival of Company was a good example of that. An unmarried 35 year-old woman who's dating multiple men and has a busy life and career? It wasn't groundbreaking, Sex and the City was doing that exact story 20 years before.
Totally agree about Sex and the City covering similar ground, but it is much less common for it to be realized in a musical stage production, particularly one as iconic as Sondheim's Company. Changing Bobby to Bobbie did break ground in its own way.
Also wasn't Sondheim all up for the company changes? Was a great production as well! I'll give this one a go. Its just a silly musical. Things should move with the times if it works. |
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Post by theatrelover123 on Mar 21, 2023 19:14:07 GMT
There is a difference between refreshing a show and just using it as a vehicle for the whims and caprices of a director. What is key, for me, is respecting the essence of the original. This is something that brilliant reinterpretations do. And reinterpretations are at the top of my list of best shows I have seen over the past 30/50 years. There is nothing about what has been announced about this version that gives any real indication that this necessary respect to the material is being given. I'm pretty sure this production will respect 'the essence of the original' There isn't really enough info on it to make firm decisions on it either way yet so I think I will wait to see it/hear feedback before taking a line. But I sure am glad they are doing something fresh with it as I absolutely don't want to see another 'traditional' version of it. And I wouldn't expect Southwark to do that. And if this one doesn't 'work' then inevitably there will be another more faithful production of it coming down the line. |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 21, 2023 20:05:28 GMT
Totally agree about Sex and the City covering similar ground, but it is much less common for it to be realized in a musical stage production, particularly one as iconic as Sondheim's Company. Changing Bobby to Bobbie did break ground in its own way.
Also wasn't Sondheim all up for the company changes? Was a great production as well! I'll give this one a go. Its just a silly musical. Things should move with the times if it works. There is nothing about moving with the times about regendering characters. It is, if anything, becoming very predictable. And I would take exception to the idea that this is a silly musical. It is actually a clever, witty look at a number of key subjects and all done with a light touch. |
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Post by vdcni on Mar 21, 2023 23:01:36 GMT
There's a place for traditional staging of a musical but given how wedded theatre is to old work there must be the opportunity to do things differently as well.
Will this work, I don't know, but I also don't see the point of jumping to conclusions and writing it off already though I'm sadly not surprised.
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Post by theatrelover123 on Mar 21, 2023 23:09:48 GMT
Also wasn't Sondheim all up for the company changes? Was a great production as well! I'll give this one a go. Its just a silly musical. Things should move with the times if it works. There is nothing about moving with the times about regendering characters. It is, if anything, becoming very predictable. And I would take exception to the idea that this is a silly musical. It is actually a clever, witty look at a number of key subjects and all done with a light touch. I guess the positive about you not going is that it frees up a ticket for somebody to enjoy it and/or have an informed opinion about it when it opens. Silver linings all round. |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 21, 2023 23:15:04 GMT
There is nothing about moving with the times about regendering characters. It is, if anything, becoming very predictable. And I would take exception to the idea that this is a silly musical. It is actually a clever, witty look at a number of key subjects and all done with a light touch. I guess the positive about you not going is that it frees up a ticket for somebody to enjoy it and/or have an informed opinion about it when it opens. Silver linings all round. We all have to make decisions about shows that have not opened based on the information provided by the producers and the venue. I stand by my interpretation of what has been announced here. It runs contrary to my view of a brilliant show. When people are making choices as to how to spend their limited disposable income, they are entitled to use whatever they like to reach their decisions. Making snide comments towards me is really not a helpful contribution to a discussion. |
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Post by theatrelover123 on Mar 21, 2023 23:52:12 GMT
I guess the positive about you not going is that it frees up a ticket for somebody to enjoy it and/or have an informed opinion about it when it opens. Silver linings all round. We all have to make decisions about shows that have not opened based on the information provided by the producers and the venue. I stand by my interpretation of what has been announced here. It runs contrary to my view of a brilliant show. When people are making choices as to how to spend their limited disposable income, they are entitled to use whatever they like to reach their decisions. Making snide comments towards me is really not a helpful contribution to a discussion. Nothing snide about my comments. I stand by my interpretation of giving the show a chance based on wanting to hear more than the limited information provide by the producers and venue thus far. Perfectly valid - and not snide - contribution to the open, and mutually respectful conversation. |
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Post by mkb on Mar 22, 2023 0:49:29 GMT
At just £12 per ticket with last year's subscription prices, I am more than happy to give this the benefit of the doubt until I've seen it.
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Post by frankubelik on Mar 22, 2023 3:51:48 GMT
Whilst not a fan of re-interpretation (or Ms Bennett's) I wonder how this production will deal with Biggley's relationship with Hedy La Rue...........I booked when announced but am somewhat regretful now.
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