Did anyone see this musical? I really like the song that just played on BWW Radio. Anyone know if it has any really good show stoppers in it for guys? Anyone have any pictures of the productions? Any video of it? Any famous people in it?
Yes, saw it. Cast included Daniel Jenkins, Christa Moore and Barbara Walsh. Biggest problem was that it couldn't live up to the movie performances. It was revised a lot out of town and during previews. A subsequent tour incorporated more changes. Don't know if they ever got it right.
My biggest qualm was having a tenor as the adult Josh (often singing in head voice). He seemed less of a boy in an adult's body is as he did an adult trying to be a boy...
i saw it in '97... i LOVED it. I was obsessed with Brett Tabisel for quite some time after that show. I think the music is really fun, I still love it to this day.
Saw it on Bway. I hated it. It was everything Broadway shows shouldnt be. Cheesy, boring, and awfully put together among other things. The movie is a classic and this stage production gave it a bad name. It was awful.
I've never seen it but always thought the music was a lot of fun. My little director mind always wanted to direct it (but probably with some book revisions - from what I can tell from the cd and such, as well as a few song changes).
I was in it when I was a junior in high school. I hated it. Not fun.
"Did you know that if you take the first two vowels in Olive and rearrange them it spells I-Love?"-Spelling Bee
"It's night like this that hotel bars were specifically made." Light In The Piazza
Saw it on Boradway too. From what I remember the book was bad and many bad performances. Crista Moore was very good, as was Barbra Walsh and the sets were wonderful. I love the music in this show. It's biggest asset by far. But overall: a weak book, and a majority of bad performances kept me from loving it.
"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.
This brings up another topic. Since alot of musicals nowadays are based on movies, does that make it harder to have a successfull revieval? Since the movies are so long gone and new generations probably haven't seen the movies? Like if they were to make Big a revival in ten years...
Actually, I preferred the Broadway production to the film. It made much more sense. The musical focused more on the kids and seeing through a child's eye. The movie focused mainly on Tom Hanks as an adult acting like a kid. It also pretty much abandonded the concern of Josh's parents, which the musical addresses not only in the solo for the mother, but also in the final scene. The Broadway production had some incredible sets and strong choreography and features what I think is Maltby and Shire's best overall score (though some of their best songs are in Baby, the score is pretty uneven). The tour was entirely rewritten and restaged into a rather ugly neon orange unfocused mess with some pointless songs and scenes.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian