The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues- Page 3
The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
#50The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/3/11 at 11:24pm
It's performed extremely, extremely well.
There's the set- which looks awesome.
The "number" has that going for it.
The song still stinks and lacks any sort of narrative forward motion or insight into the character.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#51The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/3/11 at 11:34pm
Everything Kad says is true. Terrible song. The song almost "reads", more than it "sings". No melody, and stupid jokes. And Almira's point about humor weakening the threat of the witch is spot on as well. Although, I suppose the British, who are far more distanced from this very American film, would think these silly jokes are amusing.
Really though, why not just have her sing "The Jitterbug", like Eartha Kitt did at MSG? Especially with Hannah Waddingham, who has that brilliant instrument. Just think of the vocal stunts she could pull off - ones that would be character appropriate.
#52The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/3/11 at 11:39pmThe Witch's verse of Jitterbug accomplishes everything this song does in less than a minute- and it's far superior musically.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#53The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/3/11 at 11:41pm^ I could not agree more. Cutting Jitterbug was a really bad choice. The orchestrations and singing in the Madison Square Garden production were out of this world. I can only imagine what it would be like with Hannah Waddingham singing this backed by the full orchestra and on that amazing set.
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
#54The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/3/11 at 11:51pmI love Eartha Kitt's version of The Jitterbug! I still think it was a brilliant idea to assign that song to the Witch and I don't really understand why more productions don't follow suit and why that version of the song was never made available for amateur companies to license.
#55The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 12:03am
I've seen amateur companies do the song that way - the Witch enters and sings "Jitterbug" off SR or something, as if she's back at the castle singing it to her crystal ball. She enters after our heroes do the whole "Who's that? who's there? beware!" chant. I've seen maybe two high schools do that.
I wonder if that's illegal...
On that note, I've seen some HILARIOUS mishaps at high school Wizard of Oz-es.
bwayguy22089
Broadway Star Joined: 12/16/06
#56The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 12:04amDoes anyone have the full song list so I can understand what is cut and what is retained/added? So far I know that they did not include the original verse to Over the Rainbow (something that the RSC version included and was wonderful), cut part of Follow the Yellow Brick Road, cut Optimistic Voices, King of the Forest and failed to include The Jitterbug. So far, I'm not too happy. I wish they would have just rewrote the story completely with a completely new score instead of making this weird classic/modern hybrid.
#57The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 12:07am
the full song list is on the website.
http://www.wizardofozthemusical.com
#58The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 12:08am
From the website....
Scenes and Musical Numbers
ACT ONE
OVERTURE The Orchestra and Ensemble
KANSAS
Scene 1
The Gale Farm
NOBODY UNDERSTANDS ME *+
Dorothy, Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, Hunk, Hickory, Zeke, Miss Gulch
Scene 2
OVER THE RAINBOW Dorothy
The Open Road
WONDERS OF THE WORLD*+ Professor Marvel
Scene 3
The Twister*
THE LAND OF OZ
Scene 4
Munchkinland
COME OUT
DING! DONG! THE WITCH IS DEAD
FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD
Glinda, Dorothy and Munchkins
Scene 5
On the Yellow Brick Road
IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN Scarecrow
WE’RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD Dorothy and Scarecrow
IF I ONLY HAD A HEART Tin Man
IF I ONLY HAD THE NERVE Lion
Scene 6
The Poppy Fields
WE’RE OUT OF THE WOODS
Dorothy, Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Ensemble
Scene 7
The Gates to the Emerald City
Scene 8
Emerald City
THE MERRY OLD LAND OF OZ Company
Scene 9
The Wizard’s Chamber
BRING ME THE BROOMSTICK* The Wizard
Interval
ENTR’ACTE The Orchestra
ACT TWO
THE LAND OF OZ
Scene 1
A Scary Forest
WE WENT TO SEE THE WIZARD
Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion
Scene 2
MARCH OF THE WINKIES Ensemble
The Witch’s Castle
RED SHOES BLUES*+
Wicked Witch of the West and Winkies
OVER THE RAINBOW (reprise) Dorothy
Scene 3
Back in the Scary Forest
IF WE ONLY HAD A PLAN Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow
Scene 4
MARCH OF THE WINKIES (reprise)
Ensemble, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion
Scene 5
Back Inside the Witch’s Castle
HAIL – HAIL – THE WITCH IS DEAD Ensemble
Scene 6
The Wizard’s Chamber
YOU WENT TO SEE THE WIZARD The Wizard
Scene 7
Overlooking Emerald City
FAREWELL TO OZ*+ The Wizard
BACK IN KANSAS
Scene 8
Dorothy’s Bedroom
Original Songs by Harold Arlen and E Y Harburg
* Additional Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
+ Additional Lyrics by Tim Rice
Original Background Music by Herbert Stothart
#59The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 12:09amdarn, wicked beat me by a split second. Updated On: 3/4/11 at 12:09 AM
#60The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 12:21amFor some reason I thought the witch had more than just one new song. Unfortunately it looks like they did not expand her character as much as they would have.
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
bwayguy22089
Broadway Star Joined: 12/16/06
#61The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 1:41am
And Glinda actually sings less in this adaptation than other adaptations before it (RSC and Madison Square Garden)? Fail.
I don't know what he thought was wrong with the original London RSC adaptation. It was a huge hit back in the late 80's when it was originally performed (being revived 3 seasons in a row). It also spawned the 1995 Lincoln Center concert, the 1998 Madison Square Garden tour, and tons of regional/school productions, all of which are well received. It worked perfectly as both a film and a stage musical before this. We all know why he's doing it.
Updated On: 3/4/11 at 01:41 AM
#62The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 1:43amJust tried to give it a second chance. I almost can't believe how much this number sucks. Useless, boring, tuneless, and badly punny. Poor Hannah Waddingham.
broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
#63The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 2:21am
Almira is spot on..
The humore utilized in the original RSC adaption is weak.. it is also of the school of British Panto, which is a VERY specific style. That is a whole other kettle of fish.
Remember kids, this song is actually 7 minutes. 3.5 of which is "Night on Bald Mountain" and the Monkeys attacking.. So. Take that for what you will.
Webber COMPLETELY missed the mark. No only did he miss the mark, but he did not even attempt to hit it. By his own admission, he only did the show at the suggestion of his wife as a way to spawn a reality show and he rewrote it, essentially, because it didn't fit his formula of what a musical on stage "should" be. Not exactly a good place to start from. As I started before, he also shows contempt for the source material and, at times, seems to almost mock it. No sincerity. He doesn't even try to get to know the characters that he is writing for (Uncle Henry speaking rather frankly about regretting taking in Dorothy and Aunt Em resigning herself to the fact that they did, so now they just have to deal with it?) or the musical stucture and mirroring of characters used for the MGM version (why he introduces the farmhands with the WINKIE march in kansas is beyond me).
What glares to me, and should be pretty basic in an Oz adaption and staging, is the handling of Toto. Fine, he is on a lead. That bugs me endlessly when William Berloni has shown that Toto can do more than satisfactory work without a leash. However, every opportunity is taken to get Toto offstage in the most forced, awkward ways possible.. even if Toto needs to be led off every 5 minutes to be switched out due to the fact that you have 4 Totos in rotation you can SURELY at least half heartedly try to integrate it in a reasonable way...
#64The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 2:32amJust so you guys know. This song goes on for 7 and a half minutes. It's okay. I like the costume and set piece. Though it loses the effect what with it be rolled on stage. I thought it raised from the floor. :/
chrissydee
Featured Actor Joined: 2/21/07
#65The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 8:43am
the show is just bad. I saw it last week. This number, although dreadful, is a highlight because of Hannah.
The entire production is lacklustre and boring, and wipes out the magic, fear, heart and soul that the original stories and the 1939 movie has/had.
Such a shame really... give me £5million and I'd create something much better than this. I couldn't see HOW you can mess up the Wizard of Oz.... but then I saw this.
The sad thing is that means no reputable or imaginative producer/creative team will get the chance for a large scale revival any time soon and tell the story in the beautiful way it deserves!
#66The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 9:06am
Webber COMPLETELY missed the mark. No only did he miss the mark, but he did not even attempt to hit it.
I completely disagree. Yes the song is kind of dull and not very exciting, but other than that it looks like a great production. I was under the impression that the song was only two minutes and 45 seconds, but if it is longer that is good. Even if the song is not that great, it gives the witch SOMETHING which is way more than most productions. I do not think he completely missed the mark at all. The show stays true to the source material, uses stunning visuals, and has a great cast.
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
Borstalboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/9/04
#67The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 9:17am
Theatremania.com's comments. My this sounds groundbreaking:
"This new production makes little attempt to excavate or play with that legacy; it is simply an exercise in spectacle, color, and noise, designed to wow a family audience...
Every time the production threatens to impress it undoes its good work with a ham-fisted joke or a bludgeoning lyric. Lloyd Webber and Rice's new songs only serve to underscore exactly what the audience has already been told. Reprimanded by Aunty Em and Uncle Henry in the busy opening scene, Dorothy sings "Nobody Understands Me" just to hammer home the point. Nor does the production truly seem to believe in its sugary insistence that one's heart's desire resides in one's own backyard; it says the words but doesn't seem to mean them.
Toto, the terrier, is on stage for much of the production, and he often looks entirely nonplussed by what's happening around him. At times, it's hard not to sympathize."
link
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
~ Muhammad Ali
#67The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 9:17amI watched this yesterday, and thought it was a bit of a stinker. But I can tell you right now, I don't hardly remember anything about it...and I just watched it yesterday.
broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
#69The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 12:45pm
bwayphreak,
The visual of a green witch and ruby slippers does not mean that it stays true to the source material.. quite the contrary. Webber follows the beats of the story, but he fleshes it out in ways besises that.. many of which change the color of the story and do not stay very true. To say that he stays true is very superficial.
Now, I must disagree with your logic, which I find faulty. So, you think that someone "has" to give the witch material and bad material is better than no material? I very much disagree...
Yes, the song is 7 minutes.. the big, belty end of "Red Shoe Blues" is missing, but the rest is the music from "Night on Bald Mountain", so here, you DO get the number.
Sally
Broadway Star Joined: 5/12/03
#70The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 12:46pm
I rather liked the song and the performance of it. I'm not in love with the movie and haven't seen the RSC version--can't get in a sweat about what color the shoes are.
I think the show might be more entertaining than many of you do, but I'll find out---have tickets for April.
I do hope the little doggies hold up under all of the strain and don't have to be replaced by a craftily engineered animatronic model. Toto seems to be getting the best reviews of any of the cast members.
TheatreDiva90016
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/10/04
#71The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 1:26pmConsidering bwayphreak hasn't even seen the show yet, and their post is right after someone who DID see it, I'm not going to pay much attention to bwayphreak's ramblings.
"TheatreDiva90016 - another good reason to frequent these boards less."<<>>
“I hesitate to give this line of discussion the validation it so desperately craves by perpetuating it, but the light from logic is getting further and further away with your every successive post.” <<>>
-whatever2
broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
#72The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 1:32pmWell Sally, when they have 4 dogs and keep him on leash and scoot him offstage at many a turn for a trade off, he'll be fine. :P
#73The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 1:35pm
TheatreDiva - Those are just my thoughts. Many other people are posting their thoughts and views on this song and I am just doing the same. If you don't want to read it then don't. I could care less.
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
Updated On: 3/4/11 at 01:35 PM
#74The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues
Posted: 3/4/11 at 4:10pm
Dorothy sings a song called "Nobody Understands Me"?
Here's Judy singing "Nobody's Baby":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPwzdPeFW6I
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