I'm usually not one to tolerate video spam. When someone posts more than one, less-than-three-minutes video per day, I'll usually switch to the "too long, didn't watch" set of mind.
But today I'm going to break my own rules and share some of the musical videos I love the best. My reason for this is that I may never find a way to post these in any less annoying way...
First, there's the trailer to the recently closed Finnish RENT.
I'm sharing this even though you can't see the show anymore to get the chance to reminisce the day I went to see the show's closing night a little.
I wrote about the time I saw the opening night at here, and I don't have a huge lot to add. If possible, the show had gotten even finer. Sadly, the audience was not quite as enthusiastic anymore, there was hardly any screaming and no standing ovation. Maybe, one day, I'll be brave enough to start one myself, but currently my inner inhibitions stop me...
Anyway, I think this cast would've had what it takes for many times longer run, and whatever Suomen Musiikkiteatteri Ensemble ry decides to do next, I'll be there to see it.
Now some more Finnish goodness: my favourite Les Misérables cast of all times (more here) performs Än En Dag (One Day More) in Thalia-gaala:
I'm sharing this because, well, they're so awesome (too bad there's audio problems, though. This song definitely needs some Enjolras!).
And because I like talking about myself way too much, I could mention I uploaded the video to YouTube myself. I know Javert would disapprove such blatant breaking the law, but I disagree here. In this case, no one loses, but everybody wins - the theatre gets a free ad, Les Mis fans get more Les Mis videos to watch. It's not like piracy, which I really dislike. Piracy, no matter what everybody says, isn't a win-win situation. The only winner is the one who downloads the song, but everybody involved in making it, including the artists, are the losers.
I'm becoming better and better with these digressions. With a couple of years of practice I'll be on the level of Victor Hugo when it comes to talking about unrelated things.
The third video I'd like to share today is a Les Misérables One Day More flash mob in Warsaw that someone linked to me today in deviantART .
I think this is hilarious - and I'm very much planning to buy the cast recording they're advertising with this!
Casts of musicals everywhere, in every country, please let us see more of this sort of fun!
Stopping here.
I know I should continue the Les Mis album comparison... Let's see if I can make that happen during the Easter holiday!
And even if I don't, I've something to look forwards to (well, other than seeing musicals): I'll be giving a presentation of musical movies in school's movie course. Technically, it's teamwork, but my team has agreed it's better I do all the speaking... I'm afraid 75 minutes isn't enough for me!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
A Weekend in the Country
I saw A Little Night Music, or Kesäyön hymyilyä in Finnish (translates back into Smiles of a Summer Night), in Turku City Theatre a little over a week ago.
First I want to tell you how much I love they actually gave it a Finnish name! That's not usual - Next to Normal is Next to Normal, Wicked is Wicked, Spring Awakening is Spring Awakening... Even Tanz der Vampire will be Dance of Vampires, not Vampyyrien tanssi!
I understand wanting to keep the original name if the show is really well-known, like Cats or Les Misérables, but I think it's always lovely when shows get Finnish names. As long as they make sense, that is! La Cage aux Folles is way too weird for Finns to pronounce, but I've no idea why it was renamed, equally weirdly, ZAZA! Lainahöyhenissä. "ZAZA!"?
But I digress. In a nutshell, I think this musical has a nice name. Moving on.
I saw A Little Night Music on Broadway last year, with Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones. I don't remember much of that performance, the only image imprinted in my brain seems to include the jerk sitting below me, apparently accompanying her grandma to theatre, sending text messages for the whole first act. Besides that, I remember being so jet lagged it was hard to stay awake, and also didn't understand half of the lyrics - that's Sondheim for a non-native English speaker...
However, I remember liking the music and later bought the CD, which I love. So, I went to the theatre thinking quite positively but still a little alarmed - you can never be sure if a show you like will be done in a way you hope it would...
Luckily this version surpassed my expectations!
As usual, I went to the theatre with my friend Sara, and, as usual, we were the youngest people present. Granted, A Little Night Music is not exactly a show many teenagers would find thrilling, but thanks to the Senior Citizens' Club of Loimaa, the auditorium was even older than usually...
It took the senior citizens a tiny while to get into the show - "Now/Later/Soon" got the lamest applause - but I think they started to enjoy it after a while (at least they were happier than The Senior Teacher's Club of Kouvola who saw Rebecca with me and later commented it "should've been two to three hours shorter").
Only one theatre behaviour tip to the lovely people in the audience: even if the show starts with a quite unconventional a cappella overture, it's still the time to shut up when the lights fade!
Finally, to the actual review.
Briefly, I thought it was a beautiful production - very much like watching a good period movie onstage. I liked it a lot.
Maybe I could get over with any nitpicks I have first.
Firstly, I do wish productions would stop putting in unnecessary comic reliefs. You know the guy who hangs in the background in growd scenes doing something silly, being drunk, faltering? I've seen variations of that guy in many shows, and I wish they'd get rid of him. It feels like talking down to an audience, telling us to laugh at simple jokes, and, at least in A Little Night Music's case it's also distracting. The show has lots of witty humor on its own, you don't need to add any slapstick.
Also, I've no idea why they chose to put Frederik sing "Now" in a bathtub. It was odd because his sleeping in it seemed really unconfortable, and some chunks of bubble foam also splashed onstage and stayed there for the better half of the first act. Annoying.
Finally, I don't like how they cut one verse from "The Miller's Son." It's my second favourite song of the musical! Luckily, it was the only thing they cut, so it can easily be forgiven.
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See the unnecessary comic reliefs wobbling awkwardly in the background?
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Now, to my favourite part - the especially good stuff!
First, the translation was pure goodness.
Usually Finnish translations are a bit tired. Wicked was, to put it bluntly, bad, as was West Side Story. Chicago wasn't good either. Spring Awakening and Next to Normal were just what I said - tired. It seems only a couple of people translate shows here, and you can hear it's sadly becoming a routine for them.
Not the case with this. A Little Night Music, with Stephen Sondheim's lyrics, probably isn't the easiest musical to translate. But this translation, by Juice Leskinen, hit the nail on the head. Sadly Leskinen can't give us more beautiful musical translations, since he passed away several years ago, but luckily he had the time to do this and also Sweeney Todd. I wish they'd given him Songheim's whole works, I believe he'd had the talent for them!
My only reproach would be leaving "liaisons" be "liaisons" - I doubt many Finns know the meaning of the French word.
The first act, at least according to my friend Sara, "was soooo boring". I don't quite share her opinion, I for example think "A Weekend in the Country" (one of my favourite musical ensemble numbers!) sounded pretty much as good as it can get. But I have to admit the very beginning, with a quite weird a cappella thing before the actual overture begun, took a while to get going, and the second act made me laugh a lot more.
Actually, the second half of the show had some fine moments of pure hilarity.
Some little things I remember include them turning "just the glow of my cigar" into a sexual innuedo, and in a funny way. The comedy continued with the actors taking the most out of their roles: making Henrik (Jukka Nylund) shout out loud at a lake in frustration was a stroke of genius, I think!
Fredrik's (Arne Nylander) and Carl-Magnus's (Mikko Vihma) interaction comes to mind too. Nylander is a really tall man and Vihma's slimmer and smaller. In the second act, when they got into a fight... I almost suffocated seeing the smaller man dangling from his rival, who hardly aknowledges the fact there's an angry dragoon clutching him. I know I just said slapstick's a no-no - but this was so relevant to the plot and so hilariously done I couldn't stop laughing! Not to mention Vihma's "In Praise of Women" - he was just as arrogant and amusing as you could wish.
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Allow me to illustrate.
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I could also mention that I liked Kirsi Tarvainen as Desirée a lot. I like the role of Desirée because it gives women with interesting, unusual, beautiful voices the change to sing. There aren't that many big musical roles for deep altos like Tarvainen has, but I loved hearing her in this!
All in all, there wasn't a weak link in the cast. And what made it even more interesting to me, the Liebeslieder Quintet featured another of Finland's two ex-Enjolrati...
The sets looked simply lovely, and the stage directions were, mostly, successful.
The Broadway version was pretty minimalistic, but this one had a little more details and settings. Something happened in the background nearly all the time, but not in a distracting way (well, not counting the comic reliefs here). For example, during "The Glamorous Life" there was a snowstorm in the background, subtly underlining the fact that Desirée's life may not be so glamorous after all. During "Liaisons" there were some slow-motion-like beekeepers in their hats and overalls, spraying theatre smoke onstage - it had nothing to do with the song, actually, but it looked really beautiful and mysterious, almost magical. I thought it was also very clever how "Remember" was sung by the troupe of actors, relaxing backstage and recounting their own memories that happen to collide with those of our main characters...
And the fake lake in the second act... I think it's one of the most beautiful sets I've ever seen. With the sun mirroring from the water it's the epitome of a Nordic summer night when sun never sets.
Finally, I think it was beautiful how they left the ending open to interpretation.
Did Madame Armfeldt die? We don't know. Fredrika pushed her wheelchair to the waterfront and the sun set - but we can't know for sure if it was her time to go or not. I think that's a good way to do it. Having a character die in the last minute of a show doesn't really lift the audience's spirits. In my opinion it may be better to let us leave the theatre with romantic violins playing in our heads, believing that everybody, after all, lived happily ever after...
In a nutshell, despite its little flaws, I think Turku City Theatre's Kesäyön hymyilyä is a thoroughly enjoyable production of A Little Night Music.
I'm afraid many people will think like my friend Sara does: all the songs sound the same and the plot is a confusing mess between comedy and drama. But I'm sure Sondheim fans will love this production, and would recommend it to everyone - you can't help enjoying the gorgeous visuals at the very least!
Here's a short but lovely ad for the show:
Photos from Turun Kaupunginteatteri's website.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
RENT Athens vs. RENT Lahti
The last month I've seen two productions of Jonathan Larson's musical RENT.
One in Athens, Greece, and other in Lahti, Finland.
I thought it would be fun comparing the two, so let's see!
Expectations
Athens: After the ticket buying ordeal I described in my previous post I guess I kind of expected to get something in return... And besides, my online friend told me the show had gotten good reviews. However, she had also told me there are hardly any musicals in Greece. So, my expectations were somewhat medium - I was quite sure I was not going to see any West End level performances because of the lack of musical experienced actors, but then again I supposed it was going to be pretty good at least.
Lahti: My expectations were all over the map. On one hand, judging by all they had said on their website, I was certain this group of people is really, really into making RENT and everyone of them is a fan of the show. On the other, Suomen musiikkiteatteriensemble ry is a newly-formed musical theatre troupe, and RENT is their first show. I was really excited about getting to see RENT in Finland, but I also reminded myself not to get too upset if it's not that great.
Before the Show
Athens: Me and my dad walked to the theatre through a pretty creepy neighbourhood and still arrived there about an hour too early, which messed with my mood a little. The theatre was one of those really miniature places - no place to leave your clothes in, no benches to sit on while waiting the auditorium doors to open, a lobby so small it feels packed with fifteen people. Things didn't get much better after the auditorium doors opening: the floor was almost flat, the seats weren't really comfortable and there was some totally un-RENT-like soft rock music playing in the background. And yeah, the show begun half an hour too late.
Lahti: The theatre wasn't really big or fancy neither, and, due to the sponsors financing the show, there were leaflets all over the place - Stop Homophobia, Get Help to Kick Your Drug Habit, that sort of thing. Nothing offending or unrelated, but not quite what you suppose to see in a theatre. Anyway, I loved to hear the final rehearsal The Finale playing through the wall. And the auditorium actually looked like a real theatre auditorium this time!
The Changes They Made
Athens: Talk about non-replica! Even though some of the costumes were like on Broadway, this was so unlike the original it's questionable if it can even be called RENT anymore or if it should be deemed an adaptation... They had, like the movie, cut all the little tunes like Tune Ups and Voice Mails. Contact was gone. Over the Moon had no music. La Vie Bohéme was partially cut. And then they had added stuff - Angel getting harassed by a skinhead, Mark introducing all principal characters of the show, Mark's mother making him marathon phone calls... Quite a mess, actually.
Lahti: The show, like the movie, begun with Seasons of Love, but returned to the familiar Broadway track right after that. Only two major changes were made after that: Contact was gone and - this is a shocker! - in the end, Mimi died. That's a pretty huge change if you think about it, but I liked that they had done it. I've always thought the ending is a little bit too happy for the "no day but today" message.
What I Liked?
Athens: I loved the actor playing Roger, he had a gorgeous voice and sung One Day Glory to perfection. I loved how they had, during Without You, Joanne and Maureen onstage too - the latter leaving their house and the former hugging the teddybear her girlfirend had left behind, and the latter then coming back at the end of the song. I loved Mark hugging Collins and not letting go when they think Mimi has died. And this Mark was exactly like my mental image of the character! Also, Angel coming back to sing The Finale, interacting a little with everyone in the ensemble, was really touching.
Lahti: I loved how Angel wore stuff a normal woman would wear - no skimpy little miniskirt like in Athens, not the kind of weird combo of the original Broadway show, but actual, pretty normal clothing of a lady who's proud of her looks. I actually liked Contact getting removed - to me the number has always been disorienting at best and a total awkward-fest at worst. I loved how they changed the ending - as I mentioned, to me Mimi living has always seemed a bit of a stretch, a little too Hollywood. I loved the translation. Usually Finnish translations are quite literal and stick to the rhymes, sometimes on expence of the meaning of the line. But here they had put the meaning first. I don't care if a couple of rhymes are gone if the message, for once, is clear.
What I Disliked?
Athens: The cuts. Most of them made no sense. Why remove the little songs and replace them with scenes that felt twice as long as the songs would've been? Even cutting Contact didn't work since they had left Angel's part - and the direction made it seem like he returned to sing beyond the grave. Creepy. Some of the cuts seemed conservative. If you can't take the sight of women kissing, don't do RENT. Also, the volume was just too loud. I get the rock musical part, but that doesn't mean the audience has to be deaf by the end. Still, some little directional things, like putting dancers in the background during Today 4 U. They had also made both Angel and Joanne mental blondes, the both of them being kind of ditzy and silly. Angel shouldn't be played as a comic relief!
Lahti: The Angel here, Jyri Numminen, wasn't much of a dancer - but I can forgive that since he's responsible for the great translation. Then again, Mimi, Sonja Sorvola, was a good dancer but not such a great singer. I did like her more and more towards the end, though. I didn't like how they pointed spotlight right at the audience during some parts, and I'm not sure if I hate or love adding, in the style of the movie, Maureen dancing the tango in the background with a man and a woman during Tango: Maureen. Again, at some points the volume was a little too much (too quiet to use the ear plugs they gave but a little too loud to feel really comfortable), but it was not as bad as in Athens.
The Mood
Athens: My own mood: okay. The songs were good, as were the actors, but I hated to see the show butchered like that. Still, I felt quite emotional by the end and shed a little tear when Angel joined the final chorus. The audience's: not much. Everyone mooed politely during Maureen's performance, but claps after the songs weren't that big.
Lahti: My own mood: great. I was so positively surprised - the show was much better than I had expected. Anyway, I didn't really cry this time. I guess I was just so sweeped by the generally cheery mood of the audience that I couldn't all of a sudden feel that sad. My jaw did drop open when Mimi died, though! The audience's: great. Maureen didn't ask the audience to moo, which is good. Us Finns are famously shy, so audience participation things can get somewhat awkward... But the cheers after every song were huge! There were screams when the lights dimmed for the second act and even after Voice Mails. I don't know how much of this had to do with it being the premiere and how much purely with the show's quality. But for example Wicked's premiere was, mood-wise, like watching a dead fish compared to this!
Curtain Call
Athens: A mildly enthusicastic applause in the end. They still did Seasons of Love as an encore. Is that an usual practice in RENTs around the wolrd? Seemed a little forced to me because the audience really didn't cheer that much.
Lahti: The audience practically exploded. Loud screaming, clapping, banging feet on the floor, and a standing ovation (even though it apparently does happen in Les Mis all the time, still a rarity in Finland) after just a little while! I've never screamed that loudly at theatre. Then, after a while, Heikki Mäkäräinen, our Mark, signaled us to calm down and told us how the cast and crew love all of us and how they'd wish we'd tell about RENT to our friends if we were touched by it (which is of course what I'm trying to do here). It was really adorable. Then, more screaming... And the band starting Seasons of Love once again! I don't know if they'll do it every time too, but at least this time the audience had shown some real enthusiasm to get rewarded with an encore!
The Impact
Athens: "It was nice, but it would've been so much nicer without the weird cuts. Why did they have to do the weird cuts? Why?"
Lahti: "That was great! Was that even real? Because it was too awesome to be real!"
Pictures from the Finnish RENT's website.
One in Athens, Greece, and other in Lahti, Finland.
I thought it would be fun comparing the two, so let's see!
Expectations
Athens: After the ticket buying ordeal I described in my previous post I guess I kind of expected to get something in return... And besides, my online friend told me the show had gotten good reviews. However, she had also told me there are hardly any musicals in Greece. So, my expectations were somewhat medium - I was quite sure I was not going to see any West End level performances because of the lack of musical experienced actors, but then again I supposed it was going to be pretty good at least.
Lahti: My expectations were all over the map. On one hand, judging by all they had said on their website, I was certain this group of people is really, really into making RENT and everyone of them is a fan of the show. On the other, Suomen musiikkiteatteriensemble ry is a newly-formed musical theatre troupe, and RENT is their first show. I was really excited about getting to see RENT in Finland, but I also reminded myself not to get too upset if it's not that great.
Before the Show
Athens: Me and my dad walked to the theatre through a pretty creepy neighbourhood and still arrived there about an hour too early, which messed with my mood a little. The theatre was one of those really miniature places - no place to leave your clothes in, no benches to sit on while waiting the auditorium doors to open, a lobby so small it feels packed with fifteen people. Things didn't get much better after the auditorium doors opening: the floor was almost flat, the seats weren't really comfortable and there was some totally un-RENT-like soft rock music playing in the background. And yeah, the show begun half an hour too late.
Lahti: The theatre wasn't really big or fancy neither, and, due to the sponsors financing the show, there were leaflets all over the place - Stop Homophobia, Get Help to Kick Your Drug Habit, that sort of thing. Nothing offending or unrelated, but not quite what you suppose to see in a theatre. Anyway, I loved to hear the final rehearsal The Finale playing through the wall. And the auditorium actually looked like a real theatre auditorium this time!
The Changes They Made
Athens: Talk about non-replica! Even though some of the costumes were like on Broadway, this was so unlike the original it's questionable if it can even be called RENT anymore or if it should be deemed an adaptation... They had, like the movie, cut all the little tunes like Tune Ups and Voice Mails. Contact was gone. Over the Moon had no music. La Vie Bohéme was partially cut. And then they had added stuff - Angel getting harassed by a skinhead, Mark introducing all principal characters of the show, Mark's mother making him marathon phone calls... Quite a mess, actually.
Lahti: The show, like the movie, begun with Seasons of Love, but returned to the familiar Broadway track right after that. Only two major changes were made after that: Contact was gone and - this is a shocker! - in the end, Mimi died. That's a pretty huge change if you think about it, but I liked that they had done it. I've always thought the ending is a little bit too happy for the "no day but today" message.
What I Liked?
Athens: I loved the actor playing Roger, he had a gorgeous voice and sung One Day Glory to perfection. I loved how they had, during Without You, Joanne and Maureen onstage too - the latter leaving their house and the former hugging the teddybear her girlfirend had left behind, and the latter then coming back at the end of the song. I loved Mark hugging Collins and not letting go when they think Mimi has died. And this Mark was exactly like my mental image of the character! Also, Angel coming back to sing The Finale, interacting a little with everyone in the ensemble, was really touching.
Lahti: I loved how Angel wore stuff a normal woman would wear - no skimpy little miniskirt like in Athens, not the kind of weird combo of the original Broadway show, but actual, pretty normal clothing of a lady who's proud of her looks. I actually liked Contact getting removed - to me the number has always been disorienting at best and a total awkward-fest at worst. I loved how they changed the ending - as I mentioned, to me Mimi living has always seemed a bit of a stretch, a little too Hollywood. I loved the translation. Usually Finnish translations are quite literal and stick to the rhymes, sometimes on expence of the meaning of the line. But here they had put the meaning first. I don't care if a couple of rhymes are gone if the message, for once, is clear.
What I Disliked?
Athens: The cuts. Most of them made no sense. Why remove the little songs and replace them with scenes that felt twice as long as the songs would've been? Even cutting Contact didn't work since they had left Angel's part - and the direction made it seem like he returned to sing beyond the grave. Creepy. Some of the cuts seemed conservative. If you can't take the sight of women kissing, don't do RENT. Also, the volume was just too loud. I get the rock musical part, but that doesn't mean the audience has to be deaf by the end. Still, some little directional things, like putting dancers in the background during Today 4 U. They had also made both Angel and Joanne mental blondes, the both of them being kind of ditzy and silly. Angel shouldn't be played as a comic relief!
Lahti: The Angel here, Jyri Numminen, wasn't much of a dancer - but I can forgive that since he's responsible for the great translation. Then again, Mimi, Sonja Sorvola, was a good dancer but not such a great singer. I did like her more and more towards the end, though. I didn't like how they pointed spotlight right at the audience during some parts, and I'm not sure if I hate or love adding, in the style of the movie, Maureen dancing the tango in the background with a man and a woman during Tango: Maureen. Again, at some points the volume was a little too much (too quiet to use the ear plugs they gave but a little too loud to feel really comfortable), but it was not as bad as in Athens.
The Mood
Athens: My own mood: okay. The songs were good, as were the actors, but I hated to see the show butchered like that. Still, I felt quite emotional by the end and shed a little tear when Angel joined the final chorus. The audience's: not much. Everyone mooed politely during Maureen's performance, but claps after the songs weren't that big.
Lahti: My own mood: great. I was so positively surprised - the show was much better than I had expected. Anyway, I didn't really cry this time. I guess I was just so sweeped by the generally cheery mood of the audience that I couldn't all of a sudden feel that sad. My jaw did drop open when Mimi died, though! The audience's: great. Maureen didn't ask the audience to moo, which is good. Us Finns are famously shy, so audience participation things can get somewhat awkward... But the cheers after every song were huge! There were screams when the lights dimmed for the second act and even after Voice Mails. I don't know how much of this had to do with it being the premiere and how much purely with the show's quality. But for example Wicked's premiere was, mood-wise, like watching a dead fish compared to this!
Curtain Call
Athens: A mildly enthusicastic applause in the end. They still did Seasons of Love as an encore. Is that an usual practice in RENTs around the wolrd? Seemed a little forced to me because the audience really didn't cheer that much.
Lahti: The audience practically exploded. Loud screaming, clapping, banging feet on the floor, and a standing ovation (even though it apparently does happen in Les Mis all the time, still a rarity in Finland) after just a little while! I've never screamed that loudly at theatre. Then, after a while, Heikki Mäkäräinen, our Mark, signaled us to calm down and told us how the cast and crew love all of us and how they'd wish we'd tell about RENT to our friends if we were touched by it (which is of course what I'm trying to do here). It was really adorable. Then, more screaming... And the band starting Seasons of Love once again! I don't know if they'll do it every time too, but at least this time the audience had shown some real enthusiasm to get rewarded with an encore!
The Impact
Athens: "It was nice, but it would've been so much nicer without the weird cuts. Why did they have to do the weird cuts? Why?"
Lahti: "That was great! Was that even real? Because it was too awesome to be real!"
Pictures from the Finnish RENT's website.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Post Scriptum
Hey, by the way, remember the time I complained how messy most of the Finnish theatre websites are?
Well, I've reconsidered.
When I went to see RENT in Athens, only the following was needed to see the show:
- heard from an online friend there is RENT playing in Athens
- found, through googling, several pages of Greek but no address or anything relatively useful
- the friend told me "the number of the theatre"
- googled with the number, nothing
- found address and phone number by finding the theatre name on YouTube, felt happy
- went to Athens
- the phone number didn't exist
- tried to find a tourist info, succeeded on the second try
- met a very friendly tourist info lady ("This is not a ticket office, this is a tourist information!") who then proceeded to tell me where the theatre is on the map, which I already knew. Hardly a word of how to buy the tickets, which was what I had asked
- found out I had called the wrong number
- called the number, this time remembering to put all zeros in
- the number was for a wrong theatre
- the wrong theatre gave me the right number
- someone actually answered to me and told me about the performance times in good English
- turned out the address I have is wrong, but I forgot to ask for the right one
- went to hotel reception to ask for help, the lady didn't speak English
- the lady put me on phone with someone who asked me if I have the number of the theatre or if I want them to call it. I said I'll call myself
- went to the hotel reception next morning and talked to the man there. He could speak English, and, through complex googling, he found the theatre's new address and helped us to locate it on the map
- stumbled upon a ticket office by accident
- actually found the theatre and saw the show
Yeah, maybe I have to think about complaining of slightly confusing websites once more.
More about the production itself maybe later.
Well, I've reconsidered.
When I went to see RENT in Athens, only the following was needed to see the show:
- heard from an online friend there is RENT playing in Athens
- found, through googling, several pages of Greek but no address or anything relatively useful
- the friend told me "the number of the theatre"
- googled with the number, nothing
- found address and phone number by finding the theatre name on YouTube, felt happy
- went to Athens
- the phone number didn't exist
- tried to find a tourist info, succeeded on the second try
- met a very friendly tourist info lady ("This is not a ticket office, this is a tourist information!") who then proceeded to tell me where the theatre is on the map, which I already knew. Hardly a word of how to buy the tickets, which was what I had asked
- found out I had called the wrong number
- called the number, this time remembering to put all zeros in
- the number was for a wrong theatre
- the wrong theatre gave me the right number
- someone actually answered to me and told me about the performance times in good English
- turned out the address I have is wrong, but I forgot to ask for the right one
- went to hotel reception to ask for help, the lady didn't speak English
- the lady put me on phone with someone who asked me if I have the number of the theatre or if I want them to call it. I said I'll call myself
- went to the hotel reception next morning and talked to the man there. He could speak English, and, through complex googling, he found the theatre's new address and helped us to locate it on the map
- stumbled upon a ticket office by accident
- actually found the theatre and saw the show
Yeah, maybe I have to think about complaining of slightly confusing websites once more.
More about the production itself maybe later.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Shared Joy is Bigger Joy
I know this is quite silly, being silent for weeks and then suddenly having so much to talk about there are two new posts per day...
But today I've found some lovely, lovely musical things that I just have to share with so many people as possible.
First, this. It will be the best 2 minutes 26 seconds you'll spend on the net today. I guarantee it! "You stole four minutes of my life and I want them back! ...Oh, I'd only waste them anyway."
Defying Gravity from Wicked, gorgeously storyboarded by Heidi Jo Gilbert:
Edited to add: Thanks, NBC Universal, for taking the video down. It was really violating your rights to the material, what with all that promoting the musical free-of-charge and getting the hype about the movie up. You did the right thing removing it.
However, the video might still be available at Gilbert's blog, check it out.
As everybody keeps saying in the comments: this needs to get done.
I think animation is the right medium to do Wicked The Movie. With live-action all the flying around and monkeys and whatnot is very likely going to look cheesy - it's not 1939 anymore... But with animation - hand-drawn or CGI, doesn't really matter to me - it will look perfect. So many things that look great onstage but would look plain silly in live action could maintain the awesomeness in animation. Besides, there has never been an animated adaptation of a stage musical before, it'd be very unique!
And Defying Gravity just has to look like depicted above. It's perfection and deserves every praising comment it gets.
Second, this:
The first glimpse of the upcoming Finnish production of RENT.
It just might be that I'm going to love this when it premieres...
Or actually, I love it already. For two things: one is that they're gone outside to take these awesome pictures in costume. It shows some dedication!
The second is their website. For once, is one Finnish theatre company who knows how to handle the internet. The site can be found here, and is it nice already! Pictures, info on the actors, very well organised and looking good! It's a small, new company, but if the quality of their web page is anything to judge by, they've the energy and commitment to do some great musical theatre too!
You see, the websites of Finnish theatres are not that great on average.
Let's compare this to Helsinki City Theatre for example.
HKT has stuff. You can comment (oh, the numbers of caps locked exclamation points there...), you can see the pictures of their actors with info about which shows they are in, you can watch trailers for their plays (which I might talk about later, I've something to say about them)...
But the problem is that the whole place is a huge mess. Moving around the site to find what you want to see can be a big pain.
You won't find the actor's face even accidentally if you just keep surfing the HKT site - you have to get there through Google. Info about the play introductions they hold before every premiere can maybe be found if you dig around the site with a shovel, but even then it requires good luck. And even though there is a huge pile of pictures of nearly all their plays from the last ten years you can't see them: you can't get password to them unless you're a journalist (but then again, those with sharp eyes will find this super-secret password floating on their site too, so no panic).
And then there's RENT by Suomen Musiikkiteatteri Ensemble ry. A little group that has just been founded.
All the info on their site is in logical order, us un-journalist people can see and copy the pictures too, there will be videos in the future, share buttons to every website imaginable are readily available... This is what every big theatre in this country should look up to. This is how it's done today.
Well, there's something I'd still like to see: some sort of send feedback page. But since the premiere's still two months away, they'll have lots of time to put it in!
And of course I'm very much looking forwards the actual show too!
But today I've found some lovely, lovely musical things that I just have to share with so many people as possible.
First, this. It will be the best 2 minutes 26 seconds you'll spend on the net today. I guarantee it! "You stole four minutes of my life and I want them back! ...Oh, I'd only waste them anyway."
Defying Gravity from Wicked, gorgeously storyboarded by Heidi Jo Gilbert:
Edited to add: Thanks, NBC Universal, for taking the video down. It was really violating your rights to the material, what with all that promoting the musical free-of-charge and getting the hype about the movie up. You did the right thing removing it.
However, the video might still be available at Gilbert's blog, check it out.
As everybody keeps saying in the comments: this needs to get done.
I think animation is the right medium to do Wicked The Movie. With live-action all the flying around and monkeys and whatnot is very likely going to look cheesy - it's not 1939 anymore... But with animation - hand-drawn or CGI, doesn't really matter to me - it will look perfect. So many things that look great onstage but would look plain silly in live action could maintain the awesomeness in animation. Besides, there has never been an animated adaptation of a stage musical before, it'd be very unique!
And Defying Gravity just has to look like depicted above. It's perfection and deserves every praising comment it gets.
Second, this:
It just might be that I'm going to love this when it premieres...
Or actually, I love it already. For two things: one is that they're gone outside to take these awesome pictures in costume. It shows some dedication!
The second is their website. For once, is one Finnish theatre company who knows how to handle the internet. The site can be found here, and is it nice already! Pictures, info on the actors, very well organised and looking good! It's a small, new company, but if the quality of their web page is anything to judge by, they've the energy and commitment to do some great musical theatre too!
You see, the websites of Finnish theatres are not that great on average.
Let's compare this to Helsinki City Theatre for example.
HKT has stuff. You can comment (oh, the numbers of caps locked exclamation points there...), you can see the pictures of their actors with info about which shows they are in, you can watch trailers for their plays (which I might talk about later, I've something to say about them)...
But the problem is that the whole place is a huge mess. Moving around the site to find what you want to see can be a big pain.
You won't find the actor's face even accidentally if you just keep surfing the HKT site - you have to get there through Google. Info about the play introductions they hold before every premiere can maybe be found if you dig around the site with a shovel, but even then it requires good luck. And even though there is a huge pile of pictures of nearly all their plays from the last ten years you can't see them: you can't get password to them unless you're a journalist (but then again, those with sharp eyes will find this super-secret password floating on their site too, so no panic).
And then there's RENT by Suomen Musiikkiteatteri Ensemble ry. A little group that has just been founded.
All the info on their site is in logical order, us un-journalist people can see and copy the pictures too, there will be videos in the future, share buttons to every website imaginable are readily available... This is what every big theatre in this country should look up to. This is how it's done today.
Well, there's something I'd still like to see: some sort of send feedback page. But since the premiere's still two months away, they'll have lots of time to put it in!
And of course I'm very much looking forwards the actual show too!
Les Mis Album Comparison V
It's again the time the two readers of this blog have been awaiting, Les Mis Album Comparison time!
And what's a better Les Mis song than One Day More? Let me tell you, nothing. It's all downhill from here.
So, today, let's define the best showstopper!
One Day More
London 1985
A calm beginning with that little fairy dust sound - hopefully you know what I mean... And everything sounds good, I especially like Frances Ruffelle's Eponine. When Enjolras's part kicks in the orchestration gets appropriately big, goodbye to the light sounds of the beginning!
The counterpoint sounds good, but it leaves me feeling it could be even better. On the whole, as it often is with this album, a good, basic, here's-what-this-song-sounds-like version of the song, even though it doesn't really rise above that.
4 points
Vienna 1988
Very lush, peaceful beginning. Not so sure if I like this Valjean though - thanks, Danish CD, for skipping all the big Valjean songs so I haven't had the change to compare them yet. Cosette and Marius sound like they're a little squished in the background, and the orchestra doesn't sound quite as natural as in the previous one. Interesting-sounding Eponine!
I don't like this Enjolras, though. The orchestra gets gradually bigger all the time, huge choir! The strings on Javert's and Thénardiers' parts sound great, as does the choir part. This has bigger energy than the previous one. Cosette is mixed way too loud in the counterpoint, though, and the final choir doesn't sound quite as good as it could. A little disorganized.
2 points
Paris 1991
More fairy dust sounds! A lot of Valjean vibrato! Oh yay.
Maybe I should stop trying to understand the French, now I just keep wondering why there's ice cream in Marius's veins. French has always been my weakest language...
Oh, it's my favourite vibrato Javert. What's up with these guys? I know some love this CD to bits, but I really don't care for that Javert... The chorus parts on this track sound very good though, big and pretty powerful. À la volonté du peuple!
The counterpoint sounds a little messier than usually, if that makes any sense. Not bad ending, though!
1 point
Denmark 1992
A different beginning, more focus on the bell-like sounds and less on the strings. Nice wall of sound.
A Danish friend of our family told me the actors on the CD are mostly known for acting, not singing. Maybe that explains something. Marius sounds a little weak at first (but after Nick Jonas I can't really complain)...
The orchestra sounds more like a real orchestra here, if that sentence again makes any sense. Doesn't stop it trying to drown the chorus, though, but it sounds very nice.
I love this Thénardier. He sounds like a mean troll.
Very big ending. One of the brighter moments of this CD!
3 points - besides Master of the House, your best yet, Danish CD. Congrats.
10th Ann. 1995
The beginning I've learned to love - there's no way to count the times I've looped this version. I guess it does have some unfair advantage, being my ultimate favourite...
But everything is sooo good here. The dream cast. The huge orchestra. This is One Day More at its best! So calm in the beginning and then getting big with Enjolras and the choir. Just wow. And I just love Philip Quast.
This is awesomesauce. I've a feeling I know who is getting the seven points... I actually just got little shivers running down my spine at the final "one day more!" of the track!
Sorry, TAC... 6 points after all...
Dutch 2008
Nog één dag. This is another one I've looped big time - I almost can sing along this despite not knowing Dutch at all... And this is very near perfection too. I especially like this Marius, he sounds so young and just simply Marius-ish. The mixing is perfect, you hear everybody well, which is not always true on every of these CDs. And oh hey, it's my favourite Enjolras again!
Might be that my opinion of this version is biased because this video is one of my favourite things on YouTube, from 2:20:
Such energy!
The choirs, great. The orchestra, great. I don't know... The fight for seven points will be tighter than I expected, since I had almost forgot how good version this is. The final chorus is the best yet.
...because I was absolutely swept away by this. Better than I remembered, and that's a lot! 7 points.
Live! 2010
The beginning is simpler with just one violin, and I like it. I also like John Owen-Jones. This Marius sounds very Marius-ish to me too - I really like Michael Ball, but he still isn't my mental voice for Marius, it's someone with a little more, hmm, maybe vulnerability, if you will.
I think this must be my second favourite Enjolras after the Dutch guy. And hey, Earl Carpenter! And great big drums in the background! Wouldn't you know, I really like this version too - maybe not as much as the previous two, but this really gets big and epic-sounding too. And for the first time you clearly hear how Javert joins Valjean in the "tomorrow is the judgement day" line!
5 points
Rankings, rankings...
London 1985: 31.5 + 4 = 35.5
Vienna 1988: 18.5 + 2 = 20.5
Paris 1991: 19 + 1 = 20
Denmark 1992: 17.5 + 3 = 20.5
10th Ann. 1995: 42.5 + 6 = 48.5
Dutch 2008: 37 + 7 = 44
Live! 2010: 30 + 5 = 35
So...
#1: 10th Ann. 1995: 48.5+
#2: Dutch 2008: 44+++
#3: London 1985: 35.5+
#4: Live! 2010: 35++
#5: Vienna 1988: 20.5++
#6: Denmark 1992: 20.5---
#7: Paris 1991: 20++
Look who's not last anymore! Getting pretty even...
We'll see if the situation changes in the battle of Eponines next time!
P.S. To the person who found my blog when searching slash fics with Valjean and Javert: not going to happen here...
And what's a better Les Mis song than One Day More? Let me tell you, nothing. It's all downhill from here.
So, today, let's define the best showstopper!
One Day More
London 1985
A calm beginning with that little fairy dust sound - hopefully you know what I mean... And everything sounds good, I especially like Frances Ruffelle's Eponine. When Enjolras's part kicks in the orchestration gets appropriately big, goodbye to the light sounds of the beginning!
The counterpoint sounds good, but it leaves me feeling it could be even better. On the whole, as it often is with this album, a good, basic, here's-what-this-song-sounds-like version of the song, even though it doesn't really rise above that.
4 points
Vienna 1988
Very lush, peaceful beginning. Not so sure if I like this Valjean though - thanks, Danish CD, for skipping all the big Valjean songs so I haven't had the change to compare them yet. Cosette and Marius sound like they're a little squished in the background, and the orchestra doesn't sound quite as natural as in the previous one. Interesting-sounding Eponine!
I don't like this Enjolras, though. The orchestra gets gradually bigger all the time, huge choir! The strings on Javert's and Thénardiers' parts sound great, as does the choir part. This has bigger energy than the previous one. Cosette is mixed way too loud in the counterpoint, though, and the final choir doesn't sound quite as good as it could. A little disorganized.
2 points
Paris 1991
More fairy dust sounds! A lot of Valjean vibrato! Oh yay.
Maybe I should stop trying to understand the French, now I just keep wondering why there's ice cream in Marius's veins. French has always been my weakest language...
Oh, it's my favourite vibrato Javert. What's up with these guys? I know some love this CD to bits, but I really don't care for that Javert... The chorus parts on this track sound very good though, big and pretty powerful. À la volonté du peuple!
The counterpoint sounds a little messier than usually, if that makes any sense. Not bad ending, though!
1 point
Denmark 1992
A different beginning, more focus on the bell-like sounds and less on the strings. Nice wall of sound.
A Danish friend of our family told me the actors on the CD are mostly known for acting, not singing. Maybe that explains something. Marius sounds a little weak at first (but after Nick Jonas I can't really complain)...
The orchestra sounds more like a real orchestra here, if that sentence again makes any sense. Doesn't stop it trying to drown the chorus, though, but it sounds very nice.
I love this Thénardier. He sounds like a mean troll.
Very big ending. One of the brighter moments of this CD!
3 points - besides Master of the House, your best yet, Danish CD. Congrats.
10th Ann. 1995
The beginning I've learned to love - there's no way to count the times I've looped this version. I guess it does have some unfair advantage, being my ultimate favourite...
But everything is sooo good here. The dream cast. The huge orchestra. This is One Day More at its best! So calm in the beginning and then getting big with Enjolras and the choir. Just wow. And I just love Philip Quast.
This is awesomesauce. I've a feeling I know who is getting the seven points... I actually just got little shivers running down my spine at the final "one day more!" of the track!
Sorry, TAC... 6 points after all...
Dutch 2008
Nog één dag. This is another one I've looped big time - I almost can sing along this despite not knowing Dutch at all... And this is very near perfection too. I especially like this Marius, he sounds so young and just simply Marius-ish. The mixing is perfect, you hear everybody well, which is not always true on every of these CDs. And oh hey, it's my favourite Enjolras again!
Might be that my opinion of this version is biased because this video is one of my favourite things on YouTube, from 2:20:
Such energy!
The choirs, great. The orchestra, great. I don't know... The fight for seven points will be tighter than I expected, since I had almost forgot how good version this is. The final chorus is the best yet.
...because I was absolutely swept away by this. Better than I remembered, and that's a lot! 7 points.
Live! 2010
The beginning is simpler with just one violin, and I like it. I also like John Owen-Jones. This Marius sounds very Marius-ish to me too - I really like Michael Ball, but he still isn't my mental voice for Marius, it's someone with a little more, hmm, maybe vulnerability, if you will.
I think this must be my second favourite Enjolras after the Dutch guy. And hey, Earl Carpenter! And great big drums in the background! Wouldn't you know, I really like this version too - maybe not as much as the previous two, but this really gets big and epic-sounding too. And for the first time you clearly hear how Javert joins Valjean in the "tomorrow is the judgement day" line!
5 points
Rankings, rankings...
London 1985: 31.5 + 4 = 35.5
Vienna 1988: 18.5 + 2 = 20.5
Paris 1991: 19 + 1 = 20
Denmark 1992: 17.5 + 3 = 20.5
10th Ann. 1995: 42.5 + 6 = 48.5
Dutch 2008: 37 + 7 = 44
Live! 2010: 30 + 5 = 35
So...
#1: 10th Ann. 1995: 48.5+
#2: Dutch 2008: 44+++
#3: London 1985: 35.5+
#4: Live! 2010: 35++
#5: Vienna 1988: 20.5++
#6: Denmark 1992: 20.5---
#7: Paris 1991: 20++
Look who's not last anymore! Getting pretty even...
We'll see if the situation changes in the battle of Eponines next time!
P.S. To the person who found my blog when searching slash fics with Valjean and Javert: not going to happen here...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
N2N
I've been rambling about this all over the internet already, so maybe I could gather what I've already said here and only add what is necessary after that.
From my Tumblr:
"Just back from watching Next to Normal in Helsinki City Theatre.
Tuukka Leppänen singing I’m Alive = quite possibly the best thing I’ve seen in a theatre, in Finland at least. My heart was beating about three times as fast as normally. So powerful. Fantastic.
Oh yeah, the rest of it was pretty nice too. ;)"
From my deviantART:
"--And then it was time to go to see Next to Normal in Helsinki City Theatre. And this time I had talked a group of friends into coming with me. We had such fun, I don't think I've ever laughed that much during intermission!
I hope, though, that they'll still my friends after seeing me launch into my full fangirl mode.
The show?
It was wonderful.
First, score and book-wise: gorgeous.
This is, in my opinion, how musical theatre should be done.
I don't want to see another one of your Eighties' Hits Jukebox Extravaganzas or In the Year Seventy-Five: A Mix of Your Favourite Finnish Rock Songs Musicals getting done. This is what I want to see instead - a story that's more than just filler in between the songs. A strong score that works in harmony with the story and the characters.
Next to Normal has just that. It's the best musical I've seen in a long time.
And then, production-wise... Wow. It was oozing with awesome. It- uh. I know a friend I was there with is reading this and going "what is she pretending, there was just one reason she liked it", and she's pretty much right. So let's get to it.
Tuukka Leppänen.
I think I've gushed about him before, but let's just say it all again: he was Munkustrap in Cats, the musical that made me a musical fan in the first place, and was he awesome. I was briefly working at the library at the time and I remember how, the day after seeing it, I just stared blindly at the books, rewinding his parts of the show in my mind. After Cats, I've seen him in Mary Poppins, Wicked and now Next to Normal. And I'm always really, really amazed by his performances. Such stage presence, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it.
And this time... You should've heard him sing "I'm Alive." Listening to it made my heart beat about three times as fast as usually. It was, in my opinion, one of the most powerful things I've ever seen in a theatre. Haven't been this impressed by a performance ever since I saw Ramin Karimloo in The Phantom of the Opera soon two years ago.
Or, by a Finnish performance, ever since I saw Cats for the second time over two years ago...
To be fair, the rest of the cast was really good too. Sometimes I've noticed Helsinki City Theatre's productions lack an emotional presence - can't explain it, really, just something that's missing - but that certainly wasn't a problem here!
Oh well, maybe I should've guessed this was going to be good when I went to the introduction by the director (Markku Nenonen) and he was practically jumping up and down in his seat, just out of excitement."
So, uh, hm, I notice my balanced, 0%-of-mindless-fangirling reviews are not so balanced after all... Heh. A girl, no matter how sensible, can fangirl sometimes, right?
Besides, if you had been there, I'm certain you could only think about that one performance too.
So, what's there left to say?
Well, this has been the perfect start for my musical year 2011. I'll get another ticket to N2N the first thing next week. I don't remember being this impressed by a show in a long time! The last time I felt this good after leaving a theatre was I saw Mary Poppins and giggled happily the whole hour and a half it took me to get to home (you there, stop laughing at my musical taste!).
Maybe I've found a new show to mention when talking about favourites - but I'll get the CD first and see if it can survive my light thirteen times per week listening schedule!
From my Tumblr:
"Just back from watching Next to Normal in Helsinki City Theatre.
Tuukka Leppänen singing I’m Alive = quite possibly the best thing I’ve seen in a theatre, in Finland at least. My heart was beating about three times as fast as normally. So powerful. Fantastic.
Oh yeah, the rest of it was pretty nice too. ;)"
From my deviantART:
"--And then it was time to go to see Next to Normal in Helsinki City Theatre. And this time I had talked a group of friends into coming with me. We had such fun, I don't think I've ever laughed that much during intermission!
I hope, though, that they'll still my friends after seeing me launch into my full fangirl mode.
The show?
It was wonderful.
First, score and book-wise: gorgeous.
This is, in my opinion, how musical theatre should be done.
I don't want to see another one of your Eighties' Hits Jukebox Extravaganzas or In the Year Seventy-Five: A Mix of Your Favourite Finnish Rock Songs Musicals getting done. This is what I want to see instead - a story that's more than just filler in between the songs. A strong score that works in harmony with the story and the characters.
Next to Normal has just that. It's the best musical I've seen in a long time.
And then, production-wise... Wow. It was oozing with awesome. It- uh. I know a friend I was there with is reading this and going "what is she pretending, there was just one reason she liked it", and she's pretty much right. So let's get to it.
Tuukka Leppänen.
I think I've gushed about him before, but let's just say it all again: he was Munkustrap in Cats, the musical that made me a musical fan in the first place, and was he awesome. I was briefly working at the library at the time and I remember how, the day after seeing it, I just stared blindly at the books, rewinding his parts of the show in my mind. After Cats, I've seen him in Mary Poppins, Wicked and now Next to Normal. And I'm always really, really amazed by his performances. Such stage presence, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it.
And this time... You should've heard him sing "I'm Alive." Listening to it made my heart beat about three times as fast as usually. It was, in my opinion, one of the most powerful things I've ever seen in a theatre. Haven't been this impressed by a performance ever since I saw Ramin Karimloo in The Phantom of the Opera soon two years ago.
Or, by a Finnish performance, ever since I saw Cats for the second time over two years ago...
To be fair, the rest of the cast was really good too. Sometimes I've noticed Helsinki City Theatre's productions lack an emotional presence - can't explain it, really, just something that's missing - but that certainly wasn't a problem here!
Oh well, maybe I should've guessed this was going to be good when I went to the introduction by the director (Markku Nenonen) and he was practically jumping up and down in his seat, just out of excitement."
So, uh, hm, I notice my balanced, 0%-of-mindless-fangirling reviews are not so balanced after all... Heh. A girl, no matter how sensible, can fangirl sometimes, right?
Besides, if you had been there, I'm certain you could only think about that one performance too.
So, what's there left to say?
Well, this has been the perfect start for my musical year 2011. I'll get another ticket to N2N the first thing next week. I don't remember being this impressed by a show in a long time! The last time I felt this good after leaving a theatre was I saw Mary Poppins and giggled happily the whole hour and a half it took me to get to home (you there, stop laughing at my musical taste!).
Maybe I've found a new show to mention when talking about favourites - but I'll get the CD first and see if it can survive my light thirteen times per week listening schedule!
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