nancy324
Cathlete
First off, you should understand that I have an intense dislike of Broadway these days. I am old enough to remember the days when people saw shows to experience something new, different and creative rather than to sing along to songs they already know by heart. I would much rather stay home and listen to an old Beach Boys CD than pay $100 to hear bad renditions of my favorite Beach Boys songs. Hairspray is one of my favorite movies of all times, but I disliked the show. (I only went because my niece wanted to go). If you're contemplating seeing Hairspray, rent the movie instead.
Okay, so you're wondering why someone like me, who LOVES Holy Grail would even go to see Spamalot, right? Easy. My DH wanted to do something special for my birthday and was so proud of himself that he came up with the idea. (It's not his fault. He comes from Long Island. Say no more.)
Having said all that, Spamalot was kind of cute. The parts that tried to be like the movie were weak, but they also added some made-for- Broadway bits that worked much better. The absolute best parts of the show were the new jokes that made fun of typical Broadway shows, with the highlight being a spoof of every Andrew Lloyd Weber show in a song called "The Song That Goes Like This". In fact, if Eric Idle would make a Broadway show that does nothing but spoof Broadway shows, I would be the first one to buy tickets, because he does it so well. What a fabulous idea! There should have been much more of that, but in the end, as the New York Times said "That "Spamalot" is the best new musical to open on Broadway this season is inarguable, but that's not saying much. The show is amusing, agreeable, forgettable - a better-than-usual embodiment of the musical for theatergoers who just want to be reminded now and then of a few of their favorite things."
I think that quote could pretty much sum up every show on Broadway right now. Given half a chance, I would stick to off-Broadway and off-off Broadway. That's where the real theatre is these days.
Well, you asked.
Okay, so you're wondering why someone like me, who LOVES Holy Grail would even go to see Spamalot, right? Easy. My DH wanted to do something special for my birthday and was so proud of himself that he came up with the idea. (It's not his fault. He comes from Long Island. Say no more.)
Having said all that, Spamalot was kind of cute. The parts that tried to be like the movie were weak, but they also added some made-for- Broadway bits that worked much better. The absolute best parts of the show were the new jokes that made fun of typical Broadway shows, with the highlight being a spoof of every Andrew Lloyd Weber show in a song called "The Song That Goes Like This". In fact, if Eric Idle would make a Broadway show that does nothing but spoof Broadway shows, I would be the first one to buy tickets, because he does it so well. What a fabulous idea! There should have been much more of that, but in the end, as the New York Times said "That "Spamalot" is the best new musical to open on Broadway this season is inarguable, but that's not saying much. The show is amusing, agreeable, forgettable - a better-than-usual embodiment of the musical for theatergoers who just want to be reminded now and then of a few of their favorite things."
I think that quote could pretty much sum up every show on Broadway right now. Given half a chance, I would stick to off-Broadway and off-off Broadway. That's where the real theatre is these days.
Well, you asked.
). Amazingly to me, being the Southerner I am (and all Southerners have seen the movie of "Steel Magnolias" at least once, if not five or ten times), neither my niece nor my MIL had ever seen the movie. So they loved it. I thought the show was a little dated, but a marvelously written play nonetheless and a great cast: Delta Burke, Frances Sternhagen, Marsha Mason and Christine Ebersole as (if you've seen the movie you'll know these characters) Truvy, Claree, Ouiser and M'Lynn, and then two young actresses, Rebecca Gayheart as Shelby and Lily Rabe as Annelle, neither of whom I was familiar with. Lily Rabe is a 2004 graduate of Northwestern and she was nothing short of astonishing. And of the others, Frances Sternhagen was just fabulous.
