Tuesday, September 02, 2008
`Billy Elliot,' Harry Potter's `Equus' Lead New Broadway Season
Bloomberg.com: Muse Arts: "Fourteen new productions are scheduled through mid- December, about the same as a year ago, with an emphasis on new musicals including ``Billy Elliot'' and revivals of plays, such as ``Equus.''"
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6 comments:
Equus is one of my favorite plays of all time. While it is nice that Dan Radcliffe is bringing this wonderful play into the public eye, I sometimes feel like the effect of the play itself is diluted by his star power and his nude appearance.
Compared to last year's announcements, this year sounds a lot better. Radcliffe being nude only dilutes the show by his star power really, the nudity is fairly standard and to be expected. I am more interested though in the lesser known, and less actor acclaimed shows that plan to open who have room to grow and expectations to amaze.
I've never felt all that impressed that Daniel Radcliffe, although I've strangely only heard favorable things about his performance. It seems to me much like David Tennant's role in Hamlet; while the casting may interest an audience otherwise unenthusiastic about theater (which is admittedly good), it somewhat dilutes the point.
It appears that this upcoming season (and well into next year's season) there are attempts to revive classic shows. Godspell, Hair, Annie, West Side story and Guys and Dolls all are being considered. I like the fact that these classic plays are still "marketable" but sadly most of the new works appearing these days are adaptations from musicals. Quite frankly I find the trend disturbing because although shows like Legally Blonde and Shrek: The Musical may be entertaining they are responsible for pushing Broadway into the realm of an almost Vegas like entertainment industry. I just think it is sad that spectacle has taken over content. This is even true with notable shows like Equus. It is a fantastic play that portrays basic human interaction with an emotional intensity rarely seen in modern Broadway productions. But this production uses the spectacle of Daniel Radcliffe's nudity to mar what could otherwise be a fantastic production. Whether Broadway is the appropriate forum for groundbreaking new works is another discussion but I strongly feel the emphasizes on pure entertainment is too strong.
-Michael
I agree that Daniel Radcliffe was is totally being used for his fame, but I also think he needs something to get him away from his Harry Potter role that he has fallen into.
On another subject, it seems to me that Charles Dicken's novels never fail to be made into interesting plays/musicals. :)
It's great to see such a packed season for this year. Even with all the revivals I am most excited for Billy Elliot to make it's trip across the pond. I first saw Billy Elliot last summer in london where even after its long engagement, it is still selling out almost every night. It is such a great story and has fantastic music. Additionally the scenery and lighting are incredible. I am particularly fond of the use of moving shutters in the show, but that will make more sense once you see it. Looking forward to how it is modified for broadway given the incredible amount of "english" humor that is present in the original West End Production. Regardless, I think this will be a must see for any NYC trip this year.
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