Monday, November 28, 2011
David Bowie says yes to futuristic musical based on his hits
The Observer: There's a starman waiting in the sky, David Bowie sang. But he need wait in the sky no longer: plans have been announced this weekend for the first full-scale musical based on the songs of the totemic British performer. A futuristic fantasy called Heroes: The Musical will tell the story of Major Tom, as well as the starman and a "young dude" called David and will have its world premiere in March at the IndigO2 venue, inside London's former Millennium Dome.
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13 comments:
I'm pretty excited about this. I typically have an aversion to tribute musicals. We Will Rock You is amongst my least favorite theater experiences. But this seems to be heading in a new and different direction. Bowie had clear specifications. I'm wondering if this will actually turn out to be that different. We Will Rock You is also set in the future. I'm interested to see what direction this takes. Hopefully it will reflect Bowie in an interesting and true way without becoming a cliche rock musical. I have high hopes.
Given Mama Mia's success, I am somewhat surprised that it has taken this long for a David Bowie musical to come in existence. Regardless of how much I like/dislike Bowie's music, it has the right tone and tempo that jukebox musicals really seem to try for since it's catchy and a lot of people know it already. Based on the article, it seems like they are actually trying to weave an interesting story in between musical interludes, so if this ever comes state side, I might be interesting in checking it out.
Awesome! I hope this works out, and they are able to make an actual story out of it, a story strong enough to stand on it's own. It is tricky, in things like this, to neither "fit" the story into the songs or "fit" the songs into the story. They both have to be strong, and not drag the other. My hometown theatre put on All Shook Up this summer, and I thought it was pretty good. One thing I hope this new musical improves on, if it is in that style, is repeating choruses. All Shook up has way too many choruses sang over and over that don't push the story forward at all.
David Bowie is one of my favorite singers. I want this so badly to be good, but I'm so skeptical. I think it has to be done really well. Like Charley brought up, Mamma Mia is still doing well and The Who's Tommy had huge success. So there is a chance this will be good, but it makes me nervous. I wouldn't want anything to be done that would ruin Bowie's music. What I did like, though, was in the article it says that all proceeds will go to charities that use the performing arts to help disabled and underprivileged kids. I think regardless of how the show is, this is a wonderful thing and hopefully they raise a good amount of money.
Like others here, I'm seldom a fan of the 'tribute' musical. Yanking songs off old albums, making over-the-top costumes from the era, and setting it all to a loose storyline that in the end is ignored in favor of a 15 minute finale mashup may sell tickets, but I don't really consider it a great work of art. It sounds, however, that this show is taking a really contemporary approach with dance and book, which should do well. Bowie's songs also generally have some sort of narrative to them, as opposed to the verse/chorus/chorus/chorus/dance break/chorus songs usually used in tribute shows. I'm hoping it has at least a short stint in the US.
Another jukebox musical? Even if it does have an original plot which the songs are shaped to (which, as Jersey Boys shows, isn't always necessary since it chronicles the story of its creators), I still don't like its growing popularity as an art form. I still have some hope that the commercial success of The Book of Mormon, which is my definition an original musical, will inspire others to head in that direction, but that remains to be seen. Perhaps since this is being presented as a benefit currently and not a long-running show, the same rules won't apply, but I continue to be hungry for original tunes, though I do enjoy a lot of the jukeboxes I've seen (most notably Rock of Ages).
Oh my gosh I'm so excited for this! This sounds like such a cool idea! I like that Bowie has some clear guideline for the show before they start which I think every musician who agrees to do this should. David Bowie is one of my favorite singers and I really hope this musical works out well. I love shows like this, Jersey Boys was great and I know some people don't like Mamma Mia but I loved it. I can't wait to hear more.
this type of artist inspired project is becoming more and more popular as the more money is invested in projects, the more likely these projects are to be made. these projects are a safe bet as they already have a fan base. the more you can guarantee the profit margin, the more the producers are willing to take the risk and invest in it. this is another example where a strong fan base ensures a low risk.
I think it was a great idea to make a David Bowie musical. His music is so well equipped for its conversion into musical theatre, because it already has a pretty high degree of theatricality embedded into it. Also I'm really excited that Matthew Gould is teh director and choreographer, looking at notable past productions such as Cats and Les Miserables. This "jukebox" musical has the makings of a huge success.
Also, I may have clicked the link next to this article entitled "Sneak Peak: David Bowie in Spongebob Squarepants" Hehehe....
This sounds like a really interesting project, and something that is being done a lot these days. I think producers think that because someone's songs were popular and because they are a pop icon a musical of their lives would do well in theatres. Well, I have my doubts. While I have nothing against theatre based on real life events, I think the events need to be truly noteworthy or told in a truly inventive way to warrant the interest in order for them to succeed. I don't feel that this project has what it takes to succeed.
This show seems to me like Green Day's American Idiot meets Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark. I'm really excited to see how this show will turn out, especially since musicals based on artists have already shown to be great successes. I can't wait to see the design concepts behind it all. I also love the fact that proceeds will go towards charities, which only continues Bowie's trend of giving back to the community. Can't wait!
I do not blame David Bowie for this. If I was David Bowie I sure would say yes if somebody asked me this question. “Hey Dale, can we make a musical out of work that you have already done? All you have to do is loan us your name and collect your check!” You know I am down with that. Who I do blame is the person that asked David Bowie that question! I am at an end with the recycled brad way musical. Look at the last original Broadway musical; I think Book of Mormon is doing pretty well. It they wanted to do a musical featuring David Bowie, they should call it “Labyrinth”.
At first I was skeptical about this but then I gave it some thought. I'm still somewhat skeptical, but I feel like this could be an interesting production if it avoids a lot of the problems that jukebox musicals run in to. For one, the music will be consistent to one artist (like Mama Mia, American Idiot, and Tommy) rather than two dozen (Rock of Ages). If this were set in modern day or the 80's I would also be more on the fence, but Bowie almost fits better in 2150 than he does in 1988! This will be exciting to hear about in the coming months.
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