Variety: Rob Ashford has been tapped by Disney Theatrical Prods. to direct and choreograph the stage musical version of Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland." He joins a group of alumni of the pic already attached to the project, including Burton, whose aesthetic will be incorporated into the design of the show (Variety, March 13, 2011). Also onboard are Linda Woolverton, penning the book based on her screenplay, and Richard D. Zanuck, one of the producers of the film and an exec producer of the legit tuner.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Disney taps director for Broadway 'Alice'
Variety: Rob Ashford has been tapped by Disney Theatrical Prods. to direct and choreograph the stage musical version of Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland." He joins a group of alumni of the pic already attached to the project, including Burton, whose aesthetic will be incorporated into the design of the show (Variety, March 13, 2011). Also onboard are Linda Woolverton, penning the book based on her screenplay, and Richard D. Zanuck, one of the producers of the film and an exec producer of the legit tuner.
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5 comments:
I can only think about how much suffering occurred in my tiny mezzanine theatre seat as I sat through Wonderland in New York last year. It was terrible, and I'm normally not that obtuse when it comes to analyzing shows. I could tell you why it was terrible, but that would take a long, long time. The thing is, I don't even know if it had potential. I don't know if a different type of reimagining would be any better. Less tacky, probably, especially if it's based on the Burton film, but I don't think it would be compelling. We all know this story - we've all heard it and read it and seen it in multiple mediums - it doesn't resonate anymore. Which is sad, because it's a good story, just overdone.
I am completely agreed with the comment above. While i have never been a fan of the story, I also feel that Alice is way overdone. While I believe that the visuals of Tim Burton's production of Alice in Wonderland are absolutely spectacular, I feel that the story was somewhat lax. While their reasoning may be that this different plot line may invigorate this story, I sadly feel that this whole idea of an Alice show is not exciting to modern day audiences anymore.
The problem that I'm starting to have with this pattern of turning Disney movies into Broadway shows, is that there really isn't any room for new shows and ideas. It isn't like we are ever running out of ideas, but there is a forever flow of direct copying that goes on when we change a movie to a show. It becomes redundant and tiring when we are cranking these shows out word for word.
I understand the appeal and I understand the temptation to work on something like "Alice". One might even say it is "easy", discounting the inevitable effects and production work. The creative process might not be so easy but it might be easier than an original production. What the problem is, is the designs, the concept, the style is fed to the production team. There is room for embellishment and changes in the initial conversion but we are not daring ourselves to broaden our abilities and gain the challenge of working with something completely new. We are still relying on the old tricks to bring in revenue instead of taking a chance.
I guess my feeling is, if Forbidden Broadway has noticed what you're doing, you should find something else to do. I enjoyed the Tim Burton movie, but I just don't see what more could be gained from a stage production. I don't find Alice in Wonderland that compelling of a story, and while I think Tim Burton's visuals were very well thought out, I don't want it recreated on stage... I want something new.
I LOVE Alice in Wonderland, likewise any original disney piece brought to new light in a different art form. Even so, I agree with Lindsay, I want something new too. We need more new theater, new stories, new concepts. And although I think this Alice in Wonderland would be a sure crowd pleaser, I don't think that it is advancing the art of theater in any large way, just stunting the potential greatness it could achieve with new material. Resurrecting old stories can be fascinating, we just have a knack for picking the same, expectable stories.
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