Friday, April 08, 2016
World Premiere of Drury Lane’s “Hazel, A Musical Maid in America” – A Working Woman in a Non-Working Musical
showbizchicago.com: Over the many years I have been involved in the theatre I have had the misfortune to see world premiere musicals that bombed; Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, I Love Lucy, The Beverly Hillbillies and Gilligan’s Island. They all failed for much the same reasons; trite subject matter, thinly drawn plots and mediocre to horrendous scores. Therefore it was with trepidation that I went into Drury Lane’s world premiere of Hazel, A Musical Maid in America, based on the hit television series which ran from 1961-1966. Earning two Emmys for its star, the incomparable Shirley Booth. Born in 1961 I watched this show regularly and could relate, as we always had a maid with whom I spent much of my day with.
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I didn't realize there was such a trend in using classic TV shows from the 1950s and 60s to create musicals for today. I personally don't really understand the commercial choice behind that: only a certain portion of people would even remember or care about those TV shows today. More importantly, as the article mentions it would be exceptionally difficult to stretch the premise of a TV show that lasts 30 minutes per installment into a full-length musical and have it still be a coherent idea. Plus it sounds like they haven't reconciled the difference between the original 1960s humor and aesthetic and the modern context of today-- mixing the musical styles, humor, and themes so that neither are defined enough but both are confusing. It also sounds like the issue of the leading actress being irreplaceable would be a real threat to its longevity. Overall, both this musical and the overarching idea behind all musicals like it sounds like a big mistake.
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