Variety: Twenty-four shows that started life at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego have gone on to Broadway since “Into the Woods” established it as a headquarters for out-of-town tryouts back in the late 1980s. That would be all the reason anyone needs for the new stage musical adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film “Almost Famous” to have its world premiere there in late September.
4 comments:
I just recently watched “Almost Famous” The Movie, and I can honestly say the grungy, 80’s vibe that is given off throughout the whole movie is what I love to look for in entertainment. I think that a show of this style being brought to broadway is so exciting because this “style” is very on-trend right now with my generation and I think it would draw in a much younger audience to the show. Also, the movie has such an incredible reputation in terms of the cast, which could potentially be an opportunity for more press surrounding the show. Regarding the content of the show, I am glad that they wanted to stay away from a jukebox style show because the music and vibe of the movie as a whole is much rawer than that style of music would suggest. I am so excited to see this go into production, and would love to get the chance to see the show if possible!
This is so exciting to see a show from a theater in my home town have such a nation wide audience. I know absolutely nothing about this story other than it was made into a movie before the musical. Actually, when I worked at The Old Globe theater over the Summer, the lighting designer I worked with introduced me to the associate lighting designer for Almost Famous. I got to meet up with him (he showed me backstage of the Book of Mormon tour) and talked with him a bit about his process and what he was expecting for this show. I know from looking at the lighting plots, most of this show is made up of movers. Also, co-workers from back home sent me photos of the set and it looks like a giant fun rock concert with truss lining the stage and everything going wild. I hope when I go back for mid-semester break I will actually get to see this show, and even better, hopefully it goes on to Broadway just as Cameron Crowe hopes it does.
-Pablo Anton
I really want to see this show! I would love to see the design elements of it, as it's "period" but not how we traditionally think of it. I really love the movie and I think making the show partially jukebox and partially original music is very fitting. Usually I don't like jukebox musicals, other than a dew. But, I really think that this works really well for the show. I also think they did a great job with casting! As the article mentions, they had to recast their male lead, but I think that honestly helped them. Having a more unknown actor lead the show is great. I also really like Solea Pheiffer, who's playing the female lead. I'm confident that this will go far; Broadway loves adaptations. Usually I don't love strict movie adaptations, but I'm very excited for this for some reason. I think the design will be really cool and it can be staged in some really interesting ways!
In middle school and high school, I would regularly watch Almost Famous with my older cousins who were obsessed with the early 2000s films and my mom who enjoyed the music set in the 1970s. While looking back on it, a 12 year old me didn’t fully understand a lot of the references in the movie, but I still loved it, and to this day I still do, which is why when I first heard this was being adapted to a musical, I was immediately interested and excited for what it would be. I think it is interesting to hear about how they are combining a few existing songs from the films iconic soundtrack and adding in a more original score. I think it is absolutely incredible to hear the performer’s perspective on taking the film and adapting it to their own version. The quote from Pfeiffer, “The movie will always be there for the people who want to revisit it. And now this is ours, and it’s just about taking ownership of the things that made this character so iconic” stood out to me as something to keep in mind as both a performer and an audience member of any adaptation. It is important to value what you see, but also be prepared to embrace the spirit of the story that you fell in love with.
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