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Cats: Francesca Hayward and Steven McRae to star in film version

bridiem
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penelopesimpson

penelopesimpson

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Look, its the time of year for smiley faces but your comment is annoying.  A lot of people read the Daily Mail which is why it is the highest circulation newspaper in the UK.  As an ex PR person, I'm a media junkie who can't rid myself of the habit of reading several newspapers every day and I'm happy to say that there is much to enjoy in the Daily Mail.   It's great mass of middle-class readers accept that it is commonly used as a term of abuse or a way to define ill-educated peasants unable to think for themselves.  Well they certainly had the last laugh on December 12.  

 

As for Andrew Lloyd-Webbers musicals, you seem to make the assumption that anybody posting on a ballet forum must necessarily be above enjoying such middle-class fare.  Well, I don't think I'm the only one who loves them.  Cats wasn't one of my favourites but Phantom is a masterpiece.  They have brought pleasure to millions, provided funds to restore several of our crumbling theatres and employment for those working in music and dance and, perhaps most importantly, introduced theatre-going to a public that might otherwise not have ventured in.  

 

I love ballet, adore opera and my visits to ROH are the highlight of my retirement.  But that doesn't somehow make me immune to the charms of more populous entertainment.  One does not start people off with Wagner, but bring them gently through Madam Butterfly and Sleeping Beauty and Aspects of Love until they find where their taste lies.  I count myself fortunate that my first opera was Magic Flute which caught my imagination, unlike a friend who was taken to Simon Boccanegra and never set foot in the opera house again!

 

Horses for course, surely, not pigeon-holing?

 

 

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LinMM

LinMM

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Ah I've just realised who your post was aimed at Penelope Simpson ....I couldn't for the life of me understand why you were having a go at Fonty!! 

Referring to Chris G post I personally am  not sure how anyone could use the word "loathe" about an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical....goodness they're not that bad and have produced some really wonderful songs over the years 😊 but horses for courses I suppose. 

Ive only seen the trailer for this film of Cats and so far to be honest  inspite of Francesca and Stephen and Judy Dench etc it doesn't inspire me to want to go and see it though I probably will in the end with one friend or another!! 

 

 

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Fiz

Fiz

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If I do go, it will be for my beloved ballet dancers and nothing else. With all due respect to Andrew Lloyd Webber fans, all musical theatre schools state as part of their audition briefing “No Andrew Lloyd Webber songs as musical theatre song!” for a reason. 

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Fonty

Fonty

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I don't consider myself to be an expert when it comes to musicals, but I don't go to Lloyd Webber creations for the songs.  That might sound a bit strange, but they are not operas, nor would I call them musicals, exactly.  I think of them as musical dramas. Most of the songs are not particularly memorable, but that isn't the point.  They enhance the characterisation and drive the story along without hardly any, if any, dialogue.  This is why I don't think they work when turned into films.  They need the live experience of a theatre to appreciate them fully.    I think they are great, but I can appreciate they are not everyone's cup of tea.  But I would hope people would make that decision after having seen at least one, not dismiss them purely because they are very popular with the masses!

 

2 hours ago, penelopesimpson said:

  I count myself fortunate that my first opera was Magic Flute which caught my imagination, unlike a friend who was taken to Simon Boccanegra and never set foot in the opera house again!

 

 

 

Penelope, my first opera was Die Frau Ohne Schatten which I went to see on a school trip.  We all thought it was the most boring thing we had ever been made to sit through.

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bridiem

bridiem

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27 minutes ago, Fiz said:

Too easy to sing, Lin. 

 

That's an observation about their complexity, not their quality. Most popular music is easy to sing. Hymns are (usually!) easy to sing. And there is excellent popular music and there are excellent hymns. Sometimes simplicity is a virtue especially if you are actually seeking to reach a wide audience rather than a sophisticated few. (I'm also thinking of, for example, the poetry of Carol Ann Duffy.) And although I understand that you might want to offer something more 'difficult' at an audition, frankly I would have thought that most students of musical theatre would be exceptionally fortunate if they ended up in a good professional production of an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

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penelopesimpson

penelopesimpson

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22 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

That's an observation about their complexity, not their quality. Most popular music is easy to sing. Hymns are (usually!) easy to sing. And there is excellent popular music and there are excellent hymns. Sometimes simplicity is a virtue especially if you are actually seeking to reach a wide audience rather than a sophisticated few. (I'm also thinking of, for example, the poetry of Carol Ann Duffy.) And although I understand that you might want to offer something more 'difficult' at an audition, frankly I would have thought that most students of musical theatre would be exceptionally fortunate if they ended up in a good professional production of an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

Well, quite.  Clearly they all see themselves as Anna Netrebko.  I wonder how many people could sing Christine's role in Phantom?  It is extraordinarily difficult and Sarah Brightman whom the role was created for is hardly a novice

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penelopesimpson

penelopesimpson

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1 minute ago, Sim said:

And just listen to Ian Gillan sing Gethsemane on the original soundtrack album of JC Superstar...heartbreaking, and nothing simple about it technically or emotionally!

Quite.

 

I am absolutely staggered that musical theatre schools should make such a pronouncement.  Who on earth do they think has been keeping musical theatre alive?

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penelopesimpson

penelopesimpson

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I have a little story about Superstar.  I was on my first work experience in an advertising agency in Charles Street off Berkeley Square.  All we could hear all day was the chorus of Superstar coming out of the windows opposite us.  After weeks of this we made enquiries who all the people traipsing in and out were and what they were doing and were told they were writing and casting a musical!  And the rest...as they say...

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Lizbie1

Lizbie1

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There's a world of difference between something being easy to sing and easy to sing well. If people auditioning prospective MT students can't get an idea of their technique from hearing an ALW song and a few simple exercises, I wonder why they're in their job.

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penelopesimpson

penelopesimpson

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10 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

There's a world of difference between something being easy to sing and easy to sing well. If people auditioning prospective MT students can't get an idea of their technique from hearing an ALW song and a few simple exercises, I wonder why they're in their job.

Hear, hear!  Hilarious really.

 

What do they say:  'Dear Student,  For your forthcoming audition it is forbidden to use any songs or music from this country's most popular and successful producer of musical theatre.'

 

The inference being that ALW compositions, although beloved by millions all over the world, are sub standard and the students should aim for jobs with.....??????

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penelopesimpson

penelopesimpson

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30 minutes ago, Fonty said:

Perhaps they just can't face yet another person bellowing out Memories from Cats? I  remember years ago there was a veto on The Power of Love, the song made famous by Jennifer Rush for the same reason.  

Then they need to get real and understand the market their graduates will be competing in.

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2dancersmum

2dancersmum

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My DD was on the dance course but had friends doing musical theatre. The advice to a musical theatre student to avoid ALW songs at an audition as far as I am aware is nothing to do with the difficulty levels or anything like that but more to do with their 'over' popularity.  There is a huge world of musical theatre out there and they like students to show a bit of individuality and choose a song that shows off their voice/ range/characterisation -, to show that they enjoy MT and not just the really well know musicals - a bit like a ballet student saying they love ballet but only being able to name Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty as examples. 

As for being real and understanding the market their graduates are competing in - I think you will find that they are. Most MT auditions - for whatever show - theatre, west end, cruise ship - ask the singers the choose individual songs to show their range - and not songs from the show itself. 

 

For example, audition requirements for singers attending the Cats auditions for Royal Caribbean productions.

"Please prepare your best 16-32 bars (preferably pop/rock) that shows range and personality. Have repertoire book available upon request. All sheet music should be in proper key; accompanist will be provided. In addition, please prepare two songs from the RCP repertoire below, and download the sheet music. "

 

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penelopesimpson

penelopesimpson

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It does look creepy. Won’t do Francesca any harm, though.  One wonders who Tom Hooper saw as the audience.  Despite its certification it’s not family feel good stuff and it hasn’t endeared itself to fans of the stage show.  The only people enjoying it are the headline writers!

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capybara

capybara

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1 hour ago, Xandra Newman said:

No, it seemingly didn't harm her at all, and according to the recent Vogue interview "... it sends her shopping addiction through the roof and fuelled her handbag habit" :)

https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/francesca-hayward-ballet-cats-shopping-habit

 

 

And, apparently, Francesca was one of the 25 best dressed women of 2019 in The Daily Telegraph. I also saw her on the front page of a paper a couple of days ago. Of course, she's now advertising all manner of merchandise as well.

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Lindsay

Lindsay

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I think those engaged in higher level music education know that ALW's work is musically banal with a generous topping of ersatz emotional manipulation.  And of course, the reason Roger Waters has a problem with ALW's "genius" has long been known:

 

An astute businessman - undoubtedly.  An artist - hardly.....

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Xandra Newman

Xandra Newman

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1 hour ago, capybara said:

 

And, apparently, Francesca was one of the 25 best dressed women of 2019 in The Daily Telegraph. I also saw her on the front page of a paper a couple of days ago. Of course, she's now advertising all manner of merchandise as well.

 

Don't take me wrong, I am not cynical here at all, but that's very easy to achieve when various fashion labels jump onto every opportunity to flash their designs as a way of advertising their goods, using anybody currently in the spotlight. I'd love to see a 2019 Best Dressed list of "Women-on-a-Budget". 

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Candleque

Candleque

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I get the feeling the critics started writing their reviews months ago, saving up and savouring their cat puns and hairball headlines. It is so much more fun to be snarky. Cats the musical has been running since 1981 on stages all over the world, but many the critic panned that too. 

 

On another note, I'm happy to see Steven McRae as Skimbleshanks, The Railway Cat, showing up in the new TV ads. Was worried a bit that his part got cut, as the first round of promotion didn't really show much of him. With so much justifiable focus on Frankie as the lead, I am also looking forward to seeing his big tap scene. He has been posting clips on Instagram

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