Notebook: Real musicals can't be found at the movie theater
Rebecca Godwin
Daily Arts WriterApril 22nd, 2013
Since I was a little girl, I loved to sing and I loved to be dramatic. As I grew, those loves continued to grow, so it made sense that I would eventually fall in love with musicals, an art form which combined my passions. So, when I meet someone who tells me they love musicals too, I get really happy.
That happiness is a short-lived. More often than not, when I ask them which musicals they like, they begin listing movie musicals. If you tell me you’re a fan of musicals, but have only seen the movie versions, you’re not a fan of musicals; you’re a fan of movies that just happen to have famous actors and actresses attempting to sing.
Don’t get me wrong: I’ve seen almost every movie musical there is, and they’re fun to watch every once in a while. But they’re not true musicals, and they never will be. For one, the singing is almost always a joke. Occasionally, movie producers will cast someone who is musically talented (Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls” and Catherine Zeta-Jones in “Chicago,” I’m looking at you), but most of the time they simply choose an actor based on name alone.
Every time I even think about Gerard Butler in “Phantom of the Opera,” I cringe. Yes, he’s very attractive, but his performance is a pile of garbage compared to the performances of Ramin Karimloo, Hugh Panaro and the original Phantom Michael Crawford. And Anne Hathaway’s Fantine in “Les Misérables” was decent, but I’ve heard and seen much better. And please don’t get me started on Russell Crowe; it makes me go to a dark place and I don’t like it.
I just don’t understand why those performers in a theater production are expected to be able to sing, dance and act, but those in the movie version of the same show aren’t held to the same standard.
Another grievance: In every single movie version of a musical, the plot is entirely different from the stage production. Most stage productions aren’t much longer than movies, with the longest show, “Les Misérables,” topping off at three hours. So, why are these changes necessary?
Movie producers are trying to hype up the entertainment value and cash in on the magic of editing, but there’s a reason a musical can stay on Broadway for years (“Phantom of the Opera” has been playing on Broadway eight times a week for 25 years) and their movie alter egos stay in theaters for only a few months. It’s because the original plots are better.
I bet very few people know that in the real version of “Hairspray,” everyone goes to jail, including Tracy, and she only gets out when Link comes and bails her out. And I hate to break it to you, but in the actual “Les Misérables,” the evil Thénardiers actually end up quite well-off, having managed to integrate themselves into high society. Unlike movie musicals, which almost always have happy endings, theater musicals aren’t afraid to show you that life doesn’t always turn out fair. Sometimes the worst people make it while the best ones just don’t.
I haven’t lost hope that more Broadway performers can make their way into the movies. Producer Cameron Mackintosh made a step in the right direction when he cast Samantha Barks as Éponine and Aaron Tveit as Enjolras in “Les Misérables.”
Continue to watch your movies with their poor plots and even poorer singing, but if you want to see the best performance, I beg you, turn off your TVs, leave the movie theaters and go see real people who are truly talented.
Printed from www.michigandaily.com on Tue, 28 May 2013 05:43:00 -0400