BROADWAY IDIOT

In 2007 director Michael Mayer won his Tony Award for 'Spring Awakening' the exhilarating rock musical based on an obscure 19th German play that re-defined Broadway musicals for a new a generation.  It was a hard act to follow but Mayer had the inspired idea to develop a new Musical based on the punk group Green Day's mega hit iconic album 'American Idiot' which was essentially a kind of rock opera about an anti-hero called Jesus of Suburbia. 

The three members of Green Day were extremely cautious of the whole concept and in fact didn't give Mayer and his team permission to actually proceed until they did a mini-production of their take on a few of the songs. Billie Joe Armstrong the band's songwriter and frontman not only immediately endorsed the Show, but from then on actively encouraged the project and got involved wherever he could. 

This documentary from filmmaker Doug Hamilton covers the whole process of the creation of the show right through to the point that it is a critical and commercial hit on Broadway and the once reluctant Armstrong is now making occasional appearances on stage playing one of the lead characters.  It's an intoxicating ride and a great backstage story watching this show in the making. Whilst they are working from existing songs (and a few more from another Green Day album) Tom Kitt the musical collaborator must make them fit within the framework of the show and when he nervously previews them he is relived to hear that Armstrong think the arrangements are even better than his own.

Meanwhile when  Green Day is then nominated for some Grammys, Armstrong insists that he and the whole cast perform together at the Awards Concert. They are sensational which is perfectly fitting as that very night they have learnt that their tryout run in LA is to end as it has been confirmed that the Show is definitely destined  for Broadway.

OK.  Confession time.  I had heard of Green Day BUT had never knowingly listened to their music. Now I know that they are not only one of biggest rock groups around today, but that they write and sing some amazingly political-charged powerful songs about wanting to follow their dreams. By the end of the film I could appreciate not just the energy of their operatic like album and why Mayer could see so much in it, but also the fact that Armstrong was such a disarming charmer of a man too.

If you like these behind the curtain backstage stories then you will find this totally fascinating, and if like me, you have such fond memories of The Who's 'Tommy' then you will really relate to this too.  

P.S. The Show ended up winning two Tony's in 2010 and the Best Cast Album Grammy in 2011 : it ran over a year in Broadway and then toured the world ... literally .... after that.

★★★★★★★★

The movie is on limited theatrical release now and also VOD @ Amazon

LES MISERABLES

I dreamed a dream in times gone by that Les Miz would be a much better movie than it is.  And although I wouldn't go as far as to quote the last line from the main dramatic ballad 'now life has killed the dream I dreamed,' but I would say that it did rather dent it.

The long-awaited movie version of the hit-stage musical that has been circumventing the world since 1985 (it's in its 27th year in London's West End) is Claude-Michel Schönberg's take on Victor Hugo's classic novel on the last few decades in Paris leading up the the French Revolution.  And if in case you missed it, then should know its all about what happened to a man after he stole a loaf of bread.  Literally.  The stubborn peasant Jean Valjean served 19 years for his 'crime' and on his release from prison he was determined to ignore the strictures of his parole and become a God-fearing honest and up-right citizen.  And he was, but every time he seemed to succeed, the Law caught up with him in the shape of Javest his sworn enemy who had vowed to pursue him for rest of his life.

It's a story of epic dimensions and even though the movie is a hefty 157 minutes long director Tom Hooper makes the going maddeningly frenetic at times trying to pack in as much as possible. Its action filled scenes with the cameras whirling around however are an odd sharp contrast with the tight close ups of the slow paced big ballads that were stretched out to show that yes, the actors really were singing. And despite some very strong on-screen performances, there was more than one occasion when what you actually see is a very talented actor playing a part and singing his/her heart out but not actually becoming the character itself.

Hugh Jackman does a sterling job holding the piece together in a career-best turn that will deservedly earn him a Best Actor Nomination (though not the Oscar itself), and if you have seen the preview than you will have seen almost all of Anne Hathaway's small but crucial role of Fantine the good girl who's forced into prostitution. Ms Hathaway determinedly squeezes every ounce of emotion out of her big show stopping number that should (!) have you reaching for your Kleenex.

For me the actors who really gave some zest (alongside Mr Jackman) and some much needed comic relief and were a sheer joy were Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as the hilarious thieving innkeepers.  Eddie Redmayne was very surprisingly impressive as Marius the 'love' interest, as was newcomer Samantha Barkes as Epononie (Marius's stalker), and the wonderful young Daniel Huttlestone as Gavroche steal every scene he is in.   

Transferring a successful stage musical to the big screen very rarely succeeds, and there are countless more flops than hits over the years. This is neither, but nevertheless it is a disappointment that it failed to live up to its expectations especially as it had all the right ingredients to make it really something more than just OK, but maybe it had the wrong choice of chef

Hugh Jackman is worth the price of the ticket alone, but if you were one of those people that actually bought Susan Boyle's CD (!) then you'll be heading to the theater regardless of any review anyway. 

Available at  Amazon
★★★★★★★

ONE NIGHT STAND

Once a year a group of manically creative theatre 'luvvies' set themselves the seemingly impossible task of creating and performing four brand new 15 minute musicals in a mere 24 hours. And all the name of Charity. This deliciously wonderful new documentary was the result of fly-on-the-wall camerawork that filmed the whole harrowing process. Completely terrified but very excited actress Tamara Tunie,  aptly claimed ‘its kind of like sex’ which I guess adds another resonance to the title ‘One Night Stand’.

It all starts with the show coordinator/director hitting his phone book and cajoling a whole coterie of actors/ writers /composers/musician/directors to participate in this marathon.  On the first night the composers and writers are paired off into 4 teams at 8pm and are given until 6 am to write their masterpiece which must include at least 3 songs. By early morning the actors/director/choreographers are in rehearsal studios trying to get to grip with the material that they have just been handed and  suddenly most are bitterly regretting that they every agreed to take part. 

They do all actually manage to pull it off and in real style much to their surprise, and to ours too as we have been privy to all the hilarious mini-dramas and meltdowns that have gone on very publicly throughout the whole day.

The movie beautifully captures the frenzied pace that all of the participants have had to endure, and as the hours seem to speed by for them, we are on the edge of our seats just as every bit anxious on their behalf. But these are experienced pro’s and there may be a tad touch of ‘methinks she doth protest too much’ as in the case of watching poor Rachel Dratch (‘Saturday Night Live) who just cannot ever get to grips with her song which is re-written constantly throughout the day then stuns the audience with her brilliant performance and brings the house down.

The cast and crew of the show includes big Broadway names and some of the best of the lesser known but equally talented players.  And many were crazy and generous enough to do it all again the next year (the film was shot at the show in 2009).

Excellent cinematography and expertly edited, this  film by Elisabeth Sperling & Trish Dalton is a must for anyone who loves Broadway (and who has strong nerves too). I saw it at MIFF and I hope it finds a Distributor so that it can reach the audience it so deserves.


★★★★★★★★★

BURLESQUE

A young girl fed up with waitress-ing in a diner in some God-forsaken place in the Midwest, decides to pack it all in and get a one-way train ticket to LA to seek her fame and fortune.  She stumbles on the Burlesque Club run by a fading Star that features a lot of very scantily clad girls dancing their tushes off lip-syncing: a dying art in a dying business that is about to be closed by the Bank unless a miracle happens. 

Christina Aguilera plays the young girl, and the Star who is past her prime (!) is the fabulous Cher.  This piece of trite trash is intended as a vehicle to show us what a stunning actress Miss Aguilera is as she plays the undiscovered talent that not only wins everyone’s heart, but naturally single-handedly saves the Club too.  Trouble is that her she’s very one dimensional: great singing voice BUT its exactly the same in all the (endless) numbers that are indistinguishable from each other: and she really has only four different dance moves in what must qualify as one of the worst choreographed musicals ever.

Cher is Cher.  Just older than last time.  And like Ms A she gives no facial expressions at all; in her case its due to being physically unable with that new face of hers, but in her co-star's case it is because she simple doesn’t know how to.

It has some funny touches with the scenes with Stanley Tucci (who seems to have captured the movie market in playing very camp middle-aged stooges these days), but not enough to rescue this lame duck.

RTV If you love Cher, and like Ms Aquilera scantily clad going on and on and on (the 2nd half so drags).  Or just wait for the DVD and then you can fast forward all those really bad bits.

★★★★