SOMETHING APPALLING…

Award-winning composer-lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, recently criticised a re-worked stage version of "Porgy and Bess," the opera by George and Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward, which is heading for Broadway this winter.

His complaint has echoes of my blog about messing with the classics.

Changing this, rewriting that, distorting t’other!

He sums up the saga by saying, "If (the Director) doesn’t understand Bess and feels she has to 'excavate' the show, she clearly thinks it's a ruin, so why is she doing it?"

Mr. Sondheim's resume includes ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’, ‘Follies’, ‘A Little Night Music’, "Sweeney Todd’, ‘Sunday in the Park with George’, "Into the Woods’, ‘West Side Story’, and ‘Gypsy’.

Even though one might be near the bottom of the pile, it’s encouraging to be on the same wavelength as someone with his pedigree.

KNOCKABOUT TURN

Today, I came across the following in an article entitled “How To Make Children Laugh”, written in 1955, by Paul Terry, American cartoonist, screenwriter, film producer, director, and founder of Terrytoons (‘Mighty Mouse, ‘Heckle and Jeckle’ etc.)

American spelling applies.

In “creating” humorous situations of course, we are inventing nothing. We are restating some of the tried-and-tested gags and situations, weaving them into new story lines.

Basically, humor never changes, nor do tastes in humor. The same situations which made children and adults laugh 2000 years ago cause them to laugh today, when done up in modern dress.

Check through your memory and you will discover that by far successful comedians have been “sight” comedians, as compared to comedians who appeal to the mind. That is why the popularity of animated cartoons will live on and on: the humor in them is visual and therefore, universal.

Didn’t I say I like physical comedians… and comediennes?

In playing pantomime, one must be very aware of the physicality… facial expressions, how one stands, moves, reacts, etc. This not only helps to create a character, it helps to make the character funny. In essence, play it big, play it out front… and only perambulate purposely.

SO FOLLOW ME, FOLLOW...

I notice from some banners on the side of buses that a new Smurfs film has just hit the cinema screens.

Did you know that ‘The Smurfs’ in French is, ‘Les Schtroumpfs’? You learn something new every day… if you’re not careful!

A couple of years or so ago, I wrote a script for ‘Goldilocks And The Three Bears', which I set in Russia. The three bears are kidnapped by the villain, Sergei Sardine, and the goodies set off to try and rescue them. The second act opens on the fringe of the far-flung forest, where we meet a bunch of Russian serfs, who sing ‘Dippety Day’… the Smurfs song. Serfs… Smurfs… gerritt?

This follows on my writing ‘Red Riding Hood’, where Holly Hood goes to visit her granny in the village of Dillydally, and she is warned about a werewolf in the woods. Earlier this year, Warner Brothers released a motion picture set in a medieval village that is haunted by a werewolf.

I am not suggesting any kind of plagiarism you understand. I didn’t know about their version, and I’m sure they didn’t know about my version, but I did beat them to the punch, by quite a margin.

And there’s more…

When I wrote ‘Hickory Dickory Dock’, I decided that the story would major on the theme of time… the mouse ran up the clock, remember? I decided to introduce a time traveller, Dr. Watt… to avoid infringing copyright, you see. He (or she) travels in a jukebox, rather than a police box and… well, I did wonder if the kiddiwinks would ever have heard of Doctor Who. Lo and behold, just after I added the script to my catalogue, the BBC revived the show. Thanks, Auntie!

I included the Lone Ranger and Tonto in my version of ‘Goldilocks And The Three Bears’ – to find out how and why, you will have to read the script.

An amateur drama group who decided they wanted to do the script, were concerned that some of the younger generation may not have heard of this famous Western hero, and would be asking the question, “Who was that masked man?” So, I added a little bit of explanation.

Shortly after, I discovered that a new big-screen adaptation of the story had been announced, and so once againg, G. Wizz would be bang up-to-date.

However, “after years of being stuck in development hell”, the project has apparently been put on hold, over problems with reducing the movie's estimated $250m (£154m) cost.

That’s a lot of lolly for a Western. I can only presume that they must be using real silver bullets!

Where G. Wizz leads, others follow!

CLASS ACT #6                                              

Never heard of Wally Boag?

Well, he was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1920, and honoured in 1995 as a "Disney Legend" for his long tenure performing in Disneyland’s ‘The Golden Horseshoe Revue’.

He appeared in the first performance on Sunday, July 17, 1955, which was featured live on ABC-TV, and watched by over 90 million television viewers.

Alongside the can-can dancers, he was the comic star of the daily shows. By the time he retired, in 1982, from his roles as the outrageous Pecos Bill, and the Travelling Salesman, Wally had performed in nearly 40,000 productions of the popular Revue!

Wally Boag appeared in such Disney films as ‘The Absent Minded Professor’, ‘Son Of Flubber’, and ‘The Love Bug’, and was the guest star in episode 520 of the ‘Muppet Show’.

While appearing at the London Hippodrome in 1947, he brought the 12-year-old Julie Andrews on stage to help with his balloon act, and she astonished the audience with her singing. It was her professional solo debut.

He died in June this year, aged 90.

At his home, hung on his wall, he had a framed letter from Walt Disney. It included the following... "I can't remember how many times I've seen the show, but I always find it stimulating to be there and watch the response of the audience... and although I practically know the routines by heart, it's always new and exciting."

In this clip, he looks to be enjoying himself... and so are the audience!

Of course, the Drabbies wouldn’t allow all that simulated violence these days. Isn’t that a good-looking set that the stuntmen smash up? It was the work of Harper Goff, who designed the saloon set for the film, "Calamity Jane", starring Doris Day.

The barman is banjo-playing, baggy-pants comedian, Gene Sheldon… another class act.

Love the dummy gag!

LEAVE WELL ALONE

The title of a previous blog… BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING… “, is a quote from ‘Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland’ – “Begin at the beginning,” the King said gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”

Occasionally, I am asked if I have a script for a pantomime version of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. The answer is in the negative… and it always will be! I tend to concur with the author, Sir Walter Besant, who at the end of the 19^th century expressed an opinion that “Alice in Wonderland… was a book of that extremely rare kind which will belong to all the generations to come until the language becomes obsolete". For me, it is sacrosanct. Anyone tampering with it should be hung by the arms in the yard!

Recently, whilst searching YouTube, I accidently happened upon an arty-smarty Broadway stage presentation "based" on Lewis Carroll’s classic. The clip is introduced by the female choreographer who speaks with that whiny nasal delivery, which appears to be de rigueur for dame Yankees these days. She informs us… “I’d like to… you know… work in commercials, TV, films, Broadway, and… errr… you know… my next dream is to direct Broadway shows.”

Thank you! Don’t ring us… and we won’t ring you!

There follows some so-called musical numbers that were obviously devised by a load of luvvies, all of whom had both feet firmly planted in the air.

I haven’t seen the show, but according to one reviewer “…the fanciful figures of the Carroll books are transformed into groovy, multiethnic contemporary equivalents.” Oh dear!

From the brief clips, my impression was that this offering was grandiose guano.

Here’s the good news… the “multi-million dollar musical” closed after having played only 31 previews and 33 regular performances.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus!

I haven’t seen the 2010, Walt Disney Pictures, Roth Films Production, Team Todd Production, Zanuck Company Production, of ‘Alice In Wonderland’ either. However, looking at the images, I can’t see how I can possibly take seriously, a Mad Hatter, played by Johnny Depp, looking as if he has just had his face painted at the local village Summer Fair.

The proverb, “A pretty face and fine clothes do not make character.” would seem appropriate here.

To quote one ‘user review’, “Everything that makes Lewis Carroll Lewis Carroll has been leached out of this movie.”

If anyone wants to see how to make films, using the medium as it should be used, and without having to resort to computer-generated imagery, see CLASS ACT #5 below.

Two other classics I would never consider converting to pantomimes are ‘Peter Pan’, and ‘Treasure Island’.

CLASS ACT #5

‘Lemonade Joe’ (complete name in Czech ‘Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera’), is a Czechoslovak film from 1964, directed by Oldřich Lipský and written by Jiří Brdečka, based on his own novel and theatre play.

Squeaky-clean Joe is a straight-shootin’ gunfighter who drinks only lemonade, and takes on a town full of whisky-swigging hombres.

It satirises the American Western genre, parodies the old silent westerns, and pays homage to animated cartoons, with colour tinting, and speeded-up fight scenes.

Made under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, I would guess it cost considerably less than the average Hollywood film of the time.

‘Lemonade Joe’ became a cult classic in Czechoslovakia, and apparently Henry Fonda was amongst its foreign admirers. Henry Fonda and me!

There is some relevance to the subject of pantomimes, not only with the characterisations, the slapstick, the musical numbers, the costumes, and the set designs, but the fact that G. Wizz has a Wild West panto almost complete. Watch this space!

BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING…

In a previous blog, I expressed my concern that these days, many amateur drama and operatic groups appear to be frantically following fads.

Recently, I received an e-mail message from someone planning to direct a pantomime, informing me of his choice of a particular musical number, with which he planned to end the show. I had never heard of the ‘song’, or the singer, so I did a Google search. This brought up a vainglorious video, which must have cost more than the GDP of a medium-sized, European country.

The flick lasts 234 seconds, and the average length of shot was no more than 2 seconds long. Subtract the special effects, the sound enhancement, and the hundreds of extras leaping about, and you are left with a trite, tuneless, con trick. As far as I was concerned, it was a load of phonus bolonus! Opium for the masses!

How on earth could an amateur group putting on a show in a village hall hope to come close to this presentation?

More importantly, why would they want to?

“But it’s popular!” would probably be the justification.

“Popularity is the one insult I have never suffered.” Oscar Wilde

Apart from the fact that this offering had little to offer, I would advocate cutting one’s coat according to one’s cloth. Surely, rather than trying to match this technological tarradiddle, why not go for a lively, bouncy number packed with pep… one that the chorus, dancers, children and principals can join in and enjoy.

For example, for my version of ‘Hickory Dickory Dock’, I suggest finishing with ‘Rock Around The Clock’, which even has some relevance to the story. There is the possibility of bringing on some teddy boys and girls to bop, and ‘musicians’ with inflatable saxophones and guitars. It’s an easy number to learn, the choreography could be quite simple. Add a mirror ball or searchlight effect, get the audience clapping along, and the joint really would be rocking.

I once saw an amateur pantomime which included the character Little Bo Peep, who had three sheep. They came on for the finale and started off the musical number with, “Baa, baa, baa…”, leading into the Beach Boys’ ‘Barbara Ann’, with the rock ‘n’ roll element described above. Quite frankly, what had gone before wasn’t up to much, but the show did end with a bang.

Any road up, I was looking through a Sesame Street website the other day, and I came across reference to one episode, where Bob McGrath, who played the part of the character ‘Bob’ on the show, sang ‘Good Morning Starshine’, with some hippy Muppets.

The song is from the rock musical ‘Hair’, which dates from 1967. I saw the show on tour, maybe around 1970.

This started the creative juices flowing. For me, most modern music is unmemorable, but here is something that I reckon has stood the test of time – news yesterday that the musical production of 'Mary Poppins' (film -1964) dominated this year's Helpmann Awards in Australia, winning eight of the 12 categories in which it was nominated, including best musical – so I played some versions of it, posted on YouTube.

Normally, I like a pantomime to have a lively opening, to maybe convince the audience that it’s the start of a good show. However, just as a variation, for those who might want something that bit different, I thought that ‘Good Morning Starshine’ could work… providing of course that it’s done well.

So, here goes… yes, I know I have switched from an ending to an opening, but one has to begin somewhere. Here’s my idea… feel free to use it if you wish.

The houselights go down, the curtains are closed, and a golden glow, sunrise lighting effect is brought up slowly. A dawn chorus sound effect is played over the PA, and this fades as the curtains open to reveal the village setting, and the lights come up slowly to full.

The lead singer enters…

(http://youtu.be/Kl8O7NHkrPY – for the la-la opening and the attack. There is also a hint of an instrumental section, if you want to include dancers.)

…and is then joined by chorus and dancers, who wander on singing from all entrances to the stage. Opportunities for some nice grouping.

(http://youtu.be/-SzuZBotgCU - from 59 seconds into the video. Just one verse, one chorus, and then the finish, which could actually be bigger than it is here.)

Slow start, leisurely build up, then lots of pizzazz to the big finish. End the musical number with a tableau, then lots of animation, and sotto voce adlibs from the assembled throng, as you go into the opening dialogue… quickly followed by a crash, bang, wallop entrance, with sound effects and drum cues. 

(http://youtu.be/gkav2kjB0qc youtu.be/gkav2kjB0qc – for the ‘chorus’ involvement.)

Don’t make the tempo too slow.

I reckon it could be a knockout.

CLASS ACT #4

Actress Carmen D'Antonio performs an hilarious operatic spoof in the classic Vaudevillian style from the MGM movie, "Broadway Melody of 1940", which starred Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell. She was born in Philadelphia in 1911. Had she been born on this side of the Atlantic, she would probably have had a very successful career in pantomime.

Notice how she doesn't try too hard to be funny. She gives the impression that she has confidence in her abilitiy and the material.

"Never stress or over-emphasize a point – let the gag do its own work." Billy Bennett (1887-1942)

Miss D’Antonio reminds me of Betty Jumel (1901-1990), who was billed as “A Bundle of Fun”. She appeared with Norman Evans in the 1944 Leeds Theatre Royal production of Humpty Dumpty, which set a record with its 22-week run from Christmas Eve to Whitsun. She also became one of the few successful female Dames, notably in 1948 as Dame Trot in Babes in the Wood at London’s Princes Theatre, and later starred alongside Terry-Thomas at the Palladium in Humpty Dumpty.

I like physical comedians… and comediennes!