Thursday, March 16, 2006

Take a good look at me now

Whenever I see a show, I share it with you, so in the interest of completeness, I should say that I caught Thoroughly Modern Millie a few weeks ago. I'll grant you that my expectations weren't incredibly high going in, but they were definitely exceeded. They have a great cast in this touring production. The enthusiasm is infectious. The plot is a little thin. An innocent small-town girl overcomes obstacles to triumph in the big city against all odds. Switch a few words and you can use that sentence to shorthand about 50% of musical theater, can't you? And about 100% of Danielle Steele novels. Not that I know the latter from personal experience, I swear! Anyway, the music is jazzy, think Roaring 20's, and it's up to the task of carrying along the somewhat leaden plot. Rags to riches is evergreen though, isn't it?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wanted to see that so bad when it was on Broadway. Never got around to it.

[i]"Switch a few words and you can use that sentence to shorthand about 50% of musical theater, can't you?"[/i]

Actually, it sounds strangely like [b]42nd Street[/b], which I did see. That does seem to be a popular theme, doesn't it.

P.S. I finally saw Good Night and Good Luck. Really amazing. I knew I would like it, but i LOVED it. Really a great piece of moviemaking there. Even if you aren't a fan of commentaries, rent this one and listen to George and Grant's commentary. Great stuff.

P.P.S. I now own Pride and Prejudice. I've watched it 4 times since Saturday. I absolutely loved it.

Anonymous said...

Oops, damn html tags.

Michael said...

Switch a few words and you can use that sentence to shorthand about 50% of musical theater, can't you?

Yep, works for 42nd Street and it also works for Hairspray and those are just what I've seen lately.

OK, now I HAVE to watch Good Night and Good Luck for the Cloongod's commentary.

I knew you'd love Pride and Prejudice, Maddie. It's so frothy and also incredibly romantic and beautifully shot. Don't you love that opening continuous shot where the camera pans from outside through all the rooms in the house?

PSSST! For someone who was talking budget a few weeks back, you sure do buy a lot of DVDs. I'm just sayin'. ;-)

Anonymous said...

I did love that opening shot... very nice. Great camerawork throughout.

When Darcy comes up to Elizabeth and says "Sorry madam, for wasting so much of your time." I just melt. My other favorite shot is when Elizabeth is walking through looking for what's-his-name and Mr. Darcy walks behind her for a moment and then turns off. Don't know why but I love those. Do you think I've watched it enough?

PSSST! For someone who was talking budget a few weeks back, you sure do buy a lot of DVDs. I'm just sayin'. ;-)

I know, I know. No self control. I figure, I don't buy a lot of other things for myself, so that's my treat every once in a while.