Another Musical

[drcpunk]

mnemex and I just saw the movie version of Annie Get Your Gun. It's shorter than the stage version, and has the same uncomfortable parts, e.g., "I'm An Indian Too" and the fact that, ultimately, it's about a woman who is willing to be less than she could be because she's in love with a man who is a generous winner, but a very poor loser. Even though two of the male characters in the show tell him what a jerk he is, this one's more dated than any of the musicals we've yet rented for the upcoming larp, though it's still very watchable. It's energetic, and the only reason I think of the musical numbers as looking obviously staged is that The Music Man is superb and fresh in my head.

The real Annie Oakley, if wikipedia can be trusted on the subject, was amazing, and the real Frank Butler a much nicer guy than the Butler of the musical. When he realized that Annie was the better shooter, he became her assistant. He died soon after she did, because he stopped eating when she died.

Comments

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it'd be relevant to your larp prep, but I recommend highly both the 1953 movie and the more recent (2003 performance of a stage revival launched in 1999) of Kiss Me Kate. There is, as you might know, a strong female character (or two, or three) in there, and the musical itself is simply superb. I suspect they're both available via the Big Red Envelope.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

I've seen the 1953 version. It was okay. I suspect I'd have enjoyed the stage production more.

ambug666 is using this as one of the shows he's taking plots and characters from for the larp, which still has some roles open.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

The more I see the revival, the more I like it better than the movie (although the movie's cast can't be beat -- all I want for a winter holiday gift is Howard Keel's voice :-)

It's got better overall timing, and the songs are where they were originally placed, as opposed to several in the movie that are moved or cut. The "It's Too Darn Hot" piece at the beginning of Act II (as opposed to right up front in the film) deserves a Tony all of its own.

Here's the Amazon listing (http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Kate-Broadway-Revival-Performances/dp/B00008NFR6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1220753583&sr=8-3); here's the IMDB entry for the stage version (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0353628/).

Unfortunately, not only have I sworn off roleplaying (on a 12-step program; it's one of the things that got me evicted from one school and close in another) but time is, as always, a serious concern here. As a fan of musicals from this era, I do look forward to hearing about this one in particular, though.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

acrobatty was highly unimpressed with the "Why Can't You Behave?" number in the film, finding it utterly predictable, right down to the fire breathing. I see that a lot of the lyrics were cleaned up as well, though the way the movie handled "It's Too Darned Hot" is delightful.

Apparently, the actress who sings it learned it had been cut, and said something like, "You can't cut it! I'll do the song!" This makes the whole scene nicely meta.

Last I heard, the role of Lilli was open, as the player had to drop.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

He's correct: the film, being subject to the standards of the time, had far less innuendo and outright suggestive lyrics than the staging.

The actress is Ann Miller, of the million-dollar legs, and her performance is terrific. But the song belongs in the production, and the staging in the modern version was pretty damned spectacular.

Vice versa, did you know about the board in the onstage spanking scene? Apparently Kathryn Grayson (Lilli) worked out with the stage manager (or the props guy or the director, I forget which) that she would have a board over her bottom, under her costume, during that scene. Without telling Howard Keel, who was to spank her onstage. I understand he got away without breaking his hand, and was understandably less than happy about it.

Good luck finding someone with serious cojones for Lilli; she's going to need them to bring it off correctly.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

If Lise wanted to play, I think she'd do fine, but I've not heard back from when I asked her. Also, last I heard, Sky Masterson, Lucy, Charlie Brown, Adelaide, and the mayor from The Music Man are open.

[scbutler.livejournal.com]

Pretty cool bit of trivia.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Makes up for all the sadness in the lives of a lot of the actors -- Hutton and Garland just don't seem have had very happy lives, overall.

[batyatoon]

Did you know I was in a stage version of Annie Get Your Gun in Jerusalem about ... nineteen years ago?


god I feel old.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

Wow. Cool!

Do you and sdelmonte want to come to a Broadway musical larp in Timmonium from Sept. 19-21? There are still roles open, I do believe.