I love mentally unstable people! I relate to them! :-) Gypsy is one of my all time favorite musicals and it stars a mentally unstable lead. Or Sweeney Todd! But we actually like Rose and want her to succeed. We want Sweeney to get his revenge. The issue with Madeline and Helen is all they want is to stay young and beautiful forever and it's hard to root for such selfish characters. So the first act is entertaining as we watch them destroy each other, but the second act fizzles because there's no catharsis in the resolution of the story. That being said, it's still a very entertaining show and I don't think the goal of the creators was to enter the canon of musical theater greats. They just wanted to give us a spectacle with lots of laughs and at that they have succeeded!
Sadly the days of classic, original, intelligent musicals is over and we are left with the factory of thrown together musicals on popular movies -most by mediocre unmemorable composers. We have seen it all: Back to the Future the Musical, Mean Girls, Big Fish, Catch Me if You Can etc. On and on. It was only inevitable that Death Becomes Her would become a musical. Though I haven't seen it in person I of course originally though that no actresses would get the same amazing chemistry as Meryl and Goldie and Isabella, and that the musical would be problematic for the stage. This is coming from a Musical Theatre vocal professor. So from what I have seen thus far--even believing Jennifer and Megan as youthful 20s is laughable. Music is ennui and though the musical tries be camp and fun.. it misses the mark and seems rather tragic. I will of course eventually see it... but forgive me if I say I still prefer the days of Kander & Ebb, Jerry Herman, Stephen Sondheim, over much of the crap on Broadway today. And with the cost now of ticket prices .. most of my NYC friends said it was really mediocre and not worth seeing. And most patrons post-covid are like--if I'm going to spend $100 or more on a theatre ticket it better be fantastic. And of course much easier to curl up on your couch with a pizza and the beloved original movie at home. Just sayin'
I HEAR YOU! This is why I felt so guilty giving Maybe Happy Ending a mixed review. It is one of the only original show this season. All of those writers you mention did adaptations of plays and movies, so the big question is what has changed? Were they just better writers? Were they choosing better material to adapt? Or are we forgetting all of the flops that would open on Broadway every season and only remembering the hits?
Years ago, one of the more popular drag queens on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Jinkx Monsoon, went on and on about the movie, and how it had a gay following.. Something I totally missed as I found it boring and confusing when I saw it in the movie theatre…. Jinkx later developed the movie into her drag act, so essentially, she’s responsible for the entire concept.. I hope she was well compensated.. I doubt it..🤭
I think the act you're referring to was Drag Becomes Her which was hosted by Peaches Christ. She was known for doing a lot of movie parodies. Did you see the Broadway show? Did you like ti better than the movie?
@ That's it.. I didn't see it though…I just recall thinking when did Death Becomes Her join the gay cult lexicon..😅.. Boring ass movie.. After the weak special effects, I was not impressed…
great review....yes it is one big splashy "drag" show......might do all right with out-of-town visitors....who like over the top performances, sets...etc......
It's difficult to watch a show where everyone is unlikeable. I know that can work with a television show like Seinfeld or Always Sunny In Philadelphia. But I can't think of any successful musicals that have all unlikeable characters. Can you?
it's the same problem with the movie and they even went back to do reshoots and appearantly didn't think of this missing element either. This is what I came up with last year. The maid Rose had 3 deleted scenes, plus she was also at the Menville wedding that got cut. + Rose gets told to work in the evening cause Mad has to look her best for the bookparty. + Rose helping Madeline with her dress on the stairs... she explains she would have left Madeline if she hadn't been such a masochist. Then Madeline goes off at her and tells her about her own sad youth being born in a trailerpark, abandoned by her father. Rose has heard this a million times before and mouths all the words with her behind her back. + Rose comes to work in the morning and finds Madeline stuck in the freezer. She panics and as Ernest tries to make up an excuse she has had enough of him drinking so she rips his drink out of his hands. When Madeline has been taken out of the freezer she goes walking round the house like some freaky frozen zombie and Rose gets fired because Ernest tells her they have sold the house. She gets very upset and tells him she was so happy there. He then gets Rose out of the house and lifts Madeline up the stairs to start spraypainting her. They could have left the entire original film intact and add the maid to the third act at the bar. Since Rose LOVES her job and appearantly has no problem being treated by Ernest & Madeline as a punching bag she would eventually return to their house, notice all the weird stuff and then re-appear in the 3rd act at the bar where Ernest staged his death. (This is all based on the original cut of the film) Madeline and Helen have retreived the potion bottle back from Toni (a cut love interest) & Ernest (who is playing dead by dressing up a dead guy in his clothes)... Then they could have had the maid pop back up but after realising there is no more Ernest (who treats her slightly less bad than Madeline) she really doesn't want to work for just Madeline (and Hel now). Madeline hires her back and wants to touch herself up so she asks Rose to hold the potion as Mad and Helen walk to their car. Then the women notice they have started to peel and panick... then they hear the screeching of a car. They stand there dumbfounded... Rose has taken off. Then they start the whole I'll paint your ass you'll paint mine and then stop laughing... 37 years later the whole ending plays out the way it does in the final cut and when the Eternal Ladies have shattered to bits a veiled figure comes walking down the church steps, she lifts her veil and it's Rose. She is stunning now, she has taken the potion as she just keeps smiling. Mad not acknowledging Rose's improved look throws her the keys of the car and asks her to bring the car around and surprisingly Rose obliges. Then we see Rose throwing the last limbs in the trunk of the car as the women are bickering to eachother. Rose punches the gass and drives off into the sunset, smiling... happy.
@@XanArt21 I LOVE it! Such a dark ending but it's fun because these awful people get their comeuppance. I'm looking at the playbill trying to find the name of the assistant played by Josh Lamon, but they don't attach the name of the actor with the character. So weird. They're all just credited as Ensemble even though there are characters named Luciano and Chagall that sing in some of the musical numbers. They better call their agents!
How can you review this show and not mention the costumes in detail?! So many times I was looking at the constriction of the voluminous jackets and dresses and was just gasping over how many yards of fabric it must’ve taken!
Costumes were great! I try to keep these reviews under ten minutes and I focus more on the writing since that is the area I know the most about. The is a very expensive looking show and a lot of that money went into fabulous costumes for the three women.
From Forbes "With initial capitalization costs of $31.5 million, the new musical is the most expensive show to arrive on Broadway in over five years. It required even more money to mount on Broadway than the recent musical adaptations of Moulin Rouge! at $28 million, The Great Gatsby at $25 million, and Back to the Future at $23.5 million."
I like your review! Going to subscribe. Yet another B’Way show I have no interest in seeing. I think the movie worked as well as it did because it was Hollywood taking a swipe at its own absurdity. That and Meryl Streep was freaking hilarious. Curious - did they have Helen go into a funk & get overweight? Right off the top of my head, it could be fun to see a live action version of Helen rewinding the video tape of Madelyn’s melodramatic tv movie strangling. You hit on a point that mirrors the movie - the second half felt like it kind of didn’t know what to do with itself. It was a fun movie, and the funny scenes are magnificently rewatch-able, but overall inconsistent, yet, yes - iconic. I really wish someone would bitch slap Broadway in the face and say “Stop making musicals out of 90’s movies, already!!!!” ;)
Thanks for subscribing! They didn't have Helen get overweight. They had one short scene between Helen and her therapist/doctor where we saw how obsessed she was with Madeline. Honestly, a 90 minute movie is ideal for adaptation because it leaves a full hour for songs. But if you're going to adapt an iconic movie that has issues, you have to solve those issues using the magic of musical theater. I love that Hairspray the Musical created a finale that worked bette than the ending of the movie. Sadly Death Become Her wasn't able to do the same.
I just had a little argument with a friend about making characters on the stage look fatter with padding and then have them become thinner after they take the potion. He thought it was fat shaming and I just think getting fatter is part of getting older so it's a good way to give a character a noticeable change on the stage since we don't have the benefit of a close up to see wrinkles removed.
I guess I’m in the minority because I knew in knowing that the song was spelled “gaze” not “gays”,…..as I passed the merch table before sitting down and it was printed on one of the t shirts.
I knew it was "for the gaze" as well, and I think that in context of the show, she is singing "I do it for the Gaze" but is so obsessed with herself that she doesn't realize her lyrics can be easily interpreted as something else, but she's also playing into the hands of the audience at the same time I thought it was absolutely genius
@ I am usually rolling into the theater so close to curtain that I don’t have time. But since I went with my mother who needs extra time to get from point a to point b, we got there about 25 minutes before, so we were able to look at each item. Sad there wasn’t a pen in the shape of the potion or something like that.
Yeh I roll in right before curtain because I know there's going to be a long line outside. Especially at the Lunt Fontanne because they don't have any lobby space in the orchestra.
I have no interest in seeing this because the movie is a beloved part of my childhood and they could never even begin to attempt to capture the lightning in a barrel of the movie. And if you can’t do the effects properly, forget it. Other movies I’d be more forgiving, but not this one!
I love that you were watching Death Becomes Her as a child! LOL Yes, that is the question with any adaptation - "How are they going to make it better or at least different enough from the source material?" I don't think this succeeds on either count.
Also loved the movie as a child and the musical was absolutely amazing!! Just saw it a few days ago in Preview. Really fun to watch :-). Great actors, great costumes and the whole vibe was gorgeous! Can absolutely recommend it.
Im a ultra fan of the movie. I have the potion tattooed on my body. And this was one of the best and most hilarious musicals I’ve seen on Broadway in years!
The "Gaze" went over my head as well till you mentioned it. I don't think it makes sense as all her jokes in the song were of gay stereotypes. I washy a fan of Michelle Williams at all.
I agree entirely with your review. I saw it in Chicago and didn’t care for it. As much as I admire the performers, I found the show shrill, exhausting, and pandering to the gays (I am one.) I also made the drag connection. The prime market for this show seemed to be straight girls who enjoy drag brunches and Rupaul’s Drag Race along with their gay besties. Nothing wrong with any of that, but not a show for me.
Funny you should say that. There were two squealing young women sitting behind me that were getting on my nerves. They were so loud that I couldn't hear some of the lines and lyrics.
3:55 I find this a bit of a problem in the movie too... cause originally the film wasn't as camp as it ended up being... It had a bit more of a serious undertone, it was also much longer and the removed ending was a real melancholic gutbunch. The whole third act resolve with Ernest's girlfriend Toni (played by Tracey Ullman) was removed and that's why they had to cut away lots of other parts of the movie to make it all flow/fit better (make it more scrappy I guess). This is the 24 hrs of events missing from the middle of the film: After Ernest gets Madeline home from the morgue he sticks her in the freezer. This happens between Helen jumping over the fence and then she almost gets hit by Ernest's car. Then when Ernest has picked up the formaldehyde he would drive to Helen's hotel to revise their plans and Helen tells him they will have to bury Madeline. Ernest eventually chickens out, tells her he is sorry for everything and goes home. Helen is furious that Ernest puts the 'needs' of a dead Madeline above hers. She rips her hand open again and goes berserk. Then it's morning and the maid Rose finds Madeline in the freezer, with icicles on her forehead. This totally freaks out Rose and she runs to Ernest who reassures her its just an experimental beauty treatment Mad is trying. So Ernest rips Mad from the freezer and she starts to slowly walk around the house looking quite bizarre. She sticks avocado on her face to make it all more believable. Eventually Ernest gets rid of the maid and starts lifting Madeline up the stairs (this is in the theatrical trailer) and when Mad gets upset Ernest promises her he will make her look like 'a masterpiece'. Between Madeline being spraypainted there was also funny scenes with Helen exercising and shopping for the hardware. This is really missed in the final cut and I think the frozen Madeline scene would be quite hilarious for the musical. (I HAVEN'T SEEN IT THOUGH so I don't even know if the maid is in there, Nancy Fish who played her in the film had at least 3 removed scenes). All the dead alive body antics originally where concentrated in the middle of the film and the original ending (27 years later) didn't have much cgi but it was used effectively on Madeline & Helen who are sitting on a balcony and are watching an old Ernest and his wife having a picnic in a park. Then their gorgeous faces turned to skulls as the movie faded out. I heard the Musical's ending is more like the original ending. 6:11 cause she is obsessed with Madeline... this was also a point that got a bit more sidelined in the final cut of the movie. She just couldn't help herself. The scene where Helen talks to Ernest in the Bistro Gardens was much longer and she tells him she put herself away in an assylum and all she could think about was.... and she pauses... she then takes a sneaky look at Madeline... then back at Ernest... and says 'you'.
Thanks for all this insight to the movie. Often problematic movies can be turned into even better musicals if they can use what is unique about musical theater to improve on the material. Hairspray is a musical that I thinks works better than the movie. I think this musical tries to stay too true to the movie so it suffers from the same issues. There is no maid in the musical, but they created a character of Madeline's assistant who functions in the same capacity as the maid. Yes, the musical ends like your description of Madeline and Helen seeing Ernest and his wife - WHO incidentally its played by a chorus person dressed up to look old. I couldn't help but think if that character drank the potion she could believably transform into someone who becomes 40 years younger. Ernest has some final words with Madeline and Helen and exits. Then Madeline and Helen mock Ernest for his choice and they walk off into the sunset instead of falling down the stairs and shattering into pieces. So we don't really get much of a resolution. Helen's obsession with Madeline makes sense and I was aware of it. But something about the way the scene was written and played confused me. I think it was Helen being so sure of herself and then doing a 180 is what felt untruthful to me.
Sadly not (just snippets from making ofs, trailers tv spots and photos) but they are in the shooting script on David Koepp's page (pink one). I also talked to some people who saw the original cut, they were super confused about the film when they ended up seeing it on VHS, they thought it was some weird mandela effect@@TheTurkaderr
@@MatthewHardyMusical I can't judge it fully of course but I think that Michelle & Jennifer are a bit miscast (if I judge it by the movie roles) to be honest. Goldie had a fragility about her (that got very trimmed down also but it's still there) that I don't see in Jennifer and Isabella had a more sensual feel to her. (And deadly, cause she actually was 600 years old, she tells this to Ernest in a deleted portion when she tries to get him to take the potion and even lets him know she killed Shakespeare, Lincoln and Max Factor cause they refused to take it).
@@XanArt21 LOL She killed Max Factor! That's hilarious. Yes, as I mentioned in my review I think Michelle was a bit out of her depth. Jennifer makes the role her own, but you're right, she's more of a battle axe. I think this is why I was so confused by the scene where she takes Ernest to meet Madeline. She didn't seem like someone who could be destroyed so easily. And she's also 10 years older, so making her look better than Megan at the book signing party was a challenge. They opted to put Megan in a pants suit and Helen in a dress. Because apparently, pants = old. That being said, she is hilarious and I always find her immensely entertaining.
The reason Helen introduces her fiancé to Madeline, is to see if he can pass the “Madeline Ashton” test. This is explained in the film version.
Is the test to see if he can resist her charms? So he failed.
Yup. Just like in the movie.
@@paulst.austin1015 These are som messed up people.
@@MatthewHardyMusical Well, of course they are. If they were mentally stable people we'd be really bored.
I love mentally unstable people! I relate to them! :-) Gypsy is one of my all time favorite musicals and it stars a mentally unstable lead. Or Sweeney Todd! But we actually like Rose and want her to succeed. We want Sweeney to get his revenge. The issue with Madeline and Helen is all they want is to stay young and beautiful forever and it's hard to root for such selfish characters. So the first act is entertaining as we watch them destroy each other, but the second act fizzles because there's no catharsis in the resolution of the story. That being said, it's still a very entertaining show and I don't think the goal of the creators was to enter the canon of musical theater greats. They just wanted to give us a spectacle with lots of laughs and at that they have succeeded!
Sadly the days of classic, original, intelligent musicals is over and we are left with the factory of thrown together musicals on popular movies -most by mediocre unmemorable composers. We have seen it all: Back to the Future the Musical, Mean Girls, Big Fish, Catch Me if You Can etc. On and on. It was only inevitable that Death Becomes Her would become a musical. Though I haven't seen it in person I of course originally though that no actresses would get the same amazing chemistry as Meryl and Goldie and Isabella, and that the musical would be problematic for the stage. This is coming from a Musical Theatre vocal professor. So from what I have seen thus far--even believing Jennifer and Megan as youthful 20s is laughable. Music is ennui and though the musical tries be camp and fun.. it misses the mark and seems rather tragic. I will of course eventually see it... but forgive me if I say I still prefer the days of Kander & Ebb, Jerry Herman, Stephen Sondheim, over much of the crap on Broadway today. And with the cost now of ticket prices .. most of my NYC friends said it was really mediocre and not worth seeing. And most patrons post-covid are like--if I'm going to spend $100 or more on a theatre ticket it better be fantastic. And of course much easier to curl up on your couch with a pizza and the beloved original movie at home. Just sayin'
I HEAR YOU! This is why I felt so guilty giving Maybe Happy Ending a mixed review. It is one of the only original show this season. All of those writers you mention did adaptations of plays and movies, so the big question is what has changed? Were they just better writers? Were they choosing better material to adapt? Or are we forgetting all of the flops that would open on Broadway every season and only remembering the hits?
Years ago, one of the more popular drag queens on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Jinkx Monsoon, went on and on about the movie, and how it had a gay following.. Something I totally missed as I found it boring and confusing when I saw it in the movie theatre…. Jinkx later developed the movie into her drag act, so essentially, she’s responsible for the entire concept.. I hope she was well compensated.. I doubt it..🤭
I think the act you're referring to was Drag Becomes Her which was hosted by Peaches Christ. She was known for doing a lot of movie parodies. Did you see the Broadway show? Did you like ti better than the movie?
@ That's it.. I didn't see it though…I just recall thinking when did Death Becomes Her join the gay cult lexicon..😅.. Boring ass movie.. After the weak special effects, I was not impressed…
great review....yes it is one big splashy "drag" show......might do all right with out-of-town visitors....who like over the top performances, sets...etc......
And I think the gays will like it.
I thought Michelle Williams did a great job. The play is focused on the other two ladies so of course they get more shine
Michelle did do a great job. She's beautiful and great vocals. But I was left wanting more from that character. She had plenty of stage time to shine.
Good review- does it feel like Young Frankenstein the musical?
Thanks! It doesn't have the non stop jokes of a Mel Brooks musical. The tone of Young Frankenstein is much sillier.
I saw it on a comp. It's fun, but not worth the price of a full price ticket. You're right that none of the characters have good character.
It's difficult to watch a show where everyone is unlikeable. I know that can work with a television show like Seinfeld or Always Sunny In Philadelphia. But I can't think of any successful musicals that have all unlikeable characters. Can you?
it's the same problem with the movie and they even went back to do reshoots and appearantly didn't think of this missing element either.
This is what I came up with last year.
The maid Rose had 3 deleted scenes, plus she was also at the Menville wedding that got cut.
+ Rose gets told to work in the evening cause Mad has to look her best for the bookparty.
+ Rose helping Madeline with her dress on the stairs... she explains she would have left Madeline if she hadn't been such a masochist. Then Madeline goes off at her and tells her about her own sad youth being born in a trailerpark, abandoned by her father. Rose has heard this a million times before and mouths all the words with her behind her back.
+ Rose comes to work in the morning and finds Madeline stuck in the freezer. She panics and as Ernest tries to make up an excuse she has had enough of him drinking so she rips his drink out of his hands. When Madeline has been taken out of the freezer she goes walking round the house like some freaky frozen zombie and Rose gets fired because Ernest tells her they have sold the house. She gets very upset and tells him she was so happy there. He then gets Rose out of the house and lifts Madeline up the stairs to start spraypainting her.
They could have left the entire original film intact and add the maid to the third act at the bar.
Since Rose LOVES her job and appearantly has no problem being treated by Ernest & Madeline as a punching bag she would eventually return to their house, notice all the weird stuff and then re-appear in the 3rd act at the bar where Ernest staged his death.
(This is all based on the original cut of the film)
Madeline and Helen have retreived the potion bottle back from Toni (a cut love interest) & Ernest (who is playing dead by dressing up a dead guy in his clothes)... Then they could have had the maid pop back up but after realising there is no more Ernest (who treats her slightly less bad than Madeline) she really doesn't want to work for just Madeline (and Hel now). Madeline hires her back and wants to touch herself up so she asks Rose to hold the potion as Mad and Helen walk to their car. Then the women notice they have started to peel and panick... then they hear the screeching of a car. They stand there dumbfounded... Rose has taken off. Then they start the whole I'll paint your ass you'll paint mine and then stop laughing...
37 years later the whole ending plays out the way it does in the final cut and when the Eternal Ladies have shattered to bits a veiled figure comes walking down the church steps, she lifts her veil and it's Rose. She is stunning now, she has taken the potion as she just keeps smiling. Mad not acknowledging Rose's improved look throws her the keys of the car and asks her to bring the car around and surprisingly Rose obliges. Then we see Rose throwing the last limbs in the trunk of the car as the women are bickering to eachother. Rose punches the gass and drives off into the sunset, smiling... happy.
@@XanArt21 I LOVE it! Such a dark ending but it's fun because these awful people get their comeuppance. I'm looking at the playbill trying to find the name of the assistant played by Josh Lamon, but they don't attach the name of the actor with the character. So weird. They're all just credited as Ensemble even though there are characters named Luciano and Chagall that sing in some of the musical numbers. They better call their agents!
@@MatthewHardyMusicaloh dear haha!
How can you review this show and not mention the costumes in detail?! So many times I was looking at the constriction of the voluminous jackets and dresses and was just gasping over how many yards of fabric it must’ve taken!
Costumes were great! I try to keep these reviews under ten minutes and I focus more on the writing since that is the area I know the most about. The is a very expensive looking show and a lot of that money went into fabulous costumes for the three women.
@ fair! I think the mention that it’s like a drag show is a close one. The phrase “no expense was spared” crossed my mind throughout the night
From Forbes "With initial capitalization costs of $31.5 million, the new musical is the most expensive show to arrive on Broadway in over five years. It required even more money to mount on Broadway than the recent musical adaptations of Moulin Rouge! at $28 million, The Great Gatsby at $25 million, and Back to the Future at $23.5 million."
not feeling you---
No worries. Lot's of other content out there!
I like your review! Going to subscribe. Yet another B’Way show I have no interest in seeing. I think the movie worked as well as it did because it was Hollywood taking a swipe at its own absurdity. That and Meryl Streep was freaking hilarious. Curious - did they have Helen go into a funk & get overweight? Right off the top of my head, it could be fun to see a live action version of Helen rewinding the video tape of Madelyn’s melodramatic tv movie strangling. You hit on a point that mirrors the movie - the second half felt like it kind of didn’t know what to do with itself. It was a fun movie, and the funny scenes are magnificently rewatch-able, but overall inconsistent, yet, yes - iconic. I really wish someone would bitch slap Broadway in the face and say “Stop making musicals out of 90’s movies, already!!!!” ;)
Thanks for subscribing! They didn't have Helen get overweight. They had one short scene between Helen and her therapist/doctor where we saw how obsessed she was with Madeline. Honestly, a 90 minute movie is ideal for adaptation because it leaves a full hour for songs. But if you're going to adapt an iconic movie that has issues, you have to solve those issues using the magic of musical theater. I love that Hairspray the Musical created a finale that worked bette than the ending of the movie. Sadly Death Become Her wasn't able to do the same.
@@MatthewHardyMusical Yes! to "Hairspray"!
I just had a little argument with a friend about making characters on the stage look fatter with padding and then have them become thinner after they take the potion. He thought it was fat shaming and I just think getting fatter is part of getting older so it's a good way to give a character a noticeable change on the stage since we don't have the benefit of a close up to see wrinkles removed.
I guess I’m in the minority because I knew in knowing that the song was spelled “gaze” not “gays”,…..as I passed the merch table before sitting down and it was printed on one of the t shirts.
I knew it was "for the gaze" as well, and I think that in context of the show, she is singing "I do it for the Gaze" but is so obsessed with herself that she doesn't realize her lyrics can be easily interpreted as something else, but she's also playing into the hands of the audience at the same time
I thought it was absolutely genius
I guess I should have spent more time at the merch stand before the show. lol
Did you see a T-shirt too?
@ I am usually rolling into the theater so close to curtain that I don’t have time. But since I went with my mother who needs extra time to get from point a to point b, we got there about 25 minutes before, so we were able to look at each item. Sad there wasn’t a pen in the shape of the potion or something like that.
Yeh I roll in right before curtain because I know there's going to be a long line outside. Especially at the Lunt Fontanne because they don't have any lobby space in the orchestra.
I have no interest in seeing this because the movie is a beloved part of my childhood and they could never even begin to attempt to capture the lightning in a barrel of the movie. And if you can’t do the effects properly, forget it. Other movies I’d be more forgiving, but not this one!
I love that you were watching Death Becomes Her as a child! LOL Yes, that is the question with any adaptation - "How are they going to make it better or at least different enough from the source material?" I don't think this succeeds on either count.
Also loved the movie as a child and the musical was absolutely amazing!! Just saw it a few days ago in Preview. Really fun to watch :-). Great actors, great costumes and the whole vibe was gorgeous! Can absolutely recommend it.
@@behappyandtravel Thanks for sharing! So glad you loved it. Spread the word!
Im a ultra fan of the movie. I have the potion tattooed on my body. And this was one of the best and most hilarious musicals I’ve seen on Broadway in years!
@lukesteingrubynyc3820 Thanks for the comment. Glad you're loving the show!
The "Gaze" went over my head as well till you mentioned it. I don't think it makes sense as all her jokes in the song were of gay stereotypes. I washy a fan of Michelle Williams at all.
I'm surprised no one in the creative team pointed that out to the songwriters.
I agree entirely with your review. I saw it in Chicago and didn’t care for it. As much as I admire the performers, I found the show shrill, exhausting, and pandering to the gays (I am one.)
I also made the drag connection. The prime market for this show seemed to be straight girls who enjoy drag brunches and Rupaul’s Drag Race along with their gay besties. Nothing wrong with any of that, but not a show for me.
Funny you should say that. There were two squealing young women sitting behind me that were getting on my nerves. They were so loud that I couldn't hear some of the lines and lyrics.
@ That would drive me crazy.
@@SLisheron1 Yup. That's the risk you take when you go to the theater.
3:55 I find this a bit of a problem in the movie too... cause originally the film wasn't as camp as it ended up being... It had a bit more of a serious undertone, it was also much longer and the removed ending was a real melancholic gutbunch. The whole third act resolve with Ernest's girlfriend Toni (played by Tracey Ullman) was removed and that's why they had to cut away lots of other parts of the movie to make it all flow/fit better (make it more scrappy I guess).
This is the 24 hrs of events missing from the middle of the film:
After Ernest gets Madeline home from the morgue he sticks her in the freezer. This happens between Helen jumping over the fence and then she almost gets hit by Ernest's car. Then when Ernest has picked up the formaldehyde he would drive to Helen's hotel to revise their plans and Helen tells him they will have to bury Madeline. Ernest eventually chickens out, tells her he is sorry for everything and goes home. Helen is furious that Ernest puts the 'needs' of a dead Madeline above hers. She rips her hand open again and goes berserk. Then it's morning and the maid Rose finds Madeline in the freezer, with icicles on her forehead. This totally freaks out Rose and she runs to Ernest who reassures her its just an experimental beauty treatment Mad is trying. So Ernest rips Mad from the freezer and she starts to slowly walk around the house looking quite bizarre. She sticks avocado on her face to make it all more believable. Eventually Ernest gets rid of the maid and starts lifting Madeline up the stairs (this is in the theatrical trailer) and when Mad gets upset Ernest promises her he will make her look like 'a masterpiece'.
Between Madeline being spraypainted there was also funny scenes with Helen exercising and shopping for the hardware.
This is really missed in the final cut and I think the frozen Madeline scene would be quite hilarious for the musical. (I HAVEN'T SEEN IT THOUGH so I don't even know if the maid is in there, Nancy Fish who played her in the film had at least 3 removed scenes). All the dead alive body antics originally where concentrated in the middle of the film and the original ending (27 years later) didn't have much cgi but it was used effectively on Madeline & Helen who are sitting on a balcony and are watching an old Ernest and his wife having a picnic in a park. Then their gorgeous faces turned to skulls as the movie faded out.
I heard the Musical's ending is more like the original ending.
6:11 cause she is obsessed with Madeline... this was also a point that got a bit more sidelined in the final cut of the movie. She just couldn't help herself. The scene where Helen talks to Ernest in the Bistro Gardens was much longer and she tells him she put herself away in an assylum and all she could think about was.... and she pauses... she then takes a sneaky look at Madeline... then back at Ernest... and says 'you'.
Thanks for all this insight to the movie. Often problematic movies can be turned into even better musicals if they can use what is unique about musical theater to improve on the material. Hairspray is a musical that I thinks works better than the movie. I think this musical tries to stay too true to the movie so it suffers from the same issues.
There is no maid in the musical, but they created a character of Madeline's assistant who functions in the same capacity as the maid.
Yes, the musical ends like your description of Madeline and Helen seeing Ernest and his wife - WHO incidentally its played by a chorus person dressed up to look old. I couldn't help but think if that character drank the potion she could believably transform into someone who becomes 40 years younger. Ernest has some final words with Madeline and Helen and exits. Then Madeline and Helen mock Ernest for his choice and they walk off into the sunset instead of falling down the stairs and shattering into pieces. So we don't really get much of a resolution.
Helen's obsession with Madeline makes sense and I was aware of it. But something about the way the scene was written and played confused me. I think it was Helen being so sure of herself and then doing a 180 is what felt untruthful to me.
Are the deleted scenes online ?
Sadly not (just snippets from making ofs, trailers tv spots and photos) but they are in the shooting script on David Koepp's page (pink one). I also talked to some people who saw the original cut, they were super confused about the film when they ended up seeing it on VHS, they thought it was some weird mandela effect@@TheTurkaderr
@@MatthewHardyMusical I can't judge it fully of course but I think that Michelle & Jennifer are a bit miscast (if I judge it by the movie roles) to be honest. Goldie had a fragility about her (that got very trimmed down also but it's still there) that I don't see in Jennifer and Isabella had a more sensual feel to her. (And deadly, cause she actually was 600 years old, she tells this to Ernest in a deleted portion when she tries to get him to take the potion and even lets him know she killed Shakespeare, Lincoln and Max Factor cause they refused to take it).
@@XanArt21 LOL She killed Max Factor! That's hilarious. Yes, as I mentioned in my review I think Michelle was a bit out of her depth. Jennifer makes the role her own, but you're right, she's more of a battle axe. I think this is why I was so confused by the scene where she takes Ernest to meet Madeline. She didn't seem like someone who could be destroyed so easily. And she's also 10 years older, so making her look better than Megan at the book signing party was a challenge. They opted to put Megan in a pants suit and Helen in a dress. Because apparently, pants = old. That being said, she is hilarious and I always find her immensely entertaining.