"Frozen" Writer Robert Lopez Reimagines 1001 Nights for Kids Off-Broadway

1001 nights: A Love Story About Loving Stories is a new family musical adaptation of Arabian Nights and it looks like a LOT of fun. The Atlantic for Kids Season 2016-2017 opened on September 17 Off Broadway to rave reviews and features music and lyrics by Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award winner Robert Lopez (who co-wrote the music for Disney's Frozen). Lopez also co-wrote the book with Adam Koplan and Koplan directs.

Here's the description:

In this celebration of brainy imagination over brawn, a princess uses her wits to save a kingdom from an evil decree as she spins tale after tale for a narrow-minded king. Featuring genies, jesters, 40 thieves and other captivating characters, the princess’s cliffhanger stories keep the king - and audiences - on the edge of their seats. This playful adaptation of the Arabian Nights fairy tales is recommended for ages six and up. 

1001 Nights was first conceived in 1998 by Emmy, Grammy, Academy, and Tony Award winner Robert Lopez (Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon, Frozen) and Adam Koplan, artistic director of Flying Carpet Theatre Company. This newly reimagined production features early songs by Lopez and is directed by Koplan with puppet direction by Jon Ludwig, artistic director of the Center for Puppetry Arts. All the puppets were designed by the Center’s resident puppet builder Jason von Hinezmeyer and built by the talented crew in the Center’s puppet building shop.

Robert Lopez originally wrote the music for 1001 Nights at age 23, for his first show out of college, staged by The Flying Carpet Theater Company. For this new production, Lopez wrote an additional new song to expand the show.

A very complimentary and fun review in the New York Times gives you an idea of the stories covered and the approach to, what are initially very scary ideas (ie a man in power killing his new wives every night):

Mr. Koplan has nimbly directed the 70-minute production, which frames the grim premise in a nonscary way: Sherry, a contemporary girl played by the spirited Caitlin Donohue, transforms herself into Scheherazade as she realtes the adventure to her stuffed animals. The toys also morph - into big fuzzy puppets that jmight have sneaked out of "Avenue Q". (They're just as smart-alecky, but G-rated.) The show also uses clever hand puppets - Matt Acheson is credited for puppet direction - to ecplain the king's vow to wed every day and put each bride to death within 24 hours: His first wife betrayed him. 

Portrayed by PJ Adzima, who may remind you of a younger Neil Patrick Harris, this monarch is fundamentally a big baby. (Aren't all tyrants?) He holds his red blankie as Scheherazade beguiles him with "The Fisherman and the Genie," "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves" and the lesser-known romance of Prince Budur and Princess Qamar. The king and Scheherazade enact tales, along with the puppets and the Atlantic's terrific young ensemble. I's hard to say what's funnier: the many rhyming jokes or the stage business, which includes an "Open Sesame," "Shut Sesame" routine that's like "Who's On First" in ancient Arabia.

You can read the rest of the review HERE.

Here's a sneak peek of the current show, from behind the scenes with the writers of the show explaining different aspects... to the puppet performers:

We like the part about the power of stories, what they mean to us and how they change us, along with the idea of empowerment through words. It's such great material to introduce kids to, we wonder why we're not swimming in productions of Arabian Nights for kids. (There are a couple that come into circulation every few years, often puppets but also live stage shows to live-puppet hybrids, but they tend to be smaller companies and fairly local, which is a shame as the artistry in design, acting, music and puppeteering seems, across the board, to be enchanting. You can get a glimpse at a lovely one HERE.)

Here's the original trailer which shows more of the actual show and gives you an idea of the writing and a little of the music as well:

If this show travels, by flying carpet or not, there's a few children we'd be very happy to take to see this!

1001 Nights: A Love Story About Loving Stories, plays through October 16, 2016 at the Linda Gross Theater in Chelsea, NY.

Note: Some of these images were from earlier productions of Lopez's 1001 Nights but we thought they represented the show well at a glance, so included them.

Breaking News: Blue Sky Studios & Fox Animation to Adapt Garth Nix's "Frogkisser!"

Frogkisser! is not even released yet (due out in February 2017 by Scholastic in the US and in Spring via Picadilly Press in the UK) but has already gotten a lot of interest. So much so that it's been snapped up for a live action-animation hybrid movie by Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age, Rio, Epic, The Peanuts Movie).

Here's Nix's excited tweet:

Garth Nix: “FROGKISSER! is one of those novels that just bubble out of the imagination and demand to be written all at once and won’t permit anything else to get in the way. I am delighted that my various publishers have all responded to the book with as much exuberance as I felt while I was writing it.”

And i's a musical!

Fox Animation recently announced an initiative to expand what it calls "family hybrid" movies and the Australian author's book is first cap off the rank. Apart from great news for Nix and fairy tale fans, this clues us into a interesting direction for future movies coming from Fox and Blue Sky - a musical family hybrid - aka live action and animation fantasy family-friendly movie! We really are going back to the trends of the 80's and 90's in a good way. (Disney will be taking notice, you can be certain.)

It is indeed a "princess kissing frogs" story but with a wonderful Garth Nix twist. Here's the blurb:

The Last Thing She Needs Is a Prince. 

The First Thing She Needs Is Some Magic.  

Poor Princess Anya. Forced to live with her evil stepmother's new husband, her evil stepstepfather. Plagued with an unfortunate ability to break curses with a magic-assisted kiss. And forced to go on the run when her stepstepfather decides to make the kingdom entirely his own. 

Aided by a loyal talking dog, a boy thief trapped in the body of a newt, and some extraordinarily mischievous wizards, Anya sets off on a Quest that, if she plays it right, will ultimately free her land-and teach her a thing or two about the use of power, the effectiveness of a well-placed pucker, and the finding of friends in places both high and low. 

With Frogkisser!, acclaimed bestselling author Garth Nix has conjured a fantastical tale for all ages, full of laughs and danger, surprises and delights, and an immense population of frogs. It's 50% fairy tale, 50% fantasy, and 100% pure enjoyment from start to finish. 

Fox seems pretty happy about it. They even seemed to have gotten a jump on the marketing. Appearing on Ralph Millero's Instagram today (Millero is 20th Century Fox Vice President in charge of The Peanuts Movie), with the caption "How many frogs have you kissed?":

"Emerald City" Returns (aka is "un-cancelled") + A Round Up Of All the Other Oz Offerings in the Works

So, there's a new word in town: "un-cancelled", meaning a show that got canceled before it even got on the air, has been revived/given a second chance. In this case it's the previously-dead Emerald City miniseries that has just been given it's Frankenstein moment. It will (if all goes to plan this time around) be on our screens sometime soon.

As iO9 put it: "Dorothy got home easier than this show got on the air." 

Here's the description, along with character outlines, as of mid-2014, though that may change. Maybe.

In the blink of a tornado’s eye, 20-year-old Dorothy Gale and her K9 police dog are transported to another world, one far removed from our own—a mystical land of competing kingdoms, lethal warriors, dark magic and a bloody battle for supremacy. This is the fabled Land of Oz in a way you’ve never seen before, where wicked witches don’t stay dead for long and a young girl becomes a headstrong warrior who holds the fate of kingdoms in her hands. 

DOROTHY GALE | A natural, and not waify, beauty scarred by past experiences, Dorothy has patched a life together for herself despite the fact that she sells herself short. Outward insecurity and lack of self-awareness hide the savior survivor that she will discover she truly is. 

WEST | This 30something femme is a corruptive — and fearsome — force of nature, a drugged-out virtuoso filled with self-loathing. She's equal parts compelling and unsettling. 

NORTH | In her 30s or 40s, this Type-A manipulative perfectionist has a bit of a "big sister" relationship to West. 

HENRY | The series' male romantic lead, this handsome and well-built gent presents a seemingly open nature that belies a bit of a past. #Denry 

THE WIZARD | On the exterior, this 40something male is a charismatic and politically astute leader, earnest in his beliefs and intentions but also an "ends justify the means" sort. His showmanship however conceals a dangerous, and perhaps deadly, seriousness. 

EAMONN | The Wizard's righthand man is unquestioningly loyal. A strong, silent type. 

TIP | All of 15 and harboring a secret past, this lass is undergoing the discomfort of discovering her sexuality. 

JACK | Tip's neighbor and closest friend, an adventurous and energetic teen. 

OJO | A member of the Munja'kin, a primitive and isolated cross-pollinated culture, this stoic and fearsome man (mid-30s to early 40s) is rather unsympathetic to Dorothy's plight. 

SYLVIA | A "good mimic" is sought to play this odd, feral and haunted 10-year-old.

The projected season is 2015-2016. But don't worry. even if this Game-Of-Thrones-meets-Dorothy reboot of the Oz story doesn't take, there are five more still on the way. (Yes, you read that right: FIVE.)

Here they are, complete with their summaries/log-lines:

Warriors of Oz (from SyFy): ”A fantasy-action reimagining of the classic story in which a warrior from present day Earth is transported to a post-apocalyptic future Oz where he must team up with three other warriors, Heartless, Brainless, and Coward, in order to defeat the evil Wizard who has enslaved the land.”


Dorothy (CBS): ”A medical soap based in New York City, inspired by the characters and themes immortalized in The Wizard of Oz.”

Dorothy Must Die (CW): Based on the best-selling book (and series) - ”A revisionist take on the classic tale set in present day, 80 years after Dorothy Gale supposedly came home. In reality, the magically-ever-youthful Dorothy has stayed in Oz, presiding over a now fascist fairyland with her perfectly manicured iron fist and the help of her henchmen – the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion.  But when another young woman from Kansas is swept up in a tornado and magically dropped into this war-torn Oz, our hero discovers a revolutionary underground of witches and enchanted beings only to learn that she is destined to lead their people in the fight to reclaim Oz from a power-hungry Dorothy’s ruthless clutches.”


Red Brick Road (Lifetime): ”In the classic 1939 feature, when Dorothy set off for the Emerald City, she followed the Yellow Brick Road. But among the yellow bricks at Dorothy’s feet, there was also a swirl of red bricks. They’ve been there the whole time in plain sight. Unnoticed. Unexplored. Which raises the question — just where do they go? Red Brick Road will answer that by following Dorothy down that fateful path, taking her to the oldest, darkest and most dangerous parts of Oz to find what became of her friends who all have gone missing.”


The Wiz (NBC - December 3rd, 2015): ”Opening in 1975, The Wiz ran for four years on Broadway and won seven Tonys, including best musical. It retells the classic story of The Wizard Of Oz in an African-American context.”
And I'm adding more info to the new The Wiz via Variety, because seriously - this is awesome: 
“The Wiz” will be co-produced by Cirque du Soleil’s new stage theatrical division. After the television event, the musical will make its Broadway revival for the 2016-17 season, also presented by Cirque du Soleil.
...Cirque’s incredible imagination will help bring the fantasy world of Oz vividly to life and give this great show a modern spin on the age-old story we all love.”

“We are delighted that NBC and Cirque du Soleil will present ‘The Wiz,’” Zeiger said. “It’s a musical I have wanted to produce for years, and it’s the perfect show to present under the new Cirque du Soleil Theatrical banner.”

I want to declare a home run on the last project, except for the slight detracting factor of the "live musical TV event" aspect (not that Cirque will disappoint but recent live TV musicals have been giving me "the cringe", unfortunately.) 

So - you up for some Oz viewing?

Note: Emerald City "Travel Posters" credits first to last in post:1. Joe Cavazos 2. Laurent Durieux 3. AllPosters (artist not credited) 4. Retro Planet USA

"Find the One" (aka When Animated Princesses Look for A Bra They Probably Do It Like This)

Ok, I admit it: I rolled my eyes when I first saw news about this campaign  of a fairy godmother helping animated girls find "the one true bra". I was not, however, expecting a whole musical!

Take a look:

Lingerie brand Triumph's sales division and marketing folks (Northern Europe) had this to say about this, quite involved, campaign. The key word to watch for here is "transform" - and I'll admit, they kind of have a good point:

A fairy godmother helps the girl find the perfect bra ("the one"). Ferguson (Triumph & Sports Illustrated model) is then seen (edit: transformed into a real girl) in a changing room, looking in a mirror at her bra as she whispers, "I found it." 

Eszter Szijarto, the head of brand marketing at Triumph, said: "It is really important for us to find new ways of bringing to life the bra finding journey so that we continue to inspire customers to go for a bra fitting. 

"By transforming our model, Hannah, into a cartoon we are treading new ground and by doing so, we aim to create a compelling visual experience that captures the magical feeling of finding the right bra that transforms your life – ‘the one’." 

"Women easily identify with animated characters, which explains the success of animated fairy tales all over the world. 

"Also, the perfect bra and Prince Charming have a lot in common: almost every woman dreams of finally finding the right one."

There's more information HERE.

I want to note - that's a very nice use of the frog prince motif too. Though we never see him transform, he subconsciously reminds the viewer this is all about transformation, right the way through (though the message might have been slightly clearer had we seen the animated girl actually transform into a real one). 

What do you think? Will this encourage girls and women to not settle on their undergarments but to get the right fit? I think at, the very least, it will do a good job of helping mothers of Frozen fans take their daughters bra shopping with a less self conscious atmosphere. 

(This is turning out to be such an eclectic fairy tale news day!)

"The Robber Bridegroom" Bluegrass Musical Returns

Greensboro College Theatre poster for current production - note the silhouettes in the design
Illustrations either side by Barry Moser for the 1987 edition of Eudora Welty's book

"... A charming bridegroom by day and a suave robber by night. Rosamund is the poor little rich girl who loves him. Salome is the wicked stepmother who tries, and largely fails, to throw a wrench (and even a poisoned apple) into the works... If this sounds like the makings of a fairy tale, that’s because it is: a Grimm fairy tale, no less, adapted into a Southern Gothic classic by Eudora Welty before being turned into a manic bluegrass musical comedy...  Greensboro College is staging the rarely-performed musical adaptation of "The Robber Bridegroom..."

I'm going to squeak notice of this show onto the blog late today, even though tomorrow (Sunday, February 22) is the last day it's showing, because just the fact that this exists and is back in performance circulation is good fairy tale news! (And you can keep an eye out for it in future too.)

Yes. The musical is based on the Bluebeard-related fairy tale The Robber Bridegroom (more specifically, on Eudora Weltey's Southern Gothic novel, which was based on the fairy tale - text is HERE), and is comic, a little bawdy and full of bluegrass music. In other words, it's probably not quite would you would expect if you're familiar with the tale. (I've included a number of different posters for the musical, along with the current one, to give you a better idea of the tone.)

In case you've never heard of the musical version you should know this is considered quite a unique, though oft-forgotten, masterful work, among musical theater folk. It helped launch the careers of Kevin Kline, Patty LuPone and Barry Bostwick (the latter earning a Tony that season for Leading Actor in a musical).

From some older productions here's a cobbling together of some different summaries to give you an idea of the show:

Set in eighteenth-century Mississippi, the show follows Jamie Lockhart, a rascally robber of the woods, as he courts Rosamund, the only daughter of the richest planter in the country. The proceedings go awry, however, thanks to a case of double-mistaken identity. Throw in an evil stepmother intent on Rosamund's demise, her pea-brained henchman, and a hostile talking head-in-a-trunk, and you have a rollicking country romp.It has one foot in the Southern Gothic tradition, the other in a fairy tale, and an arm gleefully waving about in comedy. 

The music is one of the only genuine bluegrass scores ever heard in a Broadway musical: challenging fiddle melodies that twist, turn, and gather velocity like a hare escaping a panther, only to slide back down into the warmth of a quiet Southern night. With its distinct sound, colorful cast, and unique form of storytelling, "The Robber Bridegroom" is a hidden gem!

In case you have this evening free and are in the area, here's the information on the tickets:you can get more information on the times and tickets HERE. 

From the Greensboro Theatre press release: 

"The Robber Bridegroom"'s book and lyrics were written by Alfred Uhury, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Driving Miss Daisy," and were based on a 1942 novella by Eudora Welty. Music is by Robert Waldman. Opening on Broadway in 1975, this rousing, bawdy Southern fairytale has gone on to become a regional favorite. As Broadway historian Peter Filichia puts it, "This is a favorite show of many people who hate musicals, because it eschews the more obvious conventions and has no trouble being its unpretentious self."

The Robber Bridegroom, small illustration by Walter Crane from Household Stories by The Brothers Grimm

Sources: HERE, HERE & HERE.

Fairy Tale Bonus of the Day:

Here's a link to the full background and analysis of the musical The Robber Bridegroom, by Scott Miller. It's quite lengthy but very readable and extremely fascinating, asking all sorts of great questions about men and women, relationships and how we view sex. With regard to current pop culture fascinations, specifically, 50 Shades of Grey, and Bluebeard tendencies to continuously rear their head, no matter how modernized, liberated and equal opportunity we believe ourselves to be, this is a good article to reference. Why? Because this is exactly what the musical is all about. The manner of the telling, with a large dose of tongue in cheek and folklore flavor, actually makes the material easier to consider and discuss. So if you're interested in Bluebeard, check out the article. You won't be disappointed. 

You can click HERE to read it.

Something "Wicked" This Way Comes... (Finally!)

Wicked the movie (based on the musical, not the book) is on the way!

Let's get the facts straight here though: "in-the-works" is "in development". That does NOT mean "greenlit". It means they want to do it - heck, lots of people want to do it and there's some money being spent - BUT they're still trying to see if they can make it happen and are at the idea stage (of successfully translating the musical to the big screen).

When Producer Marc Platt was talking to Film Divider he confirmed the film was definitely "in development" with a first-pass script being written and a soft goal of a 2016 release. The production companies for the film are Marc Platt Productions and Universal Pictures.

Here are the relevant quotes from the interview at which the news was revealed:

The most famous (and possibly beloved) cast of Wicked The Musical.
Casting have some big shoes to fill!

It’s a loose goal. But the bar is very high for the creators of Wicked. Our show is still so strong everywhere, and we just set a record in both London and Edinburgh last week, and in Los Angeles, and we did on Broadway. Audiences enjoy that show so much that we are intending to move forward on the movie but aren’t going to do so until we’re satisfied in the material we have as a screenplay, and that the film will be every bit as satisfying as what we have on the stage. 

Who’s been writing it?Winnie Holzman. 

And what shape is her script in now?She’s just writing it now. 

And do you have a director at the moment?It’s Stephen Daldry. He’s been on for a year or two. But it’s in process. 2016 is the goal, but I don’t know whether we’ll make that goal or not. We will make the movie, but like I said, the bar is really high. We’re going to scrutinise our work on the screenplay and our prep on the movie, and when we feel like it’s ready, okay. We’re not going to shoot a release date is what I’m saying. It’s in the works, it’s not in a rush.

This movie is a no-brainer fan-draw. No matter what trends are happening, from misunderstood villains to Oz tributes to nothing-at-all-to-do-with-any-of-these, this movie has a guaranteed built-in audience who have been dying to see it for YEARS.

If you're one of them, just be warned it could still be quite a ways off. 2016 is only next year and that's a LOT of work to get done to get a film release-ready from it's current state by December 31st!

In the meantime, let the dream casting begin! (Or, continue...)

Sources: Here, here, here & here

Sondheim on Bettlelheim, and Lapine on Narrators

So Into The Woods didn't snag any of the awards they were nominated for at The Golden Globes on the weekend, but the movie (and fairy tales) are still very much being discussed, especially as the cast (and media) continue to promote the various overseas releases.

I keep seeing references to Sondheim and Lapine using Bettelheim's philosophy when writing Into The Woods, (as in the original musical, which they both then adapted for the Disney movie), however it's not quite as black and white as that. 

We'll start with a summary so you have a better idea of the thought processes behind the writing of ITW, from an interview with Edward Seckerson, published by Stage and Screen Online in 2006. It seems to make it pretty clear the pair were anti-Bettelheim, but as I said, it's not so straight forward so keep reading:

Sondheim: "[W]e took a Jungian approach. You know, this whole thing about how we based it on Bruno Bettelheim is nonsense — it’s nothing to do with Bettelheim. In fact, I don’t know if James read the book, I didn’t." 

And when Sondheim was interviewed by James Lipton for the TV series Inside the Actors Studio, Lipton brought up Bettelheim: "There seems to be a philosophical war in that musical between the theories of Bruno Bettelheim and Jung." 

Sondheim responded, "It’s interesting you say that. Everybody assumes we were influenced by Bruno Bettelheim. But if there’s any outside influence, it’s Jung. James is interested in Jung—Twelve Dreams is based on a case Jung wrote about. In fact, we spoke to a Jungian analyst about fairy tales."

And from Sondheim's book, "Look, I Made a Hat" comes the following quoted paragraph:

"And, ah, the woods. The all-purpose symbol of the unconscious, the womb, the past, the dark place where we face our trials and emerge wiser or destroyed, a major theme in Bruno Bettelheim's The Uses of Enchantment, which is the book everyone assumes we used as a source, simply because it's the only book on the subject known to a wide public. But Bettelheim's insistent point was that children would find fairy tales useful in part because the young protagonists' tribulations always resulted in triumph, the happily ever after. What interested James was the little dishonesties that enabled the characters to reach their happy endings. 

... James was also skeptical about the possibility of 'happily ever after' in real life and wary of the danger that fairy tales give children false expectations. As his play Twelve Dreams has demonstrated, he was drawn not to Bettelheim's Freudian approach but to Carl Jung's theory that fairy tales are an indication of the collective unconscious, something with which Bettelheim would be unlikely to agree. James and I talked about the fairy tales with a Jungian psychiatrist and discovered that with the exception of 'Jack and the Beanstalk,' which apparently is native only to the British Isles, the tales we were dealing with exist in virtually every culture in the world, especially the Cinderella story. African, Chinese, Native American - there is even a contemporary Hebrew version in which Cinderella wants to dance at the Tel Aviv Hilton." 

So the answer is more like "No, they didn't base it on Bettelheim's ideas" but also "those ideas weren't exactly ignored either."

OK, that's all good then, but here's the thing that bothers me, personally, though: Lapine (who wrote the "book" for the musical, as well as co-wrote the screenplay for the current Disney movie adaptation), is reported by Performing Arts Journal in 1988 as saying this (emphasis in bold is mine):

"The Narrator is what the fairy tale is about. I tried telling the stories without a narrator and it just doesn't work. A story needs a storyteller, and the storyteller is the ultimate figure of authority. Originally we wanted a public figure, not an actor, to play the Narrator: Walter Cronkite, or Tip O'Neill—someone who disseminated information and points of view. Then when we got rid of him you would see that the news was now being reported by the newsmakers, not the news reporter; decisions were being made by the people, not the politicians. Ultimately, we defined our narrator as a kind of intellectual, a Bettelheim figure; I wanted to get rid of Bettelheim!"

If this is the case, why was the Narrator's pivotal role so greatly downgraded in the movie? It makes a huge difference not having The Baker's father as the Narrator (especially as we then lose the impact of the change of POV in story telling when he's removed). Having The Baker be the Narrator all along didn't work quite like the bookend I (now) believe it was intended to be (as in, he was telling this whole story to his child.) When watching the movie I was a little confused as to why the Baker was telling us all of this in the first place, the WAY he was telling it (especially how the telling started, then ended...). 

A last but important note: I want to be clear on one point. I am in favor of the movie, in general. I fully expected it to miss the mark - widely - but the material is more faithful than I expected too. The fact that it uses fairy tales at its center is actually what helps transcend the things that bother me about the movie. What fairy tales are, how they live in people's minds, how the stories communicate and pass themselves on, is what does it. The stories themselves, and all the history they bring with them, the social legacies and various personal contexts etc work to overcome the movie's shortcomings, simply because their essential forms (wonder stories/Märchen) are kept intact. The beauty of certain iconic images (created by Rob Marshall et al) and catchy, beautiful tunes that remind us of certain story phrases, support this too. Everything else is peripheral and people can take what they want to (or need to) from the movie as a result. It's kind of magical in a way.

So there you go - my two cents for the day. ;)

Additional sources: "Look, I Made A Hat" & HERE. All movie screencaps created by Turn the Right Corner. Go HERE to see many more.

Tally-ho! It's "Galavant"! (Finally) Huzzah!

Tomorrow. It's finally happening.

Galavant has taken his time getting onto our screens (I was blogging about his imminent arrival in the middle of last year), but this is for good reason/s (I'm led to believe) and both the critical and pop culture buzzes are excellent.

If you're new here and are wondering "What be this Galavant?" (imagine I used an Olde English font there, would you?), here's a brief low-down:

Once upon a time, the dashing hero, Galavant (Joshua Sasse) lost the love of his life, Madalena (Mallory Jansen), to the evil King Richard (Timothy Omundson). Now, our fallen hero is ready to take revenge and restore his “happily ever after.” But it won’t be without a few twists and turns (and random show stoppers) along the way. 

Insert your own snarky caption here...

Galavant's creators have quite the pedigree, which if the premise worries you at all, should give you a reason to consider taking a peek at this one. Here's the promo list from the official website:

Screenwriter/executive producer Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love, Tangled, Cars) teams up with Broadway and Hollywood award-winning musical team -- composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast) and lyricist Glenn Slater (Tangled) -- for a 4-week comedy extravaganza. 

They've already managed to attract some celebrity guest stars too (John Stamos, Weird Al, Ricky Gervais), which is almost unheard of on a new series. And then there's this aspect that has me looking forward to it very much as well:

"... we shot it in real, practical locations, as opposed to shooting on sound stages and sets; we went and shot it in England in real castles and real fields. And we had the costume designers from Downton Abbey so even though it's a silly comedy and sometimes people are breaking into song, it is the real thing." ~ creator Dan Fogelman (source)

If you like Monty Python, The Princess Bride, Once Upon A Mattress and musical comedy that doesn't take itself at all seriously with toe-tapping tunes, then Galavant is for you - for us! It's a very ambitious project which is likely to either shine or flop at each point of it's journey.

The Main cast, supported by hundreds of other excellent and silly people

I have my fingers crossed for their success. Mainstream storytelling has been so serious for so long, that despite some of it being excellent, we're incredibly overdue for some smart and fun series to inspire us and the next generation (and perhaps remind us to laugh at ourselves every once in a while).

The mini-series/limited run/whatever you want to call it, is designed, ABC programming-wise, to fill the gap during Once Upon A Time's lengthy hiatus, and it might well do the trick. Or, if it's as good as it looks like it might be, Once Upon A Time is going to have a hard act to follow for the second half of their season with the (now-banished from Storybrooke) Rumple and the trio of wicked women (Ursula, Maleficent and Cruella)!

Take a look at the animated sing-along lyrics for a taste of the style and audience "participation" the cast and crew are hoping for:

And here's one of the best promos for any new show that I've seen in a while (and yes, this is an official one):

What are you waiting for? Go set your alarm clocks (or DVRs) and get ready to find yourself humming tunes and snatches of ridiculous/hilarious lyrics in inappropriate places... ;)

Disney's "Into The Woo.., er, HEAs" (Possible Spoilers, Except You Expected This)

All illustrations in this post are by Hudson Talbott for his adaptation of an Into The Woods picture book

Rapunzel Lives! The Wolf is Not a Lech! The Baker's Wife is Not Unfaithful! HAEs for Everybody!

Wait.

What was the point of "Into The Woods" again?

It's taken me a few days to figure out just want I want to say about this news but my thoughts on the matter have basically stayed the same, because, be honest: I expected it. Heck, you expected it. You (and I) really, really, REALLY hoped it wouldn't happen, but it did. The edgy musical favorite, Into the Woods, which turns the popular view of fairy tales on its head by taking a gritty look at some very real consequences of fairy tale actions (in Act II), has been Disneyfied, or in fancier terms:

(The) more subversive elements of the Brothers Grimm-themed story (have) been excised by studio chiefs. 

"You will find in the movie that Rapunzel does not get killed, and the Prince does not sleep with the [Baker's Wife]," (Sondheim) told an audience of drama teachers at Sardi's restaurant in New York, also noting that Disney had objected to the sexualisation of the relationship between Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf. Added Sondheim: "Disney said, we don't want Rapunzel to die, so we replotted it. I won't tell you what happens, but we wrote a new song to cover it."

While James Lapine, (original Into The Woods writer) reportedly argued against the rewrites with Disney (but lost the battle) Stephen Sondheim (original composer/lyricist for Into the Woods) has defended the changes (from HERE):

Sondheim said teachers had a duty to explain to their students that creative licence could be undermined by social conservatism. "[You] have to explain to them that censorship is part of our puritanical ethics, and it's something that they're going to have to deal with," he said. "There has to be a point at which you don't compromise anymore, but that may mean that you won't get anyone to sell your painting or perform your musical. You have to deal with reality."

Translation: To Sondheim, it was worth the money to let Disney "Disneyfy" it. He wanted to get paid.

Ya know, I get that. We all gotta eat.

BUT.

It's INTO THE WOODS! aka the Disney-fication-antidote!

-strangle-sounds-

At least we've been warned.

Will it hurt box office? Unlikely. At least not for opening weekend.

Because, in the end, again in the spirit of being honest, the original Sondheim/Lapine team are still on this so there's still a chance it might be good, and you want to know how they dealt with it all, just as much as I do, don't you? DON'T YOU?!

Argh.

-headdesk-

Bonus Brain Stretcher for the day:
There's an interesting article from the Washington Post HERE about why Disney cannot tell grown-up stories. While there are some interesting points, and it makes a good argument for the predictable patterns in (current) Disney storytelling, I think it also makes it even clearer that society in general doesn't really understand the essence of simple timeless stories, or of fairy tales. Fairy tales in particular may be condensed, spare and even, in some ways, simplistic, but they are never "childish". And I have to agree with the author on this point (below):

There is big money in happy endings, ...and Disney can complicate its brand only so much.This is the same problem the company has in other areas, and the reason we hear so many complaints about a juvenile strain in popular media. If your brand relies on the idea that Captain America is a good, trustworthy person,you can only go so far in encouraging your audience to think critically about the implications of giving a single person the ability to do great violence. If you are in the business of selling happy endings, your customers might get less enthusiastic as they become convinced that “ever after” is not an ironclad guarantee.

Sources: HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE & HERE.