Everything started out exciting. People showed up in the audience dressed in legwarmers and headbands, shirts falling off one shoulder. Why didn't I think to dress up for the occasion? Sadly, that was the most entertaining part of the night. When the lights dimmed and the first few notes of What a Feeling were teased, everyone went wild.
When the show actually started however, everything went mild. I was wondering why the official CD being sold at the merchandise booth for $25 only had 8 songs on it?!? It's because most of the songs in the show are basically tepid. They pale in comparison to the well-known ones from the original 80s flick, but even those familiar tunes were...watered down and somewhat disappointing. Speaking of water. The whole plug behind this musical was that wow they use real live water!! You know, for the infamous chair scene! It looked more like someone running through a sprinkler followed by a dribble from a broken down shower than a sexy water dance.
And where was the famous strobe-like kabuki inspired dance? Not here. They even managed to mangle up Gloria! And whose bright idea was it to make the character of Hannah look exactly like Tyne Daly? We had to hold our laughter whenever Alex and Hannah had a scene, because we kept thinking, "Does she know she's talking to an angel?"
So it's no wonder that the musical has not made its way to Broadway. The songs suck, the dialogue is meh, and the storyline is muddled.
I appreciate the work that Broadway Across Canada does, because when else would I get to see a production of Flashdance? I wish they would have more shows and possibly include Broadway plays as well. There's stuff like Time Stood Still or Equus that I think people would love to see. I was lucky enough to see those on Broadway, but would happily go again if it were to come to my town. And why am I depending on local theatre companies to see things such as The Drowsy Chaperone (Canadian-made musical!), In The Heights, and Xanadu? Is it because there aren't national tours of this going on? I feel like the way Broadway Across Canada works needs to change up its structure or something. If the calibre of shows is anything like Flashdance, then I'm not sure anyone will be going to any future productions brought to us by Broadway Across Canada.
Let's hope next Spring's Book of Mormon isn't as ghastly a feat.
For those who still are interested in Flashdance, have fun, but you're better off watching the movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment