Dear Diary Episode Updates

Hello darlings!

I have a quick message about "Dear Diary". I love you all so much and this podcast is a passion project of mine, but I simply cannot do what my original plan was and to release episodes continuously on a weekly basis. From now own, episodes will be released sporadically and when ready. All new episodes will still debut on Fridays, but they will not be consistent. I will try and do at least, one or two episodes a month, but I won't be able to do one every week. This is not how I would have liked to do things, but this relieves SO MUCH stress for me!

I have two wonderful episodes coming out in January with Q Lim and Bradley Dean.

Run and Tell That: West Side Story (2021)

Note: By now ya'll know that I'm a terrible editor. So be prepared for me to be editing this AFTER I upload it. Also, I'm not a professional reviewer nor do I try to be in these. I'm simply stating what I thought. Spoilers... duh...

"From that first frame on the balcony to that slow walk behind Tony's body at the end she [Zegler] delivers a star performance!"

When I first heard that they were going to do a a new movie adaptation of West Side Story, my first thought was "Why?" I did not understand why one would even attempt this feat, considering the original film is not only a classic, but ICONIC and legendary. The duo of Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins created one of the most iconic movie musicals of all time. When I heard Steven Spielberg was making it, I got even more concerned... Spielberg is a phenomenal and legendary director, but he's never directed a musical before. My question of "Why?" was

becoming even more relevant. As the cast list came out and more news came out, I continued to ask that question "Why?" Why would you change Doc, who in the show was a white man, to Valentina, a Latina woman? If the Jets hate all Puerto Ricans/Latinos, why would they be friends with Val? As for the cast itself, I was indifferent to the cast, except for one person (who I'll talk about later.) As well all know the pandemic struck and truthfully this film was put on the back burner for me. I originally had no intent of seeing this film in theatres, I'd wait until it came out on a streaming service. However, when the film came out it was receiving RAVE REVIEWS from EVERYONE and I had to see it myself because I thought, "There's truly no way this movie will be able to stand up to the original." (SIDE BAR: Look... I know in the original movie, that a lot of the Sharks were people in brown face, Natalie Wood and George Chakiris being the main two. Yes, I am whole heartedly against any type of brown face, yellow face and black face and I find it disgusting, but even in spite of that, I cannot deny that their performances in the original film were SUPERB. If that makes me a terrible person, then so be it, but that's my note on the original film. END SIDE BAR) Anyway, I went into the theatre trying to keep an open mind. First and foremost, I get to my seat (It's assigned seating in this

Rita Moreno

theatre, because they have those chairs where you press a button and it reclines) and as I'm wiping it down some guy comes in and says, "Do you work here?" and I said, "No. I'm just cleaning my seat." He then proceeds to go on this anti-vaxxing rant and I thought, "Nope. Not doing this." So I went to the wonderful ticket seller and asked for my seat to be moved and they wonderfully agreed. Anyway, I went into the theatre trying to keep an open mind. I found the opening to be incredibly boring. I wasn't drawn into the world and I quite frankly didn't care about the world, until Maria, Rachel Zegler, entered. I found myself a bit bored whenever Maria wasn't on screen. The film featured an updated screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tony Kushner, who delivers another glorious script, to no surprise by anyone. While, I was originally against not excited for some of the changes, specifically the new character of Val, Rita Moreno, all of the changes worked gorgeously. I absolutely LOVED the character of Val (who replaced Doc from the stage show.) Her character adds so much depth to the story and to the character of Tony. Having Val sing a beautiful rendition of "Somewhere" and her touching little anecdotes were beautiful. I honestly think that from now on that Val should be retroactively added in every iteration of West Side Story. Another change Kushner made was to the character of Anybodys, portrayed by Iris Menas, who in this version is now trans. I thought this change was so small, but it added a lot of depth to the character. There were some other small changes that I enjoyed, such as Chino now having a character arc and some subtle changes to the character of Maria. However, there were some changes that I did not like though. I did not get the whole "Tony's on parole after doing a year in prison because he almost killed some kid" arc. I found that to be incredibly stupid and pointless. Another change, that I absolutely HATED was Tony fighting Bernardo at

Mike Faist

the beginning of the rumble. It completely goes against everything he is as a character, at least in my eyes. His whole purpose of going to the rumble is to stop the fighting. He kills Bernardo in a fit of rage for killing his best friend. Having Tony have a fist fight with Bernardo before the knife fight between Riff and Bernardo just goes against Tony as a character. The mastermind behind this entire film is the legendary, iconic, world renowned director Steven Spielberg who of course delivers a stunning film. I was surprised at how musical he made his film. He didn't try and justify why the characters were singing he just said "They're singing... So what?" As well all know, Spielberg is a phenomenal director, but I don't think it was anything ground breaking, not compared to some of his other films. The choreography by Justin Peck is absolutely sublime. There were some wonderful nods to Jerome Robbins, while still being fresh and new. The cinematography by Janusz Kaminski was stunning and beautifully showed Adam Stockhausen and Paul Tazwell's gorgeous designs. The film was visually stunning, but I felt that several of the performances fell flat. There were some great featured performers including Brian d'Arcy James, Josh Andrés Rivera and Iris Menas as Krupke, Chino and Anybodys. They all delivered wonderful performances. The superb Rita Moreno portrayed a lovely Valentina, or Val for short. Her character had so much depth and warmth. She served as a motherly figure to Tony and delivers a heartbreaking rendition of "Somewhere". Unfortunately, I found Mike Faist who

David Alvarez and Ariana DeBose

portrayed Riff, the leader of the Jets, to be egregiously miscast. His portrayal of Riff was almost comical, it felt like I was watching a panto production at times. It felt like he was trying too hard, I was getting Joker vibes (That awful Jared Leto version though) and I did not find him exciting or even threatening. I did not believe for a minute that Riff was able to run and lead a gang. On the opposite end of the spectrum was David Alvarez who delivers a wonderful Bernardo. Alvarez portrayed the hot-headed Bernardo perfectly and with a beautiful singing voice and he is equally matched in his talents as a dancer. Alvarez was a knock out. Bernardo's girlfriend, Anita is portrayed by Ariana DeBose. I was very surprised by her performance. DeBose has improved immensely as an actor, but there is one major problem that I still have with her, she isn't captivating. She does not capture my attention. I didn't get that spark from her like I get when I watch Rita Moreno, Karen Olivo or Chita Rivera there's simply no, for lack of a better word, substance with her. At least not that I'm seeing. (I still firmly stand behind that Naya Rivera should have been Anita because THAT would have been an Oscar worthy performance. Her rendition of "America" would have been brilliant and she would have been terrifying in "A Boy Like That/I Have A Love". ESPECIALLY with Spielberg directing her.) The one who sets everything in motion is Tony, portrayed by Ansel Elgort. Elgort is overall decent. He has a decent voice, he's a decent actor,

Rachel Zegler

but he did not bring anything new to the role. I also found his Tony to be extremely predatorial towards Maria. It seemed almost creepy their relationship, I was getting a little bit of Joe from You. It was super creepy. The shining star of the night goes to Rachel Zegler. I mean JESUS CHRIST! Her Maria is absolutely GORGEOUS! Her Maria is strong, fearless and powerful, not the typical ingénue approach that you normally get. This Maria stands up to Bernardo and challenges him actively. Zegler's voice is just as beautiful as her singing, she delivers a gorgeous "Tonight", followed by a witty, fun and exciting "I Feel Pretty" to a heart wrenching "A Boy Like That/I Have A Love". Zegler's gorgeous soprano delivers again and again. From that first frame on the balcony to that slow walk behind Tony's body at the end she delivers a star performance! Overall, West Side Story is a gorgeous film, but it suffers whenever Zegler or Moreno aren't on screen. While it features some stunning performances, if I had to chose between the 1961 film and this one, I'd chose the 1961 film.

"Hold my hand and we're half way there. Hold my hand and I'll take you there. Somehow. Someday, somewhere"

Broadway, Coronavirus and the Great Shutdown of 2020: A Look Back at Theatre in a Pandemic

Quick note: This was not an easy piece for me to write. I started this article the day Broadway shut down and it was just going to be me stating how disappointed I was and telling people to wear masks and follow social distancing rules. Then I stopped writing it and I would come back to it in April, December of 2021 before finishing it and posting it right now. Here are just some thoughts I had throughout the pandemic.

Date: March 12, 2020

Katrina Lenk
Company

Time: 2:12pm
I am getting dressed to catch the train to New York City with my Father. We had tickets to see a performance of the Broadway revival of Company and I was super excited to see it. I pull out my phone to tweet my excitement and the first thing I see is a tweet from Playbill that announces that all Broadway theatres will close that day due to COVID-19. I am absolutely crushed (and to be quite honest extremely angry.) I had been looking forward to this show for months and it was my annual tradition to see a show on Broadway during spring break with one of my parents.

Date: April 13, 2020
Time: 12:28pm
The Broadway shut down was supposed to end today and now it is likely to continue until June. Theatres around the world have shut down including the U.K. and Australia. These closures are understandable because theatres are ground zero for spreading germs with the close proximity everyone is in. Many shows have been either postponed, cancelled or closed early and even the Tony's have been postponed.

Date: December 18, 2020

Time: 4:42pm

Coronavirus has lasted longer than anyone expected it to. We had all assumed we'd be back to our normal lives by May. Australia, Korea, Japan and several other countries have all reopened theatres or have begun to reopen theatres with social distancing measures or safety protocols in place. Meanwhile those of us in the U.S. must deal with bootlegs, filmed or virtual

Empty street with empty theatres

theatre events. Trust me, I get that it is not the same...

I miss live in person theatre.

I miss sitting in those seats for two hours.

I miss battling the person next to me for the right to use the arm rest.

I miss the stage door.

I miss the applause.

I miss the lights.

I miss going deaf from the ridiculously loud speakers.

I miss the people you meet.

I miss nearly getting hit by cars while walking through the parking lot after a show.

I miss that commute home where you might listen to the cast album on repeat.

I miss it.

Date: January 24, 2021

Time: 9:10pm

I'm now back at college and quarantining before my final semester of school. And I'll admit I have started feeling what so many other people are feeling. I feel a bit hopeless as if theatre will never return... I hate myself for feeling that way. Theatre is not gone. Theatre CAN NEVER BE GONE. I feel that as a society we have gotten into the mindset that theatre is a building, but it's not. Theatre is the subway performer. Theatre is reading a bedtime story to a child and using voices. Theatre is playing Dungeons and Dragons. Theatre is cosplaying. THEATRE IS WHATEVER YOU MAKE IT. The only thing you need is yourself. I am so sick and tired hearing people say, "I can't practice my art form." or "What are we going to do without theatre?" I absolutely hate that mentality because it's ignorant and stupid. If you say "Theatre is gone" okay then it is gone... for you. Not for everyone else. I repeat... THEATRE IS WHATEVER YOU MAKE IT! Last semester I took a course and one of the readings was titled "After COVID-19, What?" which had a variety of theatre professionals answering that exact question. I specifically want to talk about Fawzia Afzal-Khan (Playwright and current professor at Montclair University.) and the response she gave. Afzal-Khan believes that COVID-19 is a way for artists to grow and sees it as a way for artists to enhance theatre and allows for: 

More work that experiments with online performances, that connects with remote audiences will surely also emerge and become part of a new way of 'doing theatre' and music and other performances as a result of the social distancing imperatives that will stay with us for a long time to come.

A perfect example of these experimental works can be seen with The Virtual Stage Co. whose first project was back in August 2020 and it was a zoom production of Seussical titled Seussical: A Virtual Musical! which featured performances from a variety of stage performers. These performers created their own costumes and props. They cleverly recorded in various places around where they live. It also featured clips from the various original Dr. Seuss cartoons of the works featured in Seussical and was cleverly edited to have wacky, zany and

Company members of Seussical: A Virtual Musical

creative transitions in the style of Seuss that worked. What The Virtual Stage Co. did was theatre! The artists involved in this piece didn't say "Oh what are we gonna do?" They said "Okay, there is an obstacle how do we get past it?" (That is what a true artist, in my opinion, does. They don't sit around accepting defeat, they fight and continue to make art!) Virtual productions of shows are now becoming more and more common especially in academic settings.

Date: December 14, 2021

Time: 1:08pm

I'm sitting here at my job (I'm on a break, calm down) and I was going through unpublished posts that I had on here. I found this post, which I honestly forgot. I was thinking about just deleting it, but I revisited it and said "No... This is perfect for what it is." This article is just a menagerie of feelings that I had randomly throughout the pandemic. Broadway is now open again, I recently saw The Phantom of the Opera and tours are touring again. However, I hate when I hear people say "Theatre is back" because theatre never left us. Theatre was always here. It wasn't in the medium we have gotten accustomed too, but it was there. There have been some truly brilliant works that have come out due to the pandemic. There have been truly creative works that pushed the boundaries as to what theatre can be. I don't know what the future holds in store for theatre. What I do know, is that theatre will never leave me. Theatre cannot leave me unless I tell it to. Whether that means I'm seeing a big budget Broadway mega musical, or if I'm just sitting in my room and making my goldfish talk to each other and create an entire 5 minute play. (Go ahead and judge me, I don't care.) Theatre is never gone. Theatre will preserve.

Run and Tell That: Annie Live!

Note: By now ya'll know that I'm a terrible editor. So be prepared for me to be editing this AFTER I upload it. Also, I'm not a professional reviewer nor do I try to be in these. I'm simply stating what I thought.

There was nothing that stood out it was generic and safe.

When I first heard that NBC was doing Annie Live! quite frankly I was less than pleased. I find Annie to be an annoyingly optimistic musical that is over done. However, I decided to give it a chance. Then, they started to announce the cast... I have no other way to describe it, but as an Instagram stan dream cast. The casting just seemed so generically bland and I truly did not understand why they chose who they chose. (Except for Megan Hilty who replaced an ill

Nicole Scherzinger and Ensemble

Jane Krakowski.) Before the show even started there were many cast changes. First, Jane Krakowski had to step away due to a positive COVID-19 test and was replaced by the wonderful Megan Hilty, who previously played the role at the Hollywood Bowl. Then, Andrea McArdle, the OG Annie, who was due to play Eleanor Roosevelt (A new role written for the show) backed out due to family matters that she had to attend to. But then, the video footage started to come out and I was less than impressed... All of the scenery looked like something you'd find in a prom catalogue. Even in spite of all of this, I said, "Paul, give it a chance... Not everything is going to be The Wiz Live!" and therefore, I stuck it out... Honestly, throughout the entire evening I was less than impressed. From the cheap looking sets, to the amount of times that someone WALKED IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA or the sloppy edits where you would see stage hands setting things up or you'd see another camera in the shot. Meanwhile, everyone on twitter was absolutely raving about the production and it left me asking myself, "Am I watching the right Annie Live?" The screenplay by Thomas Meehan was decent and for the most part faithful to the stage show. The script obviously cut out a few numbers, but it did manage to add two numbers from the 1982 film, "Sign" sung by Oliver Warbucks and Miss

Male Ensemble

Hannigan in a scene where Oliver is trying to adopt Annie and Hannigan is trying to seduce Warbucks. The second number they added was "We Got Annie" which was added to the 1982 film to show off Ann Reinking's dance ability. While "Sign" actually served a purpose, "We Got Annie" was nothing, but a glorified dance number. The direction by Lear Debessonet was stiff and boring. He did not push any boundaries and gave a very straight forward and safe approach to the material. I was confused by the dance troupe of young girls in modern clothing who appeared in the beginning (along with Annie and the other orphans also in modern clothing) as well as the end where they were completely out of place because everyone else was in period dress. What was the purpose of that? Other things that annoyed me was when actors would look directly into the camera or the fact that the camera would be facing the audience in some scenes. Debessonet failed to create a world that immersed me in this production. His direction almost felt stale in some scenes, specifically in "N.Y.C." where I found myself bored. The television direction by Alex Rudzinski was another very straight forward and bland approach. There was nothing spectacular and nothing dazzled me. The choreography by Sergio Trujillo was another case of very straight forward and bland. Yes, the choreography was beautiful as one would expect from Trujillo, but it did not push the boundaries in any way. It was very safe, from the "Oh,

Orphans

aren't I cool and modern for having the orphans do some form of modern dance in 'It's the Hard Knock Life'." To the leaping and gallivanting of the ensemble during "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here." There was nothing that stood out it was generic and safe. What was truly abysmal though was the sets, or lack thereof. The production design by Jason Sherwood looked like something one would order out of a prom catalogue. It was cheap and because none of it covered the entire stage you could see people preparing to make their entrances or exits. The costumes by Emilio Sosa was yet again another straight forward approach. Some of the costumes were even direct rip offs of previous versions of Annie. A lot of Grace's wardrobe was inspired by the 1999 film (the blue suit and the purple dress) and one outfit from the 1982 film (the yellow dress). I wish I could say that the performers made up for the production side of things, but they didn't. So many of the performances felt passionless. It felt like I was watching a cast 5 years into their run and they were just going through the motions. I do want to give a shout out to Alex Wong though who is just a phenomenal dancer! I saw people raving about all the kids (some of whom were actually full grown adults) during "It's the Hard Knock Life", but I was unimpressed. There wasn't a lot of passion in it. I've seen much better versions of that

Taraji P. Henson and Tituss Burgess

number. Alan Toy as Franklin Delano Roosevelt was good and delivered a nice performance. Meanwhile Megan Hilty as Lily St. Regis was fabulous, as always, especially considering she was a last minute replacement. Her boyfriend, Rooster Hannigan played by Tituss Burgess was better than I expected him to be, but he still could have been better. (Granted now I don't think anyone will ever be able to top the incomparable Tim Curry, but that's another story.) Meanwhile, Nicole Scherzinger who portrayed Grace Farrell, Warbucks' Chief of Staff (A bump up from the original stage show where she was just his personal secretary). Scherzinger is a wonderful actress and you could see the wheels turning in her eyes, but Grace is simply not her part. She did not have that same natural softness or warmness that Ann Reinking and Audra McDonald had. You could also tell she was struggling voice wise trying to stay gentle and light and not just belt, this was especially evident in "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here." A surprisingly disappointing performance was delivered by Taraji P. Henson as Miss Hannigan who was extremely lackluster. When Henson was cast I was expecting a completely obnoxious and over the top performance. I was expecting to say "Taraji could have reeled it in a little" I wasn't expecting to say "Taraji could have done

Harry Connick, Jr. and Celina Smith

more." I found her "Little Girls" to be extremely lackluster. I was expecting to be cackling or at least crack a smile, but none of that happened... Someone who surprised me was Harry Connick, Jr. who, to no surprise to anyone, has a stunning voice and while his acting was a bit stiff at times, he was a very pleasant Oliver Warbucks. When it comes to the role of Annie, NBC held a nationwide casting search to find the little girl who will play the optimistic orphan. After all this searching they chose Celina Smith and my question is... Was she really the best choice? While Smith has a charming voice, there was no dynamics in her singing. She just belted everything at top volume. Her acting was also very wooden and you could see her going "Okay, I need to be here. Now I have to be here." Nothing about her performance flowed. She had zero chemistry with anyone. I didn't believe she cared about little orphan Molly, Felice Kakaletris, or that she even liked Warbucks and Grace. Everything felt incredibly forced with Smith. Overall, Annie Live! was nothing special. To repeat an earlier statement, "There was nothing that stood out it was generic and safe." I'm glad that we are getting more live musical events after the disaster of Rent: Pre-Recorded, but NBC better step their game up for next year.

"The sun will come out, tomorrow. So ya gotta hang on 'til tomorrow!"

Dear Diary: December Episodes

Hello darlings!!!

The two months of waiting are finally over!!! New episodes of "Dear Diary" will release this Friday!!!

• Entry 6: Heels at the Law Firm with Cicily Daniels (December 3rd)
• Entry 7: Cat Improv with Anne Brummel (December 10th)
• No Episode on December 17th
• Entry 8: Christmas Eve with Christmas Eve with Ann Harada (December 24th)
• Entry 9: TBA with Carrie Compere (December 30th)

I also already have some guests for January! I cannot wait to announce those! Thank you all for bearing with me during this bumpy podcast ride. I'm hoping to be posting new episodes at least weekly until May, where we'll take another hiatus and start up again in October. Here is the link to the latest episode featuring Nikisha Williams!

Dear Diary Episodes: Update

Another podcast update. Unfortunately, I have had a lot going on these past two months (all good stuff) and so I have had to extend the hiatus for "Dear Diary". New episodes will now be released December 3rd, 2021. I have some extremely exciting guests coming up which I'll announce soon. Thanks ya'll for bearing with me. Below is the link to my first official episode with the wonderful Dan'yelle Williamson.

Run and Tell That: The Phantom of the Opera

Note: By now ya'll know that I'm a terrible editor. So be prepared for me to be editing this AFTER I upload it. Also, I'm not a professional reviewer nor do I try to be in these. I'm simply stating what I thought.

"It truly amazes me how the original production has held up after 33 years!"

Picture it: New Jersey 2021. I am sitting on my bed scrolling through Instagram, but suddenly, I see an announcement, The Phantom of the Opera announced that Emilie Kouatchou and Sara Esty would be the new Christine Daaé alternate and Meg Giry. Literally the first thing I

Corps de Ballet

thought was "Can't wait to see these white people" but when I swiped to see their pictures, I was stunningly surprised to see that both are women of color (Kouatchou is black and Esty is Latina). I was so excited that in one year Phantom had cast three black women as Christine. The first thing I did was look up Kouatchou on YouTube and she has an absolutely GORGEOUS voice. I knew right then and their I had to see her in the role. I was not planning to see Kouatchou's debut, but life had other plans for me. As soon as I heard about Kouatchou's debut, I immediately bought tickets and I planned my day. However, my day did not go as I planned. My car's battery decided to die so I had to get a Lyft to the train station and got to NYC thirty minutes later than I had planned. As I started walking up the stairs of Penn Station and saw the lights of the city, my heart was in my chest. It felt amazing to be back in the city and knowing I would be seeing a Broadway show. My entire walk to the theatre I was filled with ecstasy, I was so excited. The feeling inside the theatre was absolutely ELECTRIC. There was applause, whistling and cheering for everything! When the pre-show announcement came on, there was applause,

Raquel Suarez Groen and Carlton Moe

when the chandelier rose their was applause, for Carlotta's entrance there was applause, for Christine's entrance there was applause, it felt so great to be back in a theatre. As I am sure many of you have heard there were some changes made to the production. Don't be alarmed, it is still the same production, there was just a few lyrical changes and blocking changes. The first change that I noticed was during "Hannibal Rehearsal", specifically with the corps de ballet, Christine was not with them when they entered. At first, I did not like this change because it just felt like a weird change to make, but when Kouatchou she looked worried, concerned and a little shaken. I knew as soon as she entered she had just come from a singing lesson with the Phantom. Then I really enjoyed this small change because it added a lot of nuance to the role of Christine. There was also some lyrical changes which I really did not like, because I felt that the new lyrics did not enhance the story. (Except for the exchange during the end of "Angel of Music" where they removed, "Your

John Riddle and Maree Johnson

face Christine it's white" to adjust it so anybody no matter ethnicity could play the role.) While there were some changes, it truly amazes me how the original production has held up after 33 years! This accomplishment is a testament to the brilliance of the original creative team. Hal Prince's breathtaking direction still holds up and Gillian Lynne's choreograph is brilliant as always. The sets and costumes designed by Maria Björnson are utterly breathtaking and groundbreaking. The lighting design by Andrew Bridge perfectly compliments the production adding mystery and illusion to the show. Last, but not least Martin Levan and Mick Potter's wonderful sound design that echoes throughout the theatre. In addition to the stunning production, there was also some stunning performances. The ensemble was stunning and I want to give shout outs to Satomi Hoffman as the Confidante and Jeremy Stolle as Passarino. In addition, Sara Esty who joined the production along with Kouatchou delivered a wonderful Meg, Etsy is a beautiful dancer and has a great voice. Carlton Moe as Piangi delivered some stellar comedic moments with a gorgeous tenor voice to boot. Another stunning performance was given by Maree Johnson (Who happens to be a former Christine from Australia) as Madame Giry. She gives a haunting Madame Giry who is not only scared,

Emilie Kouatchou

but enamored by the Phantom. There were two moments that I really loved with Madame Giry, the first is during "Think of Me" when Christine begins to sing she gestures to Christine, reminding her of the things she has been taught by the Phantom. The second moment is during "Magical Lasso" when Giry enters she sees the Phantom bringing Christine back from his lair. The managers played by Craig Bennett, Firmin, and Bradley Dean, André, were absolutely hysterical. They worked so well together and played off each other nicely. They both created two very distinct characters who are complete foils of each other, but still manage to work together. Unfortunately, not all of the performances were stunning though... Raquel Suarez Groen was a huge let down. This was my second time seeing Groen as Carlotta Giudicelli and both times she was disappointing. Her voice was not as powerful as I like in my Carlotta's. While she did deliver some nice comedic moments, overall I found her acting to be weak. I like my Carlotta's to be these big caricatures of a woman and Groen just did not deliver in my eyes. John Riddle as Raoul was great. He has a gorgeous voice and was a wonderful actor. I especially loved his chemistry with Kouatchou during "All I Ask of You" their voices fit so well together. Onto the lady of the evening, Emilie Kouatchou who delivered a stunning debut performance of Christine Daaé. She delivered a strong performance with absolutely killer vocals. There were so many moments that I loved. I loved the difference in volume that Kouatchou had during "Think of Me" when she is very quiet and scared at first, but then gradually becomes more confidant and serves strong vocals. I also loved how in "I Remember.../Stranger Than You Dreamt It" Kouatchou's Christine was not scared of the Phantom's deformity, but was scared when he started yelling and chasing after her. Some other great moments were her Serafimo in "Il Muto" and her facial expressions and

Ben Crawford and Emilie Kouatchou

varying degrees of emotion during "Masquerade". My favorite moment of hers was during "The Point of No Return" when she realized the Phantom was there in place of Piangi. Kouatchou delivered a strong performance and she has so much room to grow. If this was her debut performance I cannot wait to see her after a month or so in the role. I would not be at all surprised if after Meghan leaves Kouatchou takes over the role of full time. While I loved Kouatchou, I have to be quite honest, I was rather disappointed in Ben Crawford as the Phantom. I was not a fan of some of his acting choices, they felt rather silly at times. For example, during "I Remember.../Stranger Than You Dreamt It" when he was crawling on the floor it was this weird scooting thing that made several audience members laugh. I also did not like how his vocal tone kept changing throughout the performance. There would be times he would have a clear tone and it would then switch to this full/deep tone. It was kind of jarring. I much preferred his full/deep tone in the role because it worked well with Kouatchou's strong voice. The Phantom of the Opera is a stunning show and it has stood against the test of time. I definitely plan on seeing Kouatchou again sometime soon. I think she is stunning. I highly recommend you buy tickets and see her.

"Masquerade! Paper faces on parade... Masquerade! Hide your face, so the world will never find you!"

Dear Diary Episodes

Just a quick podcast update! There will not be new episodes for a while because I've currently got a lot going on (All good stuff!) and I am a bit behind on podcast episodes. There will be no new releases for rest of October. New episodes will start releasing on Friday November, 5th.

Run and Tell That: Diana The Musical

Note: By now ya'll know that I'm a terrible editor. So be prepared for me to be editing this AFTER I upload it. Also, I'm not a professional reviewer nor do I try to be in these. I'm simply stating what I thought.

Erin Davie as Camilla... is phenomenal. I found myself captivated by her performance.

"Sometimes though it's best to be underestimated." These are the final words spoken by Princess Diana, Jeanna de Waal, in the opening number of Diana The Musical. I find this line ironic because I underestimated this musical. When I first heard that Princess Diana was getting the bio musical treatment I rolled my eyes and said "UGH! Again? Does this really need to be made? We already have The Crown... and I don't need a musical version." I

Jeanna de Waal and Ensemble

honestly did not pay much attention to the musical afterwards and when Broadway closed down because of the pandemic, I truly expected this show to be one of the casualties. However, to my surprise, it not only announced it would be returning, but it would also be professionally recorded for Netflix. Flash forward to over a year later and I opened my Netflix account to a notification about Diana being available for streaming... So I figured "What the hell?" This brings me back to that line "Sometimes though it's best to be underestimated" because I was thoroughly surprised at how much I enjoyed watching the musical. Now just to be clear, Diana is by no means a perfect musical, but it does have its moments. Diana was stunningly captured by cinematographer, Declan Quinn, who didn't just hit record. Quinn made sure to capture it artistically and not just straight on. The rest of the creative team has a collective 17 Tony Awards with an additional 36 nominations to boot, but yet so much went wrong creative wise with Diana. The book scribed by, two time Tony winner for Memphis, Joe DiPietro is overall rather a mess at times, but it does get one thing right, and that is the portrayal of Diana. You see her struggle with her mental health and you fall for her because she is endearing and kind (Which is also due in no small part to actress Jeanna de Waal, but we'll talk about her later). This musical actually changed my perception of Diana because my first major introduction to her was in The Crown where she is written/portrayed as a conniving, manipulative and whiny little brat) you can actually root for Diana and want to support her in the musical. Unfortunately this is where my positive feedback for the book ends. The book is not only rushed, but also somehow slow all at

Roe Hartrampf, Judy Kaye and Jeanna de Waal

the same time. They took a bit of time to explore the beginning of the relationship between Diana and Charles, but then as soon as the wedding came they rushed through her pregnancies giving them an "It's a boy!" moment, but then we don't hear about them for a while. Another thing about DiPietro's book is that he featured, in my opinion, some unnecessary characters such as Barbara Cartland, Judy Kaye (who pulls double duty as Queen Elizabeth II), the step-grandmother to Diana and Andrew Parker Bowles, Zach Adkins, the husband of Camilla. There is also an entire song in Act II dedicated to James Hewitt, Gareth Keegan, about Diana's brief affair with him. While we're on the topic of songs, let's talk about the score written by DiPietro and David Bryan, of Bon Jovi fame. The score is composed mostly of pop rock ballads and power songs featuring some high belting that makes the show come across as a cheap imitation of Evita. Even though there are some catchy tunes that might have you toe tapping in your seat, the generic sounding songs and rather messy lyrics do not leave an everlasting impression. The score sounds very generic and the lyrics are rather a mess at times. Some of the songs in the musical were just plain odd, "The Dress" and "This Is How Your People Dance" or featured obnoxiously expositional lyrics, "The Worst Job in England" and "Snap, Click". I also felt that the score was lacking by not giving Diana a heavy hitting solo. I was waiting for a "Don't Forget Me" or "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" moment from Diana, but I never got it. Meanwhile, at the helm of Diana is Tony Award winning director Christopher Ashley who is known for his extraordinary work on shows such as Come From Away and Memphis, but the work he did for Diana is uninspired and almost lazy compared to his previous work. The only part of his direction that I liked was how the show both began and ended with the flash of bulbs from a camera with Diana standing upstage center. I found this staging to be very significant with how much the paparazzi played a role in Diana's life. Meanwhile the choreography by Kelly Devine features some bold choices (not a compliment) and those choices do nothing to serve 

Erin Davie and Roe Hartrampf

or enhance the story being told. Instead the ensemble danced just to dance not because it was an extension of the story being told. While the book and score were disappointing I really enjoyed the set design by Tony Award winning David Zinn. The stage is surrounded by the gates of Buckingham Palace which I found to be metaphorical to how Diana becomes, essentially, trapped within the palace due to her royal duties and the rules she has to follow. The costumes by William Ivey Long  (#TimesUp) recreated some of Diana's most iconic outfits, but other than those select few they really were nothing special. The lighting design by Natasha Katz was stunning and vibrant and really aided the story telling by featuring different colors depending on the tone of the scene. She featured reds for the fight between Camilla and Diana, while dark blues were often featured in Diana's hardest moments and for the moment when Queen Elizabeth II grants Charles and Diana to have a divorce. The sound design by Gareth Owen is something that I really have no opinion on. I thought it was nice that's it really. Just like the creatives the actors are also a bit over the place. Bruce Dow plays Paul Burrell, who is the butler of Diana and acts as her confidante throughout the show. While Dow is a talented actor, his performance never rises above the likes of "Look at me, I'm the fat, funny, effeminate sidekick of the main character who sings one major song in the entire show." Meanwhile two time Tony Award winning Judy Kaye pulls double duty as both Queen Elizabeth II and Barbara Cartland. When it comes to Kaye as Queen Elizabeth II it is nicely acted, but nothing about her reads "Queen of England" I just get a very posh or

Jeanna de Waal

dignified elderly woman. However, when Kaye is Barbara Cartland she really comes to life, especially with her rowdy, sensual Act II opener "Here Comes James Hewitt". This number is thoroughly entertaining, even if it overall serves no purpose, but I found Kaye to be extremely funny and entertaining throughout the number. Meanwhile Erin Davie as Camilla Parker Bowles is truly phenomenal. I found myself captivated by her performance as Charles' mistress. Davie delivered a stunning rendition of "I Miss You Most on Sundays" that made me hate her only slightly less for the role she played in Diana's life. The male lead is none other than Prince Charles portrayed by the talented Roe Hartrampf. Hartrampf delivered a strong performance as Charles and attempted to add a few layers to this one dimensional character. The title role of Diana is portrayed by the underrated Jeanna de Waal. De Waal is a star and delivers an incredibly strong performance, even if she sounds nothing like Diana. With strong and brilliant acting choices and a stellar voice de Waal definitely has a Tony nomination in her future. Overall, Diana has its problems, but it's a fun musical (that your mom will definitely love) that is great if you just want a night out. You can currently watch Diana on Netflix, or you can watch it live at the Longacre theatre where it starts previews November 2 with an opening night of November 17. See ya'll next time!

My future's my design. My story's finally mine and I'll light the world. I'll light the world.

Run and Tell That: In The Heights (Film)

Note: By now ya'll know that I'm a terrible editor. So be prepared for me to be editing this AFTER I upload it. Also, I'm not a professional reviewer nor do I try to be in these. I'm simply stating what I thought. Also, this is a shorter review, because since I haven't seen the original stage musical I can't go in depth about the changes made from stage to screen.

"What truly makes this film magical is when it comes to the musical numbers."

First and foremost, I am going to say that I have never seen In the Heights before. I know the basic premise of the story and have heard a few songs, but I have never seen the entire show. Therefore, in this review I won't be comparing it to the stage version. I have to say that overall In the Heights is a wonderful movie. It tells a beautiful story of a community and the hardships they go through. The screenplay by original Broadway author Quiara Alegría Hudes is touching and

it builds a fully realized world. I had two problems with the screenplay, the first one was the frequent interjecting scenes of Usnavi with a bunch of kids because those scenes pulled me out of the rich story. ***SPOILER ALERT*** The other is how all of those scenes take place on a beach and lead the audience to believe that Usnavi is on the beach, but in the end it is revealed they were in Washington Heights the entire time. ***END SPOILER ALERT*** I did not really see the purpose in that psych out. Meanwhile Lin-Manuel Miranda's rich score which mixes rap, salsa and hip-hop is outstanding. With a blend of English and Spanish lyrics he weaves gorgeous songs. It is the best score that he has ever written. (Yes. It is even better than Hamilton come at me.) My two favorite numbers are "Carnaval del Barrio" and "96,000" both are gorgeously filmed and feature electrifying choreography from Christopher Scott. Scott has people dancing from the streets, on the side of buildings and even under water. The film is topped with Jon M. Chu's brilliant direction. Chu manages to create an entire world even when actors haven't spoken a word. This is seen through the various different families and people seen in the background of the film. What truly makes this film magical is when it comes to the musical numbers, Chu does not try and ground them in reality. He says "They're singing. Okay." and he leaves it at that. He allows the theatricality and absurdity (I mean that with all the love in my

Daphne Rubin-Vega and Stephanie Beatriz

heart) of these numbers to shine through instead of trying to ground them. (This makes me intrigued to see what he'll do with Wicked.) Before I get into specific performances I want to say I love the diversity of people in the extras. I saw people of all different shapes, sizes and ages. I loved the performances of Stephanie Beatriz and Dascha Polanco as Carla and Cuca two salon girls. (Side note: In the movie Carla is now the girlfriend/partner of Daniela and I loved that. ESPECIALLY because they didn't tote it in the every promotional event, *COUGH* *COUGH* Disney *COUGH* *COUGH* They didn't make it a big deal.) Unfortunately, not all of the performances were spectacular. Miranda portrayed the role of Piragüero, the man who sells piragua's on the street and it was unnecessary. I don't think Lin can act or sing. He needs to stick to writing music. However, I don't think it was nearly as bad as his performance in Hamilton. I think for a majority of the other performers they delivered good performances, but I was not gobsmacked by them. This includes Gregory Diaz IV, Melissa Barrera, Leslie Grace, Corey Hawkins and Anthony Ramos who portrayed Sunny, Vanessa, Nina, Benny and Usnavi respectively. I thought they all were good performances, but I don't think they were anything exceptional. A gorgeous and touching performance comes from Olga Merediz who portrays the matriarch of the neighborhood "Abuela" Claudia. She delivers a stunning rendition of "Paciencia y Fe"  However, the best performance goes to Daphne Rubin-Vega as salon owner Daniela. Rubin-Vega delivers a truly strong role that is funny, sassy and strong. Overall, this is a gorgeous movie which is beautifully shot, written and staged. I just wish that the performances could have matched. 

"Business is closed, and we’re about to go… Let’s have a carnaval del barrio!"

Magic to Do: Sorry, Wrong Number

If you had told me that I would be making my directorial debut in the middle of a pandemic I would have thought you were crazy. Alas... Here we are!

These past 3-4 months have been an exhilarating, terrifying, humbling and wonderful experience. Getting to work with many talented actors and diving deep into this eerie thriller has been extremely gratifying. Be on the look out for this tour de force later this month!

Sorry, Wrong Number by Lucille Fletcher is a story about a woman, Mrs. Stevenson, who is sick in bed and her only contact with the outside world is her phone. One night while trying to reach her husband, there is a crossed wire and she overhears plans for a murder. Her frantic efforts to enlist help through the only means at her disposal along with her growing terror and discovery of the truth are what make this show a thriller like no other.

Let's Go to the Movies: In Defense of Movie Musical Adaptations

"Let's go to the movies... Let's go see the stars." These are lyrics sung by Ann Reinking and Aileen Quinn in the 1982 film adaptation of the hit (and at times incredibly obnoxious) musical Annie by Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin and Thomas Meehan. The previously quoted song titled, "Let's Go to the Movies" was one of many changes made from stage to screen for this adaptation. Stage to screen adaptations of musicals are becoming more and more common with recent films such as Cats and The Prom and the upcoming In the Heights adaptation, but just like their stage counterparts there will always be hits (Dreamgirls, Chicago) and misses (Cats). Whenever a new movie musical adaptation is released there are always people complaining saying, "They changed too much" or, "They should have cast the OBC or Broadway actors for this." SHUT UP!!! I'M TIRED OF HEARING IT!!! If you want to watch the stage production on screen watch a bootleg! I want to take a look at the dictionary, Meriam-Webster

Aileen Quinn and Ann Reinking
Annie (1982)

Dictionary states that the word "adaptation" means "to make fit [as for a new use] often by modification" which is exactly what happens in movie musical adaptations. Things have to change because what happens on stage does not always translate to film (and vice versa) and that is why changes need to be made. Some of the greatest stage to screen adaptations are successful because of the changes made. (I'm warning you now this is going to be a fairly long post.) For my first example, I want to talk about Bill Condon's 2006 Oscar winning hit Dreamgirls. A few weeks ago, I rewatched this film (after watching the 2001 Concert with Audra McDonald, Lillias White, Norm Lewis, Billy Porter, Heather Headley and many more; as well as watching the OBC cast) and it was absolutely gorgeous. It is, in my opinion, one of the greatest movie musicals adaptations of all time (Also one of the greatest movie musicals of all time). It features an all-star cast that includes Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy (in an Oscar nominated performance), Beyoncé Knowles, Anika Noni Rose and of course Jennifer Hudson in her Oscar winning film debut. The film was almost 30 years in the making and the magic that happened with Dreamgirls cannot be recreated. Condon's script was a near perfect adaptation of Tom Eyen's book. (My only complaint is that we didn't get "I don't care! Let 'em all hear! Let 'em all hear!!!!!!!" "YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE" because that entire scene is amazing and hearing Jennifer and Anika belting into each other's faces is what dreams are made of.) From stage to screen there were many changes, most of them stemmed from changing the almost sung through musical to dialogue. There are a lot of storytelling elements that you can do in film, but not stage (either because it is impossible to pull off on stage or just too expensive) a notable one being montages. Dreamgirls

Anika Noni Rose, Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Hudson
Dreamgirls (2006)

, the movie, had several montages that showed The Dreamettes touring with Jimmy Early and eventually the rise in popularity of The Dreams. These beautiful, brief moments allow the audience to see the titular Dreams (and the other characters) grow throughout the film and it gives the characters even more depth. There were also changes made to the score, which included adding a few new verses to "Fake Your Way to the Top," adding a few extra bars at the end of "Dreamgirls (Reprise)" and rearranging parts of "It's All Over." All of these changes, in my opinion, not only improved the score, but also improved the story telling. There were also four new songs written for the film adaptation (three of the four songs received Oscar nominations), the two most notable ones being a new solo for Effie titled "Love You I Do" which serves not only as a love song from Effie to Curtis, but also as an audition for Effie's solo career. The second major song that was created for the film was "Listen" a solo for Deena. The song takes place in a recording studio with Deena and features a montage of clips where we see Deena *SPOILER ALERT* sending evidence of Curtis' payola schemes to Effie and Co. so they can force Curtis to stop messing with Effie's career. *END SPOILER ALERT* The song not only serves as a moment of growth for Deena, but also advances the story (Unlike the stage show where the song has been retroactively added to now be a bland duet for Deena and Effie and brings the stage show to an utter standstill.) Not only was the Dreamgirls script fantastic, but it was visually stunning. It featured Oscar nominated costumes by Sharen Davis (Who I believe was the first black person to be nominated for the Best Costume Design Oscar) and art direction by John Myhre and Nancy Haigh. Dreamgirls was a film whose magic cannot be recreated; it was the right actors, the right creative team and the right time for this gorgeous film.

Another great example of when changes benefited the stage to screen transition is Chicago directed by Rob Marshall (With a screenplay by Bill Condon. Remember him?) At the 2003 Academy Awards Chicago became the first movie musical to win Best Picture since Oliver! in 1978. There were no new songs added to the score (Except for an end credit song titled "I Move On" sung by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger), but many songs were removed. The songs that remained were all presented as cutaway scenes performed on a vaudeville stage which allowed Marshall to create lavish musical numbers while keeping the dialogue or "real life" scenes dark and gritty. To be quite honest I have never really been a fan of Chicago, the musical. I don't see the charm or flair that seems to capture other people. However, when I

Renée Zellweger
Chicago (2002)

watched the movie, I got it, I thought "Oh, now I see what people are talking about." The decision to have the numbers act as cutaway scenes is brilliant. It serves three purposes on the story telling front. The first purpose is it allows the singing to make sense (to a non theatre audience) because the numbers are dream sequences that happen in Roxie's mind. The second purpose is it allows Marshall to have these huge musical numbers that include "Cell Block Tango" and "We Both Reached For The Gun" and "Razzle Dazzle." The third purpose is that it allowed Marshall to pay homage to both Bob Fosse's original production (both his direction and choreography) and Walter Bobbie's stripped-down revival. The film features fantastic performances by the previously mentioned Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly and Zellweger as Roxie Hart. The movie also featured the fantastic Queen Latifah as Matron "Mama" Morton and John C. Reilly as Amos Heart. (I do want to mention that Zeta-Jones won the Oscar for her role and Zellweger, Latifah and Reilly were all nominated.)  To be quite frank, it is my honest opinion that the film adaptation of Chicago is superior to the stage production it is based on. It is the perfect example of how some movie musical adaptations can not only benefit, but also improve the source material.

However, not every movie musical adaptation can be a hit. For every Dreamgirls and Chicago there is a Cats. I'm gonna try and not harp on Cats too much because at this point it's like beating a dead horse cat. The problem with Cats is that it should never have been considered for a big screen adaptation because it simply cannot work on screen. In complete honesty (and I say this with all the love in my heart) Cats is a weird show it is a very acquired taste and while I love this show, (I will repeat) it should NEVER have been considered for a

Idris Elba
Cats (2019)

big screen adaptation. It is a show that is enrooted in theatrics that you just simply cannot translate to screen (Wicked is a similar story, but that's another story for another time.) The main problem with Cats was that it honestly felt like nobody knew what they were doing or what was going on. There were so many conflicting press releases about how the actors (and I use that term very loosely for some of the cast) were going to be turned into felines. The other problems were the script, cast, choreography and pretty much everything. I feel really bad for the VFX animators who worked grueling hours to get the film finished. (They were working up to a few hours before the world premiere.) The animators did their best work for a terrible film and to have some of the cast then insult their work is truly horrible. (I'm looking at you James Corden and Rebel Wilson who frankly are not ones to talk considering your absolutely terrible performances in the film.) Even with this horrid film I still love and look forward to more movie musical adaptations.

I want to go back to the dictionary definition of "adaptation" which means "to make fit [as for a new use] often by modification." I am tired of hearing people say, "They should have cast the OBC" or "They should only cast stage actors for movie musicals" because those are two mindsets that I hate. I'm going to give two different examples of when casting a film actor was a better choice than casting a stage actor. The first one is Marilyn Monroe who starred in the 1953 adaptation of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Lorelei Lee. Monroe delivered one of her greatest performances in this film and her take on the role of Lorelei was vastly different from Carol Channing who originated the role on stage. The incomparable Miss Channing is an over

Marilyn Monroe
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

the top, campy woman whose Lorelei would have come off as obnoxious on screen. However, Monroe's taut, bubbly and sensuous portrayal is a match made in heaven for the screen, especially when you add in Jane Russell's sharp witted and down-to-earth portrayal of Dorothy Shaw. If Miss Channing had reprised her role the film, in my opinion, would be nowhere near as successful and "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" would not be the iconic number it is today. Channing was also fine with Monroe taking on her part (Streisand starring in the Hello, Dolly! movie is another story...) In a similar situation was with the 2007 film adaptation of Hairspray where John Travolta played cooped up housewife Edna Turnblad, a role originated by Harvey Fierstein on stage (which he won a Tony for.) Many people, including Fierstein, were upset that he was not cast in the role of Edna, but I am glad Fierstein wasn't. He's a wonderful man and fantastic Edna, but his Edna would not have fit with Adam Shankman's (who directed and choreographed Hairspray) vision for the film. The screenplay by Leslie Dixon toned down a majority of the campiness (I think this was an extremely wise move, but that is an entirely different topic for another post) which included taking out all of the 4th wall breaking jokes, several of which were jokes about Edna being played by a man. Therefore, Fierstein's signature deep, gravelly voice would be out of place in the movie. This is another instance where had the stage actor reprised their role on film the movie would have suffered because

John Travolta
Hairspray (2007)

of it. Another thing I want to mention is that having different/new actors take on these roles allow for new interpretations of characters we know and love. Is every movie musical cast perfectly? Absolutely not, but not every stage musical is either. I always like seeing fresh blood in roles because it means that it will be a new interpretation and sometimes, they're fantastic (Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) and other times they're absolutely terrible (James Corden in literally every movie musical). I am not a big fan of stage actors reprising their roles in films because I like fresh blood. *SIDEBAR* There are a few exceptions to this statement such as Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl because there was no one alive (at that time) who could do what Barbra did with the role of Fanny Brice. There is also The Producers where a majority of the original cast reprised their roles, along with the director. Which just works because it was the original cast, specifically Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Gary Beach and Roger Bart who made that show the megahit that it was. *END SIDEBAR*

As I said earlier, there will always be blunders, completely disastrous attempts or some that have pros and cons about them such as The Phantom of the Opera. The 2004 movie adaptation of Andrew Llyod Webber’s hit long running show was a highly anticipated film and many were left disappointed. The film was visually stunning with elaborate sets and beautiful costumes by Anthony Pratt, John Fenner, Paul Kirby, Celia Bobak and Alexandra Byrne and

Diana Ross and Michael Jackson
The Wiz (1978)

featured stunning performances by Emmy Rossum as Christine Daaé (Even though I am a bit conflicted on her singing), Minnie Driver as opera diva Carlotta Giudicelli (whose singing was dubbed by Margaret Preece) and Patrick Wilson as Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny. However, the film suffered from Joel Schumacher’s horrendous direction and Gerard Butler’s vocally weak Phantom. Another example of this is when the revolutionary hit musical The Wiz was adapted into a major motion picture in 1978. The Motown produced movie was (for the most part) visually stunning with designs by Tony Walton, Philip Rosenberg, Robert Drumheller, Edward Stewart and Justin Scoppa Jr. The film also featured fantastic performances from Michael Jackson, Thelma Carpenter and Mabel King as Scarecrow, Miss One the Good Witch of the North and Evillene the Wicked Witch of the West. The film suffered though from Joel Schumacher's (Oh... Joel...) incredibly odd screenplay and Diana Ross who delivered a weak and rather annoying Dorothy.

The point I am trying to make is that movie musical adaptations are just that, ADAPTATIONS. They are not meant to be carbon copies of the stage show. I am not saying you can't disagree with the changes made or the people cast (I do that all the time), all I am saying is that you look at why these changes were made. Film is a completely different medium from stage, and you can't just pick the stage show up and put it on a soundstage and expect it to all work out because it simply won't. Just like the theatre there will always be works of art, mediocre pieces and downright disasters. However, even when a movie musical has blunders and mistakes, I am still glad it was made because it is nice to see a fresh take on these wonderful stories, and it brings theatre to a wider audience.