All tagged Jennifer Hudson
Reviews for the film adaptation of the long-running West End and Broadway musical Cats have been brutal, even blistering. From the creepiness of the CGI effects to the ridiculously choppy editing and camera work that detracted from the choreography, Cats on the big screen has proven to be... well... a “cat” astrophe, bringing-in well under its projected box office receipts during its premiere weekend. Sure, the film was up against one of the year’s most eagerly anticipated films The Rise of Skywalker, but Cats failed on its own terms, and the force just wasn’t with it. That is not to say that there aren’t some things it got right. A few of them splendidly so.
Generally, I am a proponent of the trend in producing musicals “live” on television, with the proviso that they are done well and that they don’t besmirch the reputation of musical theatre. The renaissance of live musicals started a few years ago with The Sound of Music starring Carrie Underwood. It was an underwhelming effort to say the least, but it was popular enough with audiences for NBC to turn live musicals into a perennial event. Peter Pan came next and that was even more painful than The Sound of Music, especially with an under-rehearsed Christopher Walken wending his way through the role of Captain Hook. Then something miraculous happened: Musicals Live! suddenly came up with a great idea and chose a musical that didn’t already have a beloved film version and then cast it with powerhouse talent. The Wiz Live! was a exciting, bursting with energy and heart, and was also just plain good.
As I walked by the Jacobs Theatre the other night, I stopped and stared at the building for five-minutes, drinking in the marquee and all of the lovely pictures of its current production. After all, it pisses God off if you walk by The Color Purple and you don’t notice it, so I wanted to be sure to remain in his good graces. It turns out that the New Broadway Cast Recording of this revival produced by Broadway Records deserves similar attention thanks to the gloriously reimagined orchestrations and the earth-shattering, heart soaring performances by this revival’s cast. I seldom think a revival is an improvement upon an original, but in this case, I suggest you get this recording immediately and not waste one-minute waiting to explore its near perfection.
