美国国家公共电台 NPR When It Comes To Family Musicals, Kids' Opinions Matter More Than Critics'

 

LAKSHMI SINGH, HOST:

Creating a hit musical which appeals to family audiences is kind of Broadway's holy grail. Think of "Lion King" or "Wicked" which have run for decades. Critics don't always give these shows good reviews, but some of them are critic-proof. Two musicals, which recently opened, are trying to appeal to kids and their parents as well. Jeff Lunden reports.

JEFF LUNDEN, BYLINE¹: On a recent Friday evening at 10:30, after a performance of "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory" finished, throngs² of families exited the theater. Taylor Ponte from Manhattan had a typical response.

TAYLOR PONTE: I liked it a lot, and I liked the part when she blew up like a balloon. I liked all of it.

LUNDEN: This kind of reaction is why Warner Bros., which is producing the show, brought it to Broadway. The adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved children's book could be something of a golden ticket for them, creating a hit which runs for years, goes on tours in the U.S. and overseas and sells tons of merchandise. But some of the critics weren't impressed.

DAVID ROONEY: I loathed³ the show. I thought it was a complete mess.

LUNDEN: That's David Rooney, chief theater critic for the Hollywood Reporter. Even if he didn't like this one, he says family musicals are big business on Broadway. They have been ever since Disney presented a stage adaptation of "Beauty And The Beast" in 1994.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSICAL, "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: (As character, singing) Song as old as rhyme, beauty and the beast.

ROONEY: A lot of people roll their eyes about what Disney does on Broadway. But I think, for the most part, they do it very well.

LUNDEN: He says, Disney shows like "The Lion King" and "Aladdin" give audiences a lot of bang for their buck⁴.

ROONEY: I think a family buying Broadway tickets want to see what they're spending their money on. They want to see a production that has energy and that has spectacle and that will dazzle their kids. And I think Disney knows how to do that. And I would imagine that "Frozen" is going to be along those lines.

LUNDEN: But "Frozen" doesn't open until next spring. This spring, "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory" is duking it out with a stage adaptation of "Anastasia," the 1997 Fox animated⁵ film. And did Rooney like that one? Yes and no.

ROONEY: There's a real fluid cinematic feel to it, but the material is what it is. It's kind of clunky. It's a little bit kitsch.

LUNDEN: But it's been selling out, so it could be one of those critic-proof shows.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSICAL, "ANASTASIA")

CHRISTY ALTOMARE: (As character, singing) Let this road be mine. Let it lead me to my past.

LUNDEN: And Rooney admits it, when he saw "Anastasia," the girls in the audience especially responded loudly to many moments. And he says kids seem to like "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory," too. That show has a mostly new score by the songwriting team of Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman who wrote "Hairspray." They say adapting a film musical that people grew up with has its own set of expectations.

MARC SHAIMAN: Scott and I would tell people we're writing the score to a new version of "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory" and...

SCOTT WITTMAN: They would look at us and go...

SHAIMAN: ...To a person. They would all go, oh...

SCOTT WITTMAN AND MARC SHAIMAN: (Singing) Come with me.

WITTMAN: (Laughter).

SHAIMAN: Like, our best friends who know we write music and lyrics⁶ and we're - we just said we're about to write a score for a new musical. So it was very clear that there was no...

WITTMAN: So the writing was - it was on the wall.

LUNDEN: So when the show debuted⁷ in London four years ago, it featured "Pure Imagination" from the Gene⁸ Wilder film.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSICAL, "CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY")

DOUGLAS HODGE: (As character, singing) Come with me, and you'll be in a world of pure imagination. Take a look, and you'll see into your imagination.

LUNDEN: For the heavily revised Broadway version, other songs from that film have been added.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSICAL, "CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character, singing) The candy man makes everything he bakes satisfying and delicious.

LUNDEN: And "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory" has been doing bang-up business, even if it didn't receive any Tony nominations⁹. It's the kids and the parents who pay for the tickets who will ultimately decide if "Anastasia" and "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory" have long, healthy runs. Eileen Young from Fairfield, Conn., brought her 7-year-old daughter and a friend.

EILEEN YOUNG: It's "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory." How do you not come?

LUNDEN: Warner Bros. is so confident in the show's appeal to family audiences that they've already announced a national tour. For NPR News, I'm Jeff Lunden in New York.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSICAL, "CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing) You can take tomorrow.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 throngs   

n.人群( throng的名词复数 )v.成群，挤满( throng的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She muscled through the throngs of people, frantically searching for David. 她使劲挤过人群，拼命寻找戴维。 来自辞典例句
• Our friends threaded their way slowly through the throngs upon the Bridge. 我们这两位朋友在桥上从人群中穿过，慢慢地往前走。 来自辞典例句

3 loathed   

v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢

参考例句：

• Baker loathed going to this red-haired young pup for supplies. 面包师傅不喜欢去这个红头发的自负的傻小子那里拿原料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Therefore, above all things else, he loathed his miserable self! 因此，他厌恶不幸的自我尤胜其它！ 来自英汉文学 - 红字

4 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

5 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

6 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

7 debuted   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• In late 2003 a full-size SUV, the Pathfinder Armada, debuted. 2003年末，全尺寸SUV的探路者无敌舰队，推出。
• The album debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. 专辑一亮相就荣登排行榜第二名，很快就取得了白金销量。

8 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

9 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句