A New Movie Version Of "Cats"?

Andrew Lloyd Webber has let the cat out of the bag: Cats – the second longest-running musical in Broadway history – could be about to get the silver-screen treatment. The composer told London's Daily Mail that Universal Pictures owned the screen rights to the project and talks were taking place about the possibility of a film as a result of the success of the screen version of Les Misérables, which grossed more than $450m worldwide. "Universal has now got Cats out of the drawer in which they locked it years ago when they bought the rights, and suddenly they're talking about a film," Lloyd Webber said. The stage production was filmed live and released on DVD in 2000, two years before it closed on its 21st anniversary in the West End.

Great Ratings, Bad Reviews

The live broadcast of Sound Of Music was a big success for NBC. As Maria they cast Carrie Underwood, a country singer who won the “American Idol” competition in 2005. That's probably why the musical drew a big, and surprisingly young, audience. Altogether it pulled in 18.47 viewers. Critics didn't like it, though. The Times' Alessandra Stanley wrote: "It was a live performance of a legendary musical that felt muted and a little sad." Carrie responded to the heavy criticism she received by branding the critics "mean people."

My Favorite Mandela Quotation

Now that Nelson Mandela passed away newspapers around the world praise this extraordinary man. My favorite Mandela-quotation goes like this: "To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." This sentence actually happens to summarize the theme of a show I am currently working on. If that should turn out as good as I hope it will I may dedicate it to Nelson Mandela.

Last Week's Broadway Hits & Flops

Amazing Alex Hepburn

In case you haven't heard of Alex Hepburn yet - listen to her right now! She's an amazing singer-songwriter talent.

A Musical - Live On TV

Operas and rock concerts have had live broadcasts often before. The live telecast of a musical performance is a novum. Today Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musical The Sound of Music will come to the screen in a new live television adaptation starring Carrie Underwood, Stephen Moyer, Audra McDonald, Laura Benanti and Christian Borle. The three-hour event airs live at 8 pm Eastern time on NBC. The telecast is based on the original 1959 Broadway production of the show, starring Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Six-time Grammy winner Carrie Underwood stars as Maria and “True Blood” star Moyer as Capt. Georg von Trapp with Tony Award winners McDonald (Ragtime, Master Class) as Mother Abbess, Benanti (Gypsy, Women on the Verge) as Elsa Schrader and Borle (Peter and the Starcatcher, "Smash") as Max Dettweiler.

The Librettist's Challenge

A great show needs a great story, and a great story is much like a house of cards; each card has its exact place within the overall structure. Every card is essential to the stability of all of the others and, just like a well-told story, the result is a thing to marvel at, as long as each card is in its proper place. To build that perfect story, you must consider all of the elements, beginning with a premise that will provide a solid foundation for the characters, plot, and theme all woven together, seamlessly. structuring a show means to plan all of these elements developing a character arc. You build a solid foundation for your story by developing your premise and working with your protagonist's character arc. From there, you will build your outline, working with the three-act structure. Once your foundation is solid, you will focus on adding texture and balance to your story. It seems like an insurmountable task to weave all of the essential elements seamlessly, but the truth is that it isn't, if you properly develop and outline your story ahead of time.

Choosing Your Guide

“In dark ages people are best guided by religion, as in a pitch-black night a blind man is the best guide; he knows the roads and paths better than a man who can see. When daylight comes, however, it is foolish to use blind, old men as guides.”

Heinrich Heine

Another Self-Promoter

“Heroes must see to their own fame. No one else will.”

Gore Vidal

A Writer's Self-Promotion

In the late 80s I met Tom Wolfe during his promotional tour for his book Bonfire of the Vanities.  I was surprised to see him intensely engaged in self-promotion. Like a pop star he created an image of himself. Only now I discovered that he was copying a famous role model. The first writer to brand himself was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. As early as 1873 he had tried to trademark "Mark Twain", and in  1908 formally established the Mark Twain Company to promote his work and image. Starting in 1909 the company, rather than Twain himself, retained copyright to new works. Mark Twain cigars and Mark Twain whiskey were already on the market. From early on, Twain made sure that his image remained distinctive and unforgettable -  from the shaggy mustache, shock of white hair and ever present cigar to the white serge suits, worn year-round, that were his signature outfit. Twain had become iconic. Those invited to his 70th birthday celebration in 1905 were given foot-high plaster busts of Twain to lug home.