[SapphireNight]

Please can you help! I need to collect some information about people’s perceptions of musicals which have both stage and film versions, for a university assignment. I would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to answer this short questionnaire.

This short questionnaire is referring to the stage/filmed musicals of Rent, Chicago, Evita, Cats, Phantom and Joseph.
Please answer each questionnaire for one particular musical. If you can spare the time, please repeat the questionnaire for each of these musicals you have seen (or, any other musical which has both been staged in the theatre, and made into a film.)

Any help is much appreciated!

1. Are you a fan of the film, stage version, or both?
2. Did you see the film first, or the stage version first?
3. Which do you prefer/enjoy more?
4. How do you feel the film compares to the stage version? Eg, changes made- are they warranted; do they work?
5. Do you have any other comments on the way the musical was adapted?

6. If you haven’t seen one version (ie, only the film, or only the stage version), are you interested in seeing the other? And why?
7. Do you feel the film is trying to appeal to a wider/film/more commercial audience, or to the musical’s fan based audience?
8. Briefly, can you describe how it tries to appeal to this audience (if you can).
9. Do you think that the methods used to appeal to that audience get in the way of what the core of the musical is in itself? Ie, is the musical still being true to itself?

Thank you

(Note to Mods. I do appologise for repeat posting this in each of the 6 musicals topics, but I need as many pesponces as possible. I dont think theres a general ALW section. The assignment is due in two weeks, first draft in one, I need as many responces as soon as possible. Please PM me if there is a problem with this, so we can figure out what to do.)

[faliah_dahn]

1. I've never seen the stage version. (I live in a rural area.) However, I've heard recordings of Bebe Neuwirth, etc. and I think, surprisingly, that Catherine Zeta-Jones and the other Hollywood actors did better jobs. More nuanced, better recording quality, better expression. Just better, in my opinion.

2. See answer one.

3. See answer one.

4. Wouldn't know. I hear the "dream sequence" approach to the songs was just for the movie, and in the stage version the numbers occur in real-time. I like the former approach better. Stylistically.

5. Renee Zellwegger was totally pieced together and can't sing that well in real life, as verified during the 2005 Academy Awards, when Queen Latifah was asked to sub in for Zellwegger for the performance of a duet with Zeta-Jones.

6. I would like to see the musical, just to see how the story was altered for the silver screen.

7. Films always try to appeal to the widest audience possible.

8. Um ... not really.

9. The musical is about ... what was it? "Corruption, greed, adultery, treachery." Something like that, right? So the basic message was kept the same. Personnally, I love the story -- it's all about women behaving badly, overpowering men (for the most part; they'd be nowehere without Billy), getting away with murder (literally), and coming out on top, richer and happier than ever.