Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| Natasha |
The French productionGuys, I'm very interested in the French production of Cats... I'm sorry if there already was such a thread on this forum, if so, please tell me where to look... The forum is so big I'm afraid I can get lost here,
I'd appreciate if you could give me any information... |
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| OldDeuteronomy |
I know the show opened in '89 & the set was bought from Amsterdam | ||||
| Pounce |
Having a production in France says something for CATS because I don't think many shows from Broadway and the West End make their way to the Parisian stage and there is a cast recording as well. Les Miserables doesn't count since its origins as a musical is French. | ||||
| MrsJemimaMistoffelees |
Yeah, the only musicals I know of that made it from Broadway or the West End to France are "CATS", "Chicago", and "Jesus Christ Superstar". There was also a production of "RENT" in Québec. Veel Liefs, Jemima 
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| Idiosylph |
Here's the homepage of Guy-Paul Ruolt De St Germain, who was in the Paris show. He's got some pictures from when he was in the show, and as a result has some of the best pictures of the French cast.
He was also in the Dutch, London and was in the current UK tour of CATS last I knew. He's a wonderful Misto! So cute with his French accent! |
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| forevaeva23 |
Omg! In the London pictures, there are ones of Jo Bingham as Etcetera! She is tiny in them! | ||||
| Alonza0 |
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/lemondedecats/
This is a Cats site, in French of course, that is very dedicated to the French production and has many pictures. If you are worried about not understanding it, I wouldn't worry that much. If you look, a lot of words are amazingly similar to English. You can also try www.freetranslation.com for what you don't understand. I believe Jemima57 is affiliated with this French Cats site, so if you want to talk to her, she might have information for you. |
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| Etcetera Kitten |
@MrsJemima: True, we had RENT but I didn't go to see it. Québec only produces a few musicals, that often only go to France. Romeo and Juliet, Don Juan, Starmania and Notre Dame de Paris are a few examples of musicals we got.
I myself am French from Québec, and I cannot find the French cast recording of Cats anywhere. Cats in French wasnt successful at all. Oh well, just my two cents. |
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| Munkujerry |
Between 1975 and 1995 (with Notre Dame de Paris), the only musical who had success in France was Starmania (maybe Jemima57 will contradict me). And I think, the French production of Cats arrived at the bad moment, and more he had a real problem of translation. The poetry of the original version does not appear in the French version.
What a shame, because it seems that recording of the music is really good (findable on amazon.fr) Almost 20 years later, a new production with better translation, I think it could be a success. |
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| Jemima57 |
Yep this is my site Just clic on "Cats en France" and there I have the infos I have collected about the production ("La Production"), a small gallery ("Galerie"), the original cast ("Premier casting"), the second one ("Deuxième casting"), the song list ("Les Chansons"), an interview of Thierry Gondet who was the original French Skimble ("Interview"), and then the last part is not finished 
If you don't find a good translator and have problems understanding something, just ask me
In fact musicals are not really part of the French culture, we're more into theatre I guess. It has become worse since around 1998/1999, with the arrival of the big productions like "Notre Dame de Paris", "Roméo & Juliette", "Les Dix Commandements", "Cindy", and so on, which called themselves musicals (in French "Comédie musicale") but are in fact music shows (in French "Spectacle musical"), real musicals have get a bad name
I mean, those big productions have singers who sing their songs (and are not actors but only try to show themselves on TV and a few months later they make their own cd), dancers who pretend to be singing but don't, no live orchestra, very very annoying advertissements one year and sometimes more before the opening of the show, the show playing only in big concert places.... People are now really bored with these productions, often make fun about it, and this gives a prejudice to real musicals - as people mix up those big shows with real musical theatre. However we have some good hopes for the future, as a really good production of "Fiddler on the roof" opened in Paris, and happens to be successful ! It's playing in a real theatre, with an orchestra, real performers who can act and sing,... Most of all, Stage Entertainment has bought a theatre in Paris and is going to produce "The Lion King" in 2007 (it was originally planned for 2006 but it was cancelled).
If Cats would open now, I don't think it would be successful. We'll have to wait a few years I think. Maybe wait until they stop producing those big hits shows, and real musicals slowly develop and meet success without mediatization just like "Fiddler on the roof" is currently doing. Edit : well I hadn't realize I've been talking so much I hope you get in understanding something In fact I'm a lot in that debate and I do all I can to make people I know (or on French forums) understand that musical theatre is a real art.
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| Pounce |
Merci Jemima57
That was very interesting. I know that France has a very rich history of theater. When I was living in Grenoble, I saw a student production of Molière's "Le Malade imaginaire". But what impressed me the most was France's passion for film. They really value film as an art form. But I don't have much sense of France and musical theater. Is that why Alain Boubil and Claude-Michel Schönberg had Les Miserables developed in London? And was Les Miz also unsuccessful when it came over to France? I hope France has more Boubils and Schönbergs. I know how much MrsJemimaMistoffelees loves "Roméo & Juliette" so she might object but would it really be considered to be not a "true" musical? The Germans and Japanese seem to have really embraced musical theater with the Germans producing some of their own although they don't seem to be as successful outside of Germany. From the comments of ALW with the opening of CATS in Moscow, I get the impression that musical theater is also relatively new to Russia. |
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| Natasha |
Very, very new 
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| Idiosylph |
It's got tough competition with Russia's rich history of ballet. But it looks to be diving in head first! I've seen pictures of We Will Rock You online! Back to France, is there any chance that the current European tour will get to you guys? |
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| MrsJemimaMistoffelees |
There is a storyline, singing, acting, dialogue,, etc. How is it not a musical? There is especially a lot more dialogue in the Vienna production. According to dictionary.com, a musical is "A play or movie that contains musical numbers". So, yes, R&J is considered a "true" musical. IMO, it has to do with the music. It seems that the French really don’t like the typical Broadway/West End type musicals, but pop musicals. “Les Misérables”, “CATS”, and the movie version of “The Phantom of the Opera” all flopped there…but musicals like “Notre Dame de Paris”, “Starmania”, “Roméo et Juliette” all succeeded. Veel Liefs, Jemima
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| MrsJemimaMistoffelees |
"Les Misérables" premiered in France in 1980. Then it went to London. Veel Liefs, Jemima
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| Jemima57 |
Well maybe I gave a bad explanation... I used the word "true musical" to try to explain.... As I said, we have two different words in France : spectacle musical and comédie musicale - and it's quit difficult to translate them in english.
"Comédie musicale" is for musicals which are played in a theatre, with a live orchestra, real performers (who aren't famous singers),... Broadway/West End type. These are usually short run productions, made by French authors, and can be really interesting. They have no mediatization so usually are not well known out of people who are interested in musical theatre. "Spectacle musical" are for big productions which play in concert halls, have no orchestra but a pre-recorded music and choir, make video clips, have the music played on the radio, have French singers in the main cast who later make their own cd, make a big tour in France, a lot of advertissement one year and more before the premiere... These are shows like "NDDP", or currently "Le Roi Soleil". For example, Jérome Pradon or Thierry Gondet, who are great musical performers, will be seen in "comédies musicales" but not in "spectacles musicaux". About Les Mis, it was unsuccefull in France both in 1980 and 1991 
Idiosylph which European Tour are you talking about ? |
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| Munkujerry |
Yeah, you're absolutely right... I believe I'm too optimistic
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