Celebrating the worst (and occasionally the best) musicals on film
Located on a small expansion shelf about midway between the Third and Fourth Circles, Musical Hell is presided over by Diva, a minor demon charged with passing judgement on the worst musicals ever committed to film. (She still hasn't figured out if this is their punishment or hers.) Take a seat on the bench and have your earplugs ready, because court is now in session.
New videos posted on the first Monday of the month. Other viewpoints, news, and general ramblings posted when they crop up.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Musical Hell Review: Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
It's time for another trip down the Yellow Brick Road. This time, we'll encounter annoying villains, creepy puppets, and unscrupulous producers.
Special thanks to AniMat for donating his time and sanity! See more of his stuff here!
After reading the links you provided about the making of Dorothy's Return, the con game which went on behind the scenes would make for an interesting musical itself. Something like Mel Brooks' The Producers.
Which do you prefer to review? Musicals which are interesting on their own, or musicals which are interesting due to controversies which happened behind the scenes?
A little bit of both, I think. I find stories about the creative process fascinating (especially when said process goes very wrong), but I don't think it's necessary to know the behind-the-scenes info to appreciate a bad--or good--movie.
Hello -- just started enjoying this site; this review is another winner!
I notice a lot of the voice actors in this one have a lot of stage work under their belts. Here's another bit of trivia to chew over (pun!)...the minor part of the chewing gum lawyer is voiced by Douglas Hodge, the 2010 Tony winner for Leading Actor in a Musical for a "La Cage Aux Folles" revival. (I suspect he recorded his bit role here during his stint in the show -- probably caught wind of the extra work via Kelsey Grammer, his co-star and this movie's Tin Man.) By the time this film finally hit theatres, he was back in his native U.K., wrapping up a year's work as...Willy Wonka in a West End musical adaptation of the novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", a far superior work of candy and pun-based entertainment. (I saw it twice last spring...met him at the stage door too. A gentleman.) And now you know.
After reading the links you provided about the making of Dorothy's Return, the con game which went on behind the scenes would make for an interesting musical itself. Something like Mel Brooks' The Producers.
ReplyDeleteWhich do you prefer to review? Musicals which are interesting on their own, or musicals which are interesting due to controversies which happened behind the scenes?
A little bit of both, I think. I find stories about the creative process fascinating (especially when said process goes very wrong), but I don't think it's necessary to know the behind-the-scenes info to appreciate a bad--or good--movie.
DeleteHello -- just started enjoying this site; this review is another winner!
ReplyDeleteI notice a lot of the voice actors in this one have a lot of stage work under their belts. Here's another bit of trivia to chew over (pun!)...the minor part of the chewing gum lawyer is voiced by Douglas Hodge, the 2010 Tony winner for Leading Actor in a Musical for a "La Cage Aux Folles" revival. (I suspect he recorded his bit role here during his stint in the show -- probably caught wind of the extra work via Kelsey Grammer, his co-star and this movie's Tin Man.) By the time this film finally hit theatres, he was back in his native U.K., wrapping up a year's work as...Willy Wonka in a West End musical adaptation of the novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", a far superior work of candy and pun-based entertainment. (I saw it twice last spring...met him at the stage door too. A gentleman.) And now you know.