Page 31 - ARUBA TODAY

A31
PEOPLE & ARTS Thursday 16 March 2017

‘La La Land,’ ‘Beauty’ herald more Days of Sun for musicals

JOCELYN NOVECK many other musicals), the
AP National Writer moment for musicals has
So, perhaps you’ve heard: been happening “for quite
“La La Land” didn’t win a while.”
best picture at the Oscars. “Look at the box office,”
But if every cloud has a sil- he said in a recent inter-
ver lining, this one might be view, listing “Hamilton” and
called golden: The Emma a slew of other Broadway
Stone-Ryan Gosling musi- shows, by him and others.
cal, which did win six Os- “It’s just an explosion of mu-
cars, has been racking up sicals. And this new gener-
box office numbers remark- ation coming up who were
able for a musical — nearly sort of weaned on our influ-
$417 million globally so far, ence, and they’re kicking
according to comScore — butt.” Platt and Moore, of
and even more for an origi- “La La Land,” also point to
nal one with no previously the younger creative voic-
known songs or story. Da- es injecting life into musi-
mien Chazelle’s eye-pop- cals in various forms; Cha-
ping, toe-tapping creation zelle is 32, and Miranda 37.
ranks third in all live-action “It’s part of the evolution
film musicals, behind the of the art,” says Platt. “You
2008 “Mamma Mia!” and have new young voices
the 2012 “Les Miserables,” who grew up seeing the
neither of them original. world in a certain way, and
“That’s big-time money,” This image released by Lionsgate shows Ryan Gosling, right, and Emma Stone in a scene from, “La hearing the world in a cer-
says Paul Dergarabedian, La Land.” The film won many Oscar Awards, including best actress for Emma Stone. tain way. And what’s re-
senior media analyst at Associated Press ally interesting is ... they’re
comScore. “At times, the all steeped in the history
musical genre has been Jackman as P.T. Barnum in er of “La La Land,” not to trend of live musicals like of the genre. Lin-Manuel
marginalized or not taken “The Greatest Showman,” mention the upcoming “Grease,” ‘’Peter Pan” and and Benj and Justin can
seriously. But this is serious with music by “La La Land” “Mary Poppins Returns” “Hairspray.” tell you every piece of mu-
business.” lyricists Benj Pasek and Jus- and “Wicked” films. “So “I don’t think it’s a coin- sical theater history, the
It’s enough to make a mu- tin Paul, and a year later when a movie captures the cidence,” says Mandy way that Damien can tell
sical fan break into sud- the high-profile “Mary Pop- imagination and hearts of Moore, the choreographer you the history of great
den, joyful song — and as pins Returns” with Emily people around the world, of “La La Land,” who’s also American and French New
musical fans know, there’s Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda it’s going to have a positive worked extensively in tele- Wave musical cinema.
absolutely nothing wrong and Meryl Streep, among influence on similar genres vision. And so they’re taking from
with that! — perhaps on others. Also reportedly on getting made.” “I think it went away for a the past, drawing on what
the way to the multiplex, tap: a Will Ferrell-Kristen Wiig In a broader cultural sense, while, that style of storytell- they’ve learned and stud-
where this weekend Emma original musical about the is the musical undergo- ing, and that style of mu- ied, but putting it through
Watson’s “Beauty and the little-known world of corpo- ing a renaissance, or at sic, and it’s like anything the lens and the filter of
Beast” is expected to have rate musicals, and a Josh least a major moment? — bellbottoms were cool, their very contemporary
a huge, $120 million-style Gad musical with songs Or is it all just a happy co- and then they were not world.”
opening. And if a Disney by Broadway luminaries incidence? Certainly, it’s cool, and then they were “Beauty” director Bill Con-
tale featuring a Harry Pot- Alan Menken and Stephen been a great time for mu- cool again. People throw don credits animated mu-
ter-caliber array of top Brit- Schwartz. A musical version sicals on Broadway, where it away for a while and sical films with getting au-
ish actors isn’t your thing, of the Broadway megahit Miranda’s “Hamilton” has then come back to it and diences comfortable with
you need only wait; there’s “Wicked” is also coming been breaking all kinds of remember, oh, that was the simple act of a charac-
a slew of other live-action down the pike. records (and bringing with really cool, and why don’t ter breaking into song.
musicals in the works, a And there’s more yet to it a hugely enthusiastic, we reinvent it?” “And then if you let it hap-
combination of originals, come. “Good movies be- youthful audience) since it To Menken, who com- pen, it turns out that the
sequels and remakes. This get other good movies,” opened in July 2015. And posed the music for “Beau- audience actually loves
Christmas, we’ll have Hugh says Marc Platt, a produc- on TV, there’s been the ty and the Beast” (and that,” Condon says. q

Colombian rocker Juanes writes

1st English song

help of hitmaking songwrit- The Associated Press in a
SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS er-producer PooBear, Co- recent presentation of his
Associated Press lombian rock star Juanes new production in New
NEW YORK (AP) — With the wrote “Goodbye For Now,” York.

his first song in English. The “I did a few experiments
In this Dec. 11, 2015 file pho-
to, Colombian singer Juanes song is part of his antici- and they didn’t come out
performs during the 40 Prin- pated visual album, “Mis very well, until finally this
cipales Awards in Madrid, planes son amarte,” to be time, after several years liv-
Spain. Juanes has written, released in the next few ing here in this country and
“Goodbye For Now,” his first months. “Four or five years knowing the language bet-
English song for his upcoming ago I started recording in ter, I felt more comfortable
visual album.
Associated Press English, but honestly I find it doing it,” he said.q
very difficult,” Juanes told