Scrooge No More!
- Thread starter BGW Family
- Start date
Ah, that old book is so outdated. I'm sure BGW could whip up something far superior that's more appropriate for modern audiences. Maybe inject some awesome punk rock into that old school book?
[THIS POST IS SARCASM]
[THIS POST IS SARCASM]
I think I understand what Luke is saying. It's not the traditional ending that was the problem, its the fact that they literally play their song, "Together At Christmas" three times at the end of the show. I agree that it's slight overkill. That song combined(including reprises and preludes), takes up seven minutes and a few seconds. That's unacceptable in a roughly thirty minute production. That's almost a quarter of the show.
From what I understand, they already made a few minor changes from the initial script to get what we saw last year. Although I think it's one of my favorite shows at BGW in a long time, it still could use adjustments.
The projections and their respective surfaces need to be fixed. The square panel that was in the back in several scenes, blurred the image so many times. I would love to make a thorough list of every small detail, but I don't expect the park to follow an improvement list from "CastleOSullivan, on BGWFans". I hope they have enough sense to do it themselves without ruining a popular show.
From what I understand, they already made a few minor changes from the initial script to get what we saw last year. Although I think it's one of my favorite shows at BGW in a long time, it still could use adjustments.
The projections and their respective surfaces need to be fixed. The square panel that was in the back in several scenes, blurred the image so many times. I would love to make a thorough list of every small detail, but I don't expect the park to follow an improvement list from "CastleOSullivan, on BGWFans". I hope they have enough sense to do it themselves without ruining a popular show.
This show is just about the same as last year. There are a few, tiny, very minor changes here and there, the most notable being fixing of projections, specifically the Ghost of Christmas Present's section. Really, there was hardly any disorientation as far as projections go, which was especially surprising considering I saw the first performance of the first day.
I don't think we'll ever be able to have an actor as good as last year's Scrooge, but this year's is still very nice, and I think all he can do is grow more into the part. To me, he seemed more comfortable with the last part of the show than the first, but I think that will improve as time goes on.
Bella and Young Ebenezer, although different from last year were equally as talented, and really perfect for their roles. In addition to that, all the new cast members were very good.
Additionally, I believe the cast was slightly smaller this year. But other than that, not much has changed from last year's version(nor does it need to), and it was all in all very good.
I don't think we'll ever be able to have an actor as good as last year's Scrooge, but this year's is still very nice, and I think all he can do is grow more into the part. To me, he seemed more comfortable with the last part of the show than the first, but I think that will improve as time goes on.
Bella and Young Ebenezer, although different from last year were equally as talented, and really perfect for their roles. In addition to that, all the new cast members were very good.
Additionally, I believe the cast was slightly smaller this year. But other than that, not much has changed from last year's version(nor does it need to), and it was all in all very good.
The spirit of Christmas Present was an improvement. Having him appear first as a nutcracker worked better with the block-shaped screen, and also looked less confrontational.
The projections were mostly improved, however, the scenery and the projections were often off sync. In the second attached photo, you can see that the curtain was moving faster than the projection. That's why the bottom of the lowering screen is a projection of the backdrop.
The projections were mostly improved, however, the scenery and the projections were often off sync. In the second attached photo, you can see that the curtain was moving faster than the projection. That's why the bottom of the lowering screen is a projection of the backdrop.
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I love the new Christmas Present transition! So much better than last year. Also, thanks for the gif COS!
Scrooge No More is still one of my favorite productions at Christmas Town. This year has some strengths over last year, but one thing in particular is too much of an issue for me to overlook any longer. The projections throughout this years show look like nobody took time to calibrate anything.
The blurry center is not such much an issue anymore, but it looks like entire scenes were not scaled properly. I don't know how much time it would take to fix the issue, but the process looks quite fun. Imagine the entire stage turning into a Mac desktop. That's what it looks like.
Either way, my last post showed how the screen and projection speed are not synchronized. It seems like that's not the only problem however. The projected and physical edges are not aligned at all.
Unfortunately I only have one photo right now to illustrate that. I hope this can be fixed.
The blurry center is not such much an issue anymore, but it looks like entire scenes were not scaled properly. I don't know how much time it would take to fix the issue, but the process looks quite fun. Imagine the entire stage turning into a Mac desktop. That's what it looks like.
Either way, my last post showed how the screen and projection speed are not synchronized. It seems like that's not the only problem however. The projected and physical edges are not aligned at all.
Unfortunately I only have one photo right now to illustrate that. I hope this can be fixed.
Attachments
Everything seemed to be running perfect over the weekend though the actor portraying the ghost of Christmas present was a bit off key with his lines
It's hard to tell sometimes if that's actually him or the direction. I know it sounds plain silly, but someone (either a director or composer) added a deliberate bar where the singing is supposed to mimic a rebound effect. This is to match up with the spirit "moving" Scrooge in a sweeping marionette motion during the transition. To do so, they in turn break a serious rule about singing.
In my opinion, that spirit seems like the least thought out of them all. It also had the most last minute changes such as lines being added and removed. During development, they had a struggle with balancing the tone between happy/silly and serious. That is what happens when a show is nearly shelved.
In my opinion, that spirit seems like the least thought out of them all. It also had the most last minute changes such as lines being added and removed. During development, they had a struggle with balancing the tone between happy/silly and serious. That is what happens when a show is nearly shelved.
Loooove Scrooge no Mores
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My favorite actor....^^^
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My favorite actor....^^^
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He is. The Vampire, Swampy, and at least one Nurse, are also in the cast.
Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past didn't fly during the show yesterday. It wasn't a big deal, as I'm sure they were simply having issues with the rigging, as Christmas Past came onstage without wearing any of the flight gear or cables.
However, it was interesting seeing the show's "Plan B" for when the flying isn't operational. After Scrooge touched Christmas Past's hand and when she started singing (which is usually when the two are lifted by the cables), they engaged in some sort of rapid, frenetic ballroom waltz. Then, Christmas Past started twirling in circles while Scrooge broke free from her arms and ran back and forth across the stage (in a "Where are we?" type of movement).
Marley's ghost was still "flying" as usual- I imagine different mechanisms are used for the Marley scene and the Christmas Past scene. I do wonder how Marley's scene is staged when his mechanics don't work. Mainly, I wonder if there is a separate projection where the "chains" are projected closer to the ground, so they would cover the actor standing onstage rather than hovering 20 feet in the air.
However, it was interesting seeing the show's "Plan B" for when the flying isn't operational. After Scrooge touched Christmas Past's hand and when she started singing (which is usually when the two are lifted by the cables), they engaged in some sort of rapid, frenetic ballroom waltz. Then, Christmas Past started twirling in circles while Scrooge broke free from her arms and ran back and forth across the stage (in a "Where are we?" type of movement).
Marley's ghost was still "flying" as usual- I imagine different mechanisms are used for the Marley scene and the Christmas Past scene. I do wonder how Marley's scene is staged when his mechanics don't work. Mainly, I wonder if there is a separate projection where the "chains" are projected closer to the ground, so they would cover the actor standing onstage rather than hovering 20 feet in the air.
Saw the show today for the first time this year and I really like the new Scrooge and I was left satisfied during the whole performance. Though with the part with Marley coming from the ceiling I always believed it would have been better for him to come from underneath the stage.