Chaplin review
This musical has one nomination for Tony & 6 nominations for Drama Desk Award. None of these awards was given to a musical, because during its show there were stronger plays on Broadway. For example, it is a pity that this musical was destined to play in the same time as the Lion King or The Phantom Of The Opera – it just pales and fades out on their background, like many others, not as talented as those two mentioned. However, such is the fate of all the productions for 1 – 2 seasons. Here, in particular, show stretched only 1 season and that was it.
Among the many things that have been created for the sake of describing the life of Charlie Chaplin (books, movies, shows), this musical was something washed-out, too corny, focusing on human compassion more than on other emotions. In general, it looks like not very plausible tale, which is made in a style that is difficult to describe at once. Rather, this style is the story of a legendary person that has not yet become epic, but which already has too little from this man whose life had become a fairy tale – the penultimate step on the way to become epic in the future. We liked much more the film adaptation with Robert Downey, Jr. (this is a fellow who depicts Iron Man recently), which was sad but filled with much more emotions than the powdered with sugar, on the brink of a foul being close to cloying farce.
The main problem of this musical is that it tries to cover as much as possible from life of Charlie, giving priority to narrative, that is, chronological description of events. The creators of the musical forget that the presentation of the material is more important than time track, when talking of musical format. It should have been, perhaps, focused on some particular significant event or a bright sequence of several chronological events, with an emphasis at artistry. For this reason, many of the films failed to transmit the fun when contained so much historic information that it become boring. For example, the film named J. Edgar with Leo DiCaprio (directed by Clint Eastwood) – although it paid off at the box office, it was boring and tedious, where only a few bright moments were interesting. Here there are also some moments when it becomes not boring, but then again the viewer is immersed in sugary routine of what is happening on stage and could even reach for own mobile phone to pass the time or to leave the hall.
Last Update:April, 06th 2016
Chaplin Lyrics
- Overture/Prologue
- Look at All the People
- Whatcha Gonna Do?
- If I Left London
- Sennett Song
- Tramp Discovery
- Tramp Shuffle - Part 1
- Tramp Shuffle - Part 2
- Life Can Be Like the Movies
- The Look-A-Like Contest
- Just Another Day in Hollywood
- The Life That You Wished For
- All Falls Down
- Man of All Countries
- What Only Love Can See
- The Exile
- Where Are All the People?
- This Man
- Finale/Tramp Reprise