Walken and Singin'?
1999-08-27 12:12:23
When someone says "musical" don't you immediately think Christopher Walken? Well, no, neither do I. But if someone were to say "James Joyce," how about then? OK, still no Christopher Walken. But what about "The Dead"? Ah ha! See, see, it all makes sense to have Christopher Walken starring in a musical adaptation of James Joyce's depressing short story "The Dead."
The show is going to be directed by Jack Hofsiss, and produced by Gregory Mosher, and no, I don't know who these guys are either. But apparently it was Mosher's idea to involve Mr. Walken. Walken followers know that this will not be the Tall Pale One's first musical -- he was also in the 1981 musical film, "Pennies From Heaven," starring Steve Martin. Note the Salon story doesn't mention that it was all lip synced!
Personally, I find this all very weird -- and it's not even the Walken part that does it. Way back when I was in AP English we actually joked about people one day making movies out of James Joyce stories! We thought we were big weird lit geeks, but we thinking too small! Why just make a movie when you can stage a musical! And why just stage a musical when you can stage a musical starring Christopher Walken!
After this I'm not even gonna blink when they come out with "Finnegans Wake" action figures and Disney does "A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man" ...
The musical will open on Oct. 1 at the Playwright's Horizon in New York. If anyone actually goes, please please send us a review.
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