Author Archives: David Fick

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About David Fick

teacher + curator + writer + director + performer = (future maker + ground shaker) x (big thinker + problem shrinker) x (go getter + detail sweater)

RAPUNZEL is now TANGLED…

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David Fick

Disney’s Rapunzel has been retitled Tangled due to Disney’s belief that the title of The Princess and the Frog deterred young boys from seeing the film preventing that film from performing as well as they hoped it would at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Disney, Movies, Musicals, YouTube | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

“Showtunes” – an all-encompassing term?

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David Fick

A recent discussion on Musicals.net that debated the terminology that could be used to classify songs from musicals caught my attention. Thinking about it carefully, I realised that I do not feel that “Broadway” or “showtune” function well as an … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadway, International, Musicals, Theory and Practice, West End | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Genres of Musical Theatre Redux: the 2010 edition

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David Fick

In a discussion around different kinds of musical theatre, I think the first step is to define the terrain of musical theatre. Musical theatre does not include all theatre that uses music. Musical theatre excludes – for example – opera, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Dance, Musicals, Plays, Revues, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Defending Theory and Practice

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David Fick

Every now and then, I’ll get a nasty little message implying that discussions around musical theatre practice, debates around musical theatre terminology and so on are petty and worthless. Let me go on record saying that I do not think … Continue reading →

Posted in Musicals, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

O/T: Your First CD?

Posted on June 30, 2010 by David Fick

How’s this for a bit of fun? What were your first CD’s? Bonus points if they are musical theatre related! My first CD’s were Mango Groove’s self-titled first album and the soundtrack of Beauty and the Beast. I still have … Continue reading →

Posted in Off Topic, Showtune Albums | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

The Alice Ripley Controversy

Posted on June 30, 2010 by David Fick

Musical theatre sites are buzzing with conflicting opinions around the “Alice Ripley” controversy. Haven’t heard about it yet? Here’s the 411: From PopWatch: (Alice Ripley) came under fire for using a gay slur in her Facebook status, a response to … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadway, Commentary, General News, Musicals | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rhyme in Musical Theatre Lyrics

Posted on June 25, 2010 by David Fick

Here is an interesting question that I’d like people to consider: why do we expect musical theatre to make use of pure rhyme or celebrate lyrics that are crafted using pure rhyme more readily than those that employ other kinds … Continue reading →

Posted in Musicals, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

O/T: Brecht and Didactic Theatre

Posted on June 24, 2010 by David Fick

I was recently reading a rather mundane series of posts around the issue of adaptation at Musicals.net, which then delved into the realm of Bertolt Brecht and his vision of theatre. Here’s the bit that I found interesting: Hans wrote: … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Off Topic, Plays, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thoughts on THE BOYS IN THE PHOTOGRAPH

Posted on June 20, 2010 by David Fick

I went to see the 14:00 show Ben Elton and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Boys in the Photograph today. What follows are my thoughts on the show, a revised version of the 2000 musical The Beautiful Game. I shall also … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, In Depth Analysis, International, Musicals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Original” Musicals

Posted on June 15, 2010 by David Fick

As musicals based on movies become more and more frequently produced, discussions on musical theatre forums around the Internet regarding the lack of “original” Musicals” seem to become more and more prominent. Most people seem to forget, however, that truly … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadway, Musicals, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment