One Thing That Money Can Not Buy… To Wit – The Wag of a Dog’s Tail

1955’s Lady and the Tramp, or Everything I Learned About Romance I Learned From 2 Dogs. Beauty and the Beast is often sighted at the first Date Movie released from Walt Disney Animation Studios but I tend to feel that this is more appropriate. Sure there were princess falling in love at first sight and even twitterpated deer, but never has a relationship been developed from meet-cute to making babies before Lady and the Tramp. And of course there is the iconic spaghetti scene that is synonymous with a perfect date. 

This is your typical uptown girl and wrong side of the tracks (literally) guy fall for each other but told through the eyes of a dog. What I really love about the way this story is told is that they don’t like each other at first. Lady learns that her family will soon welcome a baby and as the Tramp simply strolls into the conversion she is having with her neighbors Jock and Trusty, uninvited. Noting that life will never be the same once the baby arrives, Lady takes immediate dislike to him and he just leaves. Throughout a series of events they meet up again and eventually fall in love. 

Tramp has a wonderful arc from a carefree bachelor to a family man. He’s got this great speech where he looks onto the world as a big place to be explored as a opposed to being tied down the leash of one family. And Lady could have actually used a little more devolvement.  She learns to like the Tramp, but she didn’t really learn much else. This is very much more Tramps story than hers.

Trusty and Jock are a great set of supporting characters. I have a Scottish Terrier, and they got the personality of the little Scottish Die Hard down pact. He’s a loyal friend but as protective as Hell to Lady. There is an odd innuendo where they infer that Lady might have gotten pregnant by Tramp and Jock steps up to the plate to offer his paw in marriage. Despite watching this movie many times as a kid I didn’t realize what this interaction was until I was much older. And I still find it kind of strange. And then there’s old Trusty the Blood Hound. He has a great running gag about him regaling stories about his uncle, Old Reliable, but never remembering if he has mentioned him before. Trusty has lost his sense of smell in his old age. At the climax of the movie, the Tramp is redeemed in the eyes of Jock and Trusty after killing a rat that entered the house and threatened the baby but is apprehended by the dog catcher shortly after and it’s Trusty who is able to track down the truck, nearly sacrificing himself, and save the Tramp. 

I also really appreciate the lack of a defined protagonist in the film. Aunt Sarah is more of a busy body and her cats, Si and Am, are just mischief makers. Neither of them are really trying to get anything out of their dislike for Lady or the Tramp. And a rat is introduced as more a plot convenience than a villain. 

Animation wise, the artist are still at the height of their game. As I mentioned, I am a dog lover, and I’ve seen my own dogs make so many of the same expressions that the characters on screen make, only my pets never had the defined eyebrows. I strike that, my Scotty has very pronounced, old man eyebrows. This was also the first Disney Animated feature presented in Cinemascope so the backgrounds are gorgeous and rich with detail. One of my favorite being the neighbor where Lady lives, with Lady and her family living in a quaint Victorian home, Jock living a brick Tudor style home, and Trusty living in an southern plantation style manor. It reflects their background and it’s something that didn’t really have to be there. Not to mention many of the Disney Artist were probably rushing to complete Disneyland, which would open not even a month after the release of the film, so to put out this caliber of art on film at the time was quite an accomplishment.

I know that there are plenty of romantic comedy clichés, but it’s really hard for me not to love this movie. Next time you want to cuddle up with your loved one, be it human or canine, I would highly recommend putting this gem of a movie on and make it a perfect bella notte. Spaghetti and Chianti bottle candle holder not included.

The Good, The Bad, and The Quasi

(In a quick departure from my Disney Movie Recaps, I’d thought I’d bring you a quick theater review from the US premier of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame currently playing at the La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla CA. Be advised, thar be spoilers ahead)

Picture it, California, 2000. A young man at the dawn of the Internet Is Useful age learns that a production of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame has made it to the stage. And if there were ever a Disney film to be put on Broadway, it was definitely Hunchback. Lo, and behold, it’s a success on the stage, only problem, it’s playing in Berlin. In this dark time of internet, YouTube and Wikipedia had yet to be born. We weren’t Googling yet, we were using Yahoo. And back then, that young man was lucky enough to find a single Geocities site that had the vaguest information about this production of Der Glöckner von Notre Dame. That young man was me, and I became obsessed with this show. I grasped at the tiniest of straws of information about the show. New songs were written by the original team of Stephen Swartz and Alan Menken. A new, darker book had been written by James Lapine. The tone of the show was much more mature and echoed the Victor Hugo novel much closer. Frollo was an archdeacon, Quasimodo was deaf, and Esmeralda died. My best pal Ricky gifted me an imported CD of the Original Cast Recording one Christmas, and it was everything I wanted it to be (except in German). The Berlin production ran from 1999 to 2002 and rumors began circulating that a US premier would not be far behind. After years of waiting I gave up hope. I’d occasionally listen to German soundtrack and dream about what might have been. 

You can imagine my excitement when I heard that an English production was starting workshops, with a new book written by Peter Parnell,  and would have its premiere in the San Diego area! My personal Ticket Master Ricky snatched up tickets as soon as he could get his grubby paws on them and I was going to finally see The Hunchback of Notre Dame on stage.

And, boy was I not disappointed.

Just like the Berlin production, the show retains the darker tone of the novel and ditches many of the light touches that Disney added when they animated the movie. The 3 sidekick gargoyles were removed all together. In the Berlin the gargoyles were renamed and given a more serious role in the show and were, most importantly, firmly established as figments of Quasimodo’s imagination. Here, the role of the gargoyles was given to all stone figures in the cathedral’s bell tower, and the bells themselves, and played by the ensemble cast. I though this worked out wonderfully with the only hiccup being the replacement for the A Guy Like You number with a new song, the Act 2 opener, Flight Into Egypt which felt too silly for the show that had been presented to the audience up to that point.

The ensemble was just fantastic with all of them portraying multiple roles and filling in with narration, sometimes too much narration. When show opens with the stirring Bells of Norte Dame, instead of Clopin taking the lead, the cast takes turns with the exposition heavy song. I would have preferred Clopin keeping the lead role as narrator but for the most part I wasn’t bothered with this. Where it fell apart for me was when the cast started to narrate the action that was unfolding on stage. The show was told in a gorgeous setting, but very minimal sets and props. The narration filled in gaps such as “he walked into the pub” or “he slid down the parapets” and at that point it felt childish and theme parky. If you’ve ever seen Beauty and the Beast Live On Stage at Disney’s Hollywood Studio in Orlando, you know that when Belle reaches the Beast’s castle an omnipresent voice explains it as “a series of events that leads Belle to the castle.” This narration felt just like that, awkward and forced. 

Rounding out the ensemble was a full choir doing the backing vocals, and man, did this sound spectacular. The sound was so full and rich, haunting and ethereal. They remain on stage the whole time and add to the spiritual setting of the show.

The main cast is outstanding as well. Ciara Renee is pitch perfect as Esmeralda. Michael Arden brings the house down with every song as Quasimodo. He is still deaf in this production and some of the words are still sung with a slight slur. In Berlin, Quasi’s songs are sung with clarity and I think it better drives home that the songs are his inner monologue and it makes it a tad more powerful. And I really mean just a tad. I have nothing but praise Arden’s powerful voice. His 11^th hour number, Made of Stone, gave me chills and pretty much deserved a mid-show standing ovation. Frollo, played by Patrick Page, is given a back story about being orphaned with his brother Jahan and brought up in the cathedral. Jahan runs away with a gypsy and gives birth to Quasimodo before dying, making Frollo his uncle. It humanized the normally foul villain and the beginning of the story became just as much his tragedy as it was Quasimodo’s. Not until his big number Hellfire does he go full villain, and his booming voice is everything you want it to be in that song. Andrew Samonsky’s Phoebus was the dimmest star in this constellation, but it’s not saying that he’s bad at all. He had the right swagger for the character, made more morally ambiguous here than dashing hero as in the movie, and his voice were just fine. He just lacked that presence the other three leads had.

After years of anticipation I’m so glad to have finally seen this show live. The music and scenery were all goose bump inducing. Performed in a very small space, it was very intimate despite its grand score and themes. Personally I could have used a slightly bigger stage to accommodate a bigger dance number for Topsy Turvy.  The story changes were all for the better, and what I’d give to see the finale Bells of Notre Dame live again. With a few tweaks, this show will be a huge hit when it gets the spot on the Great White Way it has deserved for so long.

Now if only I could go back to tell 2000 self to be patient and not waste so much time looking for bad .jpeg images of the show. Oh, and tell him that cargo shorts are a mistake.

All It Takes Is Faith And Trust…

If there was ever a movie I wanted to live inside of when I was a little kid it was 1953’s Peter Pan. Peter Pan had it all for a young, imaginative boy like myself. There were swashbuckling pirates, flights, mermaids, pixies, racially insensitive depictions of Native Americans. The film had it all. As an adult, I couldn’t help but get swept away with the romanticism of fantasy of it all. The film opens with my all-time favorite mood setter opening credit sequence song, The Second Star to the Right. This song sounds like the feeling of drifting off into a dream land. The opening strings are just the pixie dust you need to lift you off the ground and send you on a grand adventure with Peter and his Lost Boys. 

The scene is set in London where we see the home of the Darling Family, parents George and Mary, and their children, Wendy, John, Michael, and their nursemaid/dog Nana. As George and Mary are getting ready for a night out, the boys are playing a game of make believe pretending they are Peter Pan and Captain Hook under the tutelage of the expert of all things Pan, Wendy. After things get a bit too rough, George decides that is was time Wendy grew up and this would be the last time she’d sleep in the nursery with her brothers. Mary, on the other hand, this George is being a bit too harsh. I’ve always had a certain affinity with Mrs. Darling. I’ve always seen her as the ultimate mother. She’s so caring and nurturing. She’s beautiful and you can tell that her hug is like a warm blanket. As she tries to comfort the children while tucking them into bed, Wendy ask that the window be left open in case Peter Pan comes back for his shadow. Mary shares her concerns with George, rightfully so, but George brushes this off as the imagination of a little girl.

Enter Pan.

Our titular hero has been waiting on the roof top to retrieve his shadow as it turns out he’s been listening to the stories Wendy has been telling the boys about him. Peter Pan is full of himself. If Peter Pan were any cockier he’d definitely be really annoying but he comes across more has an extremely self-confident fella than a total douche. He’s accompanied by his companion and iconic Disney symbol, Tinkerbell. I adore the original depiction of Tinkerbell. Here she is spiteful and petty. Walt once described her as so tiny that she only has room for one emotion at a time. When she feels happiness, jealousy, or rage, she feels it to the fullest. She’s been so watered down as the years go by, she’s now just a sassy symbol of all things magic. And why is she always depicted with a wand? For Ollivander’s sake, she never carries a magic wand in the movie. But I digress… The two sneak into the Darling’s nursery  for the shadow and successfully convince the kids to fly off to Neverland where Wendy will not have to grow up so she can continue to tell stories about Peter Pan to Peter Pan and his band of Lost Boys. With a happy thought and a sprinkling of pixie dust the children are off. I’d like to think that every Disney Animated film has one iconic scene that is magic at its purest and You Can Fly is it. You literally watch the children fly over London and into another world, but you feel that you are transported with them. 

When they reach the beautiful island planet of Neverland they have their first encounter with Captain Hook and his ship, The Jolly Roger. The 1950’s were a good time to be a comedic Disney Villain. The interactions Hook has with his First Mate, Mr. Smee, are hilarious. Captain Hook is wonderfully foppish and Mr. Smee joyously bumbling. Mr. Smee has always seemed too kind hearted to be mean. It’s like he’s the little brother that just wants to hang out with the big boys. There is a Crocodile lusting after Hook’s other, probably even tastier, hand and hilarity ensues. But in all honesty the comedy between Hook, Smee, and the Crocodile is some of the funniest physical comedy Disney has put out even to this date. And it’s not to say that Captain Hook isn’t dark, he attempts to kill Pan several times and successfully kills one of his crew members in cold blood. 

When they reach mainland Neverland Tinkerbell tells the gullible Lost Boys that Wendy is a bird and must be shot down. Wendy has her first brush with death and Tinkerbell admits to the attempted murder. Peter Pan banishes Tinkerbell from the island… for 2 weeks. 

During a seeming routine game of hide and go capture with the Neverland Indians (Native Neverlandians? Is that more politically correct?) the Indian Chief informs them that they will not be released until the princess Tiger Lily is set free.

 After an encounter with some deliciously bitchy mermaids (I get the sinking sensation that Peter Pan is quite the ladies man-child), Peter and Wendy, whom is on brush with death #2, see Hook with a captive Tiger Lily. Tiger Lily is captured for information on Peter’s secret hideout, but she remains tightlipped. Peter saves the princess with the help of a clueless Smee, a hungry Crocodile, and some pretty awesome impression skills. 

The Indian camp celebrates the return of Tiger Lily with the infamously inappropriate song, What Makes the Red Man Red. Now, to be honest, I still don’t see the song as that bad. Musically it’s great. It’s got a great beat with pounding drums and the chorus of singers deliver it effectively. What I try to keep in mind is that this is a 1950’s interpretation of a British Victorian view of the Native Americans. It could have been worse. 

In the midst of the revelry, Wendy is completely through with the excess and heads back to the hideout in preparation to return home. Meanwhile, back at the Jolly Roger, Hell hath no fury like a pixie scorned when Tinkerbell is manipulated by Captain Hook into revealing Pan’s hideout. 

Back at the hideout Wendy gathers the rest of the Lost Boys so they can return home to London with the movie halting song Your Mother and Mine. I thought this song was horrendously boring when I was a kid, the main saving grace being some comedy provided by the pirates who are preparing to kidnap the kids and set a bomb trap for Peter Pan. Now that I’m a bit older, the song is a bit of a sentimental one as I seem to appreciate what my mommy did more and more  now that I see all she’s done for me during my childhood. The kids get apprehended, and Tinkerbell barely escapes the Jolly Roger with enough time to save Peter from the bomb, and redeeming her treachery.

Peter rescues the Darling Children and Lost Boys and leaves Hook to fend for himself against our pal the Crocodile. Peter and the children sail back to London and the Darlings are left with memories of a grand adventure. 

Even though J.M. Barrie’s 1904 play and 1911 novel have been adapted many times over the years, there is good reason the Disney version is the one that comes to most people’s minds. It’s a colorful, wildly imaginative, and beautifully animated movie.  It’s not to say it’s a perfect film, the Lost Boys really have no character other than “Boy” and Your Mother and Mine kills the pacing, but this along with fantastic 1993 Fox animated series Peter Pan and the Pirates have kept me dreaming of never growing up in Neverland all my life.