| I saw Spider Woman twice at Sundance | |
| Last Edit: ashowgoer15 11:54 pm EST 01/29/25 | |
| Posted by: ashowgoer15 11:53 pm EST 01/29/25 | |
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| Hi everyone! I’ve been on this board for years, but haven’t posted in probably over a decade. Seeing all the discussion of the Spider Woman film, I thought you’d appreciate the following info. This is a VERY LONG post and there are sort-of spoilers below — mainly about what songs are included and not. Background — I saw Spider Woman as a teen with Vanessa/Howard/Brian and it remains one of my favorites. I’ve written papers on the show and Kander and Ebb, and was fortunate enough to interview Terrence McNally and Tom Kirdahy about McNally’s documentary in 2018. For the person on the thread below asking if the film was a vanity project for JLo, it was absolutely not — Terrence and Tom were trying to make the film for years. JLo was not attached at the time of my interview (neither was Condon). I attend Sundance annually. The film had its world premiere there this past Sunday. Often times, filmmakers are still making edits and tweaks in the days and hours before films screen there. While some films already have distribution secured in advance of their Sundance debut, most do not, but hope for a studio and/or streaming deal after premiering. Each Sundance film has about five public screenings in Park City and Salt Lake City during the festival. At the time of my post, a distribution deal has not yet been secured for Spider Woman. Deals are typically announced on Deadline and Hollywood Reporter and can be found via Google News search. I would expect one to be announced soon based on Condon’s track record and the fact that it stars JLo. Once that deal is struck, that’s when you’ll find out more about release dates. It could be in the coming months, later in the year, or even next year. It could make it to cinemas, or it could just be streaming -- it’s all up to the distributing studio. I attended the premiere at Sundance and then the second screening the following night. These were two very different audiences — the first was a mix of supporters of the filmmaking team, traditional Sundance filmgoers, and folks who wanted to attend a big Sundance premiere with JLo as the main draw. The second screening, which was late at night at a smaller theatre, was a more casual crowd that simply seemed interested in seeing the film. (Or, as there are scores of films at the festival, sometimes attendees just pop into whatever they can get a ticket to.) The audience at the premiere gave the film — well, JLo — a standing ovation. Standing ovations are rare at Sundance (unlike on Broadway), and I do not believe it would’ve gotten one without JLo present. They didn’t stand up until she took the stage. If it had been a true standing ovation for the film, it would’ve started during or immediately after the credits, or when they introduced Condon, who took the stage first. My choice to see the film twice was purposeful. The first time, I had to deal with a frantic brain thinking, “Why did they change this?? Why is that song missing??” From the moment the film begins, there's a change -- Molina is assigned to Valentin's cell instead of the other way around. On my second viewing, I was able to watch the film with a more open mind. I don’t want this to be a review — those are all online (though none of the critics seem to be familiar with the show). In the end, I thought it was very good and maintained the spirit of the show, if not the exact script, score, or structure. I do not believe it will win major awards, but Tonatiuh could likely get some well-earned nominations and attention, as will JLo. It will likely get more love at the Golden Globes since they have musical categories. JLo will likely have a better shot at awards if they run her in the supporting category. My feeling is that Diego Luna, though terrific, is unlikely to be nominated. The arrangements and orchestrations are strong, as is the choreography. Condon’s structure makes total sense for the film, and should be expected by those who know his film of Chicago well (he wrote that screenplay, while Rob Marshall directed) — he has the “real world” and the “dream world”. In this case, the dream world is the Ingrid Luna aka Aurora film “Kiss of the Spider Woman” that is purposely played like a day-glo Cyd Charisse classic. (Ingrid Luna is the actress. Aurora is the character Luna plays in the film-within-the-film.) The separate Aurora vignettes are gone, and/or have been merged into this singular “movie”. Many songs are jettisoned for this purpose, and many of you will not be happy about it. (Lord knows I wasn’t!) This is why a lot of critics are saying the music in the movie is unmemorable — because many of the memorable songs have been cut. I’ve heard that Condon shot a few of the cut songs and felt they didn’t work within the movie, which is understandable. I’ve also heard that Chita, had she lived long enough, would’ve made a cameo in a role that’s played by Graciela Daniele. All three leads are well suited to their characters and perform well. JLo looks stunning, nails the acting, sounds very good, and dances the heck out of it. There are only so many recognizable Latin divas who could’ve played this role. (Maybe Ariana DeBose, but I think she might be a bit too young.) And JLo is a diva — that’s who Aurora / Ingrid Luna is. Here are all the songs from the show and whether they’re in or out. Note that Marta, Gabriel, and Molina’s Mother all appear very briefly and the latter two do not sing. The Warden is in several scenes. Prologue - Just the very beginning is included (before the prisoners start singing). None of the Warden’s dialogue is included, but some of it is spoken by Molina and Valentin. Her Name Is Aurora - Included, with a phrase or two interpolated from another song that I didn’t recognize. Some slight lyric changes to the beginning of the number. Over the Wall - All of the variations of this song are gone, but an instrumental version underscores a scene. Bluebloods - Not included Dressing Them Up / I Draw the Line - Not included, but some lyrics from Dressing Them Up appear as dialogue. Dear One - An abbreviated version is performed on acoustic guitar and sung in Spanish by two prisoners. Where You Are - Included. The only song that received applause at both screenings. The look is similar to some of the numbers from the film of Chicago. You’ll want to watch this number over and over. Lots of nods to the original. Come - Not included. I Do Miracles - Included, and this is where the character of Marta is briefly featured. Gabriel's Letter / My First Woman - Not included. Morphine Tango - Not included, but heard as underscoring briefly. You Could Never Shame Me - Not included A Visit - Included. She's a Woman - Included. Gimme Love - Included. Russian Movie / Good Times - Not included. The Day After That - Not included. Yes, I know I know! I believe this could’ve been included — you think it’s coming and then it doesn’t — but I guess it just didn’t work with the rest of the film. Some of the music underscores a scene. Mama, It's Me - Not included. Anything for Him - Not included. Some of it underscores a scene. Kiss of the Spiderwoman - Included. This received applause at the premiere from the JLo-loving audience. Only in the Movies - Included. There are 2-3 songs that have been added, all of which are Kander and Ebb originals. I think all were cut from the show, but one might be a trunk song. These include “Everyday Man” (the only full song Diego Luna sings) and “Never You”. I feel like there was a third — if there was, it was brief and/or forgettable. I’d suggest you to go in with an open mind and know that the film was in capable hands — it just doesn’t exactly resemble the original we know and love. Though brilliant, we all know that it’s a difficult musical overall, with incredibly dark material. I’m sure trying to make it palatable for a wide range of audiences was a very difficult task. Friends who I attended with enjoyed it — one sees a lot of theatre but was unfamiliar with the show, the other generally doesn’t enjoy musicals but thought the story and performances were compelling. It’s a shame that the show hasn’t been revived and very is rarely performed regionally — more people could get a full sense of the scope of the show and its music. For those of you who have a loose memory of the show, the film’s artistic choices shouldn’t bother you. For those of us who know the show well, you’ll definitely be perturbed at points, but hopefully you can then rewatch it like I did with a more open mind. I’d happily watch this several more times — I miss seeing the show, so this is the closest I’ll get for now. (Get on it, Encores!) I’m happy to elaborate further if anyone has specific questions. |
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