February 01, 2005
A Modest Proposal
When I came home from our last "Hero" meeting, I was buzzing....trying to piece together a project that would use all of our resources in a fun and potentially profitable way...something that would show off what we can do while simultaneously helping to build a sort of 'subscriber base.'
The project would need music. and video. dance. improv. energy. irony...and sincerity.
I turned on the tv and there it was. An adaptable idea that would be SO much fun to make our own:
The Project?
Spice World.
I saw it instantly: Five Drag Divas in the weeks before their first tour...an adorable butchy documentary crew recording it all...a neurotic manager struggling to keep 'the girls' on schedule while, herself, falling in love with the most obvious-to-everyone-but-herself fashion...
we have the bare bones, and I can't imagine anyone wouldn't want to join the fun:
1) House Band -> it's legal to do live covers, so we'd have to cover the songs, and it'd be awesome to have the energy of a live band!
2) Videographer(s) -> to move the plot along, as well as to cover scene/costume changes, we'd need to make a few video segments - photoshoots with lots of fun costume changes, a chase scene through famous chicago landmarks, perhaps the villan could be ALL video....
3) Dance -> heck, Sporty Spice alone would need someone with mad dance/acrobat skills, and Scary Spice needs MOVES.
4) Costume and Makeup -> the girls, the villan, the manager, the documentary crew...heck, even the house management would need to look Fabulous. and Wild.
5) Marketing -> the movie came out in 1997. spice girls fans are now old enough to be spending money - and to be reminiscing. Having girls nights out. Bachelorette parties. and, people, how many visuals and taglines can we do for an improv (drag) musical about the spice girls? seriously?
6) Improv Guest Moments -> ok, the whole show, once the bones are in place, can be open to amusing moments of improv. in the movie, there are TONS of guest stars (Hugh Laurie. Elvis Costello. Meat Loaf. Jennifer Saunders. Roger Moore.) we could involve fake celebrity/reality tv/political 'guest stars'! for your fans of the topical and to keep the show feeling 'fresh' - oh my god. improv as douche. how hilarious.
The movie itself, while a bit too literal and flat, has some really fun high points and performance potential. Several silly bits include:
--when their friend goes into labor at a fetish dance club
--when the director of their television appearance (for the tour) surprises them with hot, half-naked, pelvic-thrusting backup dancer boys
--when they all switch costumes at the photoshoot and mock each other's 'characters' (my favorite quote is scary spice as ginger spice: "girl power blah blah blah")
anyway. that's my proposal. to adapt spiceworld for the stage. if you like the idea, I'll do a transcript of the main through-line of the movie and have it up in the next two weeks.
feel free to comment on this site, directly - let me know what you think!!!
Posted by Heather at February 1, 2005 04:26 PM
Comments
Hey...I'm not entirely sold, but I think you are definitely on to something...I suppose my main concern is that there seems to be a lot of this kind of thing happening these days (musical reviews of popular artists such as Elvis, Billy Joel, etc.). I personally would be more interested in creating original music for a project. Anyway, I'm glad somebody is starting to talk about real plans! And: nice page layout...maybe we could talk about a Heroes website.
Posted by: Aaron at February 1, 2005 05:16 PM
Yeah, I understand that this project is derivative, and typical Los Angeles theatrical adaptation fare...
but your interest in *creating* original music would be appropriate here, in that although ALL the music for "The Girls" is already out there, the antagonist character and the manager and the documentary film crew would need a style of song all their own, if this is to be a MUSICAL rather than a music revue.
having an utterly different style from the covers would be ideal, in that situation, no?
Posted by: heather at February 2, 2005 08:20 AM
I have no acting, dancing, directing, costuming, marketing or film skills whatsoever, but I sooooooo want to play!
Hey, I can write! And I'm kinda funny! And I'm good at ordering people around and lunch!
Posted by: Blondie at February 2, 2005 09:20 AM