That’s right kids, High Fidelity (the novel by Nick Hornby and the movie starring Jack Cusack) has been made into a…gasp…musical! I’ll admit it, I love musicals. But, when I heard about this one, I was…confused. My curiousity got the better of me, and I went to see the show this past weekend at the Colonial Theatre in Boston, where it is premiering. I was pleasantly surprised.
Walking into the musical, I didn’t know what to expect. I was afraid I would find the story ruined and dripping with cheese. As much as I enjoy a good musical, I think there’s an understandable fear that a musical not done properly can make a good story into a corny music and dance extravaganza.
That was not the case with High Fidelity. Instead, I found a crisp script that stuck close to the book and movie, high energy music, good acting, and nice sets and costumes. Overall, I’d say that the “musical” elements (dance, singing, etc) did not detract from the story, but enhanced it. Which is, afterall, the point of a musical. I’m really interested in seeing how this one does when it gets to Broadway.
To learn more, or preview some of the music, check out the show’s website here.
A side note for High Fidelity fans–check out the Memorable Quotes From High Fidelity on IMBD.com These are obviously quotes from the movie, but most of them are found in the musical as well. Here are a few of my favorites (I was gonna do a “Top Five” list–but I couldn’t narrow it down):
Rob: Should I bolt every time I get that feeling in my gut when I meet someone new? Well, I’ve been listening to my gut since I was 14 years old, and frankly speaking, I’ve come to the conclusion that my guts have shit for brains.
Barry: Rob, I’m telling you this for your own good, that’s the worst fuckin’ sweater I’ve ever seen, that’s a Cosby sweater.
[Imitating Cosby]
Barry: A Cosssssssby sweater. Did Laura let you leave the house like that?
Rob: It would be nice to think that since I was 14, times have changed. Relationships have become more sophisticated. Females less cruel. Skins thicker. Instincts more developed. But there seems to be an element of that afternoon in everything that’s happened to me since. All my romantic stories are a scrambled version of that first one.
Rob: The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don’t wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules. Anyway… I’ve started to make a tape… in my head… for Laura. Full of stuff she likes. Full of stuff that make her happy. For the first time I can sort of see how that is done.
Rob: My desert island, all-time, top-five most memorable breakups, in chronological order, are as follows: Alison Ashmore; Penny Hardwick; Jackie Alden; Charlie Nicholson; and Sarah Kendrew. Those were the ones that really hurt. Can you see your name on that list, Laura? Maybe you’d sneak into the top ten. But there’s just no room for you in the top five, sorry. Those places are reserved for the kind of humiliation and heartbreak you’re just not capable of delivering.
Customer: Do you have Soul?
Rob: That all depends.
Rob: Why’d you have to tell her about the store?
Barry: Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was classified information. I mean, I know we don’t have any customers, but I thought that was a bad thing, not like, a business strategy
Dick: I guess it looks as if you’re reorganizing your records. What is this though? Chronological?
Rob: No…
Dick: Not alphabetical…
Rob: Nope…
Dick: What?
Rob: Autobiographical.
Dick: No fucking way.
Rob: I get by because of the people who make a special effort to shop here - mostly young men - who spend all their time looking for deleted Smith singles, and original - not rereleased, underlined - Frank Zappa albums. Fetish properties are not unlike porn. I’d feel guilty taking their money, if I wasn’t…well…kinda one of them.