Talk:Curtains (musical)

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	Musical Theatre Portal Curtains (musical) is part of WikiProject Musical Theatre, organized to improve and complete musical theatre articles and coverage on Wikipedia. You can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and see a list of open tasks.
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WikiProject Musical Theatre tasks: Help out with one of the WikiProject Musical Theatre tasks below. You may add your name to the Participants list to the right. edit this Open Tasks template Collaborate and work on the Collaboration of the Month Articles needing a content fork Mainly, these are articles on films and either their source or subsequent musicals. There are a couple where the musical needs to be "forked" from the source material. Feel free to add or remove as necessary. Important: If you split an article, please make sure that you move all the relevant links from the first article to the new one. To find which links to move, click on "What links here" at the old article and look through the list to see which links should be pointed to the film related link (for example, articles on actors in the film). Then, click on those links and update them to point to the film article. Thanks! Don't Play Us Cheap Roberta How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying I Married an Angel Lady in the Dark The Band Wagon - musical adaptation will to be forked after it opens in April.

Contents 1 copyvio 2 Cast list edits 3 "Backstage murder mystery" 4 Backstage Murder Mystery 5 Fair use rationale for Image:Curtains.jpg 6 Synopsis expansion

[edit] copyvio

This article was a copyvio of the talkin' broadway source so I deleted all the text and rewrote it as a stub.-Dmz5*Edits**Talk* 03:54, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

I cleaned up the article, added more info re: the original LA production, removed the premature infobox for the Broadway production (which had a distorted photo and incorrect opening night date), and added a template indicating this is an upcoming play. SFTVLGUY2 15:32, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, if you don't mind I'm going to remove some of the reviews, as it sort of makes the article seem a tad spammy. I think one line from one prominent review is enough.-Dmz5*Edits**Talk* 05:05, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

I added info for the new Broadway cast! - NathanLaneFan!

[edit] Cast list edits

I am removing the LA cast list, which was added to the article before the Broadway cast was announced. It no longer holds the relevance it did at the time it first was included. SFTVLGUY2 21:59, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "Backstage murder mystery"

An editor has deleted the following language from the article: "Curtains is a send-up, and an amalgam, of "back-stage murder mystery" plots, and its book and score are evocative of musicals from the '40s and '50s." He says it is POV. However, I think it is a factual description of the nature of the show, supported by the newspaper reviews. I think it is useful for a reader to understand that this is a send-up of the "backstage murder mystery" genre of musicals, and that the book and score are in the style of the old-fashioned, "golden age of musicals", instead of some of the more contemporary sounds and plots that one finds in rock musicals, Elton John musicals, Wicked, etc. Does anyone else have an opinion on this? Regards, -- Ssilvers 15:48, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

I am inclined to agree with you. I saw Curtains a few weeks ago. It is a merely factual description of the score and book of the show -- they are clearly referencing the Broadway of yesterday. John Kander himself has said in interviews that "Curtains" is "a Valentine to old Broadway." The intention of the creators is clear, and I think the above statement should go back in the article. Broadwaygal 19:08, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks. I just found this article that quotes Kander as saying, "This is the closest thing to an old-fashioned musical comedy that Fred and I ever wrote"[1]. Also, see this nytheatre.com review, March 21, 2007: Remember those crazy, silly backstage movie musicals of the '30s and '40s? ...Curtains really is the improbable miraculous musical of Arthur Freed's and Busby Berkley's imaginations. -- Ssilvers 19:29, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Broadwaygal??? No user page, no discussion page, no previous contributions, but she suddenly appears from nowhere to give you support. Very odd indeed. I hardly think an opinion offered by such an individual carries any weight.

You hit the nail on the head with the comment "supported by the newspaper reviews." What is a review if not someone's POV? If you wish to quote one with a reference, fine, but don't incorporate the description into an encyclopedia article as if it's fact. SFTVLGUY2 19:47, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Backstage Murder Mystery

Do you deny that the piece is "a send-up of "back-stage murder mystery" plots, and its book and score are evocative of musicals from the '40s and '50s"? If so, you have not seen it. -- Ssilvers 19:58, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Please cite at least one of all the sources you claim say Holmes completely rewrote rather than completed the project. That none of the original book remains in the finished work seems highly unlikely. SFTVLGUY2 20:10, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Sure. See "... based on and idea by... Stone"; and ""Holmes ...joined the project in 2003 and did a complete rewrite, using many of Stone's characters. The referenced Post review says, "Rupert Holmes ...was brought aboard to provide a new book and devise additional lyrics." They all say the same thing. None of them say that he "completed" the book. -- Ssilvers 20:16, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

The sleeve notes for the Original Broadway Cast CD are fairly clear that the book was very extensively re-written by Holmes. He describes a meeting with Kander and Ebb when he suggests to them that the period be changed from contemporary to "golden age". He fully expected to be shown the door, but they took the suggestion on board. The intent was also to keep all/most musical numbers. Whether every single word was a re-write I couldn't say without comparing 2 scripts. The article in question was authored by Rupert Holmes himself but presumably was acceptable to the production team. Make of this what you will. 85.210.131.245 17:49, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:Curtains.jpg

Image:Curtains.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 21:27, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Synopsis expansion

The plot section could probably stand to be expanded a bit to distinguish between Act I and Act II, to include the musical numbers in context to the story, and to provide the reader with a better idea as to how the show actually ends (personally, it looks to me like someone was trying not to spoil the ending for anyone when they wrote it). My only real knowledge of the show comes from the soundtrack and this article, so I know I'd personally appreciate it if this section could be improved. —Mears man (talk) 05:03, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

LOL. You're right! When the musical came out, a now-blocked editor kept deleting plot details. Unfortunately, now I don't remember the details well enough to write the ending. Can someone help? Best regards, -- Ssilvers (talk) 21:00, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

I know how it ends, or, rather, who did it, but I can't remember the character's name. The clue is in the partial sentence that was removed: "...and a persistent member of the press is becoming a problem." (I saw it but, as I've mentioned, I'm almost on my Wikibreak and can't do any heavy work until late March). JeanColumbia (talk) 22:20, 6 March 2008 (UTC)