I was so excited to see this as Prince of Egypt is probably one of my all time favorite movies. Don't get me wrong, I love when movies or musicals add or adapt the story... most of the time. Newsies (went from movie to stage) is a great example of the story being changed without losing the essence of what it was about.
Then we come to this one... The first song was amazing and gave me chills, though I didn't like the way they changed the meaning of the name Moses. But I could get past that. The next couple of songs were pretty lackluster and it seems like the creators felt like they had to shove a song into every possible moment of this performance. They made nonsensical character changes that didn't really add anything to the story and will only detract from it for those who love the original film.
I can't even enjoy most of the songs that are actually from the film because the words leading up to them have changed the meaning of the songs too much. "Through Heaven's Eyes" is supposed to be about how we can't always see the good in us, but God sees our true purpose and what we can do. In the musical, it has been turned into "we don't know why you're here either, but there's gotta be a purpose".
I know I sound petty, but so much of the power of the story has been lost. There are so many unnecessary changes, like changing Ra to Potar for whatever reason, that the enjoyment has been taken out. Prince of Egypt was a masterpiece I could watch even as an adult... I wouldn't wish this adaptation on even my worst enemy.
Then we come to this one... The first song was amazing and gave me chills, though I didn't like the way they changed the meaning of the name Moses. But I could get past that. The next couple of songs were pretty lackluster and it seems like the creators felt like they had to shove a song into every possible moment of this performance. They made nonsensical character changes that didn't really add anything to the story and will only detract from it for those who love the original film.
I can't even enjoy most of the songs that are actually from the film because the words leading up to them have changed the meaning of the songs too much. "Through Heaven's Eyes" is supposed to be about how we can't always see the good in us, but God sees our true purpose and what we can do. In the musical, it has been turned into "we don't know why you're here either, but there's gotta be a purpose".
I know I sound petty, but so much of the power of the story has been lost. There are so many unnecessary changes, like changing Ra to Potar for whatever reason, that the enjoyment has been taken out. Prince of Egypt was a masterpiece I could watch even as an adult... I wouldn't wish this adaptation on even my worst enemy.