That was... odd.

Giles_314 | August 31, 07:02 CET

Oy. I'll be in the minority again on this, but: Couldn't they just let people watch the thing and sing, without an incredibly hokey cast running around in front of it?

b!X | August 31, 07:07 CET

They were hammier than Captain Hammer, if that is at all possible. Still, it made me sminge. (cringe/smile).

RollingInKittens | August 31, 09:38 CET

theonetrueb!x, I totally agree. That's how I've always enjoyed our Buffy Sing-Alongs, too. I want to see - and hear - the actual (professional) actors talking and singing in the episode. Yes, I know all the words in between songs - as do at least half the people in the audience, I'm sure - but it would take me out of the emotional involvement I have with it - and with DHSAB - to be distracted by people running around in front of the screen, no matter how good - or not - they may be.

Jossaholic, I just cringed - no smile. ;)

samatwitch | August 31, 09:52 CET

I think what I would change here primarily is the extreme use of props. A singalong isn't about recreating the thing exactly. Having people stand up and sing, when they aren't louder than the actual thing, is all good and well with me - mainly because I want to be one of those people (says she who commandeered the Joss birthday singalong at Raleigh CSTS) - but having them run around with lots of stuff is very distracting.

Kiba | August 31, 12:35 CET

I dunno, I can sit at home and just watch the thing. As a matter of fact, that's what I did last night with a group of folks for OMWF. And while it was fun, it was no Dragon*Con annual BHPS. But a large group of people putting their Rocky Horror spin on it is fun, at least to me. But I'm a total slut for RHPS too. And I don't know about this one, but in the past most folks don't sing with it, they just lip sinc and act along. It lets those with enough gumption to do so play along and have fun. Which if I'm correct is kinda the point of a con - having fun. Here's a suggestion - If you don't like it RHPS style, don't go. :) I really don't mean that to sound snotty, but it's early here and brain is not functioning on proper levels yet.

BrowncoatG | August 31, 12:48 CET

I liked seeing how they dealt with the special effects and the like. The change from Billy to Dr.Horrible was inspired, for instance. I don't think I'd see such a thing over and over but seeing it once,if it was well done would be fun.

Lioness | August 31, 15:20 CET

I thought it was fun. The people in the audience sounded like they were enjoying it. I wish I had been there. I wish I was at DragonCon period.

madmolly | August 31, 16:40 CET

We crazy people.

Nebula1400 | August 31, 18:25 CET

Oy. I'll be in the minority again on this, but: Couldn't they just let people watch the thing and sing, without an incredibly hokey cast running around in front of it?

Not as long as they try to make this into the next Rocky Horror experience. While I had some ideas on audience participation, Nathan may have come up with a doozy there.

impalergeneral | August 31, 18:35 CET

What doozy?

Anonymous1 | August 31, 19:40 CET

BrowncoatG, having been at several Buffy sing-alongs, including the one at Comic-Con in July, as well as attending the Dr. Horrible sing-along there, there is a definite difference between watching at home and singing along with a couple of hundred people - or many more in the case of C-C. I want to share the experience with others of like-mind (as is also the case with Serenity screenings), but for me the focus needs to be the finished product.

I love musicals and I love live theatre, but no matter how well-acted it might be, I don't see the point of having amateur actors acting out characters we know and love who are already up on the screen.

I'm all for people having fun and enjoying themselves, but for me that comes with singing and sharing the experience with other fans. My enjoyment however does not include, for instance, yelling at Dawn whenever she comes on the screen (a topic well-covered in another recent thread), an action which also makes me not want to attend.

I keep hearing people compare this to The Rocky Horror Picture Show and I have to admit I've never seen the show at all, never mind a live performance - partly because everything I've read and heard leads me to believe that the live performance probably is not my thing. (I would like to see the show itself at some point.) So you're right - I probably wouldn't attend an OMWF or DHSAB sing-along event that included live performances, unless it was fundraising for a good cause.

samatwitch | September 01, 00:56 CET

More videos. I'm assuming, based on when the first one was uploaded, that this is from the first of the two Dr. Horrible showings, the one on Friday, and not from the second one, from Sunday.

b!X | September 01, 19:06 CET

Note that the showing on Saturday was done by the Whedon Universe track. Every seat was filled - 1225 people in the Sheraton Grand ballroom. No clue how many were turned away because there were no more available seats. The one on Sunday was done by the podcasting track I believe - it was originally to be in their track room, but I think it got moved to a slightly bigger room.

Tialessa | September 03, 18:08 CET

Rocky Horror Picture Show groups have acted out the Rocky Horror Picture Show on Stage for decades as an homage to that film. It's part screening/part cosplay/cult following. We just take that premise and apply it to Joss Whedon Shows. It's very tongue in cheek and we purposely do not try to make an exact reproduction. If we acted it out as a serious play in a non satirical way it would probably not be as popular. If you have not seen a Rocky Horror Picture Show midnight screening with the amateur actors then it probably does not make a lot of sense. It's loads of fun though whether you are on the stage or in the audience.

[ edited by zeitgeist -no signoff rule- on 2008-09-08 20:25 ]

h0stile17 | September 08, 20:07 CET

I think the reason the live cast thing never worked for me personally is that Rocky Horror is inherently stupid and deserving of mockery. OMWF and DH are a different animal, and so the live cast thing has just never really appealed to me. (Personally, if I went to a Rocky Horror, I'd basically be going to see the local cast. If I went to OMWF and DH, I'd be going for OMWF and DH, and a cast would just be in my way.)

It obviously does work quite well for a substantial number of other people. It's not like all these videos cropping up are showing rooms full of people having a miserable time, heh.

b!X | September 08, 20:13 CET