PRESS EXCERPTS
JEANNE - The Joan of Arc Musical Drama
"Spines begin to tingle... it's an instant hit... The verdict is already clear. This show is a contender. The music is fresh, songs... are showstoppers. Vincent de Tourdonnet's lyrics are better than Broadway normally demands. And the universally appealing story is carried forward... by the book... This ambitious project... deserves to be seen - even at this early stage of development."
"Attempts to horn in on the megamusical market have been, until now, disastrous...Enter Jeanne... a surprisingly charming and sellable musical... The best thing that the show has going for it is that it has avoided the megamusical trap of taking itself too seriously. It is just dramatic enough to be emotionally moving, and just comic enough to relax the audience without slipping into self-parody... "
"Jeanne, with big heart, does indeed have the makings for success in the major leagues... it is a brash, bold, commendable affair..."
“Ambitious, all-Canadian production... Jeanne's finale is both spectacular and chilling... wildly energetic music... there are plans to mount the show on Broadway... the early signs are encouraging.”
"Jeanne... begins it's journey in the limelight... a huge project... enjoyable and accessible... the songs are modern, catchy and fun, everything mega-musical tunes should be... a timeless tale that brings up issues as current today as they were in the Middle Ages.. Jeanne: The Joan of Arc Musical Drama is a show people will be talking about over the next decade - and perhaps beyond."
“Genuinely exciting... a brand-new musical on a grand scale... it's very good... the music is clever and catchy, the harmonies are great... already a winning show... it has a bright future.”
“Certainly the most ambitious musical ever mounted in Montreal... it's extraordinary to put something like this together... this group assembled by Roger Peace and Allan Sandler... ton of heart, ton of talent, a lot of show-stopping tunes, and a history lesson to boot ... they're talking about going to Broadway, this could indeed happen... they've got a winner there that will go anywhere... certainly has the potential to be a world-class show, kudos to all the talent...”
“North Americans perhaps don't know Joan of Arc all that well... they are going to know her now... . Vincent de Tourdonnet has created the story entirely from personal research... it's a theatrical and musical product which meets the necessary criteria to play on Broadway, and why not? Like Les Miserables, like Phantom,... she's another character taken from French culture... the music is very memorable... the whole story of Joan of Arc is there... All things considered, this is an enterprise which is comparable to the voyage of Joan of Arc against the English, one would say that it is now Broadway that she wants to attain... and I wish them success.”
“Montreal will challenge Toronto with a new mega-musical... Jeanne combines the superb music of Peter Sipos with the heartfelt text of Vincent de Tourdonnet to surprise viewers on several fronts. Though the story is a page out of history, this is one lesson that's never dull...Sipos' background as a rock musician, lifts the songs into the present.... the writers have created warm, three-dimensional, appealing characters.”
“ ...pre-London pre-Broadway... it's an excellent historical musical drama, a must-see, it is astonishingly accessible and engaging... the story has nothing to do with the Shaw play, but is created by Vincent de Tourdonnet, and that is a name to remember... the music is superb, modern, with lots of variety, Peter Sipos is a composer who has no reason to envy Andrew Lloyd Webber. It's a genuine popular opera like Porgy and Bess, like Les Miserables like Phantom... There's swing, jazzy music, Latin tunes... It's stunning! It is spectacular! Fun! Modern! An epic musical drama with humour, emotion, a lot of action... It's a must-see!”
