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re: ROCKY - An Alternate View

Posted by: mikem 08:30 am EDT 03/15/14
In reply to: ROCKY - An Alternate View - enoch10 03:32 am EDT 03/15/14

I haven't seen the show either.

Based on who's involved, I expected Rocky to be better received than it has been. I at least expected Ahrens and Flaherty to write a score that wasn't considered one of the weakest parts of the show.

I don't know the financial details, but Rocky is struggling at the box office. It's around where After Midnight is, but After Midnight is in a much smaller house. Aladdin, Beautiful, and If/Then are significantly higher. Bridges and Gentlemen's Guide are lower.

By gross % of potential, Rocky is the lowest of all of them. Some of that is from comps for critics, but it was just as low the week before.

I would have expected Rocky's grosses at the onset to be stronger than they have been, for the reasons you say. The opening certainly built awareness of the non-theater crowd. We'll have to see whether word of mouth is strong, since I don't think the reviews are strong enough to drive ticket sales.

Rocky is reminding me a little of 9 to 5, another musical that I thought would have had a bigger built-in audience than it apparently did. 9 to 5 closed by Labor Day; I sincerely hope that Rocky has a better fate.


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re: ROCKY - An Alternate View

Posted by: Chromolume 11:47 am EDT 03/15/14
In reply to: re: ROCKY - An Alternate View - mikem 08:30 am EDT 03/15/14

I at least expected Ahrens and Flaherty to write a score that wasn't considered one of the weakest parts of the show.

That's the linchpin for me as well. From the beginning, I thought this was an odd choice for a musical - I don't see these characters necessarily needing to open up in song - I don't see why the story would be well-served as a musical. (Not that we all haven't been surprised before, but still...)

The one think I kept thinking was, "well, if Aherns and Flaherty are involved, I trust their craft and their instincts, so if they think they have something to say musically here, I'll go with it." True, not all their shows have been major successes, but I do feel their scores are always interesting and worthwhile.

Now, I have not heard the score yet. But I don't exactly see most people coming to their defense here either. So I also trust what I'm hearing about the disappointing nature of the score -- and as I seem to think someone else on here already stated, what good is a musical without a good score? (We are often in the habit of saying a show has a lousy book, but the score makes up for it - but when do we ever champion a musical that does not, in some way, have a compelling score - or even just a handful of good songs?)


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re: ROCKY - An Alternate View

Posted by: ryhog 05:21 pm EDT 03/15/14
In reply to: re: ROCKY - An Alternate View - Chromolume 11:47 am EDT 03/15/14

It occurred to me while I was reading your post that the overall quality I have been looking for to describe this show is "paint by numbers" and nowhere does the description seem more apt than the score. Every choice the producers made in putting together the creative side of this show seems unassailable on paper, and yet the work as a whole seems to lack a soul. A&F in particular seem to have about as much attachment to this project as a writer brought in to see what he or she can do with the script of a middling sitcom that's on the verge of being cancelled.


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re: ROCKY - An Alternate View

Posted by: bradmurf 10:34 am EDT 03/15/14
In reply to: re: ROCKY - An Alternate View - mikem 08:30 am EDT 03/15/14

Haven't seen it, and have no interest, but a friend was comped.

He was completely underwhelmed. Somewhat impressed by the finale, but he said, that wasn't enough.

The songs apparently suck.

This is supposed to be a musical, after all (his overall assessment).


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