| 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth | |
| Posted by: | bway1430 10:16 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
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| Had a list of 10 shows I wanted to catch but time allowed for 5, loved one, hated one and liked three - here is the breakdown in the order in which I saw them: BULLETS OVER BROADWAY: Jesus, what a let down. One of the biggest disappointments in recent memory. Aside from a terrific performance by the tremendous Betsy Wolfe, I remember little from this vapid, humorless and flat show. The characters were all stock types we have seen before many times (and have certainly been better performed) and not a single number came close to stopping the show. I think I had a slight giggle at an indecent Irving Berlin joke towards the end of the show but by then I was begging for the damn thing to be over. I wish it luck. It will need it. ACT ONE: While I was far from bored and found the story engaging, the show could have been trimmed by 30 minutes and lost nothing. Loved Tony Shaloub as Kaufmann and in fact, liked the cast as a whole. The design was also terrific. Still, I would have enjoyed a little less of it. IF/THEN: What was that I was saying about judicious cuts?....too late, I guess. While the show has it's charms, the novelty of the plot wears thin after an hour and you stop caring about what is happening in either story. Had this been one-act and 90 minutes, I might have stayed a bit more engaged. Enjoyed Idina as well as La Chanze who all but steals the show. Felt the lyrics were stronger than the score and couldn't help but think that this will be another "Next To Normal" for me: a show with a score that serves the piece but not one that I remember after the show ends or that I would bother buying a CD of. BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY: Not everyone's cup of tea but, for me, a deeply moving and beautifully crafted show. LOVED the score and the performances. I sincerely hope this is Ms O'Hara's year. Having seen so many disappointments in New York and London this past year, it was wonderful to finally leave a theatre feeling thoroughly satisfied and elated. VIOLET: I wish I could say I loved it but frankly I thought it was just good, not great. I cannot fault the performances and Sutton is amazing, but....it seemed to lag quite a lot. Perhaps VIOLET is not the strongest material to begin with, despite a more than serviceable score. The direction felt a bit clunky but then again, it is an early preview. I know they have already shortened it but.....can't help but think trimming 10 more minutes might help? | |
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| Bridges of MC | |
| Posted by: | scottcain (scottcain@hotmail.com) 01:45 pm EDT 04/01/14 |
| In reply to: | 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth - bway1430 10:16 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
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| Regarding Bridges, I saw it this past weekend as part of a 4 shows in 3 days weekend and agree that it is very moving and a beautiful show. I am surely not the target audience, a straight male, but I just so connected with the material and the way it was presented. There's a tenderness and care in the direction, the writing (dialogue and songs), and performances which fits the material so much. One of the great benefits of musical theater is that songs can express internal emotions which would not otherwise be spoken and use the music to heighten their emotional impact. Bridges does that very well, and does so IMHO without feeling overly schmaltzy or sentimental. I loved the designs, and felt that they established right from the being that the ensemble would be SPOILER AHEAD....moving set pieces and sitting on stage throughout, so I didn't have a problem with that approach. END SPOILER Add in great performances by Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale and company, and a hauntingly beautiful and mature score (and lovely orchestrations) by Jason, and it was just a wonderful show. I realize that the marketing of the show is difficult - most people think "snooze-fest" when they hear the title, especially if they think it is just a straight play and not a musical, but it is a show worth seeing! I think that the latest trailer with 8 Seconds and a Million Miles is effective. Scott | |
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| re: 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth | |
| Posted by: | Guillaume 11:23 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
| In reply to: | 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth - bway1430 10:16 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
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| Violet has been shortened? I wonder why? I don't recall it wearing out its welcome the couple of times I saw it in the original production. Do you think our attention spans have changed so much in such a short time? | |
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| re: 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth | |
| Posted by: | bway1430 08:03 am EDT 04/01/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth - Guillaume 11:23 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
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| I thought it had been shortened for the Encores! concert and that was the version that had transferred but I could be wrong. | |
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| re: 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth | |
| Posted by: | tpdc 09:52 am EDT 04/01/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth - bway1430 08:03 am EDT 04/01/14 |
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| There was a full production of the two act version of Violet a couple of months at Ford's Theater in DC. In an article about the show, the authors spoke about that production as well as the upcoming revival. They were pleased to have two versions of the piece. They said the Broadway production would be a one act 90 minute version with a new song for Monty. I thought the Jeff Calhoun production at Ford's was superb. It was only about 2 hours and 10 minutes and didn't feel too long. Watching it, I couldn't figure out what they were going to cut as it seemed to have little that didn't seem necessary to tell their story. | |
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| re: 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth | |
| Posted by: | jdm 08:42 am EDT 04/01/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth - bway1430 08:03 am EDT 04/01/14 |
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| Violet is now the one act version as done at Encores! But when I saw the first preview, it was actually a bit longer than Encores! - maybe just the timing, but also, a new song has been added to this production. Jim | |
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| re: 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth | |
| Posted by: | bway1430 09:16 am EDT 04/01/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth - jdm 08:42 am EDT 04/01/14 |
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| I thought that was a new song. I missed "You're Different" and didn't like the tone of the new number or where it took the show. I hope they rethink it. | |
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| re: 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 01:14 am EDT 04/01/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth - Guillaume 11:23 pm EDT 03/31/14 |
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| There is a mindset that shorter is always better. It's the Encores! mindset, and it's somewhat understandable given the limited rehearsal time. And this production is a transfer from Encores! I hear that trims have been made to The Most Happy Fella, which does seem silly. Why do a show that was seen in New York pretty recently in a full production and then make cuts to it? I imagine the cuts are not extensive. At least I hope they're not extensive. | |
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| re: 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 12:11 am EDT 04/02/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 5 new shows in 3 days.......my .02 for what it is worth - AlanScott 01:14 am EDT 04/01/14 |
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| >> Why do a show that was seen in New York pretty recently in a full production you could have stopped right there. | |
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