| re: So there you have it.... | |
| Posted by: | chrisampm 06:59 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
| In reply to: | re: So there you have it.... - John_Patti 05:51 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
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| "I think what I am hearing is that the folks on this board are feeding a self-fulfilling prophecy that the serious musical has no place on Broadway." I love serious musicals and especially love when they're produced well on Broadway. I saw this production in La Jolla and thought it was a tasteful revisal of a show that had worked best, in its original incarnation, when it was most impassioned. Daisy and Violet, in La Jolla, were nice girls who were fairly passive. Without putting a high belt to use, they never came alive to me. I assume Ryan Silverman is an improvement, but the approach seems to have remained the same. I can't see this vision filling the St James. As for Pippin comparisons, if it had moved to the St James, I imagine it would not make it to '15. | |
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| re: So there you have it.... | |
| Posted by: | tpdc 08:13 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
| In reply to: | re: So there you have it.... - chrisampm 06:59 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
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| I agree that this is a very fine production that removes the passion and rough edges from the original that made it compelling. The girls are nice, passive and boring in the revision. They were giving tickets away in DC and the houses still weren't full. I can't imagine it will run as long as the original production, especially at the St. James. | |
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| re: So there you have it.... | |
| Posted by: | John_Patti 07:40 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
| In reply to: | re: So there you have it.... - chrisampm 06:59 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
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| I heard from folks who saw it in La Jolla that they were not happy with the two lead actresses. What reviews it did get out there were not the best - but most of the reviewers were not of a high caliber either. Maybe something happened between CA and DC but this show and these two ladies work amazingly well. I will tell you that the people who went out to La Jolla were fans of the original like yourself so that may have had a bit to do with it. Your heart shatters for these girls all evening and not just in the songs. When they get to the songs they tear you apart - I was sobbing. Every reviewer in DC took note of their performances and they now truly are the stars of the show. Its all so natural now and not as presentational as the original. You can almost see Bill Condon foreshadowing the film he will eventually make of SideShow. I left the 46th Street Theatre and never turned back on the original - I tried to enjoy the sing songy cast album but only wound up playing the two acts finale songs over and over again. I can't wait to see this version again and I think many people will. "It's a different time Golda." The review in the link below does a nice summation of the possibilities for SideShow ". It’s an extravaganza of a musical, and certainly one that has the spectacle and larger than life energy to duke it out with its Broadway brethren. The only lingering question seems to be whether or not audiences will warm to such a heartbreaking night out when there is such a glut of easy, feel-good fare already available. Still, for those willing to steel themselves for a tragedy, Side Show offers an experience too good to be missed." | |
| Link | DCist review of SideShow |
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| re: So there you have it.... | |
| Posted by: | AnyaS 10:05 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
| In reply to: | re: So there you have it.... - John_Patti 07:40 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
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| I never saw the original and while I liked the production in La Jolla, it still had a lot of work left. Admittedly, it's not an easy musical to sell by its subject matter, but those who did see it never seemed to give it another thought once they saw it. I think you're taking some of the lukewarm responses far too personally. At intermission in La Jolla, there was some murmuring about underwhelming lyrics in the show. Boy, was that true. If they changed the most cringe-worthy lyrics between now and then, good for them. I have doubts, thought because I still heard/read lyrics complaints from people who saw the show in DC. A completely unnecessary number in the show was the Houdini song but that remained. I know because several people who saw the show in DC remarked that it was useless and slowed down the show. Although some did like it, to be fair. While I found the two leads touching in some parts, I missed the excitement and dynamic voices heard in other productions. Yet again, I heard similar complaints from some who saw it in DC. So yeah, I'm skeptical that it will open to raves in NY and be even a modest success. But I do WANT the show to succeed. I just think it needed a lot of work in La Jolla and it worries me that several elements pointed out as weaknesses nearly a year ago were still being called out last month. That's a shame. My remark about some people getting caught up in enthusiasm over their reviews should have been clarified better. I was referring to two reviewers on here and one reviewer on another site who called it a perfect production. That's a mighty lofty description to thrust on a show. Perfect. Really? But if Side Show doesn't earn rave reviews in its second appearance on Broadway, and its two stars are not raved about, please comfort yourself by repeating over and over that NY critics are not high caliber and then you can sleep better at night. | |
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| re: So there you have it.... | |
| Posted by: | chrisampm 08:25 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
| In reply to: | re: So there you have it.... - John_Patti 07:40 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
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| I'm glad you love the new production. I will not try to dissuade you from your opinion. But I'd also appreciate your entertaining the possibility that people may have a different opinion and still be as unbiased as you. They may find the production less than enthralling not because they're fans of the original (I thought it was a creative failure but admired the score and performances) or are substandard reviewers or think serious musicals don't belong on Broadway. They may just disagree with you about the quality of the work. | |
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