| Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | BroadwayNate 11:23 am EST 11/20/14 |
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| Wow...they have 6 weeks of previews and they need it! It's only their 2nd or 3rd preview so hopefully things will get better. It's like when you want a really good piece of cheese, and you're handed cheez whiz, or a velveeta single. Technical glitch in the first 5 minutes but that's ok. That's what previews are for. Tony and Rob came out and worked the audience for 2-3 minutes to pass the time which was fun while they were working backstage to get it fixed. Show started right at 8:05 and the curtain came down at 10:50. Tony Danza's soft, tearful ballad in the first act about skin cancer needed to be cut immediately. The show stops totally dead in its track when he's warbling his way through it. He is charismatic as all get out. He's a true natural on stage. He has a specialty dance solo in the second act that is great. Singing is NOT his strong suit and the Director and Musical Director should take that into consideration and not give him so many songs to sing!!! Brynn O'Malley performance is like watching paint dry. She's dull, she's boring, no one cares about her. Rob McClure is producing major "flop sweat" (Working 100 times harder to try to make things work when they know they're in a flop) Can they just cut everyone else and have Nancy Opel and David Josefsberg do the whole show? They were by far the best things in it!!! Nancy Opel has the best entrance i've seen on stage in a LONG time. Jason Robert Brown produces an utterly forgettable, drab, mediocre score. This is the man that gave us Parade, and Bridges Of Madison County?!?! Denis Jones choreography is clunky. He's given at best "actors who move". There is definitely a fun, cute show in there somewhere. I did have a few laugh out loud moments. With major cuts and tightening things up it will appeal to the average tourist visiting from out of town who wants to see a celebrity in a show when they come to NYC. I wish them well, and for the sake of everyone that works there they have a long healthy run but they have TONS of work to do to help save this turkey. As we were walking out the people in front of us one turned to the other and said "I want my night back!" | |
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| Wow, opinions on this are really divergent | |
| Posted by: | Ann 07:12 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - BroadwayNate 11:23 am EST 11/20/14 |
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| ... if that's the right word. I've heard raves and pans from people I know (in real life!) whose opinions I trust. It's really thrilling some and disappointing others. I predict many more threads like this one ... | |
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| re: Wow, opinions on this are really divergent | |
| Posted by: | ilw 09:30 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | Wow, opinions on this are really divergent - Ann 07:12 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| Three theories on why opinions are so divergent: 1) I liked the show very much when I saw an early performance at Paper Mill, before Brantley's review. However, I'm not sure any show could live up to Brantley's over-the-top rave, and maybe some people's negative reactions are skewed by overly high expectations, while others are not as influenced by the review. (On a side note, I feel that Brantley often goes to extremes in his praise or condemnation of a show.) 2) This show is almost purely a comedy, and people have widely varying comedic taste. Some have objected to Danza's song about his wife's skin cancer, while I found it very funny. (He sings: "I was a fool - so blind and deaf. I might have saved her with a higher S.P.F.") 3) Jason Robert Brown is a polarizing composer, with many fans and detractors. I love his music, and there are already certain songs from Honeymoon that I've been listening to obsessively on my iPod. | |
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| re: Wow, opinions on this are really divergent | |
| Posted by: | Ann 10:47 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Wow, opinions on this are really divergent - ilw 09:30 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| I agree on 2 and 3, but I don't think Brantley's reviews could have the effect I'm seeing. | |
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| re: Wow, opinions on this are really divergent | |
| Posted by: | broadwaymyway 09:13 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | Wow, opinions on this are really divergent - Ann 07:12 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| Diverse? | |
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| re: agreed - saw it last night as well | |
| Posted by: | dwing 12:20 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - BroadwayNate 11:23 am EST 11/20/14 |
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| Thought it was a thoroughly bland and mediocre show. I'm a normally a fan of JRB's music, but everything about HONEYMOON IN VEGAS fell flat for me. It just didn't feel Broadway-caliber... it was a paint-by-the-numbers show from the staging to the design to the writing. It wasn't awful, but it was all just "okay". Nothing really leaped off the stage or generated any kind of real excitement. Many around me felt the same way. Maybe the NYTimes rave worked against it in a way, as I had very high hopes. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | TheatreAddict 11:52 am EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - BroadwayNate 11:23 am EST 11/20/14 |
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| I never want to say negative things about any show, but I saw it at The Papermill and left thinking it wasn't really a Broadway show... maybe something that could tour and just be something silly and fun. But no real meat to it. It sounds like it's the same. Not really interested in going back (especially after confirmation that this is still the case). Sorry to hear this. T.A. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 12:00 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - TheatreAddict 11:52 am EST 11/20/14 |
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| And I left the Paper Mill production thinking this show was absolutely perfect for Broadway. Loved it. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | JayBee 11:42 am EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - BroadwayNate 11:23 am EST 11/20/14 |
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| It sounds like the same show that played the Paper Mill. Too bad. I guess Brantley's insane review stopped them from reworking it. Sorry to hear that it's still a dud. Like you said the potential is there. McClure should be a star, but here he is beating a dead horse. Maybe there is still time to pull it together (but sadly there's no one like Fosse, Champion, or Bennett working today who can be called in to give it the quick fix it needs). | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 09:09 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - JayBee 11:42 am EST 11/20/14 |
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| "but sadly there's no one like Fosse, Champion, or Bennett working today who can be called in to give it the quick fix it needs" Great as they were, they were not always able to turn things around. And when a show was in real trouble, it was always tough work and hugely stressful. There's a reason why Champion (who seemed to make some shows worse on the way to Broadway) died fairly young. He put himself (and others) through huge amounts of stress, some of it unnecessary. Similarly, there's a reason why Fosse also died fairly young (the cigarettes didn't help) and why he suffered a heart attack while first working on Chicago. None of this is easy. Those people were brilliant and sometimes could really fix shows in trouble, but it took a huge toll on them (and others) and didn't always end up working out too well. Unfortunately, present-day economics and technical stuff makes it tougher to fix a show in trouble than it was at one time, even if someone involved does really know what needs to be done. Btw, I'm not necessarily assuming that I would agree that Honeymoon in Vegas is in real trouble. Just speaking more generally. Much as I'm something of a traditionalist who does agree that something important seems to have been lost in the way that musicals are created, I also don't feel we should romanticize the past too much. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 11:55 am EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - JayBee 11:42 am EST 11/20/14 |
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| Um...others have reported that they like/love this. Really don't know who to believe. I know it's a policy to review shows in early previews here but I don't know who to trust in the early posts. I read a post here that Our Lady of Kiebho was a mess during the first week. Maybe I should check back next week. But they do have a lot of time to fix things. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | Ann 12:27 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - lowwriter 11:55 am EST 11/20/14 |
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| Every show gets a range of responses. No one is "to be believed" if you think there's some kind of truth that comes out, whether early in previews or later. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 02:46 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - Ann 12:27 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| "Every show gets a range of responses." Of course. But to describe Brantley's review of the Paper Mill production as "insane," especially considering that plenty of other people really liked the show, is -- a bit much. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | JayBee 04:44 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - Michael_Portantiere 02:46 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| People liked the show because Brantley liked the show. And please don't tell me that is "a bit much" because it happens all the time. Another person on another board said the creative team have only changed one thing from NJ to NYC. The sets have been beefed up. Now that is crazy, and their lethargy is more than likely due Brantley's "insane" review, I expect. The show is pedestrian. A lot of people will enjoy it because a lot of people like hamburger, but at Bway prices audiences should expect fillet mignon. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 08:55 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - JayBee 04:44 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| "People liked the show because Brantley liked the show." My memory is the same as ryhog's on this: People were posting positively about the show on this board before Brantley reviewed it. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | ryhog 05:00 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - JayBee 04:44 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| so people who saw the show before Brantley's review, and reported that they liked it here, are what, in your fucked up analysis? Chopped liver? For the record, I did not see the show in NJ, and will be very surprised if I like it in NY. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | Barger 06:29 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - ryhog 05:00 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| Clearly, you’re an intelligent and articulate person, ryhog. Why must you continually use obscenity to express yourself? | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | ryhog 07:00 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - Barger 06:29 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| I suppose I have three answers. First and foremost, I make word choices based on what I believe most accurately conveys my thought. (I resist, by the way, your suggestion that I use the word continually.) Second, it is a word that is in common usage by intelligent and articulate folk. Third, I don't consider it an obscenity-at least not in the way I used it. I appreciate the question. I love language and I love talking about it. I am sorry if my language bothers you. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 04:58 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - JayBee 04:44 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| How nervy of you. I liked the show in the Paper Mill production very, very much, especially the score, and I felt that way before I read Brantley's review. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | Ann 03:05 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - Michael_Portantiere 02:46 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| When a person passionately feels the opposite of another, hyperbole sets in. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 12:40 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - Ann 12:27 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| I wish I could be as generous, but there are some shows that are terrible. But here I am a puzzled by the extremes in response. Some people do really like it while others really hate it. I never trust those extreme reactions, really. "Jason Robert Brown finally has written a hit!" "Jason Robert Brown has written his worst score!" "I laughed and smiled all the way through." "I left maybe twice." | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | BroadwayTonyJ 04:56 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - lowwriter 12:40 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| Because of the highly positive reception at Paper Mill, Honeymoon is probably the most anticipated new musical of this season. Expectations are unrealistically high so inevitably some posters will be disappointed. I would skip the preview period and see what ATCers say after the opening. I probably will see it on my next trip, which will most likely be in March. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | Ann 12:47 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - lowwriter 12:40 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| "... but there are some shows that are terrible. " And there will always be people who disagree (the recent Doyle discussions would be good examples). I'm not sure what you're looking for - if it's the answer to the question of whether or not to buy a ticket, you'd be best to get an opinion from someone you know has tastes that align with yours. Or just wait for more posts and decide on how the show sounds, not whether or not others love or hate it. But it's very possible there will be no consensus, because there rarely is. | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 01:21 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - Ann 12:47 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| Ann, Onward Victoria and The Times They Are a Changin' were both terrible, trust me :-) | |
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| re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers | |
| Posted by: | Ann 01:35 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Honeymoon In Vegas last night...NO major spoilers - lowwriter 01:21 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| If so, I don't think there would be any doubt as to what to believe when reports about them. | |
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