Threaded Order Chronological Order
| 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) | |
| Posted by: JohnPopa 04:59 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| I slid into NYC for a day and a half or so and caught a couple shows. DEAR EVAN HANSEN: First off, it was the matinee so Ben Platt was out. So was Laura Dreyfuss. Their replacements were great, though, so I don’t feel like I missed out much. DEH is an interesting show but I don’t think it works nearly as well as a lot of other people do. The first act is pretty effective - a song like ‘For Forever’ is incredible in context and the Act 1 finale is as good a number you’ll see. The second act isn’t nearly as strong mainly because there’s really no reason for most of the songs to be there. They just sort of happen but whatever’s covered in the dialogue before, during and after says everything. The dad’s song about baseball is particularly cringe-worthy, as is the mother’s late number that comes right after Evan’s big confession and is a moment where the last thing the show needs is another song (especially that one.) Act 2 also tends to replace real drama with a lot of people yelling at each other, there really aren’t any new story or character elements introduced. So much of what works is intoxicating, though, that it’s easy to want to forgive the show its failings. Mostly. SPOILERS FROM HERE ON IN: Really, though, my problems with the show aren’t related to the song spotting as much as they’re related to the story itself, most notably, the Evan/Zoe relationship. Basically, my issue is that Evan manipulates the situation he finds himself in to hook up with Zoe. It’s crass and selfish and that’s perfectly ok IF the writers handle it. But they don’t. When Zoe and Evan kiss at the end of act 1, it’s clear that Evan knows it’s the wrong thing to do but he does it anyway. And that’s great, that makes sense, he’s not emotionally equipped to handle the situation and makes the wrong choice. But the writers don’t do anything with it. He’s a little insecure about the situation but the two of them sing a drippy (and useless) duet in Act 2 that doesn’t explore anything. It’s a vapid teenage love story dumped into a far more complicated story. Zoe’s never given anything to do except be the girl Evan pines for. When he finally meets her after years of imagining what she’s like, to make her a blank slate is lazy and superficial. As effective as “Words Fail” is as a performance piece, it’s still a pretty selfish exploration of the situation on Evan’s part. He doesn’t REALLY apologize to the family he’s been misleading, he just rationalizes the situation so WE can relate to him better. In fact, the family leaves in the middle of the song and most of the catharsis is between Evan and the audience. Again, an amazing performance and there’s some insight in the lyrics, but it doesn’t propel the character anywhere, he just goes home and cries to his mama. The final scene is equally problematic. Zoe calls Evan to the orchard to see all the good he’s done. Sure, we’re led to believe that he hasn’t had any contact with anyone in a year but, still, he doesn’t step up and own anything that happened and Zoe isn’t given anything to say either. So why does the scene happen, other than it’s a kind of creative way to create the last image? Don’t get me wrong, the show is generally a wonderfully emotional experience, I just wish it didn’t sag under its own weight so much as it goes on. Because the good parts really are that good, especially “You Will Be Found.” On to “WAR PAINT.” (SPOILERS LACED WITHIN, NOT THAT IT MATTERS BECAUSE NOTHING HAPPENS ANYWAY) Well, this was a strange show. Also, it’s not a good show. It’s the story of makeup moguls Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, who ruled the cosmetic world around the World War II era. First (of many) problems: By making it a show about Christine Ebersole (as Arden) and Patti LuPone (as Rubinstein,) it means starting with the women already established as the top dogs in their industry. Which is ok, it doesn’t have to be a ‘rags to riches’ story but, at the same time, by starting with our grand dames at the top of the world already, we aren’t really left with much drama. It also makes the two protagonists fairly inert in terms of moving the story along. Things happen to them, but they don’t really amount to much. For example, the Act 1 finale is that each woman goes in front of the FDA and ends up having to start labelling their ingredients on their makeup (I know, heavy stuff.) The women piss and moan about it but that action has absolutely no effect on anything that happens to them. There’s no indication it causes them to lose business, or that it strains their relationships or anything. It just happens and they’re irritated by it. Good thing they’re already rich as hell. Really, though, the plot problems are secondary to all the musical theater problems the show has. For one thing, since the show has two mega watt stars, it feels like the production team worked overtime making sure not one woman gets more time or action than the other. In fact, nearly every song has either Arden or Rubinstein do a verse, there’s a bit of transition and then the other has the same thing happen to them. It doesn’t take long to get ahead of the construct. The songs are universally pretty weak too. They don’t build well and a few times, especially in Act 1, the show had moved on to a new song and I didn’t really notice the previous one had ended. There was no build or sense of accomplishment. In fact, the only song that stuck was a song called “Fire & Ice” sung by the supernaturally attractive Steffanie Leigh in a helluva dress. She’s a secondary character but at least the song had some energy and popped a finish. If you’re going to write a big musical for two top Broadway divas, at least give the audience the money numbers they’re expecting, right? The two leads have loads of material but the big songs are rambling and underwhelming. Especially if your gimmick is that the two leads will never interact until the last scene, there needs to be some fireworks between the two before then. I’m sure the writers thought they delivered it, but, well, they didn’t at all. The first act was generally inoffensive but tolerable but act two turned into an endless dirge. Thank god for chorus girls to distract me! Ebersole and Lupone were both fine. Lupone was fighting with a Polish accent so she was even more incomprehensible than usual. She’s also struggling through a bad hip so really had trouble getting around, it was getting uncomfortable to watch by the end. Still, she was better at milking responses out of her material, Ebersole’s character was terribly passive which, in its own way, made her more unlikable. Lupone’s Rubinstein was obnoxious but at least she owned it. Oh, and there’s a song called “Dinosaurs” in Act 2, sung by the two men in the show who work for the leading ladies. Not only is it one of the worst songs ever to flop around a Broadway stage, at the end, the actors did weird Velociraptor impressions because, you know, the songs about dinosaurs. It was just awful. Anyway, on to ... A BRONX TALE: THE MUSICAL. I’ve never seen the movie version of “A Bronx Tale” or seen the one man show. I know the gist of it, though. I mean, it’s a New York sort of mob story, those are all about the same, right? Without seeing the show before to be sure, I think I can safely say the musical version is a MUCH more polite and wide-eyed version of events. Not only did the producers steal the set from “Newsies” they also kept the Disney tone throughout, even though the story dabbles in everything from murder to hate crimes. It just does so in a really nice way. The score is by Alan Menken who’s rarely at a loss for a catchy tune. There’s no big hit here, but Menken’s heart is generally in the right place. The mobsters generally sing lightweight Frank Sinatra tunes, the kids sing the pop music of their eras (lots of doo wop) and the African American characters Motown it up a bit. Still, on more than one occasion Menken sacrifices that general conceit in favor of a standard Alan Menken pop tune. Glenn Slater’s lyrics are workman-like and predictable with lots of references to making decisions with your heart and choosing love over fear. There’s an odd decision for the Act 1 finale, which is mainly the protagonist’s father sort of saying he’s going to fight the mobsters for his son’s attention but he really doesn’t end up doing much of that. In fact, he doesn’t pop up again until almost halfway through Act 2, if I remember correctly. Still, despite a fairly frothy view of its events, “A Bronx Tale” is pretty enjoyable as it moves along. Nick Cordero was great as the lead mob guy and everyone else does their job with style (although Bobby Conte Thornton is a bit from the Michael Cerveris school of strange diction in musical theater.) While the material may be slight, it’s catchy and the show chugs along and shows off its characters and story with a good dose of Broadway pizzazz. I can’t see a lot of people coming into the theater dying to see “A Bronx Tale” but I also can’t imagine too many people would leave it having had a bad time. I know I enjoyed myself the entire time. Sometimes, that’s all we can ask for, right? |
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| re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 11:45 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
| In reply to: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) - JohnPopa 04:59 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| I don't know how anyone could find the mother's song in Act 2 of DEH cringe-worthy. It's an emotional high point of the show and the r asok Rachel Bay Jones won a Tony. Having said that I wish Bandstand, Groundhog Day and The Great Comet were all still open because I liked them all as much as DEH and much more than War Paint and A Bronx Tale. |
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| re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 12:23 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
| In reply to: re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) - lowwriter 11:45 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| Not sure what happened in my message above but I was trying to say "the reason why Rachel Bay Jones won" | |
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| re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) | |
| Last Edit: Chazwaza 12:17 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 12:07 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
| In reply to: re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) - lowwriter 11:45 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| I guess it did win RBJ a Tony, but it shouldn't have. And I like the song. Of those nominated I think it should have gone to Stephanie J. Block for Falsettos... and if "I'm Breaking Down" doesn't get someone a nom, or a win, even as well done as Block did it, i don't know what they want. But the person who shoulda been nominated and won for their 2nd act emotional song (and whole performance) is Brittain Ashford and her heartbreaking and unique performance of "Sonya Alone", one of the best songs in the best musical of the year. |
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| re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 12:26 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
| In reply to: re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) - Chazwaza 12:07 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
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| I didn't think Block was half as good as Barbara Walsh doing I'm Breaking Down, I found it so overdone but I understand why others love her performance. | |
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| re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 01:49 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
| In reply to: re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) - lowwriter 12:26 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
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| I don't think she was as good as Vicki Lewis either... but i did think she was good. | |
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| i'm breaking down | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 02:35 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
| In reply to: re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) - Chazwaza 01:49 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
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| and to be honest, though it gives an actor a ton to do, i think "i'm Breaking Down" is not a very good song, not well written at all. Just look at the lyrics, which reply on repeating things we've heard plenty from the character already, weird snarky homophobic jokes about Marvin and Whizzer that don't seem to fit the reality much at all, and other weird things like "my kid seems like an idiot to me"... where does that come from? They spend half the show saying how smart he is and advanced for his age, etc. And also could they claim that Jason is "wild" any more in order to make a rhyme with "child"? What evidence is there of Jason being "wild"? Love it though I mostly do, it's a very weird and often very oddly and poorly written musical. The frantic verbosity in which it's written gives the illusion of incredible specificity but sometimes it's the opposite. |
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| re: i'm breaking down | |
| Posted by: sf 06:01 pm EDT 10/23/17 | |
| In reply to: i'm breaking down - Chazwaza 02:35 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
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| The weird snarky homophobic jokes about Marvin and Whizzer seem to me to fit Trina's reality *in 1979*. It's easy to forget how much the world has changed, and how quickly. | |
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| re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) | |
| Posted by: SZZ 10:31 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
| In reply to: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) - JohnPopa 04:59 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| Utterly banal observations, all. | |
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| re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) | |
| Posted by: skier74 11:56 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
| In reply to: re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) - SZZ 10:31 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| Wrong. | |
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| re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) | |
| Posted by: BruceinIthaca 11:19 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
| In reply to: re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) - SZZ 10:31 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| Well, they are more interesting than your dismissive, sneering three-word critique. Why bother posting at all, if that's the best you can do? The OP took the time to think through the shows and offer some responses. All you do is drop a turd into the dialogue. Instead of SZZ you might be better off adopting the name ZZZ.... Or perhaps you are connected to one of the shows and can't take criticism yourself. |
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| re: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) | |
| Posted by: EvFoDr 08:22 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
| In reply to: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) - JohnPopa 04:59 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| Thanks for the report. I feel very similarly to you about all three shows, although you probably liked Bronx Tale a bit more than I did. However, I am surprised that the only think to stick with you from War Paint was Fire and Ice. I thought Ebersole's big song, Pink, was riveting. And at the risk of hyperbole I'd say it was the best song in any musical I saw last season (and I saw them all). You might give it another listen :-) | |
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| Agreed re: Dear Evan Hansen | |
| Posted by: wizrdofoz27 05:19 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
| In reply to: 3 Shows, 2 days (DEH, War Paint, Bronx Tale, Spoilers and such herein...) - JohnPopa 04:59 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| The writers set up a very rich opportunity to explore some very complicated relationships, and then basically abandon ship to make the audience feel better. A wasted opportunity, but still those seats get sold! | |
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| re: Agreed re: Dear Evan Hansen | |
| Posted by: skier74 11:55 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
| In reply to: Agreed re: Dear Evan Hansen - wizrdofoz27 05:19 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| Agreed, I think we're clearly in the minority, but when people ask my opinion I won't hesitate to say that I basically hated the show but qualify that as (1) it's a minority viewpoint, apparently, (2) I do love (most of) the score, and (3) it really was the ending that I hated which kind of spoiled the rest for me. And by ending I suppose I mean much of the second half of act 2, not just the orchard scene. | |
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| re: Agreed re: Dear Evan Hansen | |
| Posted by: jtong43 10:27 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Agreed re: Dear Evan Hansen - skier74 11:55 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| Well said! | |
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| So true! Agreed as well... nmi | |
| Posted by: Pashacar 09:12 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
| In reply to: Agreed re: Dear Evan Hansen - wizrdofoz27 05:19 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| ghjnklm | |
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| re: So true! Agreed as well... nmi (SPOILERS) | |
| Posted by: mikem 10:01 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
| In reply to: So true! Agreed as well... nmi - Pashacar 09:12 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| SPOILERS I find it very problematic that Evan basically gets Zoe to sleep with him by lying to her and misrepresenting himself, and yet somehow the audience is supposed to be rooting for him, even though he gets no comeuppance for his horrible behavior. And I agree completely with the comments about Act II. It basically all unfolds exactly how you think it will at the end of the first act (until the bizarre coda in the orchard). I was hoping for some kind of twist or turn, but it never happened. |
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| re: So true! Agreed as well... nmi (SPOILERS) | |
| Last Edit: lordofspeech 11:57 pm EDT 10/23/17 | |
| Posted by: lordofspeech 11:55 pm EDT 10/23/17 | |
| In reply to: re: So true! Agreed as well... nmi (SPOILERS) - mikem 10:01 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| Yes, there are troubling issues in Dear Evan Hansen. But they are definitely there on purpose. And, while it's true that Evan never really ever gets consequences for his manipulative behavior, that may be an accurate picture of the rather un-moral facebook society his generation is growing up in, where the buzz of social media and of reality tv shows have the kids unaware and unable to experience themselves as human beings with responsibility for their actions. I know people who walked out of the show after the first act, obviously feeling not only disgust with Evan's lack of heroism but with the writers' similar seeming obtuseness about his lack of empathy. That said, we must remember that Hamlet, likewise seriously disturbed and alienated from his world, similarly wreaks havoc on the lives of those closest to him, including such relative innocents as Ophelia, Polonius, and Laertes. Of course, he gets a chance to grieve Ophelia and beg forgiveness of Laertes in that moving pre-duel scene. In that play, the brat grows up. And he also has a very real moral imperative for why he's so out of step (his father). But my point is that self-involved protagonists who cause damage to others definitely can work. Look what the James Dean character does to his brother in "East of Eden." I think Dear Evan Hansen relies a lot on the connection The protagonist has with the audience through his song-soliloquies, as Hamlet does in his solo-speeches. And the actor who plays Evan is quite amazing in his emotional nakedness. Maybe it has to do with how much slack you cut Evan for him feeling so desperately alone. I cut him a lot. Especially because Zoe and her family, though well-acted, aren't written very "deep," despite their obvious griefs. I do wonder if Dear Evan Hansen would be enhanced if Evan were played by an actor of a type for which the audience has a tendency to grant automatic slack. Like if he and his mother were not poor white people but poor African-Americans. I would like to see that, with the script exactly as it is and the element of the post-racial racial divide never articulated in language, which would be realistic for this day and age. |
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