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| re: TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT.....HERE'S BRANTLEY'S NOTICE" Put this in perspective, please. | |
| Last Edit: NewtonUK 05:02 pm EDT 07/12/18 | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 04:40 pm EDT 07/12/18 | |
| In reply to: TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT.....HERE'S BRANTLEY'S NOTICE - Jax 01:37 pm EDT 07/12/18 | |
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| The critics job isnt to say 'I hated it, but audiences will love it' - that would be really patronizing. A critic sees many shows, and develops standards by which they judge shows. Let's keep in perspective that when WICKED opened in San Francisco (with the lovely Robert Morse as the Wizard) the show was pretty roundly panned. When it came to Broadway it received even worse reviews - not just from Mr Brantley. There was only one problem - none of the critics were 12 year old girls. So lets not bash Mr Brantley for loathing WICKED - many many crix did - as did many adults who saw it (myself included - both times I saw it). Newsday: "... an Overproduced, overblown, confusingly dark and laboriously ambitious jumble" New Yorker: "The show's 22 songs were written by Stephen Schwartz, and not one of them is memorable.' NY POST: review was titled 'BROOM SHTICK. What is spectacular about the show is the spectacle. But this yellow brick road is also paved with Stephen Schwartz's oppressive music and banal lyrics ... and the complex, foolish book by Winnie Holzman' VARIETY: Its not easy being green. Or blonde for that matter. Those are just two of the lessons to be learned from this big, murky new Broadway musical. But maybe the most salient pointer is that it ain't east being a Broadway musical. A strenuous effort to be all things to all people tend to weigh down this lumbering, overstuffed production." NY DAILY NEWS: WICKED, the prequel to The Wizard of Oz, is an interminable show with no dramatic logic or emotional center... the overall effect is sad, because a lot of talented people are involved' TALKIN BROADWAY: This is a thoroughly mechanical and unmagical musical. Director Joe Mantello is demonstrating once again that he has little or no working knowledge of how or why a musical is different from a straight play. WICKED is the ultimate whitewashed example of how a musical written to pander can even fail at that when it has no centralized guiding force. I believe USA today was the main outlet that liked WICKED - almost the only national one. I confess I agree with all of these reviews - I enjoyed about 20 minutes of what I felt was a turgid mess on the stage. Just as I found the 6 hours of Harry Potter (and I am a fan of the books and films) to be an excruciating bore outside if about 10 minutes of special effects. This does not stop these shows in the least, as BRoadway has found a parent/kiddie audience who will go to see anything (except Little Mermaid, Tarzan, Seussical, and Spongebob). Good for them. It doesnt make the show any better. It just makes it successful. And thats OK too. But I think there is a difference. And Brantley was one of a zillion critics who loathed WICKED. |
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| re: TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT.....HERE'S BRANTLEY'S NOTICE" Put this in perspective, please. | |
| Posted by: Jax 02:58 am EDT 07/13/18 | |
| In reply to: re: TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT.....HERE'S BRANTLEY'S NOTICE" Put this in perspective, please. - NewtonUK 04:40 pm EDT 07/12/18 | |
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| You missed my point. I said Brantley failed to find the appeal of the show. WICKED turned out to be one of the most popular shows of the new century. A critic, whether he likes or loathes it, might be expected to explain WHY it works as well as it does with its audience. And it was the first of its kind. A critic might be expected to recognize that. Brantley failed both these tasks. He was too busy throwing attitude. And by the way, a zillion critics did not hate WICKED. A zillion people may have seen by now, though. |
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| re: TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT.....HERE'S BRANTLEY'S NOTICE" Put this in perspective, please. | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 01:00 pm EDT 07/13/18 | |
| In reply to: re: TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT.....HERE'S BRANTLEY'S NOTICE" Put this in perspective, please. - Jax 02:58 am EDT 07/13/18 | |
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| But how was he to know the show would be a hit with audiences? He doesn't (I assume) have a crystal ball, a deck of tarot cards, or anything other method to predict the future. The perspective that you're looking for in a review of a new production that's run only a few weeks of previews is one that can only be found after reviewing some future performance when he could write about his initial impression, how, if at all, his perspective has changed in the intervening years, and also incorporate thoughts on its incredible popularity with audiences over time. | |
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| I'm with Brantley | |
| Last Edit: MockingbirdGirl 07:35 am EDT 07/13/18 | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 07:34 am EDT 07/13/18 | |
| In reply to: re: TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT.....HERE'S BRANTLEY'S NOTICE" Put this in perspective, please. - Jax 02:58 am EDT 07/13/18 | |
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| I don't think Wicked is a good show. It's not a critic's job to predict longevity, but to evaluate quality. Lots of people go to Adam Sandler movies, too. McDonald's is the most popular American restaurant. Doesn't mean they deserve good reviews. And SHOUTING IN YOUR SUBJECT LINE doesn't make it more persuasive. |
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| re: TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT.....HERE'S BRANTLEY'S NOTICE" Put this in perspective, please. | |
| Posted by: EvFoDr 09:36 pm EDT 07/12/18 | |
| In reply to: re: TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT.....HERE'S BRANTLEY'S NOTICE" Put this in perspective, please. - NewtonUK 04:40 pm EDT 07/12/18 | |
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| Thanks for saying this. While the show is obviously popular and I wish it no ill, Brantley was not "wrong" to find fault in it. And popularity, or shall we say longevity since it's measurable, is a matter of fact. But what makes good art is subjective. Wicked is popular and long running. It is also not good to some/many. Look at all the people who loathe Phantom. It's not unique to theatre. Of the ten highest grossing films of all time only two are not part of some sort of franchise (Avatar and Titanic) and only one has won the Oscar for best picture (Titanic). Most of these films are not the greatest achievements in film (although a lot certainly are in special effects!), but they are popular. | |
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| re: TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT.....HERE'S BRANTLEY'S NOTICE" Put this in perspective, please. | |
| Posted by: Britannia 05:36 pm EDT 07/12/18 | |
| In reply to: re: TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT.....HERE'S BRANTLEY'S NOTICE" Put this in perspective, please. - NewtonUK 04:40 pm EDT 07/12/18 | |
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| This reminds me of the documentary, "Show Business: The Road to Broadway.," where we saw the herd mentality of critics at work discussing this very show. They were like a team of mean girls where only one kid if brave enough to say he likes the music of Stephen Schwartz, to the disbelief of the mean girls. Newsday's critics may have been confused, but every 10-year-old girl and their parents (and the many other people who have seen the show) weren't. The New Yorker's critic thought the music was forgettable, but much of it is stuck in our minds for good. The New York Daily News' critic thought it was without an emotional center . . . but the show continues to sell well on Broadway and on the road . . . without an emotional center? The first time I saw "Wicked," I felt they were trying to stuff too much in (namely, trying to identify the origins of Dorothy's companions in the show), but it still has brilliant music and lyrics, a clever and moving story, and it's not confusing, interminable, or mechanical. I love it more and more whenever I see it and recommend it heartily to others. In fact, I often return from trips in New York saying, "Wicked is the best show on Broadway." Personally, I was utterly confused over the appeal of "Matilda," "Once," and "Billy Elliot," which were three painful experiences in theatre for me. "Matilda" garnered strong reviews, but even my niece didn't like it. But I guess everyone has an opinion . . . |
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| re: TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT.....HERE'S BRANTLEY'S NOTICE" Put this in perspective, please. | |
| Posted by: StageDoorJohnny 12:53 pm EDT 07/13/18 | |
| In reply to: re: TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT.....HERE'S BRANTLEY'S NOTICE" Put this in perspective, please. - Britannia 05:36 pm EDT 07/12/18 | |
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| to slightly paraphrase H L Mencken: nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public | |
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