Profile for MM8TRfm

I, too, saw 1st Preview on Tuesday night. Do listen to Whizzer..., and all of these others who share their PAIN , that they experienced while wishing for a lifetime supply of '... Chocolate' positive memories! (71' Willy Wonka... one of my all-time favorites). 

My fingers are crossed for all involved in the show that the 10x10 "Chocolate Room" platform was just a substitution for a Set Still On The Way (Not ready for first preview)! One of the most disappointing moments of theatre in the 750 plus shows I've seen in my lifetime. [That truly was a '85% of High School Shows would-have-done-better moment]

Somehow, the creative team seems to be trying to "be original" every moment that the audience wants "the wonderful familiar". It's as if Shaiman and Wittman have something against Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley and want you to hear as little of their music as possible. Pure Imagination doesn't even get it's own "Musical Number" line in the program. Oh no. It is shared with a slash and Grandpa Joe. As is I've Got a Golden Ticket. Almost as if the composers needed those famous songs from the movie to transition and end with their song (heaven forbid the Thunderous applause they would hear after those songs had been sung!).  [For those sports fans out there I'm thinking of the meaningful cheers for the home football team when they finally get their first first down late in the 2nd quarter...sarcastic cheers?! The audience cheering 'Now there's a musical number we liked'] Why not EMBRACE the material from the movie?! How is it possible that the audience leaves the theatre after this show with anything other than a beautifully arranged version of Pure Imagination?! Seriously!?

I promise I'm a forgiving guy. Grandpa Joe off on his entrance of a song? Set pieces getting stuck?The technical mistake at the end of Act 1 destroying the magical elevator moment? I can forgive that. Shtuff happens. Heck it's a first preview.

But the book? What the heck happened?!

Direction?! (Three Tony's? At what age does one retire?)

Musical numbers of this quality? 

Willy Wonka! Willy Wonka! ?? Tales of Wonka ??      A Letter From Charlie Bucket ?? Queen of Pop ??These were not good. IMO.

I once read that my favorite song from Stephen Schwartz's score for Prince of Egypt, "Through Heaven's Eyes", was the fourth complete song written for that spot in the show. Apparently the third song he'd written for that spot in the show was gonna be the song and then Jeffrey Katzenburg said to him "We need something different"...and then he wrote that one.  Wow.

I sure wish most of those Act One songs could and would be rewritten... and that the set design would be worthy of our imaginations... and that the creative team loved the original movie... and that out of Sunset Boulevard & Groundhog Day (Sat), Sunday in the Park With George & Beautiful (Sun), Anastasia(Mon) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory(Tue)... this [C&CF] wasn't my 6th favorite show.

On the positive side:

1) I loved Christian Borle (what more could he do?!) 2) I liked that Charlie was a kid and the others were older playing younger.  It helped us cheer even more for Charlie. WTG Ryan Faust! 3) I loved The Gloops! 4) I liked Jackie Hoffman lots 5) I loved every moment that reflected the 71' film. Bb, A (octave lower), Bb. 6) Only the lady on my right left at intermission. 7) The Oompa Loompas were cool I saw a youtube video where a young teen gave the show a 9.99 on a scale of 1 to 10. So ya got that goin' for ya.

Me? I'll give it a 5. Any lower score would make me depressed over the $139 I spent on my ticket. 

PS.    SO sad. I wanted to like this SO much! : (

...now back to thoughts of how much I liked Andy Karl in GD, Anastasia, and the song "Greatest Star of All" from SB.

MD