Profile for Andy Bates

10086Sundays said: "Because the initial exceptions of the show havekept a large number of people from seeing it at all, unfortunately, hence why it's closing. Despite the good word of mouth from those who see it anyway and walk out impressed. Exceeding expectations isn't bad, the low expectations are."I was responding to the statement, "I'm glad people enjoyed it, but if the audience is surprised at the quality, something's not going right." That was specifically saying the problem was that t...

Kitsune said: "I'll admit I don't totally understand the resistance to the idea of Groundhog Day as a musical. But yes, I've also heard a lot of "I was surprised it was so good!" I'm glad people enjoyed it, but if the audience is surprised at the quality, something's not going right."This makes no sense to me. A show exceeding expectations doesn't mean there's a problem with that show. It means that it over-delivered on what people were expecting. How is that ever a bad thing?

blaxx said: "Not on Broadway, no. Any investor or producer would know what you mean by flop.You can call it what you want with your own standards, the term won't change meanings within the industry."The question of the thread is "How do you define a 'flop'?" The question wasn't, "What is the accepted standard industry term for a flop?"Most of us aren't investors or producers. We're not in financial meetings to discuss whether or not a show was financially successful. The term "flop" existed b...

HogansHero said: "See, this is why the non-economic definition is silly: what does it mean? That in your opinion a show is no good artistically? Once again we are back to finding euphemisms for " I didn't like it." Wouldn't you feel silly calling Mamma Mia a flop?"Nonsense. First of all, language is inherently fluid and open to interpretation, so it seems arbitrary to say, "The specific economic definition is the only one that applies." But no, "flop" doesn't have to be synonymous with "I did...

Okay, here's my story: Last summer we took the kids to England for about ten days, and we were looking at shows to see while we were there. A friend of mine recommended Groundhog Day, which hadn't opened yet at that point. We all saw it early in our trip and loved it!Then the last day of the trip, we didn't have anything to do that night, and I suggested seeing the show one more time (there were mezzanine tickets for like $20 each!). But we had a big travel day the next day, so instead we wen...

SmokeyLady said: "It all sounds very Trumpish to me."That's funny, because you saying, "If you can't stand the heat.. then get out of the kitchen. What bunch of woosies." is the most Trumpish thing I've seen on this thread.

After Eight said: "What's "unfounded" about it? I saw it, and thought it was ghastly. The repetitive scenes were mind-numbing. The score was a chore and a bore. What more does one need say? Does one have to write a doctoral dissertation to proclaim a show bad, or ask and receive someone else's permission to claim it so?"If you found the show repetitive, maybe you should have checked about the subject matter before seeing it.Nope, no one here is saying you need to ask permission to proclaim it...

SmokeyLady said: "If you can't stand the heat.. then get out of the kitchen. What bunch of woosies."He's entitled to his opinion, and I'm entitled to call him out if his opinion seems unfounded. I'm not sure someone saying "the show is bad" counts as "heat".

After Eight said: "Andy, that tells us more about the acumen of those who give out awards than it does about the show's worth."It tells us that us that cynics on the internet are a dime a dozen, and it takes absolutely zero originality or creativity to blindly bash something. But please, continue with your nuanced criticism of Groundhog Day where you say "the show's book and score were extremely bad."

After Eight said: "Frankly, I don't see why audiences should care to root for one, or why they should be expected to, or worse, obliged to. Not to mention that both the show's book and score were extremely bad."Clearly you didn't get the show, especially if you don't understand the idea of having a character that can be relatable and still be an asshole. And I'm sure it got all those awards and Tony nominations because it was extremely bad.

You should see it, with everyone if possible. Cover the eyes of the eight-year-old during the (mostly hidden) sex scene with Nancy, and during the ending verse of "Hope". Other than that, you should be fine. The line about masturbation won't even register to a kid.

We have enough snarky naysayers in the world today; can't we be considerate here? A lot of people loved the show and it got really great reviews. They just announced that it's closing, and obviously there's going to be an outpouring of love by all the people who were huge fans of the show. Okay if you didn't think it was great, that's fine, but do you really have to force everyone else to agree with your opinion?

Owen22 said: "So many people (obviously including the creators) coming up with justifications for this number. Unfortunately, no redux explanation will work. It's structurally wrong and calls attention to itself (luckily it starts the Act so it doesn't necessarily interrupt the flow)."Yeah, I don't know why a musical number would want to call attention to itself! It's almost like it was done intentionally. But if you want a show that doesn't do things "structurally wrong" (whatever that means...

"And since I'm mentioning people who sang, there's a really beautiful song that the lyricist, Minchin, should get some credit for. I think it's called "Being Nancy", I think that's the name of the song, and there's a girl named Rebecca Faulkenberry who's sort of like the hot object of Punxsatawney, you know, if you can be the hot object dressed sort of like in a fur hat, almost like down clothing. She does it, she's very attractive.But, this song is very...it comes, I did not see this one com...

10086Sundays said: "Here's a nice guy, close to her age, who may end up being the first real relationship she's ever had that would no longer make her feel like she has to accept being "just collateral" in someone else's story."And Larry and Nancy only notice each other because Phil stopped worrying about himself and actually asks Larry's opinion on something. It's all very well choreographed and scripted.

raddersons said: I think what it comes down to is... Is it worth stopping the whole show (I mean seriously, the action freezes around her) just to have one minor character sing a ballad that really isn't necessary?First of all, you're coming right off of the intermission and a 30-second entr'acte, so it's not like you're right in the middle of the action and suddenly everything stops. People are still finding their seats, putting down drinks, all that. It's not like you're interrupting the pl...

It's an attempt to make the audience see the townspeople as more than just simple idiots, but it ends up being more jarring than moving. It goes completely against the flow of the first act and entr'acte, and audiences are left saying "Am I still seeing the same show?"As previously noted, this is intentional.It makes Nancy seem like she's going to be a major character down the line, but she isn't.She was a prominent minor character in the first act, which leads to this song is about that char...

When we saw the show the first time, my wife also asked why that song had to be there, and thought that it should have been cut.Then after seeing it a year later, she said, "After watching this show again, I can't even remember why it bothered me the first time! I loved it!"So, maybe it just takes a bit of perspective.

That's funny, because Playing Nancy is probably the song I've listened to the most off of the soundtrack. And just having seen the show this past week, here is my interpretation of why it's there.First of all, for people saying it stops the flow of the show: Yes, it does that intentionally. The second act starts with a rousing entr'acte, with a crowd of people onstage...and then everyone freezes for the entire Playing Nancy solo. It's abundantly clear that the creators of the show intended it...