Profile for Scott Briefer

I too saw this at Berkeley Rep. I thought Raul Esparza brilliant and his performance worthy of a Tony nomination and perhaps award. The show needed work, but it was good. They've had two years, so it's possible that this could be well received. I wish the 'haters' would lower the volume of their judgements just a bit. I am not religious and yet I found the subject matter engaging. Don't know why they immediately deemed this a flop.And, as I wrote above, I was deeply moved by Mr. Esparza's per...

Ticketmaster's site doesn't allow for my computer to shrink the image small enough to fit in the balcony. The balcony for those performances, plus the seats I've shown doesn't come anywhere near 600 unsold seats. This is silly, no matter what I type, you guys are going to believe I'm wrong. As for the usher comment... If you were reading carefully, I spoke with several ushers, a lighting and sound engineer and Ms. Taymor. Why do you ignore my other sources and keep referring to only the usher...

Maybe, here is where I didn't keep up. I didn't realize I was being asked to prove my connection to Ticketmaster. Well, I don't know how to prove it. I have a friend who works in their corporate offices who I've known for over 20 years. We're old friends and both passionate about theater. That's not great proof and I'm sorry for that. I'm okay if you don't believe me. What I find curious though, is that I have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are less than 600 seats for 23 Februar...

themysteriousgrowl: you haven't been following, my decision to include the screen captures wasn't because of tazber. Someone earlier claimed they randomly went to Ticketmaster to check seating availability and found over 600 seats on 23 February. I checked Ticketmaster and it just wasn't so. Keep up.

I never lied about knowing someone with box office information. I just didn't state this until I saw other people lying about sales. It only became relevant when it was reported that sales were poor, when in fact, they're not. You may call me pathetic for caring enough to prove my point. Perhaps there's truth in that. But, I'm so tired of the lies here.

Sorry about the initial bad links. I forgot how to embed images here. I tried to add pngs and it seems this site only wants jpgs. If you check back, you'll see that the links work now. AND... Please someone tell me where they see 600 seats? I included both matinee and evening just incase I got it wrong. As you will see. It just isn't so. I am not a liar. My proof makes it clear other here are.

Here's my proof: following are screen captures of both the matinee and evening performances of 23 February. I would really like for someone here to show me the approximately 600 seats available on Ticketmaster. I understand that this doesn't represent the total seats available. This does represents the honesty of one poster.

Here is where I do have inside information. Spider-Man is doing more than fine in ticket sales through April. As for why I bring up Ticketmaster... What I object to is the blatant misrepresentations here. It's true that the box office might be holding back tickets (in fact, I know that they are, but not as many as you might suspect), but when someone writes that they went to Ticketmaster and checked out 23 February (randomly) and found approximately 600 seats when there is less than 100 showi...

wickedfan: what Ticketmaster did you check. I just checked February 23 and there are some seats in the rear side of the orchestra and in the back of the balcony. There is a very small scattering for priority seating for the $275, but even that's extremely rare. Less than 100 seats altogether, and for a 2000 seat theater that's damn good.

I saw the show for the first and only time last Thursday 3 February. I sat in orchestra F107 (ninth row center). I plan on seeing the show again after it officially opens and Ms. Taymor and the creatives finish their piece. My comment about the Ticketmaster seating is because I've been on the site checking for seats after 15 March pretty regularly. As I don't wish to pay $275 I am very interested in discount codes and such. Mr. Riedel is wrong about current ticket sales.

Michael Riedel is a liar. There are some rather blatant falsehoods in his piece. To simply prove my point, just logon to Tickemaster and try and find those acres of seats between now and April. With Ticketmaster's new system you can see clearly which seats are and aren't sold. They don't exist. I am curious as to where he has gotten his 1.2 million nut. From many other accounts the nut is just under 1 million. (I can't prove this though, so...) Discounts are available through 27 February. It ...

billyboyA: Perhaps one day it we will meet. I have to say that I thought your review well written and intelligent.

dramamama611: and that information is false. Bono and The Edge are working on the score. I don't know why it was reported otherwise. I am not accusing anyone here of starting that rumor. I am accusing people here of being naive enough to believe every thing they read. Newspapers - journalists - often get it wrong. In this case, they have. Yet again. I have no problem with you disliking the show. I only take issue when you write that Ms. Taymor's ego blah blah blah... You don't know Ms. Taymor...

TheatreDiva90016: I am not a part of the Spider-Man company. In addition to reading much of the same misinformed reporting that you've read - and perhaps many here - personally, I spoke with several ushers (extensively with one who's seen every performance), two technicians on the show and Ms. Taymor herself. (Who by-the-way was gracious and kind and genuinely interested in discussing the work.) And, please, what are your opinions based on if not "here-say"? You seem to have just as much info...

Baileyboo, I'm with you. But, I'm sure nobody is surprised about that. I too have spent much of today thinking that the Internet is making much of newsprint obsolete. Sad actually, especially if we're replacing the Ben Brantley's with the likes of many of the posters here. Not sure which I loathe more.

TheatreDiva90016: I have written what I know. As I've written before, I have only seen the show the one time and my account of changes is only based on what I was told. Personally, I think adding what seems will be 2 new scenes, a new flying sequence, new music and lyrics, cutting other music, a scene and tweaking much of the other dialogue seemed like a lot of work to me. (Still does, but it seems that isn't shared my some posters here.) Spider-Man ran 2hrs. and 45mins last Thursday and I wa...

"After seeing it, and hearing that no changes are being made to the incomprehensible book..." You wrote "no" and not "no major"... However, you also wrote, "hearing". So, perhaps you are not lying, but you are continuing a falsehood: changes are being made. "Major" is a matter of opinion.

Both of your comments are just wrong. Not the opinion part... you are more than entitled to your opinion, but the speculation as to what's happened and the motives of the creatives. Dislike the show. Offer you opinion. All of that's good and fair, but spreading malicious rumors that are just false isn't. If you want a better analysis of what's changed, read some of the posts in the preview thread regarding just that. Or, better yet, ask someone who's in the know. Quickly, from what I know - a...

ErikJ972: Your comment about "no changes" is wrong. You are falsely believing those who have written that no work is being done on the book and the score of SMTOTD. Several people who have seen the show multiple times have commented, here and elsewhere, that tremendous work has been done since the first preview and continues to be done. Why do you - and others - wish to perpetrate that lie? You can hate the show. Your opinion - any opinion - is valid, but maintaining a malicious rumor - which...

and what does that say... the people who like SMTOTD don't have the right to a space where they can discuss a show they like in a positive vein, because the majority of posters don't like it. Please.