Profile for CRS14

Saw the show last night (Thurs 3/28) and I am still in awe of what I experienced. There has already been plenty written that I could easily repeat but I'll just put down my three key takeaways:1) I was hooked within the 1st minute and knew I was in for something special2) There were 2 actors that I just couldn't take my eyes off (and I think are nearly non-replaceable). Patrick Page has already been discussed but my unsung hero was the tall, jacked dude in the chorus, Timothy Hughes. He added...

My friends and I take the Tony Awards pretty seriously (at least the prepping of it)

EvanK said: "So to confirm with those who have seen it,the sets are completely changed from what's in the London trailer?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XodF7sI1kbw "Wow - I hadn't seen that trailer (or anything from West End). I can confirm the sets are DRASTICALLY different. The Broadway show feels like a high school adaptation of that West End trailer. I can't begin to describe the 10x10 grid in comparison to what is seen at the :50 mark of that video. Couldn't be more different.

The first act had two "sets" that were pretty much on stage the whole time. Stage right was the Bucket family home which was a two-level set with the Grandparents bed on top and a bathtub/chair on the bottom. It kept coming in and out throughout the show and would weirdly spin around (which had zero purpose since there was no need to see the back of it. That's what led to the gaffe on Grandpa Joe's first song). Stage left was the candy store where Charlie interacted with Wonka. During the oth...

Jackie Hoffman was okay. The non-stop "i'm an alcoholic" jokes grew old REAL fast and her one number was good, but not great. There were a TON of kids in the audience which made these types of jokes fall very flat. Again, I didn't see the Depp version of the movie but the kids are much more modernized (Mike Teavee is basically a mini Donald Trump and there are several lines that allude to this - 'tiny hands', 'yuuuuge', etc.) so if you're expecting a replica from the Wilder original you'll be...

The Oompas were fun. I don't want to give away too much but it seemed like they tried doing too much with them that led to some scenes being very distracting. Hard to say more without truly spoiling.I mentioned the 10x10 box. The entire "candy land" that was so magical in the movie is a 10x10 box that no one actually goes in or truly interacts with (except the Gloopster of course but even that was not truly inspiring. They just walk around it and pick up cheap plastic things off of it and pre...

I saw it last night. First act got out at like 9:35 (started at probably 8:15) and 2nd act concluded at just about 11. (Spoilers coming from here on in and this is just a random collection of thoughts)Can confirm that the sets were incredibly disappointing. When you get to view the factory for the first time and it's a 10ftx10ft box with cheap plastic ornaments you can't help but be underwhelmed. With the amount of production and effort they used on the OUTSIDE of the theater you'd think they...

So far I've seen: It's On, Trouble, Baby Case, How Deep is the Ocean, Foreverman, & Stuck with Cutting Edge Composers, 6 in Concert, Part of it All, and Stand Tall left in the festival The two standouts are easily Baby Case and Foreverman. Both had great casts and engaging plots. Foreverman is up there with Feeling Electric/Next to Normal and Rooms in terms of how impressed I was after walking out of the theater. There are some changes to the book (and the title, honestly) that need to happen...

I'm going to echo the sentiments of the thread and recommend Once over Newsies. I went into Once knowing next to nothing about it and left completely mesmerized. Yes, the songs are very unique and somewhat similar, but the staging of them and the emotion the actors put into them is unrivaled. There wasn't a single moment I was bored thanks in large part to the fantastic Book. There are some very emotional and tender moments that I haven't seen matched on a stage this season. As for Newsies, I...

Just saw Kissless The good: all of the actors are so young (16 had to be the median age) and there were a few standout voices. Favorite song was the duet between one of the rednecks and the dorky kid. Though my favorite part was the Dr. Pepper hat one of the "redneck" characters wore. Gotta get me one of those. The bad: Tough to judge a show filled with young kids, but it just didnt compare to the others. There was no band, 90% of the jokes fell flat (i.e. "Seriously, what IS Facebook!?!?!"),...

So far I've seen: Crazy, Just Like Me; Ghostlight; Time Between Us; Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Crazy, Just Like Me: A very fun and enjoyable 90 minutes. The writing is very contemporary and relatable which made the scenes run smoothly. Andy Mientus turns in a great performance as Simon, the heart of the show. The book could use a bit of tweaking to make certain scenes more memorable/not as rushed, but that's what this festival is for. Definitely worth checking out. Ghostlight: My frien...

Almost time for my 8 shows in 2 weeks binge with this year's NYMF. Have any of the shows gotten a lot of buzz or publicity? Hoping to pick the right 8 shows as opposed to last year where I saw some duds.

If the great cast wasn't enough, my desire to marry Cait Doyle is more than enough of a draw. I'll be there!

Saw the first preview on Friday night... I guess I'm in the minority here but the show was pretty brutal. I wanted to like it - but I just couldn't get into it. The first act dragged on and on and on and if it weren't for knowing that "Goodbye" was coming in the 2nd act, I might have left. Only 2 of the songs were close to anything I'd want to listen to again. For a "chase" themed show the plot was slow and tiresome. The dialogue was cheesy (as my friend pointed out, the big line at the end b...

Saw my final three shows (reviews below) then my overall thoughts on the festival. Vote For Me - Great concept, horrible execution. The best way I can describe the show is awkward. The woman playing the democratic lead was jittery and fumbling her lines and 98% of the jokes fell flat. The score was entirely forgettable. No idea how Kristy Cates got roped into this production, especially since she had a nothing role. The History of War - I've never been more bored at a show than I was during t...

Saw Trails on Friday night then Without You and Tess on Saturday. Five down, three to go. Trails - I was most excited for this show because the demo songs they had were fantastic...and it exceeded all expectations. The cast is fantastic. Matt Lutz gives an incredibly heartfelt performance that really drew me in to his character, Seth, the center of the show. The music and book were both equally amazing. The writing during the "telephone" scenes were done flawlessly, enhancing the emotion need...

Saw "I Got Fired" and "Nighttime Traffic" over the weekend. Thoughts below: I Got Fired - I wanted to like it but just couldn't get there. For starters, I'm 99% never a fan of when a show references that it's a show or talks directly to the audience (the 1% being Drowsy Chaperone where it worked). It takes me out of the moment and cheapens the dialogue. Unfortunately, this show had an infinite number of those references. It also had pretty bad transitions and the dialogue as a whole was medio...

In order, I'm seeing: I Got Fired Nighttime Traffic Trails Without You Tess Vote For Me History of War The Great Unknown Most excited for Trails, Tess, Without You, and Vote for Me

I'm seeing it opening night! Been going to NYMF shows since 2005 and I haven't been this excited for a show in quite some time. Lots of good buzz and the music demos are much better than others shows have been/are this season.

Saw 3 shows Saturday 1) All Fall Down - I had high hopes for this one. Interesting premise and a good cast. Must say I was let down. I didn't hate it like the people I was with, but it needs a LOT of work. The music was decent. Thought the playing of multiple characters took away from the show and was unnecessary in some cases (the learning how to drive scene comes to mind). Might have potential down the road, but for now was just a mess. 2) Plaged - A fluff show revolved around Cinderella's ...