The Triumphant Return of The Old Timers

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/11/18 at 11:00pm

Looks like things haven't been going too good? Here's what I suggest: Pay the OG Classic BWW Old-Timers to come back and post and to start and maintain lively, fun and funny discussions on the off-topic board. I mean, just scrolling down the front page you can see that there are anywhere from 1-3 active threads on the OT board per day. That's remarkable, and not in a good way the way Hamilton is remarkable.

Sure, g--stl--ht has made it clear that a dead board is better and more pleasant for them than an active one, but that is a troll who's an outlier. Do you really want to cater to posters who have been hurt that musical theater evolved after Little Mary Sunshine? Do you really want to please someone with an opinion that's reminiscent of the Viet Nam War when Americans burned down villages to save them from communism? We're gonna wipe out your town to save it?

I get BWW is having a major identity crisis. If I were a crisis manager, here is what I would express to the team that runs this cracker jack site (that's a compliment, right? that's how I meant it): You say this is a board for theatre-lovers. Just define what that means for you and what you think the implications are for how discussions happen. I consider myself a theatre-lover. Theatre has helped me in my understanding of the world and myself in ways I can't imagine happening without it.

But here's the thing about real theatre lovers. WE HATE TERRIBLE THEATRE. It is a defilement of an experience that should be edifying and life affirming, even in the most confrontational and discordant examples. And as theatre-lovers age and mature we recognize life is too short to endure crap.

So if you want a board for theatre-lovers, you should probably recommend that creative types active in the shows they work on stay away from the boards. It's not hard. I've done it for years. Yes, the training, dedication and work is really hard. And like all of us, sometimes our work is realllllllllllllly crappy. And it's not our fault as individuals necessarily, it just doesn't work and it sucks. That's life. That's showbiz.

If you have evidence of actors who are pained by what they see here, (even if it's "just to check to see if an agreement has been breached," or whatever), you should advise them not to come here. Or avoid threads about their shows. Or turn off their Google Alerts every time their name is mentioned.

Now, if for BWW "theatre-lover" means someone who sees no difference between any shows, the best reviewed to the worst, the slickest most professional to the disastrous and amateurish, then maybe having discussion boards is not in the best interest of this site? Maybe just post booster articles and everyone can imagine visitors who JUST LOVE BROADWAY as a brand.

I guess that's it. But it is funny to realize none of the old "trouble makers" post anymore and yet the boards STILL had to be taken offline last night. The lesson here is this is not the board you want it to be because humans are different and you offering a space to share their opinions is not always (or often) go the way you want it to.

Anyway, if you want to pay any of us to generate content and traffic for you like we did in the old days, you know where to find me and I can probably find a lot of them.

All My Something,

xoFNox

[sabrelady]

Posted: 12/11/18 at 11:49pm

Good to hear from u Kid-

 

 

 

 

Updated On: 12/11/18 at 11:49 PM

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 12/12/18 at 4:27am

What have these young whippersnappers been doing to this place?!

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 12/12/18 at 4:35am

If you have evidence of actors who are pained by what they see here, (even if it's "just to check to see if an agreement has been breached," or whatever), you should advise them not to come here. Or avoid threads about their shows. Or turn off their Google Alerts every time their name is mentioned.

 

Sing out, Louise!

 

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 12/12/18 at 9:58am

"That's showbiz!"

Yes, my friend, yes it is!! 

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 12/12/18 at 11:55am

Well, well, well.

Look what the Skimbleshanks dragged in. 

Updated On: 12/12/18 at 11:55 AM

[wonderwaiter]

Posted: 12/12/18 at 5:44pm

Can the adults please smock? 

[South Florida]

Posted: 12/12/18 at 7:10pm

Namo, do your thing, it has always been provocative and therefore interesting.

 

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 12/12/18 at 8:23pm

I just read an entire thread from 2009, and the wit was off the charts.  Very entertaining.  So much so, it made me come back here for the first time, in ages.  Nothing like that old thread here, today.

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 12/12/18 at 9:14pm

Have absolutely no idea what FN was alluding to--perhaps the abbreviated form might have been more pertinent.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 12/12/18 at 9:38pm

Hey Namo.  I miss your wit and humor.  JerseyGirl2, I miss your insightful posts.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/12/18 at 11:51pm

Between Skimbleshanks and smocking adults, there is still laughter in the old place yet.

 

Here are some shows I have seen this year and loved:

Janelle Monáe, Dirty Computer Tour. She manifests love and community in her concerts and she could teach the world a thing or two.

Jake Shears, Big Bushy Mustache Tour. His still Mr Showbiz even on a small stage and for Scissor Sisters fans, DEFINITELY worth seeing again, for the very first time.

Michelle Obama, Becoming Tour. Sure tickets were expensive but so worth it. And her t-shirts were half the price of Lady Gaga's.

What are The Old Timers and Broadway Legends, smockers and non, loving right now and why?

[Roscoe]

Posted: 12/13/18 at 9:08am

Not loving much right now.  Typical.  Trump ruins everything.

 

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 12/13/18 at 9:27am

Roscoe said: "Not loving much right now. Typical. Trump ruins everything."

Same

I have manged to love:

The third season of Twin Peaks

The new season of Mystery Science Theater

Once On This Island Revival 

That's about it.

 

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 12/13/18 at 10:17am

Ya know what I loved?  Torch Song.  Not a perfect production, but deeply engaging and an extraordinary piece of theater that meant a lot to me when I was a gayling.

Something I appreciated but didn't love was The Favourite.  Fantastic performances, but it really was an ugly, ugly story that made me feel icky.  It did its job, but icky is not what I needed to feel since every day in this country is icky.

I love alpacas.  I'd like to own an alpaca farm in Cape May, NJ and dress them up in jaunty hats and ties.

Oh...and I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally love Doug, the milquetoast, stocky baker on Season 5 of Holiday Baking Championship.  The Future Hubban' and I write adult fan erotica about him and Dan, the big gay baker from this last season of Great British Baking Show. 

It feels good to share the love. 

[Roscoe]

Posted: 12/13/18 at 10:31am

Rather than let Trump ruin everything -- here's some stuff I love, old and new and in-between:

 

Donald Westlake's BANK SHOT, a sprightly little comedy novel about a bank heist, I was laughing outloud when I wasn't smiling, it's just pure delight from start to finish.

Paul Thomas Anderson's PHANTOM THREAD -- a poison bonbon of a movie about relationships and clothes and power struggles, handsomely done in every way, it's not everybody's cup of, shall we say, tea, but I love it a lot.

Bernard Herrmann's film scores -- they rule.  

Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge -- the one the only the definitive absolute Scrooge, nothing else comes close at all.

BETTER CALL SAUL -- my favorite current TV series.

There.  Trump cannot soil these works of delight.

 

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 12/13/18 at 11:23am

Irish smoked salmon on a sesame bagel at the Corner Bakery Cafe for brunch. I've been thinking about it all morning!

Great...now I'm hangry!

[SNAFU]

Posted: 12/13/18 at 12:49pm

Hey Namo! Just dropped in after not visiting for awhile. It was nice to see this thread!

 

Updated On: 12/13/18 at 12:49 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/13/18 at 1:02pm

I'm with you all on so much of this! Totally agree about the pall cast by the Trump admin over everything beautiful. I'm definitely going to check out some of the things people say they loved. For example, I have never seen Phantom Thread but now I feel motivated to.

I too enjoyed Torch Song, which I saw at Second Stage. It worked really well for me and my reactions to some of the scenes have REALLY changed since I first saw it in the '80s. (Minor spoiler) Back then I thought the mother's comparison of her relationship with her husband and Arnold's relationships seemed perfectly reasonable. But this time around it felt like a gut punch that outraged me! I'm glad I came to see things differently.

I like the first woman Dr. Who! I only jumped on that moving train in time for her arrival  but I find the show and the Doctor delightful.  Particulaly the "Kerblam!" episode.

 

I'm going to make an effort to see the Alastair Sim Christmas Carol from start  to finish this year. 

[javero]

Posted: 12/13/18 at 1:03pm

How can I put this.  You've always been an acquired taste, Namo.  But, I kinda, sorta, ..., well. you know.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/13/18 at 1:05pm

My goal as always been to be nine people's favorite thing. 

 

Hi, SNAFU, old pal!

Updated On: 12/13/18 at 01:05 PM

[Huss417]

Posted: 12/13/18 at 2:29pm

Its nice to see some of the old folks here show up from time to time. Many differences from 15 years ago.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 12/13/18 at 2:52pm

We should throw us old timers a sweet sixteen next year!

I'd suggest throwing a quinceañera but there's only two weeks left to 2015 and it's cultural appropriation.  And that is something I do NOT love.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 12/13/18 at 3:21pm

I also love that my mail delivery isn't such a problem.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/13/18 at 4:16pm

Fifteen years on and we're all still HAWT AF.  And it's kinda funny Namo, but I've always wanted to be one person's nine favorite things.  I think I may have finally accomplished that.

I just saw an amusing, if wildly uneven, production of Midsummer Night's Dream in Chicago.  T.R. Knight was an enthusiastic Bottom, which is how Bottoms should be, in my opinion.  But I believe Melisa Soledad Pereyra as Hermia and Christina Panfilio as Helena have completely spoiled any future production of the show for me as I don't think it's possible the roles could ever be played more brilliantly.  At the other end of the spectrum, Edward O'Blenis seemed to think a baritone authoritative tone was all that was required to play Thesues and Oberon.  And I honestly do not understand how Sam Kebede was cast as Puck, much less allowed to perform in front of a paying audience.  It was one of the most painfully awkward, over-the-top, amateurish performances I've ever seen.  The sets and lighting were jaw-droppingly gorgeous, while the costumes were all over the place.  The sort of Lord of the Rings meets the Wild Boys from Duran Duran's music video via Pat Benatar-as-Cyndi Lauper-for-Halloween stylings of the fairies didn't really work, to say the least.  Especially when Puck is dressed as a mostly naked ancient Inca somethingorother when there was no discernible rhyme, reason or appeal to see him as any of those things, whatever they were/are intended to be.  But to balance out the awkward inanity of the fairies, every member of the acting troupe was well-defined, well-directed and well-performed, stopping the show (in a good way) with their performance of The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe, the part of the show that can often force audiences to stare at their watches and wonder why they stayed after intermission.  With inspirational dashes reminiscent of Waiting for Guffman, Rent, French & Saunders and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), there was never a dull moment and you wonder why it isn't one of the most referenced parts of the play.

Updated On: 12/13/18 at 04:16 PM