My Next Trip - Page 2

[steven22]

Posted: 2/23/20 at 7:56pm

Miles2Go2, nice reviews! Glad you enjoyed

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 2/27/20 at 1:08am

Beetlejuice, I’m heartily sorry for having offended thee. It’s not even close to the best thing I’ve seen on Broadway, but overall it’s a good time. I regret thinking so poorly of it before.

Since, I’m training in Secaucus, NJ area this week I decided to take the train in and finally see Beetlejuice. This afternoon, I grabbed a discounted ticket for tonight’s show - right mezzanine, Row D-2. Perfect view.

Things start off energetically when Beetlejuice (Alex Brightman) soon appears. In fact, anytime Brightman is on stage, the show comes alive. It’s true that Barbara and Adam are pretty boring characters. Still, Kerry Butler and David Josefsberg do what they can with them, but the show lags a bit when they’re the only characters on stage. Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer also is highly entertaining as Delia. Dana Steingold was in as Lydia and she was very good.

Set design was overall quite impressive although I didn’t love all the projections. Speaking of which, right after the scene where Lydia goes to the netherworld, an announcement came on that due to a technical issue, there would be a delay. We waited probably 10 minutes (or longer) before the show resumed (to enthusiastic applause).

I hadn’t expected all the audience members dressed in cosplay. Also, there were a surprising amount of families with children in attendance. In fact, the family next to me consisted of a husband and wife and their two young sons. From what I could tell, the parents has a good time, but wondered what they thought about the cursing. I’m guessing the more adult references went over the kids’ heads. The younger boy next to me was having trouble seeing even with a booster seat and I also think he was having trouble following the plot as he was half standing in his chair and occasionally talking to his dad. I couldn’t be mad at him though, even if sometimes his talking caused me to miss a few lyrics. Since the rest of our row was empty, at intermission they moved over a seat and the young boy moved into mom’s lap.

I would’ve bought the stocking cap and maybe the socks, but they were sold out. So I got the program, magnet, and transforming mug at intermission and the Names tee after the show.

I stagedoored afterwards. After a lengthy wait, only Dana Steingold came out. I probably should’ve skipped stage door because by time I caught train back into Secaucus, I missed last hotel shuttle from train station so ended up taking overpriced taxi instead.

Do I need to see this on Broadway again? No. Did I have fun? Yes. It’s like a big sugary treat. Fun at the time, but not very filling. I will admit I got a little misty when Lydia and her dad reconnected. Would I see this again on tour? Possibly.

[LexiGirl]

Posted: 2/27/20 at 12:07pm

Miles2Go2 said: "Beetlejuice, I’m heartily sorry for having offended thee. It’s not even close to the best thing I’ve seen on Broadway, but overall it’s a good time. I regret thinking so poorly of it before."

Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Miles! I have Beetlejuice tickets for my April trip that I bought because my husband wanted to see it. Now that he has backed out on going on the trip, I feel a little stuck with two tickets that I’m not sure I’m going to be able to easily resell, when I’d rather be filling that spot with something like Flying Over Sunset. So if I can’t sell both of them, I will go in with an open mind and ready to enjoy the evening.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 2/27/20 at 12:16pm

LexiGirl said: "Miles2Go2 said: "Beetlejuice, I’m heartily sorry for having offended thee. It’s not even close to the best thing I’ve seen on Broadway, but overall it’s a good time. I regret thinking so poorly of it before."

Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Miles! I have Beetlejuice tickets for my April trip that I bought because my husband wanted to see it. Now that he has backed out on going on the trip, I feela little stuck with two tickets that I’m notsure I’m going to be able to easily resell, when I’d rather be filling that spot with something like Flying Over Sunset. So if I can’t sell both of them, I will go in with an open mind and ready to enjoy the evening."

My advice: get an overpriced “Sip, Sip, Sip Senora” (only sold as a double) before the show to sip during Act 1 and another during intermission for Act 2. It helps. LOL 

[Umeboshi]

Posted: 2/27/20 at 12:21pm

Miles2Go2 said: "LexiGirl said: "Miles2Go2 said: "Beetlejuice, I’m heartily sorry for having offended thee. It’s not even close to the best thing I’ve seen on Broadway, but overall it’s a good time. I regret thinking so poorly of it before."

Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Miles! I have Beetlejuice tickets for my April trip that I bought because my husband wanted to see it. Now that he has backed out on going on the trip, I feela little stuck with two tickets that I’m notsure I’m going to be able to easily resell, when I’d rather be filling that spot with something like Flying Over Sunset. So if I can’t sell both of them, I will go in with an open mind and ready to enjoy the evening."

My advice: get an overpriced “Sip, Sip, Sip Senora” (only sold as a double) before the show to sip during Act 1 and another during intermission for Act 2. It helps. LOL"

Ha I was just about to recommend she get some drinks in her before the show but on preview you beat me to it! LexiGirl, even if the book and songs are a bit silly the set design, effects, and performances are very fun...especially if you're a bit tipsy

[LexiGirl]

Posted: 2/27/20 at 12:28pm

Umeboshi said: "Miles2Go2 said: "My advice: get an overpriced “Sip, Sip, Sip Senora” (only sold as a double) before the show to sip during Act 1 and another during intermission for Act 2. It helps. LOL"

Ha I was just about to recommend she get some drinks in her before the show but on preview you beat me to it!LexiGirl, even if the book and songs are a bit silly the set design, effects, and performances are very fun...especially if you're a bit tipsy"

See, these boards are so helpful! You’ve both helped me formulate a plan... booze it is.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 2/28/20 at 1:07am

After deliberating all day about going into the city (from Secaucus) to see a show, I decided around 6:27 p.m. to go into the city to see The Minutes which began at 8:00 p.m. The discount front orchestra seats I’d had my eye on during the day had disappeared off the web-site so I decided to take my chances with the box office/TKTS. So I hurried up, grabbed my things (no time to change so joggers, Madonna hoodie and Fendi sneakers it would be, putting my jewelry in my crossbody bag to put on en route) and rushed to see if the hotel shuttle had left yet for the train station. Luckily, it hadn’t. Got to the train station only to be faced with delays and trains bring switched to other tracks last minute. After running back forth between tracks, finally boarded (wheezing so much I must have sounded like a vacuum cleaner) a train to Penn Station only to have more delays en route. Finally get to Penn Station and transferred to 1 train to 50th street exit. Thinking I don’t have a lot of time I figured at this point I should bypass TKTS and just go to the box office and take my chances but then I realize that the TKTS booth is very close to 48th St. which is where the Cort Theatre is. So I rush over. It’s bitterly cold and very close (less than 10 minutes) to 8:00 showtimes so no one is in line. I tell him what I want to see and ticket agent offers me 9th row (Row G) orchestra dead center for quite a bit less ($92.50 total) than what I’d been looking to pay earlier in the day. Make it to the theater in time!

So after all that, the show better be worth it, right? Is it? Hmmm...that’s hard to answer.

Here’s my spoiler-free review. First, what a cast: Blair Brown, Armie Hammer, Tracy Letts, Jessie Mueller, and Austin Pendleton among others. Second, in addition to seeing all the above on stage for the first time, this also marked at least a couple other firsts for me: first time inside the Cort and first time seeing a play written by Letts.

So what about the play itself? It’s often very funny at least until it’s not. I’m not sure the play earns its twist ending. In fact, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t. But the final haunting images will stay with me. Without entering spoiler-zone, I’ll just say the play deals with dark underbelly of small towns through the vehicle of a town council meeting. The shift that happens toward the end of the play put me in mind of a Twilight Zone episode. Unfortunately, the rapid switch in tone doesn’t feel completely natural. Also, the shift of behavior of one character didn’t come across as completely believable, despite everyone being on their A-game. The last scene could have come across as silly in less capable hands.

The audience clearly didn’t love it. Only a sporadic standing ovation at curtain call. I’d say easily 90% of the orchestra stayed seated. I saw people shaking their heads or expressing their disappointment to each other after the house lights went up. In full disclosure, I did stand because there was much I did like, especially the cast. Plus, even though I had no one sitting to my right, giving me more legroom, I was ready to stretch my legs.

I did stagedoor. Bitterly cold so small crowd. The whole cast came out. No selfies allowed. I was able to tell Tracy Letts that I had met his mother (novelist Billie Letts) once and she had been so sweet. He thanked me for the kind words and said he misses her everyday. I also got to tell Armie Hammer how much Call Me By Your Name means to me. He said it means a lot to him too.

Even if this isn’t perfect, I’m glad I saw it. It might garner a Tony nom for Best Play, but it’s going to be a crowded field this year with The Sound Inside, Slave Play, The Lehman Trilogy, and The Inheritance among others. I appreciated what Letts is trying to say in the play. I’ve lived in those small towns. They do have unsavory shadows. I just wish the transition was more nuanced. But I find my appreciation growing since I saw it. It’s still in previews so maybe some tweaking will happen , but since it already had an out-of-town tryout, I’m not sure how many changes will be made.

Updated On: 2/28/20 at 01:07 AM

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 2/28/20 at 9:52am

As always, thank you for sharing the stories of your experiences and your reviews. Another great read! I had the same impression of Beetlejuice you did, and while I've been wavering on seeing The Minutes and ultimately don't think I'm going to, I'm glad you made it to the show!

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 2/29/20 at 5:16pm

Saw SIX last (Friday) night. I sat (rear) Mezzanine, Row E, Seat 6 (more on that in a little bit). The young man in the next to last row of front mezzanine ahead of me was waving his hands, mouthing/singing? along, smiling from ear to ear, practically dancing in his seat during the show. He was clearly living his best life. Based on the frequent loud applause and verbal shows of approval throughout the show, he apparently wasn’t alone.

My experience was a little more muted. It’s a fun show for sure and I had a good time, but I’m glad I bought one of the cheaper seats ($99 = $113.70 with fees). I sat next to a guy and his girlfriend. After the show, I asked him what he thought and he also said it was fun, but he was glad they didn’t spend more on their seats.

As has been said a gazillion times, it’s basically an eighty-minute pop concert. Nothing wrong with that. The ladies all have remarkable voices. Abby Mueller (Jane Seymour) was out, but Mallory Maedke was great. In fact, she was one of my favorites. My other favorite was Brittney Mack (Anna of Cleves).

Now the things that muted my appreciation a notch. I’ve been to some amazing pop concerts (Madonna, Janet Jackson in her heyday, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, etc.) with spectacular stage designs, etc. While none of those ladies can match this cast’s powerhouse vocals, the show itself invites comparisons to those pop concert extravaganzas and at least for me (and probably just for me), it comes up just a tad short on that mark. It’s a small show comparatively so it was never going to be able to compete with those pop spectacles although the stage design is fun and certainly fits the show. That wouldn’t matter so much if it hit all the hallmarks of great musical theater.

But for me it’s missing at least a couple elements I consider crucial for great music theater. Even though there is at least one ballad (Heart of Stone) amidst the uptempo songs, for me it doesn’t possess the peaks and valleys that are integral for me when appreciating any great musical. By peaks and valleys, I mean tone and mood-wise, not necessarily tempo The peaks and valleys add extra resonance and nuance and depth to the show. This felt like it stayed on the same mood and (high!) energy level the whole time. Hamilton benefits from having both You’ll Be Back and My Shot, both Alexander Hamilton (the song) and It’s Quiet Uptown, both Non-Stop and Burn. Ditto for Wicked: both Popular and I’m Not That Girl, both The Wizard and I and Defying Gravity. Ditto for those pop concerts I mentioned. This instead feels like an 80-minute sugar rush. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but like eating a big bag of gummy bears, you are really only getting one flavor profile (SUGAR!) and you probably won’t find it very filling afterwards even though it was fun while you were chomping their little heads off with your teeth.

I think this relates to the other thing that stopped me from being that guy in front of me in the front mezzanine: I never felt a real connection to the queens. The songs of course are not designed to move the plot along. They’re mostly there for each queen to tell her story in 3 to 7 minutes. But, for me, it felt like we were being told what happened without the benefit of showing it or getting a sense of each queen’s interior life.

I know that a lot has been said about Six being a big contender for best musical score at the Tony’s because it’s one of the few musicals with original music in a year filled with jukebox musicals. That’s likely true, but I don’t know if how original some the songs are. Each song/queen is meant to evoke certain pop divas, but sometimes it seemed a bit like copyright infringement. (Destiny Child’s Survivor, anyone?) The songs are certainly catchy. In fact, I must’ve been quite the sight while I was waiting for my hotel shuttle after I got back to the Secaucus train station. Ear buds in, stomping my feet, moving to the beat. I can’t recall if Sing Street is eligible for best original score, but if it is, I could see it or Flying Over Sunset giving SIX a big run for the money. I also don’t know if I see this winning Best Musical, but it’s certainly possible.

All of this makes it seem like I had a lot less fun time than I actually did. I just think the hype for this show raised my expectations to levels it couldn’t quite meet. I don’t see me trying to see it again. I love sugar, but I don’t eat Sour Patch Kids everyday.

Clearly I’m in the minority though based on the enthusiastic audience last night and avid fan repeat business. As I was making my way out of the theater, I overheard a lady commenting to her companion that she wasn’t sure how long they can keep attracting new ticket buyers. That’s not a concern - they have an avid fan base doing crazy repeat business plus lots of buzz. Make no mistake about it - this is a big fat hit.

Another note about the fans. The ushers (who were awesome last night) were talking to me before the show and one of them said the fans sometimes take a bunch of the playbills when they’re not looking. Some nights, this results in them having to tell the last people to be seated that they have run out of playbills. We discussed what people would hope to gain by taking a stack of playbills. The usher wondered if they are selling them on eBay. Seems unlikely, but I guess it’s possible. Maybe they’re grabbing them for friends who aren’t there and possibly hoping to get them all signed at stage door. Who knows?

Regarding my seat, I bought it because it was comparatively cheaper than most of the other seats in the theater and because on the seat map, it looked like it might be on the side aisle. Well, there is no side aisle. The seat abuts the wall of the stairwell. There is no wall in front though. Just a half curtain thankfully because without that there would not have been much legroom. I was able to dangle my long legs under the curtain. I must’ve been quite the sight. One of the ushers asked me if I was going to be okay. He said he could talk to the house manager about moving me to a jump seat. I wasn’t sure what that view would be like and I loved the view from my seat so politely declined as long as it was okay to dangle my legs during the show. He said that was fine. He also said if I changed my mind before the show begin to let him know. Still a relatively good bargain.

Also, one more note about the audience. I didn’t see anybody standing and dancing during the show which I was relieved about. And maybe it’s because there were only the three of us in our row but I didn’t see any distracting behaviors around me. Even the guy in front mezzanine wasn’t annoying to me because he was clearly having such a good time and the pop concert vibe encourages his behavior.

Before the show, I bought the magnet, program, and the “I’m The Queen of the Castle” t-shirt.

Updated On: 3/1/20 at 05:16 PM

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 2/29/20 at 6:26pm

So no slam dunks this week. No shows that I absolutely loved. But I had a good experience at all three. One show (Beetlejuice) that I enjoyed more than I expected. One show  (Six) that didn’t quite live up to the hype. And a play (The Minutes) that I wasn’t sure what to expect from it with a WTF ending. 

Updated On: 2/29/20 at 06:26 PM

[inception]

Posted: 3/1/20 at 12:26pm

Thanks for the updates/reviews. I've been lurking more since I won't be traveling back to NY for a while yet, but your review of Six is something I've been waiting for. I feel like you gave this more of a fair overview than some of the more negative reviews I have seen.

It will be interesting to see how long the crazy fans can keep the box office up. How quickly will they move on once the next sensation opens - whatever it turns out to be. Also it will be interesting to see how the show fares with older audiences or whoever buys premium seats.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 3/1/20 at 12:39pm

I seem to recall that this was initially announced as a limited engagement that was ending around June? I don’t see that listed anywhere now. Or was it that the first block of tickets was only through the first 6 months?

[inception]

Posted: 3/1/20 at 1:01pm

Just checked Ticketmaster & it is currently on sale until Labour Day 

Edir: nope the weekend after Labour Day,  Sept 13 - like anything,  I imagine if it does well they'll extend 

Updated On: 3/1/20 at 01:01 PM

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 3/1/20 at 5:36pm

Miles2Go2, thanks for sharing your detailed thoughts about,all the shows you saw. Sorry you missed Karen Olivo in ''Moulin Rouge!'' this time. She's been in it each time I've seen it, and add me to the group that believes she and Aaron Tveit have terrific chemistry together. And ''Moulin Rouge!'' deserves more credit as a worthy Tony contender for Best Musical. I'll look forward to your future thoughts about the others: ''Sing Street,'' ''Flying Over Sunset,'' etc.

Updated On: 3/1/20 at 05:36 PM

[chipsandguacplz]

Posted: 3/1/20 at 5:52pm

Would you ever rank all the shows you've seen from this season? aka 2020 tony contenders that you've seen so far that you liked the best/worst?

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 3/1/20 at 6:00pm

chipsandguacplz said: "Would you ever rank all the shows you've seen from this season? aka 2020 tony contenders that you've seen so far that you liked the best/worst?"

Wow. Now that’s the thought. Then I have to ask about what the criteria would be? For instance, off the top of my head my two favorite Broadway theatrical experiences so far of the Tony Season are Moulin Rouge! (Musical) and The Inheritance (play) although I admit in particular that The Inheritance is perhaps less well crafted than other eligible plays so far like Slave Play or The Sound Inside (which I also loved). I first need to determine how many and what eligible shows I’ve seen. 

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 3/1/20 at 6:14pm

Okay, here we go:

Musical
1. Moulin Rouge!
2. Jagged Little Pill
3. Six
4. Girl from the North Country
5. Tina

Musical Revival
1. West Side Story

Play
1.The Sound Inside
2. The Inheritance
3. Slave Play
4. The Minutes
5. Sea Wall/A Life
6. Grand Horizons

Play Revival
1. Betrayal