ACE Review - 1-14-07- Page 2
ACE Review - 1-14-07
CurtainPullDowner
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
#26re: ACE at Old Globe
Posted: 2/7/07 at 1:45amThank you.
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
#27re: ACE at Old Globe
Posted: 2/7/07 at 8:58am
the set sounds interesting...
so basically the book's really good and the songs are mediocre?
#28re: ACE at Old Globe
Posted: 2/7/07 at 10:24am
Hmm, I had a few problems with the book. The cast was good (Noah, Michael, Darren and Betsy) but the songs were not that impressive at all (I hated the opening number, not the way to start a musical). Michael was gorgeous and sounded fantastic but the role he played was not interesting at all. He just... looked pretty (and pretty bored during the curtain call).
I don't think it'll work on Broadway, maybe off broadway or mostly at regional theatres.
CurtainPullDowner
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
#29re: ACE at Old Globe
Posted: 2/7/07 at 10:56am
I found the story interesting and original.
And I thought the score was extremely good and the talented cast did it justice.
The set was kind of not so special.
#30re: ACE at Old Globe
Posted: 2/7/07 at 1:01pm
SPOILERS ahead
As a parent, I had two issues in the book: first, the mother tells Billy that his father abandoned them which is not true. Even if she was depressed and felt betrayed (she begged Ace not to go to the war), why she lies to her child, only making him hating his father he doesn't know?
The second part is that during the dream Billy witnesses his grandfather's (Michael) death and father's death, and he freaks out. I can't imagine why Ace wants him to witness such tragedy even though he needs to teach him the truth (all these could have avoided if Billy's mom tell the truth). I understand if Ace visits Billy when he is older (like late teenager) but I don't think a ten year old can handle such death dream well (indeed he screamed and begged to be woken up). The act one ended with Billy's grandfather's death and the audience didn't applaud.
And like I said before, Michael's character was not interesting at all (no chemistry with Ruth, his wife), just looked "pretty."
MissNY
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/10/05
#31re: ACE at Old Globe
Posted: 2/7/07 at 2:15pm
"first, the mother tells Billy that his father abandoned them which is not true. Even if she was depressed and felt betrayed (she begged Ace not to go to the war), why she lies to her child, only making him hating his father he doesn't know?"
The point of her doing this is because she didnt want her son to know his father was a war hero and feel obliged to follow in his footsteps. When Elizabeth is trying to convince Ace not to go to war she says something to that effect. It may not have been the "right" decision but it is an understandable one.
#32re: ACE at Old Globe
Posted: 2/7/07 at 2:35pmI really loved the show. I thought it had its share of problems. Personally, I thought the opening number was fantastic. It really set the mood for what was going on inside this little boy and his world. I did think a lot of the music was repeatative, and the love storylines went on too long. Also, some of the choreography was pretty ridiculous. That aside, the performances were great. Noah Galvin is pretty darn close to brilliant. I agree that Michael Arden sounded great, but the role should really be cut in half.
#33re: ACE at Old Globe
Posted: 2/7/07 at 2:55pm
>The point of her doing this is because she didn't want her son to know his father was a war hero and feel obliged to follow in his footsteps.
Why telling Bill the truth made immediately Ace a war hero and obliged Billy to follow his father's footsteps? If you don't tell him that way (the way Ruth told Ace about his father), I don't think 10 years old Billy would have felt that he'd want to go to become a war hero. What's wrong with just telling him that Ace died in the war? It wasn't an isolated incident, lots of men died in the war. At least half of Billy's problems would have been gone by knowing the truth.
Another thing that I wasn't particularly care for was the inconsistency feeling I got throughout the show. The time was about less than 10 years since the WW II was over, right? Other than the period clothing, it didn't seem to be that time period, especially the way kids tease Billy and/or Emily's way of talking etc.
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