Cry Baby Final Performance- Page 2

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 8:23am

I agree ! Mr. Roxy, you know how much I love and respect you, but this is the most absurd comment I could ever expect from you ! I fully respect your right to love the show, but this comment threw me off my track !
So, since we are not actors we don't have the right to criticise a terrible performance ? Because we are not dancers we should not judge someone who is a a dancer but can't dance ? I'm a TV writer, yet I expect to be judged by everyone, about everything I put on screen !
When you do something for a living and people PAY for your product, they have EVERY right to comment about the product they bought !
Yes, I also thought that Cry-Baby score's was HORRIBLE and I'm more than entitled to, since I PAID to see the show ! I'm really baffled by your comment ! So, according to this logic, we should never judge food on a restaurant, because we are not chefs and so on...
Please explain to me what you mean, because I know you are a very logical and serious man and I am really puzzled !

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 9:09am

I don't know how to style/cut hair...but I sure as hell know when someone's haircut is horrid. I'm not a chef...but I know when a meal sucks.


We all know what we like and what we don't. It doesn't make us any more RIGHT than anyone else...but we are entitled to love or loathe anything and post our comments, thusly.

And why did it recieve a Tony nod for best score? Because the Tonys will not have a category left unfilled. The same way it got a nom for Best Musical....something had to go in there.

[pli1018]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 10:28am

Patash- I wasn't saying that people aren't allowed to post negatively, I was saying that I don't understand why people continuously debase a show in threads that praise it? Why waste the energy to type out how much you hated the show? Like I said in another thread, just make your own bashing discussion. You're welcome to hate it all you want, but why not post it in a thread where someone actually cares?

But like I've determined, it's the Internet and you just can't win.

Sad to hear that Chester's replacement wasn't the best, but I'm glad that the final performance was a blast. Good luck in the future for all involved.

PS: On a side note I doubt Liff will be understudying Radcliffe, isn't he just a dancer?

[bwayguy22089]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 10:31am

The reason why the show ACTUALLY closed was due to poor advertising. No one outside of NY knew that this musical existed. The majority of people (this may surprise some people on this board) who go to see musicals like Cry-Baby are NOT theatre people lol...and a lot of them really enjoyed it. It was a poorly advertised show playing during a bad economy period that got mixed reviews. It also was forced to compete with other huge Broadway shows. Hopefully on tour it will do much better
Updated On: 6/23/08 at 10:31 AM

[Dancin Thru Life]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 10:50am

Everything else aside, if the only thing I knew about CRY BABY came from this thread, I'd come to the conclusion that, despite the show's inherent flaws, if Christopher Hanke, Alli Mauzey, and the rest of the cast had put the same amount of energy and enthusiasm into EVERY performance, that they did into their FINAL performance, they just might have been able to make this thing stay around a little longer.

Kinda baffled how John Waters could let this thing fly when it sounds like it was only half done?

Oh well...Best of luck to Cast and Crew on future projects!

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 11:15am

pli1018, i like and respect you, but your argument is getting really tired ! FIRST of all, take a look at the thread's title, if you please! It says, CRY-BABY FINAL PERFORMANCE !!!! Who told you that it's a thread that PRAISES the show ??? It is a thread about what it says, which menas ALL opinions are welcome ! It is not a Cry-Baby appreciation or a Cry-Baby is fabulous thread ! So, whatever merit your post has in threads like those, gets completely lost in THIS particular one !

[Patash]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 11:24am

Frankly, if I came to this board and by reading the titles of each thread I knew that each was only for people to agree with the title rather than logically discuss differing opinions -- or as in the case of this title to discuss WHY it was the last show, I'd skip out of here pretty quick. What's the point of that?
Perhaps the difference in opinion on that idea is that some do consider this strictly a "message board" and not a "discussion board". I prefer the latter to the former.

[pli1018]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 11:29am

The OP's message talks about how much they ENJOYED the final performance. Right off the bat, the vibe is positive. And look, even people who didn't like the show, (WAT) were posting positively about the show! The show having a "terrible score" doesn't have much a point in this thread. That poster didn't offer a review or comments on the closing night performance, so how is that relevant?

Like I said, I couldn't honestly care less who likes/dislikes the show, just I can't see the reasoning behind posting stuff like that in this thread.

It's just an observation and like I said, I can't do much about it.

[amalou]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 12:56pm

You can expect negative comments in just about every thread. But the thing is that it's the closing of a show so maybe some people are upset and seeing a negative comment might not be taken well. Personally, I'm not heartbroken that Cry Baby closed but it always irks me when someone takes joy in the closing of a show. Like rubbing salt in a wound.

I went to the last show. I wasn't planning on going, but I went at the last minute anyway and I was glad I did. It was worth it for the few little ad lib moments, like Lenora's "new" lines in "Screw Loose"

"Little more bass, please" LOL

Updated On: 6/23/08 at 12:56 PM

[matty159]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 1:11pm

I saw the show yesterday (for the first time...seems like most people who saw it yesterday were back for a repeat viewing). I have to admit (and by no means is this meant to bash the show), I didn't go in with very high expectations. And, I am pleased to say that I had a really good time from the start. It was great to see the audience so completely into the show and there to support it. I thought the dancing, and not just "A Little Upset", was absolutely incredible. And although it is a little unfair (and superficial) to judge a show on this particular merit, the cast has to be the most attractive one I have ever seen on a Broadway stage!

I do have more to say about it, but wanted to recap all 9 shows I saw over the last week all at once, so I will save that for later.

[GatorNY]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 1:41pm

I have to admit that I will miss Cry-Baby. It kind of became my Wednesday afternoon guilty pleasure. I saw it for the first time in previews and thought, like everyone else, that the dancing was great, but the rest was just kind of forgetable.
Then I read that they worked really hard to change the show during the previews and make it better. So, I went back after the opening and I had a blast. I often go to the tkts booth on my day off, and ended up seing it again...(ok,I'll admit that the third time was really just to watch Spencer gyrate on the Turkey Point floor and watch Charlie blow bubbles) but- I kept seeing things that were hilarious that I missed the first 2 times. I ended up seing the show 6 times, and almost didn't go to Sunday's performance until a friend convinced me that it would be really special. I was really glad that the audience showed the cast and creative team so much appreciation for their work. I thought Chester's replacement actually made the part his own by Sunday (I had seen him on Wednesday night as well). I thought Christopher created an incredibly funny character in the part of Baldwin. Screw Loose was hysterical each time I saw it. The ensemble dancing in "Baby Baby Baby" and "A Little Upset" were 2 of my favorites of all time. Sometimes, when I go see a show, I just want to have fun. Cry Baby never failed to entertain me. I can't think of many other things that opened this season that I would care to see 6 times. Ok, well Xanadu, yes...but for the same reason. I'll miss the show, and am a bit sad that I won't be able to pop into the Marquis on a wednesday off from work and just have fun for 2 hours. Many thanks to the cast, and all the best to you!

[theatre2]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 2:12pm

any news on the cast cd and when they will put it out to the pubic.

[JRybka]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 2:21pm

yes cause for some reason, my crazy friends want a cast recording so I can do the number "screw loose" for them at a contest......

i don't know why they think i am crazy or have a screw loose.... hmmmm.

[Steve2]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 2:48pm

It sounds like the final performance was special.

GatorNY, thanks for sharing your Cry-Baby story!

[crushgroove]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 3:08pm

Greekmusicalfan...yes i do believe it was the critics fault. I've had about 15 to 20 friends see this show. The majority of them loved it. They couldn't understand why the critics trashed it so much. And pretty much all my friends are musical theatre/straight play actors. And we all know that a show is make or break based on a New York Times review. A show is pretty much doomed based on that one single review, regardless of any other.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 3:54pm

I saw 'Cry-Baby' many, many times, and loved it to bits, but I think it's a little too simplistic to blame the closing on the critics. I do believe that Brantley was unnecessarily mean, especially given how he treated 'Glory Days' with kid gloves. And there were some critics who loved 'Cry-Baby,' too (notably the Wall St. Journal). And tho' the Times review is important, it's not the be-all. 'Xanadu' and 'Passing Strange' got Times raves; they've been struggling to stay open.

I think a number of things did 'Cry-Baby' in. Tourists make up over 60% of Broadway audiences, and they had no idea what 'Cry-Baby' was. Let's face it: It's not one of John Waters' better-known movies. Plus, there were no recognizable stars in the show. I also think the $54 offer for all tickets during previews was ultimately a disaster. If you're selling your show for cheap, how would you ever get people to pay full-price? Plus, the Marquis is a cavern to fill. It's got over 1,600 seats. By contrast, 'Hairspray' is playing to a little over 1,400.

Finally, it was in the no-win situation of being compared with 'Hairspray.' 'Cry-Baby' was never designed to be a copy of 'Hairspray'; it's a cruder and ruder cousin. And to my mind, it really captured the warped humor of John Waters. Yet critics whined: It's no 'Hairspray.' It wasn't MEANT to be.

That said, bravo to the creators, cast and crew of 'Cry-Baby' for their valiant efforts. In the show, the title character sang, 'Nobody Gets Me.' Clearly, not enough people 'got' this show, but I'm happy I did, and enjoyed every minute of it.
Updated On: 6/23/08 at 03:54 PM

[MrsBadCrumble85]

Posted: 6/24/08 at 7:55pm

Hey this goes out to anybody who was at the show... Was is just me or did James Snyder choke up during the Infected reprise...? And despite all the reasons why CB closed this show was absolutely amazing. I've seen CB 15 times (yes I said it 15 times) and kind of know it by heart so it was greatly appreciated and a pleasant surprise to see all the adlibs. The cast had me in constant tears and out of breath b/c of laughter. I am truly upset to see this one go L I also have to agree with GatorNY watching Mr. Liff at turkey point was def a hugh highlight!

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 6/24/08 at 8:36pm

"As usual, someone attempts to post postively about Cry-Baby and it turns negative. Things will never change."

I don't see this thread bashing the show. Someone just made comments on the weak score/acting. Other than that, this thread didn't even take a turn for the worse.

Anyways, as much as this show wasn't that well received, I would have liked to go to at least one show. Oh well.

[winter_sky]

Posted: 6/24/08 at 9:44pm

I understand why it happened but it seriously made me laugh when James cried like...10 minutes before he was supposed to...especially since him NOT crying is a pretty major plot point. haha

[auzziek]

Posted: 6/27/08 at 8:06pm

According to Stephen Holden there are no plans for a Cry-Baby cast album.

[theatre2]

Posted: 6/27/08 at 9:30pm

who is stephen holden