Holiday Inn Previews- Page 3

[Sauja]

Posted: 9/2/16 at 11:37pm

Was there tonight and hate to say it, but I'm echoing Whizzer on this one. It's an old-fashioned show where you know the whole outcome from about 15 minutes in. The cast is strong. Pinkham is lovely as always. Bleu is a talent, though he doesn't have a character to play. Megan Lawrence also doesn't have a real character, but she's a scene-stealer nonetheless. But the book is hackneyed, the songs that were added do no favors to the show. It's a well performed third-tier musical. It's not bad, per se. But it's a bit of a snoozer.

 

 

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 9/3/16 at 1:06am

Hmm. Is AX rush or something? It's not available for any performances.

[mamaleh]

Posted: 9/3/16 at 1:39am

I was there tonight, too, and was able to move down along with the throng.  I'm guessing perhaps the holiday weekend and people's travel plans had a lot to do with the vast number of empty seats in the rear mezz. 

The music was gold, of course. Too bad the cardboard figures on stage were less real characters than stock types that abound in musicals with an old-time patina to them.  Which is not to say I didn't enjoy it as a whole; I did.  Even given the lack of fleshed-out characters, Corbin "Bleu" me away. . I hadn't realized from IN THE HEIGHTS what a good dancer he is.  Bryce Pinkham and the Megans were delightful as well.  The highlights for me were Bleu's tap tour de force and the tap-dancing/rope jumping by the ensemble.

It's a likable show--just one that I don't think I can love.

[10086sunset]

Posted: 9/3/16 at 4:46pm

mamaleh said: " Even given the lack of fleshed-out characters, Corbin "Bleu" me away. "

 

Well phrased...

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/4/16 at 11:13am

The phrase " Blew me away" is,I believe, way past its shelf life.Sounds like something a starstruck teen might say. Just my opinion and feel free to use it if you feel it does it for you.

[JUSTINE19]

Posted: 9/4/16 at 11:59am

Mr Roxy said: "The phrase " Blew me away" is,I believe, way past its shelf life.Sounds like something a starstruck teen might say. Just my opinion and feel free to use it if you feel it does it for you.

They didn't say 'blew me away' they said 'Bleu me away' which is clearly a pun on Corbin's last name.

 

 

[JUSTINE19]

Posted: 9/4/16 at 12:01pm

Mr Roxy said: "The phrase " Blew me away" is,I believe, way past its shelf life.Sounds like something a starstruck teen might say. Just my opinion and feel free to use it if you feel it does it for you.

They didn't say 'blew me away' they said 'Bleu me away' which is clearly a pun on Corbin's last name.

 

 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 9/4/16 at 12:45pm

...the corn is as high as a elephant's eye...

It's an Irving Berlin musical.  Don't people expect a certain amount of corn?  I'm going November 5th and can't wait.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/4/16 at 2:54pm

To Justine

 

I was referencing the phrase itself.  Bleu just happened to be in the way there.

Posted: 9/4/16 at 11:41pm

I wanted to like this....I love the movie. But none of the charm from the movie exists here.  I think the star is the choreography by bway vet Denis Jones....yes the tree trimming number where the cranberry popcorn strings turn into jump ropes is fun.

The chorus is the second best thing about the show. Good singers and great dancers. Plus great energy throughout.

I see a lot of posts complimenting the principals and I have to say i disagree. Although I liked Bryce Pinkham in gentlemen's guide I thought he lacked star quality in this. His voice felt wrong for the Berlin score and I'm dreaming of a white christmas just failed to create a real heart warming moment...the arrangement and joke set up didn't help.  Corbin had more personality, but the role is just not written well enough to create something all that memory. Gayer and Sikora just don't have star quality to me. And poor Megan Lawrence is reduced to mugging in a really badly written character role by greenberg and hodge. The script is beyond cheesy, it doesn't make sense.

the orchestrations don't help make things more interesting...seriously feels like an expensive but empty regional production...and even though it "isn't" a christmas show.....it is a christmas show. It will be done all over the place. the real sucess will be regionally during nov and december.  skip it and watch the charming movie (fast forward through the black face number)

[Robert16]

Posted: 9/5/16 at 12:09am

I went to a Matinee today. It was ok since I only paid $10 for the rear Mezz seats. I swear Studio 54 must have been named because if you are taller than 54" you can not fit in the seats upstairs. The show was not as good as 42 Street or Crazy For You. It's like watching a Judy Garland without Judy. The leads were very talented but for Broadway prices you need a star or two to sell tickets. 

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 9/5/16 at 12:34am

Well, being here in Los Angeles, all I could do was to throw on the Blu-ray of HOLIDAY INN. It still works, but it seems from some of the comments here, the show wasn't fixed pre-Broadway, so maybe this is what we'll get. I was surprised to see opinions as diverse as Jordan's and Whizzer's as I'm a fan of their posts. It will be interesting to see the reviews upon opening.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/5/16 at 3:54am

Michelle, 

I put on the DVD this weekend as well; haven't seen the film in a few years and wanted to a refresher to compare and contrast. The film is still a delight, except for that positively cringeworthy blackface number! (The stage show omits Lincoln and Washington's Birthdays entirely.)

 

The plot of the stage show deviates significantly from the film. I'm never in support of slavish recreation when adapting a film for the stage, but there are some things the film does right that the show gets so wrong. The biggest mistake is waiting too long to introduce the idea of the inn. In the film, Bing comes up with idea at the 12 minute mark of the 100 minute movie. In the stage show, Pinkham doesn't come up with "holiday inn" until the end of the first act- 90 minutes into the show! 

The two different love triangles (Jim/Lila/Ted and Jim/Linda/Ted) are so much better defined in the film, as are the ambitions, hopes and dreams of the two women. In the film, Lila and Jim are engaged and moving to the farm, but she's been seeing Ted behind his back and planning a duo act with him. Ted and Lila are in love and she has no want or intention to ever go to the farm. Lila wants to go on the road with the double act. It's her joint idea with Ted and the manager. Lila has agency in the film. In the stage show the idea of the double act is thrust upon her and she is wishy washy with breaking off her engagement with Jim (and never declares any romantic interest in Ted). Take away a character's agency and there's nothing left!

Likewise, Linda of the film is a New York flower shop girl with big dreams of making it big in show business. She's got ambition and is willing to scheme a little to get what she wants. In the show, Linda is a Connecticut school teacher who has the shows at the holiday inn thrust upon her; Jim practically has to twist her wrist to get her to perform, whereas in the film she's hungry to shine in the spotlight. The women in the stage show have choices made for them. The women in the film know what they want. 

Re: Linda's love life, in the film she is first engaged to Jim, and later is engaged to Ted. In fact, Jim wins Linda back on her wedding night to Ted no less! There is a really triangle going on here, and the tension is real when Jim must go to Hollywood to win back his girl. The stage show never explores a romance with Ted and Linda, making it all the more perplexing that Jim is so jealous and angry with her. 

[Kad]

Posted: 9/8/16 at 10:30am

I saw this last night and thought it was... not not entertaining. Better than a Days Inn or a Super 8, for sure. But it can't escape the feeling of being created for the sole purpose of being licensed to regional and community theaters. It's just well-loved Berlin tunes strung together with a flimsy book that has just trace amounts of wit. There's scarcely much of a conflict until the end of the first act. This could have just been a Berlin revue and it probably would've been stronger.

That  being said, it's well-performed and there are two real standout numbers- "Shakin' the Blues Away" is a delight and Corbin Bleu is becoming a great song and dance man, killing his second act tap solo. Sure, he has no coherent character, but at least he has star quality.

Megan Lawrence tries to turn straw to gold in her role, and I am glad to see her back on Broadway, but no one could make that role the scene stealer the writers apparently think it is.

It just all felt so easy in its construction, as if the minimum amount of effort was used to assemble the songs in an order. I'm all for musicals that are fluffy and light like meringue, but good meringue requires expertise.

Updated On: 9/8/16 at 10:30 AM

[macnyc]

Posted: 9/8/16 at 10:46am

I saw the show last Saturday night and was probably more entertained than Kad was, but I agree 100% with his comments, which are always astute. It's a shame Holiday Inn wasn't more...something. Funny? Poignant? Interesting? So much time and effort and talent went into it.

I love dancing in a show like this and usually come away wanting more, but Holiday Inn had so much of it, my eyes glazed over after a while. I agree that Corbin Bleu has star quality though. I hope he continues in theater.

Updated On: 9/8/16 at 10:46 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 9/8/16 at 11:02am

What bothers me most about Holiday Inn is that Roundabout is putting it up. It's a lazy pander to its subscriber base and attempt at an easy hit. It has no place in a non-profit company that is ostensibly dedicated to reviving works that wouldn't have commercial productions nowadays. 

[Jayar2]

Posted: 9/8/16 at 3:16pm

Saw it on Saturday evening, and Bryce Pinkham was completely dead-faced. If he had an emotion, he neglected to show it. And honestly, I was bored. The jump rope dance was fun, but man was it loud!  Every single time the garland hit the floor, it was like Vietnam. It had so much potential, but I felt like I didn't care when all was said and done.

[Anna_Elizabeth]

Posted: 9/8/16 at 3:35pm

Interesting reading the comments. I'm on the West Coast and won't be seeing the show until a regional production occurs. Holiday Inn is one of my favorite movies, along with White Christmas. When I heard this production was happening, I thought it was done to copy the success of White Christmas, which seems to still be going strong in regional and tour during the holidays. Guess Holiday Inn failed by diverging too much from the movie. Unfortunately, the actors can only do so much.

[¿Macavity?]

Posted: 9/8/16 at 4:15pm

I'm very disappointed by these reviews... I had high hopes for this show.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 9/8/16 at 4:45pm

Roundabout just seems to head down a road of apathy. She Loves Me was a triumph in every sense of the word. Why can't they have that kind of drive and momentum for all of their productions? Or at least make matters better by having color playbills? 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/8/16 at 4:49pm

They put a lot of time/energy/money into last year's 50th anniversary season. It's not surprising that most of this season, if not all, will pale in comparison.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 9/8/16 at 4:53pm

Very good point I didn't take into consideration, neon, thanks for reminding me about that.

[thomaspaine]

Posted: 9/8/16 at 6:30pm

I was disappointed in this -- like others in the thread, I was hoping for something along the lines of the charm and retro delight of She Loves Me, but Holiday Inn just isn't it. It feels creaky and wooden rather than light and airy. The music just is too old-fashioned to work even in a nostalgic way. The costume design and set design is great, and Corbin Bleu was amazing, though. I actually liked the second act much more than the first because he was in it more prominently and got to add a little of the sass and winking funniness I wanted in the show.

I think it's certainly for the best that they didn't attempt to adapt that Lincoln's Birthday blackface number! :O

[little_sally]

Posted: 9/9/16 at 10:44am

I thought this was just...fine. It had it's charm but it was missing something. Heart, maybe? It did feel a bit pointless, like why is Roundabout producing this show? Why is this even a show? Bryce Pinkham, who I've been a fan of since BBAJ, sang well but his acting was very wooden. Lora Lee Gayer has a pretty voice, and Megan Sikora is a great dancer but neither have any great material to work with. Megan Lawrence got me to laugh a few times but she didn't steal the show. The highlight for me was Corbin Bleu's dancing. I just wish he had more to do.

[slumdogdelaware]

Posted: 9/9/16 at 12:17pm

I saw the show on Tuesday. I lost the TodayTix lotto, but they offered me a ticket for $40, which ended up being in the first row of the mezzanine. I agree with little_sally in the fact that I thought it was...fine. Honestly, I was a bit bored in parts of the first act, but when that jump rope dance scene came out, EVERYONE perked up in their seats. The applause after that lasted for a good while too, and the audience seemed more interested in the show afterwards. Still, it shouldn't take a scene like that to make an audience interested in the show overall. I thought the show was charming, and I did like it, but would I spend over $40 to see it again? Probably not. Also, the Jim character annoyed me the entire show, although I thought Bryce did a great job trying to make him not so...whiny. And to second everyone else, Chicken Corbin Bleu was fantastic, wish there was more of him dancing - the firecracker solo was not enough for me.