SOME LIKE IT HOT On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 33

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 12/30/22 at 3:32pm

tirecage said: "The powers that be over at SLIH have gotten mighty bold and stingy with their “winning lottery” ticket locations. A $40 ticket got me a side balcony seat - not much of a bargain, considering the cost of a full-price balcony seat is not all that much more. The kicker is that you are stuck with the lousy seat because you prepay for your lottery ticket upon winning without knowing your seat location. Pretty tricky way to sell off your lousy seats by calling them winning lottery seats. Learn from my mistake - don’t fall for it. This show can use all the goodwill it can muster right now, and stocking lottery winners in the nosebleeds is not gonna help matters. Give the nosebleeds to the heavily papered seatfillers instead. Felt too disconnected from the show up there in the balcony to give any kind of ringing endorsement, unfortunately, though the actors are giving their all and then some."

I’ve sat in the last row of the balcony twice now. Once on the side, once direct head on. You can see everything perfectly fine in that theater. If you need to be “connected” to the show, pay the price for that experience. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 12/30/22 at 3:49pm

I wouldn't be surprised if they close off the balcony in the Winter if they plan to keep this running.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 12/30/22 at 4:26pm

I think Sondheim said that, if audience members are humming a tune from a previously unfamiliar musical, it can only be because the composer has seen fit to repeat the tune many times - which is why he heard so many people humming "A Weekend in the Country" at intermission. :)" I’m really don’t understand your last comment.  Could you elaborate.

Ironically, on the general issue of instantly memorable scores (o at least a few songs), I have more often than not left my first viewing of Sondheim musicals disappointed, because I rarely appreciate the music on first hearing.  After listening to it awhile. I have always enjoyed the show more the next time as a result.  Two exceptions: Follies, where I could hum half the score (pastiche helps: the melodies were simpler) and a few Sweeney Todd songs, specifically: the title song, whose main melody was repeated a dozen times; A Little Priest, a catchy patter song with hilarious lyrics, and Johanna, because it was so gorgeous.

I can’t remember the last new score in which I left the theatre humming a few of the songs after first hearing.  It might have been Wicked, 20 years ago.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Posted: 12/30/22 at 5:09pm

I believe that in the distant past we left theaters humming certain songs simply because we entered the theaters humming the same songs. They were enmeshed in our culture; we were exposed to them on the radio and every TV variety show. Times have changed. Today, whether I leave the theater remembering any particular tune rarely has any relationship to how much I enjoyed the show. If it touched me in that special way, the songs will become a part of me over time.  

[kdogg36]

Posted: 12/30/22 at 5:15pm

Jarethan said: "I’m really don’t understand your last comment. Could you elaborate."

I tried to find a reference online, but the best I could do was an old post from this message board. So I'll just quote AwesomeDanny from 2009:

I believe Sondheim said in an interview once that during a preview of the original production of A Little Night Music, at the intermission, somebody said "that song, "A Weekend in the Country" is such a catchy tune", to which Sondheim's reply is "that's because you just heard eleven choruses!". For a melody to be "hummable", you need to hear it over and over, which would require the score to be very repetitive. I would rather have a less repetitive score with fewer melodies I remember when I leave the theater.

[darquegk]

Posted: 12/30/22 at 6:50pm

During the vaudeville era, it was often customary for the final dance act to do the Goofus, a show-offy dance sequence, and then the whole cast and even the crew would come in and join in for the simplified version called the Shim Sham. The Shim Sham was so infectious and easy to pick up that the audience would dance it as well, and people would be out dancing the Shim Sham all night afterwards. Probably the last time people left the theatre not humming the songs but dancing the choreography.

[ManOfLaMuncha]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 12:11am

darquegk said: "During the vaudeville era, it was often customary for the final dance act to do the Goofus, a show-offy dance sequence, and then the whole cast and even the crew would come in and join in for the simplified version called the Shim Sham. The Shim Sham was so infectious and easy to pick up that the audience would dance it as well, and people would be out dancing the Shim Sham all night afterwards. Probably the last time people left the theatre not humming the songs but dancing the choreography."

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9hH08dH98U

Had to look up the shim sham, looks fun!

 

[tirecage]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 3:14am

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "tirecage said: "The powers that be over at SLIH have gotten mighty bold and stingy with their “winning lottery” ticket locations. A $40 ticket got me a side balcony seat - not much of a bargain, considering the cost of a full-price balcony seat is not all that much more. The kicker is that you are stuck with the lousy seat because you prepay for your lottery ticket upon winning without knowing your seat location. Pretty tricky way to sell off your lousy seats by calling them winning lottery seats. Learn from my mistake - don’t fall for it. This show can use all the goodwill it can muster right now, and stocking lottery winners in the nosebleeds is not gonna help matters. Give the nosebleeds to the heavily papered seatfillers instead. Felt too disconnected from the show up there in the balcony to give any kind of ringing endorsement, unfortunately, though the actors are giving their all and then some."

I’ve sat in the last row of the balcony twice now. Once on the side, once direct head on. You can see everything perfectly fine in that theater. If you need to be “connected” to the show, pay the price for that experience."

Thanks for your (somewhat dismissive) opinion on the balcony, GiantsInTheSky2, but I don’t know that reading it changes anything about my own observation of the balcony seat location I was in. I still call it a lousy seat.  

Once upon a time, lottery seats were special, a la the front row lottery seats for Rent in the 90s, where you got a predetermined (read: front row) seating location at a bargain price. I think you completely missed the point of my post — calling seats “winning lottery” seats only to use them as excuses to unload less-than-desirable seats that can’t otherwise be sold at full price feels a bit disingenuous on the part of the box office, especially when the “full price” for the balcony seats are not much more than the lottery price. 

Oh, and on a related note, I don’t — as a rule — pay full price for an “experience” at a struggling musical. Sorry ‘bout it. 

Updated On: 12/31/22 at 03:14 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 5:38am

You know they don't have to do a lottery or rush AT ALL, right? Your entitlement is showing, and not a good look for a newbie.

 

You want good seats? Pay for them. 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 6:54am

I'm not wading into any discussions of perceived entitlement, but it definitely is true that once upon a time lottery seats were blocked off in fairly decent locations and that rarely is true nowadays.  I remember getting front row orchestra center lottery seats for a variety of shows.

[tirecage]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 7:38am

dramamama611 said: "You know they don't have to do a lottery or rush AT ALL, right? Your entitlement is showing, and not a good look for a newbie.



You want good seats? Pay for them."

Here we go — dramamama611 living up to their name, huh? Entitlement is quite the strong word. Seems I’ve struck a nerve, though. Maybe we’re wading into a completely different discussion — are failing shows worth full-price tickets in the first place? Are “full-priced tickets” truly worth their full price without the buzz of true raves, consistent sellouts, or a true “star” leading the show? Have you checked the grosses for SLIH for last week?! Anemic. Maybe the entitlement falls on the part of producers who think their shows are entitled to fetch upwards of $175 a seat just because they present themselves in a “Broadway” house? Are theater owners the entitled ones who deem their dilapidated houses worthy of their astronomical rent, yet more often than not their tenants can’t afford to stay open because of this ridiculous rent in the first place? Food for thought —

…and dramamama611, double-check the 2013 date I joined the boards before you dismiss me as a newbie. Just because I lurk more than post doesn’t disqualify me from calling things out. Get off your high horse, sweetie — love and kisses.

Updated On: 12/31/22 at 07:38 AM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 8:44am

I'm with dramamama... complaining about lottery seating locations is tacky. Balcony seats for this show are selling from roughly $105-$75, so $45 IS a pretty good discount. PLUS, the FAQ explicitly states the following...

Where are my ticket locations?

Seats may be located in any section of the theater. While every effort will be made to seat pairs together with a full view, there is a chance that pairs may be split up and that your seat may have a partial view of the stage.

Lottery and rush seats are always a gamble... If you want to know your exact seat locations, pay full price and pick exactly where you want to sit.

Updated On: 12/31/22 at 08:44 AM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 10:07am

My TDF seats were second row balcony, and damned good seats by any yardstick. It's actually the exact spot where I saw the Midler Dolly, for twice the price. I don't quite understand all the grousing about bad seats offered at a discount, steep or otherwise, but we all have our preferences.  

Mainly, had the show not been on TDF the morning after the Times review appeared, I wouldn't have booked that Wednesday matinee and seen this delightful show. So TDF served, and since I've recommended the show to several people -- like me, previously indifferent -- it's all good. 

Updated On: 12/31/22 at 10:07 AM

[Owen22]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 10:21am

I remember at one time in the West End, seats they couldn't sell we're sold the day of performance at a discount rate. From the opening of box office that day. These were called Day Seats. I think I saw Billy Elliot that way, they were that recent. They didn't have lotteries there. Then. I'm guessing they do now and Day Seats are a thing of the past?

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 10:26am

It's not necessarily every unsold seats but some shows still have day seats. For Mary Poppins you could book them online (and had quite a good range of options) and for Matilda it was only for people 25 and under I believe and were only located in upper circle. Essentially they're the same as rush tickets though, and while some shows do have lottery in the west end, I think digital rush is probably the most common from my experience (lottery tends to mostly be for particularly popular shows). 

[Ensemble1671017357]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 12:04pm

tirecage said: "dramamama611 said: "You know they don't have to do a lottery or rush AT ALL, right? Your entitlement is showing, and not a good look for a newbie.



You want good seats? Pay for them."

Here we go — dramamama611 living up to their name, huh? Entitlement is quite the strong word. Seems I’ve struck a nerve, though. Maybe we’re wading into a completely different discussion — are failing shows worth full-price tickets in the first place? Are “full-priced tickets” truly worth their full price without the buzz of true raves, consistent sellouts, or a true “star” leading the show? Have you checked the grosses for SLIH for last week?! Anemic. Maybe the entitlement falls on the part of producers who think their shows are entitled to fetch upwards of $175 a seat just because they present themselves in a “Broadway” house? Are theater owners the entitled ones who deem their dilapidated houses worthy of their astronomical rent, yet more often than not their tenants can’t afford to stay open because of this ridiculous rent in the first place? Food for thought —

…and dramamama611, double-check the 2013 date I joined the boards before you dismiss me as a newbie. Just because I lurk more than post doesn’t disqualify me from calling things out. Get off your high horse, sweetie — love and kisses."

Entitlement. Pithy and apt.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 12:56pm

Some of you are just exhausting.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 1:05pm

Watched the GMA appearance and didn’t even make it halfway through. What a slog. 

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 2:14pm

JasonC3 said: "Some of you are just exhausting."

This could be in any and every thread on these boards.

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 1/1/23 at 5:02pm

jacobsnchz14 said: "JasonC3 said: "Some of you are just exhausting."

This could be in any and every thread on these boards."

Why can’t we all just get along!? 
Happy New Year!!!!

[JSquared2]

Posted: 1/1/23 at 5:49pm

tirecage said: "

Thanks for your (somewhat dismissive) opinion on the balcony,GiantsInTheSky2, but I don’t know that reading it changes anything about my own observation of the balcony seat location I was in. I still call it a lousy seat.

Once upon a time, lottery seats were special, a la the front row lottery seats for Rent in the 90s, where you got a predetermined (read: front row) seating location at a bargain price. I think you completely missed the point of my post — calling seats “winning lottery” seats only to use them as excuses to unload less-than-desirable seats that can’t otherwise be sold at full price feels a bit disingenuous on the part of the box office, especially when the “full price” for the balcony seats are not much more than the lottery price.

Oh, and on a related note, I don’t — as a rule — pay full price for an “experience” at a struggling musical. Sorry ‘bout it."

 

Please consider going back to just "lurking".  Your sense of entitlement is exhausting.  HNY!

[tirecage]

Posted: 1/1/23 at 9:35pm

JSquared2 said: "tirecage said: "

Thanks for your (somewhat dismissive) opinion on the balcony,GiantsInTheSky2, but I don’t know that reading it changes anything about my own observation of the balcony seat location I was in. I still call it a lousy seat.

Once upon a time, lottery seats were special, a la the front row lottery seats for Rent in the 90s, where you got a predetermined (read: front row) seating location at a bargain price. I think you completely missed the point of my post — calling seats “winning lottery” seats only to use them as excuses to unload less-than-desirable seats that can’t otherwise be sold at full price feels a bit disingenuous on the part of the box office, especially when the “full price” for the balcony seats are not much more than the lottery price.

Oh, and on a related note, I don’t — as a rule — pay full price for an “experience” at a struggling musical. Sorry ‘bout it."



Please consider going back to just "lurking". Your sense of entitlement is exhausting. HNY!"

 

…when I can elicit bitchy remarks from the likes of you, JSquared2? No, it’s what I LIVE for. 

Seriously though, dolls, let’s get this thread back on track and try to save this flailing show. HNY!
 

 

Updated On: 1/1/23 at 09:35 PM

[Robbie2]

Posted: 1/1/23 at 10:35pm

Maybe Mariah will step in as Big Sue LOL she should at least see the show as she's a producer aka investor and do some publicity for it! 

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 1/1/23 at 11:29pm

JSquared2 said: “Please consider going back to just "lurking". Your sense of entitlement is exhausting. HNY!"

Not sure it’s entitlement so much as an acknowledgment that we used to get a better product for a cheaper price and now we get an inferior product for an inflated price.
 

Rush and lottery tickets used to feel special; it’s perfectly acceptable to long for those earlier days. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 1/1/23 at 11:37pm

I still think rush and lottery are special... you probably won't receive tickets every time you try, but whenever you "win" them, that has to feel good. And though prices have inflated, I believe they remain cheaper than most discount outlets. 

The next-best ticketing result to comps, IMHO. 

 

Updated On: 1/1/23 at 11:37 PM