BEETLEJUICE Previews- Page 6

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 9:30am

Sho-Tunes-R-Us said: "It may well still succeed at the box office. Brand recognition, less discerning crowd, etc. Case in point: Pretty Woman (which I actually enjoyed). Still, as a champion of Groundhog Day I'll be crushed if it lasts [whatadramaqueenIam]."

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory had a very strong advance based on brand recognition, but once word of mouth got out about the show it was clear that future blocks of ticket sales didn't receive that same benefit. It remains to be seen whether Pretty Woman follows the same trajectory, though their trend since the holidays has generally been downward (which probably does coincide with the initial wave of ticket buyers who bought based on the title and before word of mouth spread).

Disney has tricked many into thinking that a show can skate by on brand recognition, but that's really just not true.

[Hamilfan2]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 11:12am

Dolly80 said: "This sounds BADDDD.

At least Alex Timbers can redeem himself with Moulin Rouge."

 

Yea I saw the Boston try-out of Moulin Rouge and unless there are major changes I would not bank on any kind of redemption

[60'splayoff]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 10:06pm

I was there on Thurs and agree with those who were disappointed. 

Did anyone else get the survey from telecharge? I don't normally buy my tickets online (much prefer in-person at the box office) so this was a first for me. I was surprised by how extensive and detailed it was. It, of course, started w/ age, income, "would you recommend?" etc. but then asked me to rate how satisfied I was by each characterization from Beetlejuice to the girl scout (???)... how many times I've seen the film, how much I liked it, did the sets/puppetry meet my expectations etc. Took me 45mins!

Not sure how much they'll pay attention to the feedback... but damn it felt good to get some frustrations out!

[Markecib]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 11:38pm

I saw this tonight and saw it in DC. They basically cut the first part of the opening number and starts with Sophia singing the ballad. Then the rest of the original number continues with minor tweaks. Act one isin better shape than DC. The trimmed it to where it didn’t feel overly long like in DC because there was more of them there.

The end of Act 1 changed. In DC they did the carnival where Maxi Dean and his wife where put on the hi-striker game and persumely killed, that does not happen here.

Act two opened is essentially the same, but they cut a good chunk of the Girl Scout lines. Biggest changes in act 2 were the Maitlin 2.0 and the Miss Argentina number, which replaces the boy band number, but where the old boy band number explained the rules of the netherworld this number is about how everyone wants to go back to being alive again.

The ending was a squashing of 2 scenes from DC.

It was light and breezy and the audience seemed to be having a great time. I saw Alex Timbers walk in before Act2 started and he was a section over from me. I don’t know what will happen with this show. It was OK, but they never really got a handle on Act 2, especially the ending, but I didn’t find it terrible. It was just OK.

[coasterking500]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 12:26am

Im in the minority because I really enjoyed the show in DC. I don't go for another few weeks and not sure if this needs a spoiler tag, have they changed Otho or any of his material?

In DC that and the boy band (couldnt be happier they are gone!) really dragged things for me.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 6:10am

Hamilfan2 said: "Dolly80 said: "This sounds BADDDD.

At least Alex Timbers can redeem himself with Moulin Rouge."



Yea I saw the Boston try-out of Moulin Rouge and unless there are major changes I would not bank on any kind of redemption "

I think you will be in the minority on that one. 

[meaghan416]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 10:54am

Has anyone done the rush yet? I was wondering where the seats were and what time you arrived. Trying to decide whether to do that or try the lotto on Tuesday.

[Markecib]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 12:27pm

coasterking500 said: "Im in the minority because I really enjoyed the show in DC. I don't go for another few weeks and not sure if this needs a spoiler tag, have they changed Otho or any of his material?

In DC that and the boy band (couldnt be happier they are gone!) really dragged things for me."

Yes, his song is gone and they combined two scenes, again, from DC. They really cut a lot of the secondary parts and work for the ensemble.

 

[skeach101]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 2:53pm

I'm coming here from Reddit, but I figure I can add my thoughts. I was in town on the 28th and I went to the first NY preview. So I'm no Broadway expert, but I'm from Chicago so we do get a decent number of shows, so maybe getting a perspective from someone from out of town might be good?

So....

It was honestly kind of a mess. Songs weren't memorable outside of the two from the movie. I did enjoy Dead Mom and was probably my favorite of the new songs... but couldn't even remember anything about the song outside of "Hey mom, Dead Mom" so it didn't even stick with me. The characters had ZERO depth for the most part, and when they DID have depth (Lydia) it was inconsistent. In many ways it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a serious Beetlejuice story or if it just wanted to be a spoof parody saying "LOL this is a Beetlejuice musical, is this funny?" It kind of had the same problem as Xanadu in that regard if that makes sense... Except I feel like Beetlejuice had source material that was a bit more respected. 

I don't want to just parrot what everyone has already said (i.e. amazing set design, talented cast, but wasted, blah blah etc. etc.) but, I will say that I think this is a show that has a lot of mainstream appeal, so I think it'll do well.

[Larcen26]

Posted: 4/1/19 at 11:41am

Saw it in DC...

Anybody who saw both willing to put a deep dive spoilerific rundown of the changes?

Still sounds like they haven't fixed the narrative problems, but wondering what they tried.

(I see there's a Miss Argentina song, and they got rid of the lovely (but totally out of narrative place) in Act 2, but I'm really curious about how they essentially handled the last 20 minutes once they are past the underworld stuff)

[Lot666]

Posted: 4/1/19 at 12:17pm

mattyp4 said: "DiscoCrows said: "Can we just talk about how phenomenal this show would be if Tim Minchin composed the score and replaced Brightman as Beetlejuice? He'd kill it."

I would have loved that, as I thought Groundhog Day was one of the best movie-to-musical adaptations in the past 10 years or so."

Yes! Tim Minchin would've been great for this.

 

[HunterK]

Posted: 4/1/19 at 8:14pm

For all those who saw it in DC or heard about certain parts...I thought at the end of Act 1 where Maxie and Maxine Dean come to visit was so much funnier in DC. Jill Abramovitz is a comedic genius and I remember laughing so hard I was crying when she walked in the door and the one liners she gave were BRILLIANT! I faintly giggled on Thursday. Such a waste. I hope they revisit Certain parts of that show cause they mis the mark totally. I truly enjoyed the Miss Argentina number, Leslie kills it. But less for Juno (Jill again). Its sometimes the little bits that help make a show move faster, and that Act 2 needs a lotta moving! 

I will always love Maxine Dean (RIP in DC).

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 4/1/19 at 11:34pm

HunterK said: "For all those who saw it in DC or heard about certain parts...I thought at the end ofAct 1 where Maxie and Maxine Deancome to visit was so much funnier in DC. Jill Abramovitz is a comedic genius and I remember laughing so hard I was crying when she walked in the door and the one liners she gave were BRILLIANT! I faintly giggled on Thursday. Such a waste. I hope they revisit Certain parts of that show cause they mis the mark totally. I truly enjoyed the Miss Argentina number, Leslie kills it. But less for Juno (Jill again). Its sometimes the little bits that help make a show move faster, and that Act 2 needs a lotta moving!

I will always love Maxine Dean (RIP in DC)."

I second that emotion.  In DC when Jill/Maxine entered I practically fell out of my seat.  All I could think of was Ann Miller on a VERY bad night.  That HAYER.  And Max was her perfect foil.

[hveasey]

Posted: 4/1/19 at 11:42pm

Saw this tonight and it was just disappointingly bad. I loved the Beetlejuice movie and cartoon as a kid and was hoping to get something that captured some of that energy even if I knew the story would be very different. But unfortunately the only bit that really works is the Miss Argentina number. Nothing short of a total revamp could make this decent. No slight to the cast which is clearly trying hard but can’t overcome the material they’ve been given.

Almost all of the songs were very basic/boring. An hour after the show there’s not one song that truly stands out in my mind, and Day-O/Senora, which should’ve been highlights, were presented poorly in abbreviated form. And the set design/staging wasn’t awful but certainly didn’t strike me as something to write home about. The book had very few laughs for me, although I think most of the audience enjoyed Beetlejuice’s jokes more than I did.

[treblemakerz]

Posted: 4/1/19 at 11:58pm

I saw the third preview tonight, and have a lot swirling around in my head about this one.

Was it perfect? Hell no!

Is it Tony award-winning? Nooooopppeee (other than the set and effects, which were truly a delight. Wish they'd used the sandworm more).

Is it filled with cheap, easy jokes? Yep.

But damn if I didn't laugh my #%*! off nearly the whole time. Sometimes it's the shows that aren't great that you enjoy the most.

This is just the kind of mess I'm into. I'll probably be back.

(And props to Sophia Anne Caruso; what a voice for a teenager!)

Updated On: 4/1/19 at 11:58 PM

[Lot666]

Posted: 4/2/19 at 9:57am

treblemakerz said: "Is it Tony award-winning? Nooooopppeee (other than the set and effects, which were truly a delight. Wish they'd used the sandworm more)."

Would someone who has seen the show please elaborate (using the Spoiler box, if necessary) on the set design and special effects? I haven't seen anything online that looked particularly impressive, but folks do seem to be commenting positively on this aspect of the show.

[skeach101]

Posted: 4/2/19 at 12:27pm

treblemakerz said: "I saw the third preview tonight, and have a lot swirling around in my head about this one.

Was it perfect? Hell no!

Is it Tony award-winning? Nooooopppeee (other than the set and effects, which were truly a delight. Wish they'd used the sandworm more).

Is it filled with cheap, easy jokes? Yep.

But damn if I didn't laugh my #%*! off nearly the whole time. Sometimes it's the shows that aren't great that you enjoy the most.

This is just the kind of mess I'm into. I'll probably be back.

(And props to Sophia Anne Caruso; what a voice for a teenager!)"

This is honestly probably the best take.

Also, I actually think "Dead Mom" is a great song.

[BobbyD3]

Posted: 4/2/19 at 3:49pm

Saw this show in DC - thought it was the worst thing I've ever seen.  Now the show in DC is the SECOND worst thing I've ever seen.

How anyone continues to give this the green light is beyond me.  The actors, outside of Brightman, are wonderful.  ALEX BRIGHTMAN GIVES THE WORST PERFORMANCE I HAVE EVER SEEN ON BROADWAY.  I just don't understand it..at all.  His performance is cringeworthy and unhinged in every sense of the word.  

If you love Kerry Butler or Leslie Kritzer it is worth seeing.  If you like 4-hour long theme park shows with a ton of screaming by the leading male...you probably won't like this.  

And to the people comparing this to Big Fish and Groundhog Day - those two play like Les Mis and Hamilton compared to this piece of garbage.  

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 4/2/19 at 5:16pm

BobbyD3 said: "If you like 4-hour long theme park shows with a ton of screaming by the leading male...you probably won't like this."

 

Don’t think I’ve heard it described quite this way, especially with the tons of screaming part. Is it really that bad? The amount screaming done? 

 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 4/2/19 at 5:43pm

In DC it seemed like Brightman was trying to overcompensate for his lack of a character with yelling, which is weird because Michael Keaton didn’t do that in the film. I wouldn’t be surprised if it has only gotten worse with this production. 

[Rose2]

Posted: 4/2/19 at 7:03pm

What is the running time?

[HunterK]

Posted: 4/2/19 at 9:02pm

I second that emotion. In DC when Jill/Maxine entered I practically fell out of my seat. All I could think of was Ann Miller on a VERY bad night. That HAYER. And Max was her perfect foil."

I'm so glad I wasn't the only one! And Ann Miller...YES YES YES! - It's those few hysterically wrong moments that actually work! I'm praying someone associated with the production is reading this! - These are a little crude so just scroll on by. 

My favorite lines I remember were:

Maxie: They're tinier than my first wives t*ts

Maxine: They were so Tiny!

-----------------------------------------

Delia: Namaste Maxie and you must be....?

Maxine: Oh "Max-INE uh"..it's like Maxie but you put an N in it.

Maxie: That's not all I put in her.

Maxine: You're filthy..You know what he's talking about right....Bing Bong

-----------------------------------------------------

Maxie: You gotta feed the cow before you jerk on the udders!

Maxine: (fake laughing)..what does that even mean??? 


(RIP funny lines from DC)

Updated On: 4/2/19 at 09:02 PM

[massofmen]

Posted: 4/2/19 at 10:37pm

BobbyD3 said: "Saw this show in DC - thought it was the worst thing I've ever seen. Now the show in DC is the SECOND worst thing I've ever seen.

How anyone continues to give this the green light is beyond me. The actors, outside of Brightman, are wonderful. ALEX BRIGHTMAN GIVES THE WORST PERFORMANCE I HAVE EVER SEEN ON BROADWAY. I just don't understand it..at all. Hisperformance is cringeworthy and unhinged in every sense of the word.

If you love Kerry Butler or Leslie Kritzer it is worth seeing. If you like 4-hour long theme park shows with a ton of screaming by the leading male...you probably won't like this.

And to the people comparing this to Big Fish and Groundhog Day - those two play like Les Mis and Hamilton compared to this piece of garbage."

Mr Brightman got some horrible reviews in DC. I'm shocked they didn't replace him for the broadway run 

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 4/2/19 at 10:42pm

Good news everyone.

The reports of this show being a disaster are vastly over rated.

Now I don't know what the show looked like last week, but tonight I saw a fabulously dark, bawdy, and ultimately touching musical.

The performances are delivering across the board. The score is a mix of contemporary sounds with lots of funny funny lines and great character pieces.

The direction packs in so many fantastic visual jokes and keeps the story moving.

Yes a lot of the jokes are crude, but so it Beetlejuice!

So yeah **** Brigadoon for a night! Get an over priced glass of wine and have some fun.

[RexInLights]

Posted: 4/3/19 at 10:29am

Fun show. Brightman is delightful. Great design work. 
 

Updated On: 2/10/20 at 10:29 AM