DISASTER Previews- Page 7

[Sertzo19]

Posted: 2/15/16 at 7:04pm

broadwayboy223 said: "I'd much rather see The First Wives Club come in with Faith then this... 

 

"

Take that back... First Wives Club was one of the WORST shows I have ever seen. It was embarrasing for all involved, at least the latest Chicago incarnation was. I almost walked out. Poor Faith, she needs to pick better projects or find a new agent. That being said, I think Disaster sounds like fun if you know what you're walking into and purchasing discounted tickets. Not sure I'd want to pay upwards of $100 for something of this caliber. 

I also don't get the hate for Honeymoon in Vegas. Saw it's last preview and I loved it. It was charming, great score and good performances all around. I just don't think it found the right audience. I fell in love with Brynn O'Malley. 

[gleek4114]

Posted: 2/16/16 at 2:27am

Sertzo19 said: "broadwayboy223 said: "I'd much rather see The First Wives Club come in with Faith then this... 

 

 

 

"

 

Take that back... First Wives Club was one of the WORST shows I have ever seen. It was embarrasing for all involved, at least the latest Chicago incarnation was. I almost walked out. Poor Faith, she needs to pick better projects or find a new agent. That being said, I think Disaster sounds like fun if you know what you're walking into and purchasing discounted tickets. Not sure I'd want to pay upwards of $100 for something of this caliber. 

 

I also don't get the hate for Honeymoon in Vegas. Saw it's last preview and I loved it. It was charming, great score and good performances all around. I just don't think it found the right audience. I fell in love with Brynn O'Malley. 

 

"

I know I'm literally the only one, but I LOVED First Wives Club in Chicago. I thought the cast was insanely talented, and that they sold the adverage material very well. However, this is a thread about Disaster. Any chance this makes it to July 2nd? After reading this thread I want to see it even more (so bad it's good is right up my alley, ala Grease 2), but I won't be in the city until at mid June at the earliest. 

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 2/16/16 at 5:39am

I'm not exactly objective because I know Seth's parents, and I really want the show to be a success. Nonetheless, having just seen the touring version of The Producers, I started thinking of "Springtime for Hitler" when I read these comments.  "Disaster" is clearly a spoof. If people laugh enough, the show will probably be a hit.

There's a fine line between "Something Rotten" and a dumb show, but it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Let's hope it's the same with "Disaster."

[AndersonTours]

Posted: 2/16/16 at 12:07pm

I saw this Off Broadway and I thought Jennifer Simard was worth the price of admission. The show seemed like a sweet, funny spoof that belonged Off Broadway. I wish them well ON Broadway.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 2/16/16 at 11:09pm

Just got back, and agree--- Simard is worth the price of admission ---   FWIW --- running time now 2:10

( number of changes were implemented today----  not sure exactly what the changes are because this was my first time seeing the show, but spoke a bit with Kerry Butler after the show and she mentioned that things were bit crazy tonight because of all of the changes) 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/17/16 at 11:29am

I understand why there is an intermission given the plot, but I think it should still be a tight 90mins. Neither act builds to a joke worthy of ending the act, and they need to work on that. 

[Testing1232]

Posted: 2/17/16 at 12:00pm

Agree--- sounds like they went from just about 2.5 hours to a little over 2 hrs-   Believe the cast was given a reworked script between Sunday and Tues--- and think more changes to come 

taking  my daughter tmw nite-- interested to see if more changes were implemented 

[IronMan]

Posted: 2/17/16 at 8:46pm

Saw the matinee today (came down at 4:15).   I agree with the general consensus- Jennifer Simard and Rachel York are a delight, but sadly they alone seem to know what show they're in.  

It was like seeing a 2+ hour Gypsy of the Year skit, but one without a point or a payoff. The overabundant songs (or rather, snippets of songs) were shoehorned in and most were telegraphed so far in advance there was no pleasure in finally hearing them, the 'jokes' verged on pathetic, and Seth Rudetsky was embarrassingly amateurish. 

As for laughs, only Simard's brilliant underplaying and one clever set piece in Act II were the only things that even made me smile. All in all, it's not as bad as I expected, and it reminded me a lot of "Starmites" in that it should have been a 90-min one-act off-Broadway show. 

[MISH2]

Posted: 2/17/16 at 9:17pm

Sondheimite said: "best12bars said: "Sondheimite---is it really the worst show you ever seen in your entire life with the funniest performance you've ever seen in your entire life?

Reminds me of Steve Coogan mocking Judi Dench in Philomena for telling several people they'd just met that they were "one in a million."

Unnecessarily mean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are the odds of both being in the same production? It's like lightning striking twice for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Such superlatives. Have you only seen one show ever in your entire life?

 

 

 

"

 

Are you this cool in real life or just on the Internet, bb?

 

"

 

Updated On: 2/17/16 at 09:17 PM

[MISH2]

Posted: 2/17/16 at 10:09pm

Patash said: "Mish2, I don't disagree with much of what you say, but why compare it to THAT list of shows?   Are there other silly parodies you can compare it to?   Sort of like saying "I saw Mama Mia and it was no Death of a Salesman."   

I guess I didn't express myself as well as I could have.  I meant that I've seen lots of good or great theater, but can still appreciate the not-so-great for what it is, even if "it" is corny, mindless entertainment!

"

 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 2/17/16 at 10:36pm

this should have stayed off-Broadway. it might have recouped. I doubt anyone wants to pay $100+ to see this.

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 2/18/16 at 10:09pm

Good God almighty, I cannot even begin to comprehend what I just saw. More soon.

 

[gallerygirl]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 12:16am

I saw the show tonight and had a grand time, as did everyone around me. The guy behind me said, as the lights came up, "That was everything I hoped it would be".  Jennifer Simard is indeed a knockout but there is also very funny work from Roger Bart, Adam Pascal, Baylee Littrell and Lacretta Nicole. It 's really sweet and silly and hugely entertaining. I spoke with a few of the cast afterwards and there are indeed more cuts and changes planned to make the pace quicker and transitions faster. I hope it does well for all concerned.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 12:28am

Was there tnite as well --- took my daughter (she loved it--- especially Simard!!) 

Saw it Tues as well and show has been tightened - I think the goal is to make the show 90-95 mins, and do away with the intermission. Cast has been at theatre very early over the past week as the show is constantly being tweaked.

***  POSSIBLE SPOILERS --- I would do away with the rat scene as well as the "tap" number) *** 

i would also change up the ending as far as song choice. Think the show needs a real familiar song that the audience can sing along with ( sort of like an "ROA" ending) 

For some reason, I had "Sweet Caroline" in my head e entire train ride home !!) 

 

[Patash]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 7:51am

Cut the rat scene?  I agree.  But cut the tap dance?  Please, dear God NO, it was so funny in a musical spoof -- but they could easily cut it down by half -- or even more.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 9:45am

That would work ---it has it's place, but becomes a bit tedious ---- 

[Patash]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 10:29am

"but becomes a bit tedious"

 

BINGO.  I think that was my main issue with much of the show.  Nice to know it's now been cut down and may be cut some more.  I was surprised by early comments here that so many songs were just short snippets.  In my book, that's all they need to be -- in many cases just the first line of the song makes the joke, then it's done and we can move on. 

[gallerygirl]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 11:04am

I had no problem with the length of the songs. I might have if the whole evening had been nothing but disco but I enjoyed being reminded how musical and pretty a lot of the tunes of that period were. Also, I was with someone in their early 20s who was hearing a lot of the material for the first time and he was having a ball discovering all these "new" songs!

[Testing1232]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 12:37pm

Imagine how my 10 year old daughter felt !!  Lol

The only songs she remembered hearing were "Ben" and "ABC" (pre show song) 

Love introducing her to new music! ( her favorite band is "Indigo Girls" !! (Makes me proud!) 

She enjoyed it so much that she "Dragged" my wife to theatre to get rush tix for tnite !

( they got there around 11 and got Orch O) 

Was nice to see a pretty full house last night.  Yea, speaking with Kerry Butler, still a lot of tweaks going on, and I'm just about sure that they are shooting for a running time of 90-95 mins without and intermission. 

 

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 2:30pm

I saw this last night. Oh good lord. where do I begin?

 

This has to be the most incredible thing I have ever seen on a Broadway stage, and by incredible, I mean that there is no possible way what I saw last night can possibly exist and be playing on Broadway, financed by no less than eight over the title producers, starring a cast of spectacular Broadway veterans, and with creative team that includes people like six time Tony winner William Ivey Long, Tony winner Jeff Crotier, and legendary wig master Paul Huntley, just to name a few. I am in total disbelief. Because make no mistake, this musical is perfectly named. This is one major disaster.

 

However......

 

Disaster is like that super-sized McDonalds meal that you ordered in a drunken stupor after a night of bar hopping - It is greasy, disgusting, cheesy, bloated, probably really bad for you, and in the morning, you're ashamed you scarfed it down. But while you are eating it, you are loving every single bite. Disaster is just like that.

 

It is truly mesmerizing - almost hypnotic - to see all these wonderful Broadway performers like Faith Prince, Roger Bart, Adam Pascal and Rachel York - and many more - all fully and totally committed to these insane characters and ridiculous plot. The one exception is Seth himself, who seems truly miserable to be up there, even in the curtain call.

 

I love camp comedy - one of my favorite genres. But this is camp comedy as seemingly written by a five year old child on a wall with a crayon. It's all broad strokes with truly painful and painfully obvious jokes. And just because it's camp, that doesn't mean the entire plot should be a complete muddle that makes not a lick of sense.

 

The song choices are equally insane. It is as if a group of kids were given an assignment to create a jukebox musical using songs of the 70's, and they came up with just absolute crazy-ness - punching in a random refrain here; half a song there; a full song over here.

Possible spoilers below:

 

They use "Feelings" just so Seth's character can sing "wo, wo  wo Feelings" (Wo being the name of his deceased wife)

And "Once, twice, three times a lady" as one, two, three pieces of a deceased woman are being hurled overboard. Un-f***king believable.

End spoilers.

 

There are a few nifty sight gags, none of which I will spoil, but one of them is a forced perspective thing that starts the show off on a very cool note - and various other moments sprinkled here and there that are very funny. They would be funnier still at a Fringe Festival for $15.00 per ticket - because the budget of this musical looks like the budget of a Fringe Festival production - with the exception of Long's costumes - which are, as usual, flashy and fantastic.

All in all, my mouth was either hanging open in absolute amazement of what I was witnessing, or I was helplessly laughing at the kooky song choices and the sheer commitment of these actors to such atrocious material.

I would say that this is must-see, event theatre, just for the fact that there has never been anything like it, and likely never will be again. It is so over-the-top bad that it warps itself into something that is perversely enjoyable - must see, train wreck theatre.

 

2 final thoughts - I got a rush ticket in orchestra Row N, side yesterday for thirty bucks. I was worried about the sightlines, sound, cramped seats, but no worry was necessary. The view and sound from there was totally fine and seats were not too cramped at all.

 

Lastly, about the people who are advocating for this to be done 90 minutes - no intermission. I think that would be a terrible mistake. For all its many, many faults, this musical has one of the best Act One endings in quite some time. And the line for drinks at the two bars was endless. People like their booze with this kind of show. Believe me - there is not enough booze in the world for this show - and so why would the theatre want to lose all that intermission business?

 

Anyway, there is my review, and in case I didn't make it clear - run, don't walk, to get tickets. You might feel ashamed of yourself the next day, but while it's on, you will probably have a great time - even if you are laughing at it and not with it.

Updated On: 2/19/16 at 02:30 PM

[Testing1232]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 3:24pm

Awesome review !!  Summed it up perfectly !! I compare it to the Vegas strip----  it needs to be seen at least once in your lifetime !!  You sit there and go "what the heck" -- at the same time laughing at the sheer lunacy at what is taking place on the stage !! 

Curiious as to your opinion of the end number --- really think it's lacking, and they need a different song --- 

Side  note-- was waiting inside the theatre with my daughter to meet with someone from the cast ( btw--- Brian Littrell is one of the nicest people I've ever met!) , and the advance ticket sales were not horrible - people were playing $99-$140 a ticket !!   Don't know how long the show has, but hope they can make it to their planned run. 

 

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 7:11pm

Thanks!

 

As to the final number, I am ashamed to say that I don't even remember what it was. I feel like by that point, I had been beaten into submission, or maybe my $75.00 cup of wine had kicked in. I'm exaggerating but barely. The  drink prices at this theatre are as insane as the show.

 

But yeah, if ithe final number is not registering and people have checked out by then, maybe they do need to think about changing it.

 

i don't see this becoming a Rock of Ages type hit, but who knows? People were definitely having a great time last night.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 7:19pm

I will be there tomorrow afternoon.  I cannot wait to see it. 

[Dolly80]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 7:33pm

Damn. This sounds bad.

[gallerygirl]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 8:05pm

To each his own. I guess if you go in wanting to hate it, you will. I'd read all the negative comments including those of trusted friends and was pleasantly surprised. They've only got the theatre until June anyway when MOTOWN comes in so I'm sure it will run its scheduled engagement.