If/then Reviews- Page 9

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 12:51pm

I would never defend Brantley. What I am saying is that those who did not like Rocky pointed out old Ben was right even though he probably prejudiced the show before he walked in.

They were aghast that he did not give a favorable nod to If .Worse still he did not lavish praise on Idina. How many shows has she done? Somehow she is now on a par with Merman.

If and when ( no pun intended )I see it, I will than judge.I will not run to see it.I could even see it with the understudy for as long as it would last without her.

Updated On: 3/31/14 at 12:51 PM

[haterobics]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 1:02pm

Who was predicting favorable reviews in advance? The show has been mixed since previews began...

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 1:12pm

I think the issue regarding Brantley is that he did not say anything one way or another about the lead in the musical. He was basically silent on her performance. I have no idea if he liked her or hated her.

[haterobics]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 1:14pm

"shiny-voiced" isn't enough for you?!

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 1:21pm

If I remember correctly, Brantley hardly said a word about Idina in Wicked as well. I vaguely remember a passing comment about her strong voice, but not much else.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 1:27pm

How can he be respected as a critic when he hardly even mentions the leading lady in his review?

Imagine if this had happened with Merman. Woe be that critic.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 1:40pm

Do you need a nap or something?

[someone.else's.story2]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 1:44pm

I think it's cool that Rapp wrote a response. Yes, as an artist, I'm sure he knows that reviews are just opinions. However, perhaps he cares about the project and has out his heart into it. To me, this is being passionate-not defensive. And it's a good thing.

Secondly, I am so over Brantley. Seriously, he seems burnt out and only interested in his own "cleverness".

I am still excited to see this show and hope I can get to NYC soon.

[newintown]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 1:48pm

It's a child's game to get unhappy or upset when someone dislikes something you like (or likes something you dislike).

[someone.else's.story2]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 1:50pm

It's actually human to feel sad/hurt if you pour your heart into something and it gets killed.

Yes, you get over it-but it's normal to feel upset. That's what happens when you care.

[haterobics]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 1:54pm

"It's a child's game to get unhappy or upset when someone dislikes something you like (or likes something you dislike)."

Isn't that like 73% of BWW?

[newintown]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 1:55pm

"It's actually human to feel sad/hurt if you pour your heart into something and it gets killed."

Oh, are you one of the writers/actors/designers/etc?



Updated On: 3/31/14 at 01:55 PM

[haterobics]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 1:58pm

I'm writing a novel, but nothing theater-related. Not that I understand the context of your response to my made-up percentage about BWW's often childish nature.

[newintown]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 2:00pm

Haterobics, I was replying to someone.else's.story2. We crossed in the ether.

You are actually exactly right, I think, in your estimate of the percentage of posters here who seem to think they have a personal vested interest in the pieces of theatre they like.

[haterobics]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 2:10pm

Oh, OK, you did lose me for a second there, hehe.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 2:17pm

I'm more interested in the reviews for If/WHEN!


If/When?

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 2:31pm

Yes, you get over it-but it's normal to feel upset. That's what happens when you care.

No one's begrudging him for feeling upset. They're begrudging him for his behavior while he's upset.

[someone.else's.story2]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 4:04pm

And I don't see why he can't write his opinion on his own Tunblr. Obviously, I'm in the minority in feeling that's it's fine for an artist to do so. Just expressing my opinion on this.

To Newintown, no, I am not affiliated with If/Then. I am an actor who has gotten great reviews and also bad ones. I've been in a show that sucked and got nice notice and I've been in a few that I believed in 100% and got what I saw as unfair hatchet jobs. (And, some that we're bad and duly noted). I've never written a response to a critic and I can understand people feeling that is a weird thing but I also get it and can understand how someone would feel proud enough of a project to do so.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 4:23pm

Years ago I was conducting (pre email) a letter writing campaign to Stewart Klein of Channel 5 . He was a poor mans Brantley. Parts of 2 letters he read on the air. I think he was shocked that someone would write him in the manner I did. He was still nasty and vicious until he passed away.

I have seen many good shows that closed prematurely and others than I did not care for but lasted. It is what it is.

[binau]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 4:46pm

"I stop reading the review when they say they are confused by the timelines....I mean if you aren't smart enough to tell these things apart then you shouldn't be a critic to begin with, so don't bother writing 14 paragraphs about how the whole thing didn't make sense to you....we don't care about how your brain can't process that much information."

I know what you are saying. Like there is probably a relationship between intelligence and comprehending the show. However, when the complaints are so widespread it probably says something about the show. The show is trying to cater for a general population, not NASA staff.

[newintown]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 4:54pm

I think there's been a misunderstanding about the meaning of my post above; although I have no admiration for Rapp's whining about bad reviews, my comment was directed to the many posters on this thread who seem to be very upset and unhappy that the reviewers didn't like the show they like. People who have no real vested interest in the show, but behave almost as though they have been injured.

Updated On: 3/31/14 at 04:54 PM

[Depaultheatrekid]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 5:18pm

Yall really need to chilllll OUT! First of all Anthony's response was not so much a gripe or tantrum as so many of you describe it, as was a comment on how fascinating it is that people have such opposing views of the same material, and that furthermore their show is lucky that it won't effect the box office one way or the other. It never came across as I can't believe everyone didn't rave about the show, he even admit that its not perfect.

Secondly, Brantley's review is S***. Point Blank Period. He doesn't at all give a review of the show, for those who have not seen it, his review doesn't really help or hinder ones choice to see it or not. He just simply gives a plot summary and a few words to describe some of the ensemble. By comparison look at Chris Jones' review in the Chicago Tribune, although he liked the show it is still a critique filled with information for any reader who would wonder whether to buy a ticket or not. That is where Brantley fails again and again as of late.

[Steve721]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 5:27pm

While I didn't care much for his writing, Brantley's review generally agrees with what other critics thought and what some on BWW have said, although I have not seen the show. So it's not like he panned a show that pretty much everyone else loved. When virtually every reviewer says that a show has problem x (be it the book or the score or whatever), then the show usually does in fact have problem x.

[binau]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 5:27pm

I personally think that you are not giving enough credit to Brantley's review and he makes it very clear that he doesn't think it's a good show. His review is in the detail of the language - the following phrases covey so clearly that he thinks the show is stale "New York City has never looked cleaner than it does in “If/Then"; "the nearest contemporary equivalents are those commercials in which peppy young things go dancing in the streets to trumpet the virtues of cars and colas."; "But even they lack the antiseptic sheen of this production"; "Every surface here appears to have been so thoroughly polished that you could not just eat off the sidewalks but see your own reflection in them, if you so chose."; "all the songs are pretty much interchangeable.".

Quite a contrast from his N2N review: "No show on Broadway right now makes as direct a grab for the heart — or wrings it as thoroughly — as “Next to Normal” does. This brave, breathtaking musical"

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 7:59pm

I often wonder if critics tend to dislike shows more than the public does because they see so many that it's harder to keep them entertained.

I loved If/Then when I saw it in DC, near the end of its run, but it does make the audience work hard to keep track of which timeline is which. (I assume the glasses will help, if Idina remembers to take them off and put them on in the correct scenes). I left the show in tears because of something in one of the timelines that strongly affected me, and the song "The Moment Explodes" is one of the most searing that I have ever heard in the theater.

It may well be that If/Then will primarily appeal to females, although my husband thought it was phenomenal. Besides, even if a show is oriented primarily towards women, it can still be very successful -- look around the theater at any performance of "The Phantom of the Opera," and whom do you see occupying most of the seats?