Baby, THAT SUCKED!- Page 4

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/16/11 at 12:23am

In that case, I'll say I didn't hate the show. The playbill was easy to flip through.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/16/11 at 12:43am

My Playbill had a wad of gum in it.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/16/11 at 12:55am

And you didn't go to the House Manager IMMEDIATELY?!

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/16/11 at 1:02am

Naw. I just showed it to the person sitting next to me...who had a Press Packet...

Mebbe Isherwood is gonnah mention that in his review?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/16/11 at 1:07am

Well it's that or the lighting...

[musicman_bwayfan]

Posted: 4/16/11 at 2:12am

CapnHook - While you had gum in your program, someone in a group of 5 or 6 people was given a playbill for Rock of Ages tonight. Clearly someone doing the printing or sorting had some issues and the playbill migrated from the Helen Hayes to the Broadhurst.

[bk]

Posted: 4/16/11 at 3:25am

"I got confirmed for Blogger Night too (which is Yay! for me since it's my Spring Break)."

So, "blogger night" is a bunch of teenagers getting into the show free and then what? Writing on their blog? This is what we've devolved to, I guess.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 4/16/11 at 9:19am

"So, "blogger night" is a bunch of teenagers getting into the show free and then what? Writing on their blog? This is what we've devolved to, I guess."

Some of us actually write for media sites and get paid for it. The show wants to build buzz so they invited music, theater, history, and NYC bloggers to apply for a night where they get free tickets and a talkback with the cast. I don't think that's so evil, nor is it some disgrace to the community. If that's the case, all those Broadway.com theater vlogs must be abominations and the Wonderland live streaming Q&A was the worst thing to happen in the history of theater.

This isn't an invitation to go all 4CHAN on a Broadway show and paint white stains all over Beth Leavel's face; they want people who can write with a built in audience to discuss their show. To be frank, if I don't like it, I'm not going to write positive bs about the show to stay in anyone's good graces. I'll very clearly explain how I think the show misfires and wish them luck fixing it before opening night.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 4/16/11 at 4:12pm

I think Kyle's Moms review is brilliant.
And I love that Kyle looks like Joe Dellasandro.

Swoon.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 4/16/11 at 5:13pm

A: Kyle looks NOTHING like Joe. Joe wasn't bald.

B: I would love to know just how many of the bloggers that are going are actually paid for their work.

I think 99% of them are nothing but Corines. And yes, it IS sad that this is what Broadway is turning into

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/16/11 at 5:16pm

You'll be eating your words when Catherine Zeta-Jones returns to Broadway in "CORINE!" next season.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 10:58am

I know the show hasn't officially opened but does anyone have an idea about running time? As I said earlier in the thread I'm taking my mom for Mother's Day and want to make a dinner reservation for after the show.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 11:01am

I got out right around 10:30 when I saw it a few weeks ago.

[Calvin]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 11:12am

I think the bloggers' night is actually a smart gambit on the producers' part. They're already giving away tickets for this poorly promoted show, so they might as well give them away to a group who can give them some publicity, positive or otherwise.

Whether the bloggers are paid for their work or not is immaterial. Bloggers who write for the Huffington Post aren't paid, for example, but I'm sure the producers would love even a tepid mention in it.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 11:13am

I would love to see the metrics on how little blogs influence ticket sales...

[thismyshow]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 11:46pm

was one of the bloggers who saw the show tonight..... how is it that anything could possible be worse then wonderland? the book is so unfocused there just WAY too much music (over 40 songs in 2 hour and 10 minutes?) instead of focus on character building, glad i saw it for free even if i student rushed it id have been pissed

[trentsketch]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 8:20am

I don't want to hate this show. I really don't. Florence Greenberg's actual story is fascinating and I'm a big fan of the the late 50's/early 60's girl group sound.

There is about a twenty minute sequence in Act II that works as a piece of musical theater. There's a clear plot, characters are developed, and the music serves its dual function of historical reenactment and character development. Otherwise, the plot is never clear (wait, why did nine people just sing that song in less than a minute but not at the same time in the same place or the same arrangement and how come the show never breathes enough to let me applaud the singers and hooboy that was a really corny li--why are they singing that song again--wait, two years later?) and nothing that happens has any impact on anyone's performance.

I'm just glad I didn't pay any money to take my mother to a concert performance of 1960s girl group music. Except for how the show used a really awful echo effect on everyone's mic that muddied the sound. And how the balance between the band and the vocals was so off that much of the show felt like a small rock orchestra performance. And how that sheer led-laden metallic flecked curtain almost gave me a migraine during Act II when they blasted it with neon lights. And how the biggest applause of the night came from a quick-change magic trick and not anything related to the show. And how I kept hearing "I thought it was great because I liked the music," from seemingly everyone I walked past after the show.

This is the first time I've seen a jukebox musical that doesn't even try to pretend to have a reason for existing except licensing fees. I don't care to ever experience something like it again.

[chewy5000]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 8:38am

Do you think it'll get a cast recording?

[Eris0303]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 8:49am

I know you're being facetious but they were in the recording studio yesterday.

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 9:02am

I pretty much agree with everything that trentsketch said.

The show itself is a muddled mess book-wise, but some the the performances were amazing (I loved "I Met Him On A Sunday" and alot of the songs that Christina Sajous sang lead on.) Beth Leavel looks somewhat bored onstage. Also, the characterizations of characters like Florence, Bernie, and Murray seemed to be exaggerated stereotypes, which annoyed me to no living end.

Basically, I see this show as The Shirelles' version of LEADER OF THE PACK (to a "T") and it will probably end in the same fate at that show.

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 12:18pm

With that being said, it may be a success among the bluehairs who frequent shows like this, since they've long tired of JERSEY BOYS and maybe have had their fill of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET.

[PopAria]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 4:32pm

Went to Blogger Night last night and instead of a messy show without a book I saw a fun, Broadway musical featuring a ton of great music and fun performances.

I will admit that it was funny that there's no character development and 10 minutes into the show I looked at my friend and said "I don't know what's going on, do you?" and he said "NO" but we laughed and kept watching. There was too much music in that opening scene and there's nothing going on!

In general I thought there was WAY Too much music, but if you're into that music and that era, you will LOVE THIS! It's not the kind of show that needs character development or 3 sub-plots or even 2 acts!

There's a bit of Dreamgirls, Jersey Boys, and Million Dollar Quartet in the show in the way that they were just performing music, dancing, going on tour, making records, falling in love, out of love... It sounds like a great story to put on Broadway and it IS, but it didn't go deep enough for the Broadway/Theater freak audiences to enjoy and give rave reviews about. That being said the audience I was with was loving the show. There were gasps and OHHs and there was straight up laugh-out-loud funny moments. At the end there everyone around me was dancing and laughing and enjoying themselves (they were all over 40)haha.

During the talk back with the entire cast, Beth Leavel mentioned that the show has changed a lot since first preview and Barry Pearl said he even changed his approach to the characters he played after doing research and meeting people who had actually known these people in real life. There were some jokes made by Beth in the talk back about how the costumes gave her a body that she didn't have... it was funny to see her tug at her shirt and make fake boobs like her costumes do in the show.

As far as costumes and set design goes, it was spectacular, there were more interesting sets and screens than I expected, and there were some SICKENING performances on that stage.

The Sax player and guitarists had some fantastic solos and the singing was super top-notch (unlike how to succeed). Erica Ash plays a mean Dionne Warwick, and Christina Sajous does an incredible Shirley (BTW She has her picture all over 44th street! She was also in American Idiot which is playing right across the street).

In the end, it is another jukebox musical, but look at Mamma Mia and Million Dollar Quartet and Jersey Boys... They're still running... If you're looking for a great night out and LOVE music from the 50's/60's go see Baby, It's You.

Yet another show better than Wonderland, and it's a JUKEBOX MUSICAL!

[thismyshow]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 4:46pm

@poparia ......... what!

"I will admit that it was funny that there's no character development and 10 minutes into the show I looked at my friend and said "I don't know what's going on, do you?" and he said "NO" but we laughed and kept watching. There was too much music in that opening scene and there's nothing going on!"

thats a huge issue for any show.... inexcusable to have no character development!

"In the end, it is another jukebox musical, but look at Mamma Mia and Million Dollar Quartet and Jersey Boys... They're still running... If you're looking for a great night out and LOVE music from the 50's/60's go see Baby, It's You."

while there all jukebox musicals mamma mia has a original story, MDQ is focused and Jersey Boy won best musical for you to compare any of those to Baby shows how much you really dont know.

definitely call you out as a plant Updated On: 4/20/11 at 04:46 PM

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 4:48pm

wait, why did nine people just sing that song in less than a minute but not at the same time in the same place or the same arrangement and how come the show never breathes enough to let me applaud the singers and hooboy that was a really corny li--why are they singing that song again--wait, two years later?

HA! That's probably the best way to sum up my reaction when I saw it.

The set looks like it wasn't delivered on time from the scenic shop and someone said, "Quick, do a Google image search for New York skyline and 1950s kitchen interior!"

The biggest problem, I feel (and there were many) is that the show tries to be both a MAMMA MIA-style jukebox musical and a JERSEY BOYS-style biographical catalog musical, and it fails at both. The opening (which is unnecessary) shows a bunch of 1950s hit songs being performed by the artists, and then two minutes into her first scene, when Beth Leavel suddenly starts singing, it feels out of place and wrong. Especially when that same song is sung in Act II by the Shirelles as a Shirelles song. IT MAKES NO SENSE!

Other problems:

They sing about two lines of each song. On the other hand, that didn't give the audience enough time to start singing along, so maybe that's a good thing.

They reprise two songs about four times each. No exaggeration.

They make a big deal about how the Shirelles were the BIGGEST GIRL GROUP OF ALL TIME! Then why couldn't they come up with enough Shirelles songs to fill a show? Maybe 20% of the songs in the show were Shirelles songs.

Act I is about half as long as Act II and feels like eternity. Act I of BABY IT'S YOU felt longer than the entirety of JERUSALEM.

Oh, and they blatantly ripped off that image in JERSEY BOYS when the band is onstage with their backs to us and we see lights and flashbulbs from the "audience." Picture that image with skirts and heels, and that's the intermission curtain. Down to the flashbulbs.

It seems like this kind of show would sell no matter what, but they have been comping the hell out of it all during previews, so I don't expect it to last long after reviews and/or Tony nominations come out.

I'm starting to suspect that Beth Leavel intentionally takes roles in awful shows so that she can be the best thing about it. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN to MAMMA MIA to BABY IT'S YOU. Eesh.

[PopAria]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 5:02pm

@Thismyshow

I thought it was a good show about music. And it has some great performances.

There's not much more going on. We saw the rise and fall of the Shirelles and Florence. They could have done more with the book, but they didn't and I guess they chose to make it a different kind of show.

Baby, it's you is a musical about singers and songwriters, and there's enough of that in the show itself for me to say I like it.