Why Is Leap On Broadway???- Page 3

[finebydesign]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 6:06pm

To be fair to teenagers, I can't remember being at a show where people didn't give a standing ovation. After watching people sing and dance their hearts out for 2 hours it's hard to blame them for the show they were lucky to be cast in.

I too tried to take away something positive from the show and it is the theme. The show has a great message, "we can all change the course in our lives for the better" I thought some of the songs would be nice country-pop standards.

I understand Broadway has a history of flops but this one to me just seems too obvious, nobody walks away from that thinking "this is going to be a hit" or "the critics are going to love this."


Updated On: 4/11/12 at 06:06 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 6:15pm

I think the last Broadway show I saw that did not receive a standing ovation was Thou Shalt Not.

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 7:35pm

Standing o's don't really matter, IMHO. I've never been to a Broadway show within the past 5 yrs that hasn't had a standing O, even the really bad ones.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 7:41pm

I could not agree with bk more. The last thing, the very last thing, commercial theater needs right now is enthusiastic young people getting excited about it. The problem with teenagers, as I see it, is that they're so now. They're from nowadays. It's not their fault, exactly, but would it kill them to learn about and behave as if they were from, you know, then?

Updated On: 4/11/12 at 07:41 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 7:43pm

LEAP OF FAITH is far from anything even remotely close to perfect, but I think a far more important question is why is GHOST on Broadway??

GHOST makes LEAP look like SOUTH PACIFIC. Seriously, I don't get the intense hatred for LEAP on the boards. It's not a good show, by any means, but it's mildly entertaining. GHOST is a far more horrible show and it's also a lumbering, eye-sore of a complete bore. Just my two cents.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 7:59pm

When did this thread go from "the show is mediocre" to "get these kids off my lawn"?

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 8:14pm

Somewhere around bk's post, I think... I woulda expected differently from he composer of The First Nudie Musical, but I guess everyone gets old and grumpy...

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 10:05pm

"In this case it was clearly used as a ploy to get audience members into a boaring show."

I wonder what they use to get audience members into a hippopotamusing show.

[justoldbill]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 10:19pm

I understand that the stage has been extended out towards the audience for Raul's "Let Me Entertain You" number.

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 10:24pm

It is employing a good number of {diverse} actors. And stage technicians, crew, 20 musicians, directors, designers, etc. And it is helping the NYC economy.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 11:08pm

LOL Jane! The New Zoo Review on Broadway might be an excellent idea!

[shomeika]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 11:14pm

Does anyone know if Raven went on last night?

[Jane2]

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

"The New Zoo Review on Broadway might be an excellent idea!"

Well I reckon it shur wood, Mr. Namo.

You can always tell what kind of people would be in the audience, too. There'd be lots of whooping and hollering from the unsophisticates!

[bk]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 12:18am

"I could not agree with bk more. The last thing, the very last thing, commercial theater needs right now is enthusiastic young people getting excited about it. The problem with teenagers, as I see it, is that they're so now. They're from nowadays. It's not their fault, exactly, but would it kill them to learn about and behave as if they were from, you know, then?"

Your attempt at pith is up to your usual low standards, which is all one can hope for. :)

I have no problem with enthusiastic young people excited about theatre - I'm sure you were once, MANY years ago, an enthusiastic and maybe even nice young theatergoer and my guess is that you didn't sit there and whoop and holler as if you were at a rock concert. I was a very enthusiastic young theatergoer and loved shows and musicals and never once felt the necessity of whooping and hollering and rising to my feet when I saw some mediocre piece of crap (not aimed at Leap of Faith, which I haven't seen on Broadway) - when I saw something brilliant, like say Follies or Company or The Most Happy Fella or Hello, Dolly! or Fiddler I applauded loudly to show my appreciation. I can tell you that the title song of Dolly got really loud cheering - but it was reserved for that, which deserved it. But during its original run I don't recall one standing ovation for the show - that didn't start until the late 1970s tour.

When I went to see Catch Me If You Can, the obnoxious whooping and hollering started as the light dimmed, and continued after every single number, no matter what that number's worth. And in most cases those numbers would have been lucky to get tepid applause two decades earlier. Today we have audiences (and as pointed out, not just teens) who see this behavior on their favorite reality TV shows and bring it to the theatre. If that's what you have devolved to, then by all means go, enjoy. I find it insufferable and would have found it equally insufferable when I was sixteen. But then, thank the Lord, I am nothing like you.

[Matt2]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 1:11am

Why is this show on Broadway? Because Raul needs a Tony and dammit if he's going to pass up on a Broadway show until he gets one!

"There were and there will always be flops but even the flops back then were better than the flops today."

So sad, flops just aren't what they used to be...


Updated On: 4/12/12 at 01:11 AM

[Felm_heart]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 1:20am

Wait, I really enjoyed this show. I saw it tonight, and I was so surprised by the amount of fun I had. I thought Menken's score was perfectly solid, and I'm sure it will make a fabulous cast album. Kecia Lewis-Evans and Lesie Odom, Jr. sounded so good singing it. Kendra seemed like she was having a blast on stage. Jessica Philips is totally serviceable, and she brings a substantial amount of depth to what could otherwise be a pretty boring character. Some real chemistry with Raul. Speaking of Raul, how can you not love him in this? The score is perfectly crafted for his voice, and he really knows what he's doing. His soliloquy at the end was astonishing. The last fifteen minutes of the musical, in fact, while certainly a little campy, are really beautiful if you allow them to be. I went in with fairly low expectations due to this board, but I was so thrilled with what I saw. It's not amazing, of course: The story is often ridiculous, and many of the lyrics are painfully bad. Still, I felt like it was a fun and exciting show, with some beautiful performances to boot. I really wish them all the best.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 5:27am

Since access to information became easier, the wider public has become aware that there is serious money to be made on Broadway. As a result, the Klondike-like attitude has encouraged investment in properties which might not have had a life in earlier decades.

That said, this production has a composer with a great track record, (maybe more on film than on Broadway), and has clearly been put together with cast and production team with a decent pedigree. It's not like a bunch of first-timers from the outback have pitched up with tent and a dream.

So why is this show on Broadway? Because it is a recognizable title, has a solid creative team and cast, enough people who think it has a viable commercial future, and a theatre which needs footfall to survive.

Now, the next question: why didn't you like it? Hmm, can't help you there. But if you're not smart enough to understand how commercial theatre works...

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 5:31am

Y'all people is crazy!

[tmbyru]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 7:08am

Does anyone feel that the Isaiah character is not needed? Why does Nightingale need two people trying to bring him down?

[ken8631]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 7:34am

Without Raul, the show isn't worth seeing. Saw this and "Nice Work" in the same week. What a difference! And no out of town previews for "Nice Work"?

Wife's a big Raul fan, I'm a big Kelli O'Hara fan. She said "Nice Work" was 100x better than "Leap". I agree...

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 7:56am

"Exactly. I read so many books written a while back on Broadway that went on about how the 70s were the death of the Broadway musical. Funny, as it's probably the decade with my favorite shows."

Which means what, exactly?

If so many books felt that way, then it was a sentiment shared by many. Myself included.

There's a reason why the term " golden age" refers to the previous period. Perhaps you might try to understand why.

Your opposing view may simply mean you're a minority of one.

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 8:03am

" Speaking of Raul, how can you not love him in this?"

Many people here have explained how.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 9:21am

"It is employing a good number of {diverse} actors. And stage technicians, crew, 20 musicians, directors, designers, etc. And it is helping the NYC economy."

So is Red Lobster. Doesn't mean I have to support it.

[egghumor]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 10:07am

MisterMatt, did you catch the interview with Norbert Leo Butz some time back where he said that he (and others) refer to the Harry Connick show as "Thou Shouldn't Have"?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 11:01am

You made me laugh with your pith comment, bk. Did thomeone tell you I'm really into pith?