10th Annual NYMF Thread- Page 2

[lightguy06222]

Posted: 7/22/13 at 6:32pm

THE WATER DREAM: great score. interesting story. kind of boring. Anthony Rapp is the same as always. Beautiful performance by J Robert Spencer

GARY GOLDFARB: MUST SEE! They have a few performances left. Great music, hysterical lyrics. Incredibly talented cast. Great production value. My vote for BEST OF FEST.

PIRATES OF FINANCE: Very funny, very witty, modern day Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. Used music from 8 sullivan shows, with new witty lyrics. Beautifully directed and designed, incredibly talented cast. Some big booming voices carried the show. Felt like a fully produced and realized production.

[sorano916]

Posted: 7/23/13 at 2:59pm

Okay, here are the shows that I've seen:

MOTHER, WIFE, AND THE COMPLICATED LIFE: It was really cute. The actresses were great both, singing and acting. There's one scene with exercise balls that was fun. A couple of the songs were catchy. It was quite enjoyable.

STANDBY: For some reason, I thought this was going to be a comedy... it was not. But it was excellent. I felt that a couple of songs could have been cut. The performances were fantastic & heartfelt. I mean, I held back tears so many times throughout the show.

VOLLEYGIRLS: This was a nice, fun show. Susan was good, but didn't really stand out to me. The girls did as well as the teenage boy (Xavier, I believe, was the character's name)... he definitely stole the show during his scenes. The plot was predictable but most of the song were catchy.

I would recommend all three and you still have time to check them out.

[TheaterBoy7777]

Posted: 7/25/13 at 1:10am

MOTHER, WIFE, AND THE COMPLICATED LIFE- Fantastic cast and great music. I could easily see this doing a run off-bway. I had a wonderful afternoon seeing this and would suggest grabbing a ticket if your free

[PositivelyEmerald]

Posted: 7/25/13 at 1:12am

Really wish I could see Save the Date. Anyone planning on seeing it? If so, i'd love to here about it. A friend is in it. =)

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 7/25/13 at 8:06pm

Well Jayar, I did see HOMO: THE MUSICAL and I can't say you're missing much not being in the city for it. I would like my 80 minutes back.

There really isn't much to recommend about this show and I'm not sure it can even be fixed. The cast is game for being in a horrible show and tries hard to make it work but it just doesn't. If there is one thing that really irks me it's a show that thinks it's really funny (and offensive) when it's far from that. Every joke is just the basest form of what someone might expect to be offensive. There are so many references to assholes and anal sex that you just want it to stop. It's not funny. It can be but this isn't the vehicle for that. Please don't get me started on the preacher father and the turkey leg covered in gravy!

There are like 5 different shows crammed into one and they don't cohesively come together. Are you an alien comedy in the vein of My Stepmother is an Alien? Are you a teen slasher comedy? Are you a religious homophobia comedy? Pick one and do it well rather than trying to do all those things very poorly.

I will say one thing that I did enjoy. Every time Christopher Trepinski was on stage he distracted me from the horrible goings on around him with his really hot body.

It doesn't appear to be a very good year for NYMF. Nothing has had very much buzz about it and I don't think they're going to find their next [tos] in this lot. I'd hate to see the submissions that weren't chosen.

[jawjuhh]

Posted: 7/25/13 at 9:02pm

Saw the Kerrigan and Lowdermilk concert today and just...wow. So much talent, and a lot of really great music. I'm mostly unfamiliar with their work (Run Away With Me was their only song I knew going in) but they have some really great stuff. A song about Vegas was absolutely hilarious, and Meghann Fahny performed an incredibly adorable song. Do wish that they had arranged the set list a bit better... it started off with very funny comedic songs and descended into the depressing for the rest of the show. Jeremy Jordan was painfully wonderful. Immediately after I left the show I had to binge on whatever songs I had of him, he blew me away. All in all such a great night, and K/L have a newfan in me

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 7/28/13 at 10:10pm

Now that NYMF is over I'm curious to see if anyone else saw HOMO. Wondering if people felt the same way or if I was just crazy.

[Jayar2]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 12:57am

Thank you, Clyde. I suspected as much, but I was hopeful anyway. Thank you for taking the time to give a review!

[TheaterBoy7777]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 1:36am

Anyone know what won Best of fest?

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 2:43am

Just a brief commentary on Castle Walk.

Overall, I loved it. It delivered just what a festival show should. It's a show that needs some work, but it has good bones. A few moments definitely need to be cut and some structural, but most of the score was lovely and tuneful and the show is on the right track. The limited staging actually worked against it a few times, where the need to use a few chairs as a variety of set pieces led to some awkward staging moments. Lynne Wintersteller was fantastic and was awarded for her performance and Stephanie Rothenberg was great as her younger self.
It definitely has shades of a few shows that I have seen in the past.
All in all, I very much enjoyed what was a string workshop production and hope the show continues to be developed and honed.

[somethininthestars]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 3:05am

VOLLEYGIRLS won Best of Fest.
CROSSING SWORDS won several: Director for Igor Goldin, also i think book and music and Best New American Musical (?)
CASTLE WALK won a couple also, i think one for Lynne Winterstellar and choreography?
For me CASTLE WALK and CROSSING SWORDS were the best, difficult to choose which one is "better".
Hopefully a full list will be posted in the morning!

[Eris0303]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 9:20am

I saw Bend in the Road on Saturday afternoon and very much enjoyed it. I would imagine that many people already know the story - or at least parts of it. The cast was great and many of the jokes landed. Certain storylines were shifted for the sake of time and I'm not such a purist that I minded. I understood the need to do it.

I saw quiet a few tears during curtain call (including mine) and the rest of the audience seemed to enjoy it. At intermission I overheard someone saying they didn't understand why the story hadn't been musicalized already. The story is ripe for songs and while there are musicals performed on Prince Edward Island I believe this is the first on "Broadway".

After we left the show my sister told me she wanted to read the books. So I would stamp this show as "mission accomplished". IMO any musical/play/movie that inspires people to go to the source material has done its job.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 2:04pm

Eris,
There are a couple musical versions of the Anne books. While regularly produced on PEI, they ARE available for license and crop up on occasion. Sadly, they aren't well know. It hasn't played on Broadway proper, but I know one two have been produced in the area.
One of these, Anne & Gilbert, which is based on books 2 and 3, was workshopped in NYC with Jessica Grove.
Yes, anything that makes you explore the source material has more than done it's job.

Castle Walk won Best Choreography and Best Performance for Lynne Wintersteller - much deserved.
Honestly, I am surprised that Volleygirls took Best of Fest. While everyone I know had kind words for the cast, I am hard pressed to find a find a friend who had kind words for the show itself.
While I wasn't able to see them, I also heard positive things about Boys Will Be Boys, Swiss Family Robinson and Pirates of Finance.

Just a note: It's a theatre festival for new musicals. Most have not been seen before. It is, at its essence, developmental. Anyone who walks in expecting a perfectly polished libretto and score is being unrealistic. You may find that, and it's a rare and exciting thing, but walking out disappointed when you don't find that is a bit foolish.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 4:40pm

One of these, Anne & Gilbert, which is based on books 2 and 3, was workshopped in NYC with Jessica Grove.

I actually received a voucher for a free children's ticket to Anne & Gilbert in my PEI tourist packet. What good that'll do me I have no idea

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 4:42pm

I don't think anyone is expecting a fully fleshed out musical. I do, however, expect not to sit there miserable for an hour and a half groaning at the hackneyed crap on stage. Last year they did RE-ANIMATOR which was pretty perfect for a theatre festival. Maybe there was good stuff this year but I didn't see any of it.

Here is the full list of award winners from the Fest.
NYMF 2013 Awards

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 5:16pm

Haha. No, I agree completely, Clyde. But I find it very amusing when I hear or see criticism of a show that almost entirely amounts to "Well, I enjoyed it, but I cAn't believe they staged that show... it still needs work." At a festival of new works, some that have never had so much as a workshop, a show with good bones that could benefit from a little work is a success. A flat out disaster, well, that is just a disaster and you can only hope, for the creators, that it is salvagable.

[center]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 6:51pm

There was a lot to enjoy about Bend in the Road, I thought. I left humming several of the songs and loved how Allison Woods captured the spirit of Anne without being over the top. But I think the next step for the creative team is going to need to be a discussion about whether it might work better as children's theater. The cuts from the original novel, while maybe necessary for time, take away much of the nuance of the characters, and in combination with having an adult play Anne (who is supposed to be 11 when she arrives on PEI - can you imagine an adult playing Annie??), there just isn't a whole of room for the character development that makes the books so special. I was very disappointed in the change in natures of the Anne-Diana and Marilla-Rachel friendships, for example. But I've seen the versions on PEI, and this had a lot more going for it. I really hope they're able to develop it further.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 7/30/13 at 12:15pm

I saw “Standby” and “Volleygirls” last week/weekend.

The bones of “Standby” are good, but it is obvious that, at this point, the show is a work in progress. The music is generally very good, melodic pop/rock musical theatre songs, but the lyrics seem a bit elementary at this stage. There was not much flow to the show and the transitions from “scene” to “scene” (I hesitate to say “scene,” as it all takes place in one room in real time) are a bit forced. They will need to flesh out some of the characters a bit more, particularly the gay 19 year old (he struggles with being gay and his catholic mother not accepting him…however, just as “Bare” felt a bit outdated in its recent run, this character’s struggle feels like it needs more motivation. Not to say that gay teens don’t struggle with their sexuality these days – definitely not what I am saying – but, it would feel more honest – and interesting - to explore a bit deeper where his struggles come from). You can see the “surprises” coming from a mile away and it becomes unrealistic that the characters wouldn’t have figured out what the audience did long ago. However, within all this there were some really excellent moments. With a good deal of reworking, I could see the show having some legs. All in all, not the greatest show, but it had enough potential for me to hope the writers continue working on it.

Very happy to see Darren Ritchie was recognized for his performance in “Standby.” He was a real standout; even in moments where the writing was weak, Ritchie was still able to give an honest performance.

As for “Volleygirls,” I am thrilled it won Best of Fest, Outstanding Ensemble, and Most Promising New Musical. I truly adored this show. This show, in contrast to “Standby”, felt like a complete work. Maybe a few tweaks here or there (mainly lyrics), but the flow of the show was excellent. Never did I feel like too much or too little time was spent on something or someone. I was invested in each character and there was a perfect balance of humor/lightness, even within more the serious moments. Loved the songs and am already waiting for the day a cast recording may be made. Every cast member was great and I would love to see them all continue with the show (wherever it goes). It felt clear to me, as audience member, how tight and on the same page the cast was. Stand-outs for me were PJ Adzima as the nerdy, lovable Xavier who performs the adorable “You’re Beautiful When You Play” (a song, as performed by PJ, that you can’t help but be smiling the whole way through – the audience ate PJ up), Jennifer C. Johnson as the overbearing PTA mom (her intensity was so serious and devoted it was both scary and hilarious – and, wow, what a voice!), and Julia Knitel as the tallest, yet meekest Volleygirl. I very much enjoyed Susan Blackwell’s performance as well – I felt she played the Kim Brindell much differently than I imagine others might and I found her approach to the role to really deepen the character.

“Volleygirls” really stuck with me. I saw 11 shows in 6 days (only 2 at NYMF) and “Volleygirls” is one I keep going back to in my mind as a highlight. It’s not life-changing, but it’s entertaining, funny, and heart-warming and, in one word, fulfilling. I truly hope to see the show have a life in the near future.