The Last Ship Lasting- Page 4

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 1:37am

I saw the show. I sat through the show. That should be all the explanation we (the audience) need.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 7:13am

You are an audience member of one as is everyone who goes.Your opinion is yours not mine and vice versa. You did not like it and that is your opinion and not mine or others.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 8:16am

Ripped, you asked what was unique about it (a ridiculous question since virtually none of the great plays are unique in the sense that they are telling a story that has not already been told myriad times). Meaningfully discussing "Why they need to tell this story" calls for an understanding of the creative roots of the play. If you just want to tell everyone for the umpteenth time that you didn't like the show, that's fine. My apology for presuming you wanted to have an intelligent discussion.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 8:29am

Ripped is like someone going after a fly with a bazooka instead of a swatter. He has made it abundantly clear he does not like it. Not content, he wants to keep as many people as possible from seeing it. His demeanor is that of a theater critic

This mean spiritedness is not necessary but since this is BWW I guess that is to much to ask for.

I listen to no one good or bad. The critics raved about Mormon & my wife & I loathed it. Many times critics slammed shows we enjoyed & vice versa. Unfortunately, costs have become so ridiculous that we see only a fraction of shows we used to. My wife wanted to see The River until reading the thread about it. I was ambivalent about it from the beginning.

I digress. Ripped, please go on to another subject. This show appears to be your Rocky. Let it go. You will probably be happy when it closes prematurely. You can than direct your venom elsewhere.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 11:16am

Dear Mister Matt, what about the following sentence is incomprehensible:
In every single category from score to cast to design to direction, Sting's show is FAR superior.

Read much?

What is comprehensible is total nonsense.

[WildBlue22]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 5:18pm

I've actually seen this show twice now. Originally it was not something that I thought I would be into, but one of my friends ended up having an extra ticket because her boyfriend was sick, so I agreed to go along (free Broadway show? Why not?). I've never been a huge Sting fan so I went into this with pretty low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The music was very different from what I expected, with the exception of a few exceptionally Sting-y sounding numbers... which my slightly obsessive post-show research told me were actually older Sting songs that they managed to work into the show (I'm looking at you, "When We Dance"). And even those few, I really didn't mind. "What Say You, Meg?" is gorgeous and Rachel Tucker in "If You Ever See Me Talking To A Sailor"... just wow. I walked out of the Neil Simon singing to myself - that lasted for days.
I personally have a tendency to get wrapped up in the spectacle the first time I see a show, so since I enjoyed it so much the first time I decided to see it again. I was a little worried that the initial glamour might have worn off and I wouldn't like it the second time around, but I have to say I still really enjoyed it - though I can understand why some would not. The book is definitely not perfect and not everyone can relate to the story, but personally I hope things turn around and this one lasts a while.

[Huss417]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 5:19pm

And you joined here today WildBlue22 just to tell us this? Hmmmmmm

[Tom5]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 5:41pm

The problem is the plot is so nonsensical it must be kept hidden from the audience. Not a good place for a major musical to be. Someone should have mentioned this to Sting the first day.

[WildBlue22]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 5:45pm

"And you joined here today WildBlue22 just to tell us this? Hmmmmmm"

Actually, yes - a slow day at work means a lot of browsing the web for me, and since this show's been on my mind I've been basically cyber-stalking it. I came across the boards and after reading through everything, felt the need to put in my 2 cents. I haven't been much of a message board gal since I was big into my Harry Potter phase circa 2006... but what can I say.

[Huss417]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 6:01pm

Welcome to the board.:)

[WildBlue22]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 7:07pm

Thanks Huss417! Feels like home already.

[haterobics]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 7:30pm

"Your opinion is yours not mine and vice versa. You did not like it and that is your opinion and not mine or others."

Roxy, can you explain how this works some more? I'm still not getting it.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 7:48pm

To Hate

It simply means I might like something you hate and you may like something I hate.

Everyone loves Mormon and my wife & I almost walked out on it.

[haterobics]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 8:09pm

I don't think I've ever attended Book of Mormon where people didn't leave during/after Hasa Diga Ebowai. And to those people, I say, thank you, you bought amazing seats for me...

[Amalia3]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 8:11pm

I think one of the biggest problems they have with ticket sales is that tickets, in large part, are bought by women. Yes, I'm about to make a huge generalization -- but women are not that interested in musicals about shipbuilding, no matter how gorgeous the score may be. The men who'd see something about shipbuilding would buy tickets to a play most likely, but if they'd see a musical, they'd buy tickets to Mormon, Spamalot, etc. Again, forgive the massive generalization.

Rocky had the same problem -- finding its ticket buying audience.

Yes, I'm oversimplifying, but if you look at the numbers -- there's a grain of truth in it.

[haterobics]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 8:14pm

"there's a grain of truth in it."

I think you're confusing truth with truthiness.

[Amalia3]

Posted: 11/3/14 at 8:20pm

I love truthiness. If I have achieved that, my job here is done. :)

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/4/14 at 1:54am

Actually Roxy, if you'd actually read my comments I said I enjoyed the score and the staging. I just didn't think the story was anything special or interesting. It's not something that grabs you, as others have said, so why you feel the need to single me out is obnoxious.

And referring to me as being venomous? Huh? You just bashed The Book of Mormon twice in one page. So...you're absolutely no different.

And Hogans, that's absolutely untrue as well. The Book of Mormon, for example, takes a very serious subject matter - the book of Mormon - and turns it on its head. Wicked tells the same basic story we all know, but from a new angle. Rent tells the same La Boheme story, but with a new modern edge to it. I don't see anything being built upon by The Last Ship. It's not a new angle. It's the same idea of Billy Elliot - minus the creativity and characters we care about - or Full Monty - minus the humor. It's just blue collar workers who are out of a job. It's a nice poetic idea, but Broadway is commercial and it's not a commercial show.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 11/4/14 at 9:30am

Ripped-if you ignore anything that doesn't suit your argument, I guess you can always feel like you are saying something meaningful. But you aren't. You don't prompt someone to have an intelligent discussion about it with you. But if makes you happy, have a blast.

[JayG 2]

Posted: 11/4/14 at 11:06am

Ripped , sorry but you just contradicted yourself. Billy Elliot and Full Monty and Kinky Boots might go into the mix are thematic cousins to Last Ship, indeed, and THE THREE ARE ALL COMMERCIAL shows, all sustaining runs of two years or better, so your thesis makes no sense. (And we are not debating their merits as commercial pieces, just their similar themes, which seems to be COMMERCIALLY viable indeed.)

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/4/14 at 12:09pm

At least there will be a cast album. I am glad I was wrong on this one.

The concept album has about 10 songs from the show and 10 that did not make the cut. I have the concept album in shopping cart on Amazon. When cast album shows up I will than get both.

[Jordan Catalano]

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

"On this one"

LOL

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/4/14 at 12:20pm

I have zero clue what you all are even arguing about?

Yeah those three shows are commercial. They've become popular titles. They all deal with the strife of the blue collar worker... Yup... so what's the argument?

Goodnight and good luck. Peace bitches.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 11/4/14 at 1:51pm

"I think one of the biggest problems they have with ticket sales is that tickets, in large part, are bought by women. Yes, I'm about to make a huge generalization -- but women are not that interested in musicals about shipbuilding"

Yes, the majority of tickets are bought by us, but that doesn't mean we aren't interested in a variety of subjects being presented in a musical. Building ships is very interesting. I loved how gloomy it looked, and I enjoy Sting's music, which is why I bought a ticket.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 11/4/14 at 2:11pm

^ Agreed, and also, there are lots of attractive men in the cast. Mainly Aaron Lazar. Just saying.