Something Rotten Previews- Page 6

[HSky]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 2:22am

Page 1 of song list

[HSky]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 2:24am

Page 2

[FrontRowCenter2]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 6:14am

This was one of the most fun times I've had at a show in a very long time. Thoroughly enjoyed it and will most definitely be going back. As a previous poster stated, if ever there was a number made for the Tony Awards it's the showstopper It's a Musical from the first act! WOW.

[Famebroadway2]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 9:07am

What time did it end last night?

[PK2]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 9:27am

Last night 8PM show, the curtain came down at 10:40PM.

It was a really fun show. Shakespeare can use a couple better song or lyrics but Brian D'Arcy James have several great songs and he is fantastic! I could not understanding anything from the opening songs other than 'Welcome to the Renaissance' since it was repeated several times. I'm not sure if it was a combination of the actor's diction or the amplification problem because I did not have any problem understand most of other actors.

[Lord88]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 9:31am

It ended at 10:35
What a thrilling night!! (especially for a first preview!) Tuneful, Smart Book, Unbelievable Performances by some of Broadway's best comedic musical theater actors, and Funny, Funny, Funny!!! The audience had a great time- Standing O after song #4.

[HGorn]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 10:31am

Like I said in my previous post - Act 1 was very good...Act 2 was not good. Did I see a different show than all of you? Dancing egg omelets? I know it was sort of funny but is that what we really consider a Tony award winning show?? They need to make changes to Act 2 or the critics are going to rip it apart.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 10:40am

It won't be a show for everyone, but for me and my companion, it was absolutely a show we'd buy tickets to see.

Oncemorewithfeeling, could you expand on why you don’t think it will be a show for everyone?

Having such a hard time deciding with this one whether I want to include it in the shows I’m seeing on my summer trip. The light, musical comedy is not necessarily what I usually gravitate toward seeing onstage, but I do enjoy it, like the idea of this show (and the marketing alone I find hilarious), enjoy many of the actors, and don’t want to miss out on seeing a show I could possibly love. I’m conflicted, though, because, being from out of town, those show slots are extremely precious (as is the money I shell out for them!).

I loathed “Gentleman’s Guide…” (found it boring, not clever, and thought it found itself much funnier than it was), think “Spamalot” is mediocre, and don’t really care one way or the other for “The Producers.” But, I love “The Drowsy Chaperone” and loved the recent revival of “Edwin Drood.”

I think my strong dislike of “Gentleman’s Guide…” is why I’m so hesitant on getting a ticket for this show. I was up in the air about “Gentleman’s,” but once it won the Tony (and performed its best number on the award show), I got swept up in the fervor and bought a ticket. I regret wasting a show space on it, which is why I think I’m hemming and hawing about “Something Rotten!”

Does “Rotten!” feel like its pandering to its audience? Is it all ridiculous hijinks or is there a bit more substance to it? Is the humor over-the-top or a bit more subtle?

Any and all insight – from those who loved it and those who didn’t - would be appreciated!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 10:48am

GilmoreGirl, the humor is definitely not subtle, but count me as another who did not like Spamalot but who loved last night's offering. Rotten is nothing like Gentleman's Guide either...I guess I would compare the humor most with a [tos] stop humor! especially with all the in-jokes.

[walkedthroughmany]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 11:03am

^^^ This being said, the humor of Something Rotten consists of very popular musicals merely being named or referenced, rather than it having anything particularly humorous to say about them. It will make tourists feel very smart in that it sticks to the ten most recognizable titles in musical theatre history. [title of show]'s humor was made up of much cleverer (and much more insider-y, sometimes to a fault) references.

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 11:08am

I didn't like spamalot but did like the producers and enjoyed last night. That said spamalot is the closest comparison I can make with regards to style and humour.

I agree with hgorn, a t 2 was just stupid. I thought the hamlet/omelette joke wasn't as funny as they think it is and wouldn't have based so much of the show on that theme.

I also agree with the sound issues in the opening number, I was worried during that song as it seemed like 'look at us being modern and clever in period costume', not helped by the poor sound.

It's still infinitely better than finding neverland though

[Cesare2]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 11:09am

Add me to the list of those who didn't care for the show. Not nearly as funny or tuneful as Spamalot -- and I detested Spamalot. Junk food theater.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 11:20am

Walkedtheoughtoomany:

I completely agree. Worse still, I feel this show condescends not only with its musical references but also anyone with a 10th grade understanding of Shakespeare. I feel the authors want anyone who recognize often cited Shakespearean quotes to have a sense of superiority upon recognizing those same quotes.

That said, that was the least of my problems with this show. I will agree that the first act was incredibly strong and "Musical" is one of the best crowd pleasing songs in recent memory. But after that number, the show starts to fall apart. Slowly at first, and by the second act, becomes plodding and dull. The music becomes forgettable, the jokes repetitive and unfunny, and the performances/choreography unfocused. The women in the show are given a particular disservice having to perform the dullest songs in the show.

If ever a show could have benefited from an out of town tryout, it's this one. What could have been a truly wonderful and crowd pleasing laugh-out-loud riot, this show is merely a forgettable means to pass a couple hours.

[Tom5]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 12:16pm

It's just the first preview and many good posters here say it's funny and great so I will probably see it this Summer. However, I would appreciate a few of the actual jokes (Puns, witticisms, etc.) constantly referred to spelled out verbatim. Not one repeated here and that strikes me as odd. The official reviews for Fish In The Dark (Which I will be seeing in a month), for example, always include two or more of Larry's jokes.

[HSky]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 12:36pm

Agreed that the second act could use some tweaking. It deals more with the relationships between the characters, and I don't think that payoff is fully there because they're trying to serve that in between the zany comedy.

I remember thinking during "Lovely Love" how different it felt. It's a softer, more serious number with four characters reflecting but the way everything ultimately gets resolved is more superficial.

ETA: (slight spoilers) "A Musical" is the most joke filled with theater allusions and many are visual/auditory, so it's tougher to list verbatim (and I think some of the silence, including on my part, is the fun of seeing what you recognize and not knowing what's going to be tipped next) but one of the straight jokes I can think of involves the soothsayer seeing theater in the future. This isn't verbatim, but it's to the effect of seeing...plush red seats...ooh, a roof...and serving wine, wait for how much?!? There's another one about a certain character who takes on a new role, as it were, and not knowing what to call him, with it being set in a time of patronage. It's a sly reference to The Producers. Lots of that type of meta humor. Updated On: 3/24/15 at 12:36 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 12:37pm

This doesn't become an "up with musical theatre!" show, does it? A celebration of that fabulous business we call show, the two best words in the English language: musical theatre, etc etc?

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 12:50pm

I mean, if the Oscars can choose films that are "up with cinema," then the Tonys... well... lol.

[Taryn]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 1:07pm

Saw the first preview last night as well and also had a blast. The big musical number in the first act seriously brought down the house. Standing ovation and all, as others have said.

This doesn't become an "up with musical theatre!" show, does it? A celebration of that fabulous business we call show, the two best words in the English language: musical theatre, etc etc?

It's an absolute love letter to musical theatre.

[dshnookie]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 1:22pm

Updated On: 3/24/15 at 01:22 PM

[Cupid Boy2]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 1:27pm

I've only sat in the balcony at the St. James once, and it was an awful experience. I was in row D, and everyone in front of me leaned forward obstructing my view. I'd assume they did that to see over the bar at the front of the balcony and hence, would imagine that the front row would not be a good choice.

Personally, I'll never sit there again. If it's the only option that will work for your budget, though, it's better than not seeing the show all together.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 2:07pm

Philly, the Gypsy Run is the final run-thru in the rehearsal studio before you move into the theater. Thanks, everyone, for weighing in on the first preview.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 2:39pm

HSky, THANK YOU!

[walkedthroughmany]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 4:25pm

"It's an absolute love letter to musical theatre."

Everything that Casey Nicholaw touched was a beautiful love letter to musical theatre, but the libretto is far from it. The main character has a much more developed hate for Shakespeare than a love for writing shows. We can never sympathize because he appears to be driven by a need for money more than a desire to create good theatre (sounds familiar!).

(GENERAL SPOILERS?)

Above all, none of the characters end up falling in love with the idea of musicals. They present Omelette reluctantly because they are forced to or think it will earn them money. It's portrayed as a silly, sub-par idea straight till the end. No one has fun making it. No one likes watching it. Not even a "boy, that was a mess, but gosh wasn't it fun to put up?" What reason do we have to believe they keep making them in America? It may be about creating the first musical...but if none of the characters believe in the form, then it can hardly be called a love letter.

*Updated because the angle brackets made my spoiler alert disappear!
Updated On: 3/24/15 at 04:25 PM

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 4:36pm

I don't think it's a show for everyone because I can just see some people totally despising the humor. Parts of it aren't traditional "Oh, this is standard funny stuff!" I feel like it's similar to Spamalot in that I met several people who thought that the show had decent enough music, lyrics, and book, but that it just wasn't funny or that great of a show.

I know some would be put off by some of the humor that's not the most family friendly, but I think the fact that there's so much "meta" stuff in the musical that it would put them off. I know some people who just don't want any kind of heavy lifting or wondering associated in their leisure time.

Regardless, I see many people giving this a solid chance, just as they did with Spamalot.

[brucebossa]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 4:40pm

SPAMALOT came with a built-in fan base.