FINDING NEVERLAND Reviews- Page 9

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 6:19am

Going to the bank with deposits will help him get over it.

 

 

I preferred the show in Boston...but largely due to two reasons:  it was more intimate  and Jordan. I didn't DISLIKE Morrison, but found Jordan to be warmer and more connected to the kids.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 10:16am

Ideally, ANY producer would love lotsa box office AND awards, but if it were a choice between one or the other, who wouldn't rather have a long-running hit? ... Besides, Weinstein may love awards, but he hasn't had much luck lately ... at least in Hollywood. His 'Imitation Game' got nominated here and there during the last awards season, but it got shut out of the winners' circle (except for a single Oscar for screenplay). And the year before, Weinstein's 'Fruitvale Station,' 'The Butler' and 'Mandela' all got shut out at the Oscars ('Mandela' got 1 nomination for its song).

By the way, I didn't see 'Finding Neverland' at A.R.T., but one of the many things I love about it is Morrison's connection with the kids. His duet of 'When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground') with Peter (Aiden Gemme) is a knockout that moved me to tears.

Updated On: 4/23/15 at 10:16 AM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 10:23am

We will probably never know how much money this show actually makes.  And saying it is critic proof or a cash cow is way pre-mature. It's been open a few days so far. Lets talk again in 6 months.  And Awards are important to Weinstein, if it wasn't he wouldn't have hired Paulus right after her Best Director win.  I think it will be on tkts in 3 months if not sooner.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 10:35am

I didn't say that awards WEREN'T important to Weinstein, but I'm saying he might've lost his magic touch ... at least at the Oscars. And I don't think he has much influence here among the theater awards, especially as a brash Hollywood outsider. Broadway can be a cliquey, close-knit community that prefers to reward its own.

[allyk]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 11:32am

" I preferred the show in Boston...but largely due to two reasons:  it was more intimate  and Jordan. I didn't DISLIKE Morrison, but found Jordan to be warmer and more connected to the kids."

Definitely agree with you on this. I saw the show at A.R.T. twice last summer and while I thought it needed work, I really enjoyed it. I saw it yesterday with a friend who also saw it at A.R.T. and we both agreed that the role felt more tailored to Jordan, although we didn't hate Morrison. I also thought the changes made to the show itself helped to focus it - the first time I saw the show last August it was all over the place.

[skies]

Posted: 4/24/15 at 12:05pm

 I would imagine Finding Neverland would have to run between 10-14 months (granted a rough estimate) to recoup it's cost, so in that span a 10 million advance isn't all that much of a guarantee as far as ending in the black.

It needs sustained box office for months, way too hard to predict as of now.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 4/24/15 at 12:14pm

"We will probably never know how much money this show actually makes.  And saying it is critic proof or a cash cow is way pre-mature. It's been open a few days so far. Lets talk again in 6 months.  And Awards are important to Weinstein, if it wasn't he wouldn't have hired Paulus right after her Best Director win.  I think it will be on tkts in 3 months if not sooner."

 It is (and already has been) on TKTS. 

I assume very limitedly, though, as to sell whatever remains to get that "sold out" look. 

[HamBiggar]

Posted: 4/24/15 at 12:28pm

According to chatter on the street, it is only grossing over $1,000,000 per week

because Harvey & Jim Dolan are snapping up tickets themselves to the tune of

low six figures.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/24/15 at 12:36pm

Only a million.  All shows should have such horrible numbers

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 4/24/15 at 6:32pm

Yep, I am sure that million is more than covering the expenses of the show.

[EvanK]

Posted: 4/24/15 at 8:21pm

I've debated posting this... I have not seen the show, likely won't see it...

BUT, from all the video footage and promo they've done with "Believe" I just CAN'T stand that song. It's so lacklustre, the choreo is boring, and the ending just fizzles out... The harmonies sound bad... It just sounds ugly at the end... 

Anyone else? Is it just the TV making it seem lame?

[rcwr]

Posted: 4/24/15 at 8:33pm

Evan, I haven't seen the show in NY, but I've watched all the available rehearsal and b-roll footage clips of Believe, plus the Believe performance on GMA this week, and -- while I know everything is always better live -- it seems to me like this can't hold a candle to the staging, music, and choreography of how Believe was done at ART. It's slower. It's blander. The spark seems gone.

[BwayinVan]

Posted: 4/26/15 at 7:26pm

I saw the show this afternoon and enjoyed it. After seeing all the reviews I have to say I went in with low expectations but I had a good time. To be honest, the only person who I thought was uninspiring was Matthew Morrison. All the reviews I've read say he carries the show but to me the star was Laura Michelle Kelly. She had the emotion and the sparkle whenever she was on stage. Sure Morrison was good but I left wanting more out of his performance. One thing this show does have is a strong ensamble who all appear invested in the show. The 4 boys are also wildly talented. This show has a magical element about it that makes for a great afternoon of theatre. Unfortunately I don't think it will take home the Tony ( I can't even compare it to Fun Home) but I do hope LMK gets a nomination 

[JaglinSays]

Posted: 4/26/15 at 10:16pm

TAKE HOME THE TONY?!?!?!?  It likely won't be nominated at all.

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 4/26/15 at 10:27pm

^^Yep.  

The disdain for this show has already been well-established on this board. And the critics basically panned it.  So everyone can relax; the producer, the actor, the show, whatever it is they disliked is no longer a contender.  

Moving on.

 

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 4/27/15 at 12:43am

Hey, if people can judge an entire show based on some B-roll or rehearsal footage, why bother with going to live theater at all? 'I haven't seen the show.' ... 'I likely won't see the show.' ... If you've actually seen the show, and don't like it, I can appreciate that as a legitimate response from someone who's willing to judge something in context. But I don't understand the compulsion of folks to knock a show, based on a few minutes of video. Thank goodness, 'Show Boat' didn't have B-roll. It's like judging the taste of a pie, based on a few photos of a pie in a cookbook. It's not the same thing.

[valeposh]

Posted: 4/27/15 at 3:00am

"Hey, if people can judge an entire show based on some B-roll or rehearsal footage, why bother with going to live theater at all? 'I haven't seen the show.' ... 'I likely won't see the show.' ... If you've actually seen the show, and don't like it, I can appreciate that as a legitimate response from someone who's willing to judge something in context. But I don't understand the compulsion of folks to knock a show, based on a few minutes of video. Thank goodness, 'Show Boat' didn't have B-roll. It's like judging the taste of a pie, based on a few photos of a pie in a cookbook. It's not the same thing."

 

I agree with this 100%. I've seen (and loved) the show twice, and will see it a third time in May, and I can say that the "Believe" you see onstage has nothing to do with the (shortened) one they performed at GMA, or with the B-roll. The energy is on a completely different level. You can like this show or not, but anyone who's ever been to a show knows it's not fair to judge a 2.5 hours musical based on a 2-minutes youtube video.

[rcwr]

Posted: 4/27/15 at 3:03am

I can say that the "Believe" you see onstage has nothing to do with the (shortened) one they performed at GMA, or with the B-roll. The energy is on a completely different level. 

valeposh, thank you for reporting that -- it makes me happy to hear that Believe is still being done with zip!

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 4/27/15 at 9:46am

I agree that while the show is not perfect, it did not deserve some of the ridiculously poor reviews it got (not arguing with anyone else's opinion if he/she disagrees - this is just my opinion.). I hope it gets recognized for something. I enjoyed it so much more than some other truly awful shows around this year....which had more middle ground reviews (except Dr. Z which IMO got the reviews it deserves).

And yes "Believe" on stage is way more impressive than the promo or a TV edited version...as are most of the special moments on stage.

 

[wexy]

Posted: 4/27/15 at 10:43am

Matthew Morrison sang the National Anthem at the Yankee game last night. They gave the show a plug as well..

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 4/27/15 at 11:59am

"Matthew Morrison sang the National Anthem at the Yankee game last night. They gave the show a plug as well."

I hope it helps because plugs like this and word of mouth are they only way this show will survive a year or more. 

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 4/27/15 at 9:25pm

I concur with the last few postings.  Saw this show earlier this month and that video does nothing for this number.  

Heck, if I hadn't seen the show already and was judging it based on that clip, well, after I finished my yawn, I'd move on and find another show to put on my theatrical itinerary.

That number was a lot better live than it is in that clip, so try not to judge too harshly by that.  I saw the show and thought it was really good, and not real deserving of the harsh critiques it has been receiving.

Same goes with these Readers Digest versions of the different musicals they featured last week on the "Today" show.   On the Twentieth Century and Something Rotten (IMO) both came off weaker than they really present on stage.  

Sometimes things yanked out of context don't look as good as they really do when they're part of the grander show.

[Sunny11]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 12:50pm

http://time.com/author/richard-zoglin/

Well at least one "major" critic gave it a rave. This was published a couple of weeks after the show opened.