BANDSTAND will close September 17th- Page 5

[Margo319]

Posted: 8/10/17 at 10:50pm

And NOW to get back to the title of the actual thread (plenty of Comet threads to bitch about Comet in) Bandstand was a WONDERFUL show and I hope everyone who wants to see it gets to by September 17th!  Man, such great music.  

https://youtu.be/JB9_D2tQlIg

[Margo319]

Posted: 8/10/17 at 10:54pm

"I wrote in the other chat that it'd be great to see an investigative journalist do a multipage feature story in the Sunday NYTimes mag on just what the hell went on with all the players to destroy the show.  If nothing else, it would be a great textbook on not what to do in theater production, management. & cast selection."

I would love to see that too.  Actual journalists, and not someone who paid someone to write those lies for the National Enquirer.....er.....NY Post.  

 

[JayElle]

Posted: 8/10/17 at 11:31pm

Well, I need a show for Friday nite and I like Andy Blanken.... 's work so maybe I'll give the show a chance. 

[Margo319]

Posted: 8/11/17 at 1:47am

Please do!  It's such a wonderful show!  As a lover of that era, swing dance, and a female veteran, it's so so so very special!  

On an evening in May when I had tickets for this wonderful show, something extremely traumatic happened to me 3 hours before the show, and I was not able to attend.  Telecharge said they could nothing, but a supervisor called the producers of Bandstand, and told them what happened to me.  Not only did they tell them to refund my tickets immediately, they told me I could come to their show anytime with a guest, and they would make room for me.  So, these people and this show deserve your money.  They are a class act.  Truly. 

Updated On: 8/11/17 at 01:47 AM

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 8/11/17 at 2:00am

asoftplacetoland said: "I've gotta take up for ItOnlyTakesAJourney here. A lot of people don't have access to see a new show every week. Take me for example, I'm a 16 year old girl that lives in the middle of Georgia. The first time I saw a Broadway show, the opening number made me sob. Because I was there. As much as I would want to, I can't rush to see Great Comet or Banstand before they close. But I can confidently tell you they are wonderful and brilliant even though I've never seen them live. Sometimes just the mere appreciation of something makes it great it in your mind. I've never seen Hamilton. But let me tell you, I've done just about everything but seen it that I can do from down in Georgia. And I have as much say as anyone else. Of course I wouldn't be able to comment on a specific performer's portrayal one night because I didn't see it. But I can have a opinion on the show. And I appreciate for it what it's done and that makes it great in my mind. 

I'm kind of rambling but Uncle Charlie's response kind of upset me. It's not that deep. That whole comment was just out of line. Don't take it so seriously. 

And honestly, as long as someone is enjoying a piece of theatre (live or not) that's all that matters. Shouldn't we just be glad that someone enjoys it? That's a great thing! Theatre matters and I take it a lot of you like it. So support each other and take comfort in the fact that a whole community shares a common love for something that you love as well. It's not a competition. 

 

"

That being said, when Broadway shows charge what they do, it's important to include quality and more in the discussion. A number of people would still be moved and pay the price if Broadway is filled with shows like Disaster!, but the industry won't grow in a healthy way without criticism that curbs the trend where more and more shows are merely unimaginative or "safe" movie adaptations and need big film/tv stars to survive.

[Aunty Mame]

Posted: 8/11/17 at 5:27am

Pity.  I would have loved to have seen this show with a few classic standards thrown into the mix.  I think it would have helped make it bond with the audience.

[Lot666]

Posted: 8/11/17 at 8:35am

10086Sundays said: "JayElle said: "Not sure what WORD means Dame.  If it's the reference to divas, that term has applied to men as well, e.g., Patinkin"

LOL. It means they're agreeing with you enthusiastically."

It's what all the kids say. 

[Lot666]

Posted: 8/11/17 at 8:37am

asoftplacetoland said: "It's not a competition"

That's the thing - for a lot of these people, it is.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 8/11/17 at 6:50pm

I wonder if the fact that Bandstand was prominently labeled as a "swing" musical helped it or hurt it. I don't recall anything that put swing before the public lately. This thought came to me because when I first heard about a musical in which the music was supposed to be all Rap and Hip Hop, I pretty much closed my mind to having any desire to see it. In fact, I didn't know what Hip Hop was, but if it was associated with Rap I figured that it couldn't be anything I would want to hear.

Since swing had been absent from the current pop culture, and since I thought that many hard-core theatergoers associate swing with sentimentality, which is very non-Sondheim, perhaps quite a few had closed to it right away. It was actually Bette Midler who brought swing back before the public for a while with her cover of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" in 1972. Midler sang the part of all three Andrews Sisters (not at the same time!) and the recording was a top ten single.

The Andrews Sisters and their songs had the public attention turned on them for a while. I learned of some of their better vocals, including "Rum and Coca Cola," set in Trinidad during World War II when the island was home to many American servicemen. The ladies I believe were formally on the record as not having understood the meaning of 

Both mother and daughter
Workin' for the Yankee dollar

Perhaps it would have been a good idea to throw in one or two existing swing standards loved by all, to remind the potential audience that they loved a lot of swing even if they did not know it was swing. Thinking of Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn "Take the A Train."

Also thinking about Chicago. A hit in 1975, but not then a legend. Songs such as "All That Jazz," "Nowadays" and "Hot Honey Rag" seem irresistable now. Not so much in 1975?

 

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 8/11/17 at 7:08pm

Hmm not for nothing but Paul Taylor's Company B set to a bunch of swing songs by the Andrews sisters has been their calling card for years and is one of the few Paul Taylor pieces that guarantees butts in seats (the others being Esplanade and Promethean Fire).

[Moriah3]

Posted: 8/12/17 at 8:16pm

Is this true about the Crazy For You revival?

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 8/12/17 at 11:49pm

I was there at the anniversary production at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, and it definitely went over big. I just remembered seeing some televised version that had left me flat, so I didn't have great expectations, but the audience energy was very strong and I liked this one.

On the way out and on the subway the audience was talking about two things: 1) How could they have put so much work into this production to only have it performed once, and 2) Will it be produced on Broadway next year. 

On April 17th, the New York Post weighed in on this:

It played only one night, but the concert version of “Crazy For You” was such infectious fun, there’s talk of a Broadway revival next season.

Word is producer Joey Parnes, who won a Tony for “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” is trying to put together the revival. I hear he’d like to keep the cast from the concert intact. And why not? Leads Laura Osnes and Tony Yazbeck charmed the crowd, while a bunch of first-rate second bananas — including “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” star Rachel Bloom and Rachel Dratch — had everybody in stitches.

Wait, here's an update in the L.A. Times, June 17th

Now Stroman is returning to that musical, directing and choreographing a new production that will make its pre-Broadway debut at the Ahmanson Theatre in February, Center Theatre Group is expected to announce Wednesday.

Stroman said the revival came about organically, as if it were “meant to be.” In February, she directed and choreographed a one-night concert performance of “Crazy for You” at the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, presented by Manhattan Concert Productions. 

“It was such a success when we did it that night with the orchestra onstage,” Stroman says. “It was like a rock concert. You could tell people loved it and wanted to see it again. … Joey called the Ahmanson right away.”

The intention is to transfer the show to Broadway, but no dates or venues known.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-crazy-for-you-ahmanson-20170606-story.html

I don't see anything since, but I think it would be a success. Laura Osnes was fine, as we've come to expect, but I think that the one person possibly most indispensable to this production would be Tony Yazbeck. He eased through some difficult broad physical comedy without ever losing the attention and appreciation of the audience.

Updated On: 8/12/17 at 11:49 PM

[TheThreadMaster]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 12:16am

This was by far one of my favorites this season. Its very sad to see it go. I loved it so much and it is beyond original. I hope that those who have not seen it get the chance to go before it says goodbye! Oh well. 

[VotePeron]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 12:40am

I finally saw this tonight, and just like, how did this get to Broadway? I understand, respect, and appreciate the story and message they're going for, but it comes off as such soap opera-y melodrama, I spent the entire night rolling my eyes. The lighting was cool, and there's no denying Blankenbuehler can stage one hell of a show. But other than that, I just felt like I was at a bad community theater production of a show they wrote and put on. Glad some people enjoyed it, though. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 1:09am

Agreed. I thought the show was so dull and boring - I mean, I saw "A Bronx Tale" tonight and felt the same way. And I have to disagree that while Blankenbuehler might not be a terrible director, he made the show VERY dance heavy, when in fact, it's a show about a band. And yet the music is sidelined for most of the show. So it suddenly becomes all about dancing, and yet, that's not what the story is.... and I still think Osnes is a very safe actress. 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 2:09am

That's funny, Vote Peron. What you're describing is what I expected to see. The veterans in the band would each describe the horror that they had lived through, creating great tension in the audience, relieved by a musical number. In fact the rookie Times critic said that if the show had been successful, we would have seen tears and grins in the audience instead of just shrugs.

I saw the show twice, and I saw the tears and grins, without the shrugs. Maybe only a third of the audience reacted with open emotion, and that fooled me into thinking that the whole audience felt that way. But the second time -- that enormous roar that met the end of "Welcome Back"? I thought that that was pretty unique. Maybe Laura Osnes should get some credit for putting the song over so well.

How did you feel that your audience was reacting in the 2nd act? Were most of them, like you, not buying into the show emotionally? Melodramatic?  I don't really get that. These soldiers really experienced things in the war that sent them home crippled in mind if not body. We never found out, at least in depth, what each band member's story was. Only Donny's experience, the Solomon Islands, the bass player who liberated the concentration camp. 

Like I said, I didn't see any overplaying of the experiences of the soldiers. I volunteered one night a week in an emergency homeless shelter in the well-to-do village of Port Jefferson in 1991-92 and I was, well, shocked at the number of alcoholic Vietnam Vets living on the streets Every couple of months I would have to take one with the DTs to the nearby hospital. The shelter would send one off to a month of detox, and the very day that he was through the program they were back with a flask in the back pocket.

Ay. You've got me writing way too much again.

 

 

 

[VotePeron]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 2:42am

OlBlue, thank you for your detailed response and notes about your experiences. I'd like to once again make it clear that I have nothing but respect and admiration for the people who have served our country, and would never classify their stories as being melodramatic. What I meant by using that word, was that I didn't buy into any of the stories emotionally because of the way the show presented it narratively. The word I'm looking for is cheesy. 

 

The audience was strange tonight. The house was a bit more than 75% sold, so certain songs - mainly Laura's 2 big numbers, got big reactions. I truly believe it's because the people that were there were there for Laura, and she doesn't get many moments to rise in this. Most, if not quite literally all, jokes fell completely flat, except for a few that seemed completely out of time and place. The biggest reaction of the night was when one of the band members remarked about sacrifice. I could not have been less emotionally invested in the show if I had tried. 

 

Like I said before, so glad you and others have enjoyed it. I just found it's book, music, and lyrics severely flawed, and largely forgettable. And toooooooo long. 

 

Also, and I'm sure this is discussed in other threads, WHY did there have to be a love story between Donny and Julia? So weird to me and left me with such a bad taste in my mouth. His best friends newly grieving wife? I also noticed they had HER initiate their first kiss, because it would've been seen as Despicable if he had. I still think it's wrong and unnecessary to the plot as a whole, but I digress. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 3:16am

Agreed, VotePeron. I think think the whole show is flawed. It's just not a great show. It's not a great story. It's weird. It's off-setting. The performances are fine, but, no, it is not a great show. 

[broadfan327]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 3:37am

I saw the show last night, and I am a big fan of swing music.  I enjoyed the performances and the score.  What struck me was the lack of females in the main cast.  If you are not into that type of music, I don't see how this show appeals to the matinee ladies that shows need to survive.  It also might be too old fashioned for NYC audiences.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 6:48am

Madam VotePeron

This was clearly not West Side Story. I have no problem with anyone not liking the show. In fact, I'm questioning my own belief that the audiences with which I saw the show were 90 percent behind it. If this were the case, then some word-of-mouth audience should have appeared, but it never did.

I think that I went into the show with a positive bias. I like swing music and dance. (Took swing dance lessons. Learned four steps that I could repeat in the same order. Went to a dance party and got on the floor with a former Arthur Murray instructor. Getting out on the floor with her and whipping perfectly through those four steps was the highlight of my dance career. Sadly, inevitably, there had to be a fifth step and things broke down very quickly). And Kelli O'Hara will soon be a middle-aged mother of two so I'm looking for a new crush.

A little more seriously, I admired the creatives for doing a completely new show with a new score that didn't copy anything else and was obviously risky and addressed a real social issue. It had never occurred to me that if there were so many Vietnam Vets with PTSD then there should have been even more WW II vets, especially in the Pacific war against the fanatical Japanese on those muddy, disease-ridden islands. I admired the performers who made up the band. As a mediocre high school trumpet player I knew how difficult it was for them to play their own instruments on stage while remaining in character.

And finally I liked the cast that had worked so hard to promote the show. They performed anywhere asked. They even played 54 Below on Sunday, which I have to admit was a bit of a disappointment. Although neither of the principals was advertised to be in attendance, it was no surprise when Laura showed up to be with the cast, even though she was on vocal rest.

So much for Bandstand. Good night. O my God, it's morning already.