THIS AIN'T NO DISCO thread- Page 3

[Lot666]

Posted: 7/5/18 at 11:17am

LightsOut90 said: "id much rather watch a super campy show about Steve Rubell and the rise and fall of 54 and cut everything else."

I'd love to see that!

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/5/18 at 12:01pm

I agree, Rubell was the most interesting, and I thought the guy playing him was awesome. I don't think the main two characters are interesting and the boy is so bland and boring, I don't think we need to tell that story.

[scripps]

Posted: 7/5/18 at 11:05pm

Saw this tonight. I love Theo Stockman and I wish Warhol had a better wig. That is all. Oy.

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 7/5/18 at 11:20pm

Trying to put my words together on this as I head back to my Airbnb. I think for now I may just leave it at an overall oh my. I have more detailed thoughts I’ll share later or tomorrow, but overall, just...oh my.

[starcatchers]

Posted: 7/5/18 at 11:50pm

starcatchers said: "GeorgeandDot said: "I'm excited to hear about this. Does the Atlantic have a rush for this production?"

I believe so? They’re usually really bad about publicizing it when they do."

As a follow up: it is indeed a student rush. The tickets are $20. It says cash only on the website but they let me pay with a card tonight. Got what I’m told was the last seat in the theatre, which was row J in the dead center. 

It needs work for sure, but I enjoyed myself. The cast and score were (mostly) excellent. 

[ethan231h]

Posted: 7/6/18 at 12:25am

Anyone get different back25 seats then the previously reported extreme side ones?

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/6/18 at 2:23pm

Is there any merchsndise available? Saw SPRING AWAKENING there and don't remember there being any for that show.

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 7/6/18 at 4:29pm

When I think about the show now, all the reviews that mention fire are accurate...it’s like the entire show is on fire and the entire cast is too and everyone is running every which way to try to put it out. If everyone stopped and followed one set of directions, they might be able to put a lot of the fires out and keep casualties at a minimum.

What I saw last night was confusing and messing. The book is a dumpster fire. It’s paper thin, never does more then scratch the surface, and more then once I found myself questioning who these characters are and why I should care about them. I’m also pretty sure I wasn’t the only person who needed about 25 minutes to figure out who the show was about. This feels so much weaker then Trask’s other work.

Many of the ideas about being a punk or what was “punk” seemed oddly drawn from from a very odd definition or odd idea about. 

The high point is the cast, as it usually is. Theo Stockman is quite the stand out as Steve Rubell.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/7/18 at 2:01am

Stockman is great! But yeah, I agree, that being "punk" is almost laughable these days especially when you have a TONY and a million dollar budget! 

[raddersons]

Posted: 7/7/18 at 7:00pm

What did I watch last night?

-Too many one-dimensional characters wrapped in melodrama. I don’t care about anyone in it.
-The juxtaposition of using Studio 54 but making the rest a fictional story is confusing. I thought this was going to be a show about the club for the first fifteen minutes. It ended up being a typical fame/foil story. “Fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!” “It’s hard living on the top!” “Why are you so famous and I’m not?” Yada yada we’ve heard that story before so many times.
-What about Chad is so special? Binky seems to have picked Him to suddenly become an “artist” because he made a t-shirt?
-Binky. What is her deal? If “Rake”’s first art show failed, then why would marrying each other get them more attention if no one knew either of them? How was a wedding going to make them famous or rich? How did she get her own TV station? None of her story arc makes sense.
-Some of the songs are great to listen to (I loved Sam’s song up in the scaffolding, and The Artist’s absolutely pointless song) but hold absolutely no purpose.
-They did manage to capture the energy of the club and people in the club.
-why did the club closing matter to anyone? It’s not like anyone integral to the story was working there anymore.
-The trans storyline is so shoe-horned in, its almost offensive.

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 7/7/18 at 10:01pm

anyone planning to see it a second time, curious if ANY changes have been made?

[scripps]

Posted: 7/7/18 at 10:27pm

LightsOut90 said: "anyone planning to see it a second time, curious if ANY changes have been made?"

I've been telling so many people about the show's must be seen to be believed quality, that if this pops up on TDF, I'm definitely seeing it again with a group. I hope they don't change too much, I don't want to look like I was making stuff up!

Updated On: 7/7/18 at 10:27 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/7/18 at 10:31pm

Scripps, keep checking. I got my ticket on TDF. Going tomorrow.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/7/18 at 10:49pm

I’d go back again honestly! It’s a fun hot mess. Her song up in the scaffolding is gorgeous. It just never felt like a “period piece.” Why was the “girl” of the trans couple so Modern?

[scripps]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 12:46am

I originally missed out on the Back25 promo but luckily it popped up on TDF a few days later and that's how I got to go this past Thursday. My seats were row D or E center so hopefully TDF pulls through again soon. One friend turned me down as she does not wish to be a part of abetting the weird thing I've had for Theo Stockman since the American Idiot days, but the heart wants what it wants

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 3:30am

seriously, cut this to 90 minutes, refocus it more on Rubell and Studio 54 ( was Ian Schrager ever mentioned?) and i think you would have a super fun and crazy musical about fame, drugs, money, power and idol worship 

[frankiec]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 9:23am

I have a ticket I can't use for the Tuesday, July 17th show, Row A, Seat 3. Asking $70 (paid $81 plus fees). I just looked on-line and that performance is sold out. DM if interested and we can contact the Atlantic to put the ticket under your name. 

[BIG BALONEY]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 9:37am

Sat first two center with Bach25.

[raddersons]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 10:24am

Yes, all criticisms aside... I’m glad I went just to see this thing. I’m usually pretty quick to leave at intermission, but I didn’t think about leaving for a second. It’s pretty crazy and definitely not boring, despite being almost nonsensical. I think there is a show in there somewhere. The creative team just has to be willing to make the changes.

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 11:04am

LightsOut90 said: "seriously, cut this to 90 minutes, refocus it more on Rubell and Studio 54 ( was Ian Schrager ever mentioned?) and i think you would have a super fun and crazy musical about fame, drugs, money, power and idol worship"

I would love to see a show focused on that. When the initial information about This Ain’t No Disco came out, I figured it Rubell and the Studio 54 life would be, you know, important.

[macnyc]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 11:59am

I saw this last night and actually enjoyed it. Granted, I went in with severely lowered expectations, expecting a hot mess. I think a couple of minor things have been changed, which I'll address in the spoiler tag.

I thought the performances were great except for a few of the singers who couldn't enunciate the words clearly enough. 

The character of Rake needs to be fleshed out more. 

I don't have the best memory for this type of thing, but here's what I remember from last night, picking up from what Mariel9 observed:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The Artist (Andy Warhol) is a caricature throughout--mannered observer dropping deadpan bon mots. There is no indication he has an interior life until the big 11 o'clock number. There is no reason why he sings this song. There is no introduction or transition of any kind. I agree with this. Plus, having Andy Warhol sing seemed weird. 

Sammy (our female protagonist) goes to Studio 54, which she hates, because it is on the way home from her job and Forest Hills. This did seem random.

Sammy is a punk. Because she wears a hat? When she is first asked to sing, she does some kind of beat poetry, not punk. When she finally does sing, it's pop. There is not a single punk thing about her except, I guess, that she is from Forest Hills, where the Ramones are also from (this is actually stated in the show). This bothered me too. Plus, were there African American punk rockers? Maybe this is color-blind casting, and if it is, never mind my comment.

Chad's emergency contact is . . . Studio 54? His dad dies and Steve Rubell, who doesn't know who he is, gives him the message? Then sings a come-on song about sitting on daddy's lap? It didn't bother me that Chad gave out Studio 54 as his contact. That's where he works. Plus, people, back then, with no cell phones, that's what we did. Chad's life was so unsettled, maybe he was squatting somewhere without a home phone.

There is a trans character whose entire storyline is basically: "I'm a guy." "OK, *sings* I didn't fall in love with you for your chromosomes." Then they kiss behind a hat because we can't see two queer characters kiss? I saw the kiss directly. It was pretty fast, but it wasn't behind a hat.

After two scenes in Act 1 where Steve Rubell refuses entrance to Studio 54 because the people aren't attractive/cool enough (including our punk Hat Girl), there is a scene in Act 2 where the velvet rope supplicants are wearing t-shirts that say "too ugly to get in" on the back and letters on the front that spell "Let Us In" on the front. LITERALLY spelling out something that is too obvious to miss.

When Sammy gets her big debut, we first get an entire song from a character we've never been introduced to, played by a member of the chorus. Is this supposed to be a new character? Is this a Studio 54 denizen who has also been plucked from obscurity by the Artist for fame? Who knows? This bothered me too.

After the chorus girl sings her song, The Artist introduces a German avant garde electronic artist (Trask) who plays a long electronic song while the Artist dances avant gardely. At one point he lies down on a stool and spins around. At two points, he freezes and holds the pose for . . . 30 seconds? A minute? An eternity? It's interminable and excruciating. I didn't see Trask on stage last night unless he was in the scene when some of the band members come down to the stage? Maybe I just missed it.

There is a scene at the Artist's factory where his hangers on are wearing the leftover raincoats from American Psycho and garbage bags. I didn't see garbage bags.

Binky, the publicist/manager(?) has a big number near the end of Act 2 where she sings, "It's me you can't forget/not one single regret/I need a cigarette/oh look a clarinet" and the waitress walks by with a clarinet on a tray which Binky picks up and plays two notes on while also smoking a cigarette, WHY. This is still in the show, but it was funny, and I guess that's why it's there.

Chad's big art debut is a bust when the big neon Rake sign changes to Fake. Is this sabotage? An accident? An artistic critique from the universe? Who knows, but after a lot of exaggerated laughter from the chorus, he runs out in despair and starts turning tricks again. On the road. I thought it was sabotage at first but then maybe seemed deliberate.

DA to his assistant "Tonight I wanna be on your staff" *endless blowjob* This is still in the show.

 

[wolfwriter]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 12:56pm

Caught this, this week and have mixed feelings. Most of the cast is very good. Much of the music is good. All of the book is a stupefyingly bad summation of a Wikipedia entry.

Since it calls itself "A Rock Opera" the lack of disco is understandable (but I did miss it, a little bit).

The book is a superficial first draft with no focus, plot holes galore, no point of view and no idea what story it wants to tell. Maybe its biggest flaw, of many, is that it assumes the audience knows everything about Studio 54 & NYC during that period. If you don't, some of it is just incomprehensible.

It makes sense, if you knew who Andy Warhol was, that he would sign an artist who didn't sing, to a record deal. It's the kind of quirky thing he might have done. That the woman is African-American, could just be the casting or, more likely, more bad writing.

When Steve Rubell puts on a King Tut headpiece and the rest of the cast follows with Egyptian themed garb, it's just assumed you would know that King Tut was on tour, at the time, and it was as hard to get into as Studio 54. Again, poor writing.

The scene at Andy Warhol's Factory, I would think, would be so lost on anyone unfamiliar with it, I was amused how poorly it written. And, do we need a 45 minute blow job on stage?

I love to "work" as an audience member, but I shouldn't be required to write the damn book for your musical.

And, did I miss the coke spoon? They have a moon, but no spoon? They mention it once, but maybe I just missed it.

The list goes on with the writing deficiencies and plot holes, but, after all that, oddly enough, I didn't hate it. In fact, I was never bored by it. I just wish they could throw away the book and start over with a different writer.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 4:40pm

Saw the matinee today and overall would say I loved it, especially compared to other new musicals I’ve seen lately like Head Over Heels. It is extremely stylized and not for everyone, but the music, design, and performances are outstanding. It’s a mess, but I think about 50% of that is intentional.

There’s no question about the state of the book. It’s all over the place, and ideas and plots they’re trying to get across are not landing. A lot happens in the show and it’s hard to keep track of all these characters that while interesting and necessary, are poorly written. (Except for those two government characters - why the hell were they there?)

Overall I’d highly recommend it. Side thought - In - producers dream world, it’d be fascinating if this, Jagged Little Pill, and Be More Chill end up on Broadway at the same time - only because I imagine they’ll all be pulling for the same audience base.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 11:49pm

Saw it this evening, Sunday.

First off, I found it easy to follow. The story was about the 5 characters. Unfortunately, coming out of it the feelimg I had is that this just should have been about Rubell and Studio 54. I was ok, for the most part with the 2 main character's storylines however I don't know why Meesh was all "punk" in the opener then wasn't anymore. I knew black punk people in those days and they would not have changed like Meesh.

Yes, the book is paper thin and cliched and it tries to tbrow some cute and "smart" lyrics into the songs that fall flat. For me this was because a lot of the music sounds the same and has no edge to make these lyrics "pop". I kept wondering if new arrangements would help.

The show feels like it wants to be the "rent" for the disco era complete with rhyming spoken lyrics. (And dialoug)

While talented, the ensemble seemed too young to be Studio 54 patrons. I hate to say this but they looked like today's young people dressing up in what they Google searched wear to a themed costume party. In my opinion they would have been more believable had they cast older actors. Having been around at that time and seeing the club constantly in the news and magazines, the clubgoers, for the most part, were more mature in age.

Whoever is on the sound board still doesn't have the show down. We lost some lines due to mics not being turned up. Also the band way overpowered the actors in the opening number. 

Just can't pinpoint what should be done with the score. A lot of it was just numbing.the standouts for me were the song Binky sings about not being done yet, Rubell's song as Studio 54 goes down and especially the 11 o'clock type song The Artist sang near the end of Act II. And the lighting for The Artist's song was beautiful.

Glad I saw it.I hope they work on it. It has some wonderful moments. Will Connely and Theo Stockman are worth the price of admission. Eddie Cooper and Peter Laprade also turn in nice performances.

Just my random opinions/thoughts

Updated On: 7/9/18 at 11:49 PM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 11:58pm

I mostly enjoyed this. It took a while for me to get into it, and it was definitely very flawed, but I thought there was a lot to like about it.

For me, this most elegant way to make this show better would be to completely cut Kristina Alabado and Lulu Fall's characters. Nothing again them, of course, I just thought there should have been fewer supporting characters in general, and they were the least developed, the least necessary, and were given the weakest music IMO. Cutting them wouldn't fix all the show's problems by a longshot, but I think it would make a big different for the better.