THIS AIN'T NO DISCO thread- Page 5

[izzio2]

Posted: 7/20/18 at 12:29pm

haterobics said: "izzio2 said: "This is the worst thing I've paid to see at a well-respected theater."

You need to get out more."

I get out plenty, just not purposefully to theater I know will be bad! I don't really see tons of theater and I hardly ever post here but I had to vent about it somewhere!

[haterobics]

Posted: 7/20/18 at 1:12pm

izzio2 said: "I get out plenty, just not purposefully to theater I know will be bad! I don'treally see tons of theater and I hardly ever post here but I had to vent about it somewhere!"

If this is the worst you've seen, you're living a pretty charmed life.

[mariel9]

Posted: 7/20/18 at 1:17pm

When a friend of mine went to see it recently and we compared notes, we realized we had been laughing about it for almost an hour."

Same here, but I still don't think I'd say it's so bad it's good. More like so bad it's remarkable. I wasn't bored but only because I was absolutely agog at what was on stage. If it was a $30 off-off-Bway show I'd probably recommend it to people.

I'm so curious about the backstage dynamics. Atlantic must have known it was a turkey when they took it on, so I'm guessing they were hoping to develop it into something. Why didn't that happen?

Updated On: 7/20/18 at 01:17 PM

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 7/20/18 at 1:37pm

haterobics said: "If this is the worst you've seen, you're living a pretty charmed life. "

We’re feeling high and mighty today, huh? Isn’t it possible that your taste is different than theirs? One man’s “Get me out of here” can just as easily be someone else’s “so bad, it’s good.”

 

[haterobics]

Posted: 7/20/18 at 1:49pm

ColorTheHours048 said: "We’re feeling high and mighty today, huh? Isn’t it possible that your taste is different than theirs? One man’s “Get me out of here” can just as easily be someone else’s “so bad, it’s good.”"

I don't think I offered an opinion on the show other than it not being among the top 10 worst things I've seen onstage.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/20/18 at 3:48pm

scripps said: "I saw this again last night (I could't pass up a Back25 ticket that turned out to be front row). The caddress the questions and criticismsthat have been raised on this thread, though I did notice that in the Studio 54 scenes there are cast members wearing sandwich boards that state what theme night it is, etc. During the "cash-in, cash-out and skim" phone call, we see a few of those VIP room boysputting rolls of cash in a trash bag who mimeputting it in the ceiling. At least there is now an attempt to visualize plot points! Or maybe my memory is shot and I didn't remember that staging from last week!

I saw the show on the 8th and those things were in the show that evening. The sandwich boards actually caught my attention.

[haterobics]

Posted: 7/21/18 at 11:00am

6 Back25 seats available on the website for today's matinee.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/21/18 at 11:21am

I imagine the word of mouth has spread on this one.

[ethan231h]

Posted: 7/21/18 at 1:14pm

Going monday and despite the so-so reviews i'm SO excited for this!

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 7/21/18 at 1:30pm

A friend of mine went last night. He said he watched Act 1 with his mouth hanging open, and, although he left at intermission, he said it must be seen to be believed. 

[scripps]

Posted: 7/21/18 at 3:05pm

Resurrecting Old New York in 'This Ain't No Disco'

Will we be posting official reviews in this thread, or should a new stand alone one be created for the gloriously vicious pull quotes coming our way? 

Updated On: 7/21/18 at 03:05 PM

[haterobics]

Posted: 7/21/18 at 3:26pm

scripps said: "Will we be posting official reviews in this thread, or should a new stand alone one be created for the gloriously viciouspull quotes coming our way?"

Since this isn't a previews thread, one imagines they will all land here.

[mariel9]

Posted: 7/22/18 at 2:51pm

Trask and Yanowitz had a short segment on NY1 and, uh, it doesn't seem like Yanowitz understands Hedwig or musicals.

http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/on-stage-episodes/2018/07/21/on-stage-july-21-2018-part-3-ivo-van-hove-and--this-ain-t-no-disco-

 

[SDV]

Posted: 7/22/18 at 3:28pm

mariel9 said: "Trask and Yanowitz had a short segment on NY1 and, uh, it doesn't seem like Yanowitz understands Hedwig or musicals.

http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/on-stage-episodes/2018/07/21/on-stage-july-21-2018-part-3-ivo-van-hove-and--this-ain-t-no-disco-

"

Did he call the structure of Hedwig "stupid" and compare it unfavorably to his own "rock opera"?

[JayG 2]

Posted: 7/22/18 at 4:13pm

These comments make Got Tu Go Disco seem like superior fare. Yikes!

[Kad]

Posted: 7/22/18 at 4:42pm

Well, Got Tu Go Disco has at least one groovy song. Ain’t No Disco has nothing.

Posted: 7/22/18 at 5:19pm

Caught the matinee of the new Stephen Trask and Peter Yanowitz rock opera, THIS AINT DISCO and unfortunately for me, a great idea turns into a second rate show fairly quickly here.

Many writers have tried to musicalize the sex drugs and rock and roll glamor of the famous 1970s night club turned cultural icon, but none have come as close as THIS AINT DISCO does to getting it right....mostly because they chose the rock opera format....this works well!
What doesn’t work...their melodies and lyrics rarely excite. The slower songs/ballads feel like the the same song throughout and I’m not talking about a reprise. This also has a lot to do with the overdone/trite story of two young people trying to become stars and the struggles that go along with that choice. I hate to say it, but nap time anyone? Because we’ve heard every aspect of these characters from movies tv books through the years nothing feels interesting. It’s the biggest problem here and not even Rick Elice can help write them out of it. The irony here is that studio 54 has tons of rich drama to focus on and they chose still chose the fame game route.

Tony winner Darko Tresnjak doesn’t help one bit by showing he has no Rhythm for this kind of musical...every time any kind of dialogue (written in rhyming verse throughout) is spoken the energy PLUMMETS to the ground (think the RENT film). Shockingly, the choreography by Camille A Brown feels like a high school director took on the task. Not one glamorous witty or sexy dance number in a studio 54 musical? Interesting. It doesn’t help that the chorus doesn’t have the talent to pull off the pacing moves or characters this show needs.

The cast is well...uninteresting. Nothing really more to say here sadly. They are forgetful before they leave the stage. This is a problem I see more and more lately...bad casting. The big theater casting agencies in nyc need to do better. They cram untalented people down Theater goers throats instead of finding really interesting talented people to do the job...the reality tv singing completion has really left a stain on musical theater talent and casting directors have hidden it with the couch instead of trying to remove it...sorry, not sorry.

Costumes by Sarah Laux feel referential more than period specific or as creative as the unique people who dressed for studio 54 back in the day.

The stars of this show are the set, lighting, and projections. Jason Sherwood’s eternal New York scaffolding covered side walks mixed with just enough glamor from the inside of studio 54 make him yet again, the up and coming set designer of the moment. His billboard and storefront signs plastered on screens up the back wall and onto the ceiling over the audience, give you the feeling you are walking through seedy 1970s Times Square, an inspired touch. He will be everywhere in a few years. Ben Stanton’s club lighting hidden in every crevice of the ny street scaffolding takes you inside the dreams of the characters even in everyday situations. He lights the screens Inventively too. And the projections overlaid on the billboard/storefront screen that help with place time and story are both specific and Andy Warhol like art pieces at the same time, bravo.

The idea and design have potential, but the otherwise talented and celebrated creative team misses the mark in the worst way possible....trite and uninteresting. That’s not how people like Grace Jones recall studio 54.

[macnyc]

Posted: 7/23/18 at 11:07am

I saw this again last night, and I have to say it's growing on me. Has anyone seen a song list? I didn't see one in the Playbill.

[scripps]

Posted: 7/23/18 at 11:22am

macnyc said: "I saw this again last night, and I have to say it's growing on me. Has anyone seen a song list? I didn't see one in the Playbill."

Welcome to two timer club! Are there more of us? I'm very curious, were there any changes big or small that you can recall?

I can only chuckle when I think about when I received a mailing from the Atlantic Theater Company months ago detailing their upcoming season and then momentarily considered purchasing a subscription package to guarantee a ticket to this. 

[little_sally]

Posted: 7/23/18 at 12:04pm

This is a complete mess in every aspect. The score is a big letdown, given Trask's other work, the book is an absolute disaster (the characters are either uninteresting or unnecessary and the show doesn't quite know what it wants to be about), and overall everything just feels so sanitized. It felt like watching a theater camp production. Nothing about this screams dirty, gritty New York City of the 1970s. There's no sex either! The cast is just fine, everyone is so young and thin and attractive that it's like they're playing dress up. There's no sense of time and place at all. What a huge letdown.

On the plus side, Samantha Ware sure has a great voice.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 7/24/18 at 2:07am

All my criticisms have pretty much been mentioned. Plot holes galore, lazy inclusion of a trans character, Warhol's terrible wig and complete lack of necessity, Binky making no sense, whether any of the characters or creatives understand what punk is, characters sharing all their secrets (that they have too many of), lack of an overall theme or message to the show, lackluster costuming, etc.

I will add that it wasn't gay enough for me. I didn't go into this with any expectations but when the story started unfolding it set up things that did not pay off. The lesbian/trans characters were such throwaways. It was like a worse version of the characters in Falsettos. They actually sing about making it up as they go along. Why were the male go-go dancers dancing for women? Why were the Studio 54 couples usually in M/F pairs? Why did Steve and Chad never hook up? Why couldn't Chad be in a relationship and why did his story fall off so he just ended up taking care of Sammy's son? Were they trying to make some commentary about being in the closet with Steve, Rake/Binky's marriage, and the D.A. and his assistant? Because none of that worked or ever paid off. The D.A. wasn't even a good cartoon villain going after degenerates. He got Steve on tax evasion. And yes, SDV, it makes no sense that Andy chooses Sammy over Chad. Especially if they wanted to say something about fame. Not that this version of "the artist" seems to believe in much of anything until his final solo which is garbled Buddhism for dummies self help nonsense.

That said, the cast is very talented and I was very entertained except towards the end of Act 2 when I'd kind of had enough. The Warhol solo was tough for me because that character was so unnecessary. When will someone write Theo Stockman a role in a good show? I enjoyed the songs for the most part but I don't know if they would have connected as well in the hands of less talented singers. There were a few that were very repetitive and others that were massive info dumps. Rock opera is not an excuse for tons of blink and you miss it exposition, especially in musical styles that don't necessarily facilitate clear understanding of the lyrics. Chilina was so good that I almost (almost) didn't care that her character made no sense and didn't need to be there. "I can. I will. End of story." Without going through the entire cast, they're all pretty much fantastic singers across the board.

Can someone explain what genre of music they were going for? It was enjoyable but I wouldn't have pegged most of it for 1979.

I would watch this again. It was very entertaining. But not good. Not at all.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/24/18 at 2:14am

This is the problem with modern day musical theater. It's bland. The want everyone to be a reject from The Voice and "okay." Pass. 

[ethan231h]

Posted: 7/24/18 at 8:46am

Saw this last night. I did not hate it (at all), but I didnt love it. BUT, I enjoyed it. It took awhile to actually get into the book and understand it, I only really understood what was going on halfway through act 1. the music is interesting, nothing THAT memorable but the music itself wasnt bad but it just wasnt special...(Loved samantha marie ware's solo in act 2, and the closing)

The set/lighting is fantastic, seriously the highlight of the show! The performances were all great and everyone is doing the best they can for sure! I enjoyed Chilina Kennedy and Krystina Alabado's performance the best!

My one main problem with the show is that a transgender role is played by a cisgender person.....If this transfers I sure hope they fix that. 
I just dont think the show knows what it is yet. I saw the last preview so I assume the show is frozen now but if it was to transfer (who knows) i sure hope they fix the book. 

Updated On: 7/24/18 at 08:46 AM

[mariel9]

Posted: 7/24/18 at 9:34pm

First review, and it is not good.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/aint-no-disco-review-1129597

[mariel9]

Posted: 7/24/18 at 9:54pm

New York Times. Brutal.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/theater/this-aint-no-disco-review-atlantic-theater-company.html