WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Opening Night Critics' Reviews- Page 2

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:01pm

B- from Entertainment Weekly

Water for Elephants review: Dazzling circus performers steal Grant Gustin's spotlight in his Broadway debut

Step right up to experience the razzle-dazzle of a circus, live on Broadway.

https://ew.com/water-for-elephants-review-broadway-grant-gustin-8612582

"If nothing else, we never wonder how Jacob is swept away by the circus. The romance may fall short, and the songs lack a certain luster, but the magic of the circus is winning. Grade: B–"

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:03pm

Deadline is mixed-to-mildly-positive

‘Water For Elephants’ Broadway Review: Big Top, Little Drama

https://deadline.com/2024/03/water-for-elephants-broadway-review-1235863179/

"Water For Elephants is a pleasant, visually beguiling show, with a cast, led by The Flash‘s Grant Gustin in a sweet-voiced Broadway debut, that puts some charm into a thin book by Rick Elice that probably veered too close to the novel for its own good."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:04pm

NYT Critic's Pick from Green:

‘Water for Elephants’ Review: Beauty Under the Big Top

The circus-themed love story, already a novel and a movie, becomes a gorgeously imaginative Broadway musical.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/21/theater/water-for-elephants-review-broadway.html

"What a pleasure it is to be treated that way by a brand-extension musical, a form usually characterized by craftlessness and cynicism. Indeed, at its best, “Water for Elephants” has more in common with the circus arts than it does with by-the-books Broadway. Sure, it features an eventful story and compelling characters, and apt, rousing music by PigPen Theater Co., a seven-man indie folk collective. But in the director Jessica Stone’s stunning, emotional production, it leads with movement, eye candy and awe."

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:05pm

KevinKlawitter said: "MemorableUserName said: "So, it's Rex Reed, who hates most things and who loved Beanie in Funny Girl, so take what you will from it:

Observer:‘Water for Elephants’ Theater Review: “I’ve Never Hated Any Show More”

https://observer.com/2024/03/water-for-elephants-theater-review-the-worst-broadway-show-ever/

"After suffering through the new Broadway musical The Notebook, I thought I had seen the worst of what the 2024 season would bring. I was wrong. I had not seen Water for Elephants yet. Now I have. It can’t get any deadlier than this.""

Seeing Rex Reed's name in these threads is always a jump-scare to me after was basically run out of film criticism because nobody took him seriously. But I guess him working for the Observer is like Armond White reviewing movies for the National Review."

Rex Reed is a a low life conservative thug who has not been relevant for decades. You can safely disregard whatever that freakshow says. 

Updated On: 3/21/24 at 09:05 PM

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:07pm

Holdren in Vulture is positive:

Water for Elephants Is Best When It’s Behind the Times

https://www.vulture.com/article/theater-review-water-for-elephants-broadway.html

"Why am I so hung up on this totally conventional framing device? Well, partly for its convention — but also because, in the case of Water for Elephants, whenever we leave the sappy present behind, there’s suddenly a great deal to enjoy. As is so frequently the case, the show’s stagecraft outstrips its script by a mile. Under Jessica Stone’s exuberant direction, a huge ensemble of ridiculously talented acrobats ebbs and flows—and flips and flies—through the house, coalescing into gorgeous paintings in front of projection designer David Bengali’s lush, shifting cloudscape of a backdrop. Roustabouts hammer a tent spike into the floor in time with the music. Lyras, silks, trapeze bars, and long, twisting strands of corde lisse appear from the shadows above. Rolling banks of scaffolding and vast stretches of parachute silk elegantly create box cars and big tops in the vibrant, mutable expanse of Takeshi Kata’s set. PigPen’s bluegrassy tunes start to snap and sparkle — most of all in the production’s up-tempo stompers like “The Road Don’t Make You Young.” And of course, there are puppets."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:08pm

Two stars from Oleksinski/NYP

‘Water For Elephants’ review: Awesome acrobats can’t save this Broadway

https://nypost.com/2024/03/21/entertainment/water-for-elephants-review-acrobats-cant-save-broadway-circus/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:09pm

Chris Jones/Chicago Tribune is positive

Review: Water for Elephants is one of the most authentic circus-themed shows to make it to Broadway

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/03/21/water-for-elephants-review-broadway/

"Not everyone on the stage can fly to the rafters, of course, but it’s the seamless integration of what’s really a compartmentalized ensemble that reveals the fusing visual talents of the director, Jessica Stone. Here, by blending the worlds of Broadway and the not-so-big top, a tent always in danger of collapse, Stone captures a milieu that has slipped away from many hands. And I say this as a circus geek who saw every Ringling and Cirque show for decades and who regards circus folk with awe. Their lot is well represented here. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:10pm

USA Today is negative:

Review: ‘Water for Elephants’ on Broadway is a three-ring circus with zero intrigue

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/03/21/water-for-elephants-musical-review/73012972007/

"A life raft in this troubled “Water” is the production's elastic ensemble, which jolts you awake with their spring-loaded flips and death-defying stunts, ranging from aerial hoops to tightrope walks to trapeze swings. A sequence of the cast pitching a big top is wondrous to behold, as is the effortless athleticism they bring to numbers like "Zostan."

In these moments, the show feels like a divine celebration of those restless spirits who run off to join the circus. But the magic is fleeting, and by the final curtain, those in the audience may wish they'd just stayed at home."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:13pm

Vincentelli in the Washington Post is mixed-to-positive. Other than the music, is mostly positive.

In Broadway’s ‘Water for Elephants,’ circus parts are good, songs are meh

The new musical based on the bestselling novel incorporates acrobatics, along with puppets to portray animals

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2024/03/21/water-for-elephants-broadway-review/

"Not everything works in Jessica Stone’s production — there’s a reason the words “dream sequence” tend to set off alarm bells — but at least it summons a coherent theatrical universe. And more often than not, the show (whose world premiere was this past June in Atlanta) captures the unabashed mix of romance and pathos that made its source material, a bestseller by Sara Gruen, so wildly popular."

...

"It is telling that it has taken me so long to circle back to the music, because it is not what makes the strongest impression. At their best, the numbers sound like the 1930s filtered through the folk rock of the late 1960s and early ’70s: “Wild,” a duet between Jacob and Marlena, emulates early Joni Mitchell romanticism, while a few songs’ melodic melancholia and period atmosphere recall Randy Newman’s explorations of Americana. The lyrics never come remotely close to Newman’s sharp angles, though, and too often succumb to bland earnestness. If only the score had been willing to be as untethered from gravity as the rest of the show."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:13pm

Theatermania is a rave:

Review: Water for Elephants Is Broadway’s First Fully Integrated Circus Musical

Rick Elice and PigPen Theatre Co. deliver a high-flying new American musical to Broadway.

https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-water-for-elephants-is-broadways-first-fully-integrated-circus-musical_1735237/

"Water for Elephants isn’t just the frontrunner for the 2024 Tony Award for Best Musical, it’s a bold assertion that this still young artform has plenty of tricks left to reveal. It may not be the greatest show on Earth, but it is most certainly the best new musical on Broadway."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:16pm

Isherwood/WSJ is mixed, though he loved the songs:

‘Water for Elephants’ Review: A Sanitized Circus on Broadway

Directed by Jessica Stone, this musical adaptation of the hit novel loses much of its source’s pungency and grit.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/water-for-elephants-review-broadway-musical-pigpen-jessica-stone-sara-gruen-5eaefa7c

"The songs are flavorful and well-wrought, and perhaps the show’s most accomplished achievement, although the director, Jessica Stone (“Kimberly Akimbo”), does an excellent job of juggling the varied elements.

Still, the largely pasteurized manner in which the musical depicts the often-sordid lives of circus folk of the period lends “Water for Elephants” an anodyne weightlessness, at least until the denouement. I’m not sure if a more faithful adaptation of the book would make for a better musical—although John Kander and Fred Ebb, in their heyday, might have taken a good crack at it—but it certainly would have made for a more provocative and adventurous one."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:20pm

The Wrap is negative:

‘Water for Elephants’ Broadway Review: The Big Top Has Really Shrunk

Most disappointing is Rosie the Elephant, who should turn in her Actors’ Equity card

https://www.thewrap.com/water-for-elephants-broadway-review-grant-gustin/

"In addition to Boissereau’s horse, “Water for Elephants” gets off to a good start when a number of talented acrobats set up the circus tent for the first time. The Cirque du Soleil effects (“circus design” by Shana Carroll) are dazzling when they are first introduced. By the time the second act rolls around, the acrobats have been turned into filler by director Jessica Stone to prop up a story with little drama going on – unless your idea of drama is contemplating what happens when acrobats miss their mark."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:21pm

The Mary Sue

The ‘Water For Elephants’ Musical Is Everything I Wanted ‘The Greatest Showman’ to Be and More

https://www.themarysue.com/water-for-elephants-review/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:24pm

New York Theater is positive:

https://newyorktheater.me/2024/03/21/water-for-elephants-broadway-review/

"Much else in “Water for Elephants” has its pleasures – the score, the singing, the puppetry, the acting, even the love story —  but nothing else matches the circus artistry for its originality, variety and consistency."

[DaveyG]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:25pm

I am downright baffled by the praise. I thought this show was deadly in every department. 

[theatretenor2]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:26pm

Pretty shocked to see Green give this a CP.

[theatretenor2]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:33pm

DaveyG said: "I am downright baffled by the praise. I thought this show was deadly in every department."

From what I understand, they made improvements in leaps and bounds throughout the preview, so I guess it depends when you saw it.

[RW3]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:37pm

theatretenor2 said: "Pretty shocked to see Green give this a CP."

Someone on their marketing team is probably screaming and crying happy tears now knowing that they can use that signifier on all their advertising. 

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:39pm

Theatrely is mostly positive:

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Flies To Broadway — Review

https://www.theatrely.com/post/water-for-elephants-flies-to-broadway-review

"Their performances, Stone’s direction, and Takeshi Kata’s ever-moving set are enough to keep the production on its track, though Rick Elice’s book often steers itself away. Each circus member has a backstory that’s hinted at during their introductions, then largely discarded. An interesting thread about animal cruelty is left undisturbed and, if I haven’t mentioned a plot yet, it’s because its wispy existence only materializes in the final moments of the first act, when the love triangle between Jacob, August, and Marlena musters up some drama. A frame story about Jacob in his senior years (Gregg Edelman), visiting a more modern circus, is tender but useless.

But PigPen’s score, period appropriate with strumming ukuleles and happy-go-lucky lyrics, creates a strong thread to tie together the production’s tendency to roam. And the ensemble — by far the best arms on Broadway — provides endless visual richness. You’re never supposed to look too closely at the circus but, here, there’s more than enough to keep you staring."

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:39pm

DTLI Consensus: Step right up to the Imperial Theatre for one of the more pleasant surprises of the Broadway season. 

7 positive (including the NYT), 4 mixed, 1 negative. 

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/water-for-elephants/

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:40pm

DTLI - 7 positive, 4 mixed 1 negative

[rbfost]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:43pm

Count me among the people absolutely shocked by any praise for this truly dreadful show. That said, for folks who were wondering about changes made during previews, I saw it on March 8 and know from someone working on it that it had already been frozen by then. If that helps with the timeline.

This season continues to throw curveballs, I will be honest, I had counted this show out. Not looking forward to an awards season of two of the most utterly dull musicals I have ever seen on Broadway (this and Wine & Roses) being lauded. Wild.

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:51pm

I feel like I've taken crazy pills or something. How... I.... I'm speechless. I saw Water for Elephants and The Notebook on the same day and if you told me then that one show was going to be given pans and one was gonna get praise I NEVER would have guessed it would be this. 

And how Did They Like It grade some of these reviews as mixed when they are VERY clearly negative? This whole thing makes me feel like I've watched through the looking glass into Wonderland. Everything is mad here!

[BentleyB]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:52pm

I am amazed at the overall positive reviews. We brought 10 of our friends to this last Friday evening the 15th.  Of the 12, 1 person hated it, 2 people loved it, and 9 of us were glad we saw it (especially the acrobatics) but it was a one and done view for us.  Of the 4 new shows we saw last week, it was the second favorite overall of everyone. 

[theatretenor2]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:53pm

Scarlet Leigh said: "I feel like I've taken crazy pills or something. How... I.... I'm speechless. I saw Water for Elephants and The Notebook on the same day and if you told me then that one show was going to be given pans and one was gonna get praise I NEVER would have guessed it would be this.

And how Did They Like It grade some of these reviews as mixed when they are VERY clearly negative? This whole thing makes me feel like I've watched through the looking glass into Wonderland. Everything is mad here!"

Right??? If you look on BWW, there are 7 positive, 5 negative and 5 mixed. Seems like some kind of politics going on.