BroadwayWorld Presents: 'The Wedding Singer' First Look Video!- Page 3

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 10:23pm

It feels like a couple theater geeks trying to write 80's music without really liking it -- so it's show tunes with 80's instrumentation, instead of being even good pastiche. Whereas 'Hairspray' comes off like it LOVES the pop music of the 60's, this feels like the 80's riffs are being shoe-horned in.

[dirty rotten guy]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 11:05pm

Looks like crap to me.

I am escpecially dissapointed with the lack of imagination in the sets and the songs sounded very generic from what I could hear.

I deffinetly will not being this show unless they pull a miracle and the Times gives it a rave review, which from the looks is very very unlikely.

Updated On: 2/17/06 at 11:05 PM

[QMAN03]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 1:14am

WTF?!?! That looks terrible. I'm not going to touch this with a twenty foot pole.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 1:31am

oy vey, leave it alone people. Let it impress you/not impress you when you see it LIVE

[chrissly]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 1:51am

"oy vey, leave it alone people. Let it impress you/not impress you when you see it LIVE"

Says the person with a pic from the show as their avatar. Looks like you've already judged.

If these people are going to try to produce a such a safe show – a musical based on a popular '80's movie set in an in vogue decade – then I don't see why we can't judge it based on the clips we've seen. Clips presumably OK'd by the producers (those cameras were far to close to be "archival." Sure, theatre is a live art form, and should be judged on it's live merits, but these folks are sending out the viceo as a promotional tool, and we get to judge based on them. If you don't like the look of the trailer for a movie do you say "Well, I can't really judge it until I've PAID MY HARD EARNED MONEY and seen it all the way through?" I doubt it.

To me, this looks like a steaming pile of ill-advised, aimed squarely at commercial, stupidly safe, crap. if there are free tickets at Equity (and I'm sure there will be, kids) then I'll go see it. Otherwise, I'll pass. I'd rather see a show that's trying to be something other than a commercial success. Art isn't easy. Or safe.

[jdixon69]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 1:57am

I have some safe, easy art taped to my refrigerator.

[chrissly]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 2:50am

HA! So do I!

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 10:39am

Good point Crissly. Several people who haven't even seen the show have jumped down my throught for judging it, and I saw it!

If you are going to scream at people for judging it before they see it (or even after they see it), then you shouldn't support something so strongly that you haven't seen yourself.

Good or bad, you are still judging.

[bwayfan3]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 11:10am

That does not look good to me at all. The cheese factor is a bit "In My LIfe" reminiscient. Plus, it's a sad day in musical theatre history when the best song of the entire score seems to be the song that ADAM SANDLER wrote. Don't get me wrong, I actually like Adam Sandler and think he's a witty, talented writer, but come on.

[jdixon69]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 11:32am

Two months ago, nobody on this board had seen the show, and we could all safely discuss our predictions based on source material, past pedigrees, etc.

Two months from now, the majority of comments will be from people who have seen the show, and there can be an informed debate on it's merits.

But right now is a tricky time: only a select few have seen the show (actually, an early version of the show), while most remain "predictors".

As a hopeful predictor, it's easy to feel threatened by someone who's seen the show and hates it. When a discussion of the merits of a 5 minute, extremely low quality video is, in effect, "crashed" by someone who's seen the living breathing show, it's easy to see that person as "the authority". And so when BobbyB expresses his opinion, which is the whole purpose of this, it can seem almost confrontational to those who want to see the show.

Here's the reality: most reviews thus far, be they formal or informal, have been mixed, if not positive. Judging by BobbyB's comments (worst book in recent memory, being barely able to "bear" both acts), he is outside the rapidly forming conventional wisdom. This is OK. This is his right. This is everyone's right. He saw it, he hated it. The earth continues to spin. It's still coming to Broadway. Don't get upset.

No matter whether we've seen it or not (or what our avatar is), we can all judge as much as we want to.

By the way................... I thought the video looked great.

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 11:36am

The video makes it look absolutely dreadful.

[Gypsy2]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 11:46am

The music wasn't all that good, and the show seemed like it was just diong some "cheap tricks" to get the audience to laugh. When I first heard they were making a musical of The Wedding Singer... I got really confused.

[jeremykushnier1fan]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 12:12pm

Hum. This is one to ponder.

[QMAN03]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 12:23pm

What are you pondering about?

[erikrokks]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 12:51pm

I saw the show last weekend and loved every minute of it. It was one of the best shows I've seen in quite a long time. Sure it's not going to sweep the Tonys or anything, but it was incredibly fun...I liked it even better than Hairspray. Yeah, you heard me. :)
Laura B...wow! She has quite the pipes. It's just too bad that you don't get the full effect that any of these singers have based on that video preview.
I really don't understand why some people are complaining that the 80's references are too obvious and too frequent. That was one of the things I thought was most hilarious. When Linda kicks the hot water heater (or furnace, or whatever it is) and the steam starts coming out and she uses it like she's in an 80's video...that is hilarious.
Give the show a shot and don't base your opinion of the show on that 5 minute, poorly represented series of clips.

[QMAN03]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 12:54pm

What other shows do you love? I just want to get a feeling for your taste in theatre.

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 1:16pm

It may just be because of the size and logisitcs of the 5th Aevnue Theatre, but the show looks like more like an Off-Broadway Production. And Benanti looks and sounds wrong for a part.

Finley and Spanger look amazing, and Lynch looks like with more time he can really be great in the role.

Sidenote, that Quintet song about being single looks and sounds dreadful.

[ToBeingAnUsForOnce]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 5:21pm

That money song reminded me of "Money, Money, Money" from Mamma Mia.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 5:39pm

hey hey hey, I didnt put the picture there because i liked the show its because i think its HOT! lol

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 5:56pm

I just can't get over how horiffic that music sounds. It's just pitiful. Someone was paid for that? The only decent stuff is taken from the movie.

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 6:03pm

From the video clip, and what I've heard, I really think that Laura Benanti was miscast. Although she has a great voice, I think that Amy Spanger should've played Julia. The "If I Told You" on the demo is amazing, and this one I'm hearing only seems so-so. I do love some of the songs - my mom has brought me up on eighties music - but some seem really boring.

I think this will be a really good show, though. I'm excited for it.

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 7:29pm

Ooo, I am a Broadway Star now! Awesome :).

[chrissly]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 8:02pm

"hey hey hey, I didnt put the picture there because i liked the show its because i think its HOT! lol"

No arguments there...

[pennylane2]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 9:14pm

i think the show looks great, im so excited for it, i think it wil be a really fun show. some people seem to LOVE it some hate it, i think it will do pretty well. and who knows what will happen with laura in a month when it comes to ny, maybe shell surprise us all.

[Yeah, um, no.]

Posted: 2/19/06 at 7:52am

Well, good or bad, at least people care about the show! It seems like the critics and Broadway regulars tend to not like what they've seen, while the general public does. Of course, a lot of people eat at Red Lobster, so what does the public know? For what it's worth, the Stephen Lynch fans seem to like it:

http://www.myspace.com/stephenlynch

Stephen Lynch Message Board