TV @ A Tale of Two Cities

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 10:43pm

Hi, all. Inspired by others who post reviews, I decided to do one of my own to see if it catches on. Let me know if you like it, otherwise I'll stop and keep from cluttering the board. I hope it will allow me to see the work more critically and get more out of it, and allow others with taste similar to mine to benefit.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES, September 9, 7pm

Ultimately, this show has fantastic voices singing quality songs in a high-budget production. It falls short, however, in its approach to the story and its execution, didn't move me the way it intended, and is largely derivative from Les Mis, in my opinion.

I'll start with the good--it's obvious the cast is brimming with talent. James Barbour's playful nature is very amusing and a highlight of the show. The voices, on the whole, are very strong, and the songs do a good job of showing them off. The score was VERY reminiscent of Les Mis, though, and with nearly half the cast having done Les Mis in the past, it came of as the producers trying to capitalize on past success.

The sets are done well--rotation again plays a theme here in getting the houses on and off, but the minimalist nature of the wood allows each piece to play multiple scenes effectively.

What this show reminded me of, however, is a Harry Potter movie: the book is too long and complicated to be done justice in 2.5 hours, and the condensed version ends up feeling disconnected. It seemed at times that they would try to fit 50 pages of the novel into a scene, then have a lead sing a soliloquy that doesn't really advance the plot. The plot itself, then, alternates between cursory overview and in-depth contemplation. They try to include too many main characters, and the play suffers as a result.

As others have noted, the first half drags. Things that are included, which I tried hard to remember because they seemed like they would become important, weren't alluded to later. Cutting those relatively superfluous scenes would create a tighter show. In the end, the inconsistent telling of the story and the rushed character progression didn't leave my heartstrings pulled in the finale, though they should have been.

My recommendation: if you see most Broadway shows and/or you love Les Mis, go for it. You should be able to get affordable tickets. Otherwise, I think this show lacks the impact it could have.

Rating: 4/10 (40th percentile--if you randomly gave me 10 shows, this one would probably rank around 6th in my opinion).
Updated On: 9/9/08 at 10:43 PM

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 3:19pm

Oh, and weirdest moment of the night: SPOILER FOLLOWS********

When Madame Defarge is killed (in a scene that was totally predictable and awkwardly performed, by the way), two people in the right orchestra started clapping loudly! What is this, children's theater when the villian gets killed? About 10 people started clapping lightly, the rest of the audience started laughing over the audacity of the clapping few.

Talk about ruining the moment.

[Steve2]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 5:41pm

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts and please don't stop doing so. I think I liked it more than you but who knows how much it has changed since I saw it a few weeks ago.

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 7:33pm

I certainly didn't DISlike it (I think the cutoff is around 30th percentile), but I thought it could have been much better.

[kover22]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 7:35pm

Thanks for the review. My husband, MIL and I will be making a trip to the city next month and we are deciding on what to see. That show was one on my list so I appreciate the honest review.

[little_sally]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 10:52pm

kover22, you should definitely check out A Tale of Two Cities. I thought it was absolutely wonderful.

Thanks for sharing your review, TV!

[broadwayfan310]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 11:02pm

I also loved it as did the group I was with... Its definitely a show worth seeing!

[little_sally]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 11:06pm

I didn't expect much from it, perhaps that's why I enjoyed it so much.

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 9/11/08 at 6:47am

Glad other people enjoyed it more than I did. I end up appreciating a show more as I think about it after I see it most of the time. This time, I realize the strength of the story (never read the book), so that makes me more disappointed in the way it was executed.

Lots of people around me loved the show (were crying in the theater, stood immediately at the curtain call), so it doesn't surprise me that it has fans around here.