9 to 5 Reviews- Page 7

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 11:28pm

No I mean names. Any WICKED fan is going to see Joe Mantello and get curious. Then, of course, Dolly.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 11:28pm

What's up with this Andy Pobst, reviewer for Theatermania and his:

"the iron-lunged Stephanie J. Block "???

Talk about damning with faint praise!

An iron lung is the machine they used for coal miners who had coal gas poisoning or for other medical conditions like paralysis of the diaphragm where the person was left unable to breathe properly on their own.

Yet I gather he intends to say that Block is a strong singer.

Ble-ah! Talk about mixing your metaphors!

[blaxx]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 11:30pm

Any WICKED fan is going to see Joe Mantello and get curious.

Wicked.

That mentioned, I still find it hard to believe that such a bad director keeps getting so much work.

Updated On: 4/30/09 at 11:30 PM

[willep]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 11:37pm

Updated On: 4/30/09 at 11:37 PM

[Barihunk]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 11:44pm

Attention NYPOST

Please feel free to plagiarize the following headline

"HELL NO, DOLLY!"

[Lenexajones]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 12:13am

I loved the show and predict a long run, many national tours and high schools performing it for years on end.

Posted: 5/1/09 at 12:14am

Eh these reviews aren't half bad, this show will run for a while. I'm amazed Brantley didn't go after Dolly's use of pop lyrics in the show. I thought she was going to be reamed for using imperfect rhymes. He suggests the songs are tuneful and her melodies are charming. To me the songs ARE memorable and what people will walk away with.

Posted: 5/1/09 at 12:15am

Lenexajones - Oh and the tours. Yes it will be a huge.

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 12:35am

Off topic, but I just remembered that quick cut to Bradley Whitford at the Tonys right after the Young Frankenstein performance. His face said it all. Does anyone else remember that?

Do you have a YouTube link or something? I just watched the YF Tony performance, and after the number it just zooms out to show the whole audience and fades out. No Bradley...?
Updated On: 5/1/09 at 12:35 AM

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 12:36am

~is apparently a bad boy~ I made a NO-NO. :P

Updated On: 5/1/09 at 12:36 AM

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 12:56am

that's possibly the west coast version tony, i think i remember reading that they edited it out for the delay

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 12:56am

clumsy- you can't post a full review... its a no no

however Brantley's personal site has a link to it.
Brantley's site

[homeimp]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 1:01am

I'm with Jeffrey Lyons, Wickedrocks. I thought Guys and Dolls was underpraised and South Pacific was overpraised. As for 9 To 5, I just found the storyline rather unpalatable for a major musical, regardless of the major league talents of the leading ladies.

[outdamnwench]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 3:09am

Ben Brantley seems to have issues with any show people actually get joy from seeing. He enjoys the types of shows which leave you longing to slit your wrists or fall asleep.

He also seems to be a member of the bitchy-gay persuasion.

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 3:12am

Yeah, wench, it's called preferring substance to flash.

[Popular]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 3:33am

jonartdesigns - your link didn't work for me. I did cave in and sign up for an account to read what he had to say.

Poor Brantley. I have to agree with wench. The man wouldn't recognize a fun time at the theater if it slapped him any harder in the face. Can't someone please hand him some of what those fabulous girls on stage were smoking so he can loosen up? Seriously, has anyone seen the man crack a smile?

Zoneace - Sometimes when you've had a really hard day at work, or a really hard few months looking for work, a little "flash" is what people want to escape into. There is definitely an audience for this type of show with our economy so why the judgmental tone towards these people for not preferring "substance"? They are supporting live theater and leaving with a smile on their face at the same time. Nothing wrong with that.

Updated On: 5/1/09 at 03:33 AM

[chrisampm2]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 4:03am

um wench, seems to me the biggest audience pleasers of the last decade - The Producers and Spamalot - got raves from Brantley. Do you really consider the other musicals he's championed, like Billy Elliot, South Pacific, Next to Normal, shows that are too depressing, boring, or gay-friendly?

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 5:21am

I also believe that Brantley was too harsh. Though I can't say I was surprised by his review.

I admit that the show is far from perfect. But it has good intentions, it keeps the audience laughing, and most of them exit with a smile on their faces. I certainly did.

I cannot stand when Brantley can't just review one single show. He has to start talking about other shows (PLAYS, no less!) that season.

He used his review to take so many cheap shots that he didn't bother to give any redeeming aspects of the show his time of day. To call Block's role "thankless" is absurd. If anything, she has the one role with a true character arc.

Anyway, the show will run on word of mouth. I can't imagine the Nominating Committee viewing the show with as much negativity as Brantley did. His review was so irrational, it can hardly be taken very seriously.

This show is certainly better than SHREK and ROCK OF AGES. I'm sure the Best Musical nominees will remain BILLY ELLIOT, NEXT TO NORMAL, 9 TO 5, and some unknown fourth.

[CyCoSpAz2]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 5:39am

Does the review for 9 to 5 count as another rave for The Norman Conquests?

Seriously, Brantley's review was frustrating and I am not even a huge fan of the show (though I enjoyed it).

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 6:36am

How could you say Brantley only likes depressing shows? That's just a foolish, factually incorrect statement. In addition to the aforementioned Spamalot and The Producers, he raved about Mammia Mia (Mamma Mia!), Hairspray, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

He certainly has no problem liking something "light."

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 6:44am

TonyVincent, here you go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6zRSu9Jzr4

1:33

Also, to me, there's a difference between a light and fluffy show that is well-crafted and 9 to 5. Shrek, for instance, looks like a masterpiece next to 9 to 5. Updated On: 5/1/09 at 06:44 AM

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 7:53am

Personally I think word of mouth alone will keep this show going for some time.

Let me start off by saying that I am such a theatre snob. I would rather go to play than musical. I prefer off broadway and regional theatre to a lot of the dreck that hits B'way. I love the NYC fringe festival. I can't stand movies being made into musicals for no other reason than to recreate them scene by scene (Young frankenstein being the worse that has ever come out). I am dumbfounded why some actors keep getting hired, Mannered Blahderick being the leading case.

Having said all of that, I went to 9 to 5 expecting not like it, and I ended up smiling my way through the entire show. Is it a great show ... No, but it never pretends to be. It is a fun filled couple of hours with amazing performances, especially Allison Janney who is perfection, and a charming score. I hope it has a healthy life and runs for a couple of years.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 8:08am

New York Post - Mixed to Positive

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05012009/entertainment/theater/partons_musical_works_167035.htm

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 8:52am

Thanks Shubert. Don't you think they confirm someone looks interested before they switch to that camera? Hah!

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 9:11am

His review was harsher than I would have been, but I can't say I find any of his points "wrong" or irrational. As bitchy as people get on here whenever they disagree with him, I think he's been (mostly) dead on this season.