Posted: 10/4/22 at 10:25am
Psyched to see Jordan’s enthusiasm for this. We’ve got our tix for Monday Oct 24 figuring any new show could use a couple weeks of previews to iron out any bumps (which Jordan suggests they’ve already done)— and just heads up that this show has Monday performances for most of its preview period. Win win.
Posted: 10/4/22 at 10:33am
Thanks for your enthusiastic review Jordan. I am so psyched up for this 'cuz ALMOST FAMOUS is one of my all-time favorite movies. I was soooo worried that they wouldn't be able to pull this off on stage - but apparently they did, and if it were anyone else posting their review I would have taken it with a grain of salt, but I trust your judgement and we more or less have the same taste.
I am working on scoring some tix for this from one of my sources - if it doesn't pan out I will go ahead and just purchase a ticket myself.
Hoping this show is a success.
Updated On: 10/4/22 at 10:33 AM
Posted: 10/4/22 at 10:45am
So happy to hear positive things about this musical. I also adored the movie, and was wondering how this adaptation would be. I’m hoping this is like the Full Monty musical adaptation, where I did not have high expectations but thought the musical was a great reinterpretation of the movie, and the music/lyrics were really good.
AF is my favorite Cameron Crowe movie, and I love that early 70’s period of music, so I’m hoping I enjoy it. Love that the Russell character is somewhat based on Glenn Frey…
I also enjoyed his show Roadies, which was a bit uneven, but definitely had that same sensibility and was a fun watch with great musical cameos.
Looking forward to seeing this soon! Thanks for the review Jordan.
Updated On: 10/4/22 at 10:45 AM
Posted: 10/4/22 at 10:59am
I hate to be a dissenting opinion, but I was there last night and am far less positive. I’ve always ranked Almost Famous as one of my all time favorite films, and to me this didn’t live up to it as an adaptation.
My biggest issue has to do with why this exists. Cameron Crowe appears to have changed no aspect of the story other than to have original music here. His soundtrack to the original film is so iconic I wonder if maybe a jukebox musical would have been smarter. Tom Kitt’s score while pleasant, just isn’t very period, and to me just didn’t hold up to something like Tiny Dancer. The first opening song sounds like any other pop musical song from the past ten years which did not take me to 1973. The source material is so steeped in nostalgia that you want to be transported back to the time, and I never felt that with this show.
As far as the cast, since this is basically word for word to the film, you can’t help but compare to the film. Anika Larsen, just can’t hold a candle to Frances McDormand. Frances is a force of nature Anika barely registered for me, despite having a lot of stage time. Rob Colletti is by far the best cast-wise who absolutely nails the Philipp Seymour Hoffman role. I thought Solea Pfeiffer and William Miller were pretty good. Miller definitely has the charm that Patrick Fugit did in the film.
The design I have to say was fairly ugly and often cheap. There’s a scene in act two with one of the few songs I really liked that involved a series of doors revolving around that I still don’t fully understand what the point was. The iconic plane scene from the movie did not work at all for me but I also think that there was definitely some tech issues going on there so I don’t think I can judge that fully.
There’s one moment where I felt the show came to life for a brief second towards the end where the lead character finally writes the real article on the band with flashbacks of what happened before and all the moving pieces come together. I felt for that brief scene it was the show I wanted.
Overall, I really, really wanted to like this more, but I felt like it didn’t justify being a musical. I’d recommend watching the movie at home instead.
Posted: 10/4/22 at 12:37pm
Thanks for the great review Dave. And it's definitely not the "dissenting opinion" as if the other one is the deciding vote for people to go or not. Anyone who declares BF "a star" in a musical and says Gettin' The Band Back Together "will be here for quite a long time" isn't really someone I'd trust with any opinion about a show. When everything is a rave nothing is, you know? Anyways, thanks again for breaking it all down, much appreciated.
Posted: 10/4/22 at 1:18pm
There's also people who rarely, if ever, post on things they don't enjoy and only choose to post on things they do. I fully stand by what a great time I had at "Gettin' the Band..." and if you go read how I amended my "Funny Girl" post, it'll give some insight there. But whether or not you choose to is something I honestly don't care about.
There's also people who will always have multiple screen names to post every opinion and to try to get peoples attention for years on end. The internet is a funny place and people who enjoy things others don't will always exist and their opinions are never any less valid than the people who offer differing opinions.
A few recent things I absolutely adore for various reasons, that others didn't -
"American Psycho"
"Gettin' the Band Back Together"
"Groundhog Day"
"Hands on a Hardbody"
And several others. But again, this is one of the reasons I don't post here often anymore. Not specifically because of one or two users but because people (now more than ever, oddly) feel their opinion is the be all and end all of opinions. This is a public message board where THE PUBLIC writes their opinions. After posting last night, I immediately thought "Christ, I shouldn't have posted because now it's gonna be an onslaught of people who hate this and try to make me feel like I'm wrong for loving it as much as I did".
Theater is art, people. People view a piece of art differently for a myriad of reasons that run the gamut from personal experiences to their mood for the day and a million things in between. Telling someone their opinion on art is "wrong" is one of the most ridiculous things that anyone can ever do. And saying "I don't trust your opinion" is perfectly fine - there's a lot of people I don't really trust their opinions on but to go out of your way to let them know is exactly why this board has become a place I don't frequent much.
I loved this show last night and if the reviews come out saying it's worse than "Carrie" and proof that the American Musical Theater is dead, I'll STILL have loved the show.
Posted: 10/4/22 at 1:32pm
I went last night have mixed opinions but overall I had a great time! My standouts were Drew Gehling as Jeff Bebe and Rob Colletti as Lester Bangs. Casey Likes, Solea Pfeiffer and Chris Wood were great for it being their Broadway debuts but I feel just need time to get more into the character and get comfortable on stage. I had trouble hearing Casey at certain moments and I felt Chris need to play more to the crowd or people in the back. I agree the set was a little disappointing, especially the scenes with all the doors I wanted them to think of something else. The first song wasn’t the strongest but there was some good ones in there. Overall it’s what I thought it would be with a movie to musical adaption. Got to say I am a fan of the merch, I don’t love everything but they have some cute things!
Posted: 10/4/22 at 1:37pm
Thanks Lauren, really enjoyed reading your thoughts. I just saw a photo of the set and I'd have to agree. And as someone who loves merch, I linked the website where they officially sell it. Did they have more things at the theater, though? Thanks in advance!
Almost Famous Merch
Posted: 10/4/22 at 2:29pm
They did! But they also didn’t have the biggest stock of items. They had a fun zip up that has working on the front, side and back which I got. They have a magnet and mug!
Posted: 10/4/22 at 2:41pm
I won lottery tix for tomorrow eve, but I decided not to pay for the seats based on these mixed reviews.
My concerns are justified. Since it was very easy to win lottery early on (a rarity for me), I don’t think this is making it past the holidays.
I just can’t imagine what the audience is for Almost Famous.
Posted: 10/4/22 at 3:26pm
I really don't understand this board sometimes. Someone is excited and has positive thoughts about a show and gets ridiculed? And then someone else has more mixed views and their opinion is celebrated because....I don't know? We're rooting against this show for some reason? Make it make sense.
Thank you to EVERYONE for their reviews and thoughts. I enjoy reading them all.
Posted: 10/4/22 at 3:39pm
Dylan Smith4 said: "I am now really considering adding this to my list! I don't know when I will get a chance to see it, but the music sounds great from what I heard. Jordan is this worth the prices I saw on Telecharge? I just wanna be sure before I spend over $200 for a ticket (money is tight for me right now)."
Based on Jordan's feedback, I finally got tickets on Today-Tix for $112 ('side' front mezzanine and there are still plenty of good side front mezzanine seats available), including fees. I had been on the fence just because i have a limited number of slots on this trip (6) and already had purchased four tickets: Leopoldstadt, Piano Lesson, Funny Girl, Death of a Salesman, and have decided to try rush on The Music Man (both times I had real tickets for it, HJ got Covid). I wanted to see another musical, had recently seen Phantom in great seats, and just can't get excited about ITW or any of the other long-runs, so his feedback did it for me.
But my point...I got front mezzanine seats for $112 at Today-tix.
Posted: 10/4/22 at 3:54pm
EDSOSLO858 said: "I won lottery tix for tomorrow eve, but I decided not to pay for the seats based on these mixed reviews.
My concerns are justified. Since it was very easy to win lottery early on (a rarity for me), I don’t think this is making it past the holidays.
I just can’t imagine what the audience is forAlmost Famous.
I can't fathom why you wouldn't just see the show for yourself and form your own opinion rather than pass on reasonably priced lottery tickets based on a handful of first preview reviews. And to say your concerns are justified because of an easy lottery win is ridiculous. You are not the arbiter of what will and won't succeed on Broadway.
"
Posted: 10/4/22 at 4:24pm
"Do you know how to take a film (one of the best films ever made) that is so centered around some of the best music ever made, ditch that music and write your own without losing what made that film so great? Cameron Crowe and Tom Kitt apparently do."
That is a disappointment to me until I hear the music from the show. I loved not only the iconic songs written from people like the "Simon & Garfunkel", "Ian Anderson", "Todd Rundgren, "Robert Plant & Jimmy Page" but the original songs Cameron Crowe and Nancy Wilson wrote for the band "Stillwater"
"Ever since hearing this was going to be a musical my thoughts were A) Interesting. A film about music certainly lends itself to the medium. B) This is a STUPID idea the film is about THAT music and you can’t mess with that. C) I can’t wait to see this. "
I thought this was great idea for a show and my only concern was adapting it to the stage. For example, how well would they do the iconic plane scene.
"This cast is also uniformly so perfect, evoking the looks of the actors who played them in the film (for the most part) and it works PERFECTLY. Crowe’s book is akin to Tina Dey’s masterful “Mean Girls” book, in the sense that everything that should be in there is there and what works on film but not on stage is adapted perfectly, and new material matches the old with that same perfection. "
Sounds great and hoping to get to NYC by the end of the year to see it.
Updated On: 10/4/22 at 04:24 PM
Posted: 10/4/22 at 5:43pm
The person who runs the fomofeed Instagram HATED HATED it. They used the words "empty" and said many of the lyrics were "laughable."
Posted: 10/4/22 at 5:47pm
I like the Playbill.
Updated On: 10/4/22 at 05:47 PM
Posted: 10/4/22 at 5:49pm
Wait they took out the Stillwater songs....like why?
Posted: 10/4/22 at 6:04pm
Jordan sees so many shows and likes what he likes, he doesn't follow what others say, he gives his opinion. Trying to stamp on his opinion because he liked a couple of shows that others didn't is disgusting. And American Psycho still remains one of my faves, as does Groundhog Day.
Posted: 10/4/22 at 6:05pm
songanddanceman2 said: "Jordan sees so many shows and likes what he likes, he doesn't follow what others say, he gives his opinion. Trying to stamp on his opinion because he liked a couple of shows that others didn't is disgusting. And American Psycho still remains one of my faves, as does Groundhog Day."
There are a lot of shows that I like/love (Groundhog Day is one of them) -- but me liking them doesn't make them good.
Posted: 10/4/22 at 6:16pm
dave1606 said:
"My biggest issue has to do with why this exists. Cameron Crowe appears to have changed no aspect of the story other than to have original music here. His soundtrack to the original film is so iconic I wonder if maybe a jukebox musical would have been smarter. Tom Kitt’s score while pleasant, just isn’t very period, and to me just didn’t hold up to something like Tiny Dancer. The first opening song sounds like any other pop musical song from the past ten years which did not take me to 1973."
I think you hit the nail on the head here. Sounds like they didn't do much work on it since the pre-broadway run at Old Globe. I found Tom Kitt's score unmemorable with exception of the top of Act 2 song which I hope is still there sung by the mother teaching a college class. "Rock N Rollers kidnapped my son"
Posted: 10/4/22 at 6:25pm
HenryTDobson said: "I really don't understand this board sometimes. Someone is excited and has positive thoughts about a show and gets ridiculed? And then someone else has more mixed views and their opinion is celebrated because....I don't know? We're rooting against this show for some reason? Make it make sense.
Thank you to EVERYONE for their reviews and thoughts. I enjoy reading them all."
All I’ll say is there are a couple of unpleasant people here that make After Eight (if anyone remembers him) look like Mother Teresa who act like they are chairing the conversation. I try to just ignore them where I can.
Updated On: 10/4/22 at 06:25 PM
Posted: 10/4/22 at 6:26pm
I feel if you are going to quote the fomofeed on Instagram you should state what they said before they posted what they thought of the production. I can help with that: "I caught the first preview of this last night. A couple of cavets: I'm not typically a fan of commercial theater (I've tried! I really have). I'm a mild fan of the movie (it's an especially great one to watch on an airplace). I had extrememely low expectations going in."
So I really wouldn't base any validity on how this is going to play out with their take on it. I will be honest, it does baffle me that many people just want to see this fail. It's not just now, there has been negativity for a while. I saw this in San Diego 3 years ago and loved it and really think it can excel in today's broadway!
Posted: 10/4/22 at 11:01pm
Another dissenting opinion here. I thought this was a bit of a mess. The songs are okay, the lyrics pretty basic, the book is fine, and the production gets a bit messy. Great performances though, especially from Solea Pfeiffer. Wanted to love this and I enjoy the movie (though not a crazy fan or anything).
For running time. It started at about 8:05 and got done at 10:50. Also, I grabbed a single rush seat at 3:00 this afternoon in the fifth row. Marked as partial view though I didn’t miss anything. Though you can see backstage and there is a lot happening back there.
Posted: 10/4/22 at 11:26pm
I sincerely enjoyed this. Yes, the song "Everybody's Coming Together" is awwwwful but the other songs more than make up for that especially "The Night-Time Sky's Got Nothing On You". The chemistry between Solea and Chris is insane, and was almost as intense as Billy and Kate in the film. The fact that he looks so similar to Billy does not hurt either. Yummy. This feels tight and already put together as a fully realized show. Obviously, San Diego helped all those years ago.
The sets are a mixed bag for me, some looked cheap looking and some looking pretty decent. I loved the lighting and the sound mixing was impressive. I did not think Drew would be able to pull off Jeff but he nailed it. Overall, a fun evening and I think this will be successful because the TikTok children are broke, Gen Z doesn't know this film, and millennials (like me!) cherish it. We all know older people have more money and can spend it on premium tickets. We shall see how it does in the long term.
"I just can’t imagine what the audience is for Almost Famous." Post 34
And young Jordan, if you have to ask, it's not for you. I think you were like minus two years old when it came out though, so I get it 
Goodnight, All.
Updated On: 10/4/22 at 11:26 PM
Posted: 10/5/22 at 12:41am
This all sounds like a money grab and a hard pass
