Posted: 3/25/16 at 9:40am
From A8 -- that's practically a rave. 
Posted: 3/25/16 at 9:54am
Ah ok. I live in NJ so I couldn't have gotten them anyway I guess...but where did they announce it? How did you know about it?
Posted: 3/25/16 at 11:12am
It was on all the theater news sites. This one, Playbill, TheaterMania, etc.
Posted: 3/25/16 at 11:17am
That is a bit of a rave for AfterEight. I'm proud to see he is more adventurous than I thought.
I personally like the lyrics in "You Are What You Wear." The rhymes are absurd, but then so is the entire concept of the song, so they seem appropriate given the vapid, not too bright characters singing them, who are trying to pair fashion with food (!). I think we have to look at the song and its lyrics as total satire.
Updated On: 3/25/16 at 11:17 AM
Posted: 3/25/16 at 12:25pm
Does anyone have a list of the songs from the Playbill by any chance?
I've just finished listening to the London cast recording and I love it!!!! Wish I could get to see the show.....
Updated On: 3/25/16 at 12:25 PM
Posted: 3/25/16 at 12:45pm
I was at the first preview last night and think this has all the makings of a hit. Favorite show moments were the business card scene and Cards, You Are What You Wear, the dinner party scene (which I don't want to give away) and the nightclub stuff, which were all choreographed like a music video. It is definitely more surreal and more out there than the film and book, but it works in this context. The show definitely needs some tightening, could probably cut down some of the scenes and probably lose a song (maybe two?), but the bones are there and the audience buzz was palpable. I was really wondering how they would translate the difficult subject matter to the stage and the result was transformative for what a Broadway musical can be. For Benjamin Walker, who I loved in Bloody Bloody, this is his real breakout star turn. The cast is gorgeous, as is the entire production (even the bloody moments are done with a Vogue-like style). My only other criticism was that I couldn't always hear Jen Damiano (and her voice is beautiful) but hopefully that is just a microphone or sound mixing issue. Also, Alice Ripley's role is small but she steals every scene. Helene York is hilarious, same with the guys who play Tim and Paul.
Posted: 3/25/16 at 1:12pm
How was Morgan Weed? I know she is playing Patrick's Girlfriend's best friend who he has an affair with. How big is her role? I saw her in First Wives Club and she was a standout in her smallish role, so I was curious to hear what she was like in this.
Posted: 3/25/16 at 1:12pm
Johnny -- do you think anyone in the cast (aside from Mr. Walker) gives a performance that could sneak in for a Tony nomination?
Posted: 3/25/16 at 1:13pm
I went in not expecting to love it, but I was VERY pleasantly surprised! I think this is my favorite non-Hamilton new musical that I've seen all year.
I saw the movie ~5 years ago and never read the book, but this is a pretty great musical adaptation. (I went with a friend who is obsessed with the book and movie and she loved it.) I thought I would be squeemish from the blood, but it's all done really tastefully. Duncan Sheik's score is incredibly catchy and works so well, the set/projection design looks incredible, and the staging is really slick. Benjamin Walker is giving a star-making performance here. He's onstage almost the entire show and he really anchors the piece. Helene Yorke is also great as the female lead, and Jen Damiano and Alice Ripley are sort of underused but great in their roles. (They have a GREAT scene/song together in act 2.) Also, this cast is SEXY and there is a lot of skin on that stage. Even Alice R shows skin.
It could be cut by 10-15 minutes, but I thought it was really strong for a first preview! (There were a few set change problems but no stops.) 2016 could be the year where Rupert Goold is nominated for 2 Tonys for direction (for both King Charles and this) - I was surprised he hasn't been nominated yet.
*SLIGHT SPOILERS There's also an amazing Les Miz parody moment and a hilarious Tom Cruise moment.*
Updated On: 3/25/16 at 01:13 PM
Posted: 3/25/16 at 1:15pm
There are several first preview reports on ATC this morning as well. All extremely positive. Sounds like this production has a lot going for it.
Posted: 3/25/16 at 1:17pm
gleek4114 said: "How was Morgan Weed? I know she is playing Patrick's Girlfriend's best friend who he has an affair with. How big is her role? I saw her in First Wives Club and she was a standout in her smallish role, so I was curious to hear what she was like in this.
Morgan was terrific. Her role is not huge, but she nails the archetype of a late 80's privileged Manhattanite and has two or three of the funniest lines in the show.
Posted: 3/25/16 at 1:27pm
QueenAlice said: "Johnny -- do you think anyone in the cast (aside from Mr. Walker) gives a performance that could sneak in for a Tony nomination?
Not sure yet but probably. The other showy supporting roles in this are Helene Yorke (Evelyn) and Drew Morelein (Paul) and Theo Stockman (Tim). Maybe Jen Damiano (Jean) who is the innocent, beauty to the beast, heart of the story. But it's really Ben - he is almost the entire show - to call it a leading role is an understatement, it is THE role.
Posted: 3/25/16 at 1:53pm
So happy to hear these great first night reports, rooting for this show.
Posted: 3/25/16 at 1:55pm
If Benjamin Walker gets nominated for Lead Actor in a Musical, who could he potentially bump out (unless there's a tie in the nominating process)?
Alex Brightman?
Danny Burstein?
Zachary Levi?
Lin-Manuel Miranda?
Leslie Odom, Jr.?
Updated On: 3/25/16 at 01:55 PM
Posted: 3/25/16 at 2:05pm
I tend to agree..but it could easily be Brightman. His show opened a while ago, and he's since quietly scaled back to 6 performances a week.
Also don't forget we still have Shuffle Along, Tuck Everlasting, and Waitress to open- I assume there will be leading male performances in those shows as well. The only real locks at this point are Burstein, obviously, and probably Lin-Manuel and Leslie.
Define skin. Lots of talk about skin, a lot of skin, etc. in this thread. Any actual nudity?
Posted: 3/25/16 at 2:12pm
After Eight said: "An arch song relating food to fashion designers raises a few eyebrows. One lyric attempted to rhyme creme de menthe, here pronounced "menta," with Oscar de la Renta. Ouch."
I hated that this rhyme existed on the cast album. All I could think was "maybe Duncan Sheik doesn't know how to pronounce creme de menthe?"
Posted: 3/25/16 at 2:15pm
There's no leading male in Waitress. Not really.
Posted: 3/25/16 at 2:36pm
From what I've heard, Brian Strokes Mitchell and Brandon Victor Dixon, who are the leads in Shuffle Along, aren't show-stopping in any way. This is a year full of talented people and phenomenal shows, so I think that a lot of shows will be shut out (Tuck Everlasting, Allegiance, etc.)
Posted: 3/25/16 at 3:15pm
I think the up hill battle AP might face is that the story is not the sort of thing general audiences are likely to cozy up to. Audiences for the film certainly didn't. It lost money domestically and after international sales, made something like $32M on a $17M budget. I'm happy to hear reports from those who admire it and wish them all the best.
Posted: 3/25/16 at 3:32pm
Posted: 3/25/16 at 3:36pm
MarsBars said: "I tend to agree..but it could easily be Brightman. His show opened a while ago, and he's since quietly scaled back to 6 performances a week.
Also don't forget we still have Shuffle Along, Tuck Everlasting, and Waitress to open- I assume there will be leading male performances in those shows as well. The only real locks at this point are Burstein, obviously, and probably Lin-Manuel and Leslie.
Define skin. Lots of talk about skin, a lot of skin, etc. in this thread. Any actual nudity?
"
Not really. One of the prostitutes and Helene York both wear see through shirts at one point but other than that, no.
Posted: 3/25/16 at 3:55pm
CATS, point well taken. But still, stories about serial killers are still a niche market. The finale of Dexter was it's highest rated episode with 2.8M viewers. Not exactly blockbuster status.
Posted: 3/25/16 at 4:05pm
It seems to be selling well thus far, and Bway audiences aren't normally phased by this kind of thing (Sweeney gets done in high schools all the time!)
Posted: 3/25/16 at 4:24pm
I don't know that American Psycho is as well written as Sweeney Todd though.
