ANASTASIA Previews- Page 8

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 10:25am

I think people 'dissect' shows that they didn't enjoy. They are interested in why it didn't work for them. If you have a great time at Anastasia, you won't analyze it. I love the book Not Since Carrie because it's interesting to look at the nuts and bolts of flawed shows. 

 I get that, of course, but the point I was trying to make is that people won't like certain shows because they dissect them. Don't get me wrong, I love reading others' opinions of shows, good or bad, but I think that such intense scrutiny is sometimes misguided. As far as my experience at ANASTASIA is concerned, I enjoyed it because I chose to take it at face value.

 

 

[ALittleFallofRain]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 10:37am

I totally disagree that putting the first encounter between the Dowager and Anya offstage is a mistake. First, by putting that scene offstage, it makes the actual reunion scene the most important one in the show. When I saw it in Hartford, I recall being really taken with the writing in that moment. I was so glad the team committed to keeping it a book scene. The acting that Mary Beth Peil and Christy brought to it was gorgeous. Can't wait to see what they've done with it in NY.

Second, by putting the first encounter offstage, it allows us a moment to get to know what makes Dmitry tick. (Which, I think, was woefully left out of the animated movie.) Everything to Win is a lovely song and, really, I'm a huge Derek fan so I might be a little biased. 

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 1:04pm

CT2NYC said: "I get that, of course, but the point I was trying to make is that people won't like certain shows because they dissect them. Don't get me wrong, I love reading others' opinions of shows, good or bad, but I think that such intense scrutiny is sometimes misguided. As far as my experience at ANASTASIA is concerned, I enjoyed it because I chose to take it at face value.

"

So you're saying you enjoyed Anastasia because there's no depth to the show that needs analyzing? I dissect all shows I see, the ones I like and the ones I don't like. If there's nothing to dissect, that's the worst offense as those shows tend to be bland and forgettable. To say people are not liking a show because they are dissecting them is 100% correct - after analysis and thoughtful conversation, they have come to the conclusion that they don't like it. Others will come to a conclusion that they do like it, maybe even love it. For me, analyzing a theatrical production is my favorite aspect of going to the theater. 

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 2:27pm

CT2NYC said: "I saw tonight's preview, and I enjoyed it very much. The animated film version of ANASTASIA is one of my favorite non-Disney animated musicals, and I think the show does a great job of capturing its spirit."

I'm curious, because I sense that you and I have similar tastes - did you sit there thinking you were in a Disney show the whole time? Does it feel "kid-focused"? I have tickets for a Sunday afternoon at the end of April and I'm becoming somewhat terrified that the theatre is going to look like a day care center. 

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 3:05pm

I'm curious, because I sense that you and I have similar tastes - did you sit there thinking you were in a Disney show the whole time? Does it feel "kid-focused"? I have tickets for a Sunday afternoon at the end of April and I'm becoming somewhat terrified that the theatre is going to look like a day care center. 

To me, it didn't feel like a Disney show, mainly because it departs just enough from the original narrative to make it more "adult." I know some have complained about the book, but I think it's quite good, accessible but not "dumbed down." Also, Caroline O'Connor gives a wonderful performance that should play very well to longtime musical theatre fans. I've liked her since MOULIN ROUGE, and I thought her "Velma" in CHICAGO was nearly as good as Bebe's, so I was very happy to see her again. I expect she'll be nominated for a Tony as Best Featured Actress. Now, as far as the audience being overrun with children, I'm not sure how that will be, but I'm assuming it will skew adult until summer vacation. You'll have to let me know how it goes.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 3:19pm

To those who saw it last night/night before: Did they changed the ballet dress from blue to black? Someone told me it's a black dress now, which would be so confusing on why they switched the iconic movie dress again? 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 3:29pm

Caroline O'Connor is a great performer but I have no idea why people are saying she's going to get nominated for this. She barely does anything.

Maybe your friend is color blind, disneybroadway.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 3:38pm

^Yeah he said he doesn't remember what the dress he looked like, but he was sure it was black. I showed him the movie dress. He said it could be it, but he doesn't remember overall.

i think Caroline could be nominated. She does strongly in her song and is a riot with john

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 3:53pm

Right but Mary Beth Peil is also in this show. So.

[BwayDreamer00]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 8:26pm

I'm starting to get a bit concerned with some of these early pretty negative reviews...I LOVED the movie Anastasia especially the music but when I look on here all I see is "the music was boring and dull" "it was so lackluster" "there was no chemistry between anyone" like should I not go see it? When I heard it was coming to the stage I was SO EXCITED!!! But all of these picky very critical reviews are kind of worry some....but didn't it win best musical in Hartford? 

[Malka2]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 8:38pm

I just spent an hour - literally an hour - writing a post of my review of the show, and my internet cut out and I lost the whole thing.

It's a beautiful show, but it's not strong. The story needs a lot of work to reach the potential it can hit.

Gahhhh, can't believe I lost that post...

[froote]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 9:15pm

BwayDreamer00 said: "I'm starting to get a bit concerned with some of these early pretty negative reviews...I LOVED the movie Anastasia especially the music but when I look on here all I see is "the music was boring and dull" "it was so lackluster" "there was no chemistry between anyone" like should I not go see it? When I heard it was coming to the stage I was SO EXCITED!!! But all of these picky very critical reviews are kind of worry some....but didn't it win best musical in Hartford?"

VERY critical? Most of these reports are positive and the ones that aren't lean more towards being apathetic rather than outright hating it. There aren't many shows that get a universally positive response here.

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 9:30pm

BwayDreamer00 said: "I'm starting to get a bit concerned with some of these early pretty negative reviews...I LOVED the movie Anastasia especially the music but when I look on here all I see is "the music was boring and dull" "it was so lackluster" "there was no chemistry between anyone" like should I not go see it? When I heard it was coming to the stage I was SO EXCITED!!! But all of these picky very critical reviews are kind of worry some....but didn't it win best musical in Hartford? 

Froote has it right: there have been some positive reviews, and some mediocre ones. No really nasty ones, and the negative/mediocre ones seem to say they just weren't drawn in, rather than loathing it. That said, most of the people I know (and those I've seen on here) who are fans of the movie have liked or loved the show, if that's reassuring at all. 

 

[Malka2]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 9:36pm

BwayDreamer, it's definitely worth seeing. It's a beautiful show and enjoyable evening. 

That being said, the show needs some definite work to get any kind of long run.

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/31/17 at 8:24am

CT2NYC said: "...as far as the audience being overrun with children, I'm not sure how that will be, but I'm assuming it will skew adult until summer vacation. You'll have to let me know how it goes."

The audience on a Sunday afternoon is my primary concern. People's behavior in public is abysmal these days; my husband and I have gotten to the point where we almost never go to movies anymore because we don't want to deal with the talking, eating, phone calls, texting, Facebook-ing, and screaming children. Broadway theatres managed to operate in their own universe for many years, remaining relatively untouched by such crass behavior, but it's even creeping into this last bastion of decorum now. A matinee filled with misbehaved kids is one of my worst nightmares.

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/31/17 at 8:26am

Malka2 said: "I just spent an hour - literally an hour - writing a post of my review of the show, and my internet cut out and I lost the whole thing.

It's a beautiful show, but it's not strong. The story needs a lot of work to reach the potential it can hit.

Gahhhh, can't believe I lost that post..."

That is SO frustrating! If I may offer a suggestion for composing anything of length, do it in something like Notepad and save regularly, then copy/paste your text into the website when you're done. Especially with this site, because you never know when it's going to go all wonky.

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/31/17 at 8:55am

 



 CT2NYC wrote:

 

"the point I was trying to make is that people won't like certain shows because they dissect them... but I think that such intense scrutiny is sometimes misguided."

 

I get your point, and I agree with it wholeheartedly. This clinical approach to theatregoing is wholly alien to me. It's like analyzing the meaning of each word in a sentence without even seeing or understanding the meaning and value of the sentence as a whole. The theatre is a place in which to experience magic, not some biology lab in which to dissect and examine a specimen with a scalpel and a microscope.

I sometimes wonder why those of the "analytical" school even go to the theatre. Is it to enjoy the experience, or to focus on every detail so as to run back here and write thesis-length reports on them?

In the end, it's not seeing the forest for the trees. Personally, I am awed and uplifted by the beauty of the forest; I'm not interested in examining each tree for a knothole here or a desiccated branch there.

 

 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/31/17 at 9:55am

As someone who enjoys analyzing and dissecting shows I don't think doing so is either detrimental to my enjoyment or keeps me from seeing the forest for the trees. I think it's just as interesting to dissect a show I love like Follies or Most Happy Fella as it is to figure out what makes me not take to certain show.

One can go to a Shakespeare play and enjoy it as a whole, but it can be even more enriching to pull out the text and see line by line how brilliantly the syntax plays out or marvel at the wordplay and carefully counted out syllables. The craft of fine play writing or lyric writing can titillate just as much as a production number or thrilling dramatic performance.  

I'm not a "casual" theatergoer- it's a deep passion and perhaps even obsession. I can't just "casually" view something. I think craft is important, regardless of the genre.

Passing Strange is one of my favorite shows of all times. I sat down one afternoon and pored over a copy of the script and even after seeing the show 7 times(!) I feel like I unlocked so much more than I ever knew existed and admired Stew's achievement even more.

I think when I see a show and don't enjoy it or don't enjoy certain elements it's only natural to examine why those elements didn't work for. And a site like BWW, which has message boards to facilitate discussion and analysis, is a natural place to get into the nitty-gritty of what makes a show work or not work- discussions that might be inappropriate at a dinner party or at happy hour with co-workers, but one would think would be welcome with other fellow theater lovers/addicts. 

Just my two cents!

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 3/31/17 at 10:13am

^^^^ (ETA I am replying to After Eight's post here, not Whizzer's. The latter and I are in agreement on this topic and were posting at the same time.)

Would you tell a physicist to ignore everything she knows about the cosmos and simply soak in the romance of the summer night sky? Only in a cheesy rom-com. The Milky Way is much more than a fireworks show to those who study it.

And since so many of us here have made a career or serious hobby out of the theater, it's to be expected we carry with us what we know of art and craft.

There's nothing wrong with others who view the stars as a purely aesthetic experience. There's nothing wrong with just appreciating the sheer schmaltz of a good (maybe great) production of HELLO, DOLLY! either.

What is not fair (or useful) is to condemn every play that demands greater concentration to fully appreciate its themes, or to insist that those who are aware of the mechanics of play construction must be ruining their evenings. Some people enjoy being surprised by a plot twist; others may know the twist is coming (there are finite possibilities), but still enjoy charting how the playwright erects the path his characters and audience will follow.

SPOILER:

What I'd like to know is how they musicalize the laboratory scene where DNA proves that that Anastasia did indeed die in that Siberian basement with the Czar and Czarina?
 

 

Updated On: 3/31/17 at 10:13 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 3/31/17 at 10:39am

I think figuring out why you think things are good or bad, or why things work or don't, is essential to developing a more sophisticated ability to appreciate things and think critically. Being able to back up your opinions is a useful skill.  

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 3/31/17 at 10:59am

Lot666 said:

The audience on a Sunday afternoon is my primary concern. People's behavior in public is abysmal these days; my husband and I have gotten to the point where we almost never go to movies anymore because we don't want to deal with the talking, eating, phone calls, texting, Facebook-ing, and screaming children. Broadway theatres managed to operate in their own universe for many years, remaining relatively untouched by such crass behavior, but it's even creeping into this last bastion of decorum now. A matinee filled with misbehaved kids is one of my worst nightmares.

I feel your pain. When I go to the movies these days, I just assume that I'll have to deal with some kind of distraction. If I don't, it's a pleasant surprise. If I do, it can ruin my whole experience, especially if take it upon myself to confront the offender directly. It's a shame that we have to deal with the same kind of rudeness in Broadway theaters. One would think that audience members take into consideration the fact that others have spent hundreds of dollars to be there when choosing how to behave, as well as how they allow their children to behave. Clearly, some just don't care. Regardless of day or time, it can be a crap shoot. Here's hoping you have a pleasant and headache-free experience when you see the show!

 

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/31/17 at 1:56pm

"discussions that might be inappropriate at a dinner party or at happy hour with co-workers, but one would think would be welcome with other fellow theater lovers/addicts."

 

First, not every member of this board is a theatre addict, or even a theatre lover. Perhaps one might just be a fan of a certain performer or composer. Yet whenever people come on here, for whatever reason, they are no less members of this community than those who see shows every night. And their thoughts  are not necessarily of any less value, either. In fact, I've met many occasional theatregoers who display far greater critical acumen than some of the regular, long-winded "analysts" here.

"discussions that might be inappropriate at a dinner party"

Might I also dare suggest that we would all be better off if people behaved as if we were indeed at a dinner party? That way, we would have less party poops! Obviously, there are those who enjoy playing that role, for reasons known (or unknown) only to themselves. But I find their presence most inopportune.

Anyhow, to get back to Anastasia, I am glad to see that there are people responding favorably to this show, especially younger people. They represent the future of our theatre. And we are all far better off with musicals like Anastasia than those of the pretentious, tuneless, obnoxious variety that weigh our theatre down, and personally, give me a headache.
 

Updated On: 3/31/17 at 01:56 PM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/31/17 at 2:46pm

First, I never said everyone here was a theater addict or even lover. I merely stated that the venue of a BWW chat board was a more natural place for theater addicts and lovers to dissect the details of a show than a dinner party or happy hour with co-workers. Of course everyone's opinion is welcome here, from Broadway neophyte to the aged veterans on this board. The interesting cross-section of posters is one of things that makes this place so interesting. 

I'm in agreement that I'm glad young people are enjoying the theater. May they also be enjoying Sunday in the Park, Come From Away, War Paint, Oslo, Doll's House 2 and The Great Comet. That said, it's not a bad thing to develop a critical eye when seeing a show. It would be impossible to love and worship every show one sees anyway. Critical thinking should be applauded- not discouraged. 

[BroadwayLuv2]

Posted: 3/31/17 at 3:05pm

Anty word on if Standing room has ever been offered?

[carnzee]

Posted: 3/31/17 at 3:38pm

To Whizzer : When I was In highschool I borrowed this big, beautiful book about musicals from my teacher. I wish I could remember the name of it, but in it the author analyzed Hello, Dolly! and explained what made the show work, from the book to the score to the legendary Gower Champion staging. It made me respect it in a whole new way, and it made me realize that light, comedic shows are just as hard to get right as heavy dramatic shows . When I get to see the current revival, I probably will just sit back and enjoy, and having read an analysis won't effect my enjoyment in any negative way.