Alice By Heart (PREVIEWS)- Page 3

[zachvandyke]

Posted: 2/14/19 at 8:02am

Why is the 2nd row of the balcony listed as partial view? Has anyone set up there?

[ChrisC3]

Posted: 2/16/19 at 12:20pm

Has anyone seen the show with Today Tix rush seats?  They are listed as partial view and I'm wondering if anyone can shed a light on how bad or good the partial view seats are.  Thanks for any info you can provide!

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 2/16/19 at 4:55pm

Ok I saw this this afternoon. I tried to go in with a grain of salt after reading all the negative reviews here as I know this board tends to skew anti-Disney. But in this case I pretty much agree with most of what’s already been said here. I feel like I just wasted my money and my time.

First off, the theater was full. So they are selling tickets. When I went to pick up my ticket, they were also handing out free Alice By Heart buttons. So I thought that was nice. I did not see any merchandise offered for sale. I was in Row G and found it to have ample legroom and good sight lines. It’s a very nice, intimate space. Unfortunately, it’s out of the way at 52nd and 10th. The nearest garage I could find was on 54th and 10th. There is street parking but it’s also a residential area. So subway or cab is probably best bet depending on weather.

I thought the music was great but also forgettable. I’m still humming songs from Yiddish Fiddler last night yet I can’t remember anything I heard an hour ago. I also dare say the music was somewhat repetitive in tone.

The cast was great. A lot of talent in this cast and it kind of makes me scratch my head that they would be involved with this. I was not a fan of the wardrobe or the staging. The fact that it was hard to distinguish between the bunker and Wonderland made it harder to follow.

The book is a hot mess and I’m not sure how to fix it. Maybe Alice or a narrator character needs to narrate each sequence before it happens? But even then I’m just not sure what kind of story they are trying to tell. It sounded great on paper but in reality not so much. I also wonder if the ensemble might be a bit too large for this production. If you’re going to see this, I agree you should either watch the movie or read a synopsis of the story before going. I’m a Disney geek but Alice was never one of my favorite stories so even I was lost.

The show also drags quite a bit. I’ve never looked at my watch so many times during a show, the first time being 20 min in.

The audience was pretty low key. There were applause after most songs but more out of habit I think. It was eerily silent in the lobby as the show emptied out. Even the cast wasn’t smiling much at curtain call. I didn’t stage door but I wonder if anyone even came out.

I also found it interesting that very few producers were listed in the Playbill for this. With all the Alice references, I would have thought some mention of Disney would have been there but I didn’t see anything. It’s possible maybe they just didn’t want their name mentioned publicly. I think they did something similar with Peter and the Starcatcher.

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 2/16/19 at 5:01pm

Are you really not aware that Alice in Wonderland is a classic literary work that has spawned a whole industry completely unrelated to the Disney film adaptation?

[perfectliar]

Posted: 2/16/19 at 5:44pm

RWPrincess said: "I also found it interesting that very few producers were listed in the Playbill for this. With all the Alice references, I would have thought some mention of Disney would have been there but I didn’t see anything. It’s possible maybe they just didn’t want their name mentioned publicly. I think they did something similar with Peter and the Starcatcher. "

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass existed for nearly a century before Disney adapted it, including as dozens if prior TV, film, and stage productions.

Also MCC is a nonprofit. Their productions are made possible by donors and subscribers, not necessarily financial backers.

[CarmenA3]

Posted: 2/16/19 at 5:49pm

ChrisC3 said: "Has anyone seen the show with Today Tix rush seats? They are listed aspartial view and I'm wondering if anyone can shed a light on how bad or good the partial view seats are. Thanks for any info you can provide!"

My friend got rush the other day and says it was that front row that the theatre moved all the $30 seats from. She says the stage is very high so you’re always looking up and hard to see action towards the back. She was also scared of getting spit down on LoL 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/16/19 at 5:55pm

Disney has NOTHING to do with this. They dont own Alice, only the image of her that they created.

Its fine you didnt get it/like it....but it hurts your point when your reasons are so Disney-attached.

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 2/16/19 at 6:06pm

dramamama611 said: "Disney has NOTHING to do with this. They dont own Alice, only the image of her that they created.

Its fine you didnt get it/like it....but it hurts your point when your reasons are so Disney-attached."

My mention of Disney had absolutely nothing to do with why I personally didn't enjoy this show. My post mentions the multiple reasons why I didn't enjoy the show. I stated that this board tends to skew anti-Disney and based on the 3 responses to my post that only mentioned Disney and not any of the reasons why I actually disliked the show, I'd say that's an accurate assessment. 

 

[perfectliar]

Posted: 2/16/19 at 8:12pm

RWPrincess said: "dramamama611 said: "Disney has NOTHING to do with this. They dont own Alice, only the image of her that they created.

Its fine you didnt get it/like it....but it hurts your point when your reasons are so Disney-attached."

My mention of Disney had absolutely nothing to do with why I personally didn't enjoy this show. My post mentions the multiple reasons why I didn't enjoy the show.I stated that this board tends to skew anti-Disney and based on the 3 responses to my post that only mentioned Disney and not any of the reasons why I actually disliked the show, I'd say that's an accurate assessment."

What on EARTH are you talking about? Read all the previous reviews. You are the one who brought up Disney. No one who saw it had a negative view because of anything related to Disney. We all commented on your mention of it because it has nothing to do with the show, not because anyone doesn't like Disney musicals.

Updated On: 2/16/19 at 08:12 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/16/19 at 8:18pm

But thats just it: how is there anything anti-Disney when this show has nothing to do with Disney - except for you bringing them up multiple times in your own post?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/16/19 at 8:21pm

RWPrincess said: "dramamama611 said: "Disney has NOTHING to do with this. They dont own Alice, only the image of her that they created.

Its fine you didnt get it/like it....but it hurts your point when your reasons are so Disney-attached."

My mention of Disney had absolutely nothing to do with why I personally didn't enjoy this show. My post mentions the multiple reasons why I didn't enjoy the show.I stated that this board tends to skew anti-Disney and based on the 3 responses to my post that only mentioned Disney and not any of the reasons why I actually disliked the show, I'd say that's an accurate assessment."

What is it with you and bringing Disney into everything (you did the same thing on the Be More Chill Previews thread)? As other have stated, this has particular production is not associated with Disney in any way. 

 

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 2/16/19 at 11:13pm

bwayphreak234 said: "RWPrincess said: "dramamama611 said: "Disney has NOTHING to do with this. They dont own Alice, only the image of her that they created.

Its fine you didnt get it/like it....but it hurts your point when your reasons are so Disney-attached."

My mention of Disney had absolutely nothing to do with why I personally didn't enjoy this show. My post mentions the multiple reasons why I didn't enjoy the show.I stated that this board tends to skew anti-Disney and based on the 3 responses to my post that only mentioned Disney and not any of the reasons why I actually disliked the show, I'd say that's an accurate assessment."

What is it with you and bringing Disney into everything (you did the same thing on the Be More Chill Previews thread)? As other have stated, this has particular production is not associated with Disney in any way."

Everything really? Clearly you aren't familiar with most of my posts on this board then. My opinion of THIS show had nothing to do with Disney. Since they were associated with most recent distribution of Alice related movies and content and since the board in general(not this thread) is not very Disney friendly, I went into this with a grain of salt based on the negative reviews already posted. But I also didn't like the show and I stated my reasons why.

I think I'll refrain from reviewing shows from now on because the posts are not being read thoroughly. I had thought this board was becoming a more welcoming environment in recent weeks but I see that is still not the case. Anytime someone states a different opinion about a show, the first instinct is always to attack the poster rather than allow them to freely state how they feel. 

 

 

[Daddy Warbucks]

Posted: 2/17/19 at 11:17am

RWPrincess: It’s all good. Keep posting your reviews. This is the internet. Keep a thick skin and don’t worry about people who critique your critique. If people don’t like your Disney references, keep it in mind. But also keep in mind that there are thousands of other people on this board who aren’t complaining and who are appreciative of anyone who is willing to share their view points.

Everyone else: Let’s all be more chill.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/17/19 at 3:56pm

But no one was "unchill". People were just pointing out her error and she took it as an attack.

[haterobics]

Posted: 2/17/19 at 4:01pm

RWPrincess said: "Unfortunately, it’s out of the way at 52nd and 10th. The nearest garage I could find was on 54th and 10th."

How is something considered out of the way if you're driving to it, and find a garage two short blocks away?! That's nearly curbside parking for Hell's Kitchen...

[jbird5]

Posted: 2/17/19 at 7:01pm

Just saw that Molly Gordon is Jessie Nelson’s daughter. She is hardly the problem with this show.

Maybe if they had done it Gatz style and just read the book while morphing into the characters.

[mariel9]

Posted: 2/18/19 at 1:49pm

There was an insert in the playbill yesterday that gave a 1-2 sentence description of each character. I wish I'd noticed it before the show because it really would've helped with the "who the hell is the duchess" moments. I liked the show a lot. The book is kind of a mess, but entertaining and more moving than I was expecting.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 2/18/19 at 2:03pm

mariel9 said: "There was an insert in the playbill yesterday that gave a 1-2 sentence description of each character. I wish I'd noticed it before the show because it really would've helped with the "who the hell is the duchess" moments. I liked the show a lot. The book is kind of a mess, but entertaining and more moving than I was expecting."

I cannot believe that instead of fixing the atrocious book, they actually settled to just giving the audience a description of each character. That is ridiculous. The show should be able to communicate that info without any conditions. So irritating. 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/18/19 at 2:03pm

mariel9 said: "There was an insert in the playbill yesterday that gave a 1-2 sentence description of each character. I wish I'd noticed it before the show because it really would've helped with the "who the hell is the duchess" moments. I liked the show a lot. The book is kind of a mess, but entertaining and more moving than I was expecting."

It would have been nice to have had that insert when I saw the show a couple weeks ago...

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 2/18/19 at 3:36pm

VotePeron said: "mariel9 said: "There was an insert in the playbill yesterday that gave a 1-2 sentence description of each character. I wish I'd noticed it before the show because it really would've helped with the "who the hell is the duchess" moments. I liked the show a lot. The book is kind of a mess, but entertaining and more moving than I was expecting."

I cannotbelievethat instead of fixing the atrocious book, they actually settled to just giving the audience a description of each character. That is ridiculous. The show should be able to communicate that info without any conditions. So irritating."

Harry Potter and Natasha Pierre did the same thing. I think that is more for people who aren't familiar with the source material, not a matter of a book writer deciding to write an insert rather than edit the book.

 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/18/19 at 3:40pm

itsjustmejonhotmailcom said: "VotePeron said: "mariel9 said: "There was an insert in the playbill yesterday that gave a 1-2 sentence description of each character. I wish I'd noticed it before the show because it really would've helped with the "who the hell is the duchess" moments. I liked the show a lot. The book is kind of a mess, but entertaining and more moving than I was expecting."

I cannotbelievethat instead of fixing the atrocious book, they actually settled to just giving the audience a description of each character. That is ridiculous. The show should be able to communicate that info without any conditions. So irritating."

Harry Potter and Natasha Pierre did the same thing. I think that is more for people who aren't familiar with the source material, not a matter of a book writer deciding to write an insert rather than edit the book."

As someone very familiar with the Alice In Wonderland stories, I was still completely lost while watching Alice By Heart. 

 

[LuPita2]

Posted: 2/18/19 at 4:02pm

You are not alone, no one should be confused or lost when seeing a show.  Most people around me were confused and/or looking at their watches/phones the whole time anyway.  

[Boston Friend]

Posted: 2/18/19 at 9:51pm

MCC sends a survey if you attend the show. You are required to give your name and contact info to complete the survey.  

[perfectliar]

Posted: 2/19/19 at 9:24am

Boston Friend said: "MCC sends a survey if you attend the show. You are required to give your name and contact info to complete the survey. "

I submitted mine the day after the third preview, and I must not have been the only one who wrote that it was confusing since they're doing that insert now (which obviously isn't a solution, but it would have helped a little when I saw it).

[pac2015]

Posted: 2/19/19 at 5:09pm

Hi, do I have one show lined up each month.  I can certainly skew my budget to also add this show.  Will it be something I regret not seeing?  I know it's a vague question and I read through this thread, but just hoping for any insight.

 

I guess, would a concert or a nice meal be better than getting a ticket?  Thanks