America Olivio Let's On That Spider-Man Isn't The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread — Page 2

Alright, off topic, I didn't say "shouldn't be critical" I just said such massive animosity towards people who actually try to DO something as opposed to arm chair quarter back sucks sometimes. Being critical of art is imperative but the Spidey bandwagon is...well...a bandwagon.

It's so easy for anonymous people and sad_chubby_guy123 to condemn something and make broad statements about how these people should go to hell. Good or bad, at least these artists are out there doing it. And to be fair, yes the shows wouldn't exist if there wasn't audience an fans but it's still no reason just burn and pillage a show verbally and in writing because you simply don't prefer it.

And there's no gun to anyones head about ticket prices. If there wasn't a demand, supply would die out.

The thing that really irks me (get ready to pile on here, folks!) is that a lot of you think a preview is less valid than a regular performance.

As an equity actor, I can tell you that none of us takes a preview performance as if it were "a glorified dress rehearsal." There's an audience. It's real. You treat it as an actual performance because it is one. And before the masses yell "what have you done?!" It's all regional, a tour, and one off-Broadway show, so yes...meaningless to half of you. Must not actually BE an actor then. :) 30 second cameo on SVU?? That's it?! What an asshat! (and uncageg, I assure you this is said in jest, I'm not losing my **** here.)

As for these guys, you're seeing the same pro-level equity performers and union stage managers, crews, and musicians in a Broadway theater that you will when it opens. Will the ending change? Probably. Will there be cuts and / or other changes? Probably. Are these people phoning it in and sleep walking through the show? Hell no. Just because the show changes doesn't mean you're getting less of an experience. Why should you pay less? They're the real deal. In terms of the theater we have in New York, it's just about the highest level you can find....why do people feel like if a song might get cut, they're entitled to treat the experience like it's half-assed?

I'm not saying your required to love everything that comes out. Nor that you can't critique it. You should.

But in this case, there's just a mob-mentality-bandwagon-dickery as if Taymor and her cast punched a baby while it had its back turned that I can't quite wrap my head around.

"The thing that really irks me (get ready to pile on here, folks!) is that a lot of you think a preview is less valid than a regular performance."

So then please explain to us how it is professional to put a show on in front of a paying audience that has never been run through from start to finish and didn't even have an ending written yet.
Is that the new standard we should expect? Is that good for broadway?
I've been posting on these boards since the broadway.com days and I don't think I've railed against a show like this before. I've seen some bad shows...I'm looking at you Dance of the Vampirs and In My Life...but I've never left the theater angry before.

Gotta be honest Erik, I don't know because I didn't see what you saw.

I can tell you from my own experience that a lot of times rehearsals run long and your first and second run throughs can end up being with preview audiences. That does happen. On my end I have no clue what it takes to put up a show like this or what kind of hurdles they have to jump over day to day. That's on them, yeah..but I don't know what it takes.

But I actually totally agree with you...Broadway should be held to the highest standard possible. And i've walked out of some stuff angry before, too. It's the point where the critiques go from angry about it and unhappy with the content to snarky, ugly, and downright mean to even personal that's just like....relax. It's musical.

Really Rob? I can't write " **** " on this board but I can write bandwagon-dickery? :)

Well said Taz. Most of my anger is directed at the Producers though. Lord knows the actors on that stage deserve better.

Well yea, no one expects her to come and say that the show sucks. But there is an entire spectrum of responses that could be given other than "I acknowledge that people have expressed certain misgivings but I choose to ignore them" (paraphrased)

I mean it's better to just say nothing.

Plus actions (or inactions in this case) speak louder than words.

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Amen brother (er...or sister?). I'm with you.

But check out how we just had a normal discourse as opposed to 'that sucks! tee-hee LOL"

Wasn't that hard...if you and I can pull it off, surely some professional writers and producers could do it too.

But now, they can say, "See?! We've put together a focus group!"


"We can't really know what's going on in her head"

But Scott Briefer can.

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I really wish I could hear what the poor souls who only see Act II think.

The fact that the "focus groups" are only seeing one half of the show is as patently absurd as anything else surrounding this show. Useless.

I also noticed she couldn't say the name "TV Carpio".

"Spider-Man was very prepared for the safety! 98% of her performance was her being flown and she never got any rehearsal time in the role!!!!!! WOW!"

This is actually not out of the ordinary or unusual for most shows. Understudies generally aren't rehearsed until after the show officially opens and is frozen. Previews/tech is spent dealing with the actual leads and changes to the show.

There just isn't time for understudy rehearsal. It's a roll-of-the-dice policy that you won't need a major cover until after opening, but it assumes you have a normal preview period, also. It's just another thing that Spider-Man has to contend with that most shows don't (huge preview period with lots of shows equals higher probability of needing understudies, but still no time to rehearse because the show isn't done).