Posted: 5/31/16 at 11:57am
I don't know what you mean by DJ.
http://www.playbill.com/production/american-psycho-gerald-schoenfeld-theatre-vault-0000014139
Posted: 5/31/16 at 12:00pm
I mean, a lot of the stuff they do with music and sound can't be replicated by an orchestra and requires the technical stuff. This just isn't that kind of show.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 12:09pm
I'm not sure how the backing track, live band, stage effects and everything else are all linked together in this moment of the show, so it's hard for me to form a really damning opinion. #internetfail
Posted: 5/31/16 at 12:37pm
Oh the joys of musical theatre nowadays where the music is on computers.
"Nowadays"? Did you just wake up from a 30-year coma?
Posted: 5/31/16 at 12:47pm
ChildofEarth said: "I mean, a lot of the stuff they do with music and sound can't be replicated by an orchestra and requires the technical stuff. This just isn't that kind of show. "
I'm not sure who this was directed to, but I'm definitely aware of that. I'm a fan of the show, but it's troubling to me that because part of their music is automated, as noted in the anecdote, the music director wasn't able to stop the train to adjust to the live experience. That's concerning.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 1:02pm
neonlightsxo said: "I'm not sure who this was directed to, but I'm definitely aware of that. I'm a fan of the show, but it's troubling to me that because part of their music is automated, as noted in the anecdote, the music director wasn't able to stop the train to adjust to the live experience. That's concerning."
This is true of many current shows that use click tracks that include pre-recorded music, vocals, loops, or technical automation linked to the click. It's very difficult to just stop the ship. Think of how Hamilton would be if an Ableton snafu happened, like it did here.
I happened to be at the show last night and everyone did what they could to make it as smooth as possible. It was very difficult for the actor, dancers, and musicians to get back on track, but they did and it was just a moment of live theatre. And I did see the conductor and associate conductor trying their best to cue in Ben, but it was just a difficult situation, probably one of the hardest sequences to cue if something like this happened.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 1:09pm
I was there as well last night. It actually made for a hugely enjoyable experience, because of how well Ben was able to keep the audience entertained and keep going in character once they picked it back up again.
Technically, the backing track CAN be stopped. They're playing it back from QLab and you can stop any cue at any time just by hitting a key. Nothing like that happens without the stage manager's call though, and the SM probably didn't think it was worth stopping for, for whatever reason.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 1:54pm
I had been of the impression that the electronic beats and loops in "Spring Awakening," and thus I assumed also "American Psycho," were not a single inflexible pre-recorded loop. My impression was that, as in the trip-hop music that inspired much of "Spring Awakening's" smattering of electronica numbers, a live musician with an Ableton board or other digital music interface, was manipulating loops and samples live.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 5:54pm
In Spring Awakening, the pre-records are just tracks the band plays along to. The conductor triggers them and the band plays to the click track. So it was inflexible for that show. This is common for many shows using clicks. I believe it is a different situation with American Psycho, as they were able to stop the music altogether and start back up like they did last night.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 6:03pm
It was also critical for Spring Awakening given the number of people who weren't hearing the music, and needed it to be consistent, and not stop or allow for corrections and re-dos, etc.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 6:14pm
I was there last night too and it was definitely an experience to remember! It was handled so well but entertaining at the same time and while the audience was so engaged with the show prior, after "Killing Spree" through the rest of the show they were even more engaged and even started the standing ovation at the blackout after "This is not an Exit"! Such a great show, going too soon....
Posted: 5/31/16 at 10:24pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx3gMb0xItg Theo Stockman just did an interview with broadway.com today and talked about last night's mishap. It starts at 5:30.
Posted: 6/1/16 at 8:57am
Was Walker injured in the mishap? I was at the show last night and he had his ankle wrapped. Or was that from an earlier injury?
Posted: 6/1/16 at 12:38pm
I was also there Monday, but I was apparently in a minority of the audience who had never seen the show before because I had no idea what in the hell was going on. I half-wondered if that was part of the show, since that's when all logic is breaking loose anyway. But I couldn't figure out why everyone around me was laughing hysterically and why everyone screamed in totally ecstasy at the end of the number. I know it's live theatre and all and it's certainly nobody's fault, but as someone who was trying to follow the show for the first (and only) time I have to say it really pulled me out. It was clear that a lot of the audience was in on a joke that I wasn't in on, and all I was trying to do was watch a show. I'm curious - what did I miss?
That said, Walker's ankle was taped up from the beginning of the show Monday night so whatever it was had clearly happened prior to the performance.
I neither loved it nor hated it. It was interesting, Walker was good. I thought the vocal arrangements were great but I wonder how much of them were actually performed live. I don't love the notion of Broadway shows on tracks, but it made sense for this particular piece and so as long as it doesn't become routine I can live with it. I thought the pre-existing songs were way more memorable than the originals - I thought "In The Air Tonight" was way more effective than anything else. I'm glad I saw it, but it doesn't surprise me that it hasn't caught on with a big audience. I've read a lot of BEE and I enjoy him ("Glamorama" is probably my favorite, though it's also probably the hardest to slog through) and was curious how it would translate to musical theatre. I don't think it's a particularly great match, personally - the coldness and hedonism seemed both underbaked and also off-putting - I'd almost rather see it as a musical film, and I usually don't like musical films. But this one I'd be curious about.
Posted: 6/1/16 at 1:13pm
temms said: " I don't love the notion of Broadway shows on tracks, but it made sense for this particular piece and so as long as it doesn't become routine I can live with it."
This exact scenario is why it will never become routine. It's cheaper, it's easier, but if something goes wrong, there's no way for the conductor to come back from it and adapt as needed. It made perfect sense to use for this score, because it's impossible to make all those sounds live perfectly every single night, but it will never become the norm.
Posted: 6/1/16 at 2:57pm
I don't think this show would have nailed not only the era sounds of the time but also the superb sound balance of it hadn't gone down this route. The music sounds stunning.
Posted: 6/1/16 at 8:10pm
Here's what happened, exactly.
Updated On: 6/1/16 at 08:10 PM
Posted: 6/1/16 at 9:47pm
I find it amazing and slightly unbelievable that half the people on this thread were supposedly at this performance.
Posted: 6/1/16 at 9:48pm
I can vouch for ksilver117!
Posted: 6/1/16 at 11:41pm
CindersGolightly said: "Here's what happened, exactly."
Absolutely awesome - thanks so much for that link.
Already had a ticket for the closing performance - then a friend of mine wants to go see it Friday. That's four times for me, and I'll still miss it. And I don't care who has a problem with that.
Posted: 6/2/16 at 12:02am
Matt Rogers said: "I find it amazing and slightly unbelievable that half the people on this thread were supposedly at this performance."
Or maybe we all came here as soon as we got home to talk about it? Which is what I did. Since apparently we have to prove it to you, here's my "check-in" from Monday. I will now resume rolling my eyes so hard at you.
But to be ON TOPIC, I'm just going to reiterate that Walker breaking the fourth wall when he got lost instead of just continuing on with the blocking until he could pick up the lyric really detracted from the scene. And temms, you and I are on the same page. I felt like I was missing something obvious when I'd never seen it before.
Oh also, there were some fanboys of the show in line in front of me beforehand - as in, wearing the show gear, live-streaming their line-waiting on Facebook - and they went down the line asking everyone, live on their Facebook stream, if we'd seen the show before or not. I was one of two people of the dozen or so answers I heard who had never seen it. So, small sample but very high % of repeat viewers.
Posted: 6/2/16 at 10:52pm
backwoodsbarbie said: "Was Walker injured in the mishap? I was at the show last night and he had his ankle wrapped. Or was that from an earlier injury?"
According to another poster on another Psycho thread, he noticed that Benjamin Walker started limping during Act 2. A cast member at stage door confirmed that Ben did indeed injure himself during the second act of that showing - Fri 5/27 evening - I don't know from what.
I saw the Sat mat 5/28 showing and that's when he had the ankle wrapped for the first time.
He seemed to be fine throughout the whole show but then started limping at the second half of the second act... It seemed to start after that scene with Jean at his apartment and he's like doing all these bodily contortions in that scene... The next scene I saw him limped, albeit subtly, across the stage...
Posted: 6/2/16 at 11:04pm
CindersGolightly said: "Here's what happened, exactly."
Hahaha this is hilarious, thanks for the link. Really wish there was visual for this. Totally worth breaking the rules for situations like this.
But the track totally reminds me why I'm so confused so many of you desperately love the show or why you would want to listen to this as a cast album. But you know. To each your own!
Posted: 6/3/16 at 12:30am
Trust me, it sounds ten times better live than the muffled sounds and distortions you hear in that track. Very interesting to hear how it went down, but that is not totally representative of how it comes off live.
Much like the preview numbers they did and were posted here on BWW. People watched those and wondered what the hell, as well.
Seeing the final product come together with full blown costumes, lighting, polished choreography, sets, etc, however, the show came alive and was really quite powerful.
If it hadn't presented well, you sure wouldn't see the love that it is getting on these boards (largely). The majority love it because it did transform well on the stage. And we would have been the first to pan it if it hadn't.
