Anyone else find Caroline, Or Change is overrated?- Page 2

[Kad]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:14am

So, over the course of this trip, you went from thinking the musical was one of the best of the decade to being overrated?

And you decided that a year and a half later, you were going to share this with us?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:15am

Someone needs to get their story straight. Pronto.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:24am

Its not overrated. Its pretty much the exact opposite. Although I think its far from being the best show to ever be created, its still a very moving piece of musical theater. The music is prolly the strongest aspect, very few scores have made me have a tear well up in several scenes.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:25am

This thread is bs, but, to answer the initial question: absolutely not.

[ChenoKahn]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:26am

This is just sad. Never saw it, but seems nice.

[blaxx]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:33am

How old is the OP? He keeps posting about shows I'm sure he's never seen or has no idea about.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:36am

I doubt we'll hear from him for a little while. He's probably crapping his Kander & Ebb underroos.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:38am

Or he's figuring out how to make a long distance call figure into his budget.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:39am

And who pays for long distance nowadays???

[woodyactor]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:42am

this thread makes me laugh

[blaxx]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:43am

He did claim to not even know what Steel Pier was about.

I say he's 13. And I mean the bad kind, like the one that played at the Jacobs.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:44am

He guaranteed me he was older than 15 and why would he lie?

[binau]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:44am

This thread is a little awkward.....lol.

[AADA81]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:50am

I only checked out this thread because I also happen to think "Caroline..." is the best show in the last decade (or more). I also think it's a challenging piece that requires some effort on the part of the audience to appreciate its many levels, which is not why everyone goes to the theater these days. That's okay....different strokes for different folks. But I don't think it's overrated, because its complexity doesn't overshadow its resonance or effectiveness.

I saw the BW production several times, including the final performance, and I found it a profoundly moving experience every time, which is why I kept going back. I appreciate that shows like "Caroline...." might not be to everyone's taste, but that doesn't take anything away from what the authors accomplished with this gem.

[ChenoKahn]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:52am

The thread has changed. We found out the poster probably hasn't seen Caroline, or Change. What was he trying to prove?

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:57am

The OP starts 10 million threads per week, I personally don't mind because I think threads like this are hilariously enjoyable.

[blaxx]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 1:59am

He does begin useless threads constantly.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 2:00am

Not anymore...

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 2:01am

Yes, he does. Now he's under the new name, "immabroadwaylegend" please go to his patti lupone thread.

I don't understand how someone could be such an obvious troll.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 2:06am

Obvious_Troll should be his next screen name.

[jwsel]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 4:14am

Treating this thread as a real topic, I have a confession to make. When I saw Caroline in LA, with the original cast, after the first 10 minutes, I thought there was absolutely no way I would last past intermission. The opening was so dissonant that it really made me think I would hate the show.

I don't know when I went from "hate" to "like," but I know I went from "like" to "wow" during Lot's Wife. That was one of the most mesmerizing moments of theater I've ever seen.

I think, for it to be a success, Caroline must have a very strong combination of directing and acting. For the most part, the songs are not the most audience-friendly and it's a complicated story with a rather unlikeable protagonist. Without an actress who can convey both Caroline's rage and pain, I think the show would fail.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 10:08am

I love Caroline, or Change. It's absolutely underrated. I know reasonably intelligent theater-goers who say something like "oh that show with the singing appliances" and try to change the subject as soon as possible. If that's really all you can remember about Caroline, or Change, I tend to believe you didn't actually see the show. Great score, great book, and an excellent Broadway production.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 11:33am

Re-posting my response to your previous thread:

===

Does anyone else think Book of Mormon is overrated?

Posted On:6/11/11 at 09:21


The word "overrated" is overrated.

It's always easy to to take the Hot New Thing that everyone likes and assume a contrary position: "Wow," you think, "I'm so much SMARTER than everybody else! They're just sheep, followers, unable to think for themselves, while I am different, a maverick."

But, in the end really, contrarianism is just knee-jerk contradiction: If the masses love Wicked, all you have do is say, "You know, it really isn't very good, actually." Or if Glee becomes a runaway hit, you simply turn the conversation to the Auto-tuning or the jumps in logic. Or you use the word in question: If someone tells you they love something, you simply say, "It's overrated" and voila! You're smarter than they are!

But are you really? No. You're just being facile. There are, of course, always flaws that can be discussed, but neither "I love it" or "It's overrated" gets anywhere near the heart of the flaws or the positive attributes. (Plus, if you care, saying "It's overrated" to someone who loves something invariably brands you as an asshole.)

Much more interesting, especially in a case like this--a blockbuster hit that has appeal far outside the regular theater-going audience--are points like the ones Tazber brought up: If this musical fits into the successful template that Parker and Stone have used for their TV show and movies, how does it work in a musical? If the songs and musical numbers are written to be satirical, do they also work as songs and musical numbers? And if the characters are written satirically, do they just remain cartoons or do we end up caring about them anyway?

But beware of asking a contentless question like this thread title: "Does anyone else think X is overrated?" That's just Easy Cynicism looking for validation. Easy Cynicism is the opposite of Smart. Easy Cynicism makes you bitter--and old before your time.

And it's vastly overrated.

Read more: https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?page=2&thread=1033000&boardname=&boardid=1#ixzz1P4mxk7fu

[wiggum2]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 5:15pm

I will say, Caroline or Change is the only show I have ever fallen asleep at. All I remember from the show is Anika Noni Rose (even that is an impression, a good one though. I have grow to appreciate the song Lot's Wife afterwards though. It was probably above me though. I admit, I didn't get it.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 6/12/11 at 5:55pm

<< Sorry - it's amazing. If anything it's offensively underrated

>>

Totally agree---- Best musical I have ever seen...