Anyone go to VANITIES tonight?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/2/09 at 11:53pm

How was it?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/3/09 at 7:15am

Word on ATC is that the show works best when they're going by the original play (gee, go figure). Apparently the score is incredibly lame (gee, go figure).

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 7/3/09 at 12:15pm

I was there last night. I was quite disappointed. I spent one hour and forty minutes waiting for a plot, and never got one. Nothing really HAPPENS in the show. The entire cast is made up of the three women. They spend fifteen minutes talking about something meaningless, and then they break into a cutesy song. I kept waiting for it to end. I can't believe the producers were considering bringing this to Broadway. Zzz...

[MerrilyWeRoll]

Posted: 7/3/09 at 12:43pm

As much as I wanted to love the show, I walked away just thinking it was full of a lot of unrealized potential.

I would say that the biggest dissapointment (and the source of most of the show's problems) is David Kirshenbaum's score.

While some of the other numbers are beautiful songs, all of them grind the show to a screeching halt to comment on something instead of moving the plot forward. One of the only ones that works is Joanne's "The Same Old Music," which does so because something's actually HAPPENING that lends itself to developing the plot within the song. That's lacking everywhere else, for the most part.

SPOILER ALERT

The other problem is that most of the songs establish things that have already been made clear throughout the book scenes, which disengages you consistently. We know Mary is frustrated and over small town life. Why do we need to hear her sing about it in "Fly Into The Future" when that's already been made clear?

Even when the songs ARE providing some insight we don't already have, they're doing so in the wrong dramatic moments. "Cute Boys With Short Haircuts" is a gorgeous ballad executed wonderfully by Anneliese van der Pol, but do we really need an entire number about how Kathy's boyfriend left her for someone else? That should have been revealed in dialogue because of how repeatedly the song is forced to dread on that some occurence. You get the gist from the get-go and it stays that way. A song SHOULD have gone directly after that, when Kathy talks about how she feels unsure of the choices she's made and has no idea where she wants to go in life. There's a well-rounded theme that could have made for an interesting number, but instead the 'obvious' choice was made (which is a consistent problem.)

END OF SPOILER ALERT

The whole project felt like a big missed oppertunity to me. Heifner's done a terrific job adapting his own play, but a composer more skilled and versatile than Kirshenbaum was needed to truly make it soar.

I also took issue with Dan Knechtge's choreography, which couldn't have been more gratingly obnoxious and forcively schmaltzy. Just let them stand there and sing.

All that being said, the three girls are absolutely phenomenal. It's to their credit that they're able to interpolate shades of depth into the three central characters that are missing from the mediocre material around them. Sarah Stiles is the real standout, nailing all of the quirks that make Joanne such a comedic presence while keeping her very much "real" at all times. Hopefully this leads to bigger things for her.

Is the show bad? No. It's a great showcase for three terrific talents and has some very enjoyable moments. But could it have been so much more? Sadly, yes.
Updated On: 7/3/09 at 12:43 PM

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/3/09 at 12:48pm

Sounds like whatever changes may have been made (as SomethingWicked claims) from the original incarnation of VANITIES: THE MUSICAL, they still didn't fix the fact that the play VANITIES shouldn't have been made into a musical. Not that the play is anything really to speak of, either.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/3/09 at 1:03pm

Whether people wind up thinking it was successful or not, the creative team has made a very conscious effort to "fix" the problems from the previous productions.

For anyone who did see the show last summer in Pasadena, the songs "Who Am I Today?," "Hey There, Beautiful," "I Don't Wanna Hear About It," "We're Gonna Be Okay," and "Letting Go" have all been cut.

There are two brand new songs, one titled "Setting Your Sights" (which replaces "Who Am I Today?" as the opening number and is reprised throughout the transitions in place of "I Don't Wanna Hear About It" and where "Let Life Happen" used to be) and one titled "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" (which replaces "Hey There, Beautiful" as the introductory number to the first scene.)

Additionally, a musical fight interlude has also been interpolated into the third scene, they've re-positioned the placement of "Let Life Happen" to replace "We're Gonna Be Okay" as the ending song of the second scene, and the song "Looking Good" has been re-instated from the Paolo Alto production to replace "Letting Go" as the finale.

There have also been major tweaks to the book, which are the changes that I think are most significantly succesful. Instead of going chronologically and telling the girls story from start to finish, the show now acts as sort of a "flashback" beginning with them as older women and allowing them to comment on events that have already happened in the transitions.

As I said, I merely meant to convey that work is very much actively being done. Hopefully the creative team takes note of what continues to be problematic at Second Stage and addresses these issues accordingly.

Updated On: 7/3/09 at 01:03 PM

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 7/3/09 at 1:32pm

"We're Gonna Be Okay" was my favorite song from the previous production. oh well.

Updated On: 7/3/09 at 01:32 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/3/09 at 1:50pm

Can you get Youth Advance online? If so, how? I'm not sure what I'm suppose to type in in the "code" part?

[jordangirl]

Posted: 7/3/09 at 1:59pm

No code. You say how many tickets you want and on the next screen it gives the price options.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/3/09 at 2:37pm

Well I'm seeing this tomorrow night and I'm very excited. Anytime I get to see Lauren Kennedy and listen to her glorious voice is a good night for me. :)

[perfectliar]

Posted: 7/3/09 at 5:23pm

I agree, Jordan. She's the reason I'm seeing this.

I'll be there Sunday night... hopefully I'll enjoy it more than those who saw last night's performance.

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 7/3/09 at 5:39pm

I'm really shocked to see that no one is a fan of the score. I think the score is definitely one of my new favorites. Every single song has purely blown me away.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 7/4/09 at 1:52am

Hmm. Interesting changes that you mention somethingwicked. I've been following the show since it's incarnation at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto. I suppose I'm one of the select few, who, while I don't believe it "blows me away", I do think it's quite tuneful and catchy. I especially enjoyed "Hey There, Beautiful", though I could understand why it would be cut.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/4/09 at 9:37am

What about the production values? Direction?

[joanntom]

Posted: 7/4/09 at 1:32pm

I've heard many of the songs and think that they are quite good.I'm excited to hear the new numbers. Had a friend see the show last night and she thought the cast was fantastic, the songs were well integrated into the book and captured the spirit of the original play, that the big question is how and why should they stay friends?
That being said its still previews and there are some fixes that need to happen .Namely the sound, the set up at the beginning, and the pacing

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/4/09 at 2:38pm

The way the fourth scene played out in Pasadena, I was put off by the saturated ploy for emotion, which rang as very artificial to me. Because of how forced the reconciliation felt, I walked away wishing the women had just gone there separate ways and hadn't ultimately ended up as friends again, which is what felt most appropriate in how the musical had been constructed (and is how the original play ends.)

The creative team was very aware of that issue, though, because that final scene has seen the most revisions throughout the rehearsal process at Second Stage. In seeing the new version, I felt (for the first time) that it was finally organic within the story that the girls wound up friends again.

That being said, I think it is to the dramatic detriment of the piece that the new narrative form (in the "flashback" style) opens the show with them already together as adults. Because you know from the get-go that they're ultimately still part of each others lives in the end, the various potentially damaging tribulations their friendship encounters over the course of the story are not threatening to the outcome anymore.

What are you supposed to root against in favor of these women (or why even become invested in their relationship at all) when you know things are going to work out? Is the journey in the conclusion or in getting there?

That central question is what I found most problematic after the onslaught of initial changes were made. Now that previews have started, I'm hoping the reception other people have toward what has already been "fixed" will facilitate more positive work on the issues that continue to plague the piece.

As always, I'm interested to hear what other people think as they see the show. It remains worth checking out!

Updated On: 7/4/09 at 02:38 PM

[jordangirl]

Posted: 7/5/09 at 8:52am

Well, let's just say I think The Marvelous Wonderetes has more depth than Vanities. I couldn't be bothered to care about the characters at all ~ and no it's not the seeing them together as adults because they only did the song together...and went to their separate vanities, so that didn't SAY they would end up together to me... But everything else in the narrative did. Obviously people that vapid will always be together somehow.

About all I can say positive is that Lauren Kennedy was good. Still, I'd save my money for seeing her in something else or in a concert. NOT on this drivel.

And for god's sake, can SOMEONE please get Sarah Stiles a dialect coach? Her "accent" is horrendous. They could all use one for that accent, but least the others drop theirs after the first scene.

I went in with no opinion on the show. I left despising it.

Updated On: 7/5/09 at 08:52 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/5/09 at 9:29am

Actually, Sarah Stiles' accent was the most authentic out of all of them. And it did bother me that the accents seemed to drop off after the first scene. That made absolutely no sense at all.

[joanntom]

Posted: 7/5/09 at 10:32am

In the original play it states that Joanne is the only one who keeps her accent throughout.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 7/5/09 at 10:34am

i'm going tonight...should be interesting

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/5/09 at 12:40pm

Overall it's not *bad*. The book is fantastic and really hilarious at times. The score though, does leave much to be desired, save for the beautiful "Cute Boys Wtih Short Haircuts", which stands out as one of the better songs I've heard written for the musical theater in quite a while. I was actually sad there wasn't a reprise of the song *Spoiler* after the girls leave her in her "kept" apartment in the late 70's. It seemed like a very good time for her to sing another verse of that song.

Also, I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for a song that let Lauren Kennedy just BELT. When I see her I want to hear her sing and use those pipes she has. She's one of my favorite musical theater actresses of maybe all time and it's just a shame she's not given the chance to vocally shine here.

As far as only one of the girls keeping their accent that just seems stupid. Sorry but being from the south I can tell you that 4 years away from home does not make you lose your accent. It just seemed weird that in high school they all had themselves a drawl but a few years later, all but one be sophisticated 'n all and don't talk southern no more. I think they should drop the accents completely unless they want to stick with them for the duration of the piece. It's very noticeable to someone who is "accent sensitive".

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/5/09 at 12:49pm

You don't consider "Fly Into The Future" a song that lets Kennedy belt?

I think, if there ever was one, that's it.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/5/09 at 12:52pm

I actually don't consider that a song where she gets to really belt out. It's not that great of a song, either and I think one of the more unnecessary songs in the entire score.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/5/09 at 12:53pm

I agree that the song is one of the most pointless (as MerrilyWeRollAlong pointed out,) but Kennedy belts the crap out of it.

[After Eight]

Posted: 7/5/09 at 1:01pm

I was disappointed. The original play was funny and quirky, but there was little fun or vitality in this musical, and the songs struck me as bland.