Anyone going to LESTAT's first previews?- Page 2

[Broadwayguy62]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 11:19pm

act 1 is stronger then act 2 but by no means is act 2 bad. The music is so beatiful and reminds me alot of phantom of the opera meets aida if that makes any sense. LESTAT GO SEE IT

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 11:21pm

You have no idea how happy I am right now!
Updated On: 3/26/06 at 11:21 PM

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 11:21pm

and Alison Fischer?!

Posted: 3/25/06 at 11:22pm

Wow...that's interesting. In SF it was pretty unanimous that Act 2 was stronger than Act 1. Hmmm...

~Roz

Posted: 3/25/06 at 11:24pm

Eponine... Yes I'm beaming right now too! But I'm still holding out on what the rest of the audience thinks. I want a bigger sample size. LOL! :)

~Roz
Updated On: 3/26/06 at 11:24 PM

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 11:26pm

True. Haha. :) I shouldn't jump the gun. But this IS good news to have the first be a good review.

Just watch, because I got so excited now the rest of the reviews are gonna be bad. hahaa.

Yeah that is funny how Act 1 was stronger than act II. It was the other way around in SF.
Updated On: 3/25/06 at 11:26 PM

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 11:35pm

I'm on pins and needles! Full review please!

[QMAN03]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 12:41am

I was there.











Not.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 1:06am

Did anyone else go?

[QMAN03]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 1:13am

Yeah, I'm suprised. You'd think people would be flocking on here to write up their opinions.

[WaltSummersPI]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 2:28am

...we were all at stagedoor, waiting to congratulate the cast :)

Seriously, it was a good time. Will post more tomorrow, but this is a really smart, funny, effective musical.

And I thought Act 2 was much better than Act 1.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 2:35am

Yay! We got two!

I'm looking forward to the review tomorrow.

[codyjo88]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 2:53am

A few small reviews are starting to trickle in on the LestatMusical.com Forum, looks mostly positive.


LestatMusical.com Broadway Reviews

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 2:55am

act 1 is stronger then act 2 but by no means is act 2 bad.

Act 1 is stronger than Act 2?!

I guess they were right about those changes...

[Shawk]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 3:28am

Well, I would kind of expect to see positive reviews on a board dedicated to the show, but for the actors, I hope they really have pulled this off.

[neomystyk29]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 7:38am

Come on full reviews..

[Kicks8567]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 10:38am

Someone on the Lestat Board mentioned a front row lotto for this show? Can anyone confirm this information?

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 11:00am

If this show has really turned around, and i will wait for some real information.
My hat is off to Jonathon Buttrell for spinning Roth's crap into something watchable.
Go Johnny!

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 1:14pm

No reviews?

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 1:24pm

Here are some REAL reviews from last night's show (taken from the other board)...

I found the show to be a fatally flawed production. It was melancholy without having any energy to keep it compelling. It lacked a central conflict, thus destroying any plot arc it might have been aiming for. It's a wandering, lifeless musical with no real reason given for its existence.

The music only hurts the show. Elton Johns tunes are forgettable, dragged out, and tend to bring the story to a stop instead of projecting it furhter. Bernie Taupins lyrics are at best boring, and at worst(more than less) melodramatic and disastrous. Every time the music began, I cringed knowing I would have to sit through another five minutes of characters repeating themselves over and over again.

Having been familiar with the material, I was somewhat relieved that they did not destroy any of the characters. However, they never created a solid plot. When dealing with an immortal character, an interesting challenge arises; how do you create a satisfying beginning, middle, and end? The show opens with Lestat kneeling over a dead wolf, singing a song about being a "wolf killer." This scene is so campy people around me were heard laughing. The opening fails to set the right tone, or create a connection between the character and the audience.
The rest of the show abandons the camp, and roams over some of the major story bullets in Lestats life. Had the creative team focused on a central conflict, the rest of the show might have been salvagable. Instead, they simply show a series of events from Lestats life that chronicle his relationships and journeys. The theme of immortality and coming to grips with neverending life is just breezed over, when it should have been the central focus. The abriged telling of the story leaves numerous crippling plot holes. This brings us to the finale, which is anything but. I was left so completely unsatisfied by the closing scenes I wished for the (reportedly) atrocious ending from LA.

The performances were generally good, especially Allsion Fischer as Claudia. She easily steals the show with two numbers in the second act that offer the only energy present in the entire show. "I'll Never Have That Chance" gives the musical version of Claudia a unique and gratifying take. It's too bad that the other characters, Lestat included, had such focused yet complicated internal conflicts.

------------------

I agree.. very flawed and it did not know where to go a lot of the time. Meandering all over the place. Hugh's big solo in the second act on the ship just came out of nowhere and the opening of ACT II had to be one of the worst I've seen.
The music was non-melodic slop and the lyrics, were even worse. Quite a few people in the mez did not come back after intermission and a good number left during the second act. My friend overheard at intermission in the lobby a couple saying that "this is the next Carrie." not good.
The only disagreement I have is Claudia. One of her second act songs, "I Want More", is quite possibly, one of the most horrendous numbers that I have come across on Broadway. You haven't lived till you've seen a 10 year old vampire girl in a party dress throw a temper tantrum to her two daddies because she wants "more" blood. I hate to say this, but at least "In My Life" was laughable bad. That was just appalling.

[codyjo88]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 1:43pm

REAL REVIEWS? LOL nice. All you did is pull the negative reviews off of the Talkin Broadway thread. Notice the good review that starts the thread which you forgot to copy I guess. Agendas...
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=239240

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 1:58pm

cody, the only reason I didn't post that "shilly" review is because its already here on BWW.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 2:01pm

LOL, Tiny, you have slight nerve pointing out that a review is "shilly."

You were the ULTIMATE Brooklyn shill. Almost everyone thought Brooklyn was laughably bad as well. That was one of the most trashed shows of this decade.
Updated On: 3/26/06 at 02:01 PM

Posted: 3/26/06 at 2:45pm

"That was one of the most trashed shows of this decade. "

amazing word choice there ljay889.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 3:35pm

These bad reviews are more like it. I saw this travesty in San Francisco and the music was AWFUL as was the rest of this boring show. It sounds like it hasn't gotten any better.