Anyone going to see Wonderland this week?

[HBBrock]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 2:42pm

I'm going on Tuesday night and am actually pretty excited for it. I hope it's better than expected.

[Anakela]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 2:52pm

I'll be at first preview on Monday! (I know, you're all shocked.) And then going again on Saturday next week.

[HBBrock]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 3:20pm

Please post thoughts after the show. Why are you going to see it twice without knowing if you like it? And why so close to each other? No time to see if anything changed.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 3:33pm

I ended up getting a TDF ticket for Monday night.

I fully expect a disaster, but hopefully it will be one of those train wrecks that's enjoyable to watch.
Updated On: 3/19/11 at 03:33 PM

[philly03]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 3:36pm

I'll be seeing it sometime this week as well... very excited that it's finally on Broadway.

& who knows, it could change a lot in a week with the new rewrites.
Updated On: 3/19/11 at 03:36 PM

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 4:01pm

Ellis and Holmes are a good team, great show docs. Saw it in Houston three times for various friends in it. Great score. Great voices singing. Now maybe the book will match up. i see it Tuesday nite.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 4:08pm

We see it next weekend. Tomorrow is Sir Elton at MSG

[Dollypop]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 4:30pm

I always pass up the opportunity to hear another Wildhorn score!

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 4:33pm

I'm seeing it on Friday via TDF. I wasn't really looking forward to seeing it at first, but I'm slowly getting more excited.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 4:48pm

I really hope this show turns out to be better than expected. I'm excited to hear how things go Monday night.

[rorschach37]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 4:50pm

I wish it the best, but Frank Wildhorn never manages to impress me :/

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 6:23pm

Your loss Dolly. I am quite sure Frank is on a crying jag hearing this news.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 7:51pm

Right there with ya, Dolly.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 3/19/11 at 9:23pm

Have been considering it. Kinda waiting to see if I can get Whipping Man but seems to be a bit difficult. I know they've extended. ( yes I KNOW they don't compare- it's just finding what I want on my avail sched!)

[[e-mail]]

Posted: 3/20/11 at 12:08am

I'll be there Monday night!

[CarmenDeBris]

Posted: 3/20/11 at 12:37am

I'll be there Saturday night. Pretty freakin stoked!!!

[JeaniusIsMe]

Posted: 3/20/11 at 12:59am

I snagged TDF tickets to Wednesday. I'm going with rather low expectations, but we'll see what happens.

[Anakela]

Posted: 3/20/11 at 1:42am

Why are you going to see it twice without knowing if you like it? And why so close to each other? No time to see if anything changed.

...when did my mom join BWW?

Besides "because I want to" and "because I can," I saw it in Tampa a few times, so I really hope it hasn't changed so much that I don't like it anymore. I figured Monday night for me is going to be a lot of mentally comparing it to what I saw in Tampa, figuring out what's been added, what's been changed, hearing new songs for the first time, etc. that going again on Saturday night will be for me to appreciate it all on its own... and it's Janet Dacal *starring* on Broadway; there's not going to be a lot of arm-twisting involved to get me to go...

Besides next week I'm also already going on April 16, the last preview before opening night. Because I want to, because I can.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 3/20/11 at 10:33am

Linda Eder includes the song "The Mad Hatter" on her new CD of Wildhorn Tunes, NOW (just issued by Sony's Masterworks Broadway label a few weeks ago.)

Masterworks Broadway has already announced they will record the OBCR.

[HistoryBoy2]

Posted: 3/20/11 at 10:38am

I expect Frank Wildhorn to maintain the same standard of quality as that achieved in his previous shows, Jekyll & Hyde, Dracula: The Musical and Bonnie & Clyde. :)

[suechru]

Posted: 3/20/11 at 12:12pm

I'm going on Wednesday since I got a ticket through TDF. I don't have much in the way of expectations for this show. Part of me hopes it's good (and I can thus enjoy it) and part of me hopes its a hot mess (so I can say I've seen it.) Either way, it'll be an experience.

[Scottsacto]

Posted: 3/21/11 at 2:03am

I am especially interested in anyone seeing this after seeing it in Florida. I would love to know if all the new creative team additions have made any impact on the show.

[philly03]

Posted: 3/21/11 at 2:15am

I've seen both Tampa incarnations and am extremely curious about the changes. Hopefully it's funny again... if it is, it'll survive.

Also, Linda's version of "The Mad Hatter Song" is the old arrangement, and also the old lyric (unless they reverted back to the old lyrics for B'way)!

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/21/11 at 10:59pm

Just out of the first preview...

This show has two things going for it:
1) it's not as bad as Spiderman
1) Kate Shindle

First and foremost it takes forever for the "plot" to kick in. The first 45 minutes of act 1 are all exposition. We're introduced to Alice, who's pleasant enough but she has no conflict, nothing to fight for until the end of the act. Most of act 1 is a parade of supporting characters who each sing a number than get wheeled off. All these supporting characters are infinitely more interesting than Alice, mind you, who's written to be completely bland.

Unfortunately, the show doesn't improve when the plot kicks in because it's lame. The dialogue is amateurish, the jokes are awful, and the references to other shows are neither funny nor original (can we PLEASE put a moratorium on shows parodying the end of Rose's Turn???). The jokes aren't clever or original- they're cheap, sophomoric laughs involving bad puns and product placement (the Iphone, Droid, Blackberry, and All State all get a mention in act 1). Also unnecessary are the snide references to the animated Disney film, which is infinitely better than what's onstage here.

The second act has more plot but it makes little sense, particularly a scene where Alice seemingly meets Lewis Carrol. Another odd bit of "plot" involves Alice stumbling upon her alter ego (guided there by the Lewis Carrol wannabe, of course). The big conflict is wrapped up too quickly.

Janet Dacal has neither the voice nor personality to carry the show. She's totally lost at sea, and never plays up the camp. Part of it is the writing, but she doesn't seem to understand it's a camp show. Nor did Darren Ritchie, who's playing this like straight drama. He's also saddled with a horrible act 2 number that's supposed to be a Backstreet Boys parody. Together the two of them have no chemistry, and their voices aren't all that great.

Thank god for Kate Shindle, who seems to understand the material and just camps it up. She's the only saving grace in this mess and the only times the show is mildly diverting is when she's onstage. She took a crappy role and had fun with it. And my god...her VOICE. It's bad when the supporting character has a much better voice than the lead.

For a Wildhorn score, it's surprisingly tuneless. Even when his scores are awful, you usually leave the theater with a song stuck in your head. Not the case here. The lyrics are awful, as they always are in his shows.

The best this show could hope for is to fly under the radar, with the critics and press occupied with Spiderman.
Updated On: 3/21/11 at 10:59 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/21/11 at 11:02pm

Does Alice go shoe shopping?