BANDSTAND CANCELLED (never mind)

[OlBlueEyes]

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

CANCELLED due to the deadly plague outbreak.

For anyone who missed Bandstand on Broadway and regrets it, or if you would like to see it with a new cast, the (non-Equity) tour arrives at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in northeast Nassau County for one performance on this Sunday at 4:00 pm. Tickets are $85 plus fees front orchestra, $65 plus fees rear orchestra and front loge, and $55 - $45 to the rear of the loge.

The tour has been going OK with critics, with reviews not unlike received in New York. All like the dance and movement and talent. The band members especially.. Some like the score, some only "Love Will Come and Find Me Again" and the climactic "Welcome Home." Many are uncomfortable with the book, but for difference reasons. The Washington Post critic in a mixed review thought that they were doing well when in Act One they were introducing the band members and their individual problems, but in Act II they rushed to a happy ending.

Roxy York, who plays Julia's mother (played by Beth Leavel on Broadway) is praised for her comedy and her song, "Everything Happens," which was not singled out in New York. Roxy is given credit for so many funny moments that it makes me wonder if they enlarged her role for the tour.

Jennifer Elizabeth Smith is singled out in most reviews. The L.A. critic who gave the show its worst review called Jennifer "a real find." A couple of reviewers found her acting skills limited, but everyone praised her voice.

Here are two reviews from the recent five day stand in Washington. These were not the best nor the worst.

Bandstand  is a high-energy, uplifting whirl of a musical with some of the best dance and instrumental performances to be seen in our area. It is also a step towards creating a new generation of musicals that reflect not only the glossy exteriors, but also the darker interiors, of their characters.

https://dctheatrescene.com/2020/03/05/review-swing-musical-bandstand-showcases-its-young-cast-at-the-national-this-week/

 

The show itself is both joyous and heartbreaking; buoyant and moving. The music ranges from toe-tapping to ballad and back again, giving real life to this story and the characters. Zaromatidis is electric in the lead role, deftly able to deliver the comedic beats, dramatic deliveries, with a soaring voice and demanding physicality. 

All in all the show is a beautiful and honest look at a group of people realizing that while maybe their lives can never be what they were before, they can lean each other to find a way to move forward.

https://mdtheatreguide.com/2020/03/theatre-review-bandstand-at-national-theatre/

I'm only fifteen minutes away from Tilles Center. I plan to go. After reading so much about this young cast I look forward to seeing them for myself and comparing them to the Broadway cast.

Updated On: 3/12/20 at 01:42 PM

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/11/20 at 3:58pm

We had the tour, for six days, a couple of weeks ago, as part of our Broadway series.  (Jacksonville)  I was a little disappointed in it.  It's not that I didn't like it.  It is just  a show I wouldn't go see again.  I agree with one of the critics you posted.  The cast sang their parts extremely well.  It was the acting that was spotty, especially during the first twenty minutes.  It improved, for some, as the show went on.  Luckily for me, the couple in front of me, who were extremely fidgety during Act 1, left at intermission, leaving me an unobstructed view.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/11/20 at 3:58pm

double

Updated On: 3/11/20 at 03:58 PM

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 3/11/20 at 6:10pm

One of the critics said that Jennifer walked through the first act in monotonous gaiety, even though she had just lost her husband.

Anyone stand out?

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/11/20 at 6:25pm

OlBlueEyes said: "One of the critics said that Jennifer walked through the first act in monotonous gaiety, even though she had just lost her husband.

Anyone stand out?"

The mother was really good.  Actually, the weakest, as far as acting goes, were the two leads.  I may have enjoyed this more with the original cast, when it was on Broadway.  But visiting from out of town, Bandstand was not high on my list for shows to see, at the time.  I had bought the subscription this season in my city.  All of the shows so far, I also won the lottery.  So I saw Wicked and Rent (the nonequity tour, which I thought was pretty good) a second time within days of my subscription performance.  I won the lottery for Bandstand also, but chose not to see it again.  But still go see it.  Again, it wasn't bad.  I left the theater, not remembering one song. I had no interest to see it again...even for $30.  Of course, that could be just me.

Updated On: 3/11/20 at 06:25 PM

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/11/20 at 6:25pm

double...again


 

Updated On: 3/11/20 at 06:25 PM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 3/11/20 at 7:52pm

"The mother was really good.  Actually, the weakest, as far as acting goes, was the two leads.  I may have enjoyed this more with the original cast, when it was on Broadway"

Saw this show on Broadway and the leads (Corey Cott & Laura Osnes) were terrific !!

 

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 3/11/20 at 8:52pm

I will just say, as someone who has been to this venue multiple times, the Tilles Center is gigantic - a true barn, and unless you are right up front, there are almost no very good seats. The time I did TDF for American Idiot, we ended up in the loge and couldn’t hear or see a thing.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 3/11/20 at 10:22pm

Yes, the loge is not selling well. Still about forty $85 seats in the front orchestra.and 60 $65 dollar seats in the last four rows of the orchestra. 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 3/11/20 at 10:34pm

Saw this show on Broadway and the leads (Corey Cott & Laura Osnes) were terrific !!

And neither has been seen on stage since.

Corey looks like he has a pretty important role in what sounds like a really dumb television show called Filthy Rich which stars Kim Cattrall. It looks like it is a send-up of soap operas. Rather like the great GCB that was a flop for Kristin.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 3/11/20 at 11:35pm

OlBlueEyes said: "Saw this show on Broadway and the leads (Corey Cott & Laura Osnes) were terrific !!

And neither has been seen on stage since.

Corey looks like he has a pretty important role in what sounds like a really dumb television show called Filthy Rich which stars Kim Cattrall. It looks like it is a send-up of soap operas. Rather like the great GCB that was a flop for Kristin."

Laura Osnes has been doing concerts and tours. And last year alone she did 2 Lifetime movies and an episode of Fosse/Verdon

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 3/12/20 at 3:02am

Laura Osnes has been doing concerts and tours. And last year alone she did 2 Lifetime movies and an episode of Fosse/Verdon

Absolutely. She is in demand, has tons of friends, and has a life that most of her 200,000 followers on Instagram envy. It is a real credit to her and Ben Rauhala to have taken this concept of Princess Parties and built it up from scratch into an increasingly popular nationwide touring act. Judging from her tweets, she was also very excited about starring in two Hallmark Christmas films. My opinion is of no account, but I think that she is too talented for those.

Corey has not been lonely either. He has done concerts and any disappointment he felt from the disappointing run of Bandstand had to be mitigated by the birth of his first child in May, 2017 to his wife of now seven years. After Bandstand he had a recurring role in a TV series in which he apparently impressed enough people to land a starring role in Filthy Rich. If the series is a hit, he will gain more fame in a few months than he would laboring on the stage for years. And then there's the money.

Certainly not putting down Laura and Corey for not getting any good stage roles. As I have said before, it is a great pity that Broadway does not have enough roles to keep its young stars busy, and when such a role arises actors and actresses in their late thirties and forties are cast. 

Again in my opinion it hurts and does not help the box office to cast older known names. Theatergoers want to see fresh young faces performing classic roles. I was a Roundabout subscriber in that fine year of Cabaret and 20th Century. I happened to be there the night that Emma Stone made her Broadway debut as Sally. That was some excitement. Roundabout couldn't mark up regular seats to premium seats fast enough.

 

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 3/12/20 at 12:07pm

"Certainly not putting down Laura and Corey for not getting any good stage roles. As I have said before, it is a great pity that Broadway does not have enough roles to keep its young stars busy, and when such a role arises actors and actresses in their late thirties and forties are cast. "

Bandstand not running long was not the fault of either one of these people. If my memory is correct, they did receive nice notices for their performances.