I have tickets to go see the last preview. Does anyone think the show will change past that day at all? Like any big changes overnight in time for opening? I’m not sure when it’s set to freeze.
Saw it today - ugh, I don't know what to think. I enjoyed it, but I didn't take anything away from it. It's really hard to review things on this board, as the general concensus here is vastly different than the general publics, which is different than other theatre goers. I found this to be an all around superior show to The Prom / The Cher Show, from a sheer entertainment and production standpoint, but found it to be inferior to Be More Chill, and extremely so, Hadestown.
I just couldn't believe how lame the characters are. I could've cared less about the Maitlands, I hated how neutered Delia's character is, and Lydia's material is so poor it's hard to relate to her.
This is will be a TKTS staple, and I can see it sticking around for a new year 2020 closing. It'll make far more money on the road than it will in the Winter Garden.
Jordan Catalano said: "I saw the show this week and I’m pretty shocked that so many people seem to hate it so much. While the show isn’t without its problems, I had a really great time. The set design is one of the most inventive I’ve seen in a long time and while the music wasn’t Sondheim, I didn’t find it to be awful. Add to that performances that were uniformly very strong and it just made for a very enjoyable couple of hours."
I saw this last weekend and agree pretty much 100% with this review, Jordan. It wasn't great, but it's Beetlejuice, so I wasn't expecting it to be anything more than eye-popping and passingly entertaining. It was both. The sets are really cool, almost like optical illusions when they move forward and back and seem to grow or shrink. I didn't love Brightman, but I wasn't sure how much was his performance and how much was the writing. The songs were mostly bland but they were by no means terrible.
I also agree with whomever said this wasn't even the worst musical of the season (hi, King Kong!), let alone one of the worst I've ever seen. It's fairly middling, but based on reactions during and after the performance I saw, it's hugely satisfying for fans of the movie and the Beetlejuice character and for tourists looking for spectacle. It's definitely a better translation and spectacle, as a whole, than some other tourist traps on Broadway at the moment (again, hi, King Kong!).
I've had my tickets for June 8th for awhile now...
It sure as fvck isn't Sondheim, but I don't think it always has to be?... That trailer makes the show look SO fun. The score and writing may not be perfect but, that's that I guess. I'm not saying we should holistically settle for mediocre writing on Broadway and that it's criticisms aren't justified, but that trailer does a really good job of selling a spectacle and sometimes that's all I can ask for in a fun, upbeat, movie-to-musical show like this. Call me ignorant, but I'm still super excited to go see it this summer. Looks really fun.
It looks great but the parts of the score they chose to highlight make "Everybody Say Yeah" sound like Sondheim.
"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards
The trailer does make the show look like a lot of fun but most trailers do. What does seem obvious is that the score is not very interesting if that’s the best they have to highlight.
TobiasRagg said: "The official trailer for Beetlejuice was released today! https://youtu.be/KIY3Cxz37ag"
I have had no interest in seeing the show -- I hated the movie -- and this board's postings in general have not invented me to rethink that lack of interest. I still have no interest, but I thought that commercial was very good visually, although the little bit of music did not impress at all.
I am surprised that Alex Brightman is being so trashed. He seemed perfectly in character during the 75 seconds.
The audience went wild when I saw it. I was stunned by the ovation for the first number which I thought was utter garbage. I thought maybe I was in a bad mood and I should try to see what the audience was responding to. Reader: I failed. I found this show agonizing. It was deadly. And it wasn’t enjoyably terrible. This show was no Margaritaville where at least you had to appreciate their commitment to the stupidity. This show is so overwhelmingly BLAND that it defies entertainment. “I’m not PC” it screams in your face while the comedy stays strictly family friendly and regressively safe. Alex Brightman doesn’t play a character. He commits to a vocal tone and just gives it for two and a half numbing hours punctuated by Sophia Ann Caruso desperately trying to find anything to play other than vaguely annoyed. And failing. Rob McClure continues his streak of giving deeply committed performances in shows that don’t deserve his talent. Kerry Butler and Leslie Kritzer achieve something they’ve never accomplished on stage before: forgettability.
The trailer does make the show look like a lot of fun but most trailers do. What does seem obvious is that the score is not very interesting if that’s the best they have to highlight.
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Went a second time after having seen it in DC, and sadly, I got no joy from it. I feel bad for the actors on stage, and for the audience who have paid to see this epic cheerless effort. Gone by October sadly.
A lover of theater for decades. Teacher by day. Family man by night. See more theater than most, oftentimes a hesitant plus one.
NYCblurb said: "Went a second time after having seen it in DC, and sadly, I got no joy from it. I feel bad for the actors on stage, and for the audience who have paid to see this epic cheerless effort. Gone by October sadly."
I likely won't get to see the show unless it tours. I'll reserve judgment until I hear the cast album but the two songs they've released so far and the two song samples in the trailer aren't doing much for me. Of the two demo songs I did enjoy "Say My Name" a bit more than "Dead Mom." It's hard to imagine what the rest of the score must sound like if they feel these are the best songs to sell the show.
Sad to read all these comments about Alex Brightman. Saw a few School of rock clips and thought he sounded great and wanted to catch the show with him in the role but never got to. Thought I could maybe instead see Beetlejuice and enjoy his performance but from what I've read here..doesn't sound great...
Saw the show tonight and once I gave in and said, "Okay, this is just going to be full-throttle from minute one" I actually really enjoyed it. Yes, it's Alex Brightman doing Alex Brightman, but he is playing to his strengths, and the audience is eating it all up. I actually liked the score, though like most new scores nowadays, instantly forgettable. But it was a feast for the eyes that never really felt like it lagged. And it was funny! Though with 3 or 4 F-bombs, I couldn't help but think, "This is the more family friendly version?"
Lots of merch, though I heard they're already having trouble keeping up with demand.
Anyone notice who much Kerry Butler and Sophie Ann Caruso's singing voices sound really similar?
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
As soon as anyone sees a promo code that’ll work for a mid-July evening performance please post it. I’m ready to buy but not at the full $190 price for front row balcony. This will save me from waiting in the TKTS or Rush line and being disappointed. All I’ll have to do then is to get my afternoon matinee around 10:30 when the TKTS line dies down and head out for my birthday lunch at Junior’s and a free slice of cheesecake. :)
dmwnc1959 said: "As soon as anyone sees a promo code that’ll work for amid-July evening performance please post it. I’m ready to buy but not at thefull $190 price for front row balcony. This will save me from waiting in the TKTS or Rush line and being disappointed.All I’ll have to do thenis to get my afternoon matinee around 10:30 when the TKTS linedies down and head out for my birthday lunch at Junior’s and a free slice of cheesecake. :)"
Why don't you just go to Lincoln Centre where there is no lines x