BRIGHT STAR Previews- Page 3

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 12:39am

BroadwayConcierge -- I actually smiled when that moment happened in the show tonight thinking of your post.  Yes, the lyric is there but not repeated to the endless length you describe. Maybe the actor forget the lyrics at the performance you saw?

Whizzer --- I agree that convention needs to meet in the middle, though I tend to roll my eyes a lot at criticisms of lyrics on these threads, because I can only imagine what the posters here would have said if they were there for the first performance of say, OKLAHOMA and heard THOSE lyrics for the first time.

[Boysdontcry66]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 12:39am

QueenAlice, I was front row on the left side, by myself in the row (B1). You almost sat next to me, before realizing your seats were in the center.  

[caringtype1]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 12:40am

I loved it. I was careful not to set my expectations too high, not being much of a fan of bluegrass, but it was wonderful. The score, I thought, was quite beautiful, played gorgeously by the band. Carmen Cusack was just terrific, as was the rest of the cast. As far as Tonys, I'd say Score is it's best chance at a nomination. The best actress category is so crowded this year Cusack probably won't get in, but she should at least be in the conservation. There isn't much to the set, but it's effective. If they was one area that could have been better it would have to be the lacking characterizations. The audience really needs to see the change in Alice after the events of the first act in order to be invested in what happens. Other than that, the show was great. I'm not sure it will find an audience on Broadway, but I sincerely hope it does. 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 12:42am

Haha, QueenAlice!

 

To both you and Whizzer, really very interested and thankful for your reviews! I'm glad you guys enjoyed the show tonight. It definitely sounds like it's been tightened up at least a little bit from when I saw it.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 12:48am

Hey Whiz - how was the view from the Balcony? The Cort Balcony is one of my favorite views on Broadway, but I'm just wondering what it's like for this show. 

[After Eight]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 12:58am

It wasn't bad. It had some pleasant melodies, atmosphere, and a good cast. The staging was fluid. The inevitability of the plot, however, deprived it of suspense, especially in the second act.

 

I felt it lacked the emotional resonance of Allegiance, which remains by far the best musical of the season to date.

Posted: 2/26/16 at 1:58am

WhizzerMarvin said: "I agree with you that the show doesn't feel "cheap" and the staging of the Bright Star number (Billy's Journey) was indeed exciting. 

 

 

 

I'm not familiar with the bluegrass music and the rules that govern it- I do think when a genre of music is utilized in a musical theater setting that it should adapt to some of the conventions of musical theater and meet in the middle. It sounds like the lyrics of Bright Star adhered a little too closely to the Bluegrass conventions than I would care for. If imperfect rhymes are acceptable/encouraged in Bluegrass music that's fine, but I think on the Broadway stage you run of the risk of appearing sloppy and/or lazy if that device is relied too heavily upon. 

 

I am a folk musician, but play a lot of festivals where bluegrass musicians play, and for the most part I have found that bluegrass musicians are extremely disciplined and are very serious about exact rhyming.  I couldn't ignore the amount of half rhymes and unimaginative rhymes (like when we are apart/it's breaks my heart/I knew from the start) but Edie Brickell isn't a bluegrass musician -- though Steve Martin is (but he's most known for his playing, not lyric writing).  With such a website as rhymezone.com a click away, it's hard to fathom how serious songwriters can continue to use assonant or very familiar rhymes.  Johnny Mercer (who wrote "Skylark," "Moon River," and many others) said to Ervin Drake (who wrote, "It Was A Very Good Year," and "I Believe (For Every Drop Of Rain That Falls)," and many others that, "If your song doesn't rhyme exactly, it's because you haven't finished working on it." 

 

[SLSigafoos]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 4:52am

Really appreciating all of the thorough reviews of those who saw the first preview! The majority are positive, and if a predictable plot is its worst offense, I can deal. Anyone else see Nolan in Daddy Long Legs just prior to this? That story is as predictable as it gets, and yet I found myself enjoying it more than most, particularly bc of the talent onstage.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 5:44am

The view from the balcony was great! The Cort balcony is one of my favorite balconies on Broadway too- you really feel right there with the action. 

 

christinelavin, thanks for your input and that Johnny Mercer quote. One of the many reasons that I've been drawn to theater music is the enormous amount of craft that ideally should be put into the lyric writing. So often in pop music you hear imperfect and obvious rhymes, which is fine for a Kesha song and all, but in the theater I expect more than that. 

 

In the case of Bright Star the characters are writers and magazine editors, who by their own admission love words. They are smart, educated folk. Of all characters they should be able to rhyme their lyrics and come up with some interesting words and syntax. The lyrics don't need to be pretentious, but when they distracted me (and my friends) as much as they did, I think it's a problem worth looking at. 

[Nabucco]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 7:04am

"The show didn't seem to really come alive until the 2nd act. Jeff Blumenkrantz sort of steals every scene he is in without even trying -- he's such a pro.  There are some great laughs near the end, mostly thanks to him. It was great to hear the audience laughing so loud at last -- but then it also was a reminder that for so much of the show the audience isn't as engaged."

 

Christinelavin, this is a somewhat odd comment. Jeff is great, and his scenes are lovely and provide comic relief. But to suggest that because the rest of the show is not alive  because the audience isn't laughing is rather odd.   That would mean any musical with a serious tone such as West Side Story wouldn't engage the audience because there wasn't any laughter.   One could further argue that the timeframe of Bright Star -- 1930's and later 1940's-- would be at odds with Jeff Blumenkrantz's very openly gay character,  particularly when the show spends a good deal of time talking about southern conventions and the major plot point hinges on "traditional values."

Updated On: 2/26/16 at 07:04 AM

[little_sally]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 8:42am

It started off slow but really picked up about midway through act one, and I ended up really enjoying it. It's a charming, lovely musical. Sure, there are problems with the book (I feel like it lacks focus) and the big revelation is a tad bit predictable but the score is great (I'm still singing "The Sun is Gonna Shine Again" this morning) and so is the staging. The cast is uniformly good, and Carmen Cusack is really giving a great performance. She has some voice (and she also reminded me of Donna Murphy, Whizzer) and I thought she was able to convincingly portray Alice in both 1923 and 1945. I hope the show does very well. It was refreshing to see this after sitting through "Disaster" this past weekend.

 

The mezzanine was pretty full, save for some empty seats on the side, and there was a standing ovation at the end (not that that indicates anything anymore.) I was struck, however, with some of the comments I overheard during intermission. A few women a couple of rows ahead of me where surprised that Steve Martin didn't write a comedy. It made me wonder if other people were going to buy tickets expecting something hilarious too.

[Keiichi2]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 9:02am

Glad to hear some good word on this one, as I was a bit worried, due to the fact word of mouth on earlier productions was pretty mixed.  I bought tickets based on some clips I saw of the Kennedy Center production, and I'm glad it sounds like the show, while it still has its issues, is in decent shape.

 

Only shows that I'm seeing in April left to wait to open in previews now are Shuffle Along, Waitress and The Father.

Updated On: 2/26/16 at 09:02 AM

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 9:18am

I'm not seeing it until next week, but is nobody else concerned that there are zero people of color in this show? It's not like there are not black people in the south.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 10:16am

A friend of mine who works in casting (and worked on a revival in previews that also has a lily white cast) said that, at least for that production, they were really open to having people of color in it, but they said frankly this season, its been difficult because people of color are still a minority in terms of numbers in the theatre, and most of the best talent is already employed.

 

Make of this what you will, but it is true that this season we have ON YOUR FEET (almost all latin), ALLEGIENCE (almost all asian) THE COLOR PURPLE, SHUFFLE ALONG (all black) and HAMILTON (mostly black and latin).  Add this to long running shows like THE LION KING (mostly black) and THE KING AND I (mostly asian) that I can potentially see why someone in casting might say they are having difficulty finding the best minority talent. Yes, I can hear you say - they should look harder -- and that may be true,  But people of color are very well represented and employed on Broadway this year, mostly in shows that don't largely integrate other races.

I'm all for an integrated cast, but also think its not right to cast a minority actor simply because you want a 'token minority' somewhere in the ensemble, especially if that person isn't the best person for the job.

 

In terms of BRIGHT STAR - historically speaking -  North Carolina in the 1920s and 1940s was still likely pretty segregated, and you probably wouldn't have seen these characters having many integrated friendships.  Its a similar time and place for THE COLOR PURPLE, which isn't integrated either. That doesn't mean I wouldn't have gone with it if they had some integrated casting, but looking at the overall season, I think you can make a case for it having an all white cast more than most stories.

Updated On: 2/26/16 at 10:16 AM

[SLSigafoos]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 10:39am

Interesting question! I was prepared to say that it's unlikely that people of color and bluegrass might not entirely go together, but I decided to do a little research. This doesn't expand all the way back to that exact time frame, but it does bring up the history of bluegrass, people of color, and the South: http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article10078805.html. Interesting read, nonetheless. I tend to listen to a lot of Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, etc when I want to listen to bluegrass music, so it's fascinating to me to get background on what bluegrass music was, before today's more contemporary artists who also sing 'today's' country, also delved into bluegrass. There was a band called Nickel Creek, maybe a decade or so ago, who had more of what I'd call a 'bluegrass' sound that would have been popular with the youth of today. Now, I don't know that there's any one act I'd say could cross bluegrass and any other genre and still be well known to the public. But all the current bluegrass musicians I know are definitely Caucasian. 

Posted: 2/26/16 at 10:46am

I was surprised to see a casting breakdown for this show where all the roles were specified as white. This show doesn't require a diverse cast, but usually race isn't specified in casting calls unless it's part of the plot of the show (i.e. Hairspray), which doesn't seem true here.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 11:02am

Yes, but as I said, historically speaking it's a slippery slope. For example, there are large ensemble scenes that take place at a local dance hall-- and those absolutely would have been segregated in North Carolina in the 1940s.

 

iguess the director ultimately thought honoring the time and history of the piece realistically was important to the story telling. I don't think he should be chastised for that...

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 11:08am

Interested to see how this sells. I'm looking at seats for tonight's performance, and they are wildly abundant. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 11:09am

"Honoring the time and history realistically" by casting an entirely white cast? It's 2016, we can have some suspension of disbelief. I also disagree with your assertion that all of the most talented people have already been cast in things. That is not and has never been true. They just didn't try hard enough to cast anyone of color.

 

"I was surprised to see a casting breakdown for this show where all the roles were specified as white. "

Indeed. They actually didn't try at all.

Updated On: 2/26/16 at 11:09 AM

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 11:22am

Again, I was just passing along an anecdote from a casting director about a different production that was potentially relevant to this discussion.

 

Do you feel the Color Purple should have some suspension of disbelief by having some Asian and Latin actors in the cast?

Updated On: 2/26/16 at 11:22 AM

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 11:25am

It's not at all the same thing. You're missing the point, clearly.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 11:33am

Not really. I get the point entirely. The shows are rooted in a specific time and place.  Like I said in my earlier post, I personally wouldn't have had a problem dispensing belief, but why should the director be chastised if he thought that suspension of belief would be historically inaccurate or take away from the story.

Have you seen BRIGHT STAR? Most of the characters are either related to each other or love interests. Casting any of these roles inter racially in a historical story would be making a statement.

 

The only character that maybe could have been cast with a person of color is  (maybe) Jeff Blumencrantz's character; and he by all accounts is a highlight of the cast.

 

 

 

 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 11:38am

I'm not going to argue with you about this anymore because it's like arguing with a brick wall. I saw Bright Star at Vassar. I didn't say they had to cast the principal roles with people of color, if you're so concerned about that. They could have at the very least put ethnically ambiguous people in minor roles or in the ensemble. They did not even try. There is no excuse for a completely white cast in 2016, no matter what Walter Bobbie thinks he's doing to protect the "story."

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 11:48am

A brick wall indeed. On this we will have to disagree. but I will point out your last point is simply arguing for ethnic integration not true inclusion.  If there is no excuse for an all white cast in 2016, there is also no excuse for a segregated cast of any ethnicity. Story and context has to be the voice of reason in this otherwise infinite debate.

Updated On: 2/26/16 at 11:48 AM

[mariel9]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 12:31pm

If there is no excuse for an all white cast in 2016, there is also no excuse for a segregated cast of any ethnicity. Story and context has to be the voice of reason in this otherwise infinite debate.

 

Integrated or "color blind" casting that expands opportunities for underrepresented minorities is not remotely the same as integrating the cast of Color Purple or Allegiance. I was really put off to see an all white cast in a musical set in the South, especially given how diverse Broadway has been this past year and the increased conversation around these issues. The fact that Bright Star is all about family and love interests and so of course it has to be all white ignores the fact that the writers chose to write a segregated story. They didn't have to.

Updated On: 2/26/16 at 12:31 PM