BRING IT ON: The Musical Reviews

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 1:13am

Today is Wednesday, August 1, marking the official opening performance of Bring It On: The Musical, the new muscular, pop-fueled musical inspired by the popular film franchise about rival cheerleading teams, at the St. James Theatre. The Broadway engagement is the culmination of the national tour, which launched last fall in Los Angeles. It began previews July 12 for a run through October 7. Andy Blankenbuehler directs and choreographs the musical, which has musical supervision by Alex Lacamoire. Bring It On: The Musical features a book by Jeff Whitty, and music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Kitt, and Amanda Green.

Here's how producers bill the work: "In Bring It On: The Musical, the high-stakes world of competitive cheerleading is intertwined with cutthroat high school politics to tell the story of Campbell, the heir apparent to the head cheerleader at Truman High School. Campbell is at the top of the cheerleader pyramid and she has it all — a strong squad, a doting boyfriend and a straight path to the national championships. Her entire life has been dedicated to honing routines and staying within the strict rules and guidelines, but when a surprise letter arrives, Campbell's world is thrown upside down."

[Quiche2]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 9:00am

I saw it back in Charlotte, NC on tour. I overall enjoyed it, but I did have problems with just 1 or 2 things. To start, the cheer routines performed at training camp seemed bigger and more spectacular than the one sperformed at the competition. Also, I thought some of the jokes were corny. I think one of the best jokes was, "They're gonna think we're snobby stuck up b*tches. Wait a minute..... We are snobby stuck up b*tches!"

[Wynbish]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 9:05am

I've missed these threads, Limelight Mike. Here comes a new season!

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 9:12am

As long as Ryyan Reyonds ( the cubby side kick ) gets great notices that's all that matters. The rest of the show will be a blood bath.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 9:24am

We have this tonight and less than 3 weeks until Chaplin begins previews. Then before we know it, the fall season is upon us. Time is flying! I can't wait.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 9:42am

(Psssst, Quiche! I know you are new to the site, so please just take this as a heads up. Limelight Mike's threads on opening nights are a gathering place for the "official" reviews. As the professional reviews begin to trickle out, we post links here. With the link, the poster often includes a basic rating (pan, mixed, rave) and sometimes a great quote.)

[caseyjay231]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 9:46am

I saw the national tour of Bring It On when it came to the Cadillac Palace in Chicago. I enjoyed it for the most part, except when the spot lights would shine directly into the audience faces. It was so bright that my boyfriend got a migraine from it. I liked the characters a lot, and the music was good enough that i would buy the cast recording should it be released.
I agree that the cheerleading routines early in the show were far more impressive than in the final scene.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 6:24pm

Figured I'd give this a bump.

NEWBIES: please remember this is to post LEGITMATE, PUBLISHED reveiews. There is another thread for individual thoughts.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 7:10pm

AMNY - Positive

'As you'd expect, it features unbelievable displays of acrobatics and gymnastic abilities, including but not limited to young girls being flipped high in the air.

But it also proves to be a surprisingly well-crafted, highly enjoyable, feel-good musical with appealing characters, catchy R&B and rap songs, fierce hip-hop choreography and very funny dialogue packed with social media jokes.'

http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/theater-review-bring-it-on-the-musical-3-5-stars-1.3876080

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 8:03pm

Hollywood Reporter - Mixed to positive

'When the acrobatic ensemble of dancers and athletes flips and flies through the air, forming pyramids or serving as human stilts for their fellow cast members, their feats are as impressive as anything happening in Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark. And there’s not a harness in sight.'

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/bring-it-on-theater-review-355631

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 8:25pm

Associated Press is mixed/positive.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/review-bring-it-on-is-an-infectious-romp-if-not-very-groundbreaking-musical/2012/08/01/gJQAf9oHQX_story.html

Updated On: 8/1/12 at 08:25 PM

[jv92]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 8:31pm

Surprise, surprise: Matt Windman likes something kitschy and lame.

[Rentfan931]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 8:47pm

Talkin' Broadway is up.

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/BringitOn.html

[bjh2114]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 8:50pm

The AP is definitely more positive than mixed. The title is "'Bring It On' is fun and infectious"...

[Rentfan931]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 9:08pm

Backstage is up.

http://www.backstage.com/bso/reviews-ny-theatre-broadway/ny-review-bring-it-on-the-musical-1007723752.story

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 9:53pm

well, these haven't been as fun to read as I imagined they would be.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 10:22pm

The New York Times is mixed to positive.

"It’s when the cast members drop the bonding and the mean-girl bitching to take part in Mr. Blankenbuehler’s exciting cheerleading routines, arranging themselves into dazzling human starbursts, that “Bring It On” really brings something fresh to the ever-expanding roster of shows aimed at the teenage demographic. The precision and daring with which they fling themselves into the air and engage in breathtaking runs of back flips across the wide St. James stage give the musical a real kick. Even those with dark memories of the plastic perfections of cheerleaders may find it impossible to resist an encouraging cry of “Go team!”"

http://theater.nytimes.com/2012/08/02/theater/reviews/bring-it-on-the-musical-at-st-james-theater.html

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 10:23pm

Newsday is mostly positive.

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/theater/bring-it-on-review-musical-leaps-high-1.3873686

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 10:25pm

USA Today is positive!

http://www.usatoday.com/life/theater/reviews/story/2012-08-01/bring-it-on-the-musical/56668332/1

[donte7162004]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 10:26pm

Horrible movie......bad idea.....

[Rentfan931]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 10:27pm

Congrats to the cast and crew for the mainly positive reviews!!

[NewYorkTheater]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 10:35pm

Here is a link to some spectacular photographs of the show so you can see for yourself (and also a short excerpt of my review, and link to full one)
Bring It On The Musical photographs by Joan Marcus

[phan24]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 10:48pm

How was the New York Times Review published before the opening night performance even finished? Is it a common thing for reviewers to not go to opening night and write a review of a preview performance? Very sketchy.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 11:01pm

^Yes, it happens all the time. No reviewer actually goes to opening night anymore. Theatre reviews used to be published in the "late editions" of newspapers but with tremendous pressure to get them in the newspapers early tomorrow morning and publish them online immediately, critics are invited to attend toward the end of previews. The reviews are then written and published at some point during opening night. Some newspapers tend to publish earlier while some wait a bit closer to the end of the show.

[singtopher]

Posted: 8/1/12 at 11:15pm

A press night two or three days before the official opening has been the norm for quite some time now.