Bandstand--poor name & marketing?- Page 2

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 12:48am

The title didn't make me think of AMERICAN BANDSTAND, it screams "another juke-box musical" to me.

And I found the number they did for the Tony Awards remarkably mediocre for a show with--IIRC--Tony-nominated choreography.

But because people were raving about the show here, I downloaded the recording and loved it! What a waste!

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 8:05am

Gaveston. Always a pleasure. Someone who usually has answers.

I've become quite fond of Bandstand, but I wonder if I'm being too forgiving of its flaws because the young cast is so ingratiating, they worked so hard at promoting the show, and as a not much better than average trumpet player in high school I'm a little in awe of actors who can play their instruments on stage while in character. 

As they say, or maybe only I say, 90 percent of selling something is marketing. Lin Manuel said nothing about swing when he tweeted "Best jazz score since either Jelly's Last Jam or City Of Angels, take your pick. INCREDIBLE score." Jazz musicians, and jazz generally, always seem to be treated with great respect, even if one doesn't care for what they are playing. Mastery of the instrument and ability to improvise. 

But what is jazz and what is swing? I see Duke Ellington described as one of the originators of big band jazz. Is Billy Strayhorn's "Take the 'A' Train" jazz or swing? I think that most people, especially if they knew Duke Ellington's band was performing it, would call it jazz.

What about Benny Goodman? The "King of Swing" is described in bios as a jazz clarinetist. "Sing Sing Sing" seems just as worthy as 'A' Train to be labeled jazz.

Glenn Miller and "In the Mood" are most likely to be labeled swing. He was a hit machine but most of his pieces were soft or even bland compared to the Goodman and Ellington tunes.

If you look for a more technical distinction, swing can be called a form of jazz involving a larger ensemble of players improvising much less and reading music much more.

The swing era was the last great flowering of jazz before its period of harmonic experimentation. At its best, swing achieved an art of improvisation in which current harmonic conventions counterbalanced the stylistic individuality of its great creators. The swing era also coincided with the greatest popularity of dance bands in general. But when singers who began as swing stylists, such as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, and Sarah Vaughan, became more popular than the swing bands they sang with, the swing era came to an end. The harmonic experimentation of the late swing era, evident in, for example, the Woody Herman and Charlie Barnet bands of the early 1940s, presaged the next development in jazz: bop, or bebop.

The reason that I got into this morass was my wondering if Bandstand had been labeled "the new American jazz musical" then a lot fewer of its mailers might have not been immediately tossed, but instead the recipient would have gone on to read the rest of it.

[MCfan2]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 10:02am

I think Bandstand has a much stronger story than it's given credit for (and as an English major, I was taught to dissect and analyze a story within an inch of its life, so there's my credential for saying so ). The one thing that I thought was too much was Julia's obsession with the way Michael died. It didn't quite ring true to me, and felt like it was only emphasized as much as it was in order to trigger that moment of honesty from Donny and a crisis in his relationship with Julia. 

Then again, I never had a family member die in a war (my dad did go to war, but it was before I was born, and he made it back), so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about there. I can only say it didn't quite feel right to me.

What did feel right was Donny's character arc and the progress of his relationship with Julia. It felt natural to me that they would be strongly drawn to each other but also that they would be hesitant and slow. I thought "This Is Life" was a nicely subversive and very real moment, because one of my major pet peeves with modern stories -- on TV or in movies or wherever -- is the couples who rush things and force things and insist on being together regardless of obstacles that would get in their way in real life.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 12:42pm

I've heard other people complain about the show's undue focus on how Julia's husband died.  I can only add: if you've ever lost a loved one, and not known how he or she spent their last hours, it's a question that can haunt you, independent of war.  I lost a parent thus in the 1980s -- a missing 18 hours -- and can honestly admit it took me decades to piece together a resolution. It made sense to me that Julia needed some visualization. Perhaps the show hasn't found a way to make it persuasive.

"This is LIfe' is a lovely song, so wistful and melancholy.  It's one of the numbers that will lift and work out of context. The show also uses that moment to insert that final bit of reality, a single hotel door.  The rest of the final 1/4 is stylized and MGM.   

My subjective response, on a second viewing: One thing I admired  was the way Donny is written and played. He's flawed, he is imperfect. A hothead at times. But he's an adult. He is a grown man.  Not because he's a vet (or straight and white), because he comes home and takes charge of his own life, as messed up as he necessarily is. I am weary of young men portrayed (mostly in films and TV) as perpetual adolescents. Donny is orphaned (at least since Papermill, apparently) and stands up for himself, makes his life happen.  In "Right This Way," he asks only for respect, and then says "we'll make 'em give it to us."  In 2017, that leaps out, not as heroic but hell, exemplary. I'm tired of Peter Pans. That he is not.  Small point, but I found it telling. 

 

Updated On: 8/28/17 at 12:42 PM

[MCfan2]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 1:09pm

I appreciate your perspective, Auggie27. Maybe the Julia/Michael storyline just needed to be integrated better, as you say. Also, I agree with you about Donny. He's a good strong multifaceted character and I love the way Corey Cott plays him.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 1:28pm

Nice sentiments, Auggie.

I've read and heard about the desire for the wife or mother to know exactly how the husband or son died. Often a buddy will go visit the widow and talk about what happened. If it were me, I'm not sure that I would want to know. Painful. And if it were friendly fire you know that you'll never be officially informed of that. Officially they all died bravely in combat defending their country.

So you think that "This is Life" might live on after the show is gone. I'm not confident that any song will hang around, although it can depend a lot on whether the right vocalist covers it. "First Steps" is a cute song. That's the first song Laura performs on the Playbill video if anyone ever  figured out how to play the video.

"Love Will Come and Find Me Again" would be the obvious candidate, but, as one of the critics pointed out, it is pretty odd for a still grieving widow to be singing hopefully that she'll find a replacement.

A little sad that Bandstand will close and probably never be heard from again.

 

[Itonlytakesajourney]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 1:37pm

OlBlueEyes said: "A little sad that Bandstand will close and probably never be heard from again.

 

 

"

It might have a chance in the future, when hopefully America won't be in such bad shape. I think many people just aren't feeling a particularly patriotic show right now (although they should, veterans and their impact should be discussed and admired everywhere) . I also know a large chunk of the younger audience resents the show for some ridiculous reason (I'm a poc, and while I do think they could have done better to employ actors of color into the principal cast, the notion that the show is completely whitewashed and bad because of it is a terrible thought). It just couldn't find its audience at this point, leading to its closing.

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 1:39pm

OlBlueEyes said: "Nice sentiments, Auggie.

I've read and heard about the desire for the wife or mother to know exactly how the husband or son died. Often a buddy will go visit the widow and talk about what happened. If it were me, I'm not sure that I would want to know. Painful. And if it were friendly fire you know that you'll never be officially informed of that. Officially they all died bravely in combat defending their country.

So you think that "This is Life" might live on after the show is gone. I'm not confident that any song will hang around, although it can depend a lot on whether the right vocalist covers it. "First Steps" is a cute song. That's the first song Laura performs on the Playbill video if anyone ever  figured out how to play the video.

"Love Will Come and Find Me Again" would be the obvious candidate, but, as one of the critics pointed out, it is pretty odd for a still grieving widow to be singing hopefully that she'll find a replacement.

A little sad that Bandstand will close and probably never be heard from again.
 

"

I was watching a documentary of Princess Diana in which Harry and Diana;s sister were obsessing over the exact details of how she ended up in the back of that limo without a seatbelt and who was taking pictures of her body. Diana's death was very public and all sorts of info is out there, but they were clearly fixated on things that to them didn't make sense. For instance Diana;s sister kept insisting that Diana always wore seatbelts. 

I think it's often a healthy way to displace grief. Focus on the details, and not the greater loss. Harry said that for many years he couldn't talk about it at all and still goes to therapy. So Julia's reaction isn't strange at all.

I do think that one issue is that Laura Osnes for all of her enormous singing talent isn't a very spontaneous actress. So some parts of the dialogue came across as stilted and artificial.

[MCfan2]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 1:40pm

"Love Will Come and Find Me Again" would be the obvious candidate, but, as one of the critics pointed out, it is pretty odd for a still grieving widow to be singing hopefully that she'll find a replacement.
"

No odder than it is for Dolly Levi to be hunting for a new husband while she's still telling the ghost of the first husband how much she misses him. Seriously, I don't think it's about finding a "replacement," it's more about missing the experience of love and hoping to find it again.

[DAME]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 1:41pm

poisonivy2 said:"
I do think that one issue is that Laura Osnes for all of her enormous singing talent isn't a very spontaneous actress. So some parts of the dialogue came across as stilted and artificial."

 

See.. I thought the whole show comes off that way.  Stilted and artificial.  

 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 2:04pm

I knew what the show was about and I like swing music. The reasons I didn't see the show were that the numbers they used to advertise didn't sound much like the swing music that appeals to me, I don't like the leads, and the word of mouth from Papermill and the previews thread here didn't seem exciting. I don't think it's so much about needing to care about every "issue" a show takes on, though certainly that can help. But you need to have some reason to want to engage with those issues. For me, it's usually the skill or eloquence (either in the material or the performances) with which the story is presented even if I can't personally identify with the characters or the situation. 

[David10086]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 3:31pm

I, as well, thought it was a juke box musical - and thought it was about a dance contest of some sort. Didn't attract me in the least.

Then I found out more about it when I joined here  a few months ago, and am sort of interested in seeing it...but my schedule won't allow for it. 

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 5:29pm

Literally everyone I mentioned it to (who doesn't closely follow Broadway) thought it was a jukebox musical. Without exception. I only saw it because I was trying to see everything pre-Tonys, and I enjoyed it a hell of a lot more than I thought I would. Not a perfect show by any means, but a totally different show than I was expecting. 

Fan123 said: "Haven't seen the show, but I read in an article that the title is meant to refer, in part, to the band taking its defiant stand at the end."

Yeah, this makes sense after having seen the show, but it's crazy to me that they didn't consider how it would sound to someone who had never heard of it. 

Count me in the camp that feels this work would've had a very different life with a more evocative title. Marketing can only do so much. 

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 5:44pm

I agree that the title is a problem. I wouldn't be surprised if there is more confusion when The Band's Visit opens in November. 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 6:48pm

The show is about as bland as bland can be. Nothing about this show stood out to me when I saw it on Broadway. I thought the show, while still imperfect and mediocre, was in much better shape at Paper Mill. Honestly, I'm surprised this lasted on Broadway as long as it did. It's a true dud of a show.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 7:48pm

Back to the marketing, I've mentioned this before but I really, really liked this show but the marketing was so bizarre though. First the ads were all making it seem like it was this sexy show with all the dancing and the glistening skin and the smoke. Then the ads were all about "Andy Blankenbuehler of Hamilton" with his own show. Then it was about the choreography. Through it all, could you really tell what the show was about? 

[Hank]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 8:10pm

re:  "I don't thinks the show screams to be seen."   My thoughts as well,. I see just about everything at Paper Mill, and this one was a very pleasant surprise. Although I never expected a mega hit, I was hoping this would be one of those sleepers with a little more word of mouth.

[jtishere]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 11:40pm

The marketing has definitely had a bit of an identity crisis but there are three things that won me over to getting a ticket:

-hearing snippets of the score
-the Tony Awards performance
-the sheer enthusiasm the cast displays for this show on social media

For someone who wasn't terribly excited when this show opened, it has quickly become one of the shows I'm most looking forward to next week. 

I was just mentioning in the grosses thread about regarding War Paint - it's such a shame that it hasn't gained traction when new original musicals for adults seem to get fewer and farther between.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 8/29/17 at 2:39am

poisonivy2 said:"
I do think that one issue is that Laura Osnes for all of her enormous singing talent isn't a very spontaneous actress. So some parts of the dialogue came across as stilted and artificial."

 See.. I thought the whole show comes off that way.  Stilted and artificial.

************************************************************************

The show is about as bland as bland can be. Nothing about this show stood out to me when I saw it on Broadway. I thought the show, while still imperfect and mediocre, was in much better shape at Paper Mill. Honestly, I'm surprised this lasted on Broadway as long as it did. It's a true dud of a show.

 

Wow. That's harsh. When you put it that way it almost seems like you are saying that your judgment of Bandstand is the correct judgment and if someone liked the show then he or she is probably a big fan of the Three Stooges as well.

We all go into these shows carrying our various biases that we have developed in the course of our education and life-experience. If diversity is a hot button with you, and if you have a negative opinion of Laura Osnes because she's so damn perky all the time, the show's going to have to work real hard to win you over.

I, on the other hand, like swing, especially the driving instrumentals like Duke Ellington's "Take the 'A' Train" and Benny Goodman's "Sing Sing Sing" and was pleased to find a show that featured that music. I think it was the early 70s when Bette Midler covered the Andrews Sisters' "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and had a top ten hit with it. This also set off a brief period of great interest in the Andrews Sisters.

The two times that I saw it I was really impressed by what I saw as the audience buying into the story, with tears and that great reaction to the climactic "Welcome Home." But if Bandstand was affecting the whole audience that way then there should have been some word-of-mouth audience and there never was.

"Stilted and Artificial" - I will say that the story line was highly improbable and great suspension of disbelief was required. Guy comes back after four years of fighting Japanese. He feels responsible for the death of his best buddy and he can't sleep and he can't find a job. So he recruits five other combat vets, one for each band instrument he needs filled, and all suffering from some different manifestation of PTSD. Top that with the widow of his buddy sliding in as the singer who fronts the band.

Of course there are legions of entertainment vehicles that require a healthy suspension of disbelief.

Updated On: 8/30/17 at 02:39 AM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 8/29/17 at 10:23am

Wow. That's harsh. When you put it that way it almost seems like you are saying that your judgment of Bandstand is the correct judgment and if someone liked the show then he or she is probably a big fan of the Three Stooges as well.

 

Old Blue Eyes and I have found some common ground in this thread.  I've been going to the theater since I was six and saw the first national of My Fair Lady.  I've seen just about every major musical that opened on B'way in the past 40 years, including debut productions of, say, all Sondheim and ALW shows, here and in London (just to cite the obvious).   I've worked in the entertainment industry most of my adult life.  Yet it always fascinates me when people want to school me about the lack of validity in my responses.  How I couldn't possibly have had the experience I enjoyed, because my inability to recognize some lack in the artistry.  Invariably, evaluations can spill over into insults, if not intentional ones.  What's always forgotten: many seasoned theatergoers can find satisfying emotional experiences in flawed material.  Our reactions are mysterious, not always intellectualized plus and negative columns. My response to Bandstand -- the show I had the least interest in seeing this season -- is Exhibit A. It took me by surprise.  I can attempt to defend its integrity, fully recognizing where it falls down, because its whole was greater than its parts for me.  At the end of the day, I  find it heartening when -- at this late date -- I blink back tears through a show that was off my radar.  The lights dim, we never know what awaits us, or how we'll be taken in. 

[MCfan2]

Posted: 8/29/17 at 10:35am

I love that Bandstand has such passionate defenders (including myself). I believe it fully deserves them. I've been going to the theater for thirty years, I've got drawers and bulletin boards and CD shelves full of show music and memorabilia -- and, believe it or not, few other shows have crept as close to my heart as this little unassuming show has. Some shows are just like that. Short run or not, future life or not, it's left its mark, and I'm glad. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 8/29/17 at 11:30am

I had a good time at Bandstand, but I did think the songshift because of the contract wording was a bit contrived. You knew they were doing that song at some point all along...

[Larcen26]

Posted: 8/29/17 at 2:19pm

I don't live in NY, so I can't speak to Marketing, but I agree that the name wasn't great.  I thought honestly that Bandstand's performance at the Tony's was the best one of all of them and thought it would have been buoyed a bit from that.

Having seen it this weekend, and really really enjoying it, I was struck that it was two shows that were competing with each other...

One was a happy "let's put on a show" piece, and the other was an examination of PTSD in Post WW2 soldiers and the ability of music to cut through the crap...and it was often jarring.

The best way I thought to illustrate this was in the boys in the band...you have the dumb one, the funny drunk and the neatnick, staples of any group story.  And they are all funny and likable.  But then you remember that the dumb one is dumb because of a horriffic car wreck, the funny drunk is literally drinking to wipe the image of Dachau out of his head and the third has borderline severe OCD from his wartime trauma.  So right after you laugh, you feel a little bad that you did.

But I also see the point that people looked past those problems back then, and so it is probably a very realistic portrayal, and erring to either side would hurt the show overall.

Fortunately for me, the performances cut through most of that and I enjoyed it for what it is, but I can't help but pity the few regional and/or community theaters that try this show and don't have Broadway caliber actors to walk the line between comedy and tragedy.

[coreman009]

Posted: 8/29/17 at 3:02pm

Totally agree, by giving an accurate portrayal, they can't make it INCREDIBLY heartbreaking. At the time, nobody talked about PTSD (it didn't even have a name) so it has to be masked. They do an incredible job acting seemingly normal while also seeming to suffer internally, but it doesn't lend itself as well to grandiose theatrics. 

[Babe_Williams]

Posted: 8/29/17 at 3:10pm

GavestonPS said: "The title didn't make me think of AMERICAN BANDSTAND, it screams "another juke-box musical" to me.

And I found the number they did for the Tony Awards remarkably mediocre for a show with--IIRC--Tony-nominated choreography.

But because people were raving about the show here, I downloaded the recording and loved it! What a waste!

 

"

This is how I discovered it too. I thought the marketing was completely boring and dull and it looked like another generic musical. I heard people rave about it and listened to the recording and loved it. I think they should have capitalized more on the fact that much of the show focused on them returning from war and being veterans. You wouldn't gather that at all from the marketing.