Brooklyn Opens on Broadway Tomorrow -- Page 3

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 2:02pm

Those are HUGE numbers, and probably tied to the Wizard of Oz buzz. I wonder what RENT's numbers looked like (although JL's death and the subsequent press coverage probably affected the b.o)

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 2:09pm

Playbill's box office stats only go back to June 1996 and Rent opened the April before that, but I'm almost certain the show was standing room only from the beginning (the June stats have them at 101.88% capacity). Larson's death got the show an enormous amount of press -- every news source, including ones that rarely cover theatre, had feature stories on the tragedy. I seem to remember the kids sleeping out for tickets even in previews.

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 2:13pm

101.88? Wow.

I really wish BKLYN well. I had a great time, and I thought Eden and Ramona, specifically, were wonderful.

[Amneris]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 3:59pm

sad to admit but, when i was 12 and 13, i was one of those who slept out for seats. I drove my mother nuts taking me into the city to see shows.

[aurora2]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 4:48pm

Regarding your comment Corine, "Wicked is a good show. It is a masterpiece compared to Brooklyn. It makes sense! The costumes and sets are magnificent.
Brooklyn has great talent, but that is all it has sadly."

If Brooklyn didn't make sense to you maybe reading a Children's book would. This is not a confusing plot by any means. I think most would agree.

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 4:53pm

Agreed, aurora. It's a show within a show. Not hard to get.

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 5:26pm

I agree also Aurora. Also Matt_G, outside of regular theatregoers, I would doubt a lot of tourists would know that Eden understudied in Wicked. I agree with Margo. Word of mouth and good reviews will help this show. I saw it twice here in Denver and as much as I enjoyed it, I just have this feeling that critics may not be too kind to it. I don't think they can put the cast down as they are vocally outstanding (At least the 3 females who were in it here in Denver.) I don't know, but maybe some people may want to see Cleavant since it has been awhile since he has been on Broadway.

[NStar21]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 5:29pm

Auora2 and TheGaIsSlient, people aren't stupid, they get it's a story within a story, so by contining to bring that up when trying to prove Brooklyn isn't a hard show to get, leads me to wonder, maybe it's people like you who are having the problem comprehending things. There was nothing wrong with Corine's comment, IT made perfect sense. I walked out of Brooklyn thinking I understood it for the most part and then I got into a debate with Wickedfan2 over a small aspect of the show in a different thread and yet both sides made sense but if the show was so clear, why was there need for a debate? But I must have missed the memo that Brooklyn was a perfect show and made complete sense when there are undeveloped characters especiallly Eden's. Is the majority of the audience suppose to want the villian to win? Wow, when did things change. Let's not forget how it's hard to feel a connection to the majority of the characters or really take seriously the whole war scene. Or the famous American Idol standoff in the show that really serves no purpose. Or the amazing score people rave about and yet only really speak about four songs... the main songs the production pushes because they're the only good ones. Who is really going to say that "Christmas Makes Me Cry" and "Creating Once Upon A Time" (yes, that is a name for one of the songs) are Broadway hits. EVERY show has flaws because nothing can be perfect but Brooklyn has flaws on top of flaws and if Taboo got ripped apart last season, I will be surprised if Brooklyn does not. Tabbo had issues but at least it had an amazing score to make up for the plot critics really took an issue with. Brooklyn doesn't even have that---already critics expressed their lack of interest in the show with that cd sampler but come tomorrow, we'll see exactly how Brooklyn will fair. I thought the cast was extremely talented and have some of them and their understudies in other shows and know they can do better and show off their talents in a better production.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 5:33pm

I'm so sorry I'm on the west coast right now, even if i did get to see the 10 Commandments.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 5:59pm

Uncaged,

Just for a bit more discussion on this... what makes you think the "word of mouth" is gonna be good for this show? The majority of the people that I know that have seen it thought it was terrible. If you read the ATC boards, about 85-90% of the people that have reviewed it, hated it.

Like I have said many times before... I think the cast is very talented, but the show is severly flawed. That being said, I hope it finds an audience and has a nice run. Personally, however, I think the critics are going to have a field day.

[DickonDefysGravity]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 6:00pm

Margo- I completely agree with pretty much everything you have said. There is no way you can compare Wicked and Brooklyn. Wicked had a predispostion and a plot for that matter. brooklyn is just an out of the blue show with no history or links.

Amneris- I'm probably older than you and have a little more of an understanding of Broadway and Broadway history!!! There is no need to be hostile. We are all adults...or are we...

Brooklyn's success will depend on the reviews and if Espinosa's voice will hold out....but she is a different story...

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 6:17pm

Strike One...

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 6:22pm

"This misbegotten hybrid of Brecht, story theater, Amelie and American Idol fails so dismally on so many levels that the prevailing impulse is to look away from the stage."

Ouch.

[insomniak]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 6:40pm

Yikes. That was nasty. But they said similar things about AIDA, which ran for four years, so there's really no telling... it depends on what kind of following, if any at all, it attracts.

"dazzle the Rent and Wicked crowd?"

...

Is it really the same crowd? That's an actual question. I've heard things about Rent being just a poppy show for surbuban kids wanting to be 'edgy'.

[Plum]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 6:41pm

To some extent, it is the same crowd. Think of it as a very narrow Venn diagram.

It's the crowd that can overlook some extreme book flaws because they think they're watching something "cool." Updated On: 10/21/04 at 06:41 PM

[Songsstresss]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 6:50pm

Wow... Can anyone post some more links to reviews?

[Plum]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 6:56pm

From Newsday.
Brooklyn: It Means Well

[Plum]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 6:57pm

Double post Updated On: 10/21/04 at 06:57 PM

[Testing1232]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 6:57pm

I dont think its the same crowd at all, especially in the case of "Rent"...

No way would I compare "Rent" with "Brooklyn" in terms of ... well, basically, anything...

and "Brooklyn", in my opinion, makes "Wicked" look better and better !!

[Plum]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 6:59pm

I'm not saying the shows are of the same quality. I'm just talking about the mindsets of the people who adore them.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 7:00pm

Stee-rike 2:

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

[tkts]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 7:23pm

Rejoice Brooklyn fans...those may be the best three reviews you get!

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 7:27pm

I love GODSPELL especially the 2000 off-off broadway cast with Soshana Bean. Just wanted to put that. Carry on..........

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 7:30pm

I suppose Winer's review in Newsday is Strike Three, but she is certainly more kind with her criticism than some of her colleagues thus far -- Note Talkin Broadway's Matthew Murray:

"Buried beneath the rubbish of the show's outward appearance is just more rubbish, albeit in the guise of a book and score (by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson) similarly incapable of rising above the esprit debris."

Updated On: 10/21/04 at 07:30 PM

[Matt_G]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 7:33pm

Yikes, I didn't even see this thread. I wonder where our Brooklyn shills are today?