"Bullets Over Broadway" Previews- Page 3

[CukorLover]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:05am

Thank goodness for the Whizzer!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:08am

I agree with everyone and their "this was a better version of Nice Work" comments. It was really hard not to compare the two shows. Luckily it works out in Bullets' favor, but if this had an original score the comparison would never have occurred to any of us in the first place.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:14am

I liked it overall, but seriously, WHY hire top-notch performers who are giving, tonally and vocally, the same performance as their film counterparts? Marin was giving Diane Wiest line-readings in some scenes and Helen Yorke seemed to rely on what Tilly brought and added nothing new, character wise. I kept thinking "Marin beat Patti (among others) to play the part the same way??" Was this what Stroman wanted--the movie's acting on stage?

Braff was INDEED a better Woody than Cusack and Betsy Wolfe was amazing in a part that was over-written compared to the movie. I'd KILL to see her get a crack at Olive. She wrung laugh after laugh out of her so-so scenes.

The ending was terrible indeed. My FAVORITE line of the movie is when he asks Ellen if she loves the man or the artists. While the line somewhat exists in him asking Helen Sinclair, I really missed the small quiet moment with them on the street as the ending.

To me, it wasn't a musical. There were songs, yes, but nothing seemed to really come out of the action. They almost all seemed to be commenting upon the action. They were fine, but I really really wish it had an original, plot and character-driven score.

[dave1606]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:17am

I was there tonight. I liked it alot, but didn't all out love it. It's big, splashy and fun, but I especially think Act 1 could be a great deal tighter. There are definitely come songs that should be cut. Betsy Wolfe while always sounding lovely, dind't work for me, especially in Act 1. I don't think it was so much her fault as her direction. She sings her song and stands firmly still not moving or emoting at all. After seeing how Brilliant she was in Last Five years I found this very surprising and disappointing.


A note of love for Karen Ziemba. I totally loved her wacky character(and her dog!), and I thought she did great wit her song in Act 2.

Marin Mazzie. For me she was near perfection. A hysterical and commanding performance, and one that completely envelops Zach Braff to the point where I kept forgetting he was even onstage with her.

Helene York was hysterical, and definitely nails that character type.

Zach was a total disappointment to me. His singing voice is week, and while he is reasonably charming I thought he just got swallowed up on the stage. I think a straight play would have been a much better debut for him than this.

I totally loved the farcical masterwork in act 2. I loved the SPOIlER set spinning around as the henchman chased Cheech through the theater.

I wasn't as upset with the Bananas song at the end. While it was a little wacky I thought it was gleefully silly and entertaining, certainly along the lines of the hot dog song in act 1. Overall, the show needs to lose at least twenty minutes and tighten up the comedic timing, but all things that previews can fix.

The sets and costumes are fantastic.

[abcd12]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:20am

Thank goodness for the Whizzer!

….And everyone else who posted their thoughts.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:21am

I was there tonight and largely echo what Whizzer and WIcked say about the production. Did I have a good time? You bet. Is it all extremely well put together, beautifully designed, and thoroughly professional? Absolutely. But did I also feel like I've seen this musical at least two or three times before? Indeed. Perhaps the musical will score a big hit with those that were not around to see the producers, or crazy for you, or sugar or 42nd Street or curtains- but I was having a lot of déjà vu tonight.


Everything about it is pleasant, but I never felt any wow -drop your jaw moments. It was almost like seeing the tribute band performing the work of a greater artist- in this case a lovely homage to a film that is a valentine to broadway, which never manages to rise to its screen counterpart on stage.

You can't really fault the cast, who are all doing valiant variations on the portrayals so perfectly captured in the movie. And Stroman's work if completely predictable at this point, is at least a good match for the concept of the material But I do think the show really misses out by not having an original score.

All that said I do think it's going to be a hit. It has that polished feeling about it that at this point likely makes it the front runner to win the best musical Tony. You'll definitely be seeing the show mangled by your local high school in decades to come.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:21am

I'm home now, so I'll try to expand a bit more, but I pretty much hit every point I think I wanted to make, in my original post. It's all admirably-presented...certainly polished and more than first preview-ready, in terms of production, direction, etc etc. It all looks lovely and the sets are honestly brilliant.

When Yorke began to sing "...Hot Dog...," I thought to myself 'now here we go...the show's picking up in terms of pace and laughs.' Not so much in either department. It's not that the entire night drags...I just couldn't believe this was as long as the current production of LES MIZ!

Along with the performers I mentioned, I thought Karen Ziemba was totally and utterly wasted. Brooks Ashmanskas, usually very funny, seemed to be trying way too hard to get laughs. Vincent Pastore swallows 75% of his lines, but it's undeniably charming to see Big P*ssy onstage in a Broadway musical. Betsy Wolfe is in fine voice, but her acting is rather bland.

I'd be happy to discuss other aspects of the show if asked. Overall I was underwhelmed, unfortunately. But this is certainly no disaster or unsalvageable train wreck. Updated On: 3/12/14 at 12:21 AM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:24am

Slight SPOILERS

nasty_k, My favorite line from the movie ending is, "For me love is very deep. Sex only has to go a few inches." I agree with you about missing David ask Ellen if she loves the artist or the person, which is really the biggest theme of the piece.

I could pop my DVD in, but I believe the first line of the film is David saying to Julian, "I am an ARTIST!" and then the joke is of course that he really isn't a good playwright and his previous two flop plays probably weren't victim to bad directors, etc, but rather they were just lousy plays. He ISN'T an artist.

The musical makes it clear that he isn't an artist and Cheech is (was), but you have to wonder why they changed they ending so much when the rest of the stage show stuck to the film script like glue.

[CoreyRyan3]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:29am

The Hotdog song was KILLER. SO funny. Helene York is really delivering a fantastic performance. Better than Mazzie, who only landed about half of her jokes.

This is a huge musical, and at the end of the first act, I felt like I wanted more. It wasn't big enough yet. The finale of the first act was kind of dull and didn't do much for me.

The second act flowed much better and there's an amazing scene in the theatre during the opening night in the show.

The women steal this show. Helene York being the real show stealer.

Oh and I didn't really like Zach Braff. His voice wasn't strong on his songs, he carried the show and didn't do much more. I understand that was his job but I felt he still could've made more out of his role.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:33am

Alright, I am at my computer now!

As I said earlier, I absolutely loved this from beginning to end. The score, while not original, is jam packed with one fun song after another. They really did a good job of interpolating the songs into the plot. Susan Stroman's choreography is absolutely wonderful. "Runnin' Wild" was one of my favorite numbers of the evening, and it was a perfect act 1 finale.

The cast is great. Zach Braff is turning in a wonderful performance for his Broadway debut. Marin Mazzie is sensational, and she sings the hell out of the role. I agree with Whizzer about Betsy Wolfe having too much material. Don't get me wrong, she is great in the part, but her songs are unnecessary to the plot. Helene Yorke is absolutely hilarious as Olive, and "I Want a Hot Dog for My Roll" was hysterical. Karen Ziemba did not have much to work with, but she ran with what she had, and she is hilarious. She had me laughing like crazy during her parts with Mr. Woffles. Nick Cordedro makes a great Cheech.

The set for this is insane. There are so many (beautiful) mammoth pieces that move on and off seamlessly. The giant set for the stage of the theatre that rotated rapidly a few times took my breath away. I could go on and on about the set. One of the best looking and elaborate productions I have seen in a while. William Ivey Long's costumes are stunning as always.

SPOILERS..........
I definitely agree with those who found the banana song to be a weird way to end the show. I was sure they would have Flender and the neighbor yelling at each other from the elevated levels on either side of the stage.
I also missed the dressing room scene with Warner and Olive. Such a funny scene in the film
END SPOILERS...........

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this. I can definitely see this being a frontrunner at the Tonys this years.

Updated On: 3/12/14 at 12:33 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:35am

Did anybody make the part their own? Was anybody down-to-earth at the stage door?

[E.Davis]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:42am

It is sad to hear that Karen Ziemba is wasted.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:44am

That girl's a trouper. Did she have her banjo?

[HorseTears]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:44am

Since Michael Bennett mentioned THE PRODUCERS, would you guys say that fans of that show would enjoy themselves at BULLETS?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:46am

Another thing to remember is that the film has an official run time of 99 minutes (and that includes the credits at the beginning and end, meaning it's more like 93 minutes). To go from an hour and half movie to a 3 hour play means you are padding a lot. Usually with these screen to stage adaptations it's all about what did they cut to squeeze the songs in. Here you basically have the entire movie intact with songs shoved in.

E. Davis- To be fair, Ziemba is playing Eden. It's a funny, but small role.

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:50am

Polished, handsome, and unfortunately, rather unengaging. Most of the characters are in some way unpalatable, which makes for less than a fun fest. I thought the standards, being as well-known as they are, did not seem integral to the characters, though they conceivably could have been sung by them.

All in all, I guess it could be considered serviceable entertainment. Nice Work was far more ebullient, and far better.

[E.Davis]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:52am

Whizzer- I know, I just hate when a performance of her caliber is wasted.

[holdyourbatboy]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 12:54am

Agree with most of these posts. The whole thing was just an uninspired snoozefest. It was pleasant and nice to see the big set - I just didn't have any "magic". Like someone said - no real wow moments. The comedy wasn't sharp enough, and again it felt like a Nice Work. You'll have a nice time, and it's enjoyable - just not anything special. You leave thinking it was nice, but why?

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 1:39am

So, what is the best new musical of them all?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 1:48am

Personally I would rank the new musicals like this:

1. If/Then
2. After Midnight
3. Bridges of Madison County
4. Gentleman's Guide
5. Bullets Over Broadway
6. Big Fish
7. Rocky
8. Beautiful
9. Aladdin
10. Janis Joplin
11. First Date
12. Soul Doctor

[HorseTears]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 2:01am

Wow. A lot of BWWers there tonight. Did you all go back to AfterEight's panic room afterwards for some...coffee?

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 6:37am

To me, it wasn't a musical. There were songs, yes, but nothing seemed to really come out of the action. They almost all seemed to be commenting upon the action. They were fine, but I really really wish it had an original, plot and character-driven score.

That remark makes a lot of sense, because it's exactly what Woody Allen's songs do in his films. He's excellent at finding old material that comments on a scene, and I was wondering if and how songs would be integrated into the plot and move a scene forward, rather than just commenting on it.

Updated On: 3/12/14 at 06:37 AM

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 6:55am

I don't know how anyone could think Betsy Wolfe doesn't emote. She runs the gamut and pulls a hundred and one emotions out of her songs.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 7:05am

By the way, Woody Allen was there last night, according to what I read in a recap post on Facebook this morning.

Someone in this thread said he wasn't around.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 3/12/14 at 7:22am

I didn't see him anywhere, and I tried really hard. He must've snuck in/out during blackouts.