CAROUSEL (2018) Previews- Page 17

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 10:22am

rjm516 said: "Do those of you who have seen it still think it is worth seeing? I have room for two more shows in May (already seeing My Fair Lady) and thought this would be the next most important show to see...but it sounds like I might be better off seeing Frozen or Mean Girls! Never would have expected that. Thoughts? Should I still give it a chance?"

I honestly don’t think this production is worth seeing. I would definitely go with Frozen or Mean Girls over this amateur pile of dreck.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 10:46am

CATSNYrevival said: "kennin said: "I think that this will hold up as a cast album better than it will as a live show."

Except the cast album will be missing several songs."

 

Is this implying that the album was already recorded before previews began, like DOLLY?

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 11:11am

rjm516 said: "Do those of you who have seen it still think it is worth seeing? I have room for two more shows in May (already seeing My Fair Lady) and thought this would be the next most important show to see...but it sounds like I might be better off seeing Frozen or Mean Girls! Never would have expected that. Thoughts? Should I still give it a chance?"

I do think it's worth seeing. Granted, I live here and see about one or two shows a week, so if you have limited time, I don't know. But I thought the singing (minus Renee Flemming who was unintelligible) and especially the dancing was well worth the time.

Updated On: 3/8/18 at 11:11 AM

[A0326T]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 11:14am

I saw the this production three days after it opened for previews: and honestly agreed with all that said on this board. However since there was no out of town tryout, I decided to just wait and see what the final product be.

I am sure that the creative team is actively trying to make it work for opening. So I just be tight and enjoy the process of creating a Caraosel that will all make us happy.

I do look forward to seeing it again for it is one of my favorites.

[natashalost]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 11:50am

I bought my tickets months ago and after reading this I'm just thankful I didn't splurge. Hoping they'll fix it up so it can at least be mediocre by the opening night. 

[Gopcharles]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 12:47pm

Was privileged to see Carousel last night.  It was excellent, powerful, beautiful.  Whatever problems it may have had a few weeks back may have been rectified or were not apparent to me.  No songs were cut.

[Addipia94]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 1:06pm

Gopcharles: "Was privileged to see Carousel last night.  It was excellent, powerful, beautiful.  Whatever problems it may have had a few weeks back may have been rectified or were not apparent to me.  No songs were cut."

Thank god. I have tickets for next Friday and all these reviews had me bummed I got tickets for a preview performance/not cheap orch ticket. I'm hoping the chemistry that people report seems to be lacking between Jessie and Joshua develops as they get more comfortable in their roles. As others have pointed out, this production did not have a try-out out of town, so I'm keeping fingers crossed that the creative team and actors are working on making it better each night :) 

[VotePeron]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 1:28pm

Gopcharles said: "Was privileged to see Carousel last night. It was excellent, powerful, beautiful. Whatever problems it may have had a few weeks back may have been rectified or were not apparent to me. No songs were cut."

My favorite part of theater is how people can have completely different take aways from the same show, even the same show. I am very glad you enjoyed it so immensely last night.

I just wonder what about the production you found to be powerful, excellent, and beautiful? Of course the dancing, which is among the best I've seen on a Broadway stage, but if you were to take that away, the production felt limp and lifeless to me. I go to the theater to be moved and to feel, and I could not have been less moved last night. 

Re: Addipia94, I hope you enjoy the show, too! The bigger problem isn't going to be Jessie and Joshua finding chemistry - they're professionals and very talented at what they do. But they are both directed to play the roles so two dimensionally, there is zero opportunity for them to grow closer unless the directorial concept changes. 

Joshua Henry has the most work to do, as his take, or whatever we're calling it, on his character, is just so larger than life it makes no sense, and dwarfs Jessie's subtle take. And then both are thrown to the wind when Lindsay Mendez steps on stage. 

What I'm trying to say, is only so much work can be done in previews if the director is willing to step in and change his vision, or in this case,  create a vision - and I just don't see that happening. The clear focus of this production is the dancing, and they NAIL it. Everyone else just seems like they showed up to the first day of tech with the script memorized and were told to "stand there."

Updated On: 3/8/18 at 01:28 PM

Posted: 3/8/18 at 1:44pm

Bk,

Thanks for responding to my thoughts although I’m confused as to why it triggers such a venemous response. If you saw the 2018 Broadway revival and would like to disagree based on your thoughts, I’d love to hear them, if not take the hate somewhere else.

I simply suggested that if they weren’t going to actually deal with the material, which I don’t think they did, they should have considered a smart revisal.

In fact classics do age and sometimes not for the better....look at the film Holiday Inn. I’m not sure the blackface number plays the same in 2018, do you?

And I was lucky enough to see the Lyric Opera production out of Chicago with Laura Osnes and what they did there was magnificent, by bringing out the importance of female support and comraderie in a time of male dominance. They didn’t touch a word there. That, in my opinion is the production that should have come to nyc.

I can see that you share my respect for Bartlett B. Sher (wink) so you would know that he also believes a revival should find its immediate relevancy to the the time in which its currently being performed in or else it has no business being done. I don’t think I they found it here and it’s unfortunate because, yes there are many to bring. Out. When you see it, let me know your thoughts.

Best

[kennin]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 2:10pm

Gopcharles said: "Was privileged to see Carousel last night. It was excellent, powerful, beautiful. Whatever problems it may have had a few weeks back may have been rectified or were not apparent to me. No songs were cut."

One thing I do love about the board is the ability to perceive things differently. As posted, I was at the same performance as was VotePeron and we both, independently, thought it just did not work.  Geraniums in the Windows was cut and is still not in the show. 

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 2:15pm

They should be begging Bartlett Sher to come in and show doctor this, though I know he's about to open a show himself.  They should be begging anyone to come in a show doctor this. 

[newintown]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 2:19pm

I don't think I've ever heard of a show doctor coming in for a revival - heavily revised shows (like Irene), yes, but not an unrevised revival...

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 2:34pm

newintown said: "I don't think I've ever heard of a show doctor coming in for a revival - heavily revised shows (likeIrene), yes, but not an unrevised revival..."

I haven't either.  Which begs the question "how did this get this far in this quality?"

Did no one see the workshop and discern?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 2:38pm

Sondheimite said: "newintown said: "Which begs the question "how did this get this far in this quality?"

THIS. I was wondering this the whole time when I saw the show.

 

[DAME]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 3:10pm

Sondheimite said: "They should be begging Bartlett Sher to come in and show doctor this, though I know he's about to open a show himself. They should be begging anyone to come in a show doctor this."

Jerry Zaks was there Saturday afternoon according to social media.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 3:14pm

For what it’s worth, the show has been getting raves on social media. These two twitter posts stuck out in my mind as being exact opposite reactions from the reports on the board. 

https://twitter.com/dgrahamkostic/status/971576431317868544?s=21

https://twitter.com/bazbam/status/971655513485258752?s=21

 

[newintown]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 3:16pm

"For what it’s worth, the show has been getting raves on social media."

And I'm sure the utterly indiscriminate crowd on show-score.com will love it as well. Some people just love everything they see. And that's OK. (But I wouldn't rely on them for analysis or recommendations.)

UPDATE: I just visited show-score,and yes, 84-freakin'-percent of the folks there (only about 60 reviews so far) gushed over it.

Updated On: 3/8/18 at 03:16 PM

Posted: 3/8/18 at 3:45pm

It was allowed to happen because this production didn’t have a workshop. When you choose someone like O’Brien and you decide to open on Broadway you don’t question much. The faith has to be in the team and idea from the get go.

It’s interesting though, one would think O’Brien was the right choice for this...two time tony award winner, an expert in classical theater....but I think the fact is when it comes to musicals he’s a musical comedy guy....had he applied the detail he provides to his Shakespeare work to this it could have been a knock out...he seems to have more fun watching the dancers leap. Missed opportunity indeed

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 4:01pm

^what do you mean it didn’t have a workshop?

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 4:08pm

I am also completely dumbfounded by the difference between the reviews on here and the reviews on literally everywhere else. I'm very interested to see how the critics take to this.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 4:15pm

newintown said: ""For what it’s worth, the show has been getting raves on social media."

And I'm sure the utterly indiscriminate crowd on show-score.com will love it as well. Some people just love everything they see. And that's OK. (But I wouldn't rely on them for analysis or recommendations.)

Yes.  MUCH better to rely on many of the "discriminate" people who regularly post here and who hate everything they see! 

 

[JAS]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 4:22pm

GeorgeandDot said: "I am also completely dumbfounded by the difference between the reviews on here and the reviews on literally everywhere else. I'm very interested to see how the critics take to this."

Where else are you seeing reviews?!? The few I’ve seen on the other site haven’t been exactly glowing, either!

 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 4:25pm

standingovation79 said: "It was allowed to happen because this production didn’t have a workshop. When you choose someone like O’Brien and you decide to open on Broadway you don’t question much. The faith has to be in the team and idea from the get go."

Scott Rudin always holds workshops for all of his productions.

"It’s interesting though, one would think O’Brien was the right choice for this...two time Tony Award winner, an expert in classical theater....but I think the fact is when it comes to musicals he’s a musical comedy guy....had he applied the detail he provides to his Shakespeare work to this it could have been a knock out...he seems to have more fun watching the dancers leap. Missed opportunity indeed."

First of all, he has three Tonys. Second of all, it's just what I've mentioned many times before, he hasn't had a triumph in over a decade.

Updated On: 3/8/18 at 04:25 PM

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 4:29pm

JAS, look at the response on Show Score, Twitter, Instagram, etc. It's pretty positive, especially when compared to the reviews on here. This wouldn't be the first time this board has given a show terrible reviews, but it turned out to be pretty good and went on to have a healthy run.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 4:37pm

The show did hold a workshop. This is why Wolfe left the production.