CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY Previews- Page 10

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:10am

I am in a complete stupor. 

It's stunning how terrible and wrongheaded this entire production is. Could this be the worst show to hit Broadway since The Anarchist?

What makes the failure of Charlie so spectacular is that this property should have been a slam dunk as a musical stage show. 

For some reason they have quasi set the show in present day. Violet is concerned with how many people are following her YouTube channel (barf) and Mike sings about hashtags (barf) and complains about the bad cell reception in the factory that is keeping him from tweeting (double barf). Yet at other times things are set in an earlier time period. Chocolate bars are still a dollar, Brussels sprouts are like 5 cents and Grandpa Joe has been amassing a life savings of 79 cents. The juxtaposition of Dahl's elements and those of the modern world is disconcerting.

Most of the new songs are downright atrocious. Each one of the children's ticket-finding introduction songs was more painful than the previous one. I actively wanted to harm Violet, Veruca and Mike. They were so annoying and completely devoid of humor. It gave me a headache. I poured myself a drink as soon as I got home to calm my nerves. It's not helping.

The set, as has been detailed in this thread, is such a wild disappointment. How can the factory be a room with four, blank blue walls? It's a disgrace. I thought we would see candy everywhere. I kept imagining would someone like Julie Taymor would have done with this material. This was so fricking cheap that it was an insult to the viewer. I heard people around me at intermission saying how disappointed they were with the sets and costumes. (During Violet and Mike's introduction numbers the ensemble dancers are decked out in garish neon orange and lime green costumes. My eyes are still aching.)

Why does it take so goddamn long for Charlie to find his ticket and to get everyone into the factory? Isn't that what we're all here to see? Waiting till act two to enter the factory is huge mistake. Reminds me of Sister Act's poor decision to wait so long for the nuns to start singing. No one wants to watch Charlie's mom sing a ballad and dance around with dead dad.

I've greatly enjoyed many of Christian Borle's performances in the past, but I don't think this is his best work. He's trying to wring a whole lot of something out of nothing, but the whole thing is such a lost cause.

The only thing that perked up the audience was the Oompa Loompas- but it's the same thing we saw in Shrek a few years ago.

The true nadir was "Veruca's Nutcracker Suite," a shocking camp moment where Veruca dances around with humans in squirrel costumes before being torn limb from limb. One of my friends noted after the show, "Did Tchaikovsky not suffer enough during his lifetime? Did he really deserve to be put through this as well?"

Did any of us deserve to be put through this show tonight, either?  

[dshnookie]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:15am

GreasedLightning said: "My pleasure! I scored a few for myself and some friends. Excited to revisit post-opening! "

I second the thanks! I always miss these, super appreciated!

 

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:16am

WhizzerMarvin said: " I actively wanted to harm Violet, Veruca and Mike."

 

This is one of the best lines I have ever read.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:17am

Jeeze louise. What a shame and a waste of a property that truly could have been something spectacular. 

 

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:18am

Ouch, it was never a good show to start with but it was a crowd pleaser here in the U.K. With an eye popping set. What the hell has happened between London and New York? Maybe they lost the set on route, like people use baggage. Maybe a giant chocolate factory set is in lost property at JFK?

[BakerWilliams]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:18am

Every once in a while you get a show so massively incompetent, so mind-numbingly stupid, that you feel that rather than watching an actual show, you are stuck in a Paul Verhoeven movie satirizing the Broadway industry. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is like that. The last time I remember something this awful was Wonderland. Yeah, it's that bad.

I'm in a bit of a stupor right now. I'll elaborate later if I don't get PTSD from the experience. The screechingly terrible music actually gave me a migraine and I thought I would throw up for most of the second act.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:18am

WhizzerMarvin said: "One of my friends noted after the show, "Did Tchaikovsky not suffer enough during his lifetime? Did he really deserve to be put through this as well?""

LOL.

Thanks for one of your best reviews yet, Whizzer. You've saved me money by steering clear of this train wreck. So very sad to hear how this show is going down... it really should've been just a perfect piece to adapt to the stage. But very appreciative of your lending your thoughts!

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:19am

dshnookie said: "GreasedLightning said: "My pleasure! I scored a few for myself and some friends. Excited to revisit post-opening! "

I second the thanks! I always miss these, super appreciated!

 

 

"

Anytime!  

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:19am

GreasedLightning said: "What a shame and a waste of a property that truly could have been something spectacular."

Truly. That's what makes me so sad...

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:22am

WhizzerMarvin said: "I am in a complete stupor. 

It's stunning how terrible and wrongheaded this entire production is. Could this be the worst show to hit Broadway since The Anarchist?

What makes the failure of Charlie so spectacular is that this property should have been a slam dunk as a musical stage show. 

For some reason they have quasi set the show in present day. Violet is concerned with how many people are following her YouTube channel (barf) and Mike sings about hashtags (barf) and complains about the bad cell reception in the factory that is keeping him from tweeting (double barf). Yet at other times things are set in an earlier time period. Chocolate bars are still a dollar, Brussels sprouts are like 5 cents and Grandpa Joe has been amassing a life savings of 79 cents. The juxtaposition of Dahl's elements and those of the modern world is disconcerting.

Most of the new songs are downright atrocious. Each one of the children's ticket-finding introduction songs was more painful than the previous one. I actively wanted to harm Violet, Veruca and Mike. They were so annoying and completely devoid of humor. It gave me a headache. I poured myself a drink as soon as I got home to calm my nerves. It's not helping.

The set, as has been detailed in this thread, is such a wild disappointment. How can the factory be a room with four, blank blue walls? It's a disgrace. I thought we would see candy everywhere. I kept imagining would someone like Julie Taymor would have done with this material. This was so fricking cheap that it was an insult to the viewer. I heard people around me at intermission saying how disappointed they were with the sets and costumes. (During Violet and Mike's introduction numbers the ensemble dancers are decked out in garish neon orange and lime green costumes. My eyes are still aching.)

Why does it take so goddamn long for Charlie to find his ticket and to get everyone into the factory? Isn't that what we're all here to see? Waiting till act two to enter the factory is huge mistake. Reminds me of Sister Act's poor decision to wait so long for the nuns to start singing. No one wants to watch Charlie's mom sing a ballad and dance around with dead dad.

I've greatly enjoyed many of Christian Borle's performances in the past, but I don't think this is his best work. He's trying to wring a whole lot of something out of nothing, but the whole thing is such a lost cause.

The only thing that perked up the audience was the Oompa Loompas- but it's the same thing we saw in Shrek a few years ago.

The true nadir was "Veruca's Nutcracker Suite," a shocking camp moment where Veruca dances around with humans in squirrel costumes before being torn limb from limb. One of my friends noted after the show, "Did Tchaikovsky not suffer enough during his lifetime? Did he really deserve to be put through this as well?"

Did any of us deserve to be put through this show tonight, either?  

 

This is the greatest review of all time.  

At least Jackie Hoffman will have years of comedy material from this experience.   She's so talented, someone please get her a hit.

 

[RW3]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:23am

Welp. Whizzer has spoken.

For me, it is extremely worrisome that the additions to the score are not good. This is the duo that has been put in charge to do the score for "Mary Poppins Returns".

[RJ14]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:25am

Reading through all the replies in this thread kinda make me laugh. For the time Ive been on here, never have I ever read so many negative things about a new Broadway show.  I feel bad flr the actors on stage who have to endure this mess. Closing date guess anybody? 

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:26am

Also, can someone please explain why the f#ck Christian Borle is bald?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:29am

I know 100% I'm going to hate this - I like production value - but I still feel the need to sit through this hot mess. 

And this is the team that brought us the masterpiece that is Hairspray. WTF happened. 

[FrontLtGuy]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:29am

RippedMan said: "I mean they chose that theater... But if I recall the theater in London had a TON of backstage space, so they could get bigger set pieces in. I just don't get why they didn't take that design and scale it down a bit for Broadway. 

 

The entire creative team is new except for the production designer. He is the only common denominator from London, but it is an entirely "new" production and it was a deliberate choice to change the scenery. 

 

Updated On: 3/30/17 at 12:29 AM

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:30am

RJ14 said: "Reading through all the replies in this thread kinda make me laugh. For the time Ive been on here, never have I ever read so many negative things about a new Broadway show.  I feel bad flr the actors on stage who have to endure this mess. Closing date guess anybody? 

 

"

But here's my question - even with terrible reviews and bad word of mouth, can this show still sell tickets? It has the name recognition and kid-factor going for it. I'm not saying it should or will, I'm just curious to see if this show can get by by the fame of the product.

[cb2addict2]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:31am

Such a shame to hear! Does this have good advanced sales? Because then it may be around for a minute regardless of how people like it? I thought I remember before previews started someone saying they were selling well. 

"Also, can someone please explain why the f#ck Christian Borle is bald?"

^^Same question

[FrontLtGuy]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:31am

They've already made plenty of money in advance sales, so yes. It will be around no matter how much it is hated

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:33am

This whole thing is a real head scratcher for me, because lots of reviews on Twitter and Facebook seem fairly positive. Kind of reminds me of another shocking spectacle/spectacular screen-to-stage adaptation a few years ago... ROCKY..  

Wasnt expecting people on here to like it. BWW users  loved it.  Audiences/critics... not so much. 

Expected people around here to eat Charlie up. So far, not so good. Yet regular audiences seem to enjoy it. 

This is not to generalize EVERYONE's thoughts, just a perspective I'm getting on it from a few opinions I've read. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:35am

FrontLtguy: No, the creative team is the same. Same writing team, same director. And the set designer is the same. So I don't know what the **** happened. 

[FrontLtGuy]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:36am

6 friends from out of town (not theater people) said it was meteocre. I think it's a bust...but it will still make money and sell tickets for better or worse

Updated On: 3/30/17 at 12:36 AM

[FrontLtGuy]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:37am

RippedMan said: "FrontLtguy: No, the creative team is the same. Same writing team, same director. And the set designer is the same. So I don't know what the **** happened. 

 

Check again.. it's 100% not the same director. It's a new vision of the show... can't you tell?

"

 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:37am

Borle is bald in act one because Wonka has gone undercover in the town to run a candy shop and find his true successor. He befriends Charlie and they spend their afternoons together watching TV and talking chocolate. Really it could all go. If you want to have scenes/songs with Wonka and Charlie bonding why not do it in the factory on the tour. Wonka could easily pull Charlie aside for a number or two. 

[Tag]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:38am

FrontLtguy: No, the creative team is the same. Same writing team, same director. And the set designer is the same. So I don't know what the **** happened. 

Different director.  Sam Mendes directed in London.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 12:41am

RippedMan said: "I know 100% I'm going to hate this - I like production value - but I still feel the need to sit through this hot mess. 
 

"

LOL. I'm with you here!