COME FLY AWAY Reviwes

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 2:59pm

Today is March 25, marking the official opening of "Come Fly Away," the new dance musical from the Tony-winning choreographer Twyla Tharp and music of the late Frank Sinatra, at the Marquis.

After finding inspiration in the songs of Billy Joel for Broadway's "Movin' Out" and Bob Dylan for "The Times They Are A-Changin'", Tharp makes a return to the Broadway stage with her latest piece, which began previews March 1. "Come Fly Away" lands in New York following a previous incarnation at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta last fall.

As previously stated, with the blessing of Frank Sinatra Enterprises and the Sinatra family, "Come Fly Away" features original masters of Sinatra's voice, which are backed by a live on-stage band. The show includes original arrangements by Nelson Riddle, Billy May and Quincy Jones, as well as newly created arrangements for the production. "Come Fly Away" stars Holley Farmer with John Selya; Rika Okamoto with Matthew Stockwell Dibble; and Charlie Neshyba-Hodges with Laura Mead

Best to all invovled.





Updated On: 3/25/10 at 02:59 PM

[BroadwayBen]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 5:36pm

Here's the first...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704094104575143380502654538.html

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 5:38pm

I know how Jackie Hoffman feels about Sinatra. That's all I need to know.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 7:42pm

Hollywood reporter is mixed.

I think this and the WSJ review hit the nail on the head. I appreciate the shout out to Neshyba-Hodges and Mead in both reviews since they are the only dancers on that stage forming true characterizations.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film-reviews/come-fly-away-theater-review-1004078494.story
Updated On: 3/25/10 at 07:42 PM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 8:29pm

NJ Newsroom is mixed in about the same way as the others.

http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/movies/frank-sinatra-sings-while-tharps-dancers-burn-through-come-fly-away

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 10:56pm

FANTASTIC review in the Times. I agree with evey word. I'm on my iPhone so can someone else post the link? It's not a all-out rave but it's pretty close.

[singtopher]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 10:58pm

http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/theater/reviews/26fly.html?ref=theater

[Rentfan931]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 11:02pm

Talkin' Broadway's Review is up:

[bethnor]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 11:02pm

i enjoyed the show, but as a matter of disclosure, isherwood raved about it when it was in atlanta.

[Rentfan931]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 11:03pm

Sorry here's the link:
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/index.html

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 11:03pm

It was bound to be a rave since he loved it in Atlanta and wasn't about to go back on his word.

"In this dazzling new dance musical, which opened Thursday night at the Marquis Theater, Ms. Tharp deploys a stage full of brilliant performers to heighten the theatrical allure of ballroom dance, complementing the immortal appeal of Sinatra’s singing with movement that captures the underlying emotional tensions in it. "

He discredits himself right there, as there is VERY little, if any, ballroom dance in this show. He thinks that "partner dancing" and "ballroom dancing" are interchangeable terms. They aren't.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 11:05pm

very nice review by The Times!!

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 11:21pm

Finkle is mixed:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-finkle/first-nighter-emcome-fly_b_513884.html

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 11:23pm

Variety is mixed, bordering on negative:

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117942480.html?categoryid=33&cs=1

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 2:15am

John Simon is mixed (2.5 out of 5 stars):

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=au_ZuxIoJRQU

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 8:55am

Yeah, it's not a good show, and I remember Isherwood raving about it in Atlanta, but I'm still disappointed how positive his review is. Sort-of notable that his is the ONLY positive review, but alas, it's probably the only review that matters.

[singtopher]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 9:24am

For whatever it is worth, the Metro gave it a rave.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 9:31am

The Post gave it a three-star rating and the review was basically positive. Certainly, they can pull some quotes from it. I would venture to guess that many of the commentators haven't got the foggiest notion of what neo-classical means and how it was used in this show.

[gcontini2]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 9:32am

double post. Updated On: 3/26/10 at 09:32 AM

[gcontini2]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 9:32am

Not that I'm a fan of Talkin' Broadway's Matthew Murray, but the last line of his review sums up (politely, I think) what was lacking overall, imo, in the missed opportunities of this show's forfeited attempts to say something - anything - beyond talented dancers moving to recordings of standards:

"Sinatra’s gift was to open his mouth, sing a song for five minutes, and make you understand everything about him. But after this two hours of Tharp, you won’t feel you know him - or yourself - better at all."

Updated On: 3/26/10 at 09:32 AM

[bethnor]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 9:36am

Sort-of notable that his is the ONLY positive review, but alas, it's probably the only review that matters.

what's interesting to note, especially, is how the world of theatre is so close to the world of science when it comes to citing literature (i.e., people will selectively pick the literature that most supports their own opinion and ignore/trash the rest).

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 10:29am

Did you read the end of the Post review Ed? It's definitely a mixed review. Mixed-to-positive maybe.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 10:32am

New York Daily News calls it 'A flight to nowhere.'
N.Y. Daily News: 'Come Fly Away' review

[roadmixer]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 12:25pm

I think that it is pretty sad for someone (MiracleElixer) to say that they are "disappointed" by a great review! That's like saying that you are sorry to see something be successful. I don't think that FELA is any big deal at all and yet there are many raves for it but I don't begrudge that.

There are plenty of changes in CFA since Atlanta - enough that Isherwood could very easily have said that he doesn't like it now even though he liked it before. He obviously "gets" the show and appreciates it. Why do people on this board think that that is a bad thing? It's never a good thing for the theatre industry for a show to fail.

Updated On: 3/26/10 at 12:25 PM

[bethnor]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 12:32pm

Why do people on this board think that that is a bad thing?

the answer to that is pretty simple. in their mind, their own opinion is the absolute.

the "other" board has a tally that is a little different. certainly there is not "ONLY" one good review. granted, jesse21 liked the show and would therefore interpret the reviews to reflect his own opinion. but that's not any different than what people here are doing.

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=1837106