Posted: 3/12/17 at 11:24pm
re nitpicking. The nits in CFA are front and center in many if not most of these reviews, and they are more than nits. They are enough to derail it from serious consideration for probably all awards. The lede here is that it will swipe nominations from some other shows but the DEH folks needn't lose sleep.
Posted: 3/12/17 at 11:31pm
DEH has the best star of the season, bar none, and the songs are great. But the book is utter crap. CFA has no particular stars, pretty good songs and an adequate book, but fabulous momentum and word of mouth. Great Comet has one great star, mediocre songs and a dire book. If I had to bet, I'd bet on CFA.
Posted: 3/12/17 at 11:41pm
" I'm surprised to see the vitriol over Jesse Green's comment."
had Mr Green's analysis of the show been limited to the elements of the show itself ie the book, the music the lighting the set I would have not the slightest issue. That is his job.
But to sneer at the whole concept, that New Yorkians have the right to throw shade on anyone who durst touch on the theme of loss and redemption that 9/11 encompasses? And accusing the show of using this for "Civic boosterisim?" Nope that goes beyond his purview and crosses the line into personal vitriol. Whyfor I do not know but for me it reduces his integrity as a critic.
but thas jess me
Posted: 3/12/17 at 11:41pm
froote said: "If La La Land can lose the Oscar then DEH can lose the Tony. All 3 are contenders."
Just as long as whoever's presenting the award is given the right envelope.
Posted: 3/12/17 at 11:46pm
This race just got very interesting. CFA and Comet, to me, both feel like a call to the future. DEH just seems rooted in the past (haven't we seen this before in N2N?). Plus there are a lot of issues with DEH (as noted on this board) that make it problematic for a lot of people. Comet is my choice - it is actually revolutionary, and as history has shown us, that often brings with it a lot of controversial opinions from the public. But that's one of the reasons I find it exciting. Plus, it's such a goddamn good time!
Posted: 3/12/17 at 11:52pm
" I'm surprised to see the vitriol over Jesse Green's comment. Disagree with him if you like, but I would be truly surprised if he's the only person to feel that way. "
I'm certain that he isn't. That doesn't make his comments any less obnoxious. I am a diehard New Yorker and I admit to being a snob about it, but Jesse's comments are beyond the pale. It wasn't only NYC that was attacked that day. DC was attacked, as was PA, and those events are still having effects around the world. It wasn't just New Yorkers and Americans that died that day.
Right now tourism in the US has taken a sharp downturn. It is increasingly difficult to get into the country, and we, as a nation, become less welcoming by the day. Jesse trying to turn a story of strangers helping strangers during a horrible tragedy into some kind of Canadian boosterism is really pretty despicable, and he deserves all the derision and vitriol he's getting, imo.
eta: or what sabrelady said.
Updated On: 3/12/17 at 11:52 PM
Posted: 3/12/17 at 11:58pm
ethan231h said: "I've been saying it forever, but Dear Evan Hansen has the momentum. The story is relevant to today. Yes i guess Come From Away too, but Dear Evan Hansen is just different.
"
Are you that much of a groupie to post that? The fact you're obsessed with one show doesn't make others less relevant 'to today'.
This why people starting hating on hyped shows. Fans become blind to the importance of having a theatrical landscape that is inclusive to different perspectives, both in form and content. But no, let's go see Wicked for the 32nd time.
Posted: 3/13/17 at 12:29am
blaxx said: "ethan231h said: "I've been saying it forever, but Dear Evan Hansen has the momentum. The story is relevant to today. Yes i guess Come From Away too, but Dear Evan Hansen is just different.
"
Are you that much of a groupie to post that? The fact you're obsessed with one show doesn't make others less relevant 'to today'.
This why people starting hating on hyped shows. Fans become blind to the importance of having a theatrical landscape that is inclusive to different perspectives, both in form and content. But no, let's go see Wicked for the 32nd time.
"
I couldn't agree more. Honestly, no matter how much I tried to block it out, that "hype" followed me into DEH and actually made me less enamored with the show. A show would be foolish to assume they're Hamilton unless, you know, they are actually Hamilton.
Posted: 3/13/17 at 1:12am
blaxx said: "ethan231h said: "I've been saying it forever, but Dear Evan Hansen has the momentum. The story is relevant to today. Yes i guess Come From Away too, but Dear Evan Hansen is just different.
"
Are you that much of a groupie to post that? The fact you're obsessed with one show doesn't make others less relevant 'to today'.
This why people starting hating on hyped shows. Fans become blind to the importance of having a theatrical landscape that is inclusive to different perspectives, both in form and content. But no, let's go see Wicked for the 32nd time.
"
Ok. Not sure that is fair. I will be the first to admit that I haven't seen Come Far Away. With that said, DEH has two things going for it. Platt is putting on a performance of a life time. I struggle to think of a better male performance in a musical. Platt is definitely a favorite to win best actor. His performance is on the same level as Erivo last year for best female performance. No one comes close. The other is originality. I am sure Come Far Away is great, but 9/11 story lines are not original.
Great Comet certainly wins the category for originality, but I think too many people get lost with the story line. Also, no performance stood out to me for best actor/actress.
Posted: 3/13/17 at 1:15am
To be fair, though, teen-angst driven story lines aren't exactly original either.
Posted: 3/13/17 at 1:19am
In terms of what we have seen on Broadway before, Dear Evan Hansen is easily the least inventive. As someone else mentioned, Next to Normal is continually brought up as a comparison and to me, they did it first and they did it better. Others may think differently of course, but there's no direct comparison like that for Great Comet or CFA.
Also Ben Platt being excellent has little to do with the show's chances of winning Best Musical. Score, book and director are much better indicators.
Posted: 3/13/17 at 1:37am
I tend to be an outlier with this opinion but I thought Ben Platt's performance in DEH was just the same ticks and strange choices that many people are praising for being a 'nuanced' performance of a person with a mental illness. In reality, I struggled to see a real, fully defined character on stage.
Likewise - the score is repetitive, and the book is really terrible. No one seems to have a fully rounded, human character except for Rachel Bay Jones though I feel this is more on her glowing performance rather than the text. The projections are horrendous, and I'm still shocked that Evan is merely forgiven and all is forgotten for all the things he did.
Posted: 3/13/17 at 8:57am
froote said: "In terms of what we have seen on Broadway before, Dear Evan Hansen is easily the least inventive. As someone else mentioned, Next to Normal is continually brought up as a comparison and to me, they did it first and they did it better. Others may think differently of course, but there's no direct comparison like that for Great Comet or CFA.
Also Ben Platt being excellent has little to do with the show's chances of winning Best Musical. Score, book and director are much better indicators.
"
You state others will think differently, but then to proceed those thinking differently are essentially wrong. I guess you don't understand how a difference of opinion works and how/why you think one thing (which is valid to you), and how someone else thinks another thing (which is equally as valid). Theatre is a form of art, and art is SUBJECTIVE. Your opinion is no less wrong or right than the joe schmo next to you. The fact that people are unable to grasp that concept in 2017 is absolutely astonishing to me.
Posted: 3/13/17 at 9:07am
HogansHero said: "re nitpicking. The nits in CFA are front and center in many if not most of these reviews, and they are more than nits. They are enough to derail it from serious consideration for probably all awards. The lede here is that it will swipe nominations from some other shows but the DEH folks needn't lose sleep.
"
I assume you have not seen Come From Away. But it is the type of show the people who love it will vote for it because it has their heart. That usually doesn't have anything to do with perfection or nitpicks. There have been many musicals that aren't perfect and have won the Tony award.
Posted: 3/13/17 at 9:55am
I meant that others may think differently about Next to Normal being the better show. To deny that it's a common point of comparison would be delusional at this point.
Posted: 3/13/17 at 10:15am
RyanInVancouver said: "..the current US president is doing better tourism business for Canada than anything Come from Away can do."
Touché!
Posted: 3/13/17 at 10:23am
Dave13 said: "...I am sure Come Far Away is great, but 9/11 story lines are not original.
Great Comet certainly wins the category for originality"
How is it that a 9/11 story line is "not original", but a story literally lifted from the novel War & Peace "wins the category for originality"?
Posted: 3/13/17 at 12:06pm
QueenAlice said: "HogansHero said: "re nitpicking. The nits in CFA are front and center in many if not most of these reviews, and they are more than nits. They are enough to derail it from serious consideration for probably all awards. The lede here is that it will swipe nominations from some other shows but the DEH folks needn't lose sleep.
"
I assume you have not seen Come From Away. But it is the type of show the people who love it will vote for it because it has their heart. That usually doesn't have anything to do with perfection or nitpicks. There have been many musicals that aren't perfect and have won the Tony award.
"
Id wager no winner of best musical has been perfect, as I think it would be impossible to truly figure out what a perfect musical would be.
Posted: 3/13/17 at 6:21pm
I'm late to the CFA party, having not paid much attention to its earlier productions. But, I just listened to the recording -- twice back-to-back -- and love it. NPR is streaming it on their First Listen page. (It's temporary so listen while you can.) Nothing ground-breaking in terms of lyrics and overall presentation in my opinion, but I like folk and bluegrass music, so I enjoyed the music.
Posted: 3/13/17 at 6:56pm
The strength for CMA to win the Tony over DEH is the fact that it's an ensemble piece, while DEH is basically held up by Platt.
Posted: 3/13/17 at 7:25pm
Posted: 3/13/17 at 10:03pm
Really looking forward to seeing this in the near future and thrilled for the excellent reviews and even better word of mouth.
Posted: 3/13/17 at 10:48pm
Oi! My apologies to the gate keepers if I've posted something along these lines before... There was a documentary that aired on PBS in 2002. It's called "Stranded Yanks".... it's a beautiful documentary that, I believe was one of the inspirations for "Come From Away"... Did any of you see it? I'm sure if you had, you'd never forget it.
I've tried for well over a year, to license this for DVD release. So so sad that people can't get over themselves to allow this to happen. Seems that the rights holders have vanished!
I'm so happy that "Come From Away" is finding it's audience. I always new the t would..
