Cirque does Broadway: PARAMOUR Previews- Page 4

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/21/16 at 5:45pm

I saw "Mystere" in Vegas about ten years ago and absolutely loved it. Incredible experience and very theatrical in concept and production.

But this sounds like a hot mess.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/21/16 at 5:54pm

Seems like they seem to do well in Vegas. When they leave there and take their shows elsewhere,they do not seen to have much luck.

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 6:42am

It might well be called Parabore, at least when the trite and unappealing story is being told. The audience tunes out quickly. I'd say junk the tale entirely, and retain the acrobatics, dancing, stunt work, etc., which are all well done, and which hold your attention. The production is handsome and stylish, and there's a good chase scene in the second act. The music is undistinguished, to say the least, but there's one jaunty dance in the first act called "Ginger Top" that is better than any of the songs in Hamilton, American Psycho, Waitress, Bright Star, or Tuck Everlasting.

 

Mr. Roxy,

 

It's better than Banana Spiel, which was a complete fiasco.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 11:27am

You dissed the show in your list. Seriously, is there a composer listed for the score ? Would this piece  be eligible for Tony nods?

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 11:46am

^

 

There are composers and lyricists credited. I can't tell you anything about them, as they didn't give out Playbills for this, which I found shoddy. If you're going to present something on Broadway, then at least try to follow Broadway practice.

 

In any case, it's a musical, so I don't see why it wouldn't be eligible for Tony nominations for next season.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 11:59am

After Eight said: "
There are composers and lyricists credited. I can't tell you anything about them, as they didn't give out Playbills for this, which I found shoddy. If you're going to present something on Broadway, then at least try to follow Broadway practice."

 

That is weird. Nothing here, either. http://www.playbill.com/production/paramour-lyric-theatre-vault-0000014143

 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/8/16 at 9:08am

Bumping this. Has anyone on here seen this recently? I am going on Tuesday night.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 5/8/16 at 9:36am

After Eight said: "^

  If you're going to present something on Broadway, then at least try to follow Broadway practice.
 

"

Wow. Yes. This. 

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/8/16 at 4:13pm

LizzieCurry said: "After Eight said: "
There are composers and lyricists credited. I can't tell you anything about them, as they didn't give out Playbills for this, which I found shoddy. If you're going to present something on Broadway, then at least try to follow Broadway practice."

 

That is weird. Nothing here, either. http://www.playbill.com/production/paramour-lyric-theatre-vault-0000014143

 

 

"

On their website one of the main composer/lyricists mentioned is Anders Hansson, which amuses me to no end. His Swedish campy dance pop is a huge guilty pleasure of mine (he's the main writer and producer for campy acts like Alcazar, Body Without Organs and Agnes with whom he had a minor US club hit with Release Me). But he would be my last choice to do a stage musical. 

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 9:11am

I saw the show on Monday night, May 9th. I was seriously hesitant going in after reading Whizzer's review considering the fact that we all agree he gives detailed information to substantiate his reasons to yeah or nay it. Sorry Whizzer but this time I have to disagree with you. Although it might not be a technically produced Broadway show I think it gave a pretty decent shot at being enjoyable. There was eye candy. I enjoyed the costumes and lighting. I specifically was on the watch for Cirque style numbers and did see them intermixed within the big spectacle dance numbers (girl on a table balancing on chairs, two girls hanging from the chandeliers, etc). I enjoyed the way the story was created (don't want to give it away). It is not the most amazing story but for Cirque this is more story than they ever usually have. This is better than their touring arena shows (I hate how distant you feel in those venues), almost as good as being under a Cirque tent and if you aren't flying to Las Vegas this is as good as you are going to get to a splashy Las Vegas Cirque performance. This was MUCH better than Banana or Zarkana! I have seen almost all of their touring and resident productions (Las Vegas as well as LA's Iris) and did notice some recycled numbers but whatever! It was enjoyable. 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 10:30pm

Well... I never thought the Lyric would see a mess bigger than Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, but Paramour takes the meaning of a theatrical mess to a whole new level. The show is incredibly inconsistent. The first act fares much better than the second act.

 

The first act is actually quite fun. There's a huge sparkly opening number that is dazzling. The following couple numbers are all over the place. WAY too much going on on the stage with no focus. You can't even keep track (or even spot) which lead is singing because there is so much action going on. The Filmstrip sequence with the doors was a lot of fun as was the Cleopatra sequence. The final sequence in the first act, Calamity Jane, was the highlight of the evening for me. "Help a Girl Choose" was such a fun song. Most of the music in the first act was actually quite enjoyable. At intermission I was satisfied. Then act 2 happened...

 

The show literally just falls apart right in front of the audience's eyes and the plot just takes these unbelievably stupid twists and turns. It's like there was a completely different composer, book writer, and design team for act 2. Every aspect of the show just goes drastically south. The ending was shockingly horrible. 

 

I've never been a huge Cirque fan, and this did nothing to change that. Besides some fun songs and numbers in act 1 and some great acrobatics, Paramour is an epic mess. Stay far away from this unless you can get in for free or for very cheap. It's not even "so bad it's funny" bad, it's just plain bad.

[James2]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 11:55pm

Saw this tonight through the TodayTix lottery.  The book was amateurish (it's more or less The Red Shoes set in a movie studio), but some of the stunts and visuals were worth seeing.  I liked the filmstrip number, the twins in the Cleopatra scene, the man with the umbrella and discs in the Act Two opener, the trapeze trio during the love triangle number, and the lampshades during the love song (I don't know if it really fit, but I liked watching it).  The NYC rooftop climax started out fun but went on too long, and I don't see why the mugs chasing the couple suddenly start fighting each other.  The finale was just a hasty way to get the audience out after the high they got from the rooftop sequence.  Overall, I got a little more than I was expecting, so I'm glad I went.

[leefowler]

Posted: 5/11/16 at 8:22am

My problem with Paramour is that the Cirque people are trying to write a traditional Broadway book musical, which they have no talent for. The dialogue sounds like the actors are making it up as they are going along, the music is often incoherent, and the lyrics sound like they were written by someone who doesn't speak English as a first language.

 

But when the show abandons this nonsense, it becomes enjoyable. It takes forever to get to the circus acts, but when it finally does the show is really fun. This is when Cirque uses the unfortunate Lyric theatre to its advantage. There were times when I thought, "wow, this is what Spiderman could have looked like." The chase scene at the end of act 2 is really amazing, although I have no idea who was chasing who or why.

 

The show has been making over a million a week with just 6 performances, but I'd love to know what the operating costs are!

[bruzson]

Posted: 5/11/16 at 8:31am

Can anyone tell me what the current running time is for this -- doesn't seem to be posted anywhere.  They have a 2pm matinee on June 12 and hoping to make a 5:05pm Amtrak train.  Thanks.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/11/16 at 8:32am

^ It's about 2 hours and twenty minutes!

[sassylash3s]

Posted: 5/11/16 at 8:37am

Does anybody know how they're getting away with just nine musicians in the pit at the Lyric?  I'm not an expert on these matters but I thought the union minimum for that house was 19 players.  

[Seperite]

Posted: 5/22/16 at 9:07am

I completely disagree with the haters...this was a very, very, impressive show, and an early favorite for the 2017 Tony for Best Musical (granted, it's the only musical of the 2016 - 2017 season so far...but still. Very, very good.)

For those fearing a show not 'fit' for Broadway...fear not. The score, the book, the characters and the plotline, are all Broadway-esque -- perhaps even too much so (the love triangle theme -- two men...one famous and powerful, the other poor and humble....pining for the same woman -- has been mined a thousand times before.)  The lead performers are all outstanding, with spectacular, Broadway-calibre voices. The dancing, too, will not leave musical fans wanting. This is a "Broadway Show", in every traditional sense of the term.

And then there's the acrobatics. Wow. Truly eye-popping wonderment. If you're not accustomed to seeing circus acts, as I am not, the high-flying magic will leave you with a child-like sense of awe. It literally takes your breath away to see these incredible feats of lithe, gravity-defying physicality before your eyes.

The most interesting thing for me was that I suddenly saw circus-like acrobatics in the context of a Broadway show the way we all see things like HDTV and smartphones -- innovations that we didn't crave before they existed, but which, now that they exist, we couldn't live without. Having now seen how seamlessly acrobatics can be incorporated into a Broadway show, and how richly it enhances the experience, I now fear that I will be bored by seeing just tap-dancing or ballet in a Broadway show alone. Now, I want my actors doing crazy, 360-degree flips in the air and dangling off wires suspended from the ceiling. I found all that stuff superfluous and boring in Spider-Man...but this is different. You'll understand, and appreciate it, when you see this show.

The show is not perfect, by any means...as mentioned, the story is a rather tired, well-worn Broadway tale, and the score, while original and good, is not the greatest piece of music to ever grace the Broadway stage. But the show "breaks new ground," (to use a tired phrase...which in this case, is true) is visually arresting, and is very enjoyable. It's not a circus show...it's a true Broadway musical with acrobatic enhancements...and well worth seeing.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 5/22/16 at 7:16pm

 an early favorite for the 2017 Tony for Best Musical

ha ha ha

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/22/16 at 9:23pm

Now, I want my actors doing crazy, 360-degree flips in the air and dangling off wires suspended from the ceiling. I found all that stuff superfluous and boring in Spider-Man...but this is different. You'll understand, and appreciate it, when you see this show.
 

I personally found Spider-Man to be superior to this mess of a show in every way (and Spider-Man was a huge mess as well)... The saving grace of this show is Ruby Lewis who KILLS it in the Calamity Jane number.

[mpkie]

Posted: 5/24/16 at 11:37pm

With the requisite disclaimer that I have never seen a Cirque du Soleil show, I expected it to be quite terrible after reading this entire thread... but I loved it!! They had me at the opening number, and I kept expecting it to get very very bad, but it didn't.

Taken into context that it's a Broadway musical with Cirque du Soleil elements and not the other way around, it was well executed. It was visually stunning, from the gravity-defying aerial feats, to the technical elements like gorgeous stage design and wonderful costuming, to the fitting score for the choreographed aerial/acrobatic sequences (lyrics are another question). The story and character development (and therefore, motivations) suffer as a result of needing to squeeze in those acts, but it was the right sacrifice to make, and somehow it does all integrate together. Sure, the story is mediocre, but it works to provide the context.

Only one major cringe-worthy moment was when they kept rhyming "tangled" with "love triangle" (good lord...!), but the aerial artists interpreting the "dilemma" were really the focal point of that scene. That awful song nearly ruined it!

I also disliked the melody/lyrics and actress' performance of the intro song that went with the "Cleopatra" act but again, the score itself was lovely for the actual aerial performance.

I was engaged the whole time. I think their only miss was when there was the love song between the two leads and basically they decided to fly around lamp shades (wtf?) instead of having a really gorgeous choreographed acrobatic/aerial sequence to interpret their song.

I had a blast and don't have too much to nitpick. The twin aerial strap artists probably did make the show for me, but I enjoyed many of the other numbers/acts as well. I predict it will do quite well commercially.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 7:06am

sassylash3s said: "Does anybody know how they're getting away with just nine musicians in the pit at the Lyric?  I'm not an expert on these matters but I thought the union minimum for that house was 19 players.  

 

"

It could apart of the special contract cirque created.

[Broadwaystar2]

Posted: 5/25/16 at 8:15am

GreasedLightning said: "After Eight said: "^

  If you're going to present something on Broadway, then at least try to follow Broadway practice.
 

"

Wow. Yes. This. 

 

"

Exactly what is Broadway practice?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/21/17 at 12:02am

I saw "O" last year in Vegas for my birthday and since then I've been quietly obsessed with all things Cirque. If you're going into this wanting a traditional musical, then you're going in with the wrong expectations. The dialogue scenes are stupid, sure. But the score is so catchy and fun! I don't care if it's time period correct because their are swirling lamp shades flying around! 

The joy of Cirque, to me, is the attention to detail. You're always overwhelmed by most every stage picture. Ropes are dropped from the ceiling, twins are flying out over the audience, and yet up on stage their are women lavishly dressed doing dance moves, a bartender balancing things, etc. All while a vaguely European dance beat plays. It's awesome! An assault of the senses! 

All the actors are in incredible voice, and they belt out the songs like crazy! I mean, Ruby Lewis is giving you belt, mix, and doing a complete split and being thrown around! 

At one point the entire stage lifts to reveal a train car of sorts, it's visually amazing. 

They have their signature clown here, and he's hilarious. 

The music here is far superior than anything in Finding Neverland or, heck, Tuck Everlasting.

If you haven't seen it, I'd highly recommend it. Kinda sad that their lease got bought out because I'd love to see what else they could create in this space! The Act 2 opener has people descending from the chandelier on the ceiling! I mean the way they use the space with projections and stuff is really breathtaking! At the end of the show an entire cityscape set piece rolls downstage and my friend and I were like "Where are they storing all this stuff?!" 

On a side note: ATG is kicking ass at theater management! So many drink/food options, menus at the seat, etc. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 4/16/17 at 5:14pm

Did anyone see the final performance today? Lol. I feel like everyone forgot about this.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/16/17 at 6:32pm

Was at the final performance today and rather enjoyed it. Yes, the story isn't new but neither were the plots of the Astaire-Rogers movies. Was greatly impressed by the twin aerial artists who performed (in part) over the audience.