Cry Baby Review

[Elphie3]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 12:10am

Hey all! So, I went to see "Cry Baby" tonight, and thought I'd share my thoughts.

First of all, I think my review can be summed up by the fact that it wont be very long. There's just not that much to say.

The show is not as bad as I've been hearing people say. That doesn't however mean it's good. Look at it this way. It's like when you're home on a weeknight watching T.V, flipping channels and some fun but slightly vapid movie comes on. Hey - why not watch it? It's fun, cute, and you wont mind if you get distracted by a phone call or get up to get a sandwich. That's "Cry Baby". It's fun and cute, and you'll probably forget most of it once you leave the theater. But certainly no "In My Life" or "Hot Feet". (yeah, remember THAT one?)

I would like to preface this by stating that I have never seen the movie. I went into this show blind.

The fact is, you've already seen "Cry Baby." Take the first act of "Grease" and stick on the second act of "Hairspray." In simpler terms, a "Good" girl falls for the "Bad" boy. "Bad" boy gets falsely accused of a crime, there's a big jail number, everyone escapes in time to make everything right at the county fair.

Everything is kind of forgettable. The songs are cute. They remind me of 20's fair - you know, built around one main schtick that repeats it over and over and over. Like the song "I did something wrong....once." But I didn't mind too much.

Costumes ROCKED! They were beautiful!

Let me just say this. THERE IS ONE REASON AND ONE REASON ONLY to see this show. That reason is Alli Mauzey. Mauzey plays the psychopathic Leonora who is obsessed with Cry Baby. She is a GENIUS actress who has (undeservedly) only now gotten an opportunity to show what she can do.

Now if only the show had been about Leonora...

Updated On: 4/23/08 at 12:10 AM

[amalou]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 12:22am

Leonora's my favorite thing about the show as well. That and the pie.

I expected it to be terrible but it really wasn't. Not the BEST new show of the season, not one of my top ten, but still lots of fun.

[Elphie3]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 12:28am

Yeah - you'll have a fun time.

[TomMonster]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 12:39am

I just got back as well.

Elph, your assessment is spot on...

Energetic blandness.

I didn't hate it. Didn't love it.

Lenora killed me. as did some other jokes here and there...

Just never a moment that moves you to care. It all seemed forced, as the style insists on...but kept insisting with no truth to propel the action.

Ironically, it was more "gray" than A CATERED AFFAIR. (Which I loved because of it's gray tones...subtle tones)

Nothing subtle about this, but no forward motion. It starts with that motion and goes no where.

The second act is much better than the first. Lot's of fun.

Yet no point.

A mixed bag of pleasures and pains.

The supporting characters and performers are much more interesting than the leads.

Your analogy of GREASE with HAIRSPRAY thrown on top is perfect.

Did you notice Brantley leaving during the curtain call?

I loved the pie...

[musicalmaster703]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 1:06am

What replaced "Class dismissed" ?

Can you put up a song list?

[maya5892]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 1:28am

I'm really confused about people's view on Cry Baby...they say the plot goes no where, blah blah. I mean, I've haven't seen it yet, but I have seen the movie. It seems like they have the same plot. So, wouldn't the problem be in the source material, and not the show's book itself? I don't know. I'm tired. Excuse my lack of making total sense.

[DidYouReallyHearMe]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 2:44am

MusicalMaster a song entitled "A Whole Lot Worse" replaced "Class Dismissed", the new number gives a humorous background on the 3 Tear Drop girls.

Maya5892, while the plot does remain the same as the movie, and the book does keep many of the same lines. The one thing I see people complaining about is character development.

[TomMonster]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 3:01am

It's not the plot not going anywhere, it's the movement of the show...It starts with the same texture it ends...no shape.

Makes the plot dull, ultimately. With lots of pandering.

Flat. With lots of forced color in between.

Not horrible--or even awful. Just bland.

LEGALLY BLOND as an example actually moves forward at every level...and doesn't let you go. It's not art, duh, but entertains without forcing you to be entertained. It knows what it is and lets you in on the joke.

CB forces the joke. (Some are VERY funny--but you always feel forced...groans when it should get a laugh--for a groan)

It's in good shape, without shape. Fun with no point. That becomes dull.

IMO.



PS: With some terribly clever lyrics..some. Again forced. No character voice... *sigh*

Updated On: 4/23/08 at 03:01 AM

[maya5892]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 8:53am

Maya5892, while the plot does remain the same as the movie, and the book does keep many of the same lines. The one thing I see people complaining about is character development.

Well, from what I understand, isn't the point that there really is no character development? Because that is what I got from watching the movie.

[Elphie3]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 8:56am

It's just that most of the songs do the same thing.

In the first number we have - Allison and Cry Baby are attracted to each other but are being kept apart.

In the second number - Allison and Cry Baby are attracted to each other but are being kept apart.

In the third number - Allison wants to be a bad girl, but doesn't know how.

[pli1018]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 12:29pm

This is somewhat off-topic but I didn't want to make a new thread, but: Does anyone know if Cry-Baby is going to be offering student rush for tomorrow night? I don't know what the policy regarding that is.

[Elphie3]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 2:27pm

I'm not sure. I know ALL their tickets are discounted right now, so I'm sure they're doing some sort of rush...

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 2:31pm

Shows don't offer rush for opening night.

[CyCoSpAz2]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 2:46pm

I loved the pie...

"Not so fast, pie" was the greatest line from the show.

[MungoGypsy8232]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 6:09pm

Hot Feet had memorable music though, in my opinion

[TooDarnHot]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 6:22pm

it's true. many on the board, myself included, make CRY-BABY out to be a lot worse than it actually is.

but I went during previews and the hype was big, coming from the california try-out, so I was extremely dissapointed when I found myself wanting to leave at Intermission.

I gave Act Two a chance and I'm glad about that... much stronger than the first Act. the energy and the book, specifically, improve. the score was the consistent fail in all of this though.

extremely bland, uncreative, predictable, and forgettable. reminded me of a bad version of "All Shook Up" (think of a Elvis Greatest Hits album but add in the Grease 2 score)

I didn't have fun but I didn't leave the theatre hating life. I mean. it's bad. but it's not TERRIBLE.

my other problem, besides that joke they call a score, is the connection. the book (and perhaps the performers themselves) did NOTHING to actually make me care about these characters and the conflict. all very fluffy and glazed.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 7:17pm

I enjoyed Cry Baby and feel it has some of the best choreography of any show right now. The dancing is phenomenal. The audience I attended with seemed really into it. Lots of screaming, hooting, hollering and cheering.

[Iris Chacon]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 7:26pm

Este show es una mierda bien grande.

[kathy selden]

Posted: 4/23/08 at 8:25pm

Saw this on April 3rd, I realize it is a work in progress, however it was so disappointing to not have any familiar music from the movie in the show. I 'you tubed' "Cry Baby the movie", and found all the best songs from the movie on there, each one sets up like a mini-Broadway number in itself.
In the Broadway versio, there was no real reference to why he is called "Cry Baby", sort of a wasted premise. I agree it was not totally awful, but I wanted to like it so much, and it just fell flat. Of course it didn't help we had seen "Curtains" the night before, and earlier in the week we saw "Jersey Boys" on tour in Minneapolis, both great theater experiences.