Curtains in LA- Page 6

[madophelia]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 5:46pm

Another pic from the production

[latheatrelover]

Posted: 8/10/06 at 9:59am

I felt it was important to move this thread with all the positive comments for Curtains back up to the top because of a certain Dame's negative thread calling this terrific show a turkey.

[DAME]

Posted: 8/10/06 at 9:59am

It is just my opinion darling. Glad you enjoyed.

[latheatrelover]

Posted: 8/10/06 at 10:11am

I'm curious to see what the L.A. Times will say. Since it is Thursday today, the weekly Calendar magazine is in the paper and that is put together ahead of time, so the review will probably be on Friday.

I wonder how the opening night audience reacted: ovations or what?

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/10/06 at 10:27am

Well, it's not a full-fledged turkey in my book, but I agree with Dame on several points.

My own review is on the previous page here, and it's far from a rave. The book, music and lyrics are really not very strong at all.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 8/10/06 at 1:10pm

The reviews will be published tomorrow.

[TIGGOSAURUS]

Posted: 8/10/06 at 5:26pm

"I felt it was important to move this thread with all the positive comments for Curtains back up to the top because of a certain Dame's negative thread calling this terrific show a turkey."

Bravo - good for you! I was going to do the same myself if no-one else had. Curtains has only been on for a couple of weeks, it has a TERRIFIC cast and a great pedigree, not to mention a significant number of people on the East Coast (and further afield!) hoping to see it for themselves. I'm sure that the elements that have attracted the most negative comments will be worked on, hence it is FAR too early to be writing it off as a turkey.

I really like the idea of an original musical that pays homage to the history of the genre and I DEFINITELY think there's an audience for it in NY (as Drowsy proves). And please don't tell me there's no room for another musical of the same ilk - as long as the production continues to improve and entertain I think it could be a MAJOR draw. Wearing my heart on my sleeve; as a long-time admirer of David Hyde Pierce, I have to say I certainly hope so!

[TIGGOSAURUS]

Posted: 8/10/06 at 6:55pm

;->

[cillaliz2]

Posted: 8/10/06 at 7:18pm

I had a wonderful time at CURTAINS. It's extremely funny and I enjoyed the music as well. It's far from a turkey and I really hope it makes it to Broadway so I can see it again

[TicketMediaGuy]

Posted: 8/15/06 at 5:03pm

Well, SOMETHING must be working for this show... I missed the Opening Ngith Stanby line because I went to Toronto (Lord OF The Rings Musical - don't ask!) so I tried calling to get Hot Tix. Do you know how difficult it is now to get those? Apperently Day of Hot Tix gets you into the show a little easier.

It seems everyone and their mother beat me to a really good ticket!

[DG]

Posted: 8/16/06 at 4:20am

What's working for this show is what everyone knows going in - it's Kander & Ebb's last piece, it's David Hyde Pierce in the lead (and he's a favorite here on the wrong coast,) and it has a bunch of Broadway vets (who presumably wanted to be part of K&E's last piece.) Unfortunately, NONE of that has anything to do with what you have to sit through in the theatre. A few decent jokes strewn about through over 2 1/2 hours of interchangable music and frenetic and artless choreography does not an evening of theatre make. Despite the ernest efforts of some of the cast (Edward Hibbert most definitely not among them - he should be ashamed,) this goes nowhere interminably. Yes, the LA industry laden crowd enjoyed seeing their friends and laughing at the industry jokes. Who else will?

In a word, ugh.

[VeuveClicquot]

Posted: 8/16/06 at 9:45am

Fascinating chat, from all of you.

I hope the show makes it to NY, so I can see it.

However, in thinking about it, I keep coming up with this: There has NEVER been a successful musical murder mystery. "Something's Afoot"? Flop. "Clue?" Flop. "Baker Street?" Flop. "Drat, the Cat?" Flop.

It seems to be an impossible genre to musicalize.

[VeuveClicquot]

Posted: 8/16/06 at 9:45am

Fascinating chat, from all of you.

I hope the show makes it to NY, so I can see it.

However, in thinking about it, I keep coming up with this: There has NEVER been a successful musical murder mystery. "Something's Afoot"? Flop. "Clue?" Flop. "Baker Street?" Flop. "Drat, the Cat?" Flop.

It seems to be an impossible genre to musicalize.

[DAME]

Posted: 8/16/06 at 11:06am

DG; I completely agree with you. But as far as Edward Hibbert. Do you mean because he is turning in the same performance he has for everything else? Or because the bitchy queen is such a black face type of character already?

Updated On: 8/16/06 at 11:06 AM

[DAME]

Posted: 8/16/06 at 11:35am

TicketMediaGuy, I don't know what you are talking about.

Updated On: 8/18/06 at 11:35 AM

[mallardo]

Posted: 8/16/06 at 1:05pm

I saw it last night and the only empty seats were in the upper balcony. It was a big house - on a Tuesday - and a VERY enthusiastic one. So much so that I began to wonder if there were some paid "applauders" there. But that's another story.

The show is definitely a work in progress. Act Two is FAR superior to Act One. The show opens awkwardly and doesn't get rolling until David Hyde Pierce makes his entrance. Everything HE does works! He's amazing - really beyond praise. His personal charm carries the show the rest of the way and his Act Two dance duet with Jill Paice was far and away the highlight for me.

Edward Hibbert was hysterical - he got all his laughs - and who cares if he camps it up, he's funny! Debra Monk does what she can with substandard material - Steel Pier ayone? And both Karen Ziemba and Jason Danieley are game and professional but they have so little to play. The one time Danieley gets to unleash his golden voice is an undistinguished ballad that's far too short.

The show within a show is NOT clever stuff a la Drowsy Chaperone. It's a silly western with all of the attendant cliches and dumb jokes. Most of the choreography is in the mock hoedown style which gets wearying. The conceit is that the show - "Robbin' Hood" - might work with a talented leading lady but Karen Ziemba shows that this is clearly not the case. "Robbin' Hood" is a turkey.

Sadly too, this is not a great score from Kander and Ebb. It's all over the place. There is no overarching SOUND, no style, other than ditsy Broadway. No big tunes. No big themes.

All of this said, however, Hyde Pierce and Hibbert and the others - I don't want to leave out Megan Sikora who has an impressive gymnastic turn - DO entertain. It is FUN. No doubt about it. The audience ate it up. Standing O for Hyde Pierce and he deserved it. If you're in LA go see it, definitely.

[DAME]

Posted: 8/16/06 at 10:17pm

mallardo,
Very nicely stated. That sounds like a very good house for a Tuesday night indeed.
However.. sadly it does not sound like they have implemented any changes to the show since opening. I hope they do.

[4cygnets]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 2:55am

Dame - what exactly is your source for the 70% houses? I've been twice - on regular nights, not invite nights like opening, and I went on weeknights to boot - and it's been very well sold.

But yes a bit disappointing that no changes are going in after opening. Seems they'll be doing most of it before NY but not in LA.

[latheatrelover]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 5:33pm

This may have already been posted but here is a great TheaterMania review of Curtains:

http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/8812
Updated On: 8/17/06 at 05:33 PM

[mlsheehan]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 7:16pm

Dame,
Thanks for switching back to Dame Maggie. That's how I always think of you. Your last AV was a bit disturbing (and I might add disturbed).

[DAME]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 9:40pm

Glad you like the new avatar. I think I will stick with it for a while.

Updated On: 8/18/06 at 09:40 PM

[Hairspraydoll]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 6:45pm

I saw it last night and I totally enjoyed it. I was looking for some of short comings posted on here and saw very few. It had catchy tunes, a funny book and great talent. My husband is not into musical theatre and he loved it. I think it's clever and fun. I hope it goes to Broadway and is really successful. It was so nice to not a see a rock, pop, american idol score.

I met Debra Monk at the stagedoor and she was so sweet and sat and had a conversation with us about Pump Boys and told us some of her inspiration for it.

[madophelia]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 10:48am

Amazing what a bit of perspective can do. My favorite line has to be: "Memories are all the theater owns once the curtain goes down, and legit critics can be an especially myopic group when it comes to Broadway productions they never saw." LOL!


Variety article

[WalkOn]

Posted: 9/12/06 at 7:38pm

Saw the last perfomance on Sunday. It was cute. I thought the humor was forced, the score was mediocre and strangely in the way of the plot.

Cast was very strong. Though the characters they play are pretty one,perhaps, two dimentional. No character all that interesting.

I was really expecting it to be smarter.. you know that Kander and Ebb gimic of making a seeming innocuous production number take on double meaning by commenting on the action that has past or is about to follow.. none of that in CURTAINS.

Not much emotion. And the murder plot is less THE LAST OF SHEILA and more the final season of MURDER,SHE WROTE.

The audience ate it up, however.

David Hyde Pierce thanked the Los Angeles Theatre going public and said that the next time CURTAINS would be in L.A. would be the first national tour.

We shall see what we shall see.

Updated On: 9/12/06 at 07:38 PM