Saw this tonight. a VERY comped crowd. I think Wayne Brady was there, which seemed odd, and Andre from Project Runway.
Anyway, I was first row, and this show looked CHEAP. Like, not Peter and the Starcatcher style smart cheap, it just looked like bad regional dinner theater.
The direction was AWFUL. They used like 3 different entrances which after 2 1/2 hrs, gets old. Scenes would start, then blackout, then that same damn vamp, then lights up on the other side of the stage. It seemed like directing 101.
The performances were fine. I wasn't embarrassed for anyone, save Seth. He was all wrong. He sounded okay, but man, he was so stiff and awkward. I think that was him "acting" but eh. Adam Pascal was in FINE voice. Oof. Love his voice. He was really great, as was Kerry Butler. Loved her voice. Actually, all the leads had impressive vocal moments.
The story just is stupid and sucks. It would have been funny if we were in on the joke, but most of the cheap elements felt like financial reasons than artistic reasons. It should have been a 90min show. Why drag this out? Act 2 dragged so hard.
But, and this is a big BUT because it's a lot of other things to sit through, but Simard KILLS it. Just slays it. She was incredible. She was the only one up there who created an actual character, who made choices. She was hilarious to watch, and her big number KILLS it. Her voice was so impressive. Between her, Pascal, and Butler, I was engaged. But the story is awful.
This is the cheapiest looking show I've ever seen on Broadway. They should have set it in the framework of like a Wisconsin dinner theater performing "Disaster" or something, to make us be like "oh okay" but instead it's like, you have 2 drops that you keep using?