Posted: 4/5/15 at 8:14am
JayG2, there is no need to be such a bigoted jacka$$. There are plenty of large people who sit silently during theatre performances, not eating candy or anything else and not speaking, and plenty of thin people who talk and noisily eat candy. The rude behaviors you describe are not related to being fat, so cut out the ridiculous hate and bigotry.
Posted: 4/5/15 at 9:09am
I'm really sick of hearing people making fun over overweight people in general, honestly. It's so rude. I've heard many instances of people being rude about this subject in the theater.
I remember when I went to see A Little Night Music with my best friend (who at the time was overweight) the woman sitting next to her tapped her on the shoulder and said "the next time you and your husband go to the theater, you should look into getting aisles seats because you are taking up half of my chair." And she just kept going on and on and on about it. Thankfully an usher heard the woman and she tapped my friend on the should and said she was going to talk to the house manager to try to get our seats changed. She disappeared for awhile and finally someone came over to me and asked if I wanted to sit with her. We got moved from back orchestra far left to center orchestra third row.
Posted: 4/5/15 at 9:19am
My problem is not whether fat or thin people are eating the candy. It's the amount of time, many, seem to have in opening their candy and the crinkling sound it makes. If I open a candy bar or bag of chips, (never in the theatre, broadway or movie) it takes me one second. It seems like many don't have the sense they were born with to simply open a bag. My two cents. Thread was already jacked.
Posted: 4/5/15 at 9:56am
N2n I have mixed feelings about your story. While the woman was beyond rude, I've had similar circumstances....when my comfort is compromised, I've gone to the usher to see if they could switch my seat. I shouldn't have to share my seat I had this issue at the theater, and on transportation.
To be fair...I don't think JayG was actually referring to fat people. He referred to feeding their "fat faces" which is an expression...one that shows disdain for the person - not a size. The other reference was about the food itself...ISNT it fattening???
Posted: 4/5/15 at 10:25am
Andddddd to bring it back- any word on who will be going on for Zhivago for the performances today?
I just checked the fb and twitter show accounts- nothing there.
Posted: 4/5/15 at 10:26am
Completely agree, DramaMama. I had a similar experience on both sides of me at On The Town, but unfortunately, no seats to change to. Although I loved the show, my comfort level was affected. The second, intermission occurred, I got up and exited my row, just to get out of the situation for the 15 or so minutes. That is also why, I try to always get an aisle if it is available.
Updated On: 4/5/15 at 10:26 AM
Posted: 4/5/15 at 10:27am
I'm going to try to get a rush to get to today. Heard a rumor that Bradley Dean is on again today, but I can't confirm. I'll let the board know when I find out
Posted: 4/5/15 at 10:43am
When I first heard Mutu was out, I thought the smart thing to do would be to keep him out this weekend. Unless he is really sick, I am betting he will return next week.
Posted: 4/5/15 at 11:54am
Thank you, dramamama611.
Geeze people around here are so literal. This is where hyperbole, satire, and irony are unrecognized.
Posted: 4/5/15 at 6:13pm
Yes, Bradley Dean was on today, and he was perfectly fine, but I can't imagine that it would have mattered less who played Zhivago. The most thrilling performer in the world could have performed the part naked and it still wouldn't have risen this dreary afternoon's show up out of the concrete colored rock pile it sits in for the whole 3 hours.
Look, I'm a set designer, and I've mentioned before that I'm pretty bigoted about one thing: if a show has a great set, I can forgive a lot of weaknesses in the script ( a la my rave for AN AMERICAN IN PARIS), but if a show has a crappy set, then no amount of brilliant writing can save it in my eyes. And Zhivago's set? Sadly the second choice. Act I had a cold kind of neoclassical stature to it, but God help any spark of life survive the onslaught of grey concrete that strangled Act II. I still held out hope that the lovely Winter Palace remembered so fondly from the film would salvage the day, but alas no-- a barbarity of plexi icicles and a series of Dr. Caligari's window frames descended into the cement gloom like literal daggers in the heart of any nascent romance the lovers were trying to drum up. Arggghhhh.
The score? Well the best of it reminded me of tunes from Lucy Simon's infinitely better SECRET GARDEN, now saddled with lyrics that always hit each idea squarely on the head with the force of a sledgehammer. If Yuri is such an inspirational poet, why on earth couldn't we have heard any his lovely poetry set to music? Most everything sounded cloned from other through-sung scores I've loathed (Jekyll and Hyde, Love Never Dies), and I swear one song for the Bolshevik revolutionaries in a tavern seemed cribbed directly from FIDDLER's "To Life." It was all sung and played with conviction, so there's that.
My heart goes out to the folks both onstage and back, who have obviously labored mightily to make this story come to life. It's a property that ought to work gangbusters in musical form. Maybe one day we'll get a version that finds all the wonder and magic in the story amidst the surrounding tragedy. This one nailed the tragedy, and very little else.
Updated On: 4/5/15 at 06:13 PM
Posted: 4/5/15 at 8:00pm
It must have something go it as,I believe,it was nominated for Best Musical in Australia a few years ago.
In addition,it hoodwinked a lot of investors into them thinking it was good. Think we will like it as we enjoyed J/H so our tastes are radically different.
Posted: 4/5/15 at 10:03pm
I'll be eager to read your review once you see it here. The difficulties seem insurmountable to me, but I could have seen a show missing something essential by seeing an understudy on for Zhivago. Who knows?
Posted: 4/6/15 at 12:11am
I saw the night show tonight. First off, does anyone know what the issue was with the box office? The line for the will call was not moving and around the building even at 7:30 when the show was slated to start. And even the wifi at the merch stand wasn't working.
as for the show itself, it was alright I thought Bradley Dean did a good job and I was really impressed with Paul Nolan, and his songs definitely were th standouts and the ones with the most enthusiastic applause.
The set had me divided. I would have liked the depth of the stage but for the show it didn't really work. It allowed for some beautiful lighting and groups but I felt like the actors were lost and swallowed up. The projections need to go. most of The ones on the back wall I could bare. But the ones at the different locations was silly and toom me out of it. Especially the projections of Lara.
As a young man who grew up in a Russian family, I was diasapointed with the music. I personally loved the scene that happened in the tavern, with some russian dance influence. Did the whol score have to be a balalaika orchestra, but I would have liked to hear some more russian melodies or influences in it.
Overall it was alright, but I saw it and don't feel a need to revisit. I wish them the best of luck for the duration of previews and a good run
Posted: 4/6/15 at 3:14am
If a great set made for a great show then Paul Simon's "The Capeman" would still be running with Bob Crowley's extraordinary scenic design. Such is not the case. As Peter Brooks famously said, all you need is an empty room to tell a good story. If it's not a good story well told, all the spectacular scenery in the world won't help.
Posted: 4/6/15 at 11:39am
Posted: 4/6/15 at 12:01pm
^Probably. There were only maybe 10 people for the rush yesterday (on a two-show day). There were also a lot of empty seats in the house.
Posted: 4/6/15 at 12:27pm
My father's favorite thing about shows are the sets so I was very excited for this show because I thought the sets would be epic. Especially the Ice House. Boy, was I disappointed. They were dismal at best. The projections need to go. The ones in the far back are fine (wheat fields, snow, silhouettes with umbrellas), but the photos of Lara are laughable. I was 2nd row mezz and our area started snickering at those moments.
I saw the show on April 1st which was Tam Mutu. He and his leading lady didn't have enough chemistry, but that is something that can be worked on before opening night. Hopefully he'll be able to get back into the show sooner rather than later so they can work on that.
The music was nice. There are a few standout moments: "Now" and the duet between Lara and Tonya. I would say they need some type of raging anthem from Zhivago himself because for the most part, I wasn't really rooting for him which is a problem.
With all the gun shots and a puking moment, I'm left to believe that the production wants to shock more than reveal a romantic story. There needs to be a better balance, but it seems that the violence is taking over the story. This is supposed to be an epic ROMANCE that takes place during Revolutionary Russia...and they seem to be boosting the Revolution part more. This statement may also may be attributed to the lack of chemistry between Zhivago and Lara. Their amount of chemistry would work for simpler love stories like a nice musical comedy, but this show calls for a deeper and more emotional romance.
And finally...they need to trim it down. 3hrs is too long.
Posted: 4/6/15 at 12:30pm
^It's only 2:40 now.
By the way, I heard at the stage door that Mutu has apparently damaged his voice, and that he might be out for a while.
Posted: 4/6/15 at 3:40pm
Saw the show Sunday night. I thought the music was truly very beautiful. I look forward to the cast recording. Bradley Dean has a lovely voice, and kind of suspect that the only thing I missed out on was Tam Mutu's ridiculous attractiveness. I saw this after seeing Something Rotten, and the earnestness was refreshing actually. Even if it is too long and a bit melodramatic. Those photo projections are so random and need to go.
I agree with broadwayfan24 about the violence- it seems to really only be there for the shock value. I get that this is a dark time in Russia's history. But this is a broadway musical trying to appeal to tourists. When they were tossing bodies into that pit in the center of the stage, all I could think about the Katyn massacre. Too dark.
*SPOILER* There is this song that Pasha sings and it gets HUGE applause (because he's very good, as is the song), and then as soon as that enthusiastic applause dies down, he turns immediately to the man next to him and shoots him dead. It's extremely unsettling and makes you feel complicit somehow in that character's death. I really did not like that moment at all. I wish they would take it out. But I doubt they will since the shock value is so great. *END SPOILER*
Posted: 4/7/15 at 3:13am
The show was a stinker in Australia and it sounds like it is still a stinker.
Posted: 4/7/15 at 4:51am
I REALLY hope "a while" isn't *too* long. They open in 3 weeks. I hope Mutu makes a speedy recovery soon, in time for Opening Night / weekend performances.
Posted: 4/7/15 at 8:47am
