Posted: 4/7/15 at 6:11pm
Any news on if Mutu is back tonight?
Also does this remind anyone else of Pirate Queen?
Updated On: 4/7/15 at 06:11 PM
Posted: 4/7/15 at 6:23pm
The artwork reminds me of Pirate Queen with the eyes like they are. Some of the advertisements feature a couple about to kiss all bundled up in the snow and if they're trying to sell this as an epic romance I think they should use that as the main artwork for the posters and marketing and ditch the floating eyes.
Posted: 4/7/15 at 6:53pm
Oh I hadn't even noticed the similarity in the promotional posters! Nice!
I was thinking about how they're both long musicals with historically based plots that follow characters over their lives. They're both extremely earnest and focus on romantic relationships. They also both have some really beautiful songs. And ultimately they're both going to bore a significant portion of the audience.
Also they both resorted to literally lighting the stage on fire for spectacle.
Posted: 4/7/15 at 6:59pm
I'm so torn on this one. Part of me wants to see it, but the other part of me has a feeling this is going to be one of the most boring 3 hours I'll ever spend in the theater.
Posted: 4/7/15 at 7:04pm
How do they use the kids in this? I thought Sophia Gennusa was a brilliant Matilda and I'm so happy she's in another show.
Posted: 4/7/15 at 7:24pm
The kids appear for about 2 minutes at the very beginning and a minute at the end. They sing a tiny bit, but basically not at all. NOTHING like the amount of stage time the kids have in matilda. EDIT: Sorry Zhivago's son is onstage for the middle of the show. But he does pretty much nothing.
Jordan- do the rush during previews- it's cheap and easy. I can see why some people abhor this show, but I enjoyed myself. Admittedly I had a soft spot for Pirate Queen as well, even though I could see it was certainly a disaster.
Updated On: 4/7/15 at 07:24 PM
Posted: 4/7/15 at 8:41pm
My iPad ate my response, but I'll some it up briefly. I saw the show this past weekend at what was Bradley Dean's third show (I think). For the production still being so early in previews, I think he did the best anyone could do in the role.
Good
--Paul Nolan is the acting highlight and truly shows his versatility. His roles on Broadway have been so different (and I've seen him many times at Stratford), but he's consistently good. I suspect he will receive much attention when the reviews come out and he deserves it.
--Lovely costumes. This season has some excellent costuming and this is top 3 or 4 good.
--It was under 3 hours
Bad
--The projections are really bad. They're not used well and they're not done well, especially the ones of Lara.
--The book scenes are way too long. There's stretches of dialogue and all you're thinking is that they should be singing.
--The music doesn't seem to fit the scope of the story. It's a well known story and you'd think there would be some kind if grand sweeping song (or many even) to go with it. But there's not. You get build ups, but it never amounts to anything.
--The places where cuts have been made are noticeable. Those kinks need to be smoothed out fast.
--The female leads are serviceable, but I felt myself wanting more...I wanted done grand leading lady and Kelli Barrett and Lora Lee Gayer never reached that point for me.
More then anything, nothing in the show felt new and special. I felt like I've seen this before. Nothing seemed original. It felt like a rehashing of other shows.
I didn't hate it, but I'm also glad I only spent the cost of a discounted preview ticket. It was one of the few times I've felt so bored at a show that I truly contemplated leaving...it just felt like I knew exactly what was going to happen because it was nothing new.
I don't see this lasting unless significant changes are made.
Updated On: 4/7/15 at 08:41 PM
Posted: 4/7/15 at 11:17pm
Having now seen the show, the poster for Zhivago is even more suspect-- that lovely shot of Lara's eyes peeking through a white fur hood is cribbed directly from the film and is nowhere to be found in the actual stage show costuming. Liar, Liar, pants on fire. (That crap really bugs me.)
Posted: 4/7/15 at 11:53pm
Tam Mutu was back tonight, in fine voice.
Posted: 4/8/15 at 8:31am
Yes, a bit of a slog, and I agree with most of the critical comments. And yes, the one performance that stands out is Paul Nolan - award-worthy all the way.
Just wanted to add that the scenic design for the Ice Palace looked like leftover animation cells from a certain Disney movie.
Posted: 4/8/15 at 9:28am
Does anyone know where the rush seats are located?
Thanks!
Posted: 4/8/15 at 9:31am
^I was first in like for rush and I got front row of to the side. The stage is kinda high, but it's raked. I could see everything fine.
Posted: 4/8/15 at 10:30am
Great, thanks JBroadway, I was afraid they'd be in that awful rear mezzanine.
I am under 30 and I'd like to get two tickets for my parents as well, does anyone know if they are willing to bend the rules a little? I guess I could try going twice the same day at different times...
Posted: 4/8/15 at 10:31am
I know people felt his acting was pretty flat in Jesus Christ Superstar, but I am glad to hear some positive reports on Paul Nolan (and I hope he gets some awards recognition for this).
Posted: 4/8/15 at 11:12am
I loved him in Jesus Christ Superstar. I loved the whole cast. That entire experience opened my eyes a bit to the way theatre is perceived and how some of us walked out totally blown away by Josh Young and the rest of the cast and others thought it was the worst acting they'd ever seen. That was sort of my first experience being totally transfixed by three lead performances and completely baffled as to how others in the audience were seeing something entirely different based on later comments here.
Updated On: 4/8/15 at 11:12 AM
Posted: 4/8/15 at 5:45pm
Just wanted to add that the scenic design for the Ice Palace looked like leftover animation cells from a certain Disney movie."
Please. Even the most avid Disney-hater, would say that the Ice Palace design looked like the scrapped doodles done on the backs of place mats at a diner during an all night BS session while they were still planning to pitch Frozen. If that.
Maybe Paul Nolan was good in this. But was he really good, or just so much better than the crap going on around him that it made him seem amazing? All I can picture is a leather suit and "I AM A CAT!" When they finally make Batman: The Musical, he's ready to play Catwoman...
DZ is among the 3 most boring hours I've spent in recent years doing anything (and if you knew what my day job is, you'd realize what a huge statement that is). Ugly to look at. Boring to hear, and with unnecessarily graphic violence. That point blank shooting at the end of an applause button now makes a scene in Book of Mormon look like a parody of DZ. Which is more than appropriate! Score another one for BOM!
Updated On: 4/8/15 at 05:45 PM
Posted: 4/8/15 at 5:59pm
Real talk: I'm seeing this tomorrow, and I was kind of excited because I like big bombastic musicals like Les Mis and Miss Saigon, but word of mouth seems REALLY bad. So...I'm going to try to keep an open mind, but I also want to ask this question: if at intermission, I'm hating it...is there anything worth staying for in Act 2?
Still hoping that I love it. Truly. I'm just trepidacious.
Posted: 4/8/15 at 6:14pm
I hope you like it, Sauja. I honestly do!
Don't expect as much as Miss Saigon or Les Mis... or even Jekyll and Hyde, though. It wants to be all three, very badly. But for me, it just wasn't.
I would love to hear what your thoughts are (as a fan of the sub-genre) after you've seen it.
Posted: 4/8/15 at 6:32pm
Sauja, honestly, after the 1st act my initial reaction was that it was okay. It had some kinks and the projections were annoying, but I figured that it was fixable. When the second act decided to make the romance the subplot and amped the violence and shock value,that's when they lost me.
Intermission reaction: Okay this is not horrible. It needs work, but it's in previews. They can work this out.
Ending of 2nd act reaction: There is no hope for this show. I want to enjoy it but that was just too much.
Violence in the 2nd act: Point blank shooting, a woman slices her throat, they throw bodies to be burned into a trap door in the stage, suicide, random gunshots and bombs that pierce the eardrums and make you jump...so much of this is unnecessary.
Posted: 4/8/15 at 6:38pm
HUH. Thanks for both responses. I'll come back and post thoughts after I've seen it!
Posted: 4/8/15 at 6:53pm
I will not see this I just heard too many bad things.
Updated On: 4/8/15 at 06:53 PM
Posted: 4/8/15 at 7:08pm
What is the same of the female duet that is like "In His Eyes"?
Posted: 4/8/15 at 9:23pm
It's called "It Comes as No Surprise" but I don't really understand the comparison other than it being a song sung by two women in love with the same man. Musically there's no real connection. There's a video on YouTube from the Australian cast.
Posted: 4/8/15 at 9:45pm
^ Thanks, CATS!
Posted: 4/8/15 at 11:31pm
Actually, I immediately felt a musical connection to "In His Eyes" during that duet. Very similar harmonies. To me, at least.
Anyway, I just got back from tonight's performance, and I think I hated 75% of it. But in the end, I was kind of touched. I'm so torn about this show - I thought this would be something right up my alley because I have loved The Secret Garden, and I also love Maury Yeston who I have always felt is similar in style to Lucy Simon.
However, half of the score is just awkward and unnecessary, with a few shining moments in the solos. The amount of violence made me a bit uncomfortable because I felt like that was always in the forefront instead of the love story.
I'm not sure if there have been recent cuts in the script that they haven't bridged together yet or what, but I thought the story was so jarring. She gets married, he goes off to war, we, and she, think he has died, and immediately she's ready to move on to Zhivago. And even THAT felt rushed - I didn't understand WHY they fell in love.
But by the end I was completely into the relationship (although that may be because Act 2 is infinitely better constructed than Act 1), so again, I'm torn. I don't think it's anything I need to see again, but not something I would write off to friends who might like it.
