Does ANYONE Like "Bounce?"

Many people on this board have stated their dislike for the recent Stephen Sondheim musical, "Bounce." And I just want to know, why?

I haven't seen the show, but I have listened to the score, and it's not one of the worst things in the world. Sure, it's not one of Sondheim's best, but I've heard worse scores.

Is there some other reason why the theatre community does not like "Bounce?" Or do people not like the score?

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Why do people dislike it?! It's not Sondheim's best, but it's not a bad score by any standards. It's a return to the "Forum" type of scores- catchy and fun, but still complex. I think that "Talent", "Bounce" and "Gold" are all great songs.

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Just based on the recording I like a good portion of the music.

There are a lot of great songs (GOLD!, BOCA RATON, GET OUT OF MY LIFE, ADDISON'S CITY, etc.) and there are a lot of, frankly, bad songs (THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAS HAPPENED TO ME, WHAT'S YOUR RUSH?, THE GAME, etc.)

I still maintain that the show will never be great: Sondheim has labeled the Broadway try-out production that never came to anything as a show with 90% of what they originally wanted. But 10% rewrites aren't enough, because the show is a serious story trapped in a "musical comedy" concept (imagine a producer reading the final draft of WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? and saying "Yeah, it's great, but imagine what Jerry Herman could do with it!") In that respect, the show is also like MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, which was also "not meant to be taken seriously" at one time.

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I just feel people would like it best if this weren't the same man that brought us PASSION, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, SWEENEY TODD, et al. I honestly have tried to like it, but I just think it's just kind of bland. To quote Sondheim's own lyrics: "You're not good, you're not bad, you're just nice." That's how I feel about BOUNCE, and that's not enough to make me care for a score.
The only way I would pay to see this on Broadway is if Bernadette Peters, Victor Garber, and Nathan Lane were attached to the piece again.

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I honestly can't imagine many people in the part of Addison besides Richard Kind and maybe Nathan Lane. Richard Kind does such an amazing job on the recording- I love listening to it just for him.

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I consider myself a diehard Sondheimite and I could just not warm up to the show. I thought Harold Prince's direction was piss-poor, the book was choppy and the score simply does not come even close in quality to any musical that Sondheim has written.

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That's the point! It's like comedic musical absurdism: Sondheim style. You can go through an entire life adventure, but in the end, you just need to keep on "Bounce"ing. It's never done! The ending scene for me was almost "Waiting for Godot"-ish.

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I like it a lot, but as Ray said when you compare it to Sondheim's other work, well...

I love "The Best Thing That Ever Happened," "Talent," and the title song. Also, I think Michelle Pawk and Howard McGillin are just splendid together and seperate on this recording. I know that Sondheim and Weidman are scrapping Prince's work on Bounce and will put on Wise Guys at the Public Theater with Doyle directing it. Let's hope for some good casting.

Talent is a fantastic song. The show is not the best but i give it a good listen now and then.

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I don't think I could ever dislike a Sondheim musical :)

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The artwork on the CD sums up what I thought the show was going to be about.

I went to see it in Chicago and found the second act was stronger and more focussed. But when it was all over it was the first time I left a Sondheim (and company) musical without understanding WHY this story was worth telling.

I enjoyed it and like much of the score - even more since the CD came out - and I hope they finally get it right. (They also need to correct a glaring error: The Yukon is not IN Alaska! It is is Canada!!)

But ... it's a shame Sondheimn wasted more than 10 years on this project. I would have prefrerred 2-3 other shows in that time. Still, when you consider all he has given us, it seems greedy to ask for more.

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I feel as though I've heard all these songs before. They were so close to other pieces he's written, whereas a piece like Passion is so far removed from his other works, and that's one of my favorites of his.

It just wasn't new, nothing new to say, I guess.