Encores! The Band Wagon Headed to Broadway?- Page 2

[mamaleh]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 1:21am

There were delightful moments, noticeably supplied by Tracy Ullman and Tony Sheldon, but the book is plodding and there are simply too many tedious, drawn-out scenes and numbers. Ready for Broadway--not.

There is also what I consider the "ick" factor. Laura Osnes is in her 20s, and while he did a fine tap dance in "Shine on Your Shoes" tonight, Brian Stokes Mitchell looks like her father. Either get a younger leading man, or an older heroine.

Updated On: 11/7/14 at 01:21 AM

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 1:31am

Can someone take a pic of the Playbill cover?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 1:45am

I'm not sure I find that too ick. It doesn't really bother me.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 2:37am

Fred Astaire was 23 years older than Cyd Charisse.

He had all these pretty young starlets around him but he stayed true to his possessive wife, so they say.

[StageStruckLad]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 8:12am

Saw it last night and found it mostly wonderful. Tony Sheldon was superb, and although her singing wasn't always perfect (I thought she had a few pitch problems and trouble reaching some of the her notes) Tracy Ullman was delightful. My one main problem was the love affair between Brian Stokes Mitchell and Laura Osnes, which was never really developed. In the Band Wagon movie, there was the magnificent "Dancing in the Dark" number where the characters played by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse fell in love. There was no comparable scene in last night's musical, even though they use that same song.

[Sauja]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 9:29am

I thought there were some pleasures to be found in the second act (the "Triplets" number is a delight), but as a whole, it was a thoroughly joyless evening.

I enjoy the plays of Douglas Carter Beane, but I have disliked every book for a musical he has done (including Xanadu--I know--I'm sorry). While he slightly tones down the jokey one liners this time around, he hasn't filled their space with much other than chunks of exposition. There is one very affecting scene with Ullman and Mitchell, but the rest is a slog. There's no chemistry between the leads, no excitement of putting on a show, not even any old-timey charm.

The cast works their tails off to put it over. Ullman comes across best, in my opinion. I would love, love, love to see her in a better piece. Sheldon gives it his all, but I found his mugging to be too much. Osnes sings beautifully but has no character to play--not her fault at all. The immensely talented Mitchell, one of my favorite performers, seems totally miscast--there's nothing about him that reads like a washed up lothario, and while his talents are prodigious, dancing isn't his strong suit. McKean and Berresse sort of float along in thankless roles.

I also just don't love the score. There's some lovely stuff here, but none of it is particularly soaring or thrilling. It doesn't help that this seems to have one of the smallest Encores orchestras I remember seeing (11 players if I counted correctly).

Marshall's work is also rock solid, but when it comes down to it, I just don't think there is material here worth presenting. None of it is terrible (well, maybe the costumes), but it's all just kind of snoozy.

[forgetmenotnyc]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 9:45am

IMHO, some things are going for this (songs you may have never heard before; Tony Sheldon; Tracey Ullman; Laura Osnes) but also things working against it (book; Michael McKean making non-funny drunk character just miserable to watch.)

We get the show-within-the-show overview from the composer & lyricist characters that after the FAUST fiasco they supposedly return to - but what is that show? I was just not able to follow the finale scene wrap-up even if it was parody. Some lines are really funny though, & a bit of a love letter to theatre life.

The orchestra sounds fine but is much smaller than usual Encore standards; some ugly stage design elements (two curtained windows & four light fixtures in a Philadelphia bar scene) also were disappointing to see.

'Dancing in the Dark' was so unrealized by being presented as a rehearsal that never turns into a stage number. That was a killer for me.

Even though Brian does dance in this, I felt his character is not established as a dancer early enough because from the get-go he never expresses himself with movement, only vocally. Since Tony's character gets to play with different characters (UES snob in the LA scenes) I wonder if it was ever considered to have Brian's character play a black shoe shine caricature? That WAS the original conception that they all supposedly wish to return to & we never see a shoe-shiner in a Manhattan high rise lobby.

Tony, Tracey, & Laura still manage to shine thru this, though. Hopefully things can still be salvaged here.

Updated On: 11/7/14 at 09:45 AM

[yfs]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 10:36am

The size of the orchestra was really distressing, and the surest sign(I hope!!) that this was motivated by Barry Weissler looking for a possible move to Broadway, where small bands are the rule these days -- with the exception of On the Town. I sure hope the Encores! Orchestra for the three regular shows this year is its usual bountiful self.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 10:53am

Nice Work was not a revival at the tony's. It was considered a new musical.

Shows like Nice Work and Crazy For You are basically reworkings of musicals known by other names (Oh Kay! and Girl Crazy, respectively).

The Band Wagon seems to be more justifiably a new musical than those shows. While there is a musical called The Band Wagon with the an overlapping score, it was a revue and not a book show, and there the similarity stops. The Band Wagon is a musical adaptation of the movie The Band Wagon, which was not a stage adaptation. Accordingly, it would seem to make no sense to treat it as a revival simply because it has the same name as an old show and some of the same songs.

But it's the Tony's. Any nutty thing can happen.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 12:43pm

So it's kind of anti-Encores? Since it's a new musical?

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 7:56pm

I'm not seeing this until a week from tomorrow, so I can't weigh in here. Just wanted to make the point that Nice Work and Anything Goes had nothing that one could accuse of being a "book." Did anyone have emotional ties to any of the characters and fear what might happen to them? Will Laura marry Colin? Will Kelli be arrested for smuggling and never get together with Matthew?

This type of musical is more like a revue where the spidery thin strands of the plot connect one number to the next. It has star power, lots of familiar songs, some broad comedy, and enthusiastic singing and dancing reminiscent of the pre-Show Boat and Oklahoma musicals. That almost fifteen minute tap extravaganza that closed the first act of Anything Goes was about enough by itself to sell the show.

From what I'm reading, at least the dancing right now is not sufficient and would have to be punched up. In particular, the absence of the "Dancing in the Dark" number that has become the film's signature would make a lot of people unhappy.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 8:10pm

Oh, yes. In response to the subject of this thread, it looks like "Stokes is willing."

"Besides being a special event for Encores! there's rumors that like other musicals this series has 'resurrected,' (Chicago, Violet, Gypsy, Wonderful Town, Finian's Rainbow) The Band Wagon may join their ranks with a transfer to Broadway."

"Although he wouldn't confirm the rumor, Stokes did give Kathleen Marshall (Anything Goes, Nice Work if You Can Get It) a major endorsement to see The Band Wagon through wherever the show may go. 'This is the perfect Kathleen Marshall show. She has such respect and reverence for the musicals of that era, but she knows when to send them up and when to have fun with them, as well.' He continued, 'She comes at them with a fierce intelligence and a huge amount of knowledge and a gigantic choreographic and directorial palate to work from. She really is brilliant. I can't think of a better director, actually, to do this show.'"


Stokes ready for wagon ride to Broadway

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 8:50pm

How is the view from the rear Mezzanine? I've only been in the City Center once, and If I recall correctly, it's a barn.

[inception]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 11:06pm

I sat in the cheap seats at the back of the mezz on the side, just off the aisle and found the view to be ok.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 11/8/14 at 1:28am

Just wanted to ask again about the Playbill cover? Anyone with a pic?