FALSETTOS Previews- Page 5

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 8:00pm

Mister Matt said: "They left and gave the reasons why they did. It's just as valid as someone coming here after the show and saying they loved it- and certainly as valid as the common intermission reports.

Completely agree.  If you dislike a production enough to leave at intermission, it only makes sense to explain why.  We all report on what we see.  I think for anyone to say one has "no right" to "review" a show they walked out on, then none of us have any "right" to post it opinions on what we've seen, positive or negative, on its entirety or not.

I really hope Finn reinstates the original lyrics.  I hated the changes I heard in the new recording of A New Brain with a passion.  I doubt I'll ever listen to it again with the exception of the songs that has been previously unrecorded.

 

"

I call bullsh@t. 

The only reason this or the first Broadway production of Falsettos exists in the first place is because of its Act Two, which used to be a stand alone musical called Falsettoland, and which is arguably the aching beating heart of this entire show. So when some ass hat rushes on here to be the first one to log a review and brags that he left at intermission, then yes, I have a big problem with that.

[starcatchers]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 9:19pm

icecreambenjamin said: "Do you that there's a chance for an extension through to the end of January?

 

"

I hope so, but they'd have to recast Marvin. 

[hork]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 9:36pm

Oh, get over yourself, Matt Rogers. He's not an ass hat and he wasn't bragging about leaving at intermission ("My guest and I left at intermission." That's bragging in your world?). He's not a professional critic and he's not required to see the whole show to voice his opinions on the first act on a freakin' message board. Heck, by your own argument, the first act was also once a stand-alone musical, which makes it even more valid to critique it on its own. Are you James Lapine's mother or something?

[JBradshaw]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 10:06pm

Just an FYI my lotto seat today was row Q orchestra. 

[bct14972]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 10:11pm

I saw this last night having been a massive fan since High School, it was a thrill to see it live and was everything I could've hoped it to be. 

 

The cast is superb. I echo that Borle is having a tough time with the humor, but when he delivers, i.e.; on his ballads, he DELIVERS. Stephanie J. Block is hilarious and heartbreaking in the role, and Brandon Uranowitz is just as good. Betsy Wolfe is adorable and heartfelt and she and Tracie Thoms add a fantastic burst of energy in the second act (not that it was even lacking before).

 

A lot of tears to be shed in this production. A Marriage Proposal. Father To Son. Unlikely Lovers. The Bar Mitzvah. And that final moment!!

 

A few quibbles: growing up with the larger orchestrations on the album, the band indeed felt empty, especially for such a big space. It was specifically disappointing in (The Baseball Game and Days Like This) Meanwhile, the set, while highly effective (and often beautiful--especially in that last moment!), isn't very pretty to look at. But when the performances and writing are as good as they are here, it's really just a minor issue.

 

And it was a relief to hear (most) of Trina's verse in Please Come To Our House back after reading that it was gone on here!

[orlikethecolorpurple]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 10:26pm

I'm seeing Falsettos in November and couldn't be more excited. Save for a few songs, I don't know the score, but I know that the material is so deeply loved by many.

Do you recommend I familiarize myself with the music ahead of time or should I go in with a relatively clean slate?  I'd love your opinions. 

[ELP]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 10:45pm

I've only posted a couple of times here on this board. I attended today's matinee and must say this show, with minor flaws here and there, blew me away. Although I'm old enough to have seen this show back in the 90's I was not very familiar with the music, lyrics and theme. It doesn't hurt being Jewish to "feel" the characters emotion and "get" the hysterical dialogue and interaction between the actors.

The cubed set, costumes and lighting were completely appropriate to the story and the chemistry amongst the cast members, especially the little boy, was absolute perfection. 

I don't want to give away too much away but the "March of the Falsettos" number, black light and all, was unexpected, amazing and delicious, if I can describe it that way. It brought me back to my 1970's Afro and bell bottom jeans days! You'll understand after you see this number if you're a baby boomer.

As was mentioned in earlier posts here Stephanie J Block took the house down with "I'm Breaking Down" and was incredible as Trina. What a powerhouse of a voice and acting/comedic chops. So connected to her suffering wife and mother character - a truly sincere performance that will be recognized at Tony time!

But the standout star-making performance, for me, was that of Brandon Uranowitz as Mendel. When I was on a trip to Washington DC several years ago, I attended his performance of Arnold in "Torch Song Trilogy" and was moved to tears by his performance. HE was the star of Falsettos! Quite a feat along side the likes of Andrew Rannels and Christian Borle. I LOVED his performance in "An American in Paris". But this performance has taken him to another level as that of a legitimate Broadway star! I could not keep my eyes off of him when he was onstage. He was THAT good! You could see the other actors feed off his warmth, comedic timing and dramatic expressiveness.

 I did some research tonight and discovered that William Finn was a Sondheim fanatic in his very early years. You could hear some of that influence in a few songs in this show that were similar, very catchy and amusing. One song about Marvin is eerily and wonderfully penned to that of a "Bobby" song in "Company". I, too, am a Sondheim fanatic and absolutely loved it and still humming it as I write this. 

This show may not be for everybody but I though it was fabulous (could you tell?) and would highly recommend it to anyone who is NOT familiar with it and those who are. Oh, I forgot to mention, I did hear the word "dreck" in the one song about Marvin's clothing as someone here mentioned was omitted from the original lyric. 

It is a wonderful evening of theater and suggest, before going, don't forget to bring some tissues!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 11:18pm

So when some ass hat rushes on here to be the first one to log a review and brags that he left at intermission, then yes, I have a big problem with that.

So, if someone attends the first preview and leaves at intermission because he didn't like it ( and doesn't "brag" about it), when would you allow him to state his opinion on what he saw?  Perhaps you should submit your new rules for the message board to BWW because it clearly sounds like you're bent out of shape that someone didn't post what you wanted to hear.

I left Priscilla at intermission because it was a loud tacky eyesore that have me a headache and removed everything that made the film brilliant.  So what?  It has nothing to do with how anyone else feels about the show.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 11:27pm

Matt Rogers ... Leaving a show at intermission is a valid  criticism, They have a right to their opinion. You call bull**it?  Well, quite frankly, I don't care. The only "ass hat" in this thread is you.

Updated On: 10/2/16 at 11:27 PM

[haterobics]

Posted: 10/3/16 at 12:38am

South Fl Marc said: "The only "ass hat" in this thread is you."

Very few BWW threads contain only one asshat.

[rebeccmam31]

Posted: 10/3/16 at 6:08am

My goodness, all these reviews are making me so excited to see this show and so sad that I'm not going until December!

[newintown]

Posted: 10/3/16 at 8:53am

"The only reason this or the first Broadway production of Falsettos exists in the first place is because of its Act Two, which used to be a stand alone musical called Falsettoland, and which is arguably the aching beating heart of this entire show."

That's merely a very subjective opinion. I know that I (and others) vastly prefer the first half (March of the Falsettos), finding the Falsettoland part, while very entertaining and moving, lacking the wit and bite of the earlier piece, settling sometimes for easy sentiment. Granted, much of Finn's post breakdown work can get cheaply sentimental. But it's that first half that really put Finn on the map and established his unique voice.

[AC126748]

Posted: 10/3/16 at 9:26am

I saw the preview on Saturday night. I was less bothered by the high-concept production than Lapine's inept direction. This does not feel like a tight-knit family. This feels like a group of people who met for the first time five minutes before they took the stage.

Block and Uranowitz are the MVPs; Block in particular really sold her big numbers. Borle and Rannells are both miscast. Rannells manages to transcend it; Borle does not. Rosenthal is quite good as Jason. Thoms and Wolfe are both strong, but I guess I never fully realized how skimpy both those roles are.

I feel like Falsettoland is the work of someone who learned how to write a traditional, well-structured musical, whereas March of the Falsettos is looser and more adventurous. I will be interested to see ongoing reactions on this production, especially from younger audience members who did not live through those early days of the AIDS epidemic and for whom this work cannot be anything but a period piece.

[Jimbo2]

Posted: 10/3/16 at 10:02am

I'm going back Thursday night.

[sorano916]

Posted: 10/5/16 at 1:19am

fenwic said: "LightsOut90 said: "merch report anyone?"
 
I saw the show Saturday night and everything currently on the website (http://shoplct.com/falsettos/) was available except I don't think the window card was out, yet, and I don't recall seeing the vocal selections book. 

Fyi, the heart keychain is a puffy stressball.  Also, in the show, Christian and Betsy have completely different hair than they do on the merch, and Anthony doesn't wear glasses."

 

I was there tonight and they now have windowcards. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 10/5/16 at 9:21am

I bought a front row seat for November, but have never heard any of this music before. So, go in fresh at this point? Or study up in advance? Especially considering I will most likely only get to see this revival once. Thoughts?

Updated On: 10/5/16 at 09:21 AM

[LYLS3637]

Posted: 10/5/16 at 9:45am

haterobics said: "I bought a front row seat for November, but have never heard to any of this music before. So, go in fresh at this point? Or study up in advance? Especially considering I will most likely only get to see this revival once. Thoughts?

 

I would listen to it at least once beforehand. It's incredibly dense lyrically and since the score tells the story, going in fresh might be difficult. Just my opinion. And I'm typically one to go in fresh ever since Avenue Q was almost ruined for me since I knew all the jokes beforehand.

 

[AC126748]

Posted: 10/5/16 at 9:46am

You can listen to the March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland cast recordings to familiarize yourself with Finn's musical style, but keep in mind that the libretti have been heavily rewritten since those recordings were made.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/5/16 at 10:50am

Any news about a cast album yet? Seems right for a two disc recording from PS Classics.

[kreichelt]

Posted: 10/5/16 at 12:05pm

LYLS3637 said: "I would listen to it at least once beforehand. It's incredibly dense lyrically and since the score tells the story, going in fresh might be difficult. Just my opinion. And I'm typically one to go in fresh ever since Avenue Q was almost ruined for me since I knew all the jokes beforehand."

When it's good, it works even on repeat.  I was listening to Fiddler last night, and even though it was like the gazillionth time, I still laugh at its humor.  

[Jimbo2]

Posted: 10/7/16 at 10:39am

Went back to see the show again last night. Sat in the first row :)

 

There were some more lyric changes for Cordelia and Dr. Charlotte, probably to give them a bit more character as well as to show off their voices.

 

Mr Finn was in attendance. Stephanie Block blew me away with "I'm Breaking Down" as well as "Making a Home"

 

Does anyone know if they are going to make a Cast recording of this production to purchase? I would really love to have it, especially with the lyric changes and the shows message (which to me back in '92 was so important to this date).

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 10/7/16 at 11:05am

CATSNYrevival said: "Any news about a cast album yet? Seems right for a two disc recording from PS Classics.

 

" I looove PS recordings, but after the fantastic She Loves Me recording last year, I'm kind of hoping that Ghostlight picks it up.

 

[AC126748]

Posted: 10/7/16 at 11:13am

I would be shocked if a cast recording wasn't made. As others have said, there is no actual Falsettos cast recording, and so many changes have been made since the original albums were made.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/7/16 at 11:16am

Hey, if the Off-Center A New Brain staging could manage a recording, this should be a shoo-in.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 10/7/16 at 11:25am

I hope you're right, Kad. But lack of a cast album for Shuffle Along is often a sobering thought when I make these assumptions.

Updated On: 10/7/16 at 11:25 AM