FLYING OVER SUNSET Reviews- Page 3

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/14/21 at 2:46pm

“Boring” is the last word I’d use to describe this. 

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 12/14/21 at 4:26pm

Jordan Catalano said: "How odd that they didn’t seem to work at all on the problems the show had at the first preview. I still say there was a lot to like there (the score, especially) but if they didn’t bother to make the changes they needed, then what the hell is a preview period even for?"

I agree with you as always. Perhaps there was not enough on the line. It was scheduled as a very limited run so the box office receipts were not of much consequence. 

 

 

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 12/14/21 at 4:28pm

RippedMan said: "Not sure this show would have benefited as much from an out-of-town as the space is so unique and it was clearly designed for that specific space.

So, now that everyone's saying it's a snooze. Is the technical production worth seeing? Does the set do anything cool? Is the space used in an interesting way? This was high on my list for a trip in Jan but now I'm not sure."

Whatever you do, buy a discounted ticked if you decide to go. You should be able to get something for 29 dollars.

 

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 12/14/21 at 6:41pm

Jordan Catalano said: "“Boring” is the last word I’d use to describe this."

Boring would be the third word I'd use to describe this behind dull and half-baked.

BTW the sets and lighting are ugly, imo.  Just a total mess.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/14/21 at 8:07pm

What’s funny is how I said it’s the last word that I would use. Not you. 

[Lot666]

Posted: 12/15/21 at 7:54am

Luscious said: "I stopped early on in my theatre-going days from letting what the "professionals" had to say, either persuade or deter me from seeing a show I wanted to see. Had I not adopted that practice, I would have missed out on experiencing some of my best and most memorable nights of theatre."

Same here about the critics. I find a much more accurate indicator for me is what other performers have to say about a show. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/15/21 at 8:23am

I weighed in several times on the show, initially with "the glass is half full." But the reviews were decidedly of a piece, a fairly unified dissection of what went wrong -- let's reductively say, act 2 is the tent pole here -- and not the "all over the map" prognosis that some predicted. About 3 of the reviews weighted the positives more than the negative, and many critics touted the show's ambitions. But I've yet to read a major outlier that seemed to see a different piece in the Beaumont. 

Now what? Are there subscribers to carry the show through January - February? I got TDF on a Monday for a Wednesday afternoon and ended up in 3 house seats, Row K center.  I don't know anyone who paid full price. Clearly, the show will run through the first week of January. But are there advance sales? Did anything in the press give them a shot? I imagine we'll see an ad campaign. The pull quotes for the company are stellar. But. But. A crushing disappointment, considering the collaborators. But the subject, and even the log line summary, always made it a tricky show commercially.   

Updated On: 12/15/21 at 08:23 AM

[JGPR2]

Posted: 12/15/21 at 9:06am

"Now what? Are there subscribers to carry the show through January - February? I got TDF on a Monday for a Wednesday afternoon and ended up in 3 house seats, Row K center.  I don't know anyone who paid full price. Clearly, the show will run through the first week of January. But are there advance sales? Did anything in the press give them a shot? I imagine we'll see an ad campaign. The pull quotes for the company are stellar. But. But. A crushing disappointment, considering the collaborators. But the subject, and even the log line summary, always made it a tricky show commercially. "

This show could have been brilliant IMO and still had a tough time selling tickets. A show about three famous people tripping with LSD is not the thing tourists flock to see. Even casual Broadway fans in NY/NJ who may go to a show or two in a year would be much more likely to try and see "MJ" or "Mrs. Doubtfire" before "Flying Over Sunset". The one positive thing in every review was the cast, it is too bad they did not have better show to perform. I wonder if any of the cast has a chance at Tony nominations considering the "mixed/negative" reviews of the show.

[gibsons2]

Posted: 12/15/21 at 9:22am

Luscious said: "gibsons2 said: "And those reviews cemented my decision not to see this show... I love bizarre and different new material, especially if a great talent is involved, but I can't do boring. I kind of suspected it was. Glad I saved my time and didn't go."

A perfect example of what I refuse to allow any critic, professional or otherwise, to rob me of. Sorry some found it boring. For my theatre date and I, the time flew by and we didn’t want it to end. We were never bored. Far from it. For us, it was positively enchanting! Sadly, the majority of these reviews won’t put asses in seats. But on the bright side, it won’t be difficult or costly to find good seats to see the show again before the end of its run."

I never allow a critic's review to rob me of a show that I feel is worthy of seeing. I actually think most of the critics are despicable grumps who even managed to crap on Company which is a genuis perfection of a show. Diana and Mrs. Doubtfire both had awful reviews but high praise from the actual audience members on social media. I went based on that response and loved both shows. When both, social media and critics agree that the show is a bore,  I'm not sure that even an easy $29 ticket would lure me in. I might be mistaken, some people loved this show. Every show finds its audience one way or another.

[JaglinSays]

Posted: 12/15/21 at 12:29pm

LCT is an institutional nonprofit subscription house.  They have enough subscribers

to finish the run.  What is significant is that they scheduled their next production IMMEDIATELY after the initially announced limited run—meaning that they had no intention of ever extending SUNSET.  Meaning they knew it was a turkey.  Apparently Robbie Sella is out of the show today.  Will we be seeing more of this from cast members, now that the show has been vilified critically?

[JasonC3]

Posted: 12/15/21 at 1:25pm

" Meaning they knew it was a turkey."

That's a pretty extreme characterization and inference.  it is just as likely they knew it was a show with limited audience appeal and that an extension would likely not be required.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 12/15/21 at 1:38pm

What is significant is that they scheduled their next production IMMEDIATELY after the initially announced limited run—meaning that they had no intention of ever extending SUNSET. Meaning they knew it was a turkey. 

That's beyond ridiculous and makes no sense. No one puts on a show knowing it will fail. It's limited and there's nothing wrong with a show not being open ended. It will run until February as scheduled. 

 

[JaglinSays]

Posted: 12/15/21 at 2:24pm

Not only does it make sense, it is empirical.  Name me a show that was announced for the Beaumont—and then had the following show announced for performances beginning one month after the first one closed.  Hint:  never.

[JaglinSays]

Posted: 12/15/21 at 2:24pm

Not only does it make sense, it is empirical.  Name me a show that was announced for the Beaumont—and then had the following show announced for performances beginning one month after the first one closed.  Hint:  never.

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 12/15/21 at 7:08pm

If it had been successful they could have transferred it to another house. L c t is associated with other shows that are not appearing in their home theatre structure. I also think they were taking covid into account when they did the scheduling because they knew theaters would not be overflowing with patrons.

[kingjames2]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 10:57am

Jordan Catalano said: "How odd that they didn’t seem to work at all on the problems the show had at the first preview. I still say there was a lot to like there (the score, especially) but if they didn’t bother to make the changes they needed, then what the hell is a preview period even for?"

I think we sometimes forget what is actually accomplishable in a preview period, especially one in a subscriber house like LCT that dives immediately into 8 show weeks. That leaves, at most, 3 rehearsals a week of 4 hours (plus even less given the Thanksgiving holiday). And with a technically complicated show like this one, sometimes even the smallest changes can eat up hours of rehearsal time. Cutting the run time down by nearly 15 minutes from first preview to opening night very well might be all you're able to do. Hence the problem of cold openings on Broadway, especially if your producer is insisting on 8 show weeks right off the bat in a limited-run season slot; it's hard to do more than just tweak.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 11:42am

LTC committing to the entire originally scheduled run hadn't crossed my mind, but historically, they haven't closed their shows based on critical reception {The Frogs ran despite pretty indifferent press; but of course the composer and star were factors.) 

Are the subscriptions mostly after opening night? Would that provide LTC with not a sellout but enough audience? I'm wondering if the low attendance in previews (I saw a Wednesday matinee about 45% full) was due to the subscribers holding tickets after 12/13.  I'm not savvy about subscriptions, obviously, at least not for B'way houses.

[Kad]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 1:35pm

Nonprofits absolutely schedule buffer time for productions they feel are likely to extend. I don’t think it’s wild to assume that LCT didn’t think this production wouldn’t need that, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the same as assuming that LCT thought it was DOA.

[kingjames2]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 2:43pm

Auggie27 said: "LTC committing to the entire originally scheduled run hadn't crossed my mind, but historically, they haven't closed their shows based on critical reception {The Frogs ran despite pretty indifferent press; but of course the composer and star were factors.)

Are the subscriptions mostly after opening night? Would that provide LTC with not a sellout but enough audience? I'm wondering if the low attendance in previews (I saw a Wednesday matinee about 45% full) was due to the subscribers holding tickets after 12/13. I'm not savvy about subscriptions, obviously, at least not for B'way houses."

LCT is the most deep-pocketed nonprofit producing on Broadway, and in a typical year (ie: not this one) only a bit more than half of their revenue comes from ticket sales, so I think it's fair to say they don't really need the money to keep this one open.

Updated On: 12/16/21 at 02:43 PM

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 3:53pm

Jordan Catalano said: "What’s funny is how I said it’s the last word that I would use. Not you."

What's funny was you calling this a "musical for adults" after the first preview.

 

[Lazarus Alas]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 4:18pm

SmoothLover said: "It is not very flattering that everyone seems to comment on the the tap dance number as a highlight. Even though it was well done, it set itself apart from the rest of the material and illuminated its failures.

The NY Times review is as long winded as the 3 hour musical."

lol @ long winded.

Re Jesse Green’s opening gambit “nothing is as mystifying as another person’s high” I say: Party Pooper, you’re bringing me down lol!

Having now seen the official critical reaction, I’m putting Flying Over Sunset in the same category as Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Both Lincoln Center productions that I ADORED that were critical and commercial disappointments. Alas.

 

Updated On: 12/16/21 at 04:18 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 4:31pm

What's funny was you calling this a "musical for adults" after the first preview.

I'm just curious, why is that funny? Would you recommend it to kids? 

 

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 4:34pm

Sutton Ross said: "What's funny was you calling this a "musical for adults" after the first preview.

I'm just curious, why is that funny? Would you recommend it to kids?

"

Acting like this show is some mature work that's only for those with refined tastes is hilarious.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 4:50pm

Gotcha. 

[JGPR2]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 4:51pm

"Acting like this show is some mature work that's only for those with refined tastes is hilarious."

The poster said it was musical for adults, there was no mention that the show was for people with "refined" tastes. The show is about famous people and their LSD trips so I think it is safe to say it is not for anybody under 21.