FROZEN to Arrive on Broadway in Spring 2018- Page 48

[Harry11]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 12:37am

I give the reviews a negative  outcome for frozen over all

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 12:40am

I wish they wouldn't underwrite Elsa. Give her a new act two song too. Monster is wayyyy too poppy. The movie isn't about true love so that's why I'm confused why the message of the show is now about true love and blah blah. I thought it was supposed to be about the sisters. 

[Harry11]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 12:41am

this got the worse reviews for a disney show EVER

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 12:51am

So the question is WILL they change anything or do they even care to?

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 12:55am

These are far from the worst reviews ever, but they're still pretty middling and ultimately disappointing. I really hope they're able to amp this up before it opens here in March. We all know this will be a long-running mainstay, so I pray they can turn it into something I can happily recommend to people (unlike Aladdin).

[Harry11]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 12:57am

BroadwayConcierge said: "These are far from the worst reviews ever, but they're still pretty middling and ultimately disappointing. I really hope they're able to amp this up before it opens here in March. We all know this will be a long-running mainstay, so I praythey can turn it into something I can happily recommend to people (unlikeAladdin)."

its worse than tarzans reviews

Updated On: 9/15/17 at 12:57 AM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 1:00am

Well Tarzan didn't do an out-of-town. And why they thought Tarzan would work is beyond me. This just seems like an overall yawn to me. I don't think it's going to fizzle like "Little Mermaid," but I don't think it will be some ingenious hit like "The Lion King." It's just very boring. 

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 1:21am

I don't think the reviews will matter much in the long run. It will have a nice long run just because it's Frozen.

I personally couldn't give 2 craps what someone thinks about a show. 

[Harry11]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 1:32am

mailhandler777 said: "I don't think the reviews will matter much in the long run. It will have a nice long run just because it's Frozen.

I personally couldn't give 2 craps what someone thinks about a show."

 

I saw a show called 'Fun Home' and only saw it because of the reviews. Something which  I would not of the reviews were not there. It was an excellent thought provoking show. And something I would not have seen otherwise. I think Lord Ben is a very good critic and usually on the money.  Ditto Color Purple and Hamilton those reviews sold it to me.

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 1:52am

Harry11 said: "mailhandler777 said: "I don't think the reviews will matter much in the long run. It will have a nice long run just because it's Frozen.

I personally couldn't give 2 craps what someone thinks about a show."



I saw a show called 'Fun Home' and only saw it because of the reviews. Something which I would not of the reviews were not there. It was an excellent thought provoking show. And something I would not have seen otherwise. I think Lord Ben is a very good critic and usually on the money. Ditto Color Purple and Hamilton those reviews sold it to me."

Congratulations. Like I said I don't need someone telling me to go see a show. I can make that decision on my own to see it or not. 

[TheatreKid3]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 2:03am

I really enjoyed reading Green's review. What a breath of fresh air for the NYT! I agree with a lot of his sentiments. I saw the show last week and I enjoyed it. I thought it was good, but it has the potential to be GREAT. I'm very proud of Disney for going in the direction they have with this material, but I agree that Elsa is underwritten or at least closed off from the audience. We don't learn enough about her other than her fear. Anna, on the other hand, has so much more to work with than she's ever had as a character in this adaptation. "Let it Go" is great, but it needs some Defying Gravity-like 'oomph.' To me the dress isn't enough. The whole number happens a little fast and, honestly, it's staging is a little boring (minus the dress change) and safe. Les Mis park and bark can be effective, but not as an act finale. With the necessary writing and scenic/effect improvements, this show (in my opinion) definitely can put itself right up there with some of Disney's best. The blizzard staging is phenomenal. It gave me the same gut punch that I had during Fun Home when (SPOILER?)............ Bruce turns his head and acknowledges Adult Allison for the first time. It's theatricality at its finest.

 

It just depends how much work Disney puts in between now and February. This show makes me like and appreciate this material more than the movie, which is always a good realization to have watching an adaptation.

P.S. I will say I actually enjoyed the sauna number - overall it provided some much needed comic relief in an overall darker show, and I it's a gag that even the adults in the audience can't help but laugh at.

Updated On: 9/15/17 at 02:03 AM

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 7:47am

Elsa isn’t an evil witch but a tormented blonde whose power tends to leak as if she were suffering from a form of magical incontinence

 

I hope they use that as pull quote 

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 8:26am

I hope they do serious changes. More emphasis on Elsa is so needed and Let It Go needs the pizzaz that Monster apparently has (how can you put more emphasis on effects for other numbers?). But, the thing is how are they going to "fix" Olaf? The puppet is the most practical way to do him. 

Sounds like the nude kick line is staying. Ugh. 

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 8:36am

Does Kristoff get any solo songs in the show? I've always thought that the scene where he leaves Anna behind with Hans would be the perfect time for one.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 9:10am

mailhandler777 said: "I don't think the reviews will matter much in the long run. It will have a nice long run just because it's Frozen.

I personally couldn't give 2 craps what someone thinks about a show."

People said the same thing about The Little Mermaid. Look how well that turned out.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 9:50am

jimmycurry01 said: "mailhandler777 said: "I don't think the reviews will matter much in the long run. It will have a nice long run just because it's Frozen.

I personally couldn't give 2 craps what someone thinks about a show."

People said the same thing about The Little Mermaid. Look how well that turned out."

I personally don't think that comparison is valid. Frozen the movie was just released a few years ago and their main fan base is still around. Those fans have been wsiting for this.

By the time The Little Mermaid opened in Broadway, they had to look to win an entire new generation of fans since it was close to 20 years from the movies release. There was no momentum moving forward. 

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 9:57am

Is this a change? If not, it's pretty damn obvious that it's guards:

Another new song, “Monster,” is a walloping 11 o’clock number for Elsa. As the villagers hunt her down with pitchforks, she stands alone in her castle singing about what it’s like to be misunderstood, to be seen as a monster when you’re really just a frightened young woman

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 9:59am

SporkGoddess said: "Does Kristoff get any solo songsin the show? I've always thought that the scene where he leaves Anna behind with Hans would be the perfect time for one."

Yeah, he has a small lullaby for Anna after Fixer Upper and yes, he does a reprise for it when he leaves Anna

[JennH]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 10:05am

I've seen worse reviews for any show, and I'm more or less glad that these aren't overly praising. It's obvious things need to be fixed and changed, and hopefully they'll do what needs to be done.

Also-So the Reidel piece is back up...is seriously no one talking about that underhanded dig on Betsy from Grandage?? Look I don't mind that Caissie is now Elsa, I adore both ladies immensely, and if Patti and Betsy didn't have chemistry, that's one thing, but its basically saying Betsy wasn't "beautiful, a belter, or could act the role"...like WOW REALLY?! Good grief, these roles arent even rocket science, it's not like they're Macbeth or Hamlet...to pretend that "not just anyone can act these roles" is dumb...ANYONE can act them as long as you have the right types, and they couldn't offer Patti the roles until they paired her with the right Elsa? Good grief that makes me want to vomit...it couldn't have been "they couldn't offer Betsy the role until they paired her with the right Anna"?? I'm rolling my eyes so hard at that right now. Whatever, Betsy is doing fine and actually she seems to have dodged a bullet anyway. 

[a-mad]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 10:24am

After reading them, I think the reviews that have been released so far would be in the "mixed to positive" range... Much better than I was expecting from following this thread the last few weeks...

The reviews also indicate that the crowds seem to be really loving the show - something that Little Mermaid didn't seem to have in its tryout.

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 11:38am

disneybroadwayfan22 said: "I hope they doserious changes. More emphasis on Elsa is so needed and Let It Go needs the pizzaz that Monster apparently has (how can you put more emphasis on effects for other numbers?). But, the thing is how are they going to "fix" Olaf? The puppet is the most practical way to do him.

Sounds like the nude kick line is staying. Ugh."

If they make any changes the first thing to go will be the sauna number. Nobody cares about Oaken and the NYT singled it out as bizzare so I feel like it's one for the first things that might get changed. Also y'all that Riedel article is horrible. Patti is most definitely NOT Julie Andrews. And what's with the shade about Betsy? She IS beautiful, she CAN act and she most definitely IS an amazing belter. She also had healthier technique then Cassie. 

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 12:30pm

Looking at these photos and seeing all of these projections, I remember Julie Taymor talking about the design for Lion asking saying she said “no” to the original idea of projecting the sunrise at the top of the show. She realized this was an adaptation of the movie and that having projections would make people think, “well why didn’t I just stay in and watch the movie?”

[BJR]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 12:32pm

Thomas Schumacher reads reviews; these things have out-of-towns for a reason. I imagine they will take these reviews to heart and work on much of it.

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 1:44pm

I'm not hearing much praise for the new songs. I liked Beauty and the Beast's "A Change in Me" and Little Mermaid's "I Want the Good Times Back" and "If Only." Still we get plenty of dreadful songs like "Maison de lunes" and "Human Stuff." 

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 9/15/17 at 2:52pm

I'm just curious. If you are hired for a Broadway show that has an out of town tryout and serious rehearsals for the Bway production don't start for several months, do you get paid at all in between? Obviously you are not able to accept anything other than a part time gig in between.  Do they get something but less than a full time paycheck? Or are the actors on their own these months?