Broadway Legend Joined: 9/27/21
i really dont understand this production at all, its a transfer with no one from the british company in it...the person in the lead just makes zero sense..I just am so confused, these are not the reviews you want if you are hoping to recoup (this show is going to slow down come the fall)
BoringBoredBoard40 said: "(this show is going to slow down come the fall)"
The fall seems optimistic based on these reviews, no?
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/18/07
Is it too soon to ask, What's next for the August Wilson Theatre?
Sounds like the direction is clunky. What happened? He used to be such a promising talent?
My sarcasm aside, I have to be honest in that even though I had misgivings right off the bat about this production (Beanie's casting, the horrible promotional artwork, etc.) I was kind of hoping to be proven wrong - and then members on this board, many of whose opinions I respect started posting their initial displeasure with it - and even with all that I was still hoping to be proven wrong in very much the same way I was proven wrong by Lauren Ambrose in "My Fair Lady", which was another bit of casting I was extremely skeptical about, but whose performance completely enchanted me when I went to see it.
...and yet here we are....
Well, we’re now done with all this speculation on the long-awaited revival. We all were here when it was announced. Many of us had high hopes for a better outcome. Opening Night finally came and went and the reviews are finally out. Now we hold our optimistic little breaths for Julie Benko to step up to the plate this coming weekend and become an overnight sensation like Lainie Kazan became after filling in for Streisand for only 2 performances. The adventure continues.
Broadway Star Joined: 9/28/15
I simply cannot wait to see what Julie does with this role. If all goes well, this could be the start of huge things for her.
BrodyFosse123 said: "Well, we’re now done with all this speculation on the long-awaited revival. We all were here when it was announced. Many of us had high hopes for a better outcome. Opening Night finally came and went and the reviews are finally out. Now we hold our optimistic little breaths for Julie Benko to step up to the plate this coming weekend and become an overnight sensation like Lainie Kazan became after filling in for Streisand for only 2 performances. The adventure continues."
Speaking of which - was Lainie's performance reviewed? I have tried in vain to locate the reviews with no success. I would really love to read them. I have no doubt that she sang the sh*t out of that score.
Azúcar! said: "These are all bad reviews . Most of them fair."
Actually, they are mixed reviews. Some are flattering to Beanie, some to everything but Beanie, some think the whole production is a mess.
Speaking of which - was Lainie's performance reviewed? I have tried in vain to locate the reviews with no success. I would really love to read them. I have no doubt that she sang the sh*t out of that score.
Shower Singer said: "Lorna Joe said: "Mixed reviews, eh? WICKED got mixed reviews too. I am thrilled for this revival. It will thrive...."
Mixed??? These are pretty much universally bad, but you go and polish that turd with your positivity!"
No, they actually are mixed.
BrodyFosse123 said: "Speaking of which - was Lainie's performance reviewed? I have tried in vain to locate the reviews with no success. I would really love to read them. I have no doubt that she sang the sh*t out of that score."
I knew you would come through Brody!!! Thank you!!!
CarlosAlberto said: "I knew you would come through Brody!!! Thank you!!!"
I always come with my receipts.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/30/15
Many of the reviews seem fair and in line with the mixed feedback from audiences. Honestly, I'm most surprised that anyone liked those ugly costumes.
BrodyFosse123 said: "CarlosAlberto said: "Iknew you would come through Brody!!! Thank you!!!"
I always come with my receipts. "
YES. YOU. DO.
Highland Guy said: "
"
Roth in that outfit is a metaphor for this whole enterprise
Feb. 28 - Looped, Feb. 28 - Next to Normal, March 4 - Hair, March 11 - A Little Night Music, March 24 - Time Stands Still, April 6 - La Cage Aux Folles, April 10 - Anyone Can Whistle (City Center), April 10 - Looped, May 9 - Enron, May 15 - A Little Night Music, May 15 - A Behanding In Spokane, May 30 - A Behanding In Spokane, May 30 - A Little Night Music, June 20 - A Little Night Music, June 23 - Red, June 23 - Sondheim on Sondheim, July 13 - A Little Night Music, July 18 - The Grand Manner (Lincoln Center)
...at this point I would rather see a musical version of THAT Girl....
joevitus said: "Shower Singer said: "Lorna Joe said: "Mixed reviews, eh? WICKED got mixed reviews too. I am thrilled for this revival. It will thrive...."
Mixed??? These are pretty much universally bad, but you go and polish that turd with your positivity!"
No, they actually are mixed."
Mixed to negative
BrodyFosse123 said: "Or even BATGIRL"
Yaaaas!!!
joevitus said: "Azúcar! said: "These are all bad reviews . Most of them fair."
Actually, they are mixed reviews. Some are flattering to Beanie, some to everything but Beanie, some think the whole production is a mess."
They are not flattering to Beanie. They are kind. There is a difference. These are all bad reviews.
blaxx said: "joevitus said: "Shower Singer said: "Lorna Joe said: "Mixed reviews, eh? WICKED got mixed reviews too. I am thrilled for this revival. It will thrive...."
Mixed??? These are pretty much universally bad, but you go and polish that turd with your positivity!"
No, they actually are mixed."
Mixed to negative"
Joe Westerfield, Newsweek: "People who go in with strict, preconceived notions of what Funny Girl or who Fanny should be will probably be disappointed. They usually are. But as someone wiser than me once said, "You curate the experience you want." Certainly the now-familiar songs by Bob Merrill and Jule Styne are there, topped by two certified hits: "People" and "Don't Rain on My Parade," but this is no carbon copy of the original. This is a funny Funny Girl, and Beanie Feldstein is a truly funny, funny girl."
Kobi Kassal, Theatrely: "Grandly directed by Mayer, this tinkering of a classic works well on David Zinn's elegant mirrored scenic design, especially when paired with Kevin Adams' lighting and Susan Hilferty's exquisite costume work. Funny Girl is a brilliant work, and with Feldstein, radiates pure theatrical joy. It's a revelation for the stage that is certainly not to be missed. Dare I say one of the most enjoyable revivals of the last decade? Go see what all the People are raving about for yourself."
Rex Reed, Observer: "The production recreates the heart and humor of the Ziegfeld Follies and the razzle-dazzle of Broadway in the 1920s in all of its rude comedy and gaudy glory. Mr. Fierstein adds an edge to the story without diminishing any of its values. New songs have been borrowed from the movie version and other sources, moved around in different acts and inserted for emphasis, and sometimes the whole thing moves too fast to digest. One minute Fanny is the awkward girl from Henry Street in Brooklyn, the next minute she's auditioning for Ziegfeld, and before the applause wears down, she's doing the pregnant bride bit that catapulted her to super-stardom, startling her mother (a sour Jane Lynch) and her poker-playing friends. On the rare occasion when the pace slows, there are luscious, leggy show girls to keep you enthralled, a swirl of spectacular tap dancers led by Jared Grimes to keep your pulse racing, and barrels of confetti that fall on your head like Technicolor rain. The show is three hours long, but Ms. Feldstein makes the minutes fly by with such pleasure that you wish it would never end. And she is bolstered every step of the way by the first completely drop-dead lover-husband version of gambler-racketeer Nick Arnstein in the history of Funny Girl. The dashing, glamorous Ramin Karimloo, so wonderful in Anastasia, is also the first Nick who can sing, dance and render an audience stricken with such awe that new numbers had to be added to enhance his role and showcase his varied talents appropriately. He makes Fanny's fairy tale romanticism breathe with the realism that all things are possible. If this isn't a star in the making, then justice no longer exists in the American theater."
My heart is singing!
Broadway Star Joined: 5/15/11
This revival is toast.
Unless the understudy goes on to be amazing and becomes the real story here- which is still highly likely.
Either way , this is a major blow for Beanie F. She should have known her limitations and never have done this show.
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