GETTIN (G) THE BAND BACK TOGETHER Previews — Page 9

RippedMan said: "I think it had a lot of potential that just wasn't realized. Why Ken Davenport felt they needed to "improv" the book doesn't make much sense. Are all those improvers getting writing credits/money from this show? Also the score is pretty awful. The opening number should be...catchy...interesting...just anything...and it's not."

Head Over Heels, right next door, is a show that I think has a lot of potential that isn't being fully realized in its current form. This show, however, has an incredibly generic, predictable premise (they even made a joke in the final scene how "surprising" it must be that we've made it to that moment) matched with dull tunes and some of the laziest writing I've seen on stage. I see no potential to begin with.

Uh, "Getting the Band Back Together" does the exact same thing? They make a joke about how, of course, these 2 bands are going head to head tonight.

Again, the show has humor, but, I think it's just delivered wrong. It wants to be a Seth Rogan type of comedy, but just doesn't quite connect. And, just wish they had gone with a better writing team. I think the Toxic Avenger writers could have easily nailed this.

BroadwayConcierge said: "I feel like this is the common complaint for so many shows these days, sadly. Quality book writing is an increasingly rare skill."

Tell that to Lisa Kron. Or Itamar Moses. Or Steven Levenson (not really a quality book-writer, but still.) Or Dave Malloy. Or Anaïs Mitchell. Or Tina Fey, for Pete's sake!

P.S. Trying to make a joke here!

...what the F? I've enjoyed the majority of the shows that you listed. How is what I said a bold statement? And how do you have the time to nitpick something like what I said with such verbosity?

Also, when you're typing, you don't need to write out, "oh, how should I say this?" Just say it. That's the power of your delete key.

I don't think book writers are hard to come by, I think it is more "write stories we are interested in." For some reason DEH is that. I saw it and don't understand why anyone cares about this awful, dumpster fire of a person, but they do.

I do think Dear Evan Hansen is ****. I've seen it and felt nothing. Why it is so popular? I don't know.

Sondheimite said: "Solipsist234 said: "It's me being cunning, love. The "oh, how should I say this?" is just an added effect of being playful or whatever you want to call it.

Also, on the supposed"nitpicking", it's really easy: I just see apart of our laborious posts, and I find the little faults in each one of them. Kind of like a rickety bridge or a faulty pipe!
Verbosity's a good word, BTW! Shows that you're learning how to be more eloquent and ostentatious in your posts, compared to... other personal matters that shouldn't be discussed here!

I've thrown this thread off the tracks once, I definitely won't do it again, y'all!

Back to talking about this dry, exasperated thing holed up at the Belasco...

Also, BroadwayConcierge, don't put hard pass at the end of your posts if you saw the show. Just saying! "

You are a literaly fvcking loon.

between the messages you've sent me and the posts you leave on these boards, I really hope you find peace.

because you are the definition of "reaching.""

Sondheimite, I don't know if you knew (or cared for that matter), but I got banned for three days because of comments I made in this very thread. It took some meditating on my part, but I feel as if I actually have found peace, which is why I'm trying to be... "nicer", so to speak. I know I seem like a broken-down old record in terms of sanity on these boards, but trust me, I'm just playing along here!

Also, that specific conversation didn't concern you, considering it had absolutely nothing to do with you! But go ahead, call me a loon or a lunatic, because that couldn't be farther from the truth. If I had to say, I'm one of the more sane ones here; at least I know when to pick logical fights... most of the time. I'm no troll either, I'm just trying to get engaged with the topics and the posters at hand, and if it means fighting fire with fire, then so be it!

ALSO also, please stop belittling me by implying I'm insane because there's no sense of reality in your world! You're what the French call "les incompétents"!

Updated On: 7/25/18 at 03:55 AM

I do think Dear Evan Hansen is ****. I've seen it and felt nothing. Why it is so popular? I don't know.

It was written to be trendy with young audiences. Same thing with Spring Awakening, which I found to be eye-rollingly pretentious in its melodramatic book and froo-froo lyrics. DEH just made me feel angry and sick in its carelessness. Some nice music in the score, but that's all the credit I'll give to that evil show.

I caught this last night. I asked during intermission why they didn't just revive The Full Monty, but I was amused and so were my friends (one just laid off and actually mulling returning to Jersey herself), as well as the crowd in the mezzanine from the sound of things. At one point. someone in my group mentioned that the premise reminded him of a Judd Apatow film, the character archtypes are there and the leads would be easily interchanged with Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, etc. It was almost refreshing to see a show that has absolutely no pretense about what it is, but I don't know how viable a run it will have.

I've lamented it many times here, but RippedMan, your sentiment about "writing stories we are interested in" deserves an Amen.

As a librettist, I get so worried that I can't write for the current social climate for these very reasons.

JustAnotherNewYorker said: "Jordan Catalano said: "GETTIN THE BAND... is a masterpiece compared to the absolute sh*t show that is HEAD OVER HEELS."

I've seen them both and I thought exactly the opposite. GtBBT had pretty bad music, book, jokes. HOH has good music and a good book. Now, admittedly, the book is hundreds of years old, and the music is decades old, and they don't fit together too well....

Neither are high art, but it I was forced to rewatch one it would be not beGtBBT."

I have to agree here. From the moment GTBBT started I wanted to leave. Ken Davenport's speech at the 8th preview was awkward and put a negative spin already on the show before it started. I felt uncomfortable for the actors. The jokes didn't land and when they did it was to a specific crowd. Not one song do I remember. All I kept thinking was this truly remind me of "The Wedding Singer", but I highly enjoyed that. The one positive I can say was watching J. Elaine Marcos (Broadway Gypsy Royalty!) She was hysterical in every scene that she was in. That ensemble must have had 25 costume changes easily.

I enjoyed "Head Over Heels" just for the music and choreography (and the hysterical Bonnie Milligan!). No, it was not great as a whole, but better than the show next door. But that is my opinion and I do understand the opposite.

Guess we have to wait and see which show will close first. Sad! Both shows, the actors bust their asses!

BroadwayConcierge said: "I thought Ken Davenport's speech before the show was cringe-inducingly self-promoting and self-indulgent."

Perfectly Put!!

Especially when he said multiple times "I was in a band in High school!" Then had to throw in there that he wrote the book (he had help), "of this hysterical all new musical you are about to see!"

The speech was a real turn off....I only hope someone talks some sense into him to STOP going on stage!