GHOST The Musical Reivews- Page 4

[DAME]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 10:41pm

Oh come on Song. It is a pan. Not deserved. But that Times review is a pan.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 10:44pm

A pan to me is a review that has no positive comments at all for anything, it's a negative review for sure.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 10:44pm

"(He reports that Caissie won the Tony for HAIR. Really?)"

If you read her bio in the Playbill, she sure makes it sound that way. It reads "Tony Award-winning Hair (Sheila)".

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 10:48pm

Agreed. I think "I'm Outta Here," and the (talented) actor's performance in general, are the most predictable and uninteresting things in the show. To me, ironically, what some consider the strongest element is instead, if not the weakest, the least compelling. Certainly the least fresh. Oh how we do love to love a big lovable black lady with a criminal record and a heart of gold. But isn't that easy? For us, and the story?

SPOILER

The last scene, when she serves the plot in an emotional way by allowing Sam to 'use' her body, is a moment (to me) when Oda Mae becomes a dimensional human being. If we saw the stakes in that for her earlier -- that this woman has missed so much in her scrambling to survive, including love, and is on her own quest -- the character's arc would be more moving. I wish she'd been given a very different song near the end. She gets the song the creators think the audience wants (and maybe expects) but not, for me, the song that would deepen this woman. This is a love story, what about love in her life? She's left the Magical Negro, an archetype on hand to serve the white characters' needs. What about her needs? Money and a lazy life on an island? Exploring hers outside of the plot machinery might give the ending even more resonance. Small point, but one that might've made the show more. Hey, they didn't ask me. (And I'm still the first to admit the show was exciting and mostly worked for me; I'm rooting for it.)

Updated On: 4/23/12 at 10:48 PM

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 11:07pm

New York Daily News is negative.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/theater-review-ghost-musical-article-1.1066158

"The cast makes little impression and the material doesn’t help. Bruce Joel Rubin’s book, based on his Oscar-winning 1990 screenplay, clunks along. The love story gets swamped by numerous scenes and robotic dance numbers about New York’s frantic fast-paced corporate jungle. Some moments seem to exist simply for visuals — Hey, let’s use umbrellas!"

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 11:08pm

Bloomberg Businessweek is a pan (1 star)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-24/-ghost-is-banal-blinding-lyons-electrifies-review.html

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 11:10pm

I think it's safe to say, post reviews, that the show will have to rely on the tourist trade for grosses.

It's also safe to say that Ms. Randolph is a lock for a TONY nomination, and is the forerunner alongside Judy Kaye. Ms. Levy and Mr. Fleeshman did get good notices, though...they are likely dark horses for nominations.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 11:15pm

^Ms. Randolph is the only chance the show has at a Tony nomination. However, she's far from a lock. Both leading categories are way too crowded for Levy or Fleeshman to even have a chance at a nomination.

Ghost's best chances for nods are for best musical (though with the reviews that chance seems to be dwindling by the second) or maybe score (again looking less and less likely) just due to the limited competition in both categories. Besides that, it could pick up nominations for set, lighting or sound.

Updated On: 4/23/12 at 11:15 PM

[bdn223]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 11:15pm

@inlovewithjerryherman... your kidding right?
Randolph is not the frontrunner in the slightest its Judy Kaye for physical comedy vs. Kara Lindsey for well, having the best song in her show

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 11:31pm

I'm not surprised at the reviews. I just hope the word of mouth is enough to capture the tourist trade.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 11:31pm

Not surprised one bit by these reviews so far. They seem pretty dead-on to me.

[Wishing Only Wounds]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 11:32pm

TONY for set design/effects anyone? It'll definitely get a nomination(s).

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 11:38pm

Granted, I haven't seen it yet, but the set everyone seems to be talking about is NICE WORK's. GHOST's set isn't so much a set as projections and panels of LED lights. I don't think it will win and frankly, wouldn't be shocked if it wasn't nominated. So many people thought THE ADDAMS FAMILY was a shoo-in for a set nomination, at least, but it wasn't recognized if memory serves. If the Tonys decide to award a more flashy set design, they could give it to SPIDER-MAN. But I don't think GHOST will win.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 11:45pm

I think the critics are dead wrong on this one. But again, they tend to be on most things. So hopefully the show can survive this.

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 11:49pm

"What a mediocre year . Newsies was just ok and I found Once to be a pretentious piece of crap"

Well observed. R & H were right : There ain't nothing like a DAME.

And Ghost wasn't all that bad.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 11:50pm

THE ADDAMS FAMILY was a shoo-in for a set nomination, at least, but it wasn't recognized if memory serves.

I will NEVER for the life of me understand how American Idiot won over Addams Family for set design that year.,

[bdn223]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 11:55pm

@bwayphreal234
Because its set was inventive and the nominating commitee screwed over Micheal Mayer..so the community had so reward him in someway

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 12:07am

I'm sorry but I really am at a loss for words at these reviews. The score is not ground breaking in any way, but its filled with (IMO) catchy songs that actually MOVE the plot forward. I mean..."Rain/Hold On" is a great song along with "With You" "Nothing Stops Another Day" "The Love Inside," among others. I don't know. I know its all opinions and such, but when a show has the audiences sobbing at the end, you expect it to have better reviews. It's a shame. I hope it sticks around. I really want to see it again.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 12:09am

People cry at Lifetime movies, doesn't mean those should win Oscars.

[blaxx]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 12:13am

I was sobbing for the money I paid to see it. I almost start laughing at the cheesiest ending I have memory of.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 12:14am

Very true. However I think this warrants more then these reviews. Again, this is all my opinion but, while its not THE BEST show in the world...its still a very solid musical.
And this is also coming from the fact that I've seen many shows, and I have never heard a response quite like the one I did when I saw GHOST.

[bdn223]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 12:18am

@Kad...did you see The Descendants it was a lifetime movie it just had George Clooney in it

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 12:25am

^ I honestly thought that every Lifetime movie I saw was better than The Descendants which I HATED... anyways, I digress, but I love the point you made Kad. Sure a show can be emotionally moving, but that does not mean it should get rave reviews. I am not just speaking about Ghost (which I actually like the score to), but about shows in general.

[blaxx]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 12:26am

And this is also coming from the fact that I've seen many shows, and I have never heard a response quite like the one I did when I saw GHOST.

You need to see more.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 12:30am

I plan on it. But that doesn't change the fact that this show does make a lot of people react in a very emotional way. Just because you didn't experience that (which is not bad) does not mean that the people who did have that particular reaction need to see "more shows."
If anything, that sounds extremely pretentious.