GROUNDHOG DAY Reviews- Page 6

[newintown]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 8:00am

"I know this sounds cynical and I haven't seen the show (nor so I expect Andy to be in when I do, though I hope I'm surprised) but I wonder if this injury is the best thing that could have happened to Andy and the show."

I wouldn't call that cynical; but then I'm one of the number who think that Rent would not have been the phenomenon it was if its author had not died right after the first dress rehearsal.

[deltatee]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 8:06am

I really think we are all ignoring that the Great Comet is the show truly deserving of the Tony this year...oops wrong thread.

Back to THIS show, I am happy to see decent reviews for GHD. I absolutely love the work of the creative team behind it. Upon first listen of the cast recording, the music doesn't seem to have the charm or wit of Matilda, but Matilda was definitely something special. I'm seeing this Saturday afternoon, so I have no idea who will be in the main role, but I am excited to see if this build some momentum. 

[binau]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 8:07am

newintown said: ""I know this sounds cynical and I haven't seen the show (nor so I expect Andy to be in when I do, though I hope I'm surprised) but I wonder if this injury is the best thing that could have happened to Andy and the show."

I wouldn't call that cynical; but then I'm one of the number who think that Rent would not have been the phenomenon it was if its author had not died right after the first dress rehearsal.

 

"

Well, we are definitely on the same page about that one too. 

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 8:24am

The last best musical slot truly is a toss-up. If you look on Show Score, WAR PAINT and GROUNDHOG DAY are basically tied (a three point difference).

[sparkledust]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 8:54am

Agreed - once again I find myself only agreeing with David Cote.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 9:07am

sparkledust said: "Agreed - once again I find myself only agreeing with David Cote."

Me too, here. There's not one critic I agree with all the time. That's why it's fun.

 

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 9:59am

Any chance ANDY KARL will start doing TV promotional appearances?? I saw that BORLE was on COLBERT - he should hit up the morning news programs (TODAY; etc.) and something like LIVE with KELLY! ... and then do COLBERT!

Just a thought...

[newintown]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 10:04am

Based on the extraordinarily strenuous nature of the role, I would imagine that Karl needs as much time to rest between performances as possible.

Or, as Merman said to Stritch, "you can play my role, Elaine, but you gotta live like a f*ckin' nun!"

[amperage]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 12:09pm

I disagree.  I've seen both shows, and was in the audience on Friday night when the injury happened. As the parent of a special needs child, I was touched by Platt's performance in a much more potent way than I was by Karl's. His last 15 minutes were astounding (post-injury). There is no question that he is a force to be reckoned with and a tremendous talent. He also really carries the show from start to finish and I give him a lot of credit. For me, though, the performance of the season is Platt. (and I admittedly, I am sure I'm biased because of my personal experience here)

[smidge]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 12:33pm

Groundhog supporters can be just as insufferable as DEH supporters if they choose to pit actor against actor. The first mention of Ben Platt in this thread was someone posting "Watch out Ben Platt!"

[froote]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 1:01pm

Actors being pitted against each other is exactly what happens at the Tony awards. 'Watch out Ben Platt' is clearly said in a jokey tone, not as a threat.

[smidge]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 1:15pm

froote said: "Actors being pitted against each other is exactly what happens at the Tony awards. 'Watch out Ben Platt' is clearly said in a jokey tone, not as a threat.

Lol, didn't take it as a threat. I just meant you can say Karl is a definite contender without singling out another performer. But I know everytime a show opens with positive reviews, the Tony race is suddenly decided in the review thread. A poster said War Paint was never a contender for the fourth Musical slot. It was if you read the War Paint review thread.

 

 

[froote]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 1:18pm

Platt is only being singled out because he's the current favorite. 'Watch out Josh Groban' wouldn't really make sense. 

At this moment, I'd say Groundhog Day and War Paint are both contenders for the 4th slot and Anastasia could join them depending on reviews.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 1:34pm

Peter Marks- mixed to negative:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/04/18/the-new-musical-groundhog-day-takes-place-on-one-very-long-day-and-it-feels-like-it/

[massofmen]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 2:03pm

amny 2-4 stars. 

"‘Groundhog Day’ review: Adaptation of a beloved film is an over-energized and tiresome misfire"

http://www.amny.com/entertainment/groundhog-day-review-adaptation-of-a-beloved-film-is-an-over-energized-and-tiresome-misfire-1.13487072

[eugenia2]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 2:34pm

so Karl & Platt are going to split the "sure win" vote and Groban is going to walk away with the Tony. reading here is extraordinarily entertaining.  thank you. :)

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 2:58pm

I wouldn't call that cynical; but then I'm one of the number who think that Rent would not have been the phenomenon it was if its author had not died right after the first dress rehearsal.

Nah.  It would have been the exact same smash hit.  It was the right show, with the right cast at the right time.  The show was firing on all cylinders.  When I saw the show shortly after the Tonys that season, I didn't even know the story of Larson's death.  All I knew was the Tony performance and then I saw the show from standing room a few weeks later.  I saw it standing room two more times that summer before the cast recording was released because I was instantly hooked by the show and loved everything about it.  What made it a phenomenon was immediately obvious to me on first viewing (as well as to many of my friends and family).  The impact it had on me was immense.  Had Larson lived, I think the show might have gotten more tweaking, but would have been the same massive hit.  Only afterward, we probably would have had more works from him.

[clb10162]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 3:01pm

neonlightsxo said: "Peter Marks- mixed to negative:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/04/18/the-new-musical-groundhog-day-takes-place-on-one-very-long-day-and-it-feels-like-it/

"

I respect Peter Marks as a critic but I can't take his review too seriously when he writes:  ". . . the intensity of Andie MacDowell’s magnetic film performance as Rita is not quite achieved by Barrett Doss on stage . . . ."  He may well be the only critic who found McDowell's performance magnetic and  intense.  Most of the reviews for the show (even the less than glowing ones) have commented on how bland McDowell was, with several stating that Doss is a big improvement of her film counterpart.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 3:13pm

 

The nicest thing that can ever be said of an Andie MacDowell performance is that it does not ruin a movie.

[evic]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 3:16pm

Scorecard....half positive, half negative....What would That French woman from the Post have thought?

[Sunny11]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 3:23pm

I've read that the addition of the song One Day gave the Rita character more depth than what the films matersl allowed  but Andie MacDowells performance wasn't derailed. She has 3 golden globe nominations for film work, hardly a sign of ruining films.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 4:12pm

I'm not going to say whether Ben Platt or Andy Karl will win, but even if one is giving what some or many think is one of THE performances of musica theatre, those sorts of performances and shows can lose Tonys. We've seen it happen.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 4:22pm

newintown said: ""I know this sounds cynical and I haven't seen the show (nor so I expect Andy to be in when I do, though I hope I'm surprised) but I wonder if this injury is the best thing that could have happened to Andy and the show."

I wouldn't call that cynical; but then I'm one of the number who think that Rent would not have been the phenomenon it was if its author had not died right after the first dress rehearsal.

I also wondered this so I dont think its cynical. It was cynical when I initially thought that due to the bad word of mouth on the boards, the producers staged an injury to garner public good will. Now, that is cynical. 

 

"

 

[ladypresent]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 5:42pm

I never knew this site existed until someone on here alluded to show-score 

show score

What amazes me is that groundhog day is only one point above bronx tale. No one is clamoring for bronx tale to get the 4th spot, yet its only a point (on this show score) below groundhog day. Now A Bronx tale is selling really well so hopefully GHD will start to sell better (it needs to because a  17.5 million capitalization with those operating costs must be around 650..700k? if they are to have a CHANCE at running (( lets not even talk about recouping because thats probably not happening)) they better get that avg tix price up to 100.00 asap)

 I don't really see all this love for A bronx tale on this board (almost none really) but there are undying lovers of groundhog day yet they seem to be in the exact same algorithmic category combining critic and audience reviews alike. Are a bronx tale and GHD on the same level of show? and if so why the undying love for one and the seeming silence on the other? (i like math)
 

Updated On: 4/18/17 at 05:42 PM

[Kimbo]

Posted: 4/18/17 at 6:12pm

ladypresent said: "I don't really see all this love for A bronx tale on this board (almost none really) but there are undying lovers of groundhog day yet they seem to be in the exact same algorithmic category combining critic and audience reviews alike. Are a bronx tale and GHD on the same level of show? and if so why the undying love for one and the seeming silence on the other? (i like math)"

And with all due respect, that's why awards (and, for that matter, word-of-mouth and which shows are hits or flops) aren't determined by an algorithm.  Kinky Boots on Show-Score is currently at 88%, and Matilda at 85 - but whatever that extra 3% is, that's not what accounted for Kinky Boots sweeping the Tonys that year.

To go back two decades, if Show-Score or some similar algorithm had existed back in the 1991-1992 season, my guess is that both Miss Saigon and The Secret Garden would have had slightly higher overall grades than that year's eventual Tony winner, which got highly mixed reviews... but there was one critic, writing for the Sunday New York Times, who gave The Will Rogers Follies such an out-and-out rave, that the perception at the time was that that review alone gave the voters enough excuse or reason or justification to vote for that show (and today of course, while it still gets done, Will Rogers isn't produced half as much as either Secret Garden or Miss Saigon).

Also, don't forget that when A Bronx Tale opened there had only been 2 new musicals that had opened so far this season... so it's worth wondering whether the score, or more specifically the reviews, both from critics and audiences, would have been as somewhat high on that show if it opened after Groundhog Day and Come From Away and even Anastasia and War Paint etc.

Public perception isn't determined by a number or a letter, whether it be on Show-Score or Rotten Tomatoes or a grade in Entertainment Weekly... it's much less quantifiable.  Which is why I honestly think this is one of the more interesting, wide-open seasons in memory, and why I feel like with almost no exceptions (Best Actress in a Musical), almost all bets are off when it comes to the upcoming awards season.

Someone else above wrote "Scorecard....half positive, half negative" - I'm not at all seeing the half negative.  The producers have to be uniformly happy with these notices, which - according to the Show-Score algorithm you ask about - currently stand at:

2 pans, 5 mixed, and no less than 15 postive-to-rave reviews.