GROUNDHOG DAY to Take the August Wilson, Spring 2017- Page 2

[haterobics]

Posted: 9/13/16 at 11:24pm

Love the movie, love Minchin, love Karl... Excited for this one!

[BOM]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 12:27am

I am so excited for this. I loved everything about Matilda so I'm sure I'll enjoy this. Tim minchin can do no wrong in my eyes. 

[Feldzieg]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 8:35am

Saw it in London and can't get too excited about a Broadway run unfortunately. It's certainly amusing and very well and inventively staged but the music was mostly forgettable for me. Maybe a case of too high expectations after the glorious Matilda but I thought it's basically a really well done theatrical adaptation of a movie everyone knows with music that doesn't add much and will not be remembered very long. Let's see - very interested in the response it will get in New York.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 8:55am

I think you're being generous, Feldzieg!

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 8:56am

SHAKING AND CRYING... CANNOT WAIT TO BOOK MY TICKETS ... ANDY KARL ... FUTURE TONY WINNER!

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 8:57am

Oh, honey.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 9:08am

 

I think the score is quite strong, and of course the bones are rock-solid. It’s very much an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser. I’ll still forever wonder what Sondheim would have done with it, but I can imagine it doing very well here.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 9:11am

Best New Musical is going to be tough this season. I still think the locks are: DEAR EVAN HANSEN, GREAT COMET & COME FROM AWAY. That fourth slot is up for grabs. And there's still WAR PAINT which is rumored to be going into the Nederlander Theater this spring.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 9:44am

neon, apologies if I've missed you saying this somewhere earlier, but have you seen the show? You seem way less than optimistic for it, so I'm curious where that mindset is coming from!

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 10:14am

Yes, I saw it. I did not like it. I do not think it's good. I also have several friends who saw it separately and felt the same way.

[haterobics]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 10:18am

themysteriousgrowl said: "I’ll still forever wonder what Sondheim would have done with it"

Passed, I'd imagine.

[Kad]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 10:24am

Sondheim rather infamously expressed a desire to adapt it over a decade ago.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 10:25am

I think there is a lot of potential for a Groundhog Day adaptation. Which is why I paid for my ticket and checked it out. Unfortunately, this team barely scratches the surface, IMO.

[haterobics]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 10:35am

Kad said: "Sondheim rather infamously expressed a desire to adapt it over a decade ago."

Ahh, interesting... never heard of that interest before.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 10:48am

 

Yeah, he ultimately decided that the movie was too perfect to mess with.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 11:00am

themysteriousgrowl said: " 

Yeah, he ultimately decided that the movie was too perfect to mess with.

 

"

 

And he was 100% correct about that. What a shame someone else decided to ignore Sondheim's accurate assessment. 

[leefowler]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 11:43am

I haven't seen it, but based on the reviews Groundhog Day is definitely the favorite for Best Musical this year. Yes, I know that big hits in London don't necessarily translate over here (Enron being a good example.) But the reviews weren't just favorable, they were laudatory, with a rave from Brantley. Trust me, their decision to come in this season was  terrible news for every other musical opening this season.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 11:46am

And I disagree with you. How many of the other incoming musicals have you seen to declare Groundhog Day (the favorite) which you haven't seen? Did you see the reviews for Dear Evan Hansen? And for Great Comet?

"Trust me"

Nah, I'm not gonna trust you when I've seen it and you haven't.

Updated On: 9/14/16 at 11:46 AM

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 11:49am

leefowler said: "I haven't seen it, but based on the reviews Groundhog Day is definitely the favorite for Best Musical this year. Yes, I know that big hits in London don't necessarily translate over here (Enron being a good example.) But the reviews weren't just favorable, they were laudatory, with a rave from Brantley. Trust me, their decision to come in this season was  terrible news for every other musical opening this season."

 

EL OH EL. Biggest laugh of the week for me thus far. I guess you're forgetting about all of the other new musicals, along with two that have, for the most part, become critical darlings (Dear Evan Hansen, Natasha...). If we were to make every Tony Award prediction based on critics' reviews, we would be wrong about 80 to 90% of the time; and reviews by British critics no less, with the exception of Brantley! 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 11:51am

Seriously. It cannot be overstated what critical darlings Evan Hansen & Great Comet are. They are *beloved* here.

[hork]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 12:07pm

Liza's Headband said: "themysteriousgrowl said: " 

Yeah, he ultimately decided that the movie was too perfect to mess with.

 

"

 

And he was 100% correct about that. What a shame someone else decided to ignore Sondheim's accurate assessment. 

 

No movie with Andie MacDowell is perfect. And anyway, that's kind of a strange statement. It implies either that Groundhog Day is more perfect than the likes of Smiles of a Summer Night, 8 1/2, or Sunset Boulevard, or that musicals shouldn't have been made from them. It seems wrongheaded either way. You can make a good musical from practically anything.

Updated On: 9/14/16 at 12:07 PM

[leefowler]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 12:26pm

I liked both Great Comet and Evan Hansen, but Comet seems a little like old news to garner a lot of excitement when it comes to Broadway. Evan Hansen has a better shot, but it shares with Fun Home a feeling that it really belongs off-Broadway (although Fun Home ended up winning best musical.) But Pasek and Paul have La La Land coming out, so maybe it will seem like their year (and I would love for them to receive a Tony!)

Who knows what will happen? But my feeling is that when Groundhog arrives in April it will seem like a new shiny toy compared to the other shows. If I was to choose a show to invest in, that would be the one. But I thought Fun Home was a dubious choice for Broadway (and turned down a chance to invest), so I'm no seer.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 12:59pm

You would invest in Groundhog Day without having seen it? That wouldn't be wise.

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 1:05pm

London critics are excited about this musical because it's a new musical that has originated in London and doesn't look like it will be a complete flop. That's rare nowadays. If this had been a transfer from Broadway those reviews would not have been as favorable. I saw it and I really can't imagine this winning, especially when it's looking to be a stronger than usual season for new musicals. 

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 9/14/16 at 1:14pm

aaaaaa15 said: "To be fair, it was in a theatre with a capcity of 325 and had beloved Dr Who star Matt Smith at the helm and was a limited run. It was always gonna sell well.

Really, they have cut the capacity of the Old Vic by 70% then, have you ever been to London? Have you seen Groundhog Day? You certainly showing in this thread your vast knowledge of theatre.

Anycase shows that show American history in a poor light - fail, look at Parade and Scottsboro Boys, that is why Enron also failed, which I understand Americans wouldn't like a British show coming over and preaching about their history. I would feel the same if the Americans did the same in the West End.

"