Girl From The North Country - Broadway Previews- Page 6

[matineeidol2591]

Posted: 3/2/20 at 9:18pm

Georgeanddot2 said: "This is such a mess of a show. Beautifully sung with a wonderful performance from Winningham, but this show is just so unbelievably shallow. The plot is oddly confusing for how simple it is. Took me a while to gather that they were in a bed and breakfast. I've never seen a show lack so much exposition while also being nothing but exposition. It's also shockingly ableist.

That point about the title basically sums up the show. Why is that there? No clue. Why are they singing that? No clue. Who are they? No clue. What happened? No clue.

I was also struck by how painfully humorless, drab, and dull the whole thing was. A lot of people are comparing this to The Band's Visit, but TBV was funny, charming, tightly written, and was a beautiful story. This is just... nothingness.

It's so depressing that they should have people on standby for when audience members start trying to throw themselves from the balcony halfway through act 2. Oy."

 

This review is making me loooooool. And it sums up so well how I felt

[Tjlovesmusicals]

Posted: 3/2/20 at 9:33pm

Won tickets for the Saturday matinee so I thought I’d share some thoughts...

The music is amazing! I agree with the others on here that the drums were really loud. We sat on the opposite side of the mezz and they were still overpowering. Mare is giving an amazing performance, definitely the highlight of the show. I think this show could’ve benefited from being condensed into one act. There’s too many subplots that they could just cut and make it more of a smooth show. Duquesne whistle is really where the show takes a turn and feels like it drags on.
Definitely felt like the ferryman more than the bands visit to me.
I’m 17 and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would but I think this show isn’t catering toward the younger crowd. I’m really curious to see what critics and audiences think since it’s been a pretty divisive show so far.

[Michelle chouraqui]

Posted: 3/2/20 at 9:57pm

Mitch101 said: "Spoiler to follow. Saw the Friday evening performance and was knocked out by the whole experience. I knew going in it would be untraditional. I found the entire evening magical. Every element so carefully considered. Every performance was beautiful, though the love story between Marianne and the boxer was fantastic. Mare does steal the show, but Luba Mason is such a surprise in Act Two.

For me, this was great art and I can think of countless achievements of great art that the public hated and dismissed.


Spoiler......


To your question about who murdered the girl...

Elias killed her.

There is no way Conor named the show without the sole purpose of creating the mystery of the story. The murdered girl is the mystery. The Burkes are from the North Country.
"

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Thank you.  I had, without question, assumed it was Elias, but every single person around me told me i was crazy...  On numerous occasions the characters mentioned "the girl from up north (who was murdered)..."  it seemed obvious to me that is where the title came from....  and i still think it majes more sense then it has no meaning...

)"

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 3/3/20 at 6:36am

I saw this at The Public and have no intention of seeing it on Broadway. I'm sure they changed it, however small those changes might be, and there was one song I liked, but otherwise I felt myself drifting off during a lot of the show. 

[BenElliott]

Posted: 3/3/20 at 7:54am

Saw this last night after seeing it once off Broadway. I don't hate this show. I kind of like it, but it's definitely not a good musical. I don't understand how this was such a hit in London. It's DEEPLY flawed.

The music is really clumsily shoved into the show. Sometimes it does make sense and it's used to illustrate themes and sometimes I would just be confused as to why they were singing.

Mare Winningham is incredible. One of the best performances of the year. Everyone else is ok. Colton Ryan is terrible. Like flat out bad and I recall actually liking him off Broadway. Not sure what happened in the transfer. The lighting is beautiful and the direction tends to be lovely.

The book is absolutely ridden with shallow stereotypes and tropes. I get that it's supposed to be reminiscent of the plays of the 30's, but those characters were beautifully and delicately written in a lot of cases. These feel like thin shadows that we never get to know. The one couple with the disabled son needs to go. It's shockingly ableist and takes up way too much of the show. They're not very interesting. Cut them and make this a one act. Spend more time on the main family. They're what's interesting and we barely even get to know them by the end of the play.

Also what's up with the weird projections? They'll be sitting in their living room and suddenly a picture of a lake will appear behind them. I think it's supposed to set a mood, but it's just distracting.

I don't hate this show, but I also don't think it's very good. They've shoe-horned in a closing number so, like others here have mentioned, the audience isn't suicidal leaving the theater. They let the black lady (of course they do) take it home with a big choral number where she pops out some whistle tones. That got the audience out of their seats *eye roll*. All I could see was desperation.

6/10 good singing, uninteresting book, Winningham is phenomenal. Mediocre show.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 3/3/20 at 8:06am

BenElliott said: "Saw this last night after seeing it once off Broadway. I don't hate this show. I kind of like it, but it's definitely not a good musical. I don't understand how this was such a hit in London. It's DEEPLY flawed.

The music is really clumsily shoved into the show. Sometimes it does make sense and it's used to illustrate themes and sometimes I would just be confused as to why they were singing.

Mare Winningham is incredible. One of the best performances of the year. Everyone else is ok. Colton Ryan is terrible. Like flat out bad and I recall actually liking him off Broadway. Not sure what happened in the transfer. The lighting is beautiful and the direction tends to be lovely.

The book is absolutely ridden with shallow stereotypes and tropes. I get that it's supposed to be reminiscent of the plays of the 30's, but those characters were beautifully and delicately written in a lot of cases. These feel like thin shadows that we never get to know. The one couple with the disabled son needs to go. It's shockingly ableist and takes up way too much of the show. They're not very interesting. Cut them and make this a one act. Spend more time on the main family. They're what's interesting and we barely even get to know them by the end of the play.

Also what's up with the weird projections? They'll be sitting in their living room and suddenly a picture of a lake will appear behind them. I think it's supposed to set a mood, but it's just distracting.

 

What is with so many shows adding projections lately?? WSS (haen't seen it, just know). this one...) 

I don't hate this show, but I also don't think it's very good. They've shoe-horned in a closing number so, like others here have mentioned, the audience isn't suicidal leaving the theater. They let the black lady (of course they do) take it home with a big choral number where she pops out some whistle tones. That got the audience out of their seats *eye roll*. All I could see was desperation.

6/10 good singing, uninteresting book, Winningham is phenomenal. Mediocre show."

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/5/20 at 7:51pm

I saw this show last night and had been semi-following this thread so I knew how people were reacting to it. Even knowing that I still try to go into everything with an open mind because I've loved things people hate and hated things people adored. And my feelings for this one are the former. I truly truly loved this show. I'm drawn to very dark and depressing plays/musicals/films in general so this fits with that. I also felt pretty much every aspect of it was perfect - from the book to the staging to the songs that, while they didn't necessarily always tell a story, they fit perfect tonally. The comparisons to "The Band's Visit" are fair but I feel like that's pretty much in structure only and could probably be said for a myriad of other shows. The one show this reminded me of more than any other, is one of my favorite flop musicals "The Human Comedy" another Depression era show. 

I'm still trying to really sum up my thoughts on it and I'm going to try to go back next week but this cast is stunning. Normally for a show with Marc Kudisch, I'd write my whole review about him and yeah, he's perfect. But MARE. WINNINGHAM. I don't want to live in a world where she doesn't win the Tony for this. 
Yeah, I can't find the right words to sum up my feelings completely yet. But it's the best musical of the year for me. 

[BenElliott]

Posted: 3/5/20 at 10:19pm

Duquense Whistle's bizarre appearance at that moment in the show was so head scratchingly weird and jarring that nearly the entire orchestra around me burst into stifled laughed and turned to the person next to them with complete confusion. Talk about tonal whiplash.

[Skip23]

Posted: 3/6/20 at 12:12am

Critics are blind/deaf/elitists.

 

I hated EVERYTHING about this bore.

 

 

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/6/20 at 9:54am

Skip23 or people just have different opinions. We know you don't like it, you have said it a million times.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 3/6/20 at 10:59am

BenElliott said: "Duquense Whistle's bizarre appearance at that moment in the show was so head scratchingly weird and jarring that nearly the entire orchestra around me burst into stifled laughed and turned to the person next to them with complete confusion. Talk about tonal whiplash. "

Yes, it’s comically bad and I’m shocked that it hasn’t been changed.