Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Great Comet moved me. And many others.
PaulWom
Featured Actor Joined: 8/8/16
#1Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 3:30pm
I'm really getting sick and tired of this narrative that Comet is a soulless spectacle.
It is a show that personally has helped me get through periods of depression in my life... Pierre's journey to find something that would justify the continuation of his life is something that a lot of people struggle with on a daily basis, and empathize with.
Similarly, many female friends of mine are inspired by Natasha's resilient attitude towards society, and admire how she goes after what she wants.
As for whether it's hitting a "popular chord" in the nation right now... Since when does the nation's opinion really matter in discussing the content of a piece of work? Quite often the best musicals are entirely left out of the national spotlight at the time they are originally produced (see most of Sondheim's catalog). Many friends of mine are afraid to voice how much the show moves them because they are immediately shut down.
I could write essays about the emotional content in this show. One thing the "Fansens" and CFA fans should realize is that trashing other people's shows doesn't put you ahead in this race. It just makes people like your show less.
#2Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 3:35pm
Just stop your crying, it's a sign of the times ...
PaulWom
Featured Actor Joined: 8/8/16
#3Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 3:38pm
haterobics said: "Just stop your crying, it's a sign of the times ...
"
What do you mean by this?
Liza's Headband
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/28/13
#4Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 3:47pm
You seem a little unhinged... Did this require its own thread? Perhaps I'm wrong but I'm not noticing any more-than-ordinary amount bashing.
PaulWom
Featured Actor Joined: 8/8/16
#5Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 3:54pm
Liza's Headband said: "You seem a little unhinged... Did this require its own thread? Perhaps I'm wrong but I'm not noticing any more-than-ordinary amount bashing.
"
I made a thread because I think that it would be a good place to discuss the emotional content of Great Comet. I've noticed a common theme in most threads that anybody who tries to bring up the idea that Comet might actually be (gasp) a deep and well-written musical is ignored or written off. A debate is needed!
And how am I unhinged? Is it bc I've shared how a show has impacted me? Isn't that what the DEH and CFA fans do all day?
Liza's Headband
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/28/13
#6Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 3:56pm
"all day?" you really specialize in hyperbole!
PaulWom
Featured Actor Joined: 8/8/16
#7Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 4:00pm
Ok, you got me. They don't literally post every minute of every day. But it does feel that way sometimes!
It'd be nice if you tried to actually have a debate about the content of the argument at hand...
BroadwayConcierge
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/24/15
#8Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 4:07pm
PaulWom, I totally get you. There's definitely an air of DEH superiority over Comet throughout a number of threads on here, which I agree is oftentimes incorrect. I found myself far more moved by the final 20 minutes of Comet than I was by DEH altogether, and I think Comet's book and score are both of higher quality than DEH.
Again, of course, this is my subjective opinion, as is everybody else's on here who totally disagrees with me! But PaulWom, I appreciate your taking the time to write this.
#9Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 4:07pm
Great Comet touched me as an artist in a way that DEH never could and never will because of its artistry - there is so much there and so many levels to wind through. In particular, the character of Sonya strikes a chord in my heart and my life right now.
That being said, I think there is a need for a thread such as this. All over Facebook fan groups, on Twitter, and in some threads here, the DEH fans are piling up on The Great Comet/Come From Away/whatever else they see as a threat trying to quantify the artistry of the show. The Great Comet, in particular, seems to have fans who really love it or people who sincerely hate it with few in between.
I think the problem is that DEH has a lot of younger fans who believe that social media bullying has an impact on what will actually happen. These are the people who loved Hamilton and watched it win/win/win and believe that DEH should do the same, but that isn't what this season is about. Interestingly enough, I don't see people who prefer CFA doing that.
#10Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 4:12pm
Isn't it the point to have "soulless spectacles" in the show? It does take more for one to be moved by Comet than Hansen, personally speaking. However, if you can see the show beyond simple terms of visual effects, you'll see how great and rare it is. Comet does a great job contrasting the grandiose parties, dances etc. with the simplicity in the last few scenes where Pierre sees Natasha clearly for the first time and their souls align. That last scene where Pierre comtemplates the vanity of the society and finds solace in the Comet and the destruction it symbolizes won't work without the spectacles placed earlier in the show. Doesn't it summarizes the way many of us are living right now? Too often exist to enjoy the Dionysian party of nothingness than really thinking beyond the superficial needs. When I saw the show, it felt as if something touched my soul the way I would sometimes find in very good plays but almost never in musicals. On the other hand, DEH is a lot more straightforward, which, not that it is bad, just doesn't reach the level of artistic craft Comet has achieved.
#11Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 4:16pm
Actually,I've experienced the opposite. Critics of DEH pretentiously dismissing it as a tween melodrama with no artistic value. There's a smug superiority on both sides.
By the way, if the teens losing their collective minds over DEAR EVAN HANSEN miss the dark irony and the proverbial bitch slap directed towards them, some deep analysis required.
PaulWom
Featured Actor Joined: 8/8/16
#12Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 4:18pm
LYLS3637, who exactly is dismissing DEH as a "tween melodrama", and how exactly is it impacting them in this Tony race?
I have many issues with DEH, but most of them come from the fact that I take it very seriously.
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#13Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 4:19pm
I think it's interesting that both of these shows have leading men who are struggling with mental disorders. For my part, as someone who's struggling with depression, I identified much more with Pierre's slow struggle towards enlightenment than I did with anything in DEH. I can totally see why another person would find "Waving through a Window" or "You Will Be Found" more personal than "Pierre" or "Dust and Ashes", but for me, seeing Pierre give Natasha hope and finally connect with someone is one of the most hopeful moments of the season. Obviously the artistry is amazing, but the idea there's no emotional connection with Great Comet is ludicrous. There are many quieter moments and the actors, especially Groban, Benton, Ashford, and Gray, really get you to empathize with their characters.
#14Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 4:21pm
haterobics said: "Just stop your crying, it's a sign of the times ...
"
I'm obsessed with that song! Can't wait to hear the full album.
#15Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 4:25pm
Popular shows always get bashed for being popular, especially by fans of the competition. Nothing new or unusual is happening here. Same immature nonsense that happens every year.
#16Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 4:44pm
PaulWom said: "LYLS3637, who exactly is dismissing DEH as a "tween melodrama", and how exactly is it impacting them in this Tony race?
I have many issues with DEH, but most of them come from the fact that I take it very seriously.
I wasn't the one who started this thread, so you should really answer that. How exactly does rabid fans of one show impact your favorite in this Tony race? If anything, the show you are Leave-Britney-Aloning has 12 nominations to the other shows 9.
Clearly this "narrative" that has you all bent out of shape does not matter one bit when it comes to the Tony Awards.
bexplex
Chorus Member Joined: 5/2/17
#17Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 4:52pm
It moved me and a lot of others too...right to the exits...gasping for air that we wasted money that we could have used to see Aladdin for the 2nd time or buy a street dog
PaulWom
Featured Actor Joined: 8/8/16
#18Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 4:55pm
Oh, bexplex, how VERY clever you are. I bow down to an intellect far superior to any I've known
#19Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 5:09pm
Call_me_jorge said: "I'm obsessed with that song! Can't wait to hear the full album. "
Second single dropped today.
Liza's Headband
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/28/13
#20Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 5:16pm
WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE DEH OR COMET? WHY CAN'T IT BE DEH AND COMET???
#21Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 5:20pm
I liked both, slightly preferred Comet, but don't really care which wins... since, in no other aspect of my life do I need to rank Russian-themed electropop musicals and suicide-inspired social anxiety/redemption musicals in order.
theater_tech
Stand-by Joined: 5/2/17
#23Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 5:50pm
Liza's Headband said: "WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE DEH OR COMET? WHY CAN'T IT BE DEH AND COMET???
"
Because it's nearly impossible to have a draw out of over 800 voters
#24Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 6:09pm
I think this "sick and tired" goes equally both ways. I am 100% Team DEH between the two, and am tired of people knocking the score as mindless pop music, or complaining that it's just a teen show (I'm a 37-year-old woman who was deeply moved), or saying that if we prefer it to Great Comet we obviously aren't brilliant enough to understand the nuances of Dave Malloy's vision. They're very different shows. Liking one over the other doesn't make someone smarter or deeper or anything - it's just a matter of personal taste.
Either way, as LYLS3637 said, Great Comet got the most Tony nominations of anybody. So the underdog narrative is kind of ridiculous.
#25Great Comet moved me. And many others.
Posted: 5/2/17 at 6:14pm
Both Great Comet and DEH moved me and I thought they were both fantastic new musicals. I don't understand why both can't be considered great works and why one MUST be better than the other like there's some kind of ridiculous competition that you've all made up. Just enjoy that we have so many wonderful new musicals this year.
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