HADESTOWN Previews- Page 14

[John Adams]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 1:44pm

Brian07663NJ said: "Is the point being lost entirely by the beauty of Timothy Hughes [...]"

Thank you for mentioning the beauty of Timothy Hughes!

He's the man who answers the question: "How can you improve on a glorious abundance of arms and legs?" Answer: Put a beard on 'em. 

[BenElliott]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 1:57pm

I do think the creative team wanted you to make comparisons to our current climate. The show just feels relevant and art should reflect what's happening in the world. I don't see why they wouldn't want their show to be relevant by scrubbing any and all possible similarities to our current political climate.

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 2:48pm

Hughes is hot, but man this show sucks.

[theaterdude2]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 3:54pm

I haven't commented on the show yet, I saw it last weekend and absolutely LOVED it. I am writing today because I can't stand one more person on here hating on Reeve Carney. I almost think I must be missing something here. Are all these haters just because he replaced Damon Daunno? (which is ridiculous, people leave shows all the time) Speaking of ridiculous, comments like this make no sense either:


"I was not a fan of Reeve Carney's high notes, either 50by25. ...and he reprised them so, so many times while he was writing his song."

As if it was Reeve's decision to choose how many reprises to sing. Of course everyone is allowed their opinion but it seems like people won't stop comparing him to his predecessor, which at this point is boring.

My opinion - I thought he was absolutely fantastic in the role, and I found all of his singing (including his high notes and all the reprises) to be flawless. A reminder that the majority of people will be seeing Hadestown on Broadway, and Reeve will be their first and only actor playing Orpheus. He will be on the one and only original Broadway cast recording and go down in the history books. He will be eligible for awards. It's his part now, so unless you have a good reason for it, maybe stop the insanity.

If I am missing something about why there are so many haters, please point it out, but I hope the reasons are constructive. 

[50by25]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 4:13pm

theaterdude2 said: "I haven't commented on the show yet, I saw it last weekend and absolutely LOVED it. I am writing today because I can't stand one more person on here hating on Reeve Carney. I almost think I must be missing something here. Are all these haters just because he replaced Damon Daunno? (which is ridiculous, people leave shows all the time)"

I've never seen (or heard the music to) Hadestown before this week, and also have never seen Damon Daunno. I saw Hadestown with a friend who hasn't seen a Broadway show for 10 years, and we both agreed that Reeve Carney was the weak point in this show for us. However, everyone is more than entitled to their own opinion, and it's great to hear that you loved him!

I don't want to speak for John Adams, but of course Reeve didn't choose how many times to sing the song. However, I agreed with the above comment that I got more annoyed every time he sang it. In my opinion, that song was the weakest song in the show... partly because of Reeve's voice, but also partly because I didn't find it to be a particularly catchy / pretty song. In contrast, I thought "Wait for Me" was one of the best songs - it's still in my head despite having only heard it during the show, and I much preferred Reeve's voice on that to anytime he sang in that weird falsetto.

Updated On: 4/4/19 at 04:13 PM

[getupngo]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 4:21pm

theaterdude2 said: "I haven't commented on the show yet, I saw it last weekend and absolutely LOVED it. I am writing today because I can't stand one more person on here hating on Reeve Carney. I almost think I must be missing something here. Are all these haters just because he replaced Damon Daunno? (which is ridiculous, people leave shows all the time) Speaking of ridiculous, comments like this make no sense either:


"I was not a fan of Reeve Carney's high notes, either 50by25. ...and he reprised them so,somanytimes while he was writing his song."

As if it was Reeve's decision to choose how many reprises to sing. Of course everyone is allowed their opinion but it seems like people won't stop comparing him to his predecessor, which at this point is boring.

My opinion - I thought he was absolutely fantastic in the role, and I found all of his singing (including his high notes and all the reprises) to be flawless. A reminder that the majority of people will be seeing Hadestown on Broadway, and Reeve will be their first and only actor playing Orpheus. He will be on the one and only original Broadway cast recording and go down in the history books. He will be eligible for awards. It's his part now, so unless you have a good reason for it, maybe stop the insanity.

If I am missing something about why there are so many haters, please point it out, but I hope the reasons are constructive."

I compared him to Damon because I prefer Damon's voice, like 50by25, I hated that weird falsetto thing he kept doing... Reeve also plays the role in such a weird creepy way. I could not understand at all how Eurydice is supposed to fall in love with him so quickly. With Damon however, there was more sex appeal there. 

[Tenebre]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 4:38pm

Heh, theaterdude2, I actually just made an account after lurking on this site for ages because Reeve Carney’s performance really worked for me, and I want to add a vote in his favor. As I was fortunate enough to miss Spiderman, I didn’t know anything about him, or much about the show in general before I saw it last week. I wouldn’t call his voice technically flawless, but I thought its tremulous quality was very affecting and ethereal, and the phrasing and pauses that he took in all of the Epics, particularly III, really underlined the drama. It was not a cold, perfect delivery, but a very human and vulnerable one, which for me captured the essence of the character as it seems to have been conceived for this telling.

My take on this show as a whole is that it’s about frailties — fear, doubt, insecurity — and the self-sabotaging things that we do to protect ourselves from them. So the wall to me is not primarily a political reference, but a symbol of the futile barriers that we build to try to save ourselves from our own fears. The topicality of it might work more or less depending on your view of the relationship of politics and theater, but I think the symbol is integral to the larger theme of the piece, and the song is critical in establishing that. (However, I do agree with many that it would be better as an opening for Act II. Can’t imagine why it wouldn’t work!)

Anyway, I loved this. As many have said, the set and lighting design was breath-taking, and I thought the orchestration was really striking — lots of unusual instrumental technique and great use of the variety of vocal timbres. The narrative shorthand for the ingenue relationship was fine with me — this is a mythical work, not naturalist — and I thought it funny and satisfying enough that the abruptness is acknowledged in text in their meeting song. I also didn’t need Hades to be “redeemed” — he’s a complex figure, and I didn’t need him tied up in a bow. His cathartic moment in Epic III is well earned and so affecting, but there is always history. In the end it’s a sad song, a tragedy, after all.

It says something about the effectiveness of the world created here that I’m very familiar with the Orpheus myth, and yet I somehow throughout the course of the evening I didn’t think about how it ends, until they were actually walking back up to the top. And even then I felt suspense and wondered which way it would go. It felt incredibly fresh, which is hard to do with an ancient tale. In all, it packed an emotional punch for me to a similar degree to Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton. I wish it the very best run and a successful awards season.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 4:44pm

theaterdude2 said: "I haven't commented on the show yet, I saw it last weekend and absolutely LOVED it. I am writing today because I can't stand one more person on here hating on Reeve Carney. I almost think I must be missing something here. Are all these haters just because he replaced Damon Daunno? (which is ridiculous, people leave shows all the time)"

Disliking a performance doesn't make anyone a "hater".  Do you want to be labeled a "shill" because you DID like him?   I doubt it.    It's OK that you liked him, just as ok as it is that the majority (here) did not.   Are they not suppose to mention him?  Them not liking him diminishes not an iota your opinion.

 

I haven't seen the show yet, but I will fully state my opinions on him and everything else as I see fit when I do in a few weeks.  

[theaterdude2]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 4:48pm

"I compared him to Damon because I prefer Damon's voice, like 50by25, I hated that weird falsetto thing he kept doing... Reeve also plays the role in such a weird creepy way. I could not understand at all how Eurydice is supposed to fall in love with him so quickly. With Damon however, there was more sex appeal there."

Again, you're entitled to your opinion but i strongly disagree that he plays the role in "such a weird creepy way". I don't know where you get that from at all. I guess it's just another comparison you're making because you love Damon's take so much. 

[theaterdude2]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 4:54pm

If you read what people are saying about him throughout the thread, the negativity in many cases surpasses people just not liking his performance. If it was just constructive criticism of a performance, I wouldn't have used the word hater, nor would I have brought it up. Sorry I didn't communicate my point well enough, hope that helps to clarify where I was coming from. 

[LeftofLinus]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 5:56pm

theaterdude2 said: "I haven't commented on the show yet, I saw it last weekend and absolutely LOVED it. I am writing today because I can't stand one more person on here hating on Reeve Carney. I almost think I must be missing something here. Are all these haters just because he replaced Damon Daunno? (which is ridiculous, people leave shows all the time) Speaking of ridiculous, comments like this make no sense either:


"I was not a fan of Reeve Carney's high notes, either 50by25. ...and he reprised them so,somanytimes while he was writing his song."

As if it was Reeve's decision to choose how many reprises to sing. Of course everyone is allowed their opinion but it seems like people won't stop comparing him to his predecessor, which at this point is boring.

My opinion - I thought he was absolutely fantastic in the role, and I found all of his singing (including his high notes and all the reprises) to be flawless. A reminder that the majority of people will be seeing Hadestown on Broadway, and Reeve will be their first and only actor playing Orpheus. He will be on the one and only original Broadway cast recording and go down in the history books. He will be eligible for awards. It's his part now, so unless you have a good reason for it, maybe stop the insanity.

If I am missing something about why there are so many haters, please point it out, but I hope the reasons are constructive."

Preach!  I thought Reeve was lovely as well.  He brought a tenderness to the role that really resonated with me.  I thought he sounded flawless as well.  He just had that it factor and really shined on stage.  Plus after the show, he was so incredibly humble and really took the time to talk to me and my friend...so points for being a good guy.

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 6:15pm

Seeing it this evening. I was lucky enough to see SPIDERMAN! Reeve gave me one of the most memorable moments, for me, on Broadway when he sang "Boy Falls From the Sky".

Looking forward to this evening.

[tomwsjr]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 6:23pm

I also thought Reeve was great. He has the perfect balance of youth and innocence plus his voice is outstanding!!!!

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 7:17pm

I didn’t really mind reeve, yet there wasn’t really anything to write home about besides wait for me, but that easily could’ve been because of the staging. I think he sang nicely, though he was straining at the higher notes, but I could see that as some characterization. My biggest quibble is people complaining that they can’t find a reason to root for Orpheus. To me that was kind of the point... he’s supposed to be a flawed character. Idk how to describe it exactly, but if you couldn’t root for him you’re watching the show correctly.

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 7:20pm

BenElliott wrote:

"I do think the creative team wanted you to make comparisons to our current climate. The show just feels relevant and art should reflect what's happening in the world." 

Considering the lamentable state of what's happening in the world, I think art would serve us far better by offering us an escape from it. We would no doubt offer it our undying thanks and gratitude. What's more, it's not as if we're not already bombarded 24/7 with what's happening in the world, no matter where we turn, in every possible venue. In their relentless quest to "enlighten" the dodos in the audience and play up to their fellow elites, our self-important theatre artists end up just dishing out yet another stale helping of the same tired talking points we've heard a gazillion times already --- just at far higher prices.

It's sad to see that the term "art," like so much else today, has been sabotaged. It now just serves as a protective shield behind which self-satisfied "artistes" can preen, preach, and pronounce their unending screeds before a captive audience.

We poor audiences! Can we never catch a break?!

 

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 7:24pm

Go clutch your pearls elsewhere, After Eight.

[Eliza2]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 7:56pm

I'll chime in that I also liked Reeve's performance. I thought his Orpheus was endearing and sweet and made me want to root for him (even though I knew how the story would end)

I did not mind his voice, but I agree with those who have said Epic isn't a particularly beautiful song so it was difficult to understand how significant and impactful it was supposed to be in the story.

[Impossible2]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 8:59pm

I think Reeve has a great voice. It suits the role and vocally I couldn't fault his performance. I think the duff song lets down the whole 'song that is so beautiful it could save the world' thing, not his performance of it.

I just don't think he has the right look for the part and his acting is not very convincing either.

But he is clearly a very talented singer and sounds a lot like Jeff Buckley.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/4/19 at 10:29pm

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 4/5/19 at 12:13am

They all look so good. Patrick Page is such a daddy.

I really can't wait to read the reviews for this.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 4/5/19 at 12:32am

I saw this last weekend and add me in to the camp who loved Reeve. I thought he was sweet and quite funny and I loved his voice.

I’m more confused about the folks complaining about Amber’s performance, though. I thought she was sensational. She held the entire audience in the palm of her hand and never let up until they walked off that stage. I would even go as far as saying it was one of the most impressive performances I’ve seen in a very, very long time. Every move she made was perfect.

I’m sad this show will have the eventual backlash because it is sensational. This is the kind of show we need more of, amazing score, great performances and incredibly moving. I think it’s my favorite musical since at least Fun Home.

And for the record, I know next to nothing about Greek mythology and my expectations were incredibly low, mainly because I thought The Great Comet was an overblown mess and figured this would be more of the same. Boy was I wrong and boy am I happy I took a chance with it. It was like Aida, Once and The Great Comet were mixed up in a blender and all of the best parts of those musicals were combined and we got this amazing evening of theatre.

(Pardon any typos in this post, I’m posting from the app, which is a piece of garbage, per usual).

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/5/19 at 12:56am

Saw it tonight (technically last night. Thursday.)

From top to bottom i enjoyed the cast. Renee is just fine and his falsetto works in the part.  DeSheilds is wonderful. Just such a joy seeing him be his fabulous self up on that stage. There was one song that page sang reallylow and he seemed to just be way off key.

Wasn't super crazy about the rhyming in the book scenes. Within the songs it was fine but at times, RENT ran through my mind. (For me it worked better in RENT) And if/then ran through my mind near the end!

The set and lighting are crazy good. Yes, what they do with that set is fabulous. It is visually beautiful to watch. And I want Page's boots!

I just kept wondering if they cast everyone in the ensemble smaller than Timothy Hughes as he really stands out. But no complaints here! 

As a whole, by intermission I was thinking, "This might be this year's Hamilton". I hope not. It just had a slight air of feeling itself to be "important" (maybe for lack of a better word) especially with the extended curtain call.  It was also a bit too loud. (I was sitting in row j seat 4) although Page's booming speaking voice was wonderful really amplified.  My head was numb when I left and have a slight headache. But still, the music sounds great live. Much better than on the recording. As do the vocals.

I am gladI saw it. Didn't hate it but it was not my favorite. A few asides.... The merch counter was doing very good business at intermission and I got a flower at Stage Door when I left.

Just my opinion and random thoughts.

 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 4/5/19 at 1:56am

I don’t think it will “be the next Hamilton” only because that is such a once in a lifetime phenomenon but I will say this is the first time I’ve seen a crowd react to a show like they did since I saw the OBC of Hamilton and the fact that it’s only a week into previews and getting reactions like that is crazy.

[PhantomOfFleetStreet]

Posted: 4/5/19 at 2:00am

I saw the matinee on Wednesday and like a previous poster on here I wanted to love the show more than I did. I thought this would have been one of my favorite shows ever considering how often I've listened to the NYTW cast recording. I still liked it very much and I think it should win best musical at the Tonys this year, but I can't rave about it like a lot of others have been.

I did think that most of the cast was phenomenal. Patrick Page is perfect as Hades. Menacing yet still charming enough that you can see how Persephone fell for him and how Eurydice signed his contract. There were moments that felt like he was shaking the floor with his voice. I loved Amber Gray from the moment she appeared on the stage. She's magnetic because you can tell how much she loves playing Persephone. Their tearful reconciliation moment had me in tears with them. I agree with the people who say that thier story is a lot more compelling to watch than the Orpheus/Eurydice story.

Eva Noblezada has some impressive pipes. I just wish her character was given more to do, especially in the second act. She kind of reminded me of Mimi from Rent, espeically her "Anybody got a light?" line. She played her desperation well and I was on her side to the point that I was thinking "Girl you can do better." during her scenes with Orpheus.

I loved Andre de Shields. I thought he was the perfect mix of wise, funny, and smooth. He reminded me of Dean Stockwell as Al from Quantum Leap at certain times (I wonder if anybody in this thread will know what I'm talking about.)

The Fates were so perfectly in sync and I loved that they never left the stage because they were always in the back of the characters' minds. The entire ensemble was on point, but most of my attention was drawn to Timothy Hughes. He's just so tall and buff I couldn't help it. I'd like to know what he's like as Hades.

The best part of this show is the band, imo. It was worth the ticket just to hear them play these songs I listened to a million times live. (My favorite part of Phantom is the orchestra, I love a live band/orchestra in a theatre.)

Now onto the stuff that kept me from completely loving the show.

1. I didn't like Reeve Carney. I'm glad he has fans because he seems like a nice, genuine guy but I hated his performance. This might have had to do with seeing Oklahoma! the night before. I'm not going to lie, I adore Damon Daunno and the charm and energy and unreal singing I experienced from him was still very fresh in my mind. Maybe if I hadn't seen that beforehand I would have been fine with Reeve. It took me a while to piece together why Reeve's falsetto bugged me while Damon's makes me melt but I think it's because, to me, Damon's sounds a lot smoother and just effortless while Reeve's sounds like he's really got to work to go into his falsetto (it doesn't help that he looked kind of constipated while hitting the notes.) I'm not saying Reeve's a bad singer, he was hitting the notes, but I don't think he's going to be able to keep that up for long. Also, and I acknowledge that this is on the director too, but I didn't like how childlike and totally unconfident he was. I didn't mind him being shy and unsure of himself when he first meets Eurydice but I thought that he should have had confidence when it counted, like when he made the toast to Persephone in Livin' it Up on Top and when he sang Epic III. Especially during Epic III. I couldn't buy him causing Hades to change his mind and the workers getting their senses of self back with how he performed that song. I really wanted to like him as Orpheus. I didn't go into this show thinking "Well he's not Damon Daunno so he's gonna be awful." Again, I'm glad he has fans of his Orpheus, I just wasn't one of them.

2. Did anybody else feel awkward during parts where we, as an audience, weren't sure what was supposed to be participation? For instance I wasn't sure if I was supposed to cheer after Orpheus made his toast. One person clapped and then Andre said "Yeah give it up for him" and the rest of us joined in but it was weird. Also during Our Lady of the Underground there were parts where it's not clear if it's call and response or not. Somebody asked Rachel Chavkin or Anais Mitchell on Twitter if the audience is supposed to call out during the 'What's my name?" part and they said yes but it wasn't clear during the performance, or maybe my audience was just a dud and people are usually not shy with the participation during the right times.

3. Was just a personal thing where I was sat behind a tall guy that I had to keep manuvering my head around and one of the guys next to me was eating M&Ms during part of the first act.

So overall, I really did enjoy Hadestown, and if (fingers crossed) Damon Daunno gets hired to play Orpheus again once Reeve Carney is done with it I will gladly see the show again.

Also shout out to Blake the stagedoor guy handing out the flowers. Guy had unlimited postive energy and was a blast to pass the time wating for the cast with. Updated On: 4/5/19 at 02:00 AM

[MlleDaae]

Posted: 4/5/19 at 2:40am

Lot666 said: "LeftofLinus said: "the feeling like the relationships were rushed"

It's not my intent to argue for or againstthispractice, but the concept of the "rushed relationship" is not really new inmusical theatre. Entire relationships in this medium often occur within the scope of a single song. Consider Marius and Cosette in Les Miserables, Raoul and Christine in Phantom of the Opera, orChris and Kim in Miss Saigon. These characters basically just see each other and then declare their undying love in the space of two verses and two choruses. The depictionof passingtime is often unique in musicals because songs are used to convey thoughts, feelings, and events inneat little packages, rather than by actually showing the proceedings in a literal manner."

(YAAAHS) Very, very true. Side note... "WHY WE BUILD THE WALL" was WRITTEN sometime BEFORE 2006. Just a little fyi. A previous review had mentioned they disliked certain songs they felt were kept in the show due to sentimental reasons ie: hard to cut things you like even if they no longer serve the story. I'll take that opinion over "bleh they're writing about Trump and I don't like it". Also, to some it might seem on the nose .. I understand that as well.

For me.. I love the music. That song is great, Patrick Page is phenomenal. The history behind the shows making is fascinating and definitely worth a look. Simply put.. I can't wait to see this f***ing show.

 

Updated On: 7/12/19 at 02:40 AM