Posted: 4/19/18 at 3:18pm
San Jose Mercury News review:
https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/04/19/are-we-gaga-for-the-new-go-gos-musical/
Posted: 4/19/18 at 3:25pm
Sho-Tunes-R-Us, you beat me to it.
The review by Karen D'Souza of the Mercury News is mixed-to-negative. As someone who enjoyed the show (and is seeing it again tonight because my wife thinks our daughter will love it), she makes some good points that the creatives should keep in mind.
Updated On: 4/20/18 at 03:25 PM
Posted: 4/19/18 at 3:36pm
I'm *really* rooting for this show to shape up before going to Broadway. As many others have pointed out, there is a lot still to be fixed. But Head Over Heels had a lot of heart at its core, and I'd love to see it polished to its full potential.
Saw the third preview, hoping to do rush sometime next week.
Posted: 4/19/18 at 4:52pm
Very curious for more reviews, and hoping this is a winner because I am a Go-Go's fan, and of course Hedwig too.
Posted: 4/19/18 at 11:47pm
The powers that be from Gwyneth on down should pay close attention to Lily's review because it is spot on. NY will not be as forgiving for the flaws mentioned.
Posted: 4/19/18 at 11:50pm
Mitch101 said: "The powers that be from Gwyneth on down should pay close attention to Lily's review because it is spot on. NY will not be as forgiving for the flaws mentioned."
One hopes they address them all before NY, you know like all the other out-of-town tryouts do... 
Posted: 4/20/18 at 2:25am
I completely agree with Janiak's Assessment....which might be a first as usually I find myself in disagreement with her rather significantly.
Posted: 4/20/18 at 2:45am
"
I am an independent "Theatre Ambassador" and I re/present SFBayArea Performing Arts to the world
The best day to watch the show would tomorrow 4/20.
Posted: 4/20/18 at 4:20am
Well, I have now seen the show twice in five days. A few thoughts after a second viewing:
- The entire cast is good, but Andrew Durand - as the shepherd who dresses as an Amazon - makes the whole thing work. The musical gets off to a fast start, but it doesn't really take off until his hilarious but touching take on "Mad About You." He and Alexandra Socha are the most plausible and well-written romantic pairing, which is a bit ironic for the show considering they are the most traditional, hetero couple. Socha's "Good Girl" is a highlight. Durand also gets some of the best comedic bits, and he makes the most of them.
- The lesbian romance needs work. Lily Janiak of the Chronicle is correct in pointing this out as a problem, as the characters don't really seem to even like each other much for much of the first act. There needs to be some hint that their relationship, while prickly, is actually close. The actors, Bonnie Milligan and Taylor Iman Jones, do their best - especially in a terrific duet. But the performers are a bit hamstrung because their relationship isn't really persuasive.
- Rachel York, who I liked in Grey Gardens as Little Edie, is outstanding. She has more to do in the second act and is very funny.
- The script is uneven. There's a mix of clever wordplay, bawdy jokes, and some real clunkers. It's easy to spot the clunkers, because no one laughs. That ought to be easy to fix.
- I don't share other folks' complaints about the "shoehorning" of Go-Go's songs into the plot. Except for the biggest hits, I didn't know a lot of the songs that well anyway. And one of the few things I knew about the show beforehand was that it was a mashup of an Elizabethan era story and Go-Go's songs. It's done pretty well for most of the musical.
- I didn't laugh out loud as much the second time, but I still laughed. It really depends on one's mood and tolerance for a silly, mildly naughty and occasionally preachy comedy.
- The show's last section doesn't really work, and relies on unearned narrative shortcuts and a lot of increasingly dull speeches. It doesn't really have a proper musical ending. James Magruder, who adapted the original story, just kind of throws up his hands at the end. By then, the show and its cast had earned enough goodwill with me not to mind, but not everyone will be so forgiving. It could definitely use a stronger conclusion that is as clever as much of what has come before.
- This is not a show that is likely to be a critical darling, even with some adjustments. But it's still very entertaining and funny, with its heart in the right place, which was good enough for me. The cast is great. Plus, my wife really loves it. (If I see it a third time before it heads to Broadway, you'll know why.)
Updated On: 4/20/18 at 04:20 AM
Posted: 4/20/18 at 5:20am
I was finally able to see the show tonight, and the short of it is that I really loved it! I found it incredible enjoyable with infectious energy, humor that had me laughing from beginning to end, performances that I thought were almost all standouts, and quite honestly raised the material they were performing, and endless fun, especially at a time in life where I needed a break from the real world.
The long of it, this show is flawed as others have said, it needs a lot of work, the first act felt long (I started wondering if I misremembered reading the running time and if it was in fact just a one act, but that being said, it wasn't as though I felt anything was unnecessary or unenjoyable, it just really threw me off how long it felt. And act 2 felt like it got a little sloppy, so I would love to see them clean up some of that, because there were a couple parts that felt like they came out of nowhere
Choreography looked good, I don't know how to judge it exactly. I'm not sure it was GREAT, but the movements were pretty and filled the space by all the movement created. The show never stood still in moments where it easily could have lost a little life.
The story is fairly simple in plot and predictable, but lets be honest, people aren't going to see this show for the story it tells. Again though, that being said, I still thought the story was fun and you know what? Sometimes its nice to have something that doesn't make you think too much. Not everything has to be thought provoking or complex. There are times when its a nice break to turn your brain off and just enjoy something without thinking too much about it.
The dialog didn't really bother me too much. I didn't always understand exactly what they were saying with the Elizabethan language, but I always got the jist of it, and enough of it to get the joke, or understand where the story was going.
The sets were pretty poor, and I'm not sure if that was a budget thing or a creative thing, but as it is, definitely not enough for a broadway stage, so some changes need to be made there for sure. They were very cheap looking and honestly, mostly sparse. There were a couple scenes that had a lot more to work with, more fully realized settings which added some much needed color to the stage and imo those scenes proved that "less is more" is not always correct.
The costumes need a lot of reworking imo and were my biggest gripe with the show. Some of the ensemble costumes were questionable af, specifically the choice to make some of them look like they were wearing really weird pajamas. The main costuming for them utilized material with a sheet music pattern and on the shorter dresses 3 of the girls wore, it worked and was actually really cute, but the 4th girl and the men, who were basically covered head to toe in this material looked like they were in their PJs or something and it was just really awkward looking having that much of it. (And don't get me started on the strangness of the pair of eyes painted onto the chest of two of their costumes. It was random as heck and just confused me) Also for those of you who hated the cod piece in something rotten, the ones on two these costumes were far worse, because they too were in that sheet music material, and not really full cod pieces but constructed to look like one. They were just awkward. In general I did love the design of the costumes, the construction and shapes of them (most of them), especially the way the ensemble's dresses moved when they danced, it added some great shape to their moves. But the fabrics chosen were odd, even with the main cast, some of their costumes felt cheap. I thought Mopsa, Musidorus and Philoclea had the most polished, well done costumes. I loved the materials and fabrics used and the colors were all perfect. Now granted I was sitting second row so I got a closer look than most, and don't know how any of these play from a distance, but a lot of the other costumes seemed like they grabbed the cheapest fabric they could find. If I"m not mistaken, Pamela and Gynecia's dresses looked like they were primarily made of grosgrain, which seemed very odd. It might not be the case, but that's what it looked like which cheapened the lovely design of their dresses (which could be quite beautiful with better choices). Some of the colors of their costumes didn't mesh well either, I thought. Then there was Dametas who had a costume where the detail was just painted on and from someone who really enjoys costumes that was just sad. Pythio had some fantastic costumes but they didn't feel like they fit to me, they seemed out of place with the rest and there was just so much black. nothing but black, that they blended in to a lot around them and I would just love to see something a bit more coherent and that stands out a little more to match the performance and the character. I'm really really hoping this was just a budget thing because the ideas are good, and overall the look is great, theres just some better choices that need to be made.
The best part of this show though, aside from such a fun and colorful soundtrack, is the performances. This cast sells the hell out of it and are clearly having a ton of fun. Andrew, Taylor, Bonnie and Alexandra lead the show wonderfully, and make a fantastic foursome. I kept trying to figure out who my favorite was but found I couldn't decide because they all had different attributes that made their performances stand out to me. (As a side note, I cannot wait for Broadway to finally meet Bonnie, she is fearless and wow what a voice!), Jeremy and Rachel were fantastic and played the bitterness off each other quite well. Pepperment seemed slightly out of her element, but what she lacked in acting skill, she made up for ten fold in stage presence. Her confidence negated any shortcomings she may have. The only weak link I found was Tom, though it's not his fault. The character is given a whole lot of nothing to do. He works with what he's given and gets a few laughs, but the character feels very much like a non entity most of the time, which makes his ending feel exceptionally random and unearned. The ensemble were all top notch!
Throw me in the camp with those who love the all female band! I didn't read the program before, so seeing that when they lifted the backdrop to reveal them was such a fantastic surprise. And it was wonderful at curtain call to get to enjoy them while there was a little mini dance party on stage after the bows and it was the first time I've seen everyone (at least everyone around me!) not budge during the exit music. Everyone was giving those ladies all their attention and respect and it was a really awesome bonus to the show.
All this said, this show is not Broadway ready in its current form. I cannot see this show on a broadway stage as is, so I'm really hoping there's more they do to it. (The last show I felt this way about after seeing its prebroadway run was Amelie, and well we know what happened there.) Just given the stylistic complaints I have, I can't see how this will fill a broadway stage, but because of how much fun it is, I'm really hoping they fix that. I'm rooting for this show, and I feel like, unless you only care about high brow humor and complex story telling, if you allow yourself to embrace it for what it is, you will be happy with this show. It falls into the category of "not every film has to be an oscar contender to be a good movie" for me. I can only see this show being in the running for a couple Tony Awards if any at all, but that's not the point of it. It's just a lighthearted party, and sometimes that's what you need.
Updated On: 4/20/18 at 05:20 AM
Posted: 4/20/18 at 12:15pm
Here's the review (by Alexa Chipman) at Talkin' Broadway:
https://www.talkinbroadway.com/page/regional/sanfran/s1875.html
Posted: 4/20/18 at 12:26pm
Wayman_Wong said: "Here's the review (by Alexa Chipman) at Talkin' Broadway:
https://www.talkinbroadway.com/page/regional/sanfran/s1875.html"
I stopped reading the "reviews" at TB long ago. This one is a good example of why: it just tells what happens and provide next to no critical appraisal. Or the reviewers speak of everything in the production in glowing, spectacular terms (I assume so that the critics stay in producers' good graces and continue to get free tickets).
Posted: 4/20/18 at 12:55pm
I think it's wrong to disparage ALL reviewers at any site. And though you have every right to dispute a reviewer's assessment, it's unfair to cast aspersions on why a review is laudatory (or negative), especially without any evidence. Chipman's feelings about ''Head Over Heels'' could be just as genuine as those BWW posters who've said pretty laudatory things about the show in this thread.
As far as ''free tickets,'' I've reviewed for many publications over the years. As long as the publicist for a show considers you to be a legit writer for that outlet, you get press comps. I've never known any reviewer to be cut off because they wrote harsh reviews.
Updated On: 4/20/18 at 12:55 PM
Posted: 4/20/18 at 1:24pm
Posted: 4/24/18 at 12:14am
Posted: 4/24/18 at 12:30am
antonijan said: "
World premiere."
No, the show's World Premiere was at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015!
Posted: 4/24/18 at 2:58am
Saw the show again this weekend after opening, they made a few minor changes but nothing too major. It's definently more cleaned up, still needs work but getting there. I couldn't tell what the changes were until I asked my friend who's seen the show 6 times already. They need to change Pamela's costume ASAP though, looks wayyy too DIY.
Posted: 4/24/18 at 3:01am
Posted: 4/24/18 at 3:31am
antonijan said: "World Premiere in Oregon
But here is the World Premiere of the Edited Version"
There is only one world so you can only have one world premiere. Shows make changes, often extensive changes from city to city and even from previews to opening in the same city. It doesn't make each new version a world premiere. That's just silly.
Sometimes your playing the hype guy for shows like this and Prince of Egypt becomes so over the top, your hurting rather than helping whatever positive goal you're trying to achieve on behalf of the show.
Posted: 4/24/18 at 3:52am
Posted: 4/29/18 at 2:26pm
As I thought, 20% off discount code mailed out "GAGA4GOGOS", not valid rear balcony if anyone is interested.
Posted: 4/29/18 at 3:59pm
bwayemma said: "Saw the show again this weekend after opening, they made a few minor changes but nothing too major. It's definently more cleaned up, still needs work but getting there. I couldn't tell what the changeswere until I asked my friend who's seen the show 6 times already. They need to change Pamela's costume ASAP though, looks wayyy too DIY."
I also saw it for the second time (first time in previews, the second time last week). What changes did your friend point out? I agree that it's become tighter, but the only line change I noticed was when Musidorus was trying on the different costumes.
Posted: 4/29/18 at 4:35pm
tkts said: "As I thought, 20% off discount code mailed out "GAGA4GOGOS", not valid rear balcony if anyone is interested."
You thought a show with a lot of extra tickets would offer a discount? Wow, can you speak to people from beyond the grave, too?
Posted: 4/29/18 at 5:40pm
For some reason my mostly positive review of the production from this past Thursday night is no longer on the board. There was also an additional reply to a query (also delete) about Peppermint's song selection that is no longer up. I'm quite concerned that I'm being reported to MODs simply because of my review, but I will tell all members now that the review was in no way "unseemly" or used harsh language. Has anyone else had this happen on the board? Could it just be a technical glitch?
