HERE LIES LOVE - Broadway Previews — Page 16

Man, somebody's getting fired.

I finally saw this thing and I have absolutely no idea how it is so critically acclaimed and why so many people are acting like it is the second coming. Glad I had a decent discount but I basically want my 90 minutes back. The songs are blah. The plot is like reading a flavorless cliff notes version of something much bigger. Just because they flash colored lights all over the place doesn’t make it a great musical. And a Broadway audience wildly applauding the Marcos couple is revolting in a thousand different ways.

PipingHotPiccolo said: "Matt Rogers said: "I finally saw this thing and I have absolutely no idea how it is so critically acclaimed and why so many people are acting like it is the second coming. Glad I had a decent discount but I basically want my 90 minutes back. The songs are blah. The plot is like reading a flavorless cliff notes version of something much bigger. Just because they flash colored lights all over the place doesn’t make it a great musical. And a Broadway audience wildly applauding the Marcos couple is revolting in a thousand different ways."

To each their own-- I certainly disagree that the score is anything less than hummable and innovative, even though I agree its not The Moment or the dawn of a new kind of musical or anything like that. But I really dont think its fair to suggest that the show asks us to applaud the Marcos couple. You might mean to say that they go a little light on Imelda (though still treat her way harsher, and thus fairer, than ALW did Evita), but the show chronicles her downfall, corruption and unequivocally ends its narrative with a somber narrative re their most famous victim. Be fair."

Yeah, I am well aware that my opinion on this thing will be unpopular and that the critics will swoon (again). I still think it sucked big time. I know that practically 100% of this board will disagree with me. Whatever.

Can u elaborate why u thought it sucked big time?


Matt Rogers said: "PipingHotPiccolo said: "Matt Rogers said: "I finally saw this thing and I have absolutely no idea how it is so critically acclaimed and why so many people are acting like it is the second coming. Glad I had a decent discount but I basically want my 90 minutes back. The songs are blah. The plot is like reading a flavorless cliff notes version of something much bigger. Just because they flash colored lights all over the place doesn’t make it a great musical. And a Broadway audience wildly applauding the Marcos couple is revolting in a thousand different ways."

To each their own-- I certainly disagree that the score is anything less than hummable and innovative, even though I agree its not The Moment or the dawn of a new kind of musical or anything like that. But I really dont think its fair to suggest that the show asks us to applaud the Marcos couple. You might mean to say that they go a little light on Imelda (though still treat her way harsher, and thus fairer, than ALW did Evita), but the show chronicles her downfall, corruption and unequivocally ends its narrative with a somber narrative re their most famous victim. Be fair."

Yeah, I am well aware that my opinion on this thing will be unpopular and that the critics will swoon (again). I still think it sucked big time. I know that practically 100% of this board will disagree with me. Whatever."

As an immersive piece, I suppose lines get murkier. But, people applaud for performers, not characters. Alex Joseph Grayson plays another truly despicable character based on a real person in Parade and gets some of the biggest applause every night because his songs are show stoppers and he performs them incredibly. They're not applauding the (likely) child rapist and murderer who got an innocent man hung. They're applauding Alex and his captivating performance.

Lea further responding to OnstageBlog

”Hi, Chris! First off, thanks for your kindness as well as for your threads on this issue. Just know that this has reached the highest echelons of our producing team and has already been addressed with all relevant departments. There are now more stringent security regulations in place, and I for one will no longer be entertaining near those innermost spaces to ensure that security will have eyes on me at all times. It’s unfortunate that this had to happen at all. There has been so much support from online communities everywhere and for that I’m thankful! Folks need to be reminded that although we are public figures we need our private spaces, and will be guarding those sacred places with fervor.

And yes, I’m okay! That wasn’t the first time we’ve had to deal with that sort of thing, and I don’t think it’ll be the last.

My apologies that it’s taken a while, the theater’s been crazy busy with all of the things, and today’s the first moment we’ve been able to breathe!“

https://twitter.com/msleasalonga/status/1681045329582477320?s=46&t=0XG46rJiPEOy8dyIeDsimg

I also really disliked the show when I saw it a couple of weeks ago. I thought the concept was poorly executed, and the music is catchy enough but it all started to sound similar by the end (with the exception of the closing number which I actually quite liked). The performances were wonderful overall; I particularly liked Conrad Ricamora, but ultimately none of them are really given that much to work with so it all felt very one-dimensional and surface level. I really don't understand the acclaim for Alex Timbers as a director, because while there is certainly *a lot* of direction, none of it is in service of the piece and has more to do with achieving a specific visual aesthetic which I find to be a theme in his work. I remember hearing all the raves about it when it was at the Public 10 years ago, and maybe it worked better in an actual black box space, but in this venue and at this time it just didn't work for me at all. I'm curious what the reviews will be like this time around, especially since Brantley (who gave the off-Broadway production a rave) is no longer at the Times.

I LOVED this show. It's incredible as an experience, I think the score is easily the best to hit Broadway since Hadestown, and the performances were fantastic.

I do think they needed to bring an actual book writer and dramaturgist though. Despite the VERY VERY different tones, I think it falls into some of the same trappings of Parade. At the end of that show, you obviously know that what you've seen is a horrific murder carried out by evil white supremacists. However, the show spends a bit too much time with said white supremacists and not quite enough with the Jews. With this show, you know that the Marcoses were awful by the end. When the DJ mentions that Bongbong is president, everyone boos. It's not ambiguous at all. However, the show probably spends a bit too much of its runtime on Imelda before she goes full evil and not enough after.

I saw this at the Public and it was easily my top theater experience that year. I saw it on Broadway and was very disappointed that it had not made the transition as well. The person I was with liked it, but didn't love it, so maybe some of my impressions have to do with the comparison between the intimacy and immediacy of the space at the Public and the larger, more cavernous Broadway theater.

First, the score is fantastic but the sound was terrible the night I went. The lyrics were unintelligible and when you have a sung through musical, that's pretty important. Not a problem for me, who saw it three times downtown but my friend had no idea what was going on.

The costumes looked cheap and badly constructed. I could see things like the lining on the wedding dress and it was distracting.

Arielle Jacobs is no Ruthie Ann Miles. She's lovely to look at, a great singer (might be better than Ruthie) but doesn't compare at all. I felt she was mostly striking poses and trying to look sexy. Ruthie had a radiance and vulnerability from the start that made the transformation so shocking. They really should have made her whatever offer they needed to and get her to do the show. Having a Tony Award winner might have added some pedigree to the production and draw in traditional theater goers, which they are going to badly need if the show is going to succeed.

Conrad Ricamore was fantastic and with a weaker leading lady, I feel like he absolutely shines and is the emotional center of the show, rather than Imelda. In the previous production, Ruthie was the star. Jose Llana fades a bit without a strong partner.

In the last production, the DJ, the excellent Kelvin Mooh Loh, was both the host and a real character that was commenting on the action without actually having a script. I would sometimes look at him and there was a bit of a gravitas in his demeanor. This DJ just seemed like a cheesy DJ from a bad wedding trying to force people to participate in line dances. He also doesn't have the vocal chops that Kelvin brought to the last song.

I didn't feel that that the mother (the Lea Salonga part but I didn't see her) or the soloist who does "Men Will Do Anything" were as strong as the ones at the Public. I remember the soloist being a real rock star and this actress seemed a bit strained, like she was trying to stretch her voice to fit the song.

The actors seems like they were working hard to run to the other platforms so there was a quality of franticness to the show. I guess that makes sense because they have to cover way more space than downtown but I think some of the emotion and character development suffers.

With more people on the floor, it felt very awkward being moved around. I remember it being more organic at the Public.

Again, these thoughts might be a bit unfair because I'm comparing it to the past production, which I thought was just perfect. I still enjoyed it but I was disappointed in the overall experience. I wish them well since I know the effort that has been put into the show and developing an audience. I do think that having Lea advertised as much as she is is a bit misleading. She's on for five minutes and isn't even a featured part. I think people who buy tickets just for her will be disappointed.

EDSOSLO858 said: "jkcohen626 said: "With this show, you know that the Marcoses were awful by the end. When the DJ mentions that Bongbong is president, everyone boos. It's not ambiguous at all."

At my performance, you could've heard a pin drop when the DJ made his remarks before "God Draws Straight.""

And it was this moment where I felt my heart drop out and my eyes welled up. That was a beautiful moment and coda for this show.

Received an email today from Telecharge that my Sunday, October 29, 5:30 show has been changed to 7:00.

Full refund easily obtained.

Anyone know the start time of tomorrow’s opening night show?

BETTY22 said: "Do you think it will be a NEW YORK TIMES critic pix on Broadway? NO

And who from the Times will be reviewing it? JESSE"

Is you true name Claire Voyent? Asking for a friend.