HERE LIES LOVE Previews- Page 2

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/8/13 at 12:09am

I don't see why they couldn't do it at like Circle in the Square and leave the top couple of rings of seats and then sell the rest as standing or something.

And I'm still just annoyed that there are no cheap tickets for this. Isn't it the Public's whole point that they make theater affordable for the PUBLIC. No?

[NYUrickydrummer]

Posted: 4/9/13 at 1:53pm

Question for those who've seen this show --

A few "obstructed" tickets (apparently even more obstructed than the partial view seats) showed up for tomorrow night's performance, so I snagged one. I was told over the phone that it's usually reserved for wheelchair patrons on the floor, and that it's QUITE obstructed.

What I'm wondering is -- has anyone witnessed where this seat is? Is it really that bad? And is there anything barring me from just getting up and joining the rest of the crowd, maybe while an usher is looking the other way, especially if I don't bring any big personal items?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/9/13 at 5:14pm

Seems silly to sell a seat that is THAT obstructed.

[NYUrickydrummer]

Posted: 4/9/13 at 5:25pm

I agree -- admittedly, the ticket saleswoman admitted she hadn't seen the show, and especially that she hadn't seen the show from that seat, but that she was advised that it was very restricted and to forewarn any buyers.

I'm not sure if that's just overkill to deter me from complaining later ("well, we warned you" -- for the most part I'm just excited to be able to see the show), but I'm also not sure how they couldn't stop me from just walking in, having my ticket scanned/ripped, and then joining the folks on the floor who are standing. Seems impossible to police. I'm just wondering if my assessment of the situation is totally off-base (I will be escorted directly to a chair and told to sit in it or be kicked out -- like, if it's a fire hazard). The ticket is listed as in row "W" (probably for Wheelchair).

I realize this is a really specific question, but it would be a help in general to get anyone's input on this topic if someone has insight -- because it seems like these seats are being released a day or two in advance for performances and could be snatched up by those on the board interested in seeing the show for less than $85 (the ticket was $30).

Updated On: 4/9/13 at 05:25 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 8:17pm

The original album really grew on me--I guess only one person has seen it :P but does anyone know if the score has been changed up much?

[logan2]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 8:32pm

Okay, just a preemptive statement for those who want to tell me to just go see it, I live in Texas and can't afford to do so.

This sounds really interesting, but why must the audience, or the majority of the audience, have to stand? Would it not work in a traditional Broadway house with everyone sitting? I don't know anything about the Public Theater, so forgive my ignorance. I'm very curious about this show.

Updated On: 4/10/13 at 08:32 PM

[maila]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 9:56pm

i read there are 9 new songs in the show. here are some photos which david korins (set designer) posted in his twitter a couple weeks ago.





this one is when they were loading in the sets



Updated On: 4/10/13 at 09:56 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 11:58pm

I'm not sure what the significance of the standing is, but it looks like a cool show. Maybe it's to give it a club atmosphere? I'm not sure what the score sounds like.

[maila]

Posted: 4/11/13 at 12:39am

they describe it as a 360 degree multi-media experience. video projections all around and platforms all over that moves around with the audience. the music is mostly "disco" beat but byrne added some new songs including a couple of ballads. there is a concept album released in 2010 where different singers like cindy lauper, tori amos, florence welch ( florence + machine) sang imelda's parts.

[Wildcard]

Posted: 4/11/13 at 2:03am

The show is somewhat set in a disco. The audience serves as the crowd during scenes when crowds are needed... political rallies, revolutions, etc. The actors move through the audience as well.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/11/13 at 2:20am

The CD concept album had a DVD of 5 or so videos--I think they're mostly on this youtube playlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEhdUr3TA8g&list=PL9C28B56E565D8017

It took me a while to get into--I was underwhelmed with the CD the first time (and I like dance/pop and electro ballads) but it really grew on me. I think I actually expected it to be more pounding club/disco music, which it isn't IMHO.

Thanks for the posters!

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 4/11/13 at 10:29am

I saw it this weekend.

Due to the technical aspects of the show, they aren't able to make many changes during this preview period. Timbers and Byrne were in the crowd taking notes.

I've had the album for a while. There are many new songs in the show that aren't on the album.

Imelda Marcos loved discos and was a part of the Studio 54 scene...thus the club atmosphere. They do a great job with this. If you've seen Fuerzabruta or De La Guarda, none of the staging will surprise you. The actors are all over the place but it isn't annoying or awkward. There are great moments where the actors are recorded while walking through the crowd. Their live images are projected all over the space like a newscast.

The story focuses on Imelda's life up until the Peoples Power Revolution. In several interviews with the cast and creators, they all said that they avoided any comparisons to "Evita". Still, I couldn't help but compare the story to "Evita". The songs are fun but the best song in the show comes at the very end: a protest song that was actually sung during the Peoples Power Revolution.

If you plan on seeing the show, I would highly recommend looking up info on the Marcos and the revolution as you won't learn much from the show - it all happens too fast and they have a lot of ground to cover. The best moments involved actual audio and video recordings of Imelda, her husband, etc. Those were extremely engaging and added some very real tension.

I'm not great at reviews but I'll end by saying that this show has a lot of potential. For now it's mostly a wash of loud music, bright lights and under-developed choreography. Instead of covering Imelda's entire life, they should focus on one aspect of it. Still, I seriously applaud Timbers and Byrne for taking a risk. At the very least it was so refreshing to see how they chose to physically interpret this story. With time, I think they can turn this into an amazing evening.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/11/13 at 10:31am

Man, I love David Korins' designs.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/11/13 at 10:35am

"For now it's mostly a wash of loud music, bright lights and under-developed choreography."

I'm buying my ticket now.

"Instead of covering Imelda's entire life, they should focus on one aspect of it."

This is the biggest mistake of all bio-musicals; the two most successful ones (Gypsy and Funny Girl) show you how to do it: pick an interesting part of their life and then make up a bunch of stuff. A Wikipedia total-bio-approach is rarely good story-telling.

[customsay]

Posted: 4/13/13 at 11:21am

A lot of talented people, including a gorgeous, hardworking cast + some terrific pop songs + a cool production concept. It all adds up to less than it should in HLL. Walking into the LuEsther you could feel a pulse of excitement in the room – the audience was really up for the show – and that carried through the first few numbers, including the soaring title song. But as the show went on and the artistic team prematurely scraped the bottom of their bag of tricks, the musical beats continued thumping away while you could feel the audience's energy and engagement flag. Flipping through the Playbill after the show I noticed that there's no book writer credited (unsurprising, I guess, since it's a bookless show). But even looking through the production staff in the fine print in the back, I couldn't find a dramaturg or anyone credited with story editing, research, continuity, etc. In a nutshell, this is the big piece missing from the show - a guiding hand to focus and define the story. Is the show meant to be a full-scale, biographical portrait? Or is Imelda Marcos used as a symbol of a particular time and place? A cautionary tale of how power corrupts? There are many approaches that could be taken and developed. Byrne is credited with the concept and lyrics, and a recent NY Times profile painted him as an open-minded and prolific collaborator, and director Alex Timbers's previous work demonstrates he’s smart about high impact, low tech theatrical bells and whistles. Both of these guys are obviously super talented, but I think they both needed help here with storytelling – focusing the narrative, fleshing out the characters, and defining the show’s themes. It feels hollow at its core - a criticism that was also leveled at the show HLL most closely resembles, EVITA (although at least Tim Rice had a book writing credit on that one). I wouldn’t talk anyone out of going to see this show, but I feel like this was such a missed opportunity – like a luxury vehicle, loaded with extras, with too many hands polishing the chrome and no one there to fine-tune the engine.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/13/13 at 1:43pm

Listening to it as an album it sounds unstageable--the songs add up to an idea but not to a story. I was kinda surprised to see they even tried--that said, I really wish I could see this.

[macnyc]

Posted: 4/14/13 at 3:29pm

I stopped by the theater today before the 2 p.m. show to see if any rush tickets were available. The box office person told me that the rush tickets were already sold out for that performance, but if I wanted to I could put my name down for the wait list. Those would be full price, though. (I decided not to wait.) I think this ticket info goes along with what April posted earlier. I'm thinking that if you go during the week, instead of on a weekend, you might get lucky. I'm curious about this show and would like to see it at some point.



Updated On: 4/15/13 at 03:29 PM

[StageStruckLad]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 10:24am

Saw the early show on Saturday and really enjoyed it despite its storytelling shortcomings. The staging and audience immersion is a lot of fun, and at one point I had Imelda stepping down off a stage to grasp my arms and sing right into my face as she implored the crowd for sympathy. I would not recommend the seats that are available, as they are one level above the "disco" floor where all the action takes place, and audience members in seats had to peer over a wall to see the action. I'm sure those folks in the seats missed some action that was directly below them.

Watching this, it did occur to me that a staging of Evita would be a lot of fun in this environment, with lots of tango dancing going on near the audience.

I think a major reworking will be required if they want to improve the storytelling on this show, but I would still recommend seeing it now. I couldn't get the title song out of my head for days.

[April Saul]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 2:01pm

I think Mac is right about rush tickets. I got the impression that rush availability for this is as unlikely as it has been for Motown...unless at some point it extends again and keeps going for a while. The Public is certainly not setting aside any inexpensive seats on this one; not that I'm saying they are obligated to do that.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/16/13 at 12:25am

How hard would it be to squeeze in 5 more rush tickets? It's just people standing, right?

So is this a la American Idiot? There's no script etc? It is just the music?

And I agree. A Bio musical/movie rarely works as a life story. No one's life is that interesting from start to finish. Just pic the few moments that work.

I would say Evita is the exception.

[Copperfield2]

Posted: 4/16/13 at 1:07am

Well I loved it. The score sounds great as sung by this very talented cast. I thought the show zipped along though I do wonder if it needs to be done in such a confined space. I was actually surprised that the music wasn't overly loud and quite melodic while still retaining a club feel. I liked the dancing, the movement, and the projections.

I was thinking about Circle in the Square as well as a possible future venue but I'm not sure how they would do the projections.

I went as a member so I didn't spend an exorbitant price and I thought it was worth every penny.

I admit though at my age I found standing 90 minutes too much and was glad to be able to sit during the last 10 minutes.

[Copperfield2]

Posted: 4/16/13 at 1:11am

Someone asked about squeezing in five more people. The space is quite small so I think they are wise to limit the number of people at the show. With all the moving around, too many people might lead to accidents.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 4/16/13 at 8:32am

I arrived at about 3:20 to rush the 5:00 show. We were second and third in the rush line. They started selling at 4:00. By that time there were maybe 10 people in line. I don't know how many people after us got tickets, but I get the sense they didn't have many tickets available.

As for the show, I adored it and can't wait to go back. I don't think there are really any shortcomings in the storytelling, as the storytelling is hardly the point. You can't fairly compare this show to a "regular" show's book/narrative.

The Evita comparison is obvious, but not very substantial. It's a very different show from Evita.

The music was fantastic and the cast is great. I can't wait to go back and see it again.

[dshnookie]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 1:44pm

Second extension announced - now through 6/2

[macnyc]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 2:28pm

Thanks for the info! Regarding rush, how much are the tickets? I'm going to try for it when I'm on vacation in May. I'm glad the show extended!