Happiness First Preview- Did anyone go? — Page 2

I ended up going to the first preview as well... stood in cancellation. To answer the question about student rush, I doubt they will have any. It's based on ticket sales, and since those are WAY high, any given show over the next couple of weeks only has 1 or 2 tickets available. But the cancellation worked out well, got my ticket at 8 PM, had time to run down, grab my seat, and settle briefly before the show.

I agree with most of what was posted, but, with the exception of the *transition* of the tooth fairy scene, that was one of my personal favorites.

I have a ticket for a later performance, so I'm glad to be able to see it once the kinks have been ironed out.

Overall, I say that the full ticket price is VERY much worth it. There were some gorgeous, tender moments, as well as some pretty funny ones as well. I left the show thinking about it, and that, in my opinion, is the best thing about the show.

A brief, non-spoiler review (I will write a longer, spoiler-laden review later):

I liked the show MUCH more than most of the previous posters apparently did. I thought it was pretty great, especially for a first preview. I was in a full-view seat, which may make a huge difference. The show is not played to the outermost sections at all and the audience in those areas must have been looking at backs a lot of the time. The show has an interesting and intriguing premise, the cast is uniformly excellent, and there are some really touching moments. The set design is very impressive, especially for such a small space (one of the set pieces seemed to get entrance applause, which is probably a first for the Newhouse!).

There are definitely things to be worked on -- hard to hear/understand lyrics, especially in Joanna Gleason's song; Joanna Gleason's segment is not the best song, seems very inconsistent in terms of character, and seems trivial in comparison to the other premises; Sebastian Arcelus's character is supposed to be the main character in a way yet there is very little character development and he is kind of a cipher (most of his lines are about his predicament rather than about him -- he needs a song or monologue prior to the last 5 minutes of the show); Jenny Powers's character's motivation needs to be presented better -- the explanation of why she is who she is didn't come across as sympathetically to me as it is supposed to; multiple characters (Arcelus and Gleason especially, and to a smaller extent Powers (as currently presented) and Foster) are not particularly likable, so why should we care what happens to them? Foster's innate likability helps his character along and his character is one where this is less of a problem than the others, but it still should be addressed.

But despite those concerns, the foundation is there and these are all problems that can be addressed in the lengthy preview period. Once they get the kinks out, this show could be really, really special. It feels fresh and ambitious and original and exciting. The show is already one of the best new musicals I have seen in quite some time, and I am definitely planning on returning.

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Updated On: 2/28/09 at 12:01 PM

I just wanted to clarify that I didn't think the whole production was campy, but only Miguel Cervantes prancing around in a glitter covered, pink tutu pretending to be the tooth fairy. The rest of the show was far from campy, and I'm sorry if I implied it was!

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Well all the blow job lines need to go, as well as ****mild spoiler**** Joanna giving Mick Jagger a blow job in the bathroom scene.

There may have been a few other cringe-inducing lines, but nothing was worse than the tutu and the silver tinsel halo Miguel also had on. Oh, and I believe he also pulled glitter from his crouch area and sprinkled it on the bed, which was a little creepy. More than all of this, the song was on of the weakest in the show. The idea of him really caring about his daughter is cute and good. Now execute it better!

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Updated On: 2/28/09 at 02:08 PM

I really enjoyed reading the many comments from those lucky people who saw the first preview performance of HAPPINESS. Excellent insights into what works/what doesn't seem to work. What size orchestra is used for this show? What kind of instrumentation was used? Was this done with a unit set on a thrust-like stage? I'm very curious. Thank you to all who posted their impressions.

Oh won't some good soul put up a little something on The Singing Stage for the poor people who didnt buy tickets fast enough?

I saw the show last night. First let me say that I was sitting in the front row all the way to the right, and nothing was obstructed at all for me. So perhaps Stroman had made some placement changes from the way it was set up the night before.

I thought the premise was very creative and executed beautifully once it got going. I found the score fascinating. Each number felt like it was written in a different style, yet the show remained cohesive. Very fine work by Frankel and Korie here. I liked the score, as a whole piece, better than their score for GREY GARDENS.

I do feel like the opening segment, "Just Not Right Now" is very necessary and needs to stay as is. It shows these characters in their everyday lives, in present day, separated from everyone else who they are about to spend the rest of the show together getting to know.

The acting was splendid all around, with standouts for me being Fred Applegate, Jenny Powers, and Sebastian Arcelus. Applegate, especially, with the least stage time of the three, really left a lasting impression on me throughout the show, even though he leaves so early on. His number, "Best Seats In The Ballpark," was completely moving and tenderly performed. This scene was my favorite of them all.

Jenny Powers presents the best developed character of of the bunch, beginning with getting the audience to think she is shallow and will be the least interesting, and slowly allowing her truths to be revealed to the point where the audience is truly interested in her and is completely on her side. Yes, she can sing like it's nobody's business, she is a tremendous dancer, but what she really shows off with this performance are her strong acting skills. Her restrained, well rounded performance is the strongest developed character in the cast.

Perhaps it's because I had never seen Sebastian Arcelus in anything prior to this show, but I was completely wowed by his performance. He does a remarkable job with a character that is pretty confined and underdeveloped.

I actually really liked “The Tooth Fairy Song” scene. I thought it showed Miguel in a completely different light than the way he had been acting around the others on the train at that point. I found it sweet that he would do this for his daughter, and it really brought her spirits up. I do agree that it needs to be made clear earlier in that moment that he is indeed her father, and not some random guy who is coming through her window dressed as the tooth fairy. I also think that he needs a different sort of pocket to pull things out of and put things into other than his crotch. But with those two changes, I think the number would be perfect.

“The Boy Inside Your Eyes” really has the potential to be a beautifully performed number, but I absolutely agree with those who have pointed out the extremely obvious age differences between Maurice and his lover. I saw them less as lovers than as a sugar daddy and his “son.” I don’t know what Stroman is thinking here. It’s a gorgeous song, but these men do not match. Please, give the role of the lover to someone who is at least close to Maurice’s age. It just looks foolish right now, and it’s a shame, because as Whizzer mentioned above, it could be a real tear-jerker if done properly.

I really had trouble trying to figure out Hunter Foster’s character, Stanley. He was kind of an anomaly. He didn’t seem very human. But was that the point? Perhaps, but the way he is portrayed right now, the role has no range. One moment it’s a comedic, the next it’s dramatic. And I just didn’t buy it. The only way I can reconcile this character is to just accept the fact that he is not in fact a human being. And perhaps the audience isn’t supposed to find any source of humanity in him. They’re supposed to remain focused on the others, and Stanley is really just the MTA guy. Not much more. I do think that his number, “Step Up The Ladder,” needs to be cut, as it lines him up with everyone else on the train and doesn’t separate him enough into the other world being presented here that he is supposed to be in charge of. I don’t think any exposition into his background is necessary, and by eliminating this number, it would also cut down the running time of the show while keeping the focus on the others.

I am a strong advocate of any original musical. And I think it is the most fun to discuss and break down any work that has been developed from scratch (not based on a previous work, with an original score). I highly recommend people get a ticket to this show, if only to have the chance to wrap their brains around something that cannot be compared to any previous incarnation. It’s so rare nowadays to get a chance to experience a show like this.

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Joanna Gleason's number felt to me like the writers had run out of ideas. First off, there is very little exposition into her character prior to her number. We know she hosts some radio show where she spouts off nasty things. I wanted to see just a glimmer of humanity in her character prior to her "moment," so I had a reason to care about her.

Even if they were to leave her pre-song character development as is, I want her to have a song that in some way REDEEMS this woman's lack of humanity displayed on her radio show. I was thinking, instead of the Mick Jagger blowjob number, perhaps giving her a moment when she had someone on her radio show that really made her re-question what she was doing and what she thought of herself.

The way Gleason's character is written now, I didn't care about her before her "moment" was revealed, and I didn't care about her after.

There weren't any sound issues at last night's performance. I understood all of the dialogue and lyrics, and the music didn't overpower any spoken words.

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SPOILERS AGAIN

WBaF, I agree completely with what you are saying about Joanna Gleason's character. She is awful not only on the radio show, but also in her interactions in daily life (the "green card" comment to Miguel, the way she treats the smoothie salesgirl, etc, etc, etc), without any real shading or complexity. I think her number is maybe supposed to represent more carefree days when she was less uptight, but her present-day character doesn't come across as being uptight, just obnoxious and lacking humanity, so her moment doesn't really feel like a redemption. I hope they re-do her entire section. (I was also confused at one point when they said that 1968 was "45 years ago," rather than "40 years ago" -- are they already planning for a long run?)

I'm not sure what the best approach is to Hunter Foster's character. Part of the problem is that Hunter Foster's, Jenny Powers's, and Sebastian Arcelus's characters all kind of start from the same place (they lived their lives in a superficial way and don't have a "perfect moment"), so there is the danger of their character arcs seeming too similar to each other. I think that they are supposed to take different journeys in the piece and end up at different places -- Jenny Powers finds that when she dug down deeply, she had that moment after all; Sebastian Arcelus realizes that he needs to live his life differently if he wants to get that moment; Hunter Foster. . . well, I kind of agree with you that I don't 100% understand his character -- does he even have a character arc? He doesn't really change or learn anything over the course of the show. It seems that he's stuck as the trainman forever -- does he mind or care? Hopefully, they will work on his character development (or make it clearer that there isn't supposed to be any).

I really think all of the elements are there for the show to be fantastic if they use the preview period wisely -- the cast is perfect, the score/book/direction are all 90% there already, the set design is an impressive use of a very small space, the lighting and costumes are well-done, and it sounds like the sound design is already better. I have really high hopes for this show. So much of it already works really well -- the subway car set, the WWII scene, Fred Applegate's number, Family Flashcards, the tricky exposition and explanation of the premise. The rest just needs to fall into place.

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I'm not ready to read the debating and smart criticism in this thread yet, but I definitely will in a few days. (WBAF, I always enjoy your posts!)

Right now, I just want to say that I unabashedly 100% fully LOVED THIS SHOW BEYOND ALL WORDS. Just saw the matinee and I haven't cried that much in a very long time. I loved loved loved the true ensemble nature of the show, the staging, the characters, the structure, the vivid moments articulated in the lyrics, the risk- taking surprising points of the plot, the SO character- specific and New York- specific music, the oddness and intensity of Hunter Foster's character, the truthfulness of Ken Page's scene, the lighting each time someone "passed through"... I cried through the tooth fairy scene, I laughed through the first subway scene, I never checked my program or my watch or even shifted in my chair. I bought a poster at the theatre for the first time in literally, maybe 5 years.

I can't wait to see Happiness again. I would recommend it to everyone.

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went back for the sat mat. the work they've done is great. "Sex On Wheels" song is gone and things seem much clearer.Great acting all around but Arcelus , Applegate , Somerville and Powers are so moving. I love this show ! Damn thing made me cry again. I want the cd now!

It sounds so interesting, blow jobs, etc. and a perplexing score.
Is there any nudity?
Sounds like a show that has some.
How was Rob Sapp, any flesh involved?

All the ensemble actors play a multitude of roles...each special and unique. Rob Sapp plays a bunch of specific characters and does them all so well! The wig/costume changes were so quick and it took me a while to figure out who was who, but the ensemble definitely plays a big part in this show.