Swing Joined: 12/30/12
Can these reviews really help any? Yes, they got a rave from the Times, but they already had one from the Papermill run. While I wish them the best, I seriously doubt this slate of reviews is suddenly going to turn this show into a hit.
Swing Joined: 12/30/12
Wall Street Journal: very mixed.
Terry Teachout
"I seriously doubt this slate of reviews is suddenly going to turn this show into a hit."
At this point, we've pretty much learned that the critics don't make hits, they just make judgements.
Love, if this thing doesn't close right now, it is just an ego trip.
The opener gives a taste of the old-fashioned Broadway confection to come at its best – not an ounce of protein for the brain, but do you really expect nutrition in a dessert?
Honeymoon in Vegas Review: Tony Danza Seduces in Old-Fashioned Broadway Dessert
But have they done anything to promote the show thus far? I haven't seen Tony Danza on any talk shows talking about the show? I haven't seen them performing anywhere? I don't see any billboards in Times Square? Or any ads on TV?
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/1/04
They've been running ads on TV, on ABC 7, at least.
From what I hear, they have a big press push planned for the next 2 weeks including an appearance on The Today Show next week. There are also ads up and down the NJ Transit lines and in the NY airports. And there's more than enough pull quote material in the good reviews for them to use in advertising. If they do it right and see an increase in future ticket sales, the producers may keep this running until the Tonys.
i sure hope they push it as much as they can. i saw it a few nights ago and it was my second time and it was just as fun.
Understudy Joined: 1/7/15
I've never seen the Times stand so alone on a show before. It's almost As if Brantley was determined to stick with his earlier opinion, no matter what he saw.
What was he thinking? He liked it, a lot. And the world is still turning. Imagine that.
I want Roxy's opinion on this.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/08
newintown, I wonder if they have a policy not to reverse decisions like this.
Jesse Green and Alexis Soloski are the only ones who pointed out the racism and misogyny. Which is all this show is. Misogynistic and racist.
I doubt there's an official policy- remember, Brantley famously reversed his decision on LuPone in Gypsy.
Maybe he just truly liked it. I think Brantley can't win most of the times here. He gets knocked for supposedly "hating" everything but when he raves about shows (exp. Matilda) people give him a hard time also.
I hope this lasts at least through Tonys season. I enjoyed it when I saw it in December. I just considered it a fun, mindless show, which is not meant to teach anything to anyone (which is why the gender stereotyping, which often bothers me, didn't affect me too much). With shows closing left and right, I hope this one can last for a while, and give all the cast and crew members a long-lasting job.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/08
"I just considered it a fun, mindless show, which is not meant to teach anything to anyone (which is why the gender stereotyping, which often bothers me, didn't affect me too much). "
You realize that that kind of attitude is part of the problem? If we let joke racism and sterotyping slide, then there's always going to be more.
If you don't like it, don't watch it.
Humor is subjective. Some of us like politically incorrect humor when it's not done out of malice. Norman Lear, Howard Stern, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Seth MacFarland have all made careers out of being politically incorrect. They do not do it out of ignorance or bigotry. They do it because they think it's funny. That doesn't mean you have to like it or watch it, but stop trying to make other people accept your opinion as to what is (or isn't) funny.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/08
I didn't say anything about making people share my opinion. I just said facts. Fact: Honeymoon in Vegas is sexist. Fact, Honeymoon in Vegas is racist. If you think racism and sexism is funny, great. Good for you.
No it's not a fact. It is your opinion. Newt Gingrich calling Obama the food stamp president is racist. Ann Coulter saying women who have been raped are just trying to get attention is sexist (and disgusting). They believe what they are saying to be truth.
A musical comedy making politically incorrect jokes about certain groups of people is not the same thing.
If you don't like it, don't watch it.
So how do you get around wanting an educated opinion but really not liking what you've heard about this show? This is my conflict, as an Asian American theatre fan, who's read enough about this show that I'm curious but in a sort of horrified way.
ETA: http://mildlybitter.blogspot.com/2015/01/honeymoon-in-vegas-its-bad-day-for.html
If they have press appearances for the show lined-up, it's likely not closing soon. Maybe the producers will try and stick it out until the Spring.
Betsy is a far more interesting character in the musical then the movie. Her songs are great - I had "Anywhere But Here" and "Betsy's Getting Married" stuck in my head since I saw it. Betsy is more if a character and I cared about her. Could she have had a bigger part in Act II? Yeah, but the show is using Tony Danza for publicity, so it's not surprising they used it to give him a fun number (or three) instead.
Honeymoon is not sexist or racist. There are far more distasteful things on an episode of Family Guy. And Bratley gave it a rave because it's a good show with a great score. It makes people happy (or at least the people I saw after the show) the same way "Hello, Dolly!", "A Little Night Music" and "On The Town" make people happy. And the "Friki Friki" song got some of the biggest laughs of the night - as well as "Out of the Sun" which is hilarious - and anything but in bad taste.
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