"Honeymoon in Vegas" Preview Thread- Page 10

[prlny]

Posted: 12/20/14 at 1:21pm

Saw this last night and wanted to add something no one has touched on in this thread: the misogyny. First we got the lyric "Mama's in the ground" in the opening song, sung joyously. Weird, I thought: the lead is expressing glee that his mother is buried in the dirt, while he's singing, presumably, a love song about another woman. Next came the actual mother, a shrewish harridan issuing a malevolent curse. Okay. I was still with the show. Then came Betsy, whose sole quest and personality trait was to get married, a colossally dated, old-fashioned and frankly boring goal. Did we ever learn if she has a career? No. If she has any interests (other than shopping), passions or causes? No. Alas, she was just a flat cartoon. Next, we got 2 sexy showgirls. When one spoke, she sounded like Betty Boop. Later another 6 or so came out, wearing - big surprise - flesh colored bikinis. I was so irritated at this point I whipped out my Playbill to find my suspicions confirmed: the composer/lyricist, the book writer, the music director, the choreographer and the director are all men. Oh, and the AD and MD of the Paper Mill are both male as well. Next when Betsy was bartered like a chit, my friends and I all rolled our eyes at each other in disgust. When Act I ended with the song/admonition "Do Something," we took the actors' advice and did just that: we went home at intermission.

[VanillaIceCream2]

Posted: 12/20/14 at 2:11pm

prlny- i agree with you that the part of the mother is a pretty much unredeemable caricature. however, we do know that betsy's a schoolteacher. granted, we don't get much more information than that, but we also have no idea what jack does for a living or what his passions are. i guess the items listed in i love betsy could count, but those are just haphazard jokes tossed off. they don't really give an indication of his actual hobbies or interests. i'm not saying that excuses weak characterization; it's just an overall problem as opposed to one focused on the women. furthermore, what's wrong with a woman wanting to get married? it's clearly a choice betsy makes on her own and doesn't feel pressured into. she wants to get married for herself, not to fulfill some stupid perception of gender roles. there are many women, especially at age 31, who spend a lot of time thinking about marriage. when it's a character's only defining quality that's bad, but the desire to get married is not inherently a misogynistic character trait.

as far as the degrading vegas showgirl outfits--i have no argument there other than the fact that the outfits and "betty boop"-like women are likely what you would actually find in vegas. so it's more of a comment on the misogynistic culture and expectations surrounding las vegas as opposed to the views of the creative team.

so yes, the show is obviously not perfect, and god knows we could do with more women on creative teams, but i think a good portion of it is due more to a general lack of character development as opposed to simple misogyny.

[Kad]

Posted: 12/20/14 at 2:38pm

I had more issues with Mahi and "Friki-Friki" than anything else.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 12/20/14 at 5:38pm

From what I can see, the show is struggling - lots of papering going on. The abnormally long preview period means that if it gets good press, it'll be in the middle of January - one of the worst times of the year for Broadway. The two-month preview run of this is just baffling to me.

Kad, I asked the same question weeks ago and never heard any reason why?
Does anyone know why it's previewing for 2 months when no significant changes have been made since they started previews as it is pretty much the same show from Papermill? I just don't get what the producers are thinking? Yes, it is yet another new show struggling during previews with much of the house papered and tourists don't have this as one of their top shows to see as per a concierge friend.
Could GIGI be next for the Nederlander?
It's pretty much the same size theater as the Eisenhower @the Kennedy Ctr.

Thoughts?

Updated On: 12/20/14 at 05:38 PM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 12/20/14 at 5:40pm

I find the two month preview period interesting as well. I believe Beautiful did the same thing last season, didn't they? Both shows had out of town productions as well...

Updated On: 12/20/14 at 05:40 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/20/14 at 6:45pm

The 2 month preview period may be their undoing

The show is pretty much set. It has a great review from you know who. With that in hand & any set of decent reviews with pull quotes plus the familiarity with the movie, it should have a shot. Assuming they make it to opening, they really need reviews or it is a goner. Who though The Last Ship might outlast this. A 2 month preview period & during the Christmas season the new year is absolute insanity.

I really think high ticket prices are starting to have an effect. Add to that, the city has not been uber crowded like it normally is . The theater, while smaller than most is a plus but the location of it may have a negative effect. A shame as the show has a lot going for it but Broadway is getting more & more a rougher place.

Updated On: 12/20/14 at 06:45 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 12/20/14 at 7:07pm

Gigi is aiming for 15-16 as of now; I suppose it'd possible if there were a Nederlander-type opening before the spring (and they got positive notices in DC), it could happen sooner.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 12/21/14 at 11:23am

Hard to dislike, hard to see as an oft-revived classic. I give this show a shot because nothing else is out there for Honeymoon's adult target audience: an endearing cast, lively musical numbers, a lot of genuinely funny non-esoteric comedy. The 2nd Act number concerning the need for fifty percent of airline travelers from point A to point B needing a stopover in Atlanta got a good laugh out of me.

In my opinion, a better musical comedy than "Nice Work", but that show had real star-power.

In the last weeks of previews many a poor musical number has ben deleted and many a show-stopper added.

[BIG BALONEY]

Posted: 12/21/14 at 12:56pm

FOUND THIS SHOW TO BE A REAL DELIGHT. VERY ENTERTTAINING TIME WE HAD THERE THE OTHER NIGHT. IT IS AN UP HILL CLIMB AND I WISH THEM THE BEST.

[ethan231h]

Posted: 12/21/14 at 7:37pm

Just got home from the show today...


THE GOOD:
The score, JRB did it again, it is such a fun score that I will definitely have on repeat!

Rob McClure is giving a Tony winning performance and is so far the best leading actor in a musical this season.

Brynn O'Mally is also a standout giving a great performance!

Nancy Opel is literally the funniest thing about this production! She has great comedic timing with a great voice.

The lighting is fun and cool

The Ensemble is great, definitely Catherine Ricafort, Leslie Donna Flesner, Gaelen Gilliland, and Katie Webber

THE BAD:
Tony Danza was not that good compared to what i have expected from him. He just didn't give a good performance

THE STORY, OMG this show has absolutely no story. It is so bland and just boring. It is so out of the ordinary for a show in which the show takes places in the 21st century.

Tony's tap dancing, I mean it was good but had no meaning to the story.

The set. I was completely upset with Anna Louizos, She uses a lot of projections, which I was not impressed with. I understand that this is what Broadway has become but with her great works like Avenue Q, and In The Heights, I expected more.


I would say the theatre seemed pretty full. Yes, there was some seats not taken but not empty at all.
The audience really didn't seem to care for act 1 at all. But once Tony started tap dancing in act 2 they really got into it.

My real question is, how did Brantley give this a rave at Papermill?

Updated On: 12/21/14 at 07:37 PM

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 12/21/14 at 10:59pm

My real question: Why would a show that was tried out at Papermill and received a rave from Brantley schedule two months of previews before opening?

[philly03]

Posted: 12/21/14 at 11:34pm

I have no idea, but do you think the producers thought they would have decent sales through the remainder of 2014 and thought with an official opening night in January that that press/good reviews (since they know the reviews were good at Papermill) might generate the sales needed for a rough winter?

I'm going to assume another JRB flop, regardless. I found this music in this lackluster compared to his other works.

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 12/22/14 at 1:32am

I just think they didn't want to open around the holidays so they are just waiting til they are all over.

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 12/22/14 at 9:14am

As for the long preview period, I think they just didn't want to open at the holidays and get lost in that shuffle. And they grabbed the theatre when they could, since there was a real competition for available houses in the fall.

[little_sally]

Posted: 12/22/14 at 3:03pm

I'm not sure if anyone can answer this but have they made any changes at all in the last month of previews? From everyone's reports, it seems like they haven't.

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 12/22/14 at 3:15pm

I went on 12/3 and again on 12/17 and the flying elvis projections have now been turned in to projections and actual mini elvises (maybe they're wooden i'm not sure what they're made from) flying across the stage in front of the projection on wire. i thought it was funny. i spoke to brynn o'malley about that change and she said they had them at paper mill too but they were always getting tangled and crashing into each other off stage so they think they found a solution to it and thats why they're now back in the show. she also mentioned they're locking it in this week so no more changes...though...there aren't really many anyway so...

[Robbie2]

Posted: 12/22/14 at 5:37pm

Honeymoon in Vegas = HinV

[Seperite]

Posted: 12/22/14 at 7:40pm

Some more changes:

* - Early on in the previews, there was a character (presumably Jack's father) dancing with the mother in the opening scene in Brooklyn, and dressed in full Hasidic garb. (The mother, also, wore a head covering consistent with those worn by religious Jewish married women.) In the current iteration, the character looks like a hipster. The mother's whole "never get married" motif is likely a euphemism for the prototypical Jewish mother's admonition to "never get married...to a non-Jewish girl" sanitized for more general audiences. The original depiction of Jack's father as a Hasidic Jew was likely a wink-wink from JRB or the director to those who would understand what the nagging and neurotic mother was supposed to symbolize.

* - There is a brown-haired waitress at the hotel who fawns over Danza throughout the play, and has a couple of brief, flirtatious interactions with him. In the early previews, in the very last scene, that waitress changes her hair color to blond (matching Donna and Betsy's) and giggles flirtatiously at him again. Danza looks at her, has a moment of recognition that she, too, could be a stand-in for Donna, and walks off with her (marking his final exit in the show.)

In later previews, Danza rejects her advances and walks off sullenly, after blowing a kiss to Donna in heaven.

In the current iteration, the entire interaction with the waitress has been cut.

Personally, I preferred the earliest iteration, where he walks off with her. It hammers home the point that his relationship with Betsy was meaningless, and that any look-alike would do as a substitute for Donna. It underscores his sliminess, and makes the fact that Betsy ends up with her true beloved all the more satisfying.

* - Earlier previews had a sheikh character who was occupying Danza's favored suite at the time he first arrived at the hotel. He angrily admonishes a hotel employee to get rid of the sheikh so he can have his room back. The employee, scared, adheres to Danza's directive, and there's a brief exchange where he throws the sheikh out.

This whole sequence was cut. Now, the sheikh is one of the background characters who simply walks across the stage.

I assume this was cut for timing reasons, but in my view, it's a mistake. Tony Danza (the man and actor) is just too lovable a guy -- everyone's favorite stay-at-home Dad from Who's the Boss. Though Corman the character has to be somewhat charming and likable, he also has to be believable as a cunning gangster who doesn't care about others, and would stop at nothing to destroy someone else's life and essentially kidnap his wife. The sequence with the Sheikh does that, and compensates for the difficulty Danza the charming, dashing actor has depicting a gruff, selfish, gangster. It also comports nicely with the airline employee's later declaration that "the doors close as soon as Mr. Corman boards...we're terribly scared of him!" Now, that line is funny, but not really sensible. With the sheikh sequence in, it's a little more believable.

* - Earlier previews contained an extended sequence wherein Tony Danza's henchman, Johnny Sandwich, pays off a bellhop to tell him where Jack and Betsy's room was, and to deliver a letter inviting them to the poker game. All of that was cut. Now, the bellhop simply knocks on the door and hands Jack an invitation. Cutting out the setup scene certainly allows the gist of the story to progress more quickly, but it helped explain why Danza -- a guest in the hotel -- would have been able to host a poker game under the guise of it being an official hotel happening.

* - There's been an effort to ramp up some of the comedy in the piece. The line towards the end where, in desperation, Danza offers Betsy a million dollars to marry him used to take place on the floor of the hotel. Betsy reacts in disgust and tears herself away; it was a serious, seminal moment where she realizes who she's dealing with and finally decides to extricate herself from the mess. Now, that exchange occurs in an elevator, where another guest, hearing that Corman is offering a million dollars to a woman to marry him, raises her hand in nervous excitement in the hopes that she might be selected as an alternate. The audience eats up the moment...it's clever, funny, and works much better than the wholly serious way the moment was treated before.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 12/22/14 at 10:51pm

based on the overall word-of-mouth reviews, mixed with it's terrible grosses, Honeymoon in Vegas could easily close on January 16, 2015.

[Kad]

Posted: 12/22/14 at 11:32pm

I don't even have to have seen the cut Hasidic ensemble members in the opening number to know that they weren't intended to be Jack's parents or a "wink-wink" to anything but the fact that Brooklyn famously has a notable Hasidic population.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 12/22/14 at 11:54pm

You may find the story dull, but it wasn't invented here. The 1993 film Indecent Exposure, which starred Robert Redford and Demi Moore, and which won the Oscar for most hyped film of the year, involved a young couple in deep financial distress who go to Vegas to get well. Curiously, they do not win a million dollars at the games, but run into a very wealthy man who offers them a million dollars for a night with the wife.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 12:45am

Tons of seats available for Tuesday night 12/23...not looking good Honeymoon


http://www.ticketmaster.com/honeymoon-in-vegas-ny-new-york-new-york-12-23-2014/event/03004CD7F0B1E143?artistid=2009650&majorcatid=10002&minorcatid=207

Updated On: 12/23/14 at 12:45 AM

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 2:17am

went tonight, enjoyed this but what the hell were they thinking with a 2 month preview period, this should have opened the 2nd week of december rode the press to banging holidays sales and easily cleared through to spring, it now will be lucky to get out of January, even with raves.

side note Brynn said they froze the show on friday....so why do they still have 3 and a half weeks of previews? unless that rem our comes true that there moving up opening night.

Also the 1993 movie is Indecent Proposal not exposure

[Kad]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 8:29am

"You may find the story dull, but it wasn't invented here. The 1993 film Indecent Exposure, which starred Robert Redford and Demi Moore, and which won the Oscar for most hyped film of the year, involved a young couple in deep financial distress who go to Vegas to get well."

The story also played out in 1992's Honeymoon in Vegas.. which... this musical is adapted from.

[Jish]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 8:39am

It is easy to question the 2 month preview period when the show is struggling, however this is the exact same schedule Beautiful ran last year and it did just fine.

I think the producers expected with the buzz from Papermill and general holiday up-tick in business that they would do well enough during the holidays to survive and they would rather the press boost in January.

Obviously at this point it seems like a bad idea but the logic doesn't seem so crazy.