IN MY LIFE REVIEWS- FIRST PREVIEW — Page 6

As a writer of musicals, I have to admit that a part of me winces when I read reviews that totally ridicule someone else's work because I know how hard it is to write a musical. However, all these comments are reminding me of the worst, most hilarious musical I ever sat through. It was in London and it was "Bernadette! the musical" about the life of Bernadette, the Cathlic saint.

Set in France in the 1700s (?), it began with a big choir in hooded black robes singing a Gregorian chant. Suddenly the set parted to reveal a little village not unlike the opening scene in the movie of "Beauty and Beast" to the accompaniment of go-go bells (think "Copacabana"). And from there it went positively downhill. What made it hard for us was that we were at the very last performance and everyone around us was watching it like they were in church. We were laughing so hard at the attempts to be serious and religious -- like when they rolled out her cave-niche onto the stage and it looked like a squashed donut -- that we were upsetting everyone around us.

Ah, life. I'm just sorry I'm not there to see In My Life.

Now, has Margo put a review yet?

Cathywellerstein, may I suggest that you get an early start and create your "In My Life: A PLEA" thread right now. I'm imagining something along the lines of, "If you like lemons, pirates or skeletons, PLEASE give 'In My Life' a chance! The actors work REALLY hard!"

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thanks smartpenguin!

As for Brooks, he has complete confidence in the power of the project: "When we did a workshop last year, people walked out crying. Men, women, sobbing. This show has a huge power."
In My Life Article from Broadway.com

Agree, I couldn't stop crying from laughing THAT HARD.

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Bring tissues. I don't ever recall crying with laughter to that extent before.

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totally agree Margo. bring tissues and i wish i had brought a pad and paper...to jot down those dreadful lyrics.

I reached in my pocket, grabbed a pen and scribbled the following in my Playbill -- I won't give the context so as not to spoil it for others:

"If I could come back just one more time
I would watch out for that "One Way" sign ....."

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That's OK, I am pretty sure Dean Pitchford is the only lyricist in history to rhyme "attitude" with "screwed."

hahaha FindingNamo hahahaha, that's so true.

Keep the reviews coming, I think this show is like a car crash. Ithink curiousity will keep this show alive for a while. The fact that nobody knows how to describe it or explain it. I mean hell, i'm willing to fly to NYC to see it right now hahah.

"So could someone tell us how that great ditty, MY MOTHER'S SON works in the concept of the show?"

It doesn't. JT is explaining to Jenny that it was his mother who taught him about music. Then he sings the song while his mother appears behind a scrim on the wall ala Pillowman. She is standing in a kitchen and, as stated before, is for some reason dressed like it is the 50s. She keeps waving to an invisible person playing in the backyard, probably JT. It was one of those moments when the show stopped dead so someone could sing and not move the plot forward at all.

So there's no intermission? Is there not going to be an intermission ever? how long does the show run?

And no one here yet seems to want to ask the question:

Why is JT's family Puerto Rican??? I mean...Christopher J. Hanke is as Nazi youth as you get. But mom and sis seemed from a different ethnic background.

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