IN TRANSIT Previews- Page 2

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 11/11/16 at 11:05pm

I was at the second preview tonight and there are plenty of problems with the piece, but overall I found it pleasantly floptastic. The cast is largely appealing; the music, lyrics and book much less so. 

I'm with Queen Alice in that I usually think a little A Cappella goes a long way, and really is having an all-A Cappella musical much more than a marketing gimmick? They're sure pushing it as the selling point, but one could also orchestrate a score to only use kazoos and recorders and be the first all kazoo and recorder musical, but so what? There's got to be more to a show than a gimmick. 

A big problem with the A Cappella genre as a theatrical score is due to the general sameness of the beatbox cadence the songs all share a similar tempo and feel. You get a general easy-listening/adult contemporary radio station vibe without too much change up in aural experience. 

Another thing with 8 (or I believe they have stated up to 11 part harmony?) is that if the sound design isn't exactly 100% perfect, all those intricate harmonies sound muddled. Now I know sound needs adjustments in early previews at all Broadway shows, but I wonder if it is even humanly possible to amplify the voices to the heights they desire and make it all crystal clear. If they want to go for gimmicks maybe this should have been the A Cappella, amplification-free show too. 

The next issue in this now apparent laundry list of issues is that these four(!!) authors never met a cliche they weren't in love with and prepared to unleash on the audience until it was beaten like a dead horse. (I can use cliches too!) The whole show reminded me of "Lost" from Leap of Faith, where Kecia Lewis-Evans sang that never ending list of metaphors about life being dead end streets and not seeing off ramps ahead. (She also later sang a lyric in another song: life is a highway to god's own address/some take it local and some go express.) 

The opening number of In Transit is called "Not There Yet." The trains are all delayed and all the characters are running late, but you see it's really a metaphor for not having your life figured out as much as you thought you would. Get it? 

The worst offender is "The Moving Song" in which Erin Mackey's life/train is stuck and she needs to "move on" and she keeps singing "time to move on." Unfortunately for this show we already have a song in the canon called "Move On" and drawing attention to this by having her sing Dot's phrase over and over is ill-advised. 

What keeps this show in the pleasantly floptastic category and not the embarrassment flop category is the winning cast. Margo Seibert was very good, as were Justin Guarini and Telly Leung. Mackey has an annoying character to play, but she does well with what she's asked to do. 

The stories all develop and the characters tangentially are connected, but they rarely intersect and the intersections come almost exclusively in the book scenes rather than the musical moments. Justin and Telly's plot in particular is very isolated from the rest. 

 

Updated On: 11/11/16 at 11:05 PM

[Damiensta]

Posted: 11/11/16 at 11:23pm

I was at tonite's show and this is complete off Broadway show

no way a person is going to pay full price or should

i wish them the best but don't see it lasting

the good - main cast is very good . And have certain moments to shine.

Like whizzer mentioned the sound mixing needs serious work. Specially the first song. I didn't understand a single word. There is no catchy songs. I can't remember one single song.

 

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 12:28am

Does the design do anything?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 7:49am

The design is a subway station with ticket booth and turnstiles on an upper level; a set of staircases leads down to both Uptown and Downtown platforms. This main set doesn't move, but there is a conveyor between the two platforms where the track would be. It shuttles actors on and off, as well as an assortment of props and subway seats. 

Happiness was such a better musical- certainly a better score- and the ideas presented, while not always perfect were more interesting than the pedestrian, literal approach taken by In Transit. 

I also agree with Damiensta this should be an off-Broadway show. I think it could be cute at New World Stages charging $49/39 a ticket, but on Broadway at $159/149 you just have to laugh. (The last two rows are discounted to $129/119 and $99/89 respectively.) 

Updated On: 11/12/16 at 07:49 AM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 8:41am

I think Damiensta said it perfectly. This show should of landed off-Broadway. I just don't see this selling well even with good reviews.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 9:14am

Regarding the sound design- I wonder if the physics of doing a capella singing in the round are a little bit insurmountable. That style requires the ear to receive the total blend of the voices to hear "music" -- they probably thought the intimacy of the space was an asset but since in that configuration, audience members are always going to be closer to certain individual singers- that always means the audience is always going to hear the "blend" disproportionately wherever they sit. Kind of like viewing a Seurat painting in a narrow hallway.

I wonder if this actually would have been more successful a concept in a traditional proscenium house with more unified space between performers and audience.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 9:20am

I agree with your thinking, but two things:

In Transit isn't staged full in the round. The theater is in Soul Doctor/Glory Days configuration.

Normally the balance would be thrown off by being closer to a certain singer, but the mics are turned up enough that you hear the sound coming out of the speakers rather than from the singers' mouths. I'm sure they thought this would be a way to control the blend, but it's causing a muddied effect instead. 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 9:37am

Ah thanks for clarifying Whizzer. I guess my thought would then be aligned with your earlier comment- what's the point of doing an a capella musical if it's so amplified it feels like canned music. But hopefully they get that worked out- if they were able to get a clear sound design at the immersive Comet- hopefully they can make it work here.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 9:38am

Everything Whizzer said was relayed (with far less articulated and savvy specificity) by those I talked to. There seems to be a head-scratching obviousness to the central metaphor and its many iterations. I'm remembering how much the "If/This" score, at least in subject and lyric, was taken to task for over employing the core idea there, manifest baldly in the title. Here do we have the same dilemma? A conceit so over-developed it loses its ability to illustrate new truths?  Is If/Then remotely a parallel? (I liked that score, full disclosure, while accepting all reservations about these very issues -- overly emphatic usage of metaphor.)   

I was waiting fore Whizzer's take, and it's told me a great deal. Thank you.

Updated On: 11/12/16 at 09:38 AM

[Pootie2]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 10:01am

WhizzerMarvin said: "
A big problem with the A Cappella genre as a theatrical score is due to the general sameness of the beatbox cadence the songs all share a similar tempo and feel. You get a general easy-listening/adult contemporary radio station vibe without too much change up in aural experience. 
"

Thanks for the detailed report, Whizzer; I was waiting for your take on it as well. Your point above was something I felt listening to the two sample songs, but I wasn't sure how the rest of the show might sound like. If the score is indeed too much of the same, that doesn't bode well even if the book was better, I'd think.

I thought about If/Then too, Auggie, and perhaps If/Then plus In Transit would end up being Sliding Doors. The extended metaphor mirrored in nearly every If/Then song was certainly criticized, but I wonder if In Transit's presentation is even more mundane.

In Transit did start out as an off-Broadway show, but maybe it should have gone to a nonprofit theatre with subscription base? Well, I hope they get the sound issues sorted out, at least. I'm curious how the show might change by the end of the preview period.

Updated On: 11/12/16 at 10:01 AM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 10:50am

Auggie and Pootie, re: If/Then comparisons, I think the If/Then score isn't even the same league of belabored metaphor that In Transit finds itself in. Plus, the characters in the former were far more dynamic and interesting, not to mention Kitt and Yorkey's score was highly varied in terms or tempo, style, comedy songs, duets, quartets, solos, etc. Yes, there were a few far too obvious metaphors in If/Then, but even those occurrences didn't stick out like the sore thumbs that plague In Transit. 

And discussing further the lack of variety in In Transit's score, for as much as they are touting that this is Broadway's first A Cappella musical, the creators certainly didn't explore the form at all. For example, no one is given a solo alone on stage, completely unaccompanied by the ensemble's harmonies.Telly and Justin have one of the rare slow tempo duets late in the show and it could have easily been just two male unaccompanied voices- risky for sure- but more interesting. No trios. No quartets.

A Cappella music doesn't have to equal Rockapella singing a Folger's commercial or your standard 8 part glee club harmonies backing up a solo singer, the latter being the mold for basically every In Transit number. If you do want to explore a genre not often (or ever) seen on Broadway in this capacity then take the opportunity to really innovate and explore the genre. This is the safest, most expected way A Cappella could be used. 

Updated On: 11/12/16 at 10:50 AM

[Pootie2]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 12:44pm

WhizzerMarvin said: "Auggie and Pootie, re: If/Then comparisons, I think the If/Then score isn't even the same league of belabored metaphor that In Transit finds itself in. Plus, the characters in the former were far more dynamic and interesting, not to mention Kitt and Yorkey's score was highly varied in terms or tempo, style, comedy songs, duets, quartets, solos, etc. Yes, there were a few far too obvious metaphors in If/Then, but even those occurrences didn't stick out like the sore thumbs that plague In Transit. 

Thanks for the clarification. That's what I suspected in terms of difference just from your description, and I really did enjoy the If/Then score for its variety... As for a cappella variety--




And discussing further the lack of variety in In Transit's score, for as much as they are touting that this is Broadway's first A Cappella musical, the creators certainly didn't explore the form at all. For example, no one is given a solo alone on stage, completely unaccompanied by the ensemble's harmonies.Telly and Justin have one of the rare slow tempo duets late in the show and it could have easily been just two male unaccompanied voices- risky for sure- but more interesting. No trios. No quartets.

A Cappella music doesn't have to equal Rockapella singing a Folger's commercial or your standard 8 part glee club harmonies backing up a solo singer, the latter being the mold for basically every In Transit number. If you do want to explore a genre not often (or ever) seen on Broadway in this capacity then take the opportunity to really innovate and explore the genre. This is the safest, most expected way A Cappella could be used. 

"

Very interesting point. That's really unfortunate and sounds like a big missed opportunity. I don't hear much a cappella (I agree in general with those who say a little goes a long way), but milking/muddling an 8-11-part harmony on top of the overall gimmick all the time would tire out my ears. I'm not musically academic enough to speak of diverse styles that might be used in a score (e.g. Kitt and Yorkey), but merely changing the number of voices seems like an easy way to add variety.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 2:07pm

I was afraid to say "a little goes a long way" about A Capella, because once sustained, it's not inherently theatrical unless great care is given to inject variety.  Sound like that's not the case (great variety), sadly.  Someone said that this show's ascendancy and landing on B'way is part of a post-HAMILTON world, the need to create musical theater around non-traditional musical genres.  I'm not sure that modeling works.  We'll find out. But those of us who remember a post-HAIR world recall how B'way was littered with failed rock musicals. Most did not succeed. 

[leefowler]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 2:51pm

Updated On: 11/12/16 at 02:51 PM

[@z5]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 2:54pm

can anyone give seat recommendations for this show?

[Up In One]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 3:19pm

"I also agree with Damiensta this should be an off-Broadway show. I think it could be cute at New World Stages charging $49/39 a ticket, but on Broadway at $159/149 you just have to laugh. (The last two rows are discounted to $129/119 and $99/89 respectively.)"

Have you seen the ticket prices at New World Stages and off-Broadway in general? Ave Q $75 - $125 everything else is $50 to $80/$90.  With the movement towards raising off-Broadway salaries New World will be charging B'Way prices. soon.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 4:14pm

@z5, I think every seat is probably a good seat in this U-shaped configuration. I sat on the left side (when facing the stage) of the U, and I had a great, clear view of everything. 

Up In One, honestly I don't think I've ever seen anything at New World Stages that wasn't on tdf, so I guess I always associate that complex with cheaper prices, but you're right that off-Broadway doesn't always equal cheaper prices. Hell, the two most expensive tickets I will have purchased this fall will be for Sweet Charity and Othello. I guess I'm just saying I personally didn't find this show worth more than $50- whether that's actually sustainable in an off-Broadway commercial environment is another story. 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 4:41pm

When I was buying tickets for my upcoming trip I was honestly shocked at how expensive off-Broadway shows were.

Too bad this is a floperoo. They could have gone full out and not only touted it as the first A Capella musical but also the first unamplified show since 1971.

[Fantod]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 5:22pm

What are you seeing for your upcoming trip Mr. Nowack?

[trpguyy]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 7:17pm

You know what's more boring/tedious than 90 minutes of a cappella singing? 90 minutes of unamplified a cappella singing. At least there can be sonic variety with the sound -- octavizers for the bass, splitting the vocal percussion (beat boxing) into multiple channels for processing to make it sound more like drums, etc. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 8:53pm

I mean Penatonix have made a career of it and their live show is very impressive and cool. This sounds dull. Debating on if it's even worth sitting through. 

[trpguyy]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 9:26pm

RippedMan said: "I mean Penatonix have made a career of it and their live show is very impressive and cool. This sounds dull. Debating on if it's even worth sitting through. "

Agreed. I will point out, however, that PTX got their start by covering popular songs, and still do in their concerts. They have original material now of course, but I doubt they would have been successful if they started out with songs no one had ever heard before. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 9:37pm

Sure, I don't think anyone's arguing that! Just saying why not use technogly to our advantage? Imagine mixing the sounds of the city with live singing and how cool that could be to create a composition. Sounds like the composers here just muddled everything. 

So there's no througline? Just vignettes?

[rclocalz]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 10:47pm

I sat in C 201 today and thought it was a perfect view. I understand what folks were saying about story, plot, music and such... but to be honest I enjoyed myself. I found it entertaining and briskly moved along. It's not Chekhov or anything, but I found the characters to be quite relatable. I think they are steadily making improvements to the sound as well. Not a smash hit, but an enjoyable time.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 11/12/16 at 11:06pm

No, there are througlines for each character, as well as tangential connections between all the storylines. Here's the basic step-up:

Justin and Telly are a gay couple who have recently gotten engaged. Trouble is, Justin's mother is a religious homophobe and he has never been able to come out to her. Their plotline deals with planning the wedding- which should be the event that brings all the characters together- but it's completely wasted opportunity. 

Justin plays a Broadway agent and Margo is one of his clients. She's been temping for years and waiting for her big break. She has a promising audition, but struggles with whether or not she should still even be pursuing this dream. 

Erin is a friend of Justin and Telly who has been invited to their wedding. She moved to NYC for a guy and now they've broken up. Sitcom style, she has thrown herself into running and with little more than a month's preparation she decides to run the marathon. (The nadir of this plot is Erin singing how she's running, running, running- but towards what????) 

James Snyder is the only character not connected to Justin and Telly. He plays a former Wall Street type who was fired and is now broke. He's trying to figure out his professional career as well as his love life. He meets Margo at a bar and they hit it off, but due to some more sitcom hijinx she can't get in touch with him again. 

The logical thing would be for James and Margo to meet up again at the wedding. Not only that but it would finally put all out swirling characters in the same place, but it doesn't happen. We find out their fates in a brief montage epilogue that's tacked on the end. 

None of it is that exciting or original. I mean, can't you see Monica on Friends getting dumped by some guy and then she becomes psychotically with running and wins the marathon? I could also see Max and Caroline on 2 Broke Girls doing the same, except they would drink before hand and end up puking in the bushes after a mile. To her credit, Mackey does everything she possibly can with the part and her voice has never sounded stronger.