If/then Reviews- Page 8

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 7:53am

Bear in mind, the Daily News is but a blip on the Grey lady's radar but I love 2 lines from their review:

" "If" only Menzel had a better musical"
" If Menzel wasn't around with her big belt & mellow warmth, there would be no reason to visit at all"

Ouch.

Nothing worse than a highly anticipated musical falling flat on it's face. Does anyone remember "Nick & Nora"?

[haterobics]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 7:57am

Et tu, Roxy? All you did was question what use critics have when it pertained to mixed Rocky reviews? Now they're geniuses? Which is it?

[Theater'sBestFriend]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 8:08am

"I don't want to get into a whole queer theory debate over bisexual invisibility, so I'll let you read its Wiki page instead."

Thanks for letting me have the reference. But it is actually you who are being unduly categorical when you infer a binary meaning about sexual identity in a sentence clearly about behavior and feelings.

[haterobics]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 8:31am

I have never successfully argued on behalf of greater bisexual or transgender inclusion in a way that couldn't (and didn't) then get turned back on me as being in the wrong. It's a discussion I never enjoy or succeed at, so I'll leave the bisexual invisibility policing to others in the future.

Updated On: 3/31/14 at 08:31 AM

[haterobics]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 8:36am

Anthony Rapp weighs in on the Critical Confusion surrounding If/Then on his Tumblr site...

Critical Confusion

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 9:35am

Rapp is responding in a nice, but defensive manner.He doesn't understand yet that audiences are responding to performances, not necessarily the material. Also, people will blow smoke up actor's asses at the stage door. Actors don't get a real take on things unless they read reviews or message boards. Also, actors spend so much time with the material they assume everyone gets it as well as them. We don't.

And he is right-they are very lucky they have Idina. That's why this show was fast tracked to Broadway. Idina isn't going to do years more of workshops. She can't.

It's a shame because the cast is great-the material is subpar. Brantley got this EXACTLY right for once.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 10:43am

I hope, for Rapp's sake, he one day stops reading reviews and learns to take audience reactions with a grain of salt. The reality is, when you have a star like Idina, people will react with enthusiasm. She could walk on stage and then lay down and take a nap, and her fan base would probably still be giddy with delight that they are seeing her live on stage. So an enthusiastic audience response in this case doesn't mean the show is high quality, or even that they are responding to the material itself.

And at the same time, I am someone who was moved by this piece and enjoyed it quite a bit, but I also can't disagree with the sentiment of most of the criticism the professional critics are putting out there. Contrary to Rapp's post, I think it's possible to see the value in a piece WHILE being critical of it. And as BettyBoy said, as actors we are always closer to the material than the audience and we are emotionally invested in it, so we never do see it with 20/20 vision. I'm always confused when a professional in Rapp's position reads reviews and then tries to make sense of them. Just focus on doing the best work you can, man...




Updated On: 3/31/14 at 10:43 AM

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 10:52am

"Rapp is responding in a nice, but defensive manner.He doesn't understand yet that audiences are responding to performances, not necessarily the material."

"So an enthusiastic audience response in this case doesn't mean the show is high quality, or even that they are responding to the material itself."

Or maybe (shocker), the audience members who don't post here have a different opinion than yours.

[jkstheatrescene]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 10:52am

I find Brantley's "review" to be a waste of space. NOT because we don't agree (I loved the show), but because, as usual, it is a non-review: 80% plot summary, 15% "look at me being clever and referencing pop culture," and 5% review (which is generous, especially since he mentions exactly 9 words about Idina's actual performance in the show - "shiny-voiced" and "brings an anxious intensity to a featherweight role" and a total of 5 words - 6 if you count "handsome" which describes the doctor character, not James Snyder, really - to critique the supporting cast. LaChanze is "utterly charming". Anthony Rapp is "low-key." And Jason Tam and Jenn Colella are "equally cute."

As I said, I don't care for his "review" for its lack of being one, NOT because I liked IF/THEN and he didn't.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 10:53am

Mattbrain....and again, we'll see what kind of life this material has after Idina leaves.

[SomeOtherMe]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 10:54am

I don't understand why Rapp even cares all the much. He's been in the business long enough to know that NOTHING you do will be loved by everyone. Obviously I understand that they'd like everyone to fall in love with it, but the show got good enough reviews to at least get some good pull quotes from, and it certainly wasn't completely panned by any means. I highly doubt the mixed response will have any type of drastic effect on this show anyways. That remains to be seen, of course, but it's completely out of their control either way. Just do the best you can and have a good time.

Updated On: 3/31/14 at 10:54 AM

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 11:16am

The fact Rapp took time at all to respond shows his defensiveness. Who even does that? Most actors just keep their head down and do the work. He just has to get his two cents in.

[LYLS3637]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 11:18am

I prefer Brantley's "If you don't have anything nice to say..." approach as opposed to Variety's over-the-top and ridiculous pan.

Sure the show isn't perfect-- underdeveloped characters and plot devices out of left field-- but the feeling of watching a wholly unique and original musical where I was blind to the entire story's arc was thrilling.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 11:27am

I think Brantley nicely referenced the over the top, schmaltzy greeting card lyrics without being cruel. It was a Lifetime movie on stage.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 11:32am

After seeing the show in DC, Anthony Rapp was one actor who I thought was expendable in this production. He just annoyed me whenever he was on stage.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 11:48am

Ugh, Rapp is at it again. He's seriously one of the most unprofessional annoying actors on Broadway. No wonder he hardly gets hired to do new shows.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 11:56am

Yeah, don'tcha just hate actors who get frustrated when their hard work gets shat on.

[jdrye222]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 12:00pm

I have to agree that Rapp posting this is wildly unprofessional. I find it strange that the show's press people would allow this kind of behavior from any actor .... They usually keep tight reins on what actors post on social media at this kind of critical time in a show's life. I even know of shows where actors were reprimanded for posting a photo of the "in/out" sheet on the call board because they didn't want the public seeing how often everyone was missing shows.

Not to mention ---- many actors don't want to know what is in reviews. So, assuming that any of his colleagues in the show look at his Tumblr, they now have to carry that information they may not have wanted when they get back to the theater. It's insensitive at the very least.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 12:02pm

Remember Rapp joined BWW to defend the ReNt film and he was the biggest whiniest baby if you didn't just adore the movie.

His act hasn't changed much.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 12:05pm

"Yeah, don'tcha just hate actors who get frustrated when their hard work gets shat on."

But he wasn't even shat on. It just seems like he can't take criticism lightly. He has every right to be frustrated that people aren't liking his show, but why even bother posting about it on social media? He just comes off as whiny and defensive. Updated On: 3/31/14 at 12:05 PM

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 12:06pm

Ok, fine, I'll renege that previous comment.

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 12:19pm

I don't know how I feel about Rapp. I wish he wasn't playing a Bohemian once again and I definitely did not like his character in the show (although that one song that went "ain't no man Manhatten" or something was catchy). He just seems very angry and tense to me all of the time. Even in the RENT film he never seemed relaxed and looking like he was enjoying himself. Which is unfortunate to see! I understand him wanting to speak his time, but I feel like after the show is closed is the time when you normally see actors reveal how they felt about the whole process. Now is the time to focus on you and doing what you can do to help your show.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 12:22pm

Look at the up side 're Brantlley

He was there at least. In addition, it appears he may not have prejudged the show before he came in. People need to distance themselves from their perpetual love fest for her and actually look at the show.

Updated On: 3/31/14 at 12:22 PM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 12:39pm

"Look at the up side 're Brantlley

He was there at least. In addition, it appears he may not have prejudged the show before he came in. People need to distance themselves from their perpetual love fest for her and actually look at the show."

You realize people could say the same thing about you and Rocky? You thought Brantley and all the critics were wrong when it came to Rocky, but now you are defending them... I'm not being snarky, I just don't understand.

[Rcaps]

Posted: 3/31/14 at 12:40pm

I stop reading the review when they say they are confused by the timelines....I mean if you aren't smart enough to tell these things apart then you shouldn't be a critic to begin with, so don't bother writing 14 paragraphs about how the whole thing didn't make sense to you....we don't care about how your brain can't process that much information.
As for Brantley....i'm dissapointed....was that a bad review? an ok review? a " i dont wanna make the same mistake i did with Wicked review" ?