Posted: 5/11/18 at 1:02am
Posted: 5/11/18 at 1:10am
I think people get too caught up in what a musical is. This is def. a musical. The songs propel the plot forward. But, it's not some big, splashy musical. It's soft. It's quiet. But oh is it gorgeous. Maybe I'm just a sucker, but I was bawling by the time "Answer Me" happened. I just found the search for connection so fresh in these days of online dating apps, etc. I don't know. I fell head over heels for it. I think it's gorgeous. I can see why someone might not like it, but I think it deserves every award this season. Sure, it's not an "original" musical, but it's pretty damn original. A producer would have to be insane to make this a commercial property, but here we are! I hope it wins every award at the Tonys.
Posted: 5/11/18 at 9:05am
poisonivy2 said: "No way. Both Fun Home and DEH packed an emotional wallop the way TBV just didn't."
As Kad mentioned above, The Band's Visit bested Dear Evan Hansen in a few awards where their off-Broadway productions went head-to-head last year, including the Lucille Lortel Awards. [I had originally listed the Obies here, too, but DEH was considered - and won - for the previous season.]
Updated On: 5/11/18 at 09:05 AM
Posted: 5/11/18 at 9:33am
Dancingthrulife2 said: "I feel The Band's Visit has a tad too much comedy in the beginning. I loved it the second time after knowing what to expect, but the comedy part threw me off when I first saw it and didn't warm me up for the emotions that I was so taken by revisiting the show."
Interesting, I had the opposite effect. I think the humor made the characters relatable and humanized them to help the audience really understand and care about them in the beginning, which in turn set up the heart breaking moments throughout the rest of the show and made them more effective from the audiences perspective.
Posted: 5/11/18 at 10:45am
I have to say, I'd be heartbroken if by some chance it didn't win Best Musical. I saw it Tuesday night and have been playing the cast recording on a loop. I just close my eyes on the subway and let the music carry me away. (And yes, I'm a native New Yorker so I know when I can close my eyes on the subway.)
Posted: 5/11/18 at 12:00pm
I always thought musicals were plays with music. Musicals obviously have their own needs that should be met to be successful and their own unique obstacles with form and execution and storytelling but they are essentially plays told through song and/or dance. I don’t think there needs to be much of a separation between the two except for awards considerations like the Tonys.
Updated On: 5/11/18 at 12:00 PM
Posted: 5/11/18 at 3:46pm
Speaking of the Tony's, I saw the show the day the nominations were announced. That evening, all the signage around the theatre were already changed to reflect the Tony nominations it has gotten. It's amazing how fast those were put up.
Posted: 5/11/18 at 4:03pm
Saw the show last week. Meh. While the performances were all very good, I found the show to be slight and unremarkable, and the music unmemorable. Grumblings from many disappointed theatergoers were overhead upon exiting. Unfortunately, it will most likely win the Tony for Best Musical, but only because it's been such a weak season.
Posted: 5/11/18 at 4:19pm
TexanAddams18 said: "Dancingthrulife2 said: "I feel The Band's Visit has a tad too much comedy in the beginning. I loved it the second time after knowing what to expect, but the comedy part threw me off when I first saw it and didn't warm me up for the emotions that I was so taken by revisiting the show."
Interesting, I had the opposite effect. I think the humor made the characters relatable and humanized them to help the audience really understand and care about them in the beginning, which in turn set up the heart breaking moments throughout the rest of the show and made them more effective from the audiences perspective."
I think it has to do with one's sense of humor and taste. I'm not a big fan of comedy when it does not have much of the oomph of the truth of life or smart connections between two seemingly different ideas. I think the first thing and the town people community song are a little too broad for my taste, although not mindless. The tone they set up didn't prepare me to take what is going to happen seriously during my first viewing. But knowing the material better, I was able to catch the little things under the guise of comedy that I missed the first time and finally warmed up to the beauty of the show.
Posted: 5/11/18 at 4:35pm
TexanAddams18 said: "Dancingthrulife2 said: "I feel The Band's Visit has a tad too much comedy in the beginning. I loved it the second time after knowing what to expect, but the comedy part threw me off when I first saw it and didn't warm me up for the emotions that I was so taken by revisiting the show."
Interesting, I had the opposite effect. I think the humor made the characters relatable and humanized them to help the audience really understand and care about them in the beginning, which in turn set up the heart breaking moments throughout the rest of the show and made them more effective from the audiences perspective."
TexanAddams, I felt the same way. The humor really humanized the story. As much as I loved the poetry of so much of the book and lyrics, I think if that wittiness wasn't there, the whole thing would've felt pretentious to me. Instead, it felt grounded.
The only thing I hated was that
New York Magazine spoiled in their review that Dina ultimately hooks up with Haled. The fact that I knew that going in... I felt cheated out of the "will they or won't they" tension between Dina & Tewfiq, and took away so much of that crucial scene for me. To me, that desperate moment was such an unexpected, heartbreaking climax of everything we had experienced with these characters - I really am mad at NYMag that they would so carelessly ruin that pivotal moment for their readers.
Updated On: 5/11/18 at 04:35 PM
Posted: 5/11/18 at 6:11pm
