It Shoulda Been You Previews- Page 3

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/17/15 at 11:44pm

Speaking of, I wonder what the budget on this thing was.

It doesn't seem like a huge musical production wise (although from the few pictures I saw the pre-show stage looked nice!) and it seems like they've gathered themselves a big 'ol list of (Broadway familiar) names to make it seem like an "all-star" cast. I, too, am wondering what some of the big guys' were thinking with this one.

[RW3]

Posted: 3/17/15 at 11:51pm

I actually forgot that Holler even happened. Oops.

[TimesSquared]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 12:04am

All I could think was "How in hell did this ever get on a Broadway stage?" And "What bored rich people thought they could play producer and win a Tony with the likes of this?"

My jaw was on the floor for most of the show. The music, lyrics and book are the work of rank amateurs. Every tune was derivative, every lyric clunky, every joke dead, every try for emotion hollow. It is truly unbelievable to behold.

That duet for the groom and his father was one of the most embarrassing things I've ever witnessed on any stage. Ever. I almost couldn't bear to watch it.

A lot of talented actors must owe David Hyde Pierce big, big favors.

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 12:20am

The ads for the show give the impression of a harmless bit of fluff with a story that anyone should be able to foretell even before entering the theatre. The reality is quite different. The show presents us with a group of characters who are none too nice saying ugly and hurtful things, while others engage in a deceit that is neither easily explained nor swallowed. What should have been a pleasant entertainment turns out to be an unpalatable sourmash. The completely undistinguished score offers no relief from the sorry book.

A cast of top-notch performers founders in the mess. Their talents deserve so much better.

[bekk99]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 7:06am

I'll echo Whizzer that a good description for a lot of the problems here is "doesn't make sense." The plot, character's motivations, the lyrics, etc.

I'll be really curious to get the impression of someone who has seen both this version and the previous incarnation to see what sort of changes were made and if they helped, at all.

Hey, if it ends up being a big crowd-pleaser, kudos to the team. It'll just be a mystery to me as to why.

For those who care about this kind of thing, NPH was ushered in right before curtain to a seat in the middle of the house. He seemed to be one of the few, myself included, that was in no hurry to rise and give this the seemingly requisite standing ovation.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 7:38am

I find myself thinking, "I know what the twist is," just reading the outline of the plot and the way it's discussed. Is that part of the evening, such as it is being reported, the realization that something guessed early proves true later? There are only so many twists. I mean, unless Michael Keaton walks on in a bird costume, I'm fairly certain many of us have ascertained the arena of the twist.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 7:49am

Auggie, I will spoil the twist below, but if anyone is planning on seeing the show I would suggest not reading it...


SPOILERS ON THE TWIST********************************************


At the midway point of the show Boggess and Burtka actually do get married, despite Josh Grisetti (Boggess' ex) showing up in an attempt to stop the wedding.

Boggess and Burtka slip away to a private room with Glover and Splanger (the co-maid of honor and best man) and proceed to start kissing their gay pairing. Yes, they both are gay and in 2015 decided to have a huge sham wedding so Burtka could obtain access to his trust fund, which his bigoted grandfather only would allow to happen after he married a woman.

The plot point is so ludicrous and far-fetched, and of course negates most of what we just saw in the proceeding first half. As much as Boggess tries to explain her actions it's just too much to believe. The show turns from campiness to Boggess singing a coming out ballad. It's just all over the place, throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks and all that's left at the end of the night is a messy wall and a pile of spaghetti on the floor.


END SPOILERS**************************************************

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 8:17am

^Wow. That makes no sense whatsoever.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 8:22am

Thank you, Whizzer. I guessed about 60% of it. We'll leave it there.

MILD SPOILER SPECULATION

Even before I read the plot reports here, I suspected there was some component in the tale that would whet the appetites of this particular constellation of stars and collaborators, i.e. people probably not interested in a "Love, American Style"/"Loveboat" B'way musical, but who might sign on to something with 2015 resonance tucked within. It sounds like "Love, American Style" after all, which only proves that merely incorporating hot button sociopolitical elements doesn't move material past its mediocre models.

[tazber]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 8:27am

I kinda think that's a pretty clever twist.


Whizzer, thanks as always for your thoughtful review. Your experience is pretty much what I was expecting from the clips I've seen.

Would you be able to go into more detail about the score?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 8:39am

It's hard to say much about the score because most of it is so forgettable.

Musically the tunes aren't very hummable, which is a detriment in a show like this. Just your generic wannabe showtunes; a little derivative of JRB, Lippa and other modern composers, but a much blander, distilled version.

As I mentioned, there are six lyricists credited and the words range from adequate and generic to embarrassing. Very obvious rhymes, no wit or panache. They are serviceable and nothing more.

Howard has a big, brassy number in the middle of the show, that even Daly, who overhears the beginning of song asks Howard, "Why are you singing like a big black lady?"

In recent seasons I would compare it most to the sound of First Date.

[tazber]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 8:43am

Thanks!

I'm curious about this solely for the cast. The story, authors, and "look" of the show just aren't exciting me.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 9:15am

Whizzer, thanks as always for your full astute report.

"It makes a flop like Leap of Faith look like Death of a Salesman. "

Can they put that on the front of house?

[newintown]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 9:40am

The name not being mentioned, credited not only with the music, but also the "concept" is one Barbara Anselmi, a respectable adept off-off-broadway musical director for many, many years. Her music here is easy to listen to, and very much in the vein of lesser William Finn or David Shire. With a better book and lyrics, she might look better.

Anselmi, a white woman of a certain girth, has created a "concept" about the triumph of a white woman of a certain girth here. The show, despite the high-end supporting cast (and the abundance of material given to them) is Lisa Howard's.

Unfortunately, as pointed out extensively already, the show makes no sense. I actually thought it was drawing to a close when the "twist" happened, which seemed to me to be more than an hour into the evening, everything up to that having been "set-up."

There are some OK sit-com/you-see-it-coming-long-before-it-lands style gags; schtick that was already old when Will Kemp was clowning it up for Shakespeare.

There are only 9 players in the pit (2 of them on keyboards), which contributes to the impression that this is a little Off-Broadway show that wandered into the wrong theatre. (Note: if you have only 1 violin, she's not really a "concert mistress;" she's your 1 violin.)

A truly odd piece of theatre; it feels like dinner theatre for the upper middle classes. It's the kind of show where 2/3 of the audience laugh every time Tyne Daly says "Jewish."

[followspot]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 9:57am

A truly odd piece of theatre; it feels like dinner theatre for the upper middle classes. It's the kind of show where 2/3 of the audience laugh every time Tyne Daly says "Jewish."

Judging by the ticket sales for such similar Catskills-level offerings as IT'S ONLY A PLAY, FISH IN THE DARK, and RELATIVELY SPEAKING, there's an eager audience for exactly this type of fare. To each their own.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 10:03am

I can't say I'm terribly surprised by these reactions. This seemed to be mounted in NYC only so it could peddled to regional and communities theatres.

And six lyricists?!

I'm glad to hear Lisa Howard is giving a good performance. She's a very underrated performer.

Updated On: 3/18/15 at 10:03 AM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 10:03am

What is the set like for this?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 10:03am

What is the set like for this?

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 10:06am

Im sure they will make lots of changes, and hopefully fix the problems. They still have a good 4 weeks of previews

Updated On: 3/18/15 at 10:06 AM

[tazber]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 10:06am

I adore Lisa Howard.

[newintown]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 10:12am

"Judging by the ticket sales for such similar Catskills-level offerings as IT'S ONLY A PLAY, FISH IN THE DARK, and RELATIVELY SPEAKING, there's an eager audience for exactly this type of fare."

Relatively Speaking only ran three months; sales for It's Only A Play dropped as soon as Lane left the cast, and I suspect that sales for Fish are what they are due to the presence of Larry David.

NY-area-suburban content may help, but I don't think it's the primary driving force behind attendance.

Updated On: 3/18/15 at 10:12 AM

[macnyc]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 10:15am

Whizzer, and anyone else in the $14 seats, how was your view? Were you in the side orchestra toward the back? I believe that's where the seats tended to be.

[newintown]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 10:17am

"What is the set like for this?"

It's a two-level unit set built to resemble rooms and halls in a generic old, "elegant" hotel (like the Pierre, perhaps). Doors and tables move in and out, but the basic structure stays the same.

Updated On: 3/18/15 at 10:17 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 10:17am

"Im sure they will make lots of changes, and hopefully fix the problems. They still have a good 4 weeks of previews"

You can't throw out a script in previews.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 3/18/15 at 10:21am

They had four years to work on it since its last major production, and it doesn't sound like any progress was made. In fact, these reports sound worse than what I saw in New Jersey.