It Shoulda Been You Previews- Page 6

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 10:58am

I used to get bummed out over shows my wife & I enjoyed that closed prematurely but I no longer do. I cannot change it so why bother investing any more time. I saw it and liked it. If you did not like it that is your opinion. If you are swayed by others on the board attacking it or any show it is your loss. I make up my own mind.

They are really rooting for Honeymoon to close. I have never seen so much expended energy on the trials of a show as I have with the thread Honeymoon Struggling At The Box Office. I have no doubt once it does & those who are rooting for it to close can claim victory, they will than pick their next target. Wait they already have. It is the title of this thread.

[juice23]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 11:00am

I would appreciate any running time updates. I'm debating on whether or not to try to get to hedwig at 10pm after the 8pm performance of this. Thanks!

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 11:08am

But my question is, if DHP wanted to direct a show, why in the world would he (and his agent) select this one?

DHP is married to the librettist of IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU. That should explain everything...

[h6p8gv]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 12:42pm

Can someone please post a song list

[wickedfan11]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 12:49pm

I Never Wanted This- Jenny
This Day (Opening)- Jenny & Company
Perfect- Jenny & Rebecca
It Shoulda Been You- Murray, Marty, Judy, Aunt Sheila & Uncle Morty
Who- Marty & Jenny
Back in the Day- George & Brian
Nice- Judy
Albert's Turn- Albert & Company
Where Did I Go Wrong- Georgette
Beautiful- Jenny
A Perfect Ending- Full Company
Love You Till the Day- Greg & Annie
Jenny's Blues- Jenny
Whatever- Marty
A Little Bit Less Than- Rebecca
What They Never Tell You- Judy
Perfect/Whatever (Reprise)- Marty & Jenny
That's Family- Judy, Georgette, Murray & George
Finale- Full Company

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 1:19pm

Roxie decided earlier in this thread that he would love this show because he "waited for hours in the cold for cheap tickets."

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 1:27pm

How many times have we heard this line you guys
"I used to get bummed out over shows my wife & I enjoyed that closed prematurely but I no longer do"

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 1:28pm

I was being facetious

Unlike you & others I do not prejudge a show & want it to fail. We went into Mormon buoyed by the raves & left very unhappy - big waste of time and money. We no longer "believe the buzz" as one show states.

It is my wife's birthday. We are having a nice dinner before so even if we do not like it will not spoil our evening. We have TDF tix for Zhivago & The Visit .

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 1:30pm

I don't want shows to fail. Thought Mormon was overrated. Enjoyed Honeymoon, and want it to succeed. May skip on Shoulda because of my limited time and resources for seeing shows.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 1:33pm

Fair enough

Will let you know what we think after we see it.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/20/15 at 5:33pm

I saw this last night and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. It needs to be trimmed and condensed quite a bit (especially in the first half), but it's really rather fun and there are a lot of genuine laughs.

The father-son song is kind of uncomfortable and either needs to totally go or be rewritten. There are other ways for the dad to deliver that document without a whole number.

Lisa Howard really shines -- the audience roots for her and I'm glad she got the ending she got, though it was a bit hasty.

A guy's head was partially in my way and whenever I couldn't see David Burtka, I kind of forgot he was in the cast. I don't know if that's his fault or the fact that his character is rather bland. Most of the rest of the cast gets a chance to shine, and they really do.

I knew there would be a twist at the end, but the magnitude took me by surprise. Yet it still didn't seem to come out of nowhere.

I am rooting for this show to succeed, because the way it's being advertised doesn't do it many favors. Though with this many previous productions and so many glaring problems, I'm not sure if they'll be fixed enough in previews for it not to be savaged by the critics.

Updated On: 3/20/15 at 05:33 PM

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 3/20/15 at 7:34pm

I am going on Monday. I have one friend that LOVED it and one that HATED it..so I am totally going with an open mind...LOL

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/20/15 at 9:59pm

To Kathy

That is the only way to go into any show - with an open mind.

[phantomcrazy14]

Posted: 3/21/15 at 12:01am

Saw the show tonight. I went in after skimming through some of the responses and not reading any of the spoilers. I usually am very easy to please and not picky, but I really did not like the show, hardly at all. It all just had a very mediocre feel to it.
I do not know if it is because the set doesn't allow enough playing space, or if they were directed this way, but a majority of the action and movement seemed too constrained and tight. I also felt similarly about the acting in general, no real commitment or anything beyond surface level.
The music was not that great, which wasn't helped by the sound design. I did not have a hard time understanding anything, but I felt like I had left the TV on and was trying to listen to it from another room. Tyne also forgot some lyrics.

****SPOILER****
As for the big surprise, I was actually kind of annoyed. I at least now understand why I was having a hard time taking David Burtka as a straight character. But the gay twist didn't work for me. It was thrown in towards the latter part of the plot, and there wasn't much about it. And the way they just come out and how the family does not even have much to say about it and then it ends. As a gay male whose mom told him that she was so disappointed she could never see me in a "normal" wedding, it was a little too clichéd for me. I realize it's a comedy and the fact both families accept it is fine, but I just felt like it was too thrown in.
***End of Spoiler***

So yeah, overall, not a fan. Glad I only paid $14 :)

[Diva_Dom]

Posted: 3/21/15 at 12:32am

Does anyone know the official running time? I'm seeing this at 8 and the Hedwig at 10

[tazber]

Posted: 3/21/15 at 12:58am

Earlier in the thread someone said it was 1:45 and no intermission.

Updated On: 3/21/15 at 12:58 AM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/21/15 at 1:40am

Yeah, I think we were out of there around 10:10 on Thursday night.

[jarretSF]

Posted: 3/22/15 at 12:11am

Saw this tonight, loved it for what it is, a fun, fluffy show. Audience was entertained, we all laughed, the twist was silly, but fun, and the cast really seemed to be enjoying what they were doing. It's not Sondheim and no it isn't high art, but sometimes a good old fashioned silly comedy makes for a fun night.

[JPeterman]

Posted: 3/22/15 at 2:59am

I saw it tonight and was expecting a train wreck after reading this message board. It was not nearly as bad as it has been described by some.

On the positive side, it is cute, funny, sentimental, and at times, romantic. I laughed a lot, and I even cried a bit. My mom is basically the two mom characters wrapped up into one. My parents would love it, I will recommend it to them. Harriet Harris, as the mother of the groom, was great. Josh Grisetti, as the ex-boyfriend of the bride, was phenomenal. He has great comedic timing, and a very beautiful voice. I look forward to seeing him in the future.

On the negative side, the music was just average. There were a couple pretty songs, and a couple show stoppers, but overall, most of the music was fairly unmemorable.

The book was all over the place .... it really felt like about 4 episodes of a tv sit-com strung together. The opening premise was solid, and at times the story flowed beautifully, laced with a ton of funny jokes and situations .... kind of like if the tv shows Three's Company and The Goldbergs had a tv show love child baby.

The story took about 30-45 minutes to become engaging, and then toward the end as "the big surprise" was revealed, it started to unravel a bit. Parts of the big surprise were plausible, but other facets were just kind of stupid and unbelievable. Another criticism, as others have mentioned, the groom and his father's song and dance number should be axed .... it does not help the show in any way, shape, or form.

In summary, if you have seen and you liked Honeymoon In Vegas, you will probably like this. If you did not like Honeymoon In Vegas, you are not going to like this. They are both light-hearted, entertaining and funny (I think It Shoulda Been You is actually a lot funnier overall than Honeymoon), and I certainly do not regret that I went. I would give it a 6.5/10.

Regarding running time, the staff told us it would be 1 hour 45 minutes and no intermission. I think it started a little late and ended close to 10 pm, so for the poster who mentioned he/she is going to Hedwig afterward at 10 pm, you may want to be prepared to leave a little early, or be ok with arriving to Hedwig 10 minutes late. We actually had to walk to a place really close to the Belasco tonight and the sidewalks were really really congested with people on a Saturday night. It will take you about 15 minutes to walk to the Belasco on a Friday or Saturday night if you use Broadway/7th Avenue.

I would recommend walking from the theater straight east to 6th Avenue, and then heading south to West 44th street. That will allow you to avoid most of the pedestrian traffic, and the Belasco is really close to the corner of W 44th and 6th Ave. Don't walk down Broadway or 7th Avenue.







Updated On: 3/22/15 at 02:59 AM

[HBBrock]

Posted: 3/22/15 at 9:43am

Add me to the list of people who went in with expectations extremely low, because of this board.

Four of us went on Friday night, and while the music was mostly forgettable....we had a good time! It's a fun piece of fluff.

Harriet Harris and Tyne Daly were hysterical. There were definitely laughs to be had if you go in with the right mindset to begin with. Don't expect an unbelievable, brilliant show. The Friday audience seemed to be very enthusiastic.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 1:04am

OK..well the cast - from unknowns to the stars - was excellent, the audience (me included) had a good time (although I did hear a few groans). There were a number of completely hysterical moments...I am still giggling hours later. I am sure there was this one girl in one of the boxes that is going to remember this for a long time..

All in all..not much of a show. Lots of cliches, stereotypes - on purpose to make a point - but they have all been said often enough not to really need to hear them again. It was funny, silly, fluffy, a little mean-spirited at times... I think the critics will eat this alive..

The cast makes this show...for me, they were worth the trip (and the fact that I got a comp and didn't pay to sit through it helped my enjoyment immensely..LOL)



Updated On: 3/24/15 at 01:04 AM

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 1:09am

lol critics like funny, silly, fluffy

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 1:15am

lol no

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 1:26am

did you read the reviews for Honeymoon in Vegas? lol

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 1:27am

You generalize EVERYTHING.