It Shoulda Been You Previews- Page 9

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 11:23am

" Hairspray-I was also bored until the "twist". What are the best shows this season for you?"

 Musical wise, so far this season I've now seen It Shoulda Been You, Something Rotten, The Last Ship, Honeymoon in Vegas, On The Town and Side Show. I have tickets to see The King and I, Something Rotten (again, post opening) and On the 20th Century. I plan to see Finding Neverland, Fun Home and An American In Paris at some point too before the Tony's, if I can get tickets. For me, the best shows so far this season are Something Rotten & The Last Ship. Play wise - saw Curious Incident, Elephant Man, Heidi chronicles and it's only a play. Best show out of that list for me is curious incident. :)

[newintown]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 11:38am

"Barbara Anselmi's original idea was to write a musical revue with the theme being "weddings" and each song would have a different lyricist (but all the music by her, because it was her idea). After a reading someone suggested adding a story and creating a book musical about a wedding."

So.... the "concept" for which Ms. Anselmi is prominently credited no longer even exists?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/28/15 at 11:14pm

Saw this tonight and I have to say I was VERY entertained. It's not perfect, but I was laughing and crying. I wanted everything to be just a level-up: The lyrics to be a bit better, the melodies to be a little catchier, the staging to be a little more lively, but I was entertained and laughed a lot. Howard is great, I just wish they had given her big solos another pass through. There's some good stuff there, but I don't think they're quite catchy enough yet. But she kills it and the audience went wild. Boggess was fine, but I don't think her voice really suits the music. She's more of a lyrical ballad kinda gal, and this felt a little too contemporary for her. I liked her song but I think I'd like to hear someone else's voice on it. Glover and Spangler were great and their number really was hilarious and awesome. They basically do nothing but that number, so glad it was a winner. Hibbert was hilarious and great timing. Harris had me dying. Her line readings were just brilliant and perfect. And Daly was pretty spectacular. I've seen her before and was never really taken, but this time I really feel like she was in her wheelhouse. She was awesome. Burtka, to me, was the weak-link. Though he danced well, he was just...a terrible actor. His voice was raspy like he'd been yelling for days and his acting felt so over-the-top and false. Him and Spanger both were a little too "ACTING" for me. Maybe it's a director choice. Grisetti was good. I honestly thought he was going to have a bigger part. But guess not. The design was fine. 

 

I think this will be a huge hit in the dinner-theatre/regional world. Once the rights are released it'll be everywhere. It's an easy show to do.

[binau]

Posted: 12/28/20 at 6:55am

I never saw this, but listening to the cast recording/libretto I can't help but feel the show was a little underrated. I agree with many of the problems listed here (e.g. very talented cast with little to work with, twists that you need to suspend too much disbelief for, a score that is not as melodic and catchy as it should be). However, to me it felt like they were putting on a 1940s style show slightly tweaked for modern day and thus if you just want to have a bunch of cheap laughs, like both absurd & predictable twists, and enjoy Tyne Daly play an overbearing mother, which is a bit of a cliche character but always fun, it sounds like it would have been a good night out!

If I had paid $40 USD for a prime orchestra seat I would not have felt ripped off. But perhaps this is the key issue that this kind of value is not good enough for Broadway.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/28/20 at 7:09am

I loved it. Rushed it eight times. Funny, charming, talented cast, great message, left feeling my heart warmed each time.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/28/20 at 7:31am

I saw this a week after opening night. It was a very brisk 100 minutes, and let's just say I envy the star power of that entire cast. Daly and Howard were especially good. The material they were working with, on the other hand, was funny at times but mostly unmemorable. The first half seemed like your average traditional wedding comedy, and I couldn't even begin to follow the shenanigans that took over the more uneven second half. Certainly one of the wildest plots in recent memory. I don't think David Hyde Pierce was the right guy to direct this.

The score also did not stick with me, save for a few notable tunes. I did listen to the cast album when it released digitally (as I always do for every B'way show), but have barely streamed it since. The set somewhat stood out to me- the upscale NYC hotel representation was not quite Daddy Warbucks's mansion, but definitely good enough for this occasion. 

In short, it wasn't quite the disaster I thought it would be based off reviews, but with a cast this sublime, the show Shoulda been better. Perhaps I would've had a better wedding-day experience at The Drowsy Chaperone. 

Updated On: 12/28/20 at 07:31 AM

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/28/20 at 10:03am

qolbinau said: "I never saw this, but listening to the cast recording/libretto I can't help but feel the show was a little underrated. I agree with many of the problems listed here (e.g. very talented cast with little to work with, twists that you need to suspend too muchdisbelief for, a score that is not as melodic and catchy as it should be). However, to me it felt like they were putting on a 1940s style show slightly tweaked for modern day and thus if you just want to have a bunch of cheap laughs, like both absurd & predictable twists,and enjoyTyne Daly play an overbearing mother, which is a bit of a cliche character but always fun, it sounds like it would have been a good night out!

If I had paid $40 USD for a prime orchestra seat I would not have felt ripped off. But perhaps this is the key issue that this kind of value is not good enough forBroadway."

The only underrated thing about this show was how they got the cast they had to perform this. It is just good enough for dinner theater. 

If you think Broadway standards were represented by this show, then practically anything is a good night out and no need to try very hard.

[jdrye222]

Posted: 12/29/20 at 10:05am

I have to say I went to see this show on a Saturday night, last minute because I'd been to the matinee of THE VISIT and it made me want to never see theater ever again if I didn't see something just fun immediately. (I need to qualify this by saying - I saw The Visit in Arlington several years before, in its full version directed by Galati, and thought it was exquisite and breathtaking.....  The Broadway version was a skeleton, ruined by a director imposing his own ego and poor taste onto a piece that had been so beautifully written before he got involved).

As I left the Lyceum I stopped at TKTS and asked for something silly and heartwarming and perhaps it was the total contrast (no, I'm not comparing them, there is literally no similarity), but I LOVED EVERY moment of It Shoulda Been You. Not everything can be high art, this was like a sitcom musical in all the best ways, and that cast was impeccable.  Essentially, seeing those two shows in the same day, I just kept thinking It Shoulda Been You achieved what it set out to do - it did not pretend to be anything but what it was. Whereas so many shows with purported "high-brow" directors like Doyle are aiming at something they will never get to and often totally miss the mark. 

I find the score to hold up quite well on the recording and the cast and orchestrations sound great. I am friendly with someone who worked on the show and they said it was a group of people who were deeply enamored with each other in the best of ways. The music to me has a cleverness, it's not just tacky imitation / cruise ship fare, there is something sly about it. (The lyrics are less-so, but not anywhere near as bad as any number of shows I've seen people rave about here, namely Mean Girls and Tootsie).  But there were about 73 lyricists as I recall. 

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 12/29/20 at 12:27pm

qolbinau said: "If I had paid $40 USD for a prime orchestra seat I would not have felt ripped off. But perhaps this is the key issue that this kind of value is not good enough forBroadway."

That's about what I paid and I remembering absolutely hating this show and that I couldn't wait to leave lol

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/2/21 at 1:40pm

I found that the songs all sounded the same and in some instances they slowed the narrative. Good performances, though.