Posted: 1/23/18 at 8:05pm
Posted: 1/23/18 at 9:07pm
We saw the show in the West End with 2 friends who have rarely been to any Broadway musicals. We hated the show-- felt it was a dumb musical for folks who don't like musicals-- and in fact our 2 friends loved it. We also felt that having a British cast play the parts made the show feel very, very anti-American (and this was back in 2004 when we were already having to apologize to the rest of the world for the atrocities that W was perpetrating on the world.) Take that for what it's worth as you scurry for tickets.
Posted: 1/23/18 at 11:20pm
Couldn't degree more with SIAT: I too saw this in the West End and simply LOVED it! I ended up seeing it twice on the same trip! Even the semi-staged Carnegie performance (also featuring the incredible David Bedella) was hysterical!
I for one cannot WAIT to see this production! I have tickets for March but may have to go sooner based upon early word.
Posted: 1/24/18 at 12:02am
Will be in NYC on business first week of March, and have tickets to this and Carousel. Should be an interesting contrast, if nothing else!
Had hoped to squeeze a matinee in for Once on this Island but it's not going to happen. Damn work.
Updated On: 1/24/18 at 12:02 AM
Posted: 1/24/18 at 8:22am
Anybody who is seeing this, do you think you could grab me a playbill? I'm a massive Will Swenson fan, and I really wanted to come see this but unfortunately I can't find a good time to make the trip. I would happily pay postage!
Posted: 1/25/18 at 10:53pm
Interested in hearing thoughts from anybody who has seen this production! Seems interesting.
Posted: 1/26/18 at 1:19am
I saw it and kept asking myself why this was relevant, funny or edgy in any way. The performers were all fine. Choreography was dreadful. Everything seemed so forced as if they thought they were doing something hilarious, and it all just fell flat. This show should go in a corner and peacefully pass away in it's sleep. I've never seen anything try so hard, SO many times to make it. I went for free and want my money back.
Posted: 1/27/18 at 6:17pm
This production is fun, I recommend seeing it. The show's guests sit in the first two side rows and the cast uses the aisles often which helps make the proceedings lively and immersive. Mann is fantastic as Springer and Swenson shines as well. The songs are enjoyable with humorous obscene lyrics. It loses steam in the second act that feels muddled and goes on too long, but overall a fun experience in a small theater. The audience was cheering loudly and loved it.
I thought this was going to be really gross and get really dark, but it's not at all, probably some of the more tame Springer guests and it's all done just for laughs. Todaytix lottery seat was second row far side, actors sometimes obstruct the view, but it's no problem. And no extra fee for the lottery. Did they stop that for every lottery/rush or is it on a show by show basis? Pros of the seat being you get to sit behind and talk to Jill Paice preshow.
Updated On: 1/27/18 at 06:17 PM
Posted: 1/27/18 at 8:11pm
AntV said: " And no extra fee for the lottery. Did they stop that for every lottery/rush or is it on a show by show basis? "
I’d also be very curious to know the answer to this question. Can anyone shed light on this?
Posted: 1/28/18 at 10:28am
Posted: 1/31/18 at 10:56am
Won the lottery this past weekend -- seems a lot of people sitting around me won the lottery, as well as a friend of mine. So enter, and I bet you'll win eventually. Can't argue with a $35 ticket!
I feel very mixed about the show. It's a lot of fun but really outdated, and Act 2 is too long. It works best if you think of it as a period piece from the early 2000s instead of just watching it assuming it's present day. FYI, some light spoilers ahead, so if you're very spoiler sensitive or don't want your opinions swayed, don't read. I was not expecting this to end up so long but I just kept writing and here we are.
Act 1 is a total riot. The performances, characters, and situations are what make it so fun -- it's bizarre, insane, and just a raucous good time. The first panel of guests is based around what is really the foundation of Jerry Springer ("I've been seeing someone else!"
, and from there it just kept on growing to be more wacko. I was laughing throughout the entire act -- even through more offensive parts. While yes, it still made me cringe when things I hear things like "my mom used to be my dad", "chick with a dick" or "transsexual"... there are some moments where the show seems to have the same effect on me as something like South Park. Yes they make fun of people, say offensive things, and use some antiquated language about marginalized groups... but I'm willing to look the other way with it because no one is safe, and anything is fair game to be made fun of. The juxtaposition of the opera and the "trash" works really well -- moreso as a parody of opera than a parody of Jerry Springer. I walked out of Act 1 thinking "this is definitely stupid but a really good time"
Act 2 is a funny idea, but is pretty poorly executed, and not a funny enough idea that should be stretched to over an hour. There were lots of opportunities to end and it just kept going. It seems to think it's making a commentary but it really just pulls one out of a hat at the end, and doesn't really end up saying anything that isn't very generic. I think there's a max of 20 minutes of good material in the second act -- even that might be pushing it. Maybe if it had a payoff I'd be more forgiving, but it doesn't. I really wanted it to end.
I gotta say, since I first heard the show around 10 years ago (and definitely since it's premiere 14 years ago)...The show is very dated. Jerry's not the cultural icon he once was. A lot of the jokes throughout the show are just saying things -- just saying the word "lesbian" in 2004 was a joke in itself and would make people laugh. In 2018? Definitely doesn't cut it as a joke. What puts me in a weird place is that this was just accepted back then, so it's true to the time it was written... it's just deeply offensive. (As an example, Maury Povich used to have trans people on his show on election day and have the audience "vote" as to whether they thought they were originally men or women. In 2004 that was hilarious. Now I can't believe it was ever allowed on TV. Trans acceptance has come a LONG way from 2004.) That's why I say to watch it as a period piece -- you're much more forgiving if you know when it was written.
Along the same line, New York audiences have all seen Book of Mormon already -- the shock humor that worked so well in 2004 is now not so shocking. Act II's premise is an elongated Spooky Mormon Hell Dream without the spectacle. When the jokes are jokes, they make you laugh, even when they're offensive. When the joke is the offense itself... you may laugh, but you mostly cringe.
I can't say I didn't enjoy myself, and I'm pretty glad I went. Lots of silly surprises in store for those who don't know the show. I wish they updated it, but since it was such a critical darling in London in the early 2000s, and since Jerry isn't really pop culture anymore, I don't think it's going to get a serious revamp any time soon.
Updated On: 1/31/18 at 10:56 AM
Posted: 2/7/18 at 11:07pm
I actually lost the lottery tonight, but they called and offered me a seat anyway, so that was cool. First off, the set is quite massive. It just seems so gigantic in such a tiny space, and there's not really a vantage point to really take it all in. I think this is a show I'd have rather sat further back on. It's a thrust stage though, so every view is fine, really.
Act 1 is great. It's hilarious, engaging - I didn't care for the "Baby Jane" portion, but the first couple and the last couple were excellent. The woman singing the "pole dancing" song is just flat-out brilliant. That's a star. If she's not Effie in Dreamgirls someone ****ed up. Her voice is insane, and she's a great actress. I also loved the two women in the first scene, insanely gorgeous voices there as well, and killer acting chops. I enjoyed how much everyone was "in character" when not in the spotlight. Loved watching the side conversations, etc, so kudos to Rando.
Act 2 was...a bummer. It's not bad, but it would serve better as a coda to Act 1 instead of a full-fledged act. I think the show should be 100mins at most. It's not a 2 act show.
Will Swenson has never been someone I've been impressed by. I suppose he's handsome to some, so maybe that is his appeal, but he doesn't have a great voice or an interesting voice. He didn't really make much of an impression to me. And I'm not sure why his character was even there to begin with?
I thought Mann was quite good. He is really great at the deadpan and really holds the show together.
Overall, I had a blast, but it's a bumpy ride, but I think if you hit up a happy hour before, you'll enjoy it. It's a fun show with some great voices. I found the women to be stronger than the men, but maybe that's just how it was written.
Posted: 2/8/18 at 12:12am
raddersons said: "It works best if you think of it as a period piece from the early 2000s instead of just watching it assuming it's present day. "
Isn't that sort of built into the premise already? I mean, that's when there was a Jerry Springer show.
Posted: 2/8/18 at 6:30am
Believe it or not, there is STILL a Jerry Springer Show!
Posted: 2/8/18 at 7:53am
haterobics said: "raddersons said: "It works best if you think of it as a period piece from the early 2000s instead of just watching it assuming it's present day. "
Isn't that sort of built into the premise already? I mean, that's when there was a Jerry Springer show."
Jerry’s still on TV, you can still get free tickets for tapings in Stamford, CT. I just watched a few promos of the show today and it’s still pretty homophobic, it seems. Maybe my issue is more with Jerry Springer in today’s day and age than with this Opera.
Posted: 2/8/18 at 8:26am
What are the orchestrations like in this production? The orchestrations in the original production were very thin.
Posted: 2/8/18 at 3:14pm
Posted: 2/8/18 at 6:02pm
Posted: 2/8/18 at 10:52pm
Posted: 2/9/18 at 12:39am
Well. I'd say it's homophobic, sure, but it's kind of "phobic" about everything? That's kind of the point. It's literally celebrating the worst kinds of people. But I thought Act 1 was quite brilliant. I like that they gave these "inner monologue" moments to the characters, and it kind of humanized them even though some of them were quite awful. That was missing from Act 2, which is kind of a dud.
Posted: 2/9/18 at 1:59am
MattRVA said: "Believe it or not, there is STILL a Jerry Springer Show!"
That is the craziest thing I ever heard....
Posted: 2/9/18 at 9:06pm
I saw this in London in 2004 with a group of high school students (we had NO IDEA when we bought the tickets). During some of the songs, I thought for sure I'd be fired. But the kids were laughing so hard they cried and everyone had a good time, so all was good. I just might have to see it again if it's still running in mid-March.
Posted: 2/10/18 at 10:13pm
I have to say it was refreshing to see such a diverse audience for a show. You had older people of all races, and younger people of all races. I was happy to see some latinx teens/early 20s in the audience. They were laughing and loving it. Nice to see theater reaching younger/hipper audiences nowadays. Especially off-Broadway.
Posted: 2/16/18 at 9:47am
This show was just not for me (I usually don't find this type of humor funny) but it did feel dated and shocking for shocks sake. It is incredibly tasteless but it doesn't really have anything to say, and it feels like they're just getting off on being vulgar. I didn't think any of the music really stood out. It all felt very dated, and I'm not sure why the New Group dug this one out in 2018.
Posted: 2/22/18 at 9:42pm
NY DAILY NEWS http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/theater-arts/jerry-springer-opera-review-satire-opens-signature-article-1.3836400
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/jerry-springer-the-opera-theater-1087036
NEWSDAY https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/theater/jerry-springer-opera-review-1.16885255
THE WRAP https://www.thewrap.com/jerry-springer-opera-theater-review-inept-descent-daytime-tv-hell/
BROADWAY BLOG http://thebroadwayblog.com/jerry-springer-opera/
Updated On: 2/22/18 at 09:42 PM
