Just watched the HOW TO SUCCEED preview video, and ...

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 8:22am

Rob Ashford may be the single worst Broadway choreographer I've ever seen.

He makes his dancers work so hard, too hard, doing completely disconnected steps that have little to do with the lyrics or music. There is more choreography in four measures than most songs get in an entire verse. Why does he do that? Does he want to distract us from actually listening to the song? Or does he think if his dancers flail and flap around the stage like trapped birds, someone will eventually applaud?

It's atrocious, and, from what I can tell here, it's sabotaging every single number in the show.

I couldn't believe "The Brotherhood of Man," when poor Dan Radcliffe and Co. are pulling, leaping, and pushing each other all over the stage, during the slow beginning of the song. They even form a corps de ballet line right out of "Swan Lake" at one point, linking arms. Exactly what is "brotherhoodly" about that step in this song? Watching the chorus dance behind Radcliffe in the opening number, you would think they were in a different show from the steps they're doing. Has nothing to do with a business or an office or hustle or bustle. More like they're grinding coffee in an old general store or busting springs like windup toys in a shop window.

I don't get it. How depressing?! His Turkey Lurkey Time from Promises, Promises was equally dreadful, and in the same way.

Who keeps hiring him?! Who thinks he's good?!

Can someone tell me, do any of these numbers actually work in the theatre during a live performance? They sure as hell don't work in the video clips.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW_TV_HOW_TO_SUCCEED_Performance_Preview_20110325

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 8:36am

I think I'm ticked off about it, because he's buried a Pulitzer Prize -winning score under so much rubble, and he gives his actors no chance to act, react, or think about the lyrics during a song. They're too busy with all the "business" and disjointed steps to do anything other than get through it. It's so disconnected from the material! Ashford choreographs like he's never seen a stage musical before. Or never seen a good one, at least.

[Kalimba]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 9:00am

That's what happens in some cases when the director and choreographer are one and the same.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 9:03am

The COFFEE BREAK number in the clip has me boggled, why is Hanke smiling with a full cup of coffee and why are the women climbing all over the men?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 9:11am

I can't answer your question about How to Succeed as I haven't seen it yet (two more weeks!) but I'm with you from Promises. I, too, felt the dancers were working too hard to keep up and that Turkey Lurkey was awful.

I haven't watched the clips as I'd like to experience it live.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 9:13am

The COFFEE BREAK number in the clip has me boggled, why is Hanke smiling with a full cup of coffee and why are the women climbing all over the men?

The number has been re-staged as a "battle" over the last cup of coffee in the machine, a battle which Hanke's Frump ultimately wins.

[DCROCKS]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 9:27am

Honestly, have you even SEEN the show? It was one of the most thrilling nights I have spent in the theatre. Daniel can sing, dance and act. I thought Rob's choreography was really clever, and thought he kept it moving beautifully.I hope it has a very long run.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 9:39am

I was disheartened to read that several younger posters here said they didn't think the score was all that good when they saw the show. Or it wasn't memorable, etc.

At first I thought it was just a sign of the changing times and tastes. Or that maybe (even though I found it hard to believe), this score just wasn't aging very well.

Now I see exactly what they mean! They weren't given any chance to hear it. They were too busy being distracted from it at every double-turn by Rob "Look at me, I'm dancin'!" Ashford. No one in these clips is selling the score, they're selling the choreography instead, with every ounce of energy they have, because that's what it takes to execute it.

And if this revival is someone's first exposure to the show and Frank Loesser's brilliant work, I can see (sadly, not "hear") exactly why they feel that way.

But it's a damn shame it turned out this way.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 9:51am

I think that the Ashford choreography works in limited amounts within his shows. Having seen this incarnation of H2$, I was actually quite impressed with Coffee Break, a number I don't typically enjoy in the context of the show. Having one high-concept and complicated moment of overload like that would work fantastically. Unfortunately, as you say, he loads down the rest of the show with it, so it all becomes bogged down together.

There are so many unnecessary points injected, such as some weird Fosse-sans-class moves before 'I Believe in You' by the male dancers, and most notably the 'football break' in 'Grand Old Ivy.' The first part of that song had the audience laughing incredibly hard with just the performance of the two leads, but then the ridiculous football players come bursting in the backdoors doing some unnecessary and unmemorable choreography for absolutely no reason, completely spoiling the humor of the song.

I also think his personality is a bit devoid of humor and character references. One of my favorite moments from the film's 'Brotherhood of Man' choreography is the hopping handshakes, a cute reference to office dealings, and a very memorable idea. But for Ashford, a football player, a corporate executive and a secretary all do the same dance, with no motivators and no individual expression.

Updated On: 3/26/11 at 09:51 AM

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 9:54am

'Who keeps hiring [Ashford]?'

Broadway producers. Ashford's been the principal choreographer for 7 Broadway shows, and associate choreographed and been the dance captain for another 7 of them. Also the Donmar Warehouse in London has hired him as its associate director.

'Who thinks he's good?'

Tony nominators. Ashford's gotten 5 Tony nominations for his choreography, and won once for 'Millie.' He also has 3 Drama Desk nominations (winning for 'Cry-Baby') and 5 Olivier nominations for his choreography/direction. And he won an Emmy Award for his choreography for the 81st annual Academy Awards.

Though the video clips give you some visual sense of Ashford's work in 'How to Succeed,' you're not seeing them in context of the work, nor are you hearing the audience go wild with laughter or joy, especially during 'Brotherhood of Man.' I guess this is technology at work. You no longer need to see a show in person to make a fully informed opinion. You just watch a few video clips, and trash someone's career in seconds.

If you've never liked any of Ashford's work, so be it. Everyone's entitled to his own opinion. But Ashford is doing something right: Producers keep hiring him; audiences flock to his shows (except 'Cry-Baby'), and he wins awards. At least he's figured out 'How to Succeed' on Broadway.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 9:58am

Thanks, Katurian2. You mentioned several other examples that aren't even on this clip reel, but they sound like the same misguided philosophy as I'm seeing. And your'e right. The steps are all devoid of character and humor.

This really is an exercise in ego and futility. He's trying to upstage the classic material, or at least overcompensate for a lack of understanding for it.

And your description of Grand Ol' Ivy sums up the problem perfectly.

Updated On: 3/26/11 at 09:58 AM

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 10:00am

'[The younger people] didn't think the score was good.'

It wouldn't be the first time that the score hasn't been fully appreciated. I love the Loesser score, but for the record, the Tony voters back in 1962 didn't give the Tony for Best Composer to Loesser, even tho' 'How to Succeed' won for Best Musical. He was beat out by Richard Rodgers ('No Strings').

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 10:04am

And for the record, I thought Ashford's choreography for "Millie" was terrific and it worked. But he's a one-hit wonder for me.

He's the M. Night Shamalan of Broadway, getting increasingly worse with each effort since then.

Updated On: 3/26/11 at 10:04 AM

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 10:05am

haha, exactly. He upstages his own actors very frequently! And I do think it's a bit of an unleashed ego sort of thing. There's no one to say, 'No Rob, we DON'T actually need background dancers popping up behind the couch during 'Rosemary.' It's supposed to be a sweet and intimate realization of love, and a shadow chorus really doesn't need to be onstage during that song.' But there's no one to do that here.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 10:08am

^ Exactly.

[Overkill]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 11:27am

H2$ is one of my all time favorite shows, and with this creative team and the star, I didn't have much hope for this production.

Watching the video, the choreography is what bothered me the most. Especially with "How To" and "Grand Old Ivey". In "How To" it's supposed to be about Finch just walking in the crowd in a business, showing he's at the bottom with all of them. But he's just standing there while they do very strange dance moves behind him. It looks like a community theatre production there. In "Grand Old Ivey", I didn't mind it as much, but where the f*ck did the football players come from??? It makes no sense!! There would be no "flashback", because Finch has never actually been there, and I highly doubt there are football players just wandering around the office. Just REALLY confuses me.

I do like what he did with "Coffee Break", but there are just other numbers that look so bland and cheap.

Daniel looks okay in the role. He looks like a 15 year old next to all the others in the show. I don't care for his look, but he seems to be charming in the role and his american accent seems solid.

Rosemary looks and sounds absolutely perfect. I always thought that if the Rosemary doesn't make me fall in love with her, she doesn't do a good job. This girl is just perfection from what I've seen.

[Broadwaywest]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 12:19pm

I just watched the video as well. It looks pretty good. Nothing absolutley amazing. I do love the set design though.

I was lucky enough to see matthew broderick in the '95 revival, which was just dizzying fun. I'm not sure if radcliffe can pull off the swarmy, sweetness that robert morse and matthew broderick brought to the role. But we shall see.

And is it me or is the dude playing bud frump one of the sexiest I've seen. woof.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 12:23pm

I've always found that Ashford over-choreographs things to the hilt in order to distract people from noticing that he cannot direct actors to save his life.

I don't know how many times he has to repeat that formula in a musical before people take stock and stop hiring him. He's been able to hide behind stars who audience are inclined to love no matter what in both PROMISES, PROMISES and HOW TO SUCCEED... (I'd offer a similar explanation as to why his production of STREETCAR did so well in London, since Rachel Weisz would have been stunning with a cardboard box directing,) but he can't get away with that trick forever.

If LEAP OF FAITH taught us anything, it's that he places all of his emphasis on dance (however inappropriate) and none of it on developing the story. It explains why his choreography is never conducive to the narrative within his shows. It's just flashy for the sake of being flashy.

Updated On: 3/26/11 at 12:23 PM

[Trish2]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 12:30pm

Just watched the HOW TO SUCCEED preview video, and ...

I'm EXHAUSTED !

[ABB2357]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 12:47pm

best12bars, you have made my day. The overrated Ashford and his undeserved success have been driving me crazy for years now. I loved his work on the opening number of THE WEDDING SINGER and CURTAINS was okay (if a bit raunchy for a show-within-a-show set in the 50s), but I wish you had seen the OKLAHOMA-inspired disaster that was LEAP OF FAITH. His pretentious dream ballet-style opening killed the show before it even started, as a bunch of confused actors wandered around the stage doing ballet moves their limbs could not comfortably execute.

I'm also one of the few who strongly disliked his production of PARADE, where the lifeless choreography mostly consisted of marching around in a circle. He didn't understand the material at all, evidenced when he had the factory girls double as the women Governor Slaton flirts with during "Pretty Music." We'd just seen Leo Frank leer at them in "Come Up to My Office," so "Pretty Music" couldn't help but seem icky as a result. It was also unclear whether they were even playing the factory girls or random women at the party, since the actors had only been used as factory girls until that point in the show. Then at the end of the hanging scene, he had the lynch mob take Leo's body down and carry it away, when it's documented fact that they left it hanging there to make a statement. How would anyone have found the body if it had been removed? Total miscalculation.

It has nothing, however, on "Turkey Lurkey Time," which was exactly as you describe. Katurian also hits the nail on the head - "no motivators and no individual expression" indeed. Comparing it to the Bennett original was depressing.

I didn't hate the HOW TO SUCCEED video and am willing to give it a shot, but "Coffee Break" and the opening number seemed particularly cringe-worthy. I have no idea how Ashford got to where he is today, but at the maximum he is an inept choreographer, NOT a director.

[JasonM12480]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 1:00pm

Best12Bars, I completely agree. When I saw "Promises, Promises", I was totally confused for the first 8 minutes of the show with the entire opening dance number. I remember turning to my friend and saying, "Um...what's happening here? I don't get it."

And why would you turn "Grand Old Ivy", which is a pastiche charm song (not something that moves the plot along very far) into a full-out football dancer number? It should be a simple feature number for Biggley and Finch.

And yes, to everyone who might wanna jump on me..I haven't seen the show yet, so I probably can't make an educated, intelligent decision on the show. But sometimes, you just "get it." LOL - it is, however, on my hot list of things to see, since the show holds a special place in my heart.

I will say that I think Radcliffe looks very charming and I'm totally impressed with his dancing skills.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 1:03pm

Overkill-

Rose Hemingway's performance as Rosemary was the best part of the production for me. I was amazing that Ashford just let her stand center stage for 'Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm' and get out there. It was one of the few moments in the show where we were really allowed to pause and see the character and the wonderful score.


Also I thought of another instance of overcompensation in choreography. It wasn't really shown in the preview, but all during 'Been a Long Day,' the actress playing Smitty was basically getting thrown about by the cluster of people in the elevator. What Daniel and Rose were singing basically got no laughs or attention at all because of whatever madness was going on behind them.


And yes, Daniel did look extraordinarily young at times. It wasn't really an issue until the scene where he's getting seduced by Hedy, but at that moment I was getting vaguely rape-y undertones.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 1:11pm

I agree that Radcliffe looks charming and appealing, and the rest of the principle and ensemble cast looks highly capable as well. I wish Rosemary was a little more realistic rather than bubbly with her "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm." But I've had that complaint about nearly every Rosemary I've seen, including and especially Megan Mullally. (Maybe because Michele Lee is so damn good in the part!)

Larouquette looks fine for the part in the clip. He also looks like he's relieved to have just made it through that exhaustive number without passing out. Check out his face at the end. Not exactly a quality I want to see in J.B. Biggley. Such a shame they couldn't simply sell the number as two good actors rising to the occasion.

I also like the sets, and the costumes (for the most part) are fine.

I could see this same cast and crew doing a great production of the show ... minus Ashford.

Updated On: 3/26/11 at 01:11 PM

[ABB2357]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 1:17pm

Yeah, you'd think "Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm" would include a line of office ladies doing calisthenics or some other nonsense behind Rosemary. Maybe Ashford was home sick the day they blocked it.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 1:19pm

^ LOL



EDIT: And if they change the Tony category to "Most Choreography" instead of "Best Choreography," I think Ashford's a shoe-in.

Updated On: 3/26/11 at 01:19 PM