LEMPICKA Reviews- Page 3

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/14/24 at 11:57pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Damn, that Post review is harsh."

Yes it is but so much spot on! 

• Espinosa is handed some colorless, belty ballads, like “Woman Is,” that she struggles vocally with. Given that Tamara’s story occurs over six tumultuous decades, the actress and character leave remarkably little impression. Lemicka is neither a force of nature, nor a relatable dreamer — she’s a talking paintbrush.
• Espinosa and Iman have no chemistry, by the way. Forget the common criticism of two actors not being in the same show — this pair isn’t even in the same room.
• It’s hard to believe this muck is directed by the talented Chavkin, who in the past has staged adventurous new musicals like “Hadestown” and “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” with undeniable skill and panache. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/14/24 at 11:58pm

Will they put the “gay men know Eden” quote outside the theater, now?

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/14/24 at 11:58pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Damn, that Post review is harsh."

Yes it is but so much spot on! 

• Espinosa is handed some colorless, belty ballads, like “Woman Is,” that she struggles vocally with. Given that Tamara’s story occurs over six tumultuous decades, the actress and character leave remarkably little impression. Lemicka is neither a force of nature, nor a relatable dreamer — she’s a talking paintbrush.
• Espinosa and Iman have no chemistry, by the way. Forget the common criticism of two actors not being in the same show — this pair isn’t even in the same room.
• It’s hard to believe this muck is directed by the talented Chavkin, who in the past has staged adventurous new musicals like “Hadestown” and “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” with undeniable skill and panache. 

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 12:01am

Can anyone post a gift link to the NYT review? 

[Justin Longo]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 12:04am

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/14/theater/lempicka-review-chavkin-espinosa.html?unlocked_article_code=1.kk0.v2lC._o3qveR4H9gX&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 12:08am

Thank you x

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 12:08am

DTLI Consensus: Though completely original and ambitious in topic and scale, Lempicka never quite lets us see Tamara’s brushstrokes. 

4 mixed (including the NYT), 4 negative, 1 positive.

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/lempicka/

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 12:43am

EDSOSLO858 said: "DTLI Consensus:Though completely original and ambitious in topic and scale,Lempickanever quite lets us see Tamara’s brushstrokes.

4 mixed (including the NYT), 4 negative, 1 positive.

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/lempicka/"

The positive review is from NY Theatre Guide from a critic nobody knows!

[HogansHero]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 12:52am

I think this is a show for which the reviews (which is a euphemism for the Times review) do matter. This is a show for folks with a subscription to the Times and however you shorthand that review (mixed or pan) it ain't gonna sell tickets. 

[inception]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 1:02am

I would call the Times review negative, not mixed. Green takes the show to task for making up too much instead of being historically accurate. The second photo included with that review makes it look like a campy British comedy show.

After following audience reactions during previews here & on reddit, I'm not surprised by these reviews.

When something is camp on purpose, it is different from something that is trying to be serious but goes off the rails.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 1:17am

The theater crew jumped the gun on "Chavkin lane" - and people are finally seeing Kelly's messy & needy choreography.   Sadly these are not surprising. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 1:21am

Theatrely

LEMPICKA is Bold, But Frustratingly Generic — Review

https://www.theatrely.com/post/lempicka-is-bold-but-frustratingly-generic----review

"Messy and maddening, new musical Lempicka has all the pedigree for something groundbreaking but never finds its own distinctive form. Tackling the life of semi-forgotten Art Deco master Tamara de Lempicka with an unapologetically queer, feminist lens and a contemporary electro-pop sound, the new musical only sparingly succeeds at matching its subject’s artistic boldness, more often falling into genericism and cliché."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 1:23am

Broadway News

The Broadway Review: ‘Lempicka’ is a seductive unpolished musical about a groundbreaking Polish painter

Co-writers Carson Kreitzer and Matt Gould color outside the traditional lines, but are backed by enough talent to render a captivating portrait. 

https://www.broadwaynews.com/the-broadway-review-lempicka-is-a-seductive-unpolished-musical-about-a-groundbreaking-polish-painter/

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 1:23am

I do think one metric for "mixed" is being able to pull quotes. "THRILLING. SUPERIOR BELTING" (NYT) is better than what a lot of shows have to work with. Green also felt Eden's performance & vocals were compelling, which is more positive than some of us felt about her.

None of that really matters since the show hasn't sold well in its first 3 weeks of previews and I doubt it will take off now considering all the other options out there. 

Updated On: 4/15/24 at 01:23 AM

[bwaylyric]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 1:39am

BorisTomashevsky said: "What time does the “This show deserves to be SEEN!” effort begin tomorrow?"

 

What time does the "What's next for the Longacre?" thread begin tomorrow?

[ardiem]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 1:55am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I do think one metric for "mixed" is being able to pull quotes. "THRILLING. SUPERIOR BELTING" (NYT) is better than what a lot of shows have to work with."

"often feels incredible" - NEW YORK TIMES

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 2:42am

More so when does the closing notice go out! 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 5:28am

Early discussions about the spring being too crowded to allow shows to find their niche audiences have now proven prophetic. This is the kind of piece that might've inched forward, surviving by building on a cultish following. But with so much to choose from for consumers, it has Paradise Square written all over it: a show built around a powerful leading performance and a game support but too little else to recommend. Pull quotes about belting, all kidding aside, don't put butts in seats. Unless we know the belter. Without a star over the title - which is a kind of commercial imprimatur, i.e., someone who's known invested her talents in the material - it's still just damn near impossible to figure out who the audience might be. 

Who would've kept it running? Menzel or the equivalent. People on this board will scoff, insisting that this is Espinosa's moment. But if this is a star making/validating vehicle, not a single review made the claim. 

Updated On: 4/15/24 at 05:28 AM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 7:08am

this will be closed by the Tony Awards in two months.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 7:41am

Maybe they shouldn’t have tried so hard to…

Destroy the paaaaaaaaast

Destroy conventionnnnnn

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 8:26am

Criticisms about its fudging of historical accuracy are absolutely valid because it presents itself like a Wikipedia article with some yas-ified musical numbers tossed in. I’m glad most critics are calling this what it is: a turkey.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 8:28am

Holdren in Vulture:

Look, I Made a Woman: Lempicka

 

The musical somehow turns a radical bisexual painter, living and loving in Paris between the wars, a little bit boring.

https://www.vulture.com/article/theater-review-lempicka-broadway-musical.html

"I am politely requesting a moratorium on musicals that begin with some version of “How did I wind up here?” Maybe we’ve all paid a little bit too much attention to Jean-Luc Godard’s most Instagram-quotable epigram: At this point, putting the beginning, middle, and end in that order feels like a vaguely radical act. The irony is that Lempicka—Carson Kreitzer and Matt Gould’s new musical about the tempestuous life of the Polish émigré Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka, which begins with the old artist looking world-wearily back—is obsessed with radical acts. It badly wants to be bold, but as any high-school kid can tell you, there’s no surer path to awkwardness than trying too hard. Lempicka the woman was unquestionably fascinating, flawed, and fabulous; Lempicka the musical often goes flat. There’s an uncharacteristically tepid quality to Rachel Chavkin’s direction—as if she’s repeating herself rather than enjoying herself—along with a sense of varnish over the proceedings. We can see the glossy, cool surface, the assertive industrial lines and curves of the painter’s work, but we’re missing its true audaciousness, voluptuousness, and vitality. The show pushes and poses — it doesn’t let us in."

[OhHiii]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 9:51am

Given the STARK lack of any visible advertising this morning for this show, I'm willing to bet they have just enough in reserve to make it to nominations week and will post closing notice on Wednesday, May 1. This will get technical nominations easily, but really not much else that would give any hope of boosting it. There's no money to be made by shows playing hero and pushing through the awards time period. We saw how that panned out for Some Like It Hot, Shucked and Kimberly Akimbo last year. 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 9:57am

Fun fact, Lempicka opened on the 112th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 10:01am

A lot of blame here is being put on Gould and Kritzer in these review, but Rachel Chavkin (with all the sway and power that comes along with having her at the helm) was not able to steer the show either. She's given a pass in most of these write-ups because of her past successes, but at the end of the day, she's staged an incoherent mess. She's due just as much of a wallop as the writers got.