Latest preview changes in BBAJ?

[denali.fire]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 4:22pm

Does anyone have updates on BBAJ recent preview changes...there arent many songs on the cd and if they have dropped Hunters from Kentucky it might just wind up as purely drama!

[Taryn]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 4:40pm

The show's NEVER going to be solely drama with the first 75% of it, but the ending last I saw (the first night they dropped Hunters from Kentucky) is pretty much a dramatic downer.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 4:45pm

Hunters of Kentucky was never part of the show proper- it was part of the bows. I don't know why exactly they cut it, it's a fun note to leave the theatre on.

[wendilin622]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 4:56pm

I saw it yesterday and Hunters from Kentucky was back in.

[jeffmiele]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 6:19pm

yea it was in friday night as well

[BlackCabbiTabbi]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 10:12pm

Does anyone know if they have window cards for sale at all? I would love one! I am seeing it this weekend and really hope they have some! Thanks!

[wendilin622]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 10:12pm

They didn't yesterday and when I asked the woman she said she didn't think they were getting them in until at the earliest opening.

[BlackCabbiTabbi]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 10:27pm

thank you! i am so disappointed though i am seeing it on the 10th and don't live anywhere near NYC!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 10:53pm

You'll be able to get on online.

I'm going the end of the month, hoopefully they'll be available then!

[jagfkb]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 11:18pm

^They were just working on the curtain calls, nothing major, like how Shrek didn't add This is our story til late in previews.

[jagfkb]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 11:18pm

^They were just working on the curtain calls, nothing major, like how Shrek didn't add This is our story til late in previews.

[Tyler2]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 12:23am

I saw the matinee on Saturday, and Hunters from Kentucky was not in it. We did not know it existed until we listened to the recording. It was a little strange though, as the actors looked confused during the curtain call, and my friend seems to remember them starting to sing something and then stopping abruptly.

What exactly happens during the song though? My friend and I are both curious about how the ending was with that song in it.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 1:06am

It was literally a song for the bows. After Jackson's final line, lights would go up, the band would play and Justine Levine would sing the first while the ensemble came out and bowed. Then Ben Walker would come out, sing the second half of the song, and then company bow.

[WestwardHoHo]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 1:48am

Walkouts galore in previews.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 2:19am

Not proud of myself, BUT saw it on Tuesday night and thought it was hysterical then saw it on Saturday night and was horribly disappointed. Like two different shows. Nearly every joke fell flat and for the first time since I started seeing Broadway shows, not a single person stood for an ovation. There was an ovation on Tuesday, however.

It's becoming sterile very quickly.

[wendilin622]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 5:35am

Uh, Tyler I was at the matinee on Saturday as well and Hunters from Kentucky was definitely in the show.

Was there some scene while the show was at the Public when Jackson was giving a speech at Harvard? I don't remember it but that doesn't mean much in my world...

[Kad]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 10:11am

Yes, there was.

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 11:02am

"Not proud of myself, BUT saw it on Tuesday night and thought it was hysterical then saw it on Saturday night and was horribly disappointed. Like two different shows. Nearly every joke fell flat and for the first time since I started seeing Broadway shows, not a single person stood for an ovation. There was an ovation on Tuesday, however.

It's becoming sterile very quickly."


I haven't seen BBAJ on Broadway yet (hoping to go this week), but this seems a little harsh, bordering on non-sensical. By virtue of fact, it's basically the same show and the same jokes (as far as I understand, the nips/tucks are minor, especially any that were made between Tuesday and Saturday), so either it was just a bad/unresponsive audience (I hope this was a matinee you're talking about, as that makes more sense for a dead audience for this particular show), or an off performance for the actors. I think it's unfair to declare the show is becoming sterile -- especially over the course of 4 days.

As soon as this was announced for Broadway, I immediately feared that - as much of a "hit" as this was at the Public, and as much as I loved it - it's a bit too odd, satirical, borderline-mean-spirited, and filled with a strange sense of humor to really connect with a Broadway audience (I think "Urinetown" was a much more commercial show than this is), and all these reports are lending credence to my fears.

Hopefully they can tweak things to make it work a bit better than it (reportedly) has been this past week or two, while keeping "Hunters of Kentucky" in.

[csees]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 11:18am

they sing in spanish now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD6xOzBP3QI

just kidding.
Illness as Metaphor

[newintown]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 2:06pm

I saw it on a Friday night a few weeks back and the audience wasn't having it.

It should embrace its juvenile aspect and avoid attempting to be serious or deep - to adults, it comes off as boring and ridiculous, like a silly 12 year old pretending to be a wise senior citizen.

This is a problem shared by many with a light comic talent -they want to be seen as great minds as well (Paul Rudnick suffers form this illness as well). Just make 'em laugh, if you're able.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 3:08pm

If there were any changes between Tuesday and Saturday, they were not noticeable. I never said there were. What I meant was that the jokes were falling on deaf ears. It was a Saturday evening and the audience was dead. A couple walkouts around me and no one standing at the end. A completely opposite reaction than when I saw it Tuesday. That's all I was saying.

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 3:14pm

"It's becoming sterile very quickly."

Completely understand if you meant what you say you meant, but that statement (above) that you ended on seems an emphatic statement about the show -- not merely a differing audience reaction -- which is what I was saying was unfair to the show.

[newintown]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 4:31pm

A show is more than just the writing, direction, and performances - it's also a relationship with the audience.

When I saw it downtown, it was a younger audience in a more intimate space. It worked much better. The Broadway audience - generally older, generally looking for something more sophisticated or spectacular, just doesn't take this little oddly-made skit to its heart.

Of course, bringing it to Broadway, even if it flops big, will help the piece get future regional, stock, and amateur productions (but probably not many).

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 10:57pm

Saw the show tonight, it's in great shape. But the audience response seemed mixed, like some just couldn't easily get into the conceit of the show. Those that did were cracking up. My friend, who actually didn't know it was a musical (!) really liked it and got a real kick out of it.

A couple of changes I notice since first preview: Andrew doesn't go into the audience, instead he just speaks to someone in the audience; the cast member doesn't get the arrow during the curtain call and lay down on the stage while the audience leaves; there's also a disco ball used, but that might be the memory.

[Taryn]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 1:27am

What! No lap dance anymore?!

See if I go back to see THAT show again.