Lecrap Review - Saturday 4/22 Matinee - Spoilers

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 6:09pm

Well the show is frozen. And the critics are going to destroy it more than they did Julia. And they deserve it. There is nothing good about this show. Until Act Two.

Act One
Lestat has a fight with the air (supposed to be wolves) and sings a horrible ballad about it (From the Dead). Poppa throws him out, yet mamma still loves him (Beautiful Boy). He goes to Paris (In Paris) where he meets his "friend" Nicolas. Then, they fight, he's bitten by a vampire, and then he's turned into one. He then has (The Thirst) for blood. He sees a transformation (Right Before My Eyes). His momma returns, dying and begs him to (Make Me As You Are). They are both now vampires and they meet Armand, the evil vampire who lurks in the shadows with other vampires. They hate (To Live Like This). Lestat and momma free the vampires and they become what else? Actors! (Morality Play). Nicolas, now a vampire, wants to die and momma wants to leave. Lestat is alone, however, he cannot for get his mother's (Crimson Kiss).
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So much happening, so little explanation. It was confusing, muddled, and absolutely boring. The dialogue is laughable, the songs unmelodic and unmemorable. The set, however, is good.
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Act Two
Lestat meets Marius, king of the vampires (they never really explain who he is). Lestat goes to New Orleans, circa 1848 (Welcome to the New World). He sees a man, Louis, who is ready to kill himself. Lestat drinks his blood and they become gay lovers (Embrace It). What else do they need? A child. Lestat drinks the blood of a dying orphan girl and adopts her. Years later (30 years), they're still together. Claudia, the daughter, is unhappy (I Want More; I'll Never Have That Chance). She tries to kill Lestat, prompting him to go back to Paris (Sail Me Away). He meets up with Armand and the vampire acting troupe. Claudia and Louis have joined them. Armand finds out that Claudia tried to kill Lestat, so they kill her (To Kill Your Kind). Louis leaves Lestat (Embrace It reprise). Lestat is alone again. Until Marius and momma come back (After All This Time/Finale). Lestat lives forever. The end.
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Act Two was SIGNIFICANTLY better than Act One. The songs were memorible, the performances were great, and, again, the set rocked.
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Performances:
Hugh Panaro - nobody rule him out for a Tony. He's good. Very, very good. He can get that 5th slot (the one reserved for Alan Cumming or Stephen Lynch). Lestat is a great role and he certainly gets to show off his great voice.

Carolee Carmello - why can't she find a successful show!? She's been in so many mediocre things, but she's excellent. Her voice alone is worth the price of admission. Too bad she's in act 2 for a total of 3 minutes.

Allison Fischer - one of the best new talents on Broadway. What a set of pipes on this girl! 'I Want More' is easily the most hummable song in the score and she does it great justice.

Drew Sarich - great and very creepy

Jim Stanek - he's great, too.

Rob Roth's direction and overall vision of the show was muddled and confusing. It tried to be too many different things at once. Is it a gothic thriller? Is it camp? Is it an erotic thriller? These questions should have been addressed by now.

The cast was phenominal. They're working their heart out for this little show. It needs work. And it can be saved. They just need to postpone the opening. But they won't. And the critics will destroy it.
Updated On: 4/22/06 at 06:09 PM

[jimnysf]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 6:37pm

Prepare to be attacked by the "Lestat" lovers. It sounds like the show is every bit as bad as it was when I saw it in SF. "I Want More" was the best song/scene then and it sounds like it still is. Too bad so much money and talent was wasted on this when they should have done like "The Mambo Kings" and shut it down in SF. At the very least, they should have found a new creative team if they insisted on bringing this to Broadway.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 6:50pm

One of these days jim I'll get here before you.

I've come to the conclusion that what will happen will happen with this show.

I enjoyed it. I do hope the design aspects and score are recognized come Tony time. Also I think the actors desevre all the credit in the world for working on this show, dealing with God know knows how much crap (script wise, basher wise and critics etc) and they are still holding their heads high. Good for them.

I frankly enjoyed myself in SF and hope it's around long enough for me to see it in NY. Aka. stay open until October. The cast album will rock and I can't wait for it.

And if nothing else it has introduced both Drew Sarich and Allison Fischer to the Broadway stage.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 6:52pm

Hi Eponine! I was waiting for you to post first but then I was overtaken by a mysterious force....

[Katurian2]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 6:57pm

Thank you for the great review. It's nice how you didn't slam every little aspect, but found some praise in this otherwise horrible production. Lestat lovers shouldn't attack you! You gave a very detailed write-up! Kudos!

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 7:02pm

Does anyone have the Elton John sung tunes that were on the website? I can't seem to find 'em.

[LiteMyCandlePhantom?]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 7:18pm

What do the people of the show not understand????

This show can be saved from the music to the cast its wonderful if they fix the plotline it could be amazing....

Gabrielle is in the finale????????
I saw the third preview I guess they added that in

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 7:18pm

What did you think of the lyrics?

I have long admired Bernie Taupin's work. (Elton John's too, of course.)

It is true that artists have fertile periods and periods when they cannot generate.

Do you think this applies to either Elton John or Bernie Taupin with regard to this show?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 7:20pm

This show can be saved from the music to the cast (period) its wonderful (period) if they fix the plotline it could be amazing....

Yet they seemed to have missed their chance, multiple times.

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 7:24pm

I have a question for you guys. I ordered tickets for my family, and I'm wondering if you think they'll hate it. They are very much like your typical tourist (although they've seen many more shows), they loved Wicked, Rent, Phantom, Aida etc. (all the big ones). Rarely do they ever dislike a show... they loved In My Life and very much enjoyed The Woman in White.

Is Lestat so bad that even those such as my family will dislike it? Or is it just horrible through the eyes of the theatre fanatics/veterans that visit these message boards?

[BluCat500]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 7:29pm

Well, Its quite comedic...although...er...That might be unintentional, hehe.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 7:35pm

SayIt, if they liked Phantom and Aida they'll probabaly enjoy Lestat. If they like ELton, they'll most likely love the Lestat score. And there is a lot to look at, it IS a beautifully designed show.

Just tell them to keep an open mind and bring crackers when it comes to the dialogue, there is a fair amount of cheese.

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 9:42pm

Wait wait wait wait WAIT HALT. We have to clarify something now before civilization can continue its run.

Nomdeplume, are you trying to say that the lyrics Bernie Taupin wrote for Lestat are good?

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 9:48pm

I asked how the lyrics were.

I have not heard or read them.

I loved his lyrics in some old songs he wrote with Elton John.

"Tiny Dancer" for example.

So I am wondering if at least his lyrics are still hot if the show may not be, or if he is in a fallow artistic period.

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 9:59pm

Ah, okay. Let me enlighten you. They are singularly the worst lyrics I have ever paid 25 dollars to sit and hear. Completely useless and derivative. When they aren't reminding us of exposition we've already had to endure in the book scenes, they forcing hoary cliched imagery down our throats. The man has no clue how to write lyrics for the theater, and there is nary a proper rhyme in the entire thing. It's filled with almost rhymes, and not in a clever artistic "Look at me be different" kind of way. Just the guy couldn't pull a rhyme out of his arse if they paid him a lot of money to do it. Which they did.

I don't see the big deal with Bernie Taupin's lyrics. I'm not a huge fan. But it's pop music, it's different. But for the theater, man, he needs to just stay away.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:05pm

These are reviews regarding the score from the San Francisco critics. Since the score hasn't changed all that much, this should help answer your question.


The San Francisco Chronicle:

"The songs, however, range from mildly interesting to, for the most part, banal and virtually undistinguishable. Taupin's lyrics are often woodenly prosaic and rarely advance the story or our understanding of the characters. When he tries to cram information into a song, as in the tale of vampire creation, "The Origin of the Species," the result is simply confusing. John seems to spend most of the evening trying to become Andrew Lloyd Webber at his most vapid and pretentious.".

The Oakland Tribune:

"The biggest problem in director Robert Jess Roth's jumble of a production—and the one that isn't likely to change anytime soon—is the score…".

San Jose Mercury News:

"The score is likewise bland… Only rarely, as in the child Claudia's songs, does the musical hit a vein".

The Contra Costa Times:

"And the John-Taupin score—the famous songwriting duo's first effort for the stage—gives it the kiss of death."

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:06pm

nomdeplume, get thee to this thread of questionable legal origins on the official Lestat board:
http://forum.lestatmusical.com/index.php?gettopic=173

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:08pm

Thank you for your thoughts, Roninjoey. I haven't heard the lyrics, so I cannot respond about them.

I do believe Bernie Taupin to be a very good poet, and for Elton John's early albums I thought his use of internal rhyme or near rhyme that was a match in vocals together with unexpected imagery to be quite marvelous.

It has been the thing I have been most interested to learn about in this show.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:08pm

It's so unfortunate how much of a mess this show seems to be in right now. I haven't seen it and I've pretty much figured out plotwise how they could fix it from what I've read on these boards. Too bad, because Hugh Panaro deserves better.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:10pm

The entire cast does deserve better. It's a bummer because it could have worked with a lot of what they had, but the they seemed to be changing and fiddling with the wrong things.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:16pm

^Definately. I just don't comprehend when the answer to a problem is RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF THEIR FACES and they don't change it. Alas...I hope it's at least moderately successful for the sake of its cast.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:18pm

Thanks, Lizzie.

From what I see of "Make Me As You Are" lyrics, and without being able to hear the tune, the first thing that strikes me is that I am only picking up a monotonous rhythm from it. No exciting "rushes" through the lyrics to indicate otherwise.

I can live with some mismatch in the rhyming schemes, but the boring composition nature of the subject, verb, object loses me quickly. I find the beginning of each phrase quite unvaried in style.

Does anyone who has heard the music agree or disagree? It's kind of fun to look at it from the lyrics part only before having heard it.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:21pm

AGREE.

AGREE AGREE AGREE AGREE AGREE AGREE AGREE AGREE!

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:37pm

All life is transcient... Updated On: 4/23/06 at 10:37 PM

[Phantom2]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:58pm

The show is not a mess. The cast is incredible. The music is really great. Elton John is a genius. Trust me, it all fits together.

Updated On: 4/22/06 at 10:58 PM