Lennon's Fate?

[LesMizazz]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 10:30pm

Does anyone think Lennon might be in the same boat that Good Vibrations was in? I haven't seen the show, but with weekly grosses it doesn't sound like it's getting a great audience. I also read about the recent additions to the opening and the pushed back opening date, both of which occured with Good Vibrations.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 10:31pm

I saw it two nights ago and didn't enjoy it as much as the first time although I still think it is wonderful. It's a wonderful show that's just having a hard time getting across what it means to say. It will get it across eventually, though.

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 10:39pm

3 weeks at 50%.. not so good..
I'm going to see it Wed!

Updated On: 8/1/05 at 10:39 PM

[StarbuckQAF]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:33am

I think it just needs to find its balance... They're pushing for so many changes, when I think the smart thing is to keep it pretty much as it was. Thickening up a few sections, making some of the dialogue more in depth and meatier is the way to go. Not buchering the opening and closing just for the hell of it, when they worked just fine before! Thankfully, they're most likely reverting back to the original format, because it's just not working with the changes they tried.

The show really is wonderful, and I think once it gets moving and it opens officially, with no more changes being implemented, the attendence will pick up. It already has a slew of fans (dubbed "Lennonites" back in SF, haha), which "Good Vibrations" didn't really have. I think it's funny, because Chad Kimball, who is in "Lennon", was ALSO in "GV" and said he thought it was ridiculously stupid and he couldn't believe it even got produced. :) Direct from a member of the cast... that's harsh. I don't think he'd doom himself with another crap-project. "Lennon" should definitely stay around for a while -- It has the staying power, so theatre-goers need to just take a chance. Most will be remarkably surprised.

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:38am

" I think it's funny, because Chad Kimball, who is in "Lennon", was ALSO in "GV" and said he thought it was ridiculously stupid and he couldn't believe it even got produced. :) Direct from a member of the cast... that's harsh."

I wonder what he'll say about Lennon when it closes...

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:42am

Hey, Tiny-Toon, way to stay positive and not bash shows that haven't even opened yet! God forbid you liked this show and someone said something negative about it.

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:45am

nope still didnt see this one..
I didnt say anything bad about it..
I'm going to see it Wed. and I think i'm going to like it! :)

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:51am

Sorry, I thought by your comment that you expected Lennon to be closing soon.

[Broadway_Bound_Star]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 2:08am

I think Lennon would be like Little Women, have a good cast and a pretty big budget but then be a let down...

[TBone]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 2:43am

"...making some of the dialogue more in depth and meatier is the way to go."

I have to agree with Starbuck there. I saw the show friday night and although the show isn't anything amazing, I definitely didn't think it was the train wreck some would lead you to believe. The music was great and performed wonderfully (even if most of the *amazing* cast is underused). The show definitely has fantastic potential and I REALLY hope whatever it needs to have fixed up, it gets so that it can have a decent run.

[Pinguin]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 2:45am

Just 'cause it ain't a train wreck doesn't mean it's gonna appeal to the public. Hopefully the changes will help the show get better reviews and better attendance!

[TBone]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 2:49am

This is true...and I certainly hope so!

[StarbuckQAF]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 2:55am

As do I -- I really would be heartbroken if this show closed too early. It's definitely not a LONG-running show with the staying power that some shows have (i.e. Phantom, Wicked, etc.), but I think it is definitely possible for it to run until next summer at least. With a cast THAT talented and a numbers with such high energy, it's enjoyable and entertaining to say the least.

People who like it keep going back multiple times, so the good word needs to spread. Critic approval will help that too. *crosses fingers* We'll see how that turns out 2 weeks from now.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 9:16am

Well Chad Kimball is REALLY proving himself to be very professional.

He's going to get a reputation and end his career if he keeps it up.

[me3]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 9:50am

I read that they are making adjustments to the begining and end and adding a song

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 9:51am

Saw it Saturday afternoon and hated it. I'm sorry...everyone playing Lennon was just way too confusing. The music was fantastic, but I found it hard to conentrate. It seemed as if the book was just thrown together. I thought they cancellend the Boston tryouts so they could *fix* the show, not ruin it. Now even though I didn't enjoy myself on Saturday, I think I will give it one last chance after it opens...if it opens! I can't see this show making it to 2006. Bwaysinger commented about the show when he saw it and I completely agree with everything he said.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 9:54am

Is Chad back in the show yet?

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 9:56am

No wonder Chad Kimball is trying to sell those lame tshirts. First Good Vibrations, now Lennon.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 9:56am

nope...darin said he has been going on for chad all week.

[J. Wilkes Booth]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 10:11am

I don't know anything about this musical, but I am assuming it came out post-Mamma Mia. I find it very amusing that so many have followed in ABBA's footsteps. Yeah, followed ABBA!!

You know, the group that you openly loved to hate but secretly loved... The group that you almost have to be GLBT to love... The group that it's almost a stigma to admit that you love...even in our modern, politically-correct, diverse, "open" society...

Looks like ABBA and ABBA fans are getting the last laugh. Let's see...I've lost track of just how many cities and countries in which Mamma Mia is playing... Broadway, Las Vegas, oh, and the American touring cast; Ottawa, Canada; Stockholm, Sweden; Germany; UK; Australia... (go to http://www.mamma-mia.com for a complete list) Oh, and psst...don't know if the rumours are true, but I've heard that it might overtake the beloved "Phantom of the Opera" in ticket sales...

Oh, and if you haven't guessed... I LOVE ABBA...(lol, everyone!! Keep smiling...oh, and listen to "Dancing Queen" at least once today...blast it so everyone knows that you, too, love and respect this great group...)

JWB

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 10:28am

I have to say - I went again this weekend and to echo StarbuckQAF, I wish they would have left it "as was" in early July. I'm scared because it's all over the place now, and I'm hoping they can pull it together before opening.

Is David Leveaux officially working on this now?

[tmz814]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:29pm

Chad was back in the show last night (but Julie was still out so Rona went on as Yoko). They now open with NEW YORK CITY (starting with Will singing it behind the screen and then everyone joining in). They end with the video of IMAGINE (the part that used to play after the spaceship). I feel like the emotional impact of the show was kinda lost when they got rid of the original beginning/ending with the space shuttle and Terry"s eulogy. It just seemed to encompass what the show was all about. I love NEW YORK CITY but wish they could put it in somewhere else rather than first thing. Also, I am still missing the piano in act 1. The bring it out for act 2 but I liked when it was o9nstage the whole time... I don't know....

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:39pm

Well, I think if it's not doing much better than 50% NOW (when there are TONS of tourists in the city) only completely glowing reviews could possibly save the show. Once Labor Day rolls around, attendance is going to drop for most shows and, unless you've already established your audience, you don't have a chance.

[rock00]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 3:45pm

"Saw it Saturday afternoon and hated it. I'm sorry...everyone playing Lennon was just way too confusing. The music was fantastic, but I found it hard to conentrate. It seemed as if the book was just thrown together. I thought they cancellend the Boston tryouts so they could *fix* the show, not ruin it. Now even though I didn't enjoy myself on Saturday, I think I will give it one last chance after it opens...if it opens! I can't see this show making it to 2006. Bwaysinger commented about the show when he saw it and I completely agree with everything he said. "

Glad I'm not the only one. Still hope the show succeeds, though. I'm thinking about going back after it opens to see what the "final" version is like compared to the revised version I saw Friday night.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 3:52pm

I saw it last weekend, and I enjoyed the show. Everyone playing Lennon fits well with Lennon's view of himself and life in general. I did not find it confusing at all. I thought the concept was great, and the cast was very good. But I found the show lacking something. I think the show has not found itself yet. It has not discovered what it wants to say and who it wants to appeal to. It truly is a biography of Lennon told through his music and I think that is what the show definitely needs to emphasize.