Living on Love!- Page 2

[Wee Thomas2]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 12:01pm

"This show is as lightweight as they come on Broadway. This show will be a true test to determine how much box office power Renee Fleming has."

Stew has BINGO

[Kad]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 12:16pm

I'm seeing this Friday.

I am hearing that Fleming is not the draw the producers were hoping for. Even with the dirt-cheap ticket offer, they are comping heavily for these first performances.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 12:22pm

Is her not being a draw supposed to be shocking? I don't think she's been a draw at the Met the past few seasons.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 12:30pm

It's not at all shocking to me. But it's apparently shocking to the producers. And I'm sure it's shocking to Phillypinto.

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 12:54pm

Her opera performances still sell extremely well. That said, there's a difference between selling out 6-10 performances total spread out over several weeks compared to 8 performances a week for 4 months.

Updated On: 4/1/15 at 12:54 PM

[bekk99]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 1:17pm

Going tonight - wasn't high on my list until I saw the cheap ticket offer. I'll at least provide some quick thoughts!

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 4:25pm

<i>Her opera performances still sell extremely well.</i>

I don't want to get too deep into this, but I respectfully disagree.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 4:30pm

I know absolutely nothing about this show, so I'm excited to see it tonight!

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 4:40pm

She is very famous, but can you blame people for not buying their tickets to a show that hasnt even started performances yet. jeez 

frogs, she has been a draw at the box office at the met. The thing is, opera isnt selling as well anymore, but if you look at The Merry Widow versus other operas that she wasnt in, yeah she brought in money!

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 4:52pm

I think you'll find frogs knows what he's talking about.

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 4:55pm

i never disagreed with him

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 5:01pm

I must have misread.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 10:25pm

The show just got out. I thought it was "ok". Certainly not something I'll need to see again, but there were a handful of amusing moments throughout it. 

I will say that if anyone from the production is reading this - your actors DESPERATELY need microphones. Between the audience of senior citizens' non stop hacking up whatever was lodged in their throats for 2 hours and what at times seemed like whispering on stage, a lot was missed, even from the front of the mezz. 

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 10:31pm

yean first previews are usually funky. I hope they fix that

[bekk99]

Posted: 4/1/15 at 10:33pm

Didn't care much for it, but there was a lot of love in this audience. Definitely agree about sound issues, especially for Fleming's speaking. Her singing was gorgeous, but I wish her acting choices had been stronger. 

There just wasn't too much to the plot, and nothing humor-wise that gave me more than a chuckle. I enjoyed Jerry and the two butlers, for the most part. Thought Anna's wig was HEINOUS. If there are going to be that many throwing gags, let's have some target practice. Ran about 2:15, with intermission.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 12:11am

frogs, she has been a draw at the box office at the met. The thing is, opera isnt selling as well anymore, but if you look at The Merry Widow versus other operas that she wasnt in, yeah she brought in money!

This is not at all accurate.  First off, she hasn't been a draw for years....ANYWHERE (perhaps her Rusalka of roughly 6 years ago was the closest she's had to recent success). Her Armidas were epic failures as were her Desdimonas and subsequent Rusalkas.  Merry Widow was not the success you claim it is and any achievement it may have had was based upon it being a new production.  With that said, Netrebko in Macbeth and Kaufmann in Carmen (who ended up canceling his run) did much better business as did the bad press plaqued "Klinghoffer" this season. 

As to your second point, look at opera houses around the world.  BSO and Covent Garden sell around 80% to give two examples and the Salzburg and festival in Aix sell at near capacity. 

Once again: you don't know what you're talking about.  

Updated On: 4/2/15 at 12:11 AM

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 12:21am

LOL YOURE SO WRONG!! Did I ever say she was sellin out the place? no! I was talking about the Met. Once again, you start changing up the subject! As far as the other two operas, Jonas Kaufmann is HUGE and he's younger than Renee, and just as famous. Anna is huge too. Look at the other opera sales with names not as big as Jonas, Renee, or Anna. YES Renee is a draw thank you very much

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 12:29am

You're an idiot. And your ageism is obnoxious.  You know very little of what you speak, but you nevertheless post without hesitation.  

Yours is not simply the ignorance of youth.  Worse still: it's pure stupidity.  

 

 

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 12:34am

You literally have no idea what youre talking about!! All you do is blab

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 12:36am

Play Esq., the most hilarious part about the success of the two Jonas Kauffmann Carmens was that he didn't even perform and the Met made more money on returned/exchanged ticket resales. The Netrebko Macbeth run has been far and away the success of the current Met season.  And you nailed the reason for whatever modicum of success Merry Widow achieved thus far this season- pure speculation on it being a new production.

 

ETA- I just remembered I saw the show tonight.  As Jordan said it was "ok".  It had some cute moments and some nice small directorial touches, but entirely predictable.  Sills is the highlight.

Updated On: 4/2/15 at 12:36 AM

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 12:48am

Thank you, frogs.  I was very worried that I "literally" had no idea what I was talking about.  

I trust that if anyone could verify my statements regarding the Met, it's you. 

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 12:50am

please, i know more about opera than you! 

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 12:59am

LITERALLY PHILLY JUST GIVE IT UP. PLEASE. 

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 1:00am

lol everybody loves me on the boards

[SweetLips]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 5:30am

Delusional !