Mattnyc takes a trip to High Fidelity

[mattnyc2]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 1:33am

I'm not that great at reviews, but here goes nothing:

Did the lottery for the Saturday evening performance of "High Fidelity" and won. In fact I think everyone except one guy who was there by himself won. It was probably the smallest lotto I've ever been to, and on a Saturday night nonetheless.

I went into the theater knowing nothing about this show, except for having seen the film a couple years ago. Overall I was pleasantly surprised. Obviously this show is no "West Side Story" or "Carousel" which is fine because it doesn't pretend to be anything more than a fun evening a theater. Inevitably this show will be compared to "The Wedding Singer", which I also saw and enjoyed. Basically if you enjoyed one, you'll enjoy the other.

I won't go into the plot, because there isn't much there, as was the case in the film. Rob (Will Chase) and Laura (Jenn Colella) are a couple who have just broken up and spend 95% of the show miserable about it. Rob continues to have flashbacks of his "top five breakups of all time." How they were able to stretch this concept into two hours of musical theatre is actually quite amazing. You could take the same concept and have it resolved in a 22 minute sitcom.

That being said there is alot of good things going on in this show. I loved the sets and lighting. In fact, the opening scene in Rob's apartment got applause just for it's set. I also loved the lighting design, which at times transformed the audience from an apartment to a rock concert instantaneously. Will Chase and Jen Colella do an admirale job with what they're given, and seem to shine the most in their solo numbers. There are some great numbers in the score, but unfortunetly I can't remember the names of many of them, as my Playbill doesn't have a songlist. I will say that the songs with more of a rock or comic edge seemed to fit the style of the show better, comapred to the more traditionally "theatrical" songs.

Will this show run for year?
Probably not.
Will it win a bunch of Tony's?
I doubt it.

However, if you're in the mood for a lighthearted show with lots of laughs than this is the show for you. If nothing else I'm sure you'll have a rockin good time. I sure did!

Updated On: 12/3/06 at 01:33 AM

[Just_John]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 3:12am

I sure didn't...and I loved Wedding Singer. After seeing Wedding Singer I was humming many of the songs. Can't remember a single song from High Fidelity. Most of the score is purposeless and random.

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 3:16am

I have a friend who went to see it....he hated it....but then he hated TWS. He's hard to please.

Thanks for the review!

[mattnyc2]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 10:45am

Eh, I think the reason I enjoyed it was because I came in really expecting nothing. Everyone around me seemed to be having a pretty good time as well. It also helps if you're a fan of the film.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 11:02am

Inevitably this show will be compared to "The Wedding Singer", which I also saw and enjoyed.

I have said it before... this I do not understand. Why is it being compared to Wedding Singer? The plot and songs are nothing alike. Besides the fact that there's a guy named Rob and there both movie-turned-musicals (which a lot are these days), I didn't see much else similar. When I saw Wedding Singer (I actually saw HF first), a comparison to High Fidelity didn't even cross my mind. Yet it seems to be a very popular opinion. Can someone explain this?

P.S.- I actually enjoyed High Fidelity more.

Updated On: 12/3/06 at 11:02 AM

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 11:42am

Because it appears every single movie turned musical from now on will be. But the constant comparisons of EVERYTHING to the Wedding Singer has got to stop.

Posted: 12/3/06 at 2:20pm

I also think the comparisons stem from the fact that neither have exceptionally deep plots, but then, a lot of what is on Broadway now doesn't. I guess the light plot + movie-turned-musical makes for a lot of comparisons.

I've never seen Wedding Singer and don't really intend to, considering the most popular way to criticize High Fidelity is to compare it to Wedding Singer.

On another note, does anyone know if regular lotto policies still apply on opening night? I'd like to try the lotto then (it'll be crazy, I know), but I'm not sure if they're even having it. I called the Imperial Theatre, but no one answered the phone.
Updated On: 12/3/06 at 02:20 PM

[mattnyc2]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 7:42pm

Actually Ashley I haven't heard of anyone else comparing this show to Wedding Singer. Darn, I thought I was being original, guess not. The similarities I see are that they are both based on semi-recent romantic comedies that have strong ties to recent decades (TWS is set in the eighties and HF somewhere in the nineties to present). Both are lighthearted, comedic, and fun shows that are in no way going to revolutionize musical theater or have extremely long runs. At least that's my humble opinion.

[LollyNYC]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 8:58pm

I didn't like the show and I didn't like Wedding Singer either. I went into Wedding Singer expecting to LOVE it and I didn't really like it at all. I went into High Fidelity expecting to HATE it based on what friends have said and to be honest, I had more fun and liked it more than I thought I would, but I didn't love it and was bored at many parts.

[almostxfamous]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 9:13pm

There's a reason to it being comparedd to The Wedding Singer. They both are lighthearted shows. Nothing life-changing, no Les Mis. But it's an enjoyable escape that takes you on a little ride, and then you're done. They won't renew your love of theatre and make you see the world in a new light. They're just fun.

That's the main reason I think for the comparison.