Michael R. Jackson's new musical 'White Girl in Danger' to premiere Off-Broadway in March 2023- Page 5

[Ricey2]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 12:55pm

I keep saying things, but my partner just got out of work and we talked about the show more. Tarra deserves the world for Nell. That was an amazing performance. One of a kind. I also wanted to highlight Liz Lark Brown playing three different characters. Her song was ANOTHER huge highlight of the show and her doing it while cycling through her characters. I really REALLY hope that it stays too. 

[TheOnlyOne2]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 2:39pm

JasonC3 said: "I'm asking this out of curiosity and without judgment, to what degree is what people saw last night less developed/polished than what we normally see at a first preview?"

That's difficult to answer. It was everything he had in mind so it was like a long fully staged workshop presentation. Again, I only say that because it was all of the ideas, which was also exciting. I am going back tonight and would assume there will already be a good chunk of cutting because it was very clear which scenes fell flat. It also needs to be shaped and focus which could be easily done from what I saw. Also, there are so many good songs that I was already wishing to watch again as soon as they ended. 

This was light years ahead of Bad Cinderalla, which is the only other 1st preview of a "new" musical. That was just bad and it already had a fully staged run to start as a base. 

Go if you can see it during this run, or even previews. 

[TheOnlyOne2]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 2:44pm

*eats popcorn while watching non black women battle it in the comments about a show centered on black women* 

Yall are too much, I'd love to see your thoughts on shows written AND about black women cuz THAT would be a disaster I'd love to watch. 💅🏾

[Pashacar]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 5:53pm

TheOnlyOne2 said: "*eats popcorn while watching non black women battle it in the comments about a show centered on black women*

Yall are too much, I'd love to see your thoughts on shows written AND about black women cuz THAT would be a disaster I'd love to watch. ??"

I'm sorry, the only people allowed to have opinions about this show are black women?

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 5:59pm

"I'm sorry, the only people allowed to have opinions about this show are black women?"

No one tell the author.

[TheOnlyOne2]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 10:18pm

I went again tonight for 2nd preview. Most of the issues stated before remained, but I was upset to see they cut Liz Lark Brown's wonderful number as all 3 moms, and left in Michael's extremely long self serving monologue. That scene is really just unnecessary and belongs in another show completely. 

Updated On: 3/16/23 at 10:18 PM

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 10:23pm

TheOnlyOne2 said: "*eats popcorn while watching non black women battle it in the comments about a show centered on black women*

Yall are too much, I'd love to see your thoughts on shows written AND about black women cuz THAT would be a disaster I'd love to watch. ??"

By all means, White folks should recognize the different perspectives they are encountering when seeing a show like this, but surely they... get to buy tickets? And see it? And so, have opinions?  Are you suggesting a person of color can't have an opinion about Leopolsdadt? Make it make sense.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 10:30pm

Sutton Ross said: "It was the very first preview of a brand new work with a warning from Micheal beforehand. You saw everything in his brain last night regarding this show. It will be a lot different when it opens. Perhaps people assuming this is a failure or won't make it to Broadway should keep that in mind?"

Never said it’s a failure - again not going to Broadway isn’t always the goal - but given A Strange Loop didn’t do well, and the subject matter/name - im not sure this has broad appeal. But again, I don’t think that’s their intent. 

[TheOnlyOne2]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 11:23pm

Pashacar said: "TheOnlyOne2 said: "*eats popcorn while watching non black women battle it in the comments about a show centered on black women*

Yall are too much, I'd love to see your thoughts on shows written AND about black women cuz THAT would be a disaster I'd love to watch. ??"

I'm sorry, the only people allowed to have opinions about this show are black women?"

No, the comment means I'm getting joy out out watching your opinions because they amuse me as a black girl. Stop makin up stuff that ain't there, and get back to battlin'. 

[TheOnlyOne2]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 11:27pm

PipingHotPiccolo said: "TheOnlyOne2 said: "*eats popcorn while watching non black women battle it in the comments about a show centered on black women*

Yall are too much, I'd love to see your thoughts on shows written AND about black women cuz THAT would be a disaster I'd love to watch. ??"

By all means, White folks should recognize the different perspectives they are encountering when seeing a show like this, but surely they... get to buy tickets? And see it? And so, have opinions? Are you suggesting a person of color can't have an opinion about Leopolsdadt? Make it make sense."

No, you're projecting. I'm just having fun watching yall 👀.  Teehee

[Ricey2]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 11:27pm

TheOnlyOne2 said: "I went again tonight for 2nd preview. Most of the issues stated before remained, but I was upset to see they cut Liz Lark Brown's wonderful number as all 3 moms, and left in Michael's extremely long self serving monologue. That seen us really just unnecessary and belongs in another show completely."


This was two of the most devastating things you could have mentioned about the second preview. GUTTED about them cutting that. 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 11:37pm

TheOnlyOne2 said: "PipingHotPiccolo said: "TheOnlyOne2 said: "*eats popcorn while watching non black women battle it in the comments about a show centered on black women*

Yall are too much, I'd love to see your thoughts on shows written AND about black women cuz THAT would be a disaster I'd love to watch. ??"

By all means, White folks should recognize the different perspectives they are encountering when seeing a show like this, but surely they... get to buy tickets? And see it? And so, have opinions? Are you suggesting a person of color can't have an opinion about Leopolsdadt? Make it make sense."

No, you're projecting. I'm just having fun watching yall ?. Teehee"

I have absolutely no idea what you could possibly think the word "projecting" means here, but if there's something funny to you about White people discussing this show, by all means, laugh away. They're gonna keep on doing it, as they should. 

[TheOnlyOne2]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 11:39pm

I know there hasn't been a song list so far, but what were your fave. 

"Out Run the Story" is probably my favorite. Maybe I'm crazy but it reminds me of something that could be in RENT. It's also just Tarra Conner Jones and Liz Lark Brown blending their powerful presences into one huge beautiful monster. 

I also picture the movie scene where they're barreling down the highway in a red corvette, wigs flowing in the wind! 

Updated On: 3/16/23 at 11:39 PM

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 12:23am

TheOnlyOne2 said: "I went again tonight for 2nd preview. Most of the issues stated before remained, but I was upset to see they cut Liz Lark Brown's wonderful number as all 3 moms, and left in Michael's extremely long self serving monologue. That scene is really just unnecessary and belongs in another show completely."

It could be possible that it might be restored at some point, but damn! That was one of the highlights of the evening

[TheOnlyOne2]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 2:03am

PipingHotPiccolo said: "TheOnlyOne2 said: "PipingHotPiccolo said: "TheOnlyOne2 said: "*eats popcorn while watching non black women battle it in the comments about a show centered on black women*

Yall are too much, I'd love to see your thoughts on shows written AND about black women cuz THAT would be a disaster I'd love to watch. ??"

By all means, White folks should recognize the different perspectives they are encountering when seeing a show like this, but surely they... get to buy tickets? And see it? And so, have opinions? Are you suggesting a person of color can't have an opinion about Leopolsdadt? Make it make sense."

No, you're projecting. I'm just having fun watching yall ?. Teehee"

I have absolutely no idea what you could possibly think the word "projecting" means here, but if there's something funny to you about White people discussing this show, by all means, laugh away. They're gonna keep on doing it, as they should."

It's called projecting your own insecurities onto what I said. I already stated I don't care who discusses what, and I never said anything about white people, yall did that. I said I find the opinions of people who aren't black women amusing in this thread. Period pooh :) 

You sound like the people on this thread who are coming out of the show and feeling its "whitephobia" ahaha. 

[kurtal]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 12:15pm

I saw this last night and - WOW - what a ride!  There's a lot of brilliance in this show.  But at the moment it's six different shows blended into one.  I described it to a friend as Ain't No Mo' meets Saved by the Bell meets a Jordache commercial.  

I'm looking forward to seeing this again in about a month when they've figured out which story they're actually telling.

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 11:53pm

boy what a phenomenal mess this is

aimless, self-serving and phenomenally confused about what it is actually trying to say, additionally the design or what is being called a design is ugly, shapeless and under-budgeted. 

I can not believe this is from the same person that wrote Strange Loop except for the very long rant at the end from the character that from the second you see them is clearly Michael's Id. Who goes on a rant about Beyonce and anti-wokeness and slams Obama and Kamala Harris which ok you are welcome to those stances but when you don't really offer up anything as a substantive counter suggestion it is just very off-putting  

I would go as far to say it might be the worst thing I have seen in almost 15 years of theater-going, had I not attended as a guest of a friend I would have bolted at intermission. 

Also Saved By The Bell is not nor has it ever been classified as a soap opera and the fact the entire first act was built on this misunderstanding drove me crazy, also just taking real names and adding white to the end is both lazy and makes no sense considering the reveal at the end of the show

I highly doubt this gets fixed in 3 weeks and boy is it going to set some careers back, the only person who comes out looking decent is Tarra Conner Jones who has some solid songs (even if one is a very weird Dreamgirls rip off) and an actual story arc that somewhat makes sense

Also, considering how many workshops and readings this has had (according to the program insert) why is this as long as it is and as messy, and with TWO major off-broadway theaters involved?

TLDR: 3 hours. 3 different dildos. 

Updated On: 3/20/23 at 11:53 PM

[The Bittersweets]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 12:18am

This is a fascinating show! I definitely think it could benefit from quite a bit of paring, but there are some fun and funny moments sprinkled throughout the show. Michael is great at pastiche, and the first act is a really clever study of representation in traditionally ‘white’ media. 

Act 2 is where things kind of go off the rails for me. The plot swerves in a different direction, the style changes, it feels like a different (but related) show to me. Needlessly sexual (the first act has quite a bit of this too, but act 2 is really where it takes off), and the existence of the ‘Michael’ monologue is a bit contradictory to what it’s trying to say, I feel. I could literally hear the music becoming more “Strange Loop”-y when Clarence starts to sing. A few moments that felt like they were from a fever dream, and a few moments (Nell’s song) that knocked my socks off in act 2. (Side note, this is Tarra Conner Jones’ Off Broadway debut, and is spectacular!) The ending song gives a wonderful topic sentence to the show, but it was a completely different message than what I got from everything else. 

I remain convinced that there is a good show here. The non-essential stuff needs to be chiseled away, and there is quite a bit of that, but there is something interesting being said here. 
 

This show is at its best when it taps into the camp inherent in the soap opera genre. Getting to meet these characters is so fun, but their existence is sort of relegated to act 1. I think that’s kind of the point, but at the same time the tonal shift we get as a result was jarring to me. Quite the conundrum.

[Thescapist29]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 12:33am

I saw this tonight and was expecting a long ramble with some rough patches…and that’s what I got. I wasn’t offended by anything in the show - and was entertained by a lot of it; however, there is very little focus and it all seems like the idea-vomit of a first draft.

The first thing that should be fixed is the terminology used in the show’s description. This is not just a satire of soap operas. That’s too narrow a description. The show skewers soaps, prime- time hour-long dramas, Lifetime movies, teen dramas/comedies. Aside from that, the writing is a lot like a college show put on by theatre students who want to cram in as much topical humor as possible. By the time we get to the end it’s become far too self-indulgent to maintain a single point. As a result we get a long monologue telling us the message of the show and the purpose of the evening’s events. It’s a compelling point of view and has a lot of spot-on criticism behind it…but it’s lazy storytelling. 

The music is great - the actors are fine…some are fantastic. I just wish the book was as enjoyable or cohesive.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 12:38am

I'm looking forward to seeing the journey this show takes, hopefully they take it back to the rehearsal room after this run and listen to the audience. 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 4:07am

These recent posts are making me increasingly glad I only paid $39 for my ticket and that I don't see the show for another month.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 4:17am

TheOnlyOne2 said: "*eats popcorn while watching non black women battle it in the comments about a show centered on black women*

Yall are too much, I'd love to see your thoughts on shows written AND about black women cuz THAT would be a disaster I'd love to watch. ??"

Here are a few. Knock yourself out:

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1096760

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1126731

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1154839

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 7:05am

As I’ve been told, about 20 minutes has already been cut from the first preview and more cuts/changes will be happening before Tuesday, so there are things happening in terms of working on the show

[mememe]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 7:56am

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "boy what a phenomenal mess this is

aimless, self-serving and phenomenally confused about what it is actually trying to say, additionally the design or what is being called a design is ugly, shapeless and under-budgeted.

I can not believe this is from the same person that wrote Strange Loop except for the very long rant at the end from the character that from the second you see them is clearly Michael's Id. Who goes on a rant about Beyonce and anti-wokeness and slams Obama and Kamala Harris which ok you are welcome to those stances but when you don't really offer up anything as a substantive counter suggestion it is just very off-putting

I would go as far to say it might be the worst thing I have seen in almost 15 years of theater-going, had I not attended as a guest of a friend I would have bolted at intermission.

Also Saved By The Bell is not nor has it ever been classified as a soap opera and the fact the entire first act was built on this misunderstanding drove me crazy, also just taking real names and adding white to the end is both lazy and makes no sense considering the reveal at the end of the show

I highly doubt this gets fixed in 3 weeks and boy is it going to set some careers back, the only person who comes out looking decent is Tarra Conner Jones who has some solid songs (even if one is a very weird Dreamgirls rip off) and an actual story arc that somewhat makes sense

Also, considering how many workshops and readings this has had (according to the program insert) why is this as long as it is and as messy, and with TWO major off-broadway theaters involved?

TLDR: 3 hours. 3 different dildos."

Yes. Saw it Friday, and it’s a train wreck 

The moment the opening started, I knew we were in trouble. It is choreographed, and staged like a tiny off-Broadway parody show. No two members of the company are ever doing, any given step the same. Everyone is playing up the hokey aspect of the style, rather than ever playing anything for real and it comes across as student production, written by a sophomore who grew up on bootlegs of Debbie Does Dallas and Batboy, and pulled together a group of their cohorts to do a show together, because they didn’t want the official drama department’s production of Bloomer Girl.

There are brilliant ideas, buried in this production but it’s truly the worst thing I’ve ever seen.

 

 

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 9:13am

Now why is Beyoncé in it? Lmaooo 

For those that saw both  this and Black No More, which one felt like it dragged on longer?