Moulin Rouge Colonial Theatre Previews — Page 16

1 ticket for tonight (7/14 at 8pm) I can’t use now. Center orchestra. Just don’t want it to go to waste. PM me if interested.

msmp said: "bwayrose7 said: "Can we please have just one thread that stays on topic? Most of us really, really, REALLY are just here to talk theatre.

I for one am curious about the reasoning behind some of the more controversial changes to this show. My biggest "complaint" is twofold: why make the running love theme "Your Song" instead of "Come What May", and why on earth would they replace "One Day I'll Fly Away"?"

I thought the switch to "Your Song" worked well enough; to me, it made things a little more personal when Christian was singing to Satine. But I think the primary reason they did it was probably that the song is more recognizable to the general public, as opposed to people who know the movie?"

It's seems more personal BECAUSE they cut the meaning behind "Come What May." The idea that Christian has written a song that is THEIR song as a couple that is totally unique to them, their love, and the situation they are in is what makes "Come What May" an emotional piece. "Your Song" is the song that makes her fall in love with him, it's not the song that is ABOUT their love. To remove that meaning and just make "Come What May" some random song that they don't even really use together as a duet is one of the biggest crimes here.

From all I am reading, really not matter what this show is gonna make BANK at the box office but is that enough? In it's current state, all signs likely point to it being ripped apart by critiques and depending on what else comes in to share the season with it, I could see it becoming the Mean Girls of it's season. Loved by audiences/it's rabid fan base, but totally ignored in the awards minus a few technically awards.

Scarlet Leigh said, "From all I am reading, really not matter what this show is gonna make BANK at the box office but is that enough? In it's current state, all signs likely point to it being ripped apart by critiques and depending on what else comes in to share the season with it, I could see it becoming the Mean Girls of it's season. Loved by audiences/it's rabid fan base, but totally ignored in the awards minus a few technically awards."



I'm not sure what your point here is. First: awards are not the do all and end all for shows. Neither are they the only way to measure success. While I'm sure all involved (in any show) dream of being recognized with awards, they will be just as happy to make audiences happy. Second: Some rabid fans (according to reports) are going to hate this because of the changes. But what about all those that are NOT fans of the film - whether, like me, didnt care for it or just haven't seen it?

There are few shows that ever have EVERYONE falling in love with it - Not Hamilton, Not The Band's Visit, not Dear Evan Hansen.



Note: I have no opinion on this show as I have to wait another week or so to see it. Might love it, might hate it.

Updated On: 7/14/18 at 06:06 PM

https://youtu.be/t-65zkze8kE

B-Roll Teaser

I just got back from the matinee too. I won the lotto and had tickets in the Dress Circle, row K. Not bad seats for the price ($35 each, max 2). They were considered limited view, but I didn't really miss much (I only missed some of the action in one of the front corners of the stage where it extends out).

The show is mostly style with little substance. There are definitely a lot of flaws with the book; however, I didn't go in with the highest expectations.

I hated the movie, but thoroughly enjoyed the stage version, despite the flaws. Visually, this show is stunning - the set, costumes, lights, and choreography. Also, I'll admit I rolled my eyes when I saw the song list, but was surprised at how enjoyable the performances were without being too over-the-top cheesy.

P.S. There were two ladies a few rows in front of me in the dress circle (row H??) who seemed drunk. One lady kept dancing in her seat, bobbing her head obnoxiously, singing, and waving her hands in the air. The lady next to her kept inhaling a drink and standing up every few minutes. Very rude and distracting. Also, now apparently you can order drinks via an app and someone will deliver it to your seat pre-show or during intermission. I haven't been to the theater much lately - is this the new norm?

When Aaron was in CMIYC the stage door men said he had left already. He left very fast, before the audience had time to leave. A second time we were told the same thing. Aaron likes his privacy. I respect him for that.

Calling anyone a random liar is uncalled for.

Perhaps he is greeting at stage door now, or for the initial shows. Aaron pumps out a lot of energy in his strong work ethic. Again, he likes his privacy.

Updated On: 7/14/18 at 08:02 PM

millie_dillmount said: "P.S. There were two ladies a few rows in front of me in the dress circle (row H??) who seemed drunk. One lady kept dancing in her seat, bobbing her head obnoxiously, singing, and waving her hands in the air."



I was in row D of the balcony and this was happening to some degree or another in the three rows in front of me. (Well, thankfully no singing, but lots of dancing and bobbing along, etc.) At times it reminded me of the crowd at Summer.

"

the.hard.part said: "In general would front balcony be alright for this or is it worth splurging?"

As I mentioned, I was in row D of the balcony and with the exception of the posture queen in front of me blocking some of the action on the stage right passerelle I felt I had an excellent view.

the.hard.part said: "In general would front balcony be alright for this or is it worth splurging?"

Given the sight-lines at the Colonial post-renovation, I think you should be fine with front balcony. I splurged (a little) for rear orchestra and I don't regret it, but people I met at the stage-door who sat in the balcony seemed to have just as enjoyable an experience. If you're really towards the front of the balcony, you might have a better view of the choreography for some scenes (Bad Romance comes to mind), but with a little bit less of the facial expressions.

Bottom line, I'm not sure there's a bad seat in the house (except for the limited leg room seats noted in the Dress Circle).

In my experience, very few people stage-door after a matinee on a two-show day. It makes sense, given they only have a few hours to recuperate and grab something to eat before they need to get back into makeup, costumes, etc. That's definitely not confined to Aaron.

Regarding him with MR, he came out when I went (2nd preview) but he and Karen both seemed to be utterly exhausted. They're both pouring so much into this show I can't blame them if they want to just go home and crash after performing!

I just happened to be passing through Boston and managed to catch this tonight. I don't really know the movie. (I tried to watch it last week but found it mostly dizzying.) I can certainly see how someone who is attached to the movie would be disappointed in some of the choices made. As someone not attached to the movie, I was thoroughly entertained tonight, with some caveats.

First of all, Danny Burstein is a treasure, and I was most taken by his character and his portrayal. Sure, he could use his own song (or a better song) to sing, but he still shines without it. But really, all of the cast was wonderful, given the material they had to work with. The sets were even more amazing live than the photos suggest, and that's really saying something. And the staging and choreography were absolutely terrific. This really was a spectacle!

I think the problem this show has is that it doesn’t quite know what it wants to be. On one hand, it’s a 3-hour gimmicky ride through the history of pop music that I grew a little tired of. Most of the songs did elicit knowing laughter, though there were a few serious moments when the audience remained respectfully quiet. And I get it -- the songs were fun! But that made it difficult, if not impossible, to create any emotional depth to the story. I was never really convinced about Satine's and Christian's love, and I found myself feeling bad for Karen Olivo and Aaron Tveit for having to wring true passion out of shoehorned songs that didn't perfectly fit. I was a little moved by the ending, but only a little, and even that was abruptly whisked away by the joyous coda. I still had loads of fun, but I would have settled for less fun and more feeling.

(I actually found myself comparing this with Head Over Heels, which also features shoehorned music and a lack of emotional depth. I think the difference is that Head Over Heels doesn't even try to go there – it only tries to be fun.)

My seat was just about perfect – center orchestra row J (8th row). This actually felt too close at times, as the action heavily uses the passerelle and extends to either side of the stage. I would absolutely not recommend the VIP seating unless you're planning on seeing this another time from a more traditional location. Too much of the action will be behind you, or worse, all around you.

The audience tonight was pitch-perfect, at least in the orchestra. Ecstatically enthusiastic without being annoying, and, amazingly, totally pin-drop quiet when called for. Bravo!