Moulin Rouge! Previews - Page 14

[LxGstv]

Posted: 7/8/19 at 12:45pm

Mike Barrett said: "Oh I don't care if people like it or don't like it, I am just often shocked at the language used here to describe their experience fro posters who don't like it. Some posters make it sound like they truly hate theatre when they see something and they must tear it down, rather than sharing their opinion on it. Its just a flare for the dramatics mostly that is ridiculous. Hate a show all you want but it wasn't an "aggravating" experience for you. If it were that bad you would have left or never gone in the first place.There is a difference between not liking/critquing a show and tearing down ashow you don't like,and I think people can agree with that."

Certain shows are gonna cause certain reactions... no one goes to see a show expecting not to like it... and it’s ok to be disappointed and write a review stating how you honestly feel... it’s all opinions at the end of the day...

I personally loved Head Over Heels, a show that most people here hated it, so what? I didn’t go around questioning every negative review, regardless of how nasty it was... I know what I like and what I don’t like and I don’t let someone else’s opinion change how I feel...

Also, I wasn’t referring to you Mike on my post...

[IHeartNY2]

Posted: 7/8/19 at 12:48pm

Thank you Kad! @Dramamama: like and dislike a show all you want. I'm just stating the fact there's an unfair bias against jukebox musicals--before they even see the light of day, and I stand by that. I already gave one great example of that above with ATP, but if you'd like another: Check out the "Way too early 2020 noms" thread. Hardly anyone will even consider TINA as a best musical nominee even though it's been well-received so far...and instead they'll throw in shows that haven't even announced when/if/where/how they're coming this season. But JLP is deemed worthy, I guess, because it's artsy and 'deep' and not your typical jukebox. Different shows are held to different standards it seems.

We have a true spectacle of a show that could potentially break $2M right out of the gate, and that's too much for some people to handle. (And since I'm fired up right now, let's also acknowledge that MR is not one of those classic films that everyone has seen 50X, and that can't be altered in any way because it's so beloved by the masses).  #Exhale

But back to the MR previews: If anyone knows of any major changes since first preview please share, I'm going back just before opening! 

Updated On: 7/8/19 at 12:48 PM

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 7/8/19 at 1:13pm

Kad said: "I disagree about the heart of the movie, with its wild MTV edits and gelatin boobs and boing-boing sound effects and throw-it-all-against-the-wall razzle dazzle, but that's neither here or there.

But if it's not trying to be anything but entertaining, criticizing it for that seems silly. There is an inclination on this board to ding things for being slight in order to look, I don't know, mature or intellectual or something, even when slightness is the point."

Wow, Kad I completely disagree with your assessment of the film as having no heart. The last third of the film has true pathos and I remember half the theatre in tears by the end of it. The film also ends in a somber, quiet, reflective way. The musical on stage has none of that.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/8/19 at 2:50pm

Well, there are SOME here that dont like jukebox musicals. So what? There is no unfair bias. People know what they like. Who cares what someone isnt predicting for awards that are 11 months away?

But you know something? Many of these people will still go to see it...because they might be wrong, and they want to KNOW, not guess.

And again...people on a discussion board has no control over the Tony Awards or the general public.

[Hellob]

Posted: 7/8/19 at 4:20pm

Mike Barrett said: "Oh I don't care if people like it or don't like it, I am just often shocked at the language used here to describe their experience fro posters who don't like it. Some posters make it sound like they truly hate theatre when they see something and they must tear it down, rather than sharing their opinion on it. Its just a flare for the dramatics mostly that is ridiculous. Hate a show all you want but it wasn't an "aggravating" experience for you. If it were that bad you would have left or never gone in the first place.There is a difference between not liking/critquing a show and tearing down ashow you don't like,and I think people can agree with that."

lol how u gonna decide if I’m aggravated or not? Ur not! I’m far from miserable lmao

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 7/8/19 at 6:39pm

The real Moulin Rouge is spectacle over substance. It is dinner[or without] and a show that completely subjects your senses to overload---it's meant to be an 'experience'.

This[havn't seen] appears to be similar with a thread of a story to connect the spectacle.

You have bought a ticket to Broadways version of a night in Paris. Enter with the same excitement and immerse yourself in the decadence of 100 years of a life and time you can only[perhaps] imagine.

Dress up, Drink green and all will be Devine.

[jbird5]

Posted: 7/8/19 at 10:03pm

I didn’t hate this, just found the book cringeworthy. Ditch the book and just give us the songs. The WHOLE songs. I couldn’t help the crack about GFTNC which I did kind of hate. I have high hopes for Tina because I think her story could make for a very compelling show. But the track record is not very good. Same for JLP.

I think Robert Horn deserved the Tony for his terrific book even if people find the concept horribly dated. The Prom was also terrific. And Head Over Heels was an interesting not quite success.

As people said enjoy this show for what it is. A spectacle. Hell l’ll be first in line if they revive the Ziegfeld Follies.

Edit - if you’re going to have a character based on Toulouse Lautrec and you don’t cast Peter Dinklage, call him something else.

 

Updated On: 7/8/19 at 10:03 PM

[Danielle49]

Posted: 7/8/19 at 11:28pm

SPOILERS AHEAD
 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

 

 

Updated On: 7/9/19 at 11:28 PM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 7/9/19 at 12:11am

QueenAlice said: 

Wow, Kad I completely disagree with your assessment of the film as having no heart. The last third of the film has true pathos and I remember half the theatre in tears by the end of it. The film also ends in a somber, quiet, reflective way. The musical on stage has none of that."

I finally got around to seeing Moulin Rouge tonight (those ticket prices are crazy- this is the most I’ve ever spent on a musical preview ticket; they really need to cut Danny Burstein’s line asking how all the poverty-stricken patrons in the mezz are doing after they paid peanuts to get in!) and I’ve been catching up with this thread. I’m a huge, huge fan of the movie. It was like my Titanic- I just kept going back to see it in the movie theater over and over again. Queen Alice, I 100% agree with you about the film. There is SO much heart and romance and pathos! The film does have a lot of style, but I strongly disagree that it comes at the cost of substance. 

The same can’t be said for the stage show, which is just spectacle all the time. I admit that I did have quite a bit of fun. It’s a feast for the senses, but it does lack the passion and romance of the film. The edition of all the new pop songs (aka z100 live) does sometimes work, but mostly the song snippets are played for a quick laugh rather than for emotional resonance. The Elephant Love Medley is now almost a comedy song rather than a bombastic outpouring of love. 

I guess this won’t matter because the spectacle is so dazzling, the costumes and lighting are so great and the choreography really is killer. This ensemble must be exhausted! I thought Olivio did very well, especially in her musical numbers. Yes, she’s too healthy looking, but if someone were really a few weeks away from dying there’s no way that person could perform the numbers Satine is asked to perform, so it’s easy to suspend disbelief on that front. I thought Tveit was fine. Better here than in Catch Me if You Can, but not quite as textured a performance as Next to Normal. 

I liked Danny Burstein, though thought he was often underused and never had a proper number to showcase his talents. I LOVED Sahr. I’ll admit I was a Fela addict and I’m happy to see him back on stage, but he really was excellent. He was the only actor who brought that pathos over from the film. The Duke in the film is a comic villain- a simpleton idiot with money- but here he’s dangerous and vicious. Mutu does well, but his story just gets cut off, which brings me to the ending...

This is where the stage show just can’t compete with the film. The entire play within a play is basically nothing (the Bollywood spectacle is gone) and the thrilling business with the Duke twitching in his seat, running up the aisle with gun, the dazzling singing onstage- it’s just the two of them, she plops down and croaks. Then onto the mega mix and we can all walk out of the theater on a high note. 

It’s not inspired, but it’s fun and will be a big hit. It delivers the goods on the spectacle in a way most shows can’t. The tickets are expensive, but you see the money onstage and don’t feel ripped off. I think this will have a nice run and pick up a handful of tech awards- how many Tonys will Catherine Zuber win in her lifetime? I had fun with my friends, and at the equivalent of a summer popcorn flick at the theater, that might just be enough. 

 

[IHeartNY2]

Posted: 7/9/19 at 1:15am

Danielle49 said: "sorry in advance for being so nit picky."

Nah, not at all. 

 

[Skip23]

Posted: 7/9/19 at 1:41am

.

Edit - if you’re going to have a character based on Toulouse Lautrec and you don’t cast Peter Dinklage, call him something else.

"

 

Have to agree. At least call him something else. Fela, or something....

 

 

[Ladybug101]

Posted: 7/9/19 at 8:37am

This is very long.

Danielle49 said: Lots of negatives about Aaron Tveit so here are my points since I find her inaccurate at times. Sorry it's a fan's duty to notice discrepancies. #1 is not up for debate -- it's clothes and if you want to challenge my statements be my guest.

1."I loved most of the costumes, excluding Christian’s costumes. He doesn’t look penniless at all — his vest, pants, shirt, and coat look neat and tailored (conveniently for our big Broadway star)."
Since you're possibly planning to go back to the film notice what Ewan McGregor is wearing -- looks good plus he wears a long black coat(though not leather) for Roxanne.

2. "I was worried when he (Tveit) was cast because he up until this point hasn’t captured the image of an underdog."
So let's go thru some of his TV work.
a. L&O SVU - Stevie Harris -- Stevie had been a poor kid sexually abused by his basketball coach and now that he's out on his own, he's a junkie that the SVU cops are trying to help. He's in big trouble and his nerves and sadness are at the surface. And he ends up being killed after wearing a wire
b. Graceland S3 - After being betrayed by his DEA girlfriend (He's FBI undercover) a rogue narc shoots him and then pulls the life support in the hospital at the end of S2-cliffhanger. He survives but to help with the pain, the docs have hooked him on vicodin -- like so many in this country. He goes out on the street to buy drugs, od's and his Fed pals have to save him during with he gets support and he looks terrible for much of the season. He's often clutching at some of them.
c. Currently, he doing a recurring role in The Code (Derek Klena-recurring,Phillippa Soo a regular.) He is the "brother" of one of the regulars and is suffering from mental disease. Haven't seen it but fans like the character arc -- he's spacy and worst, I guess. He is not a "broad" actor on screen -- he doesn't have to reach the rear balcony--he's pretty laid back. But you don't how Timbers directed him for the stage. Didn't Lautrec call him a crass American (maybe) -- lacking refinement.

3." He’s a very broad performer with a nice voice, but I had trouble understanding his love for Satine, his motivations, and any vulnerability that’s underneath." You can use some of #2 for this statement but I have more to add for the very broad performer comment.
a. In 2017 he played Bobby in Company at Barrington Stage. Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal wrote in his year's summary that Tveit's musical performance was the best that year for him -- Ben Platt the preceding year was his choice.
b.Jesse Green (NYT) also went up to the Bekrshires and named it a Critics Pick. For transparency he didn't say Aaron was his choice for his year's favorite. And unlike Raul Esparza who everyone seems to love in the role, Tveit is much more vulnerable in his interpretation of "Being Alive." Tears flowing.
c. Stephen Sondheim, at 89, goes ever where. I am in awe. He's currently at the WSS film set and he's been to London for Company, Follies recently and was at Assassin's in 2015 in which Tveit got excellent Brit reviews (and was extremely raw when the federal soldiers surrounded his barn hiding place. and for the later Company Sondheim. on video in Barrington. told Tveit that he was pretty perfect as Bobby. Most of the regional critics swooned at his performance.

That's enough for me.

Your Satine and Lautrec question --Before I forget, didn't Toulouse Lautrec tell Christian after singing Nature Boy that he and Satine had been close friends since they were very young and he always had loved her and Christian should go after her. (Or was this only in Boston)
Updated On: 7/9/19 at 08:37 AM

[barcelona20]

Posted: 7/9/19 at 10:49am

Thank you Whizzer for your spot-on analysis as always!

[IHeartNY2]

Posted: 7/9/19 at 11:25am

HamilHansen said: "Danny Burstein can do whatever he wants forever..." THIS It is pretty spectacular and people expecting a spectacle will be dazzled." AND THIS...

I keep wondering what Timbers would have done with Frozen.

 

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 7/9/19 at 12:30pm

Although I initially disliked the film (loved Ewan and Nicole, but found the style and its speed-craziness off-putting), I went back to it and grew to admire and even love it. Seeing the show last year in Boston was a thrill. I'm not a production freak, and don't need helicopters landing to make a show special. But the sheer entertainment value of the show is very strong, and it sounds as though the Broadway production has retained that, and perhaps improved on it as well. Loved Burstein, thought Tveit and Olivo were really good, and enjoyed all the snippets of pop songs. 

If the critics are kind (and one never knows) I see this as being a great success.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 7/9/19 at 1:04pm

Hellob said: "Mike Barrett said: "Oh I don't care if people like it or don't like it, I am just often shocked at the language used here to describe their experience fro posters who don't like it. Some posters make it sound like they truly hate theatre when they see something and they must tear it down, rather than sharing their opinion on it. Its just a flare for the dramatics mostly that is ridiculous. Hate a show all you want but it wasn't an "aggravating" experience for you. If it were that bad you would have left or never gone in the first place.There is a difference between not liking/critquing a show and tearing down ashow you don't like,and I think people can agree with that."

lol how u gonna decide if I’m aggravated or not? Ur not! I’m far from miserable lmao"

Not telling you how to feel, but I am confused by the wording of your review and by others on this board. The words "Insufferable, aggravating, horrible, torturous" are so often used on this board and it just sucks the life out of the conversation. Again, I don't care if you hate the show. I have no investment in any show other than my own enjoyment, but reading reviews on here constantly, it comes off more as posters just bashing anything to make them feel good about themselves or to put down art they did not enjoy. There is a big difference between critiquing and bashing. If you're miserable at a show, then I am sorry for you and hope you find more happiness elsewhere. 

[Hellob]

Posted: 7/9/19 at 8:32pm

^^^
I didn’t say it was a bad show or that I was miserable. I’m saying that the overuse of song snippets impacted imo the weight and connection to the story. Therefore, I was aggravated bc if you’re only gonna use 1-2 lines and then the audience reacts to everything then you lose momentum. I’m a very happy person lol.

[Impossible2]

Posted: 7/9/19 at 8:46pm

Hellob said: "^^^
I didn’t say it was a bad show or that I was miserable. I’m saying that the overuse of song snippets impacted imo the weight and connection to the story. Therefore, I was aggravated bc if you’re only gonna use 1-2 lines and then the audience reacts to everything then you lose momentum. I’m a very happy person lol."

You don't need to justify yourself to this person, we all got what you meant.

Thanks for being honest x

Posted: 7/10/19 at 12:33am

Just came back from seeing it and I absolutely loved it. It was really spectacular. It is A LOT so I am happy I sat in the front mezzanine to really take everything in. It was really a gorgeous show. I enjoyed all of the performances and I really do recommend it.

I do agree, the death did seem kind of sudden, and I didn’t find it to be emotional. But I rarely get emotional
during shows so that may be a me thing. :P

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 12:13pm

I haven't read through all of the pages of replies here to avoid too many spoilers, but has it already been pointed out that they painted "L'amour" on the building? I really wish they added something else on top as well, or made the script bigger.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 5:01pm

I haven't seen the stage show, but I've seen the movie tons of times. I have my doubts about the stage adaptation because so much of made Moulin Rouge great is specific to film--such as editing, cinematography, and sound editing--and would be hard to replicate in a live theatre adaptation. I'm wondering if maybe that's why some people are coming away less than impressed. 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 9:06pm

YvanEhtNioj said: "I haven't read through all of the pages of replies here to avoid too many spoilers, but has it already been pointed out that they painted "L'amour" on the building? I really wish they added something else on top as well, or made the script bigger."

 

Here you go ~ 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 9:10pm

[Robbie2]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 9:10pm

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 7/11/19 at 5:25am

If you where to strip away all the spectacle sets , customers , lights , would it still be a great show?