Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
#0Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 11:11amSo the tour is in town. I saw it in NYC and was not impressed. Last night, I watched half of the first act and left. It's not bad like Contact bad, but it seems to be so popular? Am I missing something? Opinions?
Westopher
Leading Actor Joined: 11/3/04
#1re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 11:14amWell it IS Billy Joel's music, with dancing...
NativeNewYorker
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/03
#2re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 11:15amI totally agree...I feel like I'm missing something, too...I LOVE Billy Joel, and I thought the band and vocalist were great...I just think they show had a lot more potential...I would have loved to have seen the songs worked into an actual storyline (like Mamma Mia!)
wickedfan2
Broadway Star Joined: 7/8/04
#3re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 11:17am
I saw it this summer and felt it wasn't my cup of tea. I love Billy's music and the dancers are great but since there's no dialogue I didn't care too much for it. 
#4re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 11:19am
I am so glad they did not do it as a mamma mia type show.
Movin' out is supposed to be something different and that is wht it acheives. It is a ballet to Billy Joel music. It is not a true musical and twyla never intended it to be one.
I think it is one of the few truly artistic pieces on broadway right now and is an amazing show.
"Judy Garland, Jimmy Dean, You tragedy Queen" ~ Taboo
"Watching a frat boy realize just what he put his d!ck in...ex's getting std's...schadenfruede" ~ Ave Q
"when dangers near, exploit their fear" ~ Reefer Madness the Musical
"Watching a frat boy realize just what he put his d!ck in...ex's getting std's...schadenfruede" ~ Ave Q
"when dangers near, exploit their fear" ~ Reefer Madness the Musical
#5re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 11:24amHmmm. I'm seeing the tour in February with my Dad, who is a big Billy Joel fan. Wow, I hope we like it:) However, my football-watching, beer-drinking, guys-guy of a dad absolutely loved Stomp and Les Mis when I dragged him to those shows, so who knows?
There's always room for pathos - and jazz hands.
#6re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 11:31am
The music is great and it's fun to hear those songs live. I just was not impressed by the choreography....and though it was boring overall. But, of course this is my opinion and shouldn't deter anyone from seeing the show.
The audience seemed to be eating it up though.
#7re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 12:11pmIt will be in DC very soon, so I will give you my feedback. My mom saw it yesterday in NYC and she really liked it.
Hey Dottie!
Did your colleagues enjoy the cake even though your cat decided to sit on it? ~GuyfromGermany
camerangel
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/30/04
#8re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 12:26pm
You have to be into that sort of show to enjoy it.. It's quite litterally a rock ballet. There is a story line which at first I was certain there was.. It's just harder to convey with the "actors" not having lines etc.. If you can't see the facial expressions and the emotions it's hard to get.. I enjoyed it, but I had close seats and have come to appreciate ballets in general (only after working on a few).. But for others it's just not their cup of tea..
"All work and no smut makes Cammy lose her edge." ~DG
"Someday I'm going to have a baby and I'm gonna name her L'il Mimi Marquez and I and will sing to her every day and when she's a toddler I will say "L'il Mimi Marquez, clad only in a bubble diaper, will perform her famous play pen handcuff dance to the sounds of breast milk being pumped!" ~Kringas
"Someday I'm going to have a baby and I'm gonna name her L'il Mimi Marquez and I and will sing to her every day and when she's a toddler I will say "L'il Mimi Marquez, clad only in a bubble diaper, will perform her famous play pen handcuff dance to the sounds of breast milk being pumped!" ~Kringas
#9re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 12:41pmBeing a dancer myself I am really looking forward to seeing it, I am PROBABLY going for my already past lol sweet 16 with a few friends. But if you aren't into dancing then there is not reason a person should like it I think. I mean except for the music, like if you are a HUGE billy joel fan
When someone blunders, we say that he makes a misstep. Is it then not clear that all the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill our history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the great leaders have arisen merely from a lack of skill in dancing. - Moliere
Karma76
Broadway Star Joined: 12/12/03
#10re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 1:58pm
it is more of a modern dance piece I think then ballet. They performers are absolutely Ballet trained, but the movements would be classified more as modern then a ballet.
I have seen it and I liked it, Loved it..no but the dancing and songs were awesome. My favorite song and part is movin out is captain jack!! Go see it and form your own opinion. I enjoyed it.
Jon
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
#11re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 2:17pm
It's amazing how many people on these boards hate CONTACT, considering it won 4 Tony Awards and ran over 2 years (a show that was suposed to run 10 weeks at the little Mitzi Newhouse Theatre).
But then again, there are folks who hate CATS, POTO, RENT, Sondheim, etc. etc. etc.
#12re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 2:24pmEveryone has an opinion.....just because something won Tony's doesn't mean it's any good!!
#13re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 2:31pmI'm not a big fan of MOVIN OUT either, but to compare it to CONTACT as a level of badness, is awful - those who hate contact obviously didn't understand it. I would argue that most of those that HATE contact probably think Elphaba is the best role and Wicked is the best musical EVER and do not know something brilliant when they see it - which Wicked certainly is not. And thank GOD they didn't take the Mamma Mia route with Movin' Out - Movin' Out makes Mamma Mia look like a high school production.
"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy."
-Charlie Manson
timote316
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/04
#14re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 2:32pm
My mother wanted to go to see this show when it was in Boston recently. I would have had to cancel other plans that I didnt want to cancel, so I evaluated if it was worth it.
1) Billy Joel music - great, maybe I'll go
2) All dancing - as much as I try, I dont get dancing as an art
3) Essentially, its a revue - I do not like revues at all
I decided against it. I'd get the same enjoyment from listening to the CD, and even more from listening to Billy sing.
My opinion
#15re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 2:36pm
You can also understand something and still not like it. Obviously. You know what they say about people who assume!
As for Wicked, I love the show but by no means think it's the best musical ever.
BlueEyedKate
Understudy Joined: 10/26/04
#16re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 3:30pm
I personally loved Movin' Out...but I'm a dancer at heart, so I loved Twyla's choreography, and the way dance was used to tell a story through song. As a choreographer myself, she did one of the absolute hardest things imaginable on a stage - she took a bunch of unrelated songs, strung them together to tell some sort of loose story, and put movement to them. Amazing, from my perspective.
Moreover, I think a key thing in Movin' Out is that it is not supposed to have a story, persay. Rather, I belive that it is about applying your own experiences and your own life to what is going on stage, and having that application give you the meaning from the play. The best things in life often have complex meanings.
That being said, the guy I went with hated it with a burning passion. And in fact, most people I talk to hate it as well.
#17re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 5:57pmUm...if you don't understand dance as an artform and think movin' out is a revue, then maybe you should do some research.
"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy."
-Charlie Manson
AngryYoungMan
Chorus Member Joined: 10/23/04
#18re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 6:34pmI think Movin' Out is one of the best shows on Broadway right now. I have so much fun when I go to see it - so much energy and I'm a Billy Joel/Twyla Tharpe fanatic.
VIETgrlTerifa
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/18/04
#19re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 6:41pmGod, do people always have to bash Wicked and generalize all their fans when they are trying to make a point?
"I've got to get me out of here
This place is full of dirty old men
And the navigators and their mappy maps
And moldy heads and pissing on sugar cubes
While you stare at your books."
#20re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 7:09pmIf you're not into ballet or dance, then you won't like Movin' Out (or Contact for that matter). Neither of which are "bad" by any stretch of the imagination. Movin' Out is not a review at all. There is a story, but it requires attention, concentration, and thought, which are generally required when viewing art. And yes, dancing is an art (I can't believe I had to say that). The quickest way to respect modern, jazz, tapm or ballet dancing is to take a class. Once you try to do it correctly, you will understand exactly how difficult and artistic dance and choreography truly are.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Chloe
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/28/04
#21re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/4/04 at 11:29pm
I also loved "Movin' Out," and I'm not a particularly big fan of Billy Joel. I do love dance, though, which I guess is key. The story was a little difficult to follow at first, but just seemed to get better and better as it went along.
The period (late 60's/70's) in which the show is set is also important - if you connect emotionally to that time, the show will mean a lot more to you.
#22re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/5/04 at 7:07pmMovin' Out is my favorite show! I think the key to understanding the show is that because there is no dialouge, the dancers tell the story through movement, and YOU interpret it however you want, which Twyla has said numerous times. You really have to get into it to have a good time. And also, if you don't read the plot summaries in the playbill you will have a really hard time following the show. I had been waiting to see the show for a year, so I already knew what it was about, but these two girls in front of me were so confused, I had to explain the show to them during intermisson! lol
bronxboundexpress
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/15/04
#23re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/6/04 at 4:24pmMOVIN OUT is the best show on Broadway.
#24re: Movin' Out - Am I missing something?
Posted: 11/6/04 at 4:29pm
I havent seen the show. But it is because of the recording, I am such a HUGE Billy Joel fan. I now have every album except 'Cold Spring Habour'. Two years ago I never knew what those words meant. It's funny when I think about it....
I tell ya, that bloody Michael Cavanaugh is fantastic!!
Updated On: 11/6/04 at 04:29 PM
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