NEXT TO NORMAL Reviews — Page 4

They're also called actors for a reason.

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It's just better to err on the side of discretion. Congratulate them on a wonderful performance, sure! That's cool.

But seriously ~ a lot of them do not want to know about reviews or think about awards.

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It just seemed right in the moment. She was on such a high, the Brantley review had just came in, everyone was congratulating her, and it seemed like she was genuinely flattered and gracious for my comment. Oh well, I think either way, she knew it was only meant as a compliment.

Plus, I did compliment her on her amazing performance and talked to her a while before I made the Tony comment.

Anyway, I'm interested to see what Vincentelli says in the Post tomorrow.

Updated On: 4/16/09 at 01:36 AM

Of course they think about awards. It just seems tacky to bring it up. And even MORESO to say "Congratulations on winning the Tony!" rather than just "I hope you win the Tony!" It strikes me as a comment that would make an actor bristle more than be flattered.

Girl,

Alice has won that Tony.

Let's play this out. For BEST ACTRESS, we have Sutton (love her, but no dice for Shrek), LAUREN GRAHAM (Nobody likes her), Alison Janney (everybody loves her, but she'll be cancelled out by Stephanie J. Block.)

Ripley wins.

Yay!

Yes, adam. That, too.

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Wow at these reviews! I need to see this!!

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Theatermania is very positive.
Theatermania Review of N2N

That NY Post review is one of the most poorly written I have ever read. Ms. Vincentelli seems to be taking a few too many meds that flatten her out because her writing lacks color, effective analogy and crispness. Really, DOA.

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Actually, even more to the point: go back to SIDE SHOW. Brantley wrote an unqualified rave, with some of the same analysis of emotional impact on the audience, and it was followed up with the Sunday appraisal by Canby (if memory serves; he's quoted on the CD sticker. ). The other papers were indifferent. 3 months later, it was gone, to the consternation and grief of many (this poster included). And in some ways, SIDE SHOW (period, some colorful pastiche music by Krieger, presented in the Macy's Parade, no less, and a semi-catchy, commercial sounding title) was far more accessible. This show is a tougher sell. But in a season with little to get excited about, (new) musically speaking, this certainly has a shot. Let's root for it.

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This is a nice one to balance out the next to good comments from the post. what a snarky review.

4.5/5
Next to Wondrous

I would actually call that NY Post review mixed to negative. It's strange... she spends most of the review talking about what she liked, and then at the end suddenly dislikes it without actually saying specifically what she didn't like. She barely mentioned performers, barely touched on the score and book..

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Yes, I think Ed reminding us of what happened to Caroline, Or Change and Passing Strange even with great Times reviews is instructive. Unfortunately, African-American themes on Broadway seem to have a tough road, unless stars like Puff Daddy or Terence Howard are in them; it broke my heart a few years back when Gem of the Ocean had to close early. On the other side of the equation, Spring Awakening was a dark horse that took a while to build an audience and ultimately won out. N2N got the review it needed from Brantley to survive, whether it flourishes will depend on the audience's tolerance for a dark theme--and at a dark time in America. In the journalism world I inhabit, the conventional wisdom right now is that people want upbeat stories...but personally, I believe people also want stories that resonate deeply and move them, even to sadness, like N2N. I hope they make it; I think a Tony for Alice is a better bet than for N2N as a musical, but hey, if the show takes a bunch, that's fine, too!