NEXT TO NORMAL Reviews- Page 5

[jaystarr]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 9:34am

CONGRATS to everyone involved!

Updated On: 4/16/09 at 09:34 AM

[jordangirl]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 9:38am

A (not surprising given his review at Arena) RAVE from the Washington Post! :)
Washington Post review!

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 10:32am

A musical for grown ups? EEEEWWWW!!!

Seriously, I hope its a big hit. But the utter crappiness of their advertising campaign simply must be dealt with.

[Insider2]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 11:31am

This is a great day for American musical theatre. Congratulations to all on the best musical of the season!

[DMsquared2]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 11:32am

Even if Next to Normal does win the Tony for Best Musical I don't see it staying open very long. I wish nothing but the best for the cast and creative team but I think it'll have the same kind of run that Spring Awakening did.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 11:39am

"Even if Next to Normal does win the Tony for Best Musical I don't see it staying open very long. I wish nothing but the best for the cast and creative team but I think it'll have the same kind of run that Spring Awakening did."

Am I reading this wrong or did you just contradict yourself? You don't think NEXT TO NORMAL will stay open very long, but you also this it'll have a similar run to SPRING AWAKENING?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 11:41am

I would be thrilled if Next to Normal had a run as long as Spring Awakening. Spring Awakening ran 900 performances and turned a huge profit.

[singer73192]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 11:55am

Has anyone seen the new update to the website. The faces now move but they just appear to be spazzing out.

[jennamajig]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 11:56am

Yay for all the good reviews! I'm hoping this show can stay afloat. But I can't judge best Tony awards until I've seen all the candidates (and we officially know who they are). If N2N gets nominated, however, it would be awesome.

That being said, is anyone else having problems with TDF. I'm trying to purchase a N2N ticket for Sunday night (a date that is up there) and it tells me that there aren't enough tickets to fulfill my request (just looking for 1). Same thing happens if I pick another date.

[snl89]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 11:58am

Yeah, seriously, Spring Awakening was open for what, 2 1/2 years or something? I'll SO take that!! That would be a seriously nice run for a show that's tiny and original :)

(now, granted, I'd be even HAPPIER if it stayed open for even longer than that, but I know that's really not realistic at all haha)

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 12:00pm

Both CAROLINE and PASSING STRANGE were about black people, and most people who buy theatre tickets (i.e. upper-middle-class white people) are averse to shows/films/etc. about the African-American community.

The Times rave may not "save" NEXT TO NORMAL, but it'll go a long way. It'll get some initial crowds in there that otherwise wouldn't give the show a look, which in turn will result in word-of-mouth. A la SPRING AWAKENING, this will be a word-of-mouth type of show.

[little_sally]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 12:03pm

I had the same issue with TDF, jennamajig. I guess they don't have any tickets available. They also took a bunch of show off TDF, which is a good sign (or wishful thinking from the producers).

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 12:05pm

Does it have the star next to the performance?

If it does, it means availability is limited. What happens is, people are allowed to hold tickets in their "cart" for up to 30 minutes. So, while the tickets are not sold yet (which is why the show still appears as available), they are not available for purchase since someone (or more likely, multiple people) are "holding" them. It's sort of a matter of luck as to if they get released again, or end up being bought. You just need to keep refreshing.

[jennamajig]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 12:06pm

^^I was afraid of that ...I'm in the area this weekend, but a funeral means I can't rush Saturday, so I suppose I'll be there rushing Sunday.

Edit: Thanks, Adam!

The Sunday performance doesn't has a double star (the rest do), so I'll keep refreshing and see if I get lucky.
Updated On: 4/16/09 at 12:06 PM

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 12:33pm

Honestly, I don't care about awards or reviews. However, I think everyone here who is pleased with these reviews and is hoping for some Tony nods is, in essence, simply rejoicing in the fact that there is something on Broadway that is A) original B) off-beat and C) "little." This show is about the music, the raw emotion and the performances. It's not about the technology, the sets, the spectacle, the "stars" or its relationship to a big Hollywood movie.

Given its theme and that the show is not designed to appeal to a mass audience, I don't expect it to have an extremely long run, but it's refreshing to have it on Broadway and receiving such a warm reception. I'm so happy for Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey too!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 12:47pm

NEXT TO NORMAL will not win Best Musical.

The reviews were kind of generally positive but a bit all over the place. They are VERY lucky that their best (and most spot-on) review was in the Times to boost ticket sales and Brantley does make a strong case for it to win, but I still think BILLY is a lock.

Reviews don't necessarily equal Tonys.

Ripley, however, has the Tony in the bag. And the score definitely stands a good chance at winning.

I think the show will still play as long as everyone expected; through the summer and then kind of taper off when the winter rolls around. Let's hope it's a bigger hit though because while the producers are loving these reviews and word of mouth and Tony buzz, the thing they really want is a healthy box office.

[clever name]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 12:54pm

I'm seeing the show Saturday and I can't decide if I should read the reviews. I don't want to read any spoilers that you guys are taliking about!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 12:56pm

Read the Times review. No spoilers in it.

[blaxx]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 2:47pm

NEXT TO NORMAL will not win Best Musical.

The reviews were kind of generally positive but a bit all over the place

Your post was kind of generally crappy and a bit silly all over the place.

[Amaranth9]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 3:05pm

I guess I missed most of the excitement but I just wanted to extend my congratulations to the N2N team! I'm kinda wowed by how they managed to get to Broadway when it was still a question if they would move this season.

--------------

I see what people are saying about its appeal and its possible run. I just hope it doesn't become a perception about high-brow/low-brow art or people considering that so many are economically hurting and the mood people seek varies anyway, so that would be privileging one mood over another. I remember how so many people were complaining about this season but it seems there's something for everyone and the Tony races are not as simple as they once seemed.

WickedRocks, I admit to only reading the snippets posted on here because of time so the view has been overwhelmingly positive. What are some of the "all over the place" remarks you've seen?

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 3:38pm

Congratulations to everyone involved with this wonderful show! There's no doubt in my mind that the Tony belongs to Alice, but I'm hoping against hope for that Best Musical Tony...

[DMsquared2]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 4:07pm

Am I reading this wrong or did you just contradict yourself? You don't think NEXT TO NORMAL will stay open very long, but you also this it'll have a similar run to SPRING AWAKENING?

I meant that in the context of how long other recent Tony Award winning musicals' runs have been and are. I don't see it being like Phantom or Rent but Hairspray ran for almost 7 years and Avenue Q is still open as is Jersey Boys. And of course In the Heights just had it's one-year anniversary last month.

The length of a show's run doesn't necessarily determine how good it is. Does that make sense?

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 4:48pm

"Your post was kind of generally crappy and a bit silly all over the place."

i nearly peed myself when i read that comeback lol

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 5:06pm

I'm convinced you look through random threads just to be a bitch to me, blaxx.

I'm flattered.
Updated On: 4/16/09 at 05:06 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/16/09 at 5:45pm

Clive Barnes could write a better review dead than the stiff writing their reviews now.

She has no clue what she is talking about.