Nice Work If You Can Get It- Page 4

[TexanAddams18]

Posted: 3/31/12 at 7:50pm

Saw the show last night, and I have nothing but good things to say about it. It was a very fun musical, and the audience was eating it up.

Matthew Broderick was passable as Jimmy Winter, and is the only actor i had a little problem with. His singing was weak in the beginning, but thankfully it grew as the show went on. It may just be me, but i felt like he was looking down a lot. I dont think he lifted his head up to the Balcony the entire show, especially during the dancing numbers. Overall, i felt his dancing and acting were very impressive. He didn't "wow" me unlike his opposite.

Kelli O'Hara was perfect for the role of Billie and did a great job. Her singing was fantastic, and she was very comical, especially during "treat me rough". Judy Kaye, Michael McGrath, Chris Sullivan, and Robyn Hurder provided lots of comedy as well, and gave the standout performances of the show. Judy Kaye and Robyn Hurder both have very good voices. The ensemble was fantastic, especially their dancing (Although i feel that a lot of the dance numbers could be cut down a little). Kathleen Marshall did an amazing job with the choreography.The sets were very large and nicely detailed. Highlights for me were "Delishious","Treat Me Rough", and "Fascinating Rhythm".

I think it deserves the Tony Nom.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/31/12 at 10:50pm

Wow, somebody actually joined this site, just to crap on Matthew Broderick. That's sad.

[phantom39]

Posted: 4/1/12 at 4:18am

Wonderful production, with a surprisingly crisp book by DiPietro. Don't count them out yet for some Tonys. Should be a hit with group sales.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 4/1/12 at 4:22am

Does this show have a big set? What does it look like?

[Steve2]

Posted: 4/1/12 at 10:02am

Sorry for asking about seating. I haven't been to the Imperial since Billy Elliot. On the only day I can see this show, I can get either first row Center or Row K side on the aisle. Any thoughts? I don't recall the stage being that high.

Looking forward to seeing!
Thanks

[TexanAddams18]

Posted: 4/1/12 at 10:05am

K on the aisle no doubt

[BwayTday]

Posted: 4/1/12 at 11:33am

The set is giant in my opinion. Very styled and very Derek McLane-y. It's bright and old-fashioned. There are about four main sets I want to say. It opens in a small speakeasy, with drapes and things. Then a beautiful courtyard (which they add a fountain to to change the location during Act 2). There were three false prosceniums with vertical stripes that came in and structured dining rooms, bathrooms, and bedrooms. It was all very elegant and classic to me. Also, glitter. Glitter everywhere on that set. Sorry this is all over the place but if you have any more questions just ask.

[iWannaBEaSedaris]

Posted: 4/7/12 at 11:57pm

I just saw the 4-7-12 8pm performance and I thought the thing was a dreadful waste.
There is certainly talent on the stage, and Kathleen Marshall seems to have tried to move things along briskly enough, but the book is abhorrent. The best part of the show is Judy Kaye, while Broderick and O'Hara seem to have memorized their lines, learned, the blocking and choreography, and stopped there.

DiPietro's book is the just abysmal, during the first act, there is basically no reason for the show to take place. In Act 2, there are some fun moments, but overall the jokes feel like something from an NBC laughtrack sitcom pilot from 1994 that never got picked up.

I hate it for the investors, but the best thing that could happen is for this lumbering bore of an evening to close when O'Hara leaves to go to Williamstown this summer for Far From Heaven. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she knows how bad the show is, just wanted to sing those gorgeous songs for a few months, and then leave to do a real show.

2/10 Stars **

[ken8631]

Posted: 4/9/12 at 4:43pm

Is the stage high? Front row too close?

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 4/9/12 at 5:13pm

Was at Saturday matinee and had the best fun time I've had all season. Yes, it could use some cutting but while discussing this with my theatre companion, what to cut? Individually, all the scenes are fine, it's just a matter of keeping the running time to two and a half hours, at best. Otherwise, we both were enchanted by the show from start to finiah -- EVERY performer was great and, only by a very slight margin, would I say that Judy Kaye was the standout because, as has already been noted, the banquest scene was one of the funniest I've seen in over 55 years of New York theatregoing.

[mc1227]

Posted: 4/9/12 at 5:18pm

I sat in Row AA in the left orchestra. Good seat but a couple rows back probably would be better. The orchestra pit is below the stage which is a bit distracting from that first row and Kelli suddenly appeared and sat on the edge of the stage for one number and that was a bit distracting, but wonderful :)

[ken8631]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 12:54pm

We're in right orch AA tonight - looking forward to it!

It still 3 hours long?

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 2:22pm

Saturday's matinee ran 2 hours and 45 minutes.

[ken8631]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 3:11pm

Thanks!

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 4:35pm

The problem with Nice Work is not that it is too long. The problem is that 80% of the first act is a bore (at least it was at first preview) while 100% of the second act is delightful.

[mc1227]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 5:43pm

Still can't agree about Act I as a total bore but I haven't seen it since the first week of previews. From the time mentioned, it seems to be 5 minutes shorter so I don't know if they tightened it by removing dialogue or song.

[ken8631]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 7:27am

Saw it last night - it ended at 10:40, so 2 hrs 40 min including intermission.

Loved it, having nothing at all bad to say about it. Having just seen Leap of Faith, what a difference!

A delightful evening, wouldn't cut anything...... Row AA (orch right seats 2/4)was great for seeing facial expressions and the stage isn't high.

Highly recommended!

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 8:20am

MC, I saw the first preview, and I didn't say Act I was a total bore, I said it was 80% bore. I loved Jennifer Laura Thompson's bathtub scene, Kelli's Treat Me Rough, and a few other isolated moments. But the fact is that the book for Act I is simply not funny. And a show like this needs to be funny to work.

I went back after intermission thinking why bother (other than to give it a chance) and was amazed to find a second act that was consistently hilarious, well played by everyone, with stellar work by by McGrath and Kaye, and filled with great numbers.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 8:49am

Henrik, they've tightened Act 1 a lot since the first preview.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 10:53am

This is the sort of thing that used to be fixed (if fixable) during the out-of-town performances before opening on Broadway -- far from the scrutiny of native New Yorkers and their opinions. Once in NY, a show would give one or two performances before opening officially and first night reviews were exactly that -- critics reviewed the performance that they saw at the official opening night, not during a week of previews. With the advent of the Internet, smart phones, demise of out-of-town previews, all that has changed and shows don't have the breathing space to make changes. It sounds, however, that they're working round the clock to make Nice Work a tighter show. Personally, I was OK with the way it was last Saturday, with only a minor caveat re: length of the show.

[ken8631]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 11:24am

How long was it last week? It was 2:40 last night, Including intermission. Seemed a good length.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 11:37am

Really glad to hear the first act has been tightened since the first preview. Any possibility that the internet and its parade of opinions by, inter alia, native New Yorkers (not that we have any special expertise - although some here are discerning and have something to offer, others do not, as one can clearly see by the variety of professional criticism in this city which runs the gamut between thoughtful erudition and abject doggerel) actually might have a beneficial impact on the creative process during previews - or would that be giving boards like this too much credit?

[lupone76]

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

I'm going this evening. Watch out for my review tomrrow. The only opinion that really matters. It has to be better than Leap of Nausea

[Eris0303]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 12:25pm

The only opinion that really matters.

This continues to be really funny

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 12:52pm

I saw it last Friday and thought it was pleasant enough. I'm not sure why they didnt just do a revival of "Oh, Kay" though.

The weakest for me was Ms. O'Hara. She is just not quite suited for the role and seemed a bit awkward. Her best bit was "Treat Me Rough" which looked very choregraphed. Borderick was pretty charming, imo.

McGrath, Kaye and Thompson are all wonderful. Thompson is reminded me of the great Madeline Kahn, and it made me wish she'd do a revival of "On The Twentieth Century".