ONCE Reviews- Page 4

[sabrelady]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 5:32pm

It is a charming show, yes a tich slower in spots but that is part of story- Glad the reviews have been positive- hope it can sustain against the typical need for a "razzle dazzle" show visitors often seem to feel is neccesary as a Broadway experience.

[jstarr2]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 5:44pm

I was surprised that the book tended to be the main point of criticism in these reviews (on CurtainCritic.com the book score is like 10 points lower than everything else). I thought this was actually one of the best books in a new musical I've seen in years.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 6:23pm

Milioti's "The Hill" performance only should earn her a Tony nom.

[michellek45]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 6:42pm

*More SPOILERS*
jnb- Yes, Girl did introduce him to the ensemble, but I never felt much of a connection between them except in the "Ej, Pada, Pada, Rosicka" scene, which to me was one of the strongest. Obviously the go on to connect over the music later, but the initial bond between Girl and the roommates isn't incredibly explored. I'm definitely not saying that the performances weren't amazing- they were pretty much the only thing keeping me from falling asleep. Perhaps it's because so much of the story was focused on their relationship rather than getting to know them as individuals- the lyrics as well conveyed more of a feeling than a character, and I think that's where it fell short for me. I prefer it when a show attempts to show the story of its characters rather than strives to create an overall emotion. Most shows will have both, but one is usually stronger than the other. In this case the overall emotion seemed more important, and that's something I find hard to connect with. Personal preference, I guess.

[willep]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 6:59pm

*Spoilers*

That is interesting. As for me, personally, when I was watching it, I believe it was during the "When Your Mind's Made Up" scene in the recording studio where I thought to myself how cool it was that we really knew a bit about each one of the characters on the stage. They each had their own story, and it was really a gathering of people and not just random ensemble members who we knew nothing about.

Also, I had forgotten about the scene with the daughter during "Sleeping," and when I saw it again last night, it sent chills up and down my spine (I got them many, many times last night), but that was a particularly beautiful moment. I really, really hope that Cristin Milioti gets a Tony nomination for her performance.

[michellek45]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 7:07pm

*Spoilers*
Part of the reason I may not have liked that scene was because I disliked that song (probably my least favorite out of the whole score). But in other ways, I am VERY picky about character. I like everyone to come off as an entire person. The minor characters leaning slightly toward the stereotypical side (which I think most of them did, as is going to happen in almost any ensemble of this size) didn't bother me so much, but the biggest problem was that Guy and Girl didn't come off as entire people to me. It's hard to articulate what I mean, but it seems to me that the point of this was to tell a love story, as opposed to a story about two people. The emotion trumps the characters. And for whatever reason, I find it very difficult to care about abstract emotion until the characters become real to me.

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/20/12 at 7:28am

Updated On: 4/15/12 at 07:28 AM

[kdogg36]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 10:23am

Shameless plugging of my friend's blog:

http://jkstheatrescene.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-once.html

[bookofmel]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 11:02am

Michellek45, I completely agree with you. And I really agree with David Cote's Time Out review. I wanted to love Once, especially since I loved the beautiful nuances of the film. The musical fell flat for me because I never felt like I connected to any of the characters. They all seemed like caricatures, and for me it's hard to fall in love with people who do not seem real.

I was extremely disappointed with Girl. She came across very juvenile and seemed to be winking at all of the jokes.

Overall, I was often bored and the music did nothing to enhance or tell the story. Such a shame! I was so ready to fall in love.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 3/23/12 at 9:02am

Thanks to USA Today, which offered ONCE an appropriate 2-star review this morning. In a musical season as mediocre as this one, where even the musical revivals feel flat (this was not the FOLLIES of anyone's dreams), what can you say when many choose ONCE as the season's best musical? Reminds one of the season of SUNSET BOULEVARD, where it was pretty much the only new musical in town not to crash and burn, so it was given a bunch of Tonys simply for existing.

I haven't seen NEWSIES yet, but the standard Disneyfied fare doesn't sound much better than any of the other product that they have sent out on their well-oiled conveyor belt in the past.

At least we have DEATH OF A SALESMAN and the upcoming CLYBOURNE PARK!

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/23/12 at 10:22am

USA Today gave better reviews of Godspell(3 1/2 stars), ...Clear Day(3 stars) & Superstar(2 1/2 stars) than Once(2 stars). I've come to take Elysa Gardner's reviews with a grain of salt these days.

[newintown]

Posted: 3/23/12 at 11:05am

The most important fact about Once, charming as it is, is that it's going to be a very hard sell. No names, a quiet story, and a whiff of "sweetness" hanging over it.

Don't get me wrong, I liked it for what it is, although I didn't find that it went beyond everyday sentiment. The point is it's going to be hard to draw large numbers of the tourists in.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/23/12 at 3:21pm

Reminds one of the season of SUNSET BOULEVARD, where it was pretty much the only new musical in town not to crash and burn, so it was given a bunch of Tonys simply for existing.

Well, except for the other nominated musical, Smokey Joe's Cafe, which ran for five years. The thing was, nobody expected that show to be such a hit. Everyone assumed Sunset Boulevard was going to be around for a decade or more.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 4/15/12 at 9:49am

Found it!

(no thanks to search... had to scroll back through old threads)
Thanks for the 'challenge', After Eight! I enjoyed reading the reviews, again.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/15/12 at 10:35am

Thanks for finding it, Addy! I tried the search engine on the new design, but maybe it needs some tweaking.

And, thanks, AfterEight, for your *friendly* nudge!

I am as big a fan of glitzy, conventional Broadway musicals as the next guy (bigger, maybe), but I love that both this and Peter and the StarCatcher are telling stories with music and movement in unconventional ways, each with a different high level of integrity to the world being created.

I hope much credit goes to Steven Hoggett, who created the movement for both shows.

And I hope much praise (and a good portion of the royalties!) go to New York Theatre Workshop, which fostered both of these un-Broadway shows and helped bring them to larger audiences on Broadway.

Given its history from Rent through Peter and the Starcatcher, NYTW has become a real New York City theatrical treasure.

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/15/12 at 10:43am

"And I hope much praise (and a good portion of the royalties!) go to New York Theatre Workshop, which fostered both of these un-Broadway shows"

I think you mean foisted. (Just joking....) (I think....)