ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread- Page 6

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 5/22/23 at 10:55pm

Show just let out. 

I can confirm that there is now an extended version of Stronger, but to be completely honest, I think it did more harm than good. 
 

reason:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

after Cinderella frees the princesses, they go into Stronger but because it’s not exactly clear HOW she frees them the audience Is just left thinking “huh”? I’m still very confused on what she actually does.  Does she rip the shoe in half? 

after the above spoilers happens, they go back into  Stronger. The show no longer ends with Passengers.

Little Mermaid’s Act 2 costume has changed a little. 

I went to the first preview which was mainly locals so they laughed hard at the Flatbush jokes. Tonight, I’m assuming because most people are tourists and don’t know what Flatbush is, it fell flat. I was thinking they could change it to somewhere like the Bronx but that may come off as a micro aggression lol

At the end of the Show, OFG is the only one sitting with the little girl. Originally, it was her and Cinderella. 
 

I’m still hoping they add some type of preshow announcement because about half of the audience in the orchestra never removed the pull tab from the bracelets. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 5/22/23 at 10:57pm

YvanEhtNioj, how were Jacob and Salisha? 

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 5/22/23 at 11:02pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "YvanEhtNioj, how were Jacob and Salisha?"

Both did well, but nothing different from the principles in those roles. I’m hoping to catch Salisha is a bigger role at some point. 

Also some people complained about Briggs’s vocals. I didn’t notice it the first show but tonight during “Everytime” you can definitely hear her voice isn’t as strong as others. It was a little..shaky. 

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 5/22/23 at 11:04pm

Another change: 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

in Act 2 when the narrator reveals the girls are banished, there was a black and white screen projection which I thought was very ugly. Originally, the girls were physically standing on risers behind a sheer curtain-type-thingy  

 

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/22/23 at 11:07pm

Show started tonight at 8:10 and we were walking out at 10:35.

The show is an absolute blast. 

And I agree something should be said about the pull tabs on the bracelets. It would have looked great if everyone had activated them.

I found the book too be quite clever. The projections were gorgeous. Had no problem with the spare set. It was fine with everything happening around it And I didn't find it to be too loud. I was sitting on Row P center and the sound was fine.

And Justin Guarani was just living his best life onstage. A side of him we don't get to see. And the man can move!

I am a huge Jennifer Simard fan so no surprise that she also brought the house down in Act II. The arrangement of Toxic is really nice.

I do plan to see it again. 

Updated On: 5/23/23 at 11:07 PM

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 5/22/23 at 11:11pm

I know I said this before, but this is literally the best choreography I’ve ever seen on Broadway. Circus, Crazy, and Toxic are fuc*ing insane. 

[theaterdrew]

Posted: 5/22/23 at 11:21pm

Re the spoilers above, 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Yes, I thought as she resisted being banished into Story's End, she ripped the jeweled slipper in half to break the narrator's spell.

When they projected the dark image of the others who had been banished, the audience when I saw it reacted with "Oooo."

 

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/23/23 at 12:18am

YvanEhtNioj said: "I know I said this before, but this is literally the best choreography I’ve ever seen on Broadway. Circus, Crazy, and Toxic are fuc*ing insane."

 

This evening when they hit that original choreography from "Oops...I Did It Again" the audience went wild.

I am not a huge Britney fan so I don't know all of her music. It was evident that lyrics were changed to fit the story and nice to hear new arrangements of songs that I know. I was dying to see this and so very glad I did.

I have also never seen a more festive walk-in to a show! With those photo booths and the bracelet handouts, the lobby was quite festive. 

 

Updated On: 5/23/23 at 12:18 AM

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 5/23/23 at 8:08am

YvanEhtNioj said: "Show just let out.

I can confirm that there is now an extended version of Stronger, but to be completely honest, I think it did more harm than good.


reason:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

after Cinderella frees the princesses, they go into Stronger but because it’s not exactly clear HOW she frees them the audience Is just left thinking “huh”? I’m still very confused on what she actually does. Does she rip the shoe in half?

after the above spoilers happens, they go back into Stronger. The show no longer ends with Passengers.

Little Mermaid’s Act 2 costume has changed a little.

I went to the first preview which was mainly locals so they laughed hard at the Flatbush jokes. Tonight, I’m assuming because most people are tourists and don’t know what Flatbush is, it fell flat. I was thinking they could change it to somewhere like the Bronx but that may come off as a micro aggression lol

At the end of the Show, OFG is the only one sitting with the little girl. Originally, it was her and Cinderella.


I’m still hoping they add some type of preshow announcement because about half of the audience in the orchestra never removed the pull tab from the bracelets."

Thanks for sharing! I'm also a bit confused  with 'Stronger' replacing 'Passenger' so I hope they reversed that change before opening. I agree they should briefly explain how the bracelets work before the show begins

Updated On: 5/23/23 at 08:08 AM

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/23/23 at 10:14am

I figured out how to activate the bracelet when I got it in line. I wonder if they aren't telling people how to activate them before the show so they aren't on throughout the show?  At intermission I noticed that a few people had already activated them. My thought is to tell people how to do it and wait until they are told to at the end of the show. I was actually expecting an announcement right after curtain call to turn them on. It took me a bit to figure out how to turn it off! It has several settings.

[60'splayoff]

Posted: 5/23/23 at 10:40am

The gal who was handing them out on the way into the theatre on Sat night definitely explained how to activate them.

I agree with whomever said they should be incorporated into the show more. However, I'm not sure how much they can control them after they've been activated. Might be why they only turn them on for curtain call/megamix.

[millieliz]

Posted: 5/23/23 at 10:42am

The person who hands them out has always explained it to me. Each time I've been I just take the tab out when I put it on and then never touch it again. It turns on during the megamix on its own and it turns off on its own, too!

[BETTY22]

Posted: 5/23/23 at 10:49am

Do you think they will be able to get Britney Spears to opening night?

She is still a massive star 

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 5/23/23 at 10:51am

BETTY22 said: "Do you think they will be able to get Britney Spears to opening night?

She is still a massive star"

From a good source, I can confirmed she was invited to opening night. Most likely she'll decline and it's okay, she's not going anywhere, she's currently enjoying her life and she deserves it

 

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 5/23/23 at 11:08am

I hope, at the very least, they can get her to promote it on her Instagram. Even if it's just once, I think it would be huge. 

Midway through the show my friend turned to me and said "...who is that character saposta' be?" and I said "Clumsy. one of the dwarfs". and he said "...okay?". I think they can do a lot better at explaining that in Act 1 during the book club scene. I'm sure I can't be the only one who didn't understand why some random guy was falling down the stairs. 

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 5/23/23 at 11:14am

YvanEhtNioj said: "I hope, at the very least, they can get her to promote it on her Instagram. Even if it's just once, I think it would be huge.

Midway through the show my friend turned to me and said "...who is that character saposta' be?" and I said "Clumsy. one of the dwarfs". and he said "...okay?". I think they can do a lot better at explaining that in Act 1 during the book club scene. I'm sure I can't be the only one who didn't understand why some random guy was falling down the stairs."

Good point! I honestly think that character's name was also taken from Britney song titled 'Clumsy'. Perhaps he was originally meant to have a solo moment singing that but just didn't work (?)

[Kad]

Posted: 5/23/23 at 11:52pm

I saw this tonight and would say you could just leave at intermission, but then you'd miss Jennifer Simmard singing the **** out of "Toxic," and that would truly be a loss.

I was having a great time during the first act. The show leans into its absurdity, the jokes and bits are very funny, the dancing is sharp and fierce. The back to back of "Circus" and "Oops I Did It Again" is explosive and thrilling. Jennifer Simmard has ridiculous physical comedy bits while getting huge laughs by her wild underplaying of everything. It's all working and firing on all cylinders.

And then the second act, the show drops everything that made it fizz. The humor all but vanishes- as do most of the characters and expansive production numbers. What was campy and absurd and high-energy fun congeals into drippy earnestness and painful sincerity before sliding into an underwhelming and rushed finale. It ends up just hitting the same beats of the second half of the second act of Into the Woods, but worse... and with a few Britney songs (and I mean "a few"- there are only six songs in the second, and two are reprises). And tonight, the child playing the Reader unfortunately totally went up on her last line in the show, which sets up the finale. The cast rallied to support her and she got there eventually, but the damage was done- it took an underwhelming ending and just deflated it further. 

It's a shame, because I think this could have been a really successful 100 minute one act.

Justin Guarini is as excellent as everyone has said and would be a good enough reason alone to see it. He is giving a truly fantastic triple threat performance. It's weird that a show about women writing their own stories is stolen by the male lead, but that's what happens here.

Jennifer Simmard is a genius performer and any opportunity to see her showcased onstage should be taken. This woman finds humor in every word and gesture.

But yeah, overall this is a weird whiplash of a show. I can't say it's bad- it's not, and act one is highly enjoyable- but the tone shift is all wrong for what this show needs to be.

Updated On: 5/23/23 at 11:52 PM

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 5/23/23 at 11:55pm

 

A friend and I got a pair of $50 tickets for this evening’s preview performance. Overall, I had a fun time but I am glad that $50 was all I spent. I would definitely be interested in seeing this again once it fully opens. Some of my thoughts below:

The Great:

• Justin Guarini: I could not keep my eyes off of him. His singing, his dancing, and his physical comedy were all fantastic. The show was at its best and most engaging when he was front and center.
• Aisha Jackson: Similar to Guarini, the show just felt better when she had the mic. Her vocal chops shone consistently throughout, but especially so when she was singing with Briga Heelan (more on her later)

The Good:

• Jennifer Simard: Simard gave a performance that was, to me, a mix of Catherine O’Hara as Moira Rose meets Jennifer Coolidge meets Mary Testa. These are all performances/performers that I love - but it sometimes took me out of the moment. With all that said, her big solo number obviously brought down the house
• Choreography: Lots of energy and exciting things happening here. And I loved the moments when some of the original Britney choreo I spent hours of my youth memorizing made its way into the show. Their incorporation of (what I believe was) ASL into it was appreciated, but fell a bit flat for me after a while.
• Ensemble: A big qualm I had with &Juliet was how low energy their ensemble was. This ensemble brought a ton of energy and life onto the stage and did wonderful work with the choreo and songs.

The Meh:

• Set design: God this show is begging for a turntable. There is a circle in the middle of the stage and at one point you see all the performers just tiptoeing themselves in circles to create a turntable effect. Additionally, there’s a large set piece that moves off and on stage that I could hear squeaking as it moved all the way from the last row of the orchestra. It moves slowly and lasted for almost an entire song. It’s still early previews so I assume there will be changes.
• Sound design: This show has music that’s meant to be played LOUD, ideally while dancing around at the club or in your bedroom or blasting in the car with the windows down, and the sound designers certainly understand that. This is something I wish the sound designers at K-POP had done. The show is loud. That being said, some of the performers were draining each other out, and oftentimes they were competing with the orchestra. Likewise with the set design, I’ll reserve full judgment on this while they work things out during previews.

The Bad:

• Briga Heelan: I am unfamiliar with her television work so had no preconceived notions of her going in. Her acting wasn’t the best, but as I mention below, the book isn’t exactly giving her a lot to work with. Her singing was - at best, lacking - and at worst, just plain bad. Any amount of momentum the show picks up grinds to a halt when she’s singing. Her mic also seemed to be much louder than everyone else’s, which meant that the harmonies during female ensemble numbers were heavily impacted by her poor singing. So much of this show relies on Cinderella’s lead vocals, and for her to have PIPES, and she does not have them. I am confused why she was cast - as she’s not a big name to draw in audience members, nor does she have a voice that wows. It was so noticeable that many women at intermission were discussing it while waiting in line for the restroom. I would have loved to see someone like Taylor Louderman take on this role and really blow the roof off.
• The Book: There’s some great, campy moments throughout, and a few that had me really laughing. But after a while, the schtick gets old. When it’s not being funny or trying to be funny, the book instead veers into a place that is so sickly sweet and so performatively “Girl power-y” that it almost comes across as disingenuous.   

Updated On: 5/24/23 at 11:55 PM

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 5/24/23 at 12:12am

I don’t necessarily have the same concerns with Briga. I’d rather it be an acting part (which I think she bails) with the self awareness of it not being a belting part. I’d rather her than an empty Broadway belting leading lady. 

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 5/24/23 at 12:30am

BroadwayNYC2 said: "I don’t necessarily have the same concerns with Briga. I’d rather it be an acting part (which I think she bails) with the self awareness of it not being a belting part. I’d rather her than an empty Broadway belting leading lady."

Ah, unfortunately her acting fell flat for me as well. Though, to be fair, she doesn’t have the best material to work with. 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 5/24/23 at 12:55pm

BroadwayNYC2 said: "I don’t necessarily have the same concerns with Briga. I’d rather it be an acting part (which I think she bails) with the self awareness of it not being a belting part. I’d rather her than an empty Broadway belting leading lady."

...it's a Britney Spears musical. You do not need a captial A Actor for this. It isn't Virginia Woolf.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/24/23 at 12:57pm

Maybe it's just me, but at Broadway prices, ideally, I'd like a lead who can both act AND sing their part...

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/24/23 at 12:59pm

^ 1000%

Should be a basic requirement for the best theater district in the world. 

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 5/24/23 at 1:01pm

I really enjoyed Briga to be honest. It was clear her voice wasn't as strong as the heavy hitters she's up there with (Simard, Aisha, Justin, Lauren etc) but for someone who isn't known for singing I thought she sang well enough. And I enjoyed her acting personally! She brought some honesty and truth to a whacky show.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 5/24/23 at 1:05pm

BroadwayNYC2 said: "I don’t necessarily have the same concerns with Briga. I’d rather it be an acting part (which I think she bails) with the self awareness of it not being a belting part. I’d rather her than an empty Broadway belting leading lady."

Same.
 

Updated On: 5/24/23 at 01:05 PM