ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME - P/reviews & News Thread — Page 3

Random question, but is anything in the show borderline inappropriate for a seven-year-old boy to see?

I’m thinking about taking my son, because he loves pop music and dancing, knows a handful of Britney songs, and would recognize all the fairy tales this is based on.

On the other hand the subtext, and sometimes actual text, of Britney’s songs can be pretty sexual. And he’s just too young for explicit stuff.

So what do you think? Is that flavor mostly deemphasized, or done in a way that it would go over his head, or is this a fairly adult kind of show? Thanks for any advice!

Someday said: "Random question, but is anything in the show borderline inappropriate for a seven-year-old boy to see?

I’m thinking about taking my son, because he loves pop music and dancing, knows a handful of Britney songs, and would recognize all the fairy tales this is based on.

On the other hand the subtext, and sometimes actual text, of Britney’s songs can be pretty sexual. And he’s just too young for explicit stuff.

So what do you think? Is that flavor mostly deemphasized, or done in a way that it would go over his head, or is this a fairly adult kind of show? Thanks for any advice!"

Nothing explicit shown and the very little that's implied will almost certainly fly over his head. Some of the plot and PG jokes may also fly over a 7 year olds head (assuming he won't be familiar with the feminine mystique and sexist microaggressions), but I imagine he'd still have fun.

Alright now please someone put the whole plot on Wikipedia lol i'm dying to read that

Alright y'all, this show is... a lot of things. There's a Broadway caliber show in there somewhere, but they need to do some significant revisions to find it. It's campy, cheesy, spoofy, and has all the makings of the next big show at every high school in the country. It really felt like a high school show. The set, costumes, choreography, direction, casting needs, and writing are all turn-key ready for a high school to replicate as-is. If they were trying to create a musical aimed at high school productions, they nailed it. And honestly, I'm fine with that.

This show takes a big swing at traditional stories for being "problematic" and becomes itself an alternative for anyone wanting to produce a fun musical without those issues. It's progressive but not aggressively 'woke' and tackles modern issues with levity, a bit of a wink to the audience, but honestly as well. There's a good message in there that is almost undercut by the camp, but not entirely.

Ultimately this show has some decisions to make. Invest in elevating it and refining it for a decent Broadway run, or just lean in to the camp and go the Lightning Thief route and take it's 4-8 weeks on Broadway and then run straight for the licensing rights. If they do want to give it a real Broadway go, then they'll need to recast just about the entire show. The talent level is not there. The exception is Justin Guarini who could actually hold his own as a Broadway lead based on this. The rest of the cast ranges from adequate to bad. I'll give some grace with the understanding that it's early yet and they are probably still changing the show a lot as they go. I'd be curious to see it again at the end of the DC run to know where it ends up.

One thing that I really appreciated were two moments in the show that it could have fallen back on homophobic tropes for laughs, but instead flipped it and got a much better result.

If you go in to this show expecting a legit pre-Broadway tryout, you will be greatly underwhelmed. If you go in ready for a silly fun time at your local regional theater, then you'll come out smiling and happy.

Updated On: 12/12/21 at 10:50 AM

Disappointed to hear they didn't really change much in way of orchestrations. I get leaning into the classic sound and stuff, but, I'd love some interesting mash-ups or just some new takes on songs, otherwise it just sounds like karaoke. 

Because everybody keeps asking here is my breakdown of “One upon a one more time”

 

As some know this show has been in the works for a little over 4 years now! Originally it was supposed to do “out of towns” in Chicago in 2020, than the world shut down. Plans were put on hold and it moved to Washington D.C!

 

The plot is fairly simple (when you can find it) The story revolves around a group of Princesses (Cinderella, Snow White, Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, Princess and the Pea and Sleeping Beauty) trying to break free and rewrite the endings of their own stories! Unfortunately the “Narrator” is in charge and has pretty much trapped them

In his problematic “male is better” ways! Thankfully they have the help of the “Feminine Mystique” written by Betty Friedan, and the wonderful OFG (Original Fairy Godmother) … who is as hilarious as the inhabits of “Flatbush” itself!  

 

Yes you guessed it this show is 100% full

of girl power, feminism, and 100% set to the anthems of Britney Spears! All the songs we know and love from “Oops, Everytime, Lucky, and even lesser known like Cinderella, Passenger, and If I’m dancing” are just some included! (Yes some words have been rewritten to fit the topics at hand, but more on that later)

 

Let’s start with the story! 

The show opens with an amazing version of “Baby one more time” now changed to “Be My Once Upon A Time/Once Upon a one more time”… this opening is SOLID! Truly sets up for what you think will be the show you are about to watch. Unfortunately 3 scenes in and that entire set up is gone … and so is the plot! 

 The only things that really HIT and Landed was The Opening (One More Time) Lucky (which is told as telling us the story of Cinderella) The Opening of Act 2 (Crazy) and Cinderellas moment in act 2 (Everytime) … 

 

The entire show you are spent wondering what story is trying to be told. Is it a story about ALL of the princesses re writing their story? Is it about the Narrator? Is it about the little human girl who is reading these stories? Or is it about Cinderella? (as she seems to be the main focus a lot) 

They truly need to pick a path and focus on that. 

 

Speaking of paths and focusing… The book is a utter nightmare! What’s even more concerning than the book is the fact that it’s been in “Out of towns” for 3 weeks now and the only creative change has been a costume and a wig or two! 

 

Speaking of costumes and wigs, the ENTIRE design of this show is straight out of a low budget local high school (you know, the one with out a drama department) … something fell really flat when it came to the overall design concept! 

The costumes are poor quality and sometimes just embarrassing (EXCEPT Cinderellas ballgown, #Stunning) 

Same for the set! The set is … well dare I say… “The Workroom” from Rupauls drag race! A empty stage, with frosted panels, and a hole for a video screen! (And some strange feather quill in a floating orb) 

 

As for the music! It truly is fun! Some really unusual choices like “Scream and Shout, I Wanna Go, and Pretty Girls” but it is all retrofitted to the narrative and story each princess is trying to convey! The music in the show is probably the most solid part of this show. Which was a given considering the topic at hand! 

 

 

As for the rest..:

Some strong stand out performances (I tip my crown) to Aisha Jackson (Snow White) who is a POWERHOUSE and delivers on some amazing vocals with “From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart”, 

OFG: Brooke Dilman, who while she doesn’t sing anything is the most memorable and captivating part of this show! Her comedic timing and delivery is SPOT ON.

Prince Charming: Justin Guarini has the voice of an Angel and truly is special.

Last but not least Stepmother: Emily Skinner who steals almost any scene she’s in with just a look. (And she sings “Toxic” while being thrown around the stage clinging to a moving door… so *Crown Tip to you*)

 

Overall, was it great, No. 

BUT, it was a out of town tryout, it was new, it was fresh; and most importantly it was FUN! 

If you were looking for a creation straight out of the mind of Britney Spears, full of music, princesses, magic, and … butterflies…. This is it! This in a way does feel like her dream creation! 

 

If it plans to go to broadway (which I’m hearing is the goal) it needs some help! It needs lots of work and a clear focus and redesign, if it intends to be a fun show for fans to go enjoy… (as I look around a crowd full of smiling, laughing, screaming, snapping ladies and homosexuals… it completely accomplished it’s task at hand! 

 

At the end of it all. 

Go see live theatre. Go support the arts. Some shows aren’t for you, that doesn’t mean they are bad. I smiled, I laughed, and I went twice. Does that mean it was good… no, but it means I had fun! 

Throw in a few big production numbers, maybe a messy pony, and then we can re evaluate! 

 

DCDrama2 said: "This show takes a big swing at traditional stories for being "problematic" and becomes itself an alternative for anyone wanting to produce a fun musical without those issues. It's progressive but not aggressively 'woke' and tackles modern issues with levity, a bit of a wink to the audience, but honestly as well. There's a good message in there that is almost undercut by the camp, but not entirely."

It feels weird to focus so much on Betty Friedan given that the target demographic is presumably the average Britney Spears fan. The story structure of Beyond Babel was a gigantic mess for what should have been simple and straightforward so I hope the book writer can figure things out himself. 

Rakesh Natarajan said: "The show exceeded all of my expectations (except for the set). I walked in expecting a complete trainwreck (like how I felt when I watched Diana on Netflix), but walked away pleasantly surprised.

Like others have said, the set is the weakest part of the show. This isn't the type of show that would demand a minimalistic set with frosted white walls. To me, the overuse of projections implies that the creative team realized that they needed a colorful, over-the-top, and extravagant set... but since all of that color comes from projections, it comes off as looking cheap and amateur-esque.

The acting wasn't awful, but it certainly wasn't the best either. To me, highlights included the narrator (Michael McGrath), OFG (the absolutely hilarious Brooke Dilman), Prince Charming (Justin Guarini), and the Stepmother (Emily Skinner). Others have raved about 3/4 of those actors and I don't really have anything to add on. I thought in one of the final numbers, when the Narrator has a change of heart, McGrath's acting was absolutely incredible. As an aside, his acting in that number reminded me a lot of Hades immediately after the Epic III outro (from Hadestown). Having said that, his acting was a little subtle. I was sitting in the front row (got a $35 ticket Under 35 ticket) so I'm not sure how it would look for someone sitting in the back row. Overall though, I didn't entirely like the narrator's character; he felt underdeveloped in the first act, which made his change of heart seem unsurprising at the end of the show. He needed a number in the first act that explains his motivations, something similar to "A Sentimental Man" from Wicked. I didn't understand his character's motivation at the beginning of the show. I also thought the actor playing Clumsy (Raymond Lee) was hilarious... but there was nothing unique about his performance. I could see a few dozen other actors playing that role nearly perfectly.

The book, well, it is a typical jukebox musical... the book isn't perfect or even good, but it was perfectly fun and enjoyable for a night in the theater. I think I enjoyed it more than others on this board. They did a decent job of incorporating some of the songs into the story (although some of the songs seemed like they were shoe-horned in). The lighting was underwhelming and the costumes were decent (if not a little bland). It would be nice if some of the costumes had patterned fabric (instead of just being one color). In the middle of a dance number, something ended up getting thrown off of Rapunzel's wig and ended up hitting the person behind me.

Looking at specific parts of the show, it's honestly a mixed bag. Like someone else mentioned, the ending was a little cliche... it ends in a very similar way as Six, but I don't think it is executed as well as Six was. The opening number like @Weirdout19 mentioned is a lot of fun and does a good job of setting up the show. I thought the show went off the rails during "Work B***h" which was the first song that I remember cringing at.

I will also say that I LOVED the curtain call. I haven't seen a show with a highly choreographed curtain call in AGES so I had a ton of fun watching the bows. I didn't even realize that I missed choreographed curtain calls until I saw this. To me, this show would probably do best if they opened up in the summer (potentially in a year or so) once tourism returns. If they want to elevate the material, that is certainly possible. Somewhere in this mess, there is a great show, but there's a lot of trimming, recasting, rewriting, and redesigning that needs to happen. Alternatively, if they didn't want to rewrite the show, this strikes me as the type of musical that could probably survive for around 1-2 years on Broadway via stunt casting. Overall, I walked in expecting a completely low-effort musical with a cookie cutter and cringeworthy plot... I ended up seeing an enjoyable night of theater and a perfectly adequate show. The acting wasn't that bad and the writing wasn't garbage either. Unless they make any changes, this show probably won't deserve any Tony nominations - except for potentially Best Featured Actress for Dilman or Skinner in an uncompetitive year (so not if they open on Broadway in the current season); still, it was a pretty good experience and I'd be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy it."

"Work b#tch" scene is one of the most memorable parts of the show along with prince charming singing "Oops!", people were clapping and enjoying it to the extreme the night I attended.

"Work b#tch" fits perfectly with the situation happening, and as Britney tried to tell us back in 2013: "So hold your head high, fingers to the sky...now they don't believe ya, but they gonna need ya" 

 

In its current form, it can fit at say the Longacre or Belasco, but those are Shubert Houses.  The show isn’t huge, though adding a few ensemble tracks wouldn’t be the worst idea. My guess is this goes to the Lunt, but I think a smaller theatre like the Nederlander or Brooks Atkinson would be better (obviously taken). 

Da curtain call 

https://youtu.be/8R83tQne188

 

It's going to print money. Especially with the Free Britney movement, so they'd be wise to invest some money into the look and design. Lean into the Fairy Tale instead of this like bland look. More nods to Britney. 

DC Metro Theater Arts:  "It's wacky but it works.