"On the Town" Preview Thread- Page 4

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 7:17pm

It's always the Jackie Hoffman show when she's on stage. I've never seen her play a character.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 7:35pm

She has an old lady wig, a brown bob for Madame Dilly, and 2 night club wigs.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 7:56pm

Are there anymore pictures of the set?

[gleek4114]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 8:15pm

Probably not until official production photos are released. Which will probably be towards the later half of previews.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 8:20pm

And to anyone who might be curious (because I was before I got there), they have all of the basic merch. Posters, shirts, magnets, etc. obviously no program yet though.

[lovebwy]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 8:29pm

I'm seeing this on October 6. I must admit this thread has taken some the wind out of my sails over it.

Still, to hear that lush Bernstein score with a proper orchestra on Broadway can't be all bad!!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 9:59pm

Don't let the haters make up your mind for you.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 10:07pm

Don't lose heart. If it's as good as it was in the Berkshires, it's still the best revival of a vintage musical New York has seen since the Lincoln Center South Pacific.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 10:13pm

Thanks, PalJoey, let's keep the faith. It was great at Barrington, let's all hope that it's great here too!

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 2:00am

There was a photo of the set at curtain call on twitter. Have to say from that bit alone it looked a bit gaudy

https://twitter.com/BentonCastMan/status/513700066390212609

[HorseTears]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 6:51am

So, I have to ask a question of those who've seen the show. Is this clip - street clothes, florescent lighting, and awkward atmosphere aside - representative of John Rando's direction and Joshua Beragasse's choreography in the show? If so, I think I'll be looking for discounts on this one, despite how much I adore this score. If it's not representative, I'm relieved to hear they've only gotten it wrong in one number.

But, I have to know, what on earth is going on in the actual staging of this marvelous song?
Umphress has apparently been directed to deliver this number as a "cute" novelty song with over illustrative community theatre-esque arm choreography (that unfortunately seems to leave her a bit winded) and none of the passion, hutzpah and downright lust I've always seen this number delivered with. And poor Jay Armstrong Johnson gets saddled with a ridiculous, cartoonish routine that completely overwhelms Umphress' rather timid performance. Does he dance it marvelously? Sure. But it feels completely wrong for this scene and for the characters. Where's the dramatic (and comedic, of course) tension? Shouldn't this number be her chance to seduce (and frighten) this green, naive sailor? But, with this staging, Armstrong is dancing like a mad, spellbound fool from the very start. By the time she's sung her first line, he's ready to jump into bed. So why then is she singing this song? Really, really hope this misguided staging isn't representative of the whole thing.



Updated On: 9/23/14 at 06:51 AM

[After Eight]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 7:03am

"It was great at Barrington, let's all hope that it's great here too!"

I didn't see it at Barrington, but it's anything but great here.

The choreography is very good, the orchestra does a bang-up job with the score, and some of the scenic design is effective. But everything is being oversold and pushed too hard. Lyrics are being swallowed in all the rush and hubbub. Worst of all is that the piece has geen vulgarized so that its charm and spirit of innocence have been lost. No, we most definitely do not need see Chip and Ozzie dancing in undershorts post coitus That pretty much sums up the mindset of this misguided revival.


Updated On: 9/23/14 at 07:03 AM

[CukorLover]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 7:09am

I agree with you on all accounts, HorseTears! It looks like it was staged by a community theatre director. Busy, frenetic , throw in the kitchen sink sort of stuff, rather than trust the material. But worst of all, from all the clips I've seen of Umphress thus far, she isn't particularly funny. She'a big girl, she can dance, can she sing, but she's not a natural comedienne. Maybe she comes "alive" on stage?

[ArtMan]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 7:51am

Lovebdwy, don't let some of the reviews lessen your interest. I knew nothing really about the show before going and I thought it was terrific. I attended the first preview, my first, and thought everything was excellent. If I had a complaint it was the length. At times it seemed to drag, but the trimming could start with Jackie Hoffman. Her shtick went on, at times, too long. For me it was a treat, just seeing a classic broadway show for the very first time. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, projections included.

Updated On: 9/23/14 at 07:51 AM

[newintown]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 8:23am

Joey, you ought to be on the show's payroll - I've never seen anyone work so hard to hype a show on here before (with which they weren't personally involved).

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 8:30am

Hi..saw it last night. It was too long - even had a few encores when encores were not needed(or requested). The screens were VERY effective at times...totally overused and underwhelming at other times. Minimal sets were nothing to write home about.

Dancing was AMAZING (that's why they don't have any names for the leads - you can't FAKE these numbers). Orchestra and music were amazing. Really lots of the show was very impressive - individual scenes were mesmerizing. I was impressed by a lot of the performers.

Yet overall, it's just "off". Too much, not tight enough, all over the place, transitions between scenes are awkward, mood changes because we are told the mood changes, not because of any internal reason. The Hildy-Chip pairing seems unconnected. The others work much much better.

It's always interesting to go on a Monday night...being it's a night that most shows are not ON, the audience was filled with friends, co-actors, family, etc..lots of comps around given to the other shows. The audience was very enthusiastic and appreciative at many times throughout the night...oddly quiet at other times. There is certainly loads of energy in the performances and the performers are certainly giving their all.

I thought there was a LOT to like in the show..but a lot that missed the mark, and could be improved...hey, it's just the first few days of previews. I would not call seeing the show a waste of time, I just hope it improves with age.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 9:43am

Joey, you ought to be on the show's payroll - I've never seen anyone work so hard to hype a show on here before (with which they weren't personally involved).

It's just because I know, deep in my heart and from my personal experience with them, that Lenny and Jerry and Betty and Adolph would have loved this revival. Especially Lenny and even Jerry.

The combination of innocence and sexiness and youthful exuberance is the perfect embodiment for 2014 of the spirit the four of them put into the show in 1944.

Or at least it was like that at Barrington, where it was flawless. The statements in this thread that is it "community theater" and "misguided" seem to be statements made about a different production entirely.

So it's either that they lost what was special in the transfer, which of course can happen...or perhaps the naysayers on this board who are bitching about the first previews and rehearsal videos are jaded and hypercritical and in need of an infusion of innocence and sexiness and youthful exuberance. (I'm just saying "perhaps"...)

The last time this happened to me on this board was with A Gentleman's Guide, which I had seen and loved in Hartford. During the previews, all you saw on this board was kvetch, kvetch, kvetch, with a lot of vaguery like "It just doesn't click" and "It looks amateur."

Then opening night came, the critics loved it, and within about 36 hours, so did everyone on this board. It was like magic.

My tickets are for the night after the opening. I'm still expecting to be attending a celebration and not a wake.

After all, isn't that what previews are for?

Updated On: 10/10/14 at 09:43 AM

[wickedfan]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 10:05am

My mixed feelings on Gentleman's Guide aside, PalJoey has a point.

When South Pacific was in previews, a lot of the early word on it was: "too long" "no chemistry between leads" "O'Hara is miscast" "needs more scenery" and the like. Of course, many people had positives to say and as previews went on, word of mouth got more enthusiastic. But when opening night came, the reviews were ecstatic and the opinion on this board changed drastically.

A lot of issues mentioned here seem to be fixable and are understandable considering that the creative team and principal cast that transferred with the show have to adjust to a MUCH bigger house than what they originally worked with. Pacing, scene transitions and scaling back acting beats are all things that can and will be figured out during the next week or two. Scenery and projections are a bit trickier, but you never know what the creative team has planned. I'm still very much looking forward to this production. I applaud any full scale revival that doesn't include a movie or TV star and uses a full orchestra.

[newintown]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 10:13am

Just because a show gets good reviews and makes money doesn't mean that those who had problems with it in previews or development are necessarily "wrong."

I liked Grind, Grey Gardens, and The Scottsboro Boys; am I "wrong" because they flopped?

I disliked Cats and Miss Saigon; am I "wrong" because it became a mega-hit?

People's opinions are opinions; the "majority" might disagree with them, but that doesn't make them "wrong."

Perhaps this On The Town is flawed, perhaps it's excellent. I never met Lenny or Jerry (I did meet Betty & Adolph several times), but I certainly know that I'd never presume to think that I know what any deceased artist I did know well would think about posthumous productions. That would feel kinda... icky to me.

[Eurotrash]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 10:19am

Too dated to be sexed up. Too vulgar when sexed up?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 10:35am

That would feel kinda... icky to me.

I've always been considered icky when it comes to dead people. They speak to me, you know!

[newintown]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 10:39am

I just dusted off the ol' Ouija board and - what do you know? Lenny (or someone pretending to be Lenny) said that he wasn't going to comment on this revival.

But he added that he's still thinking about 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, which I confess I found surprising.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 11:04am

Lenny not comment? You must have got a wrong number!

[dreaming]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 11:08am

I am going tonight-and very, very excited. Fingers crossed for a lovely evening!

[HorseTears]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 2:22pm

PJ - is that vid of "I Can Cook Too" representative of that number, as you saw it staged at Barrington? And, um, do you think that it has been staged appropriately? To me, the staging seems to completely bypass the comedy and the story of that wonderful song. High school talent show stuff.