Finally adding my two cents after going to the first and second previews.
The bad: I'll echo what others have said in that there's little deviation from the movie, and the creative team is scared of straying from the memorable lines and moments.
The lyrics are really, really bland.
The show also does little to address the ways that the story hasn't aged well. Thankfully Samantha Barks is charming enough, and the chemistry between her and Andy Karl is good enough that I could just go along with it. In short, much like the movie, you need to turn your think-piece brain off while watching.
The middling: When I first heard preview snippets of “I Can’t Go Back” and “You and I”, I found them very bland. But the truth is I’ve had a few songs stuck in my head after watching the first previews. It’s still not Best Score material, but they’re growing on me, a la early 90s earworms ??
A lot of the ensemble numbers resemble what you get in Legally Blonde, Kinky Boots, etc. That being said, it’s a formula I find enjoyable, if not new. The sets were fine, if not standouts.
The good: The cast works the heck out of the material. Samantha Barks is incredibly charming and manages to go through all the motions of the movie without sounding like Julia Roberts. Her chemistry with Andy Karl was steamy.
I'm a big fan of Andy Karl's and am thrilled he's back on Broadway. The material gives him less to work with, but he does more with it than you’d think and I continue to be impressed by his acting. For all that it’s become en vogue to make fun of the PW story, I really did believe his Edward had fallen hard for Vivian and that he was willing to turn around his world to be with her. Andy was able to stray away from the Richard Gere interpretation and add his own crazy spin, but without making me ever feel like I was watching Phil Connors. He seemed more comfortable in the second preview. I'm sure he's only going to get better.
Orfeh’s role is very similar to Paulette, but it’s fun and she’s good at it. She has a fantastic voice and I wish Broadway would utilize her more. Jason Danieley REALLY doesn’t get much to do as Stuckey, but he’s suitably sleazy. Eric Anderson was a lot of fun as he showed up as different characters. Tommy Bracco is a standout as the hotel bellhop.
So my verdict: Will this get panned by critics? Probably. Did my heart soar when Edward and Vivian finally kissed on the mouth? Yes.
The cast is great, and I found myself grinning through most of it. If you take it for what it is, it's a fun night. I’m sure I’ll be back sometime soon.
FYI, the principals all signed at the stage door, but there wasn’t room for photos. The barricades at the Nederlander were poorly organized IMO. They were set up in a square shape, and despite there not being *that* many people, we had to stand two to three rows deep. I’m sure the location of the Nederlander stage door doesn’t help, but Newsies used to play there, and I’m sure they had decent-sized stage door crowds. I really hope the management figures out something that’s easier on everybody, because you would think there are better ways to do this.