PRETTY WOMAN in Chicago — Page 3

If people are comparing this to First Wives Club YIKES. And if the score is bad then they have already lost me. Maybe they will be RED-DAY FO CHANGE(es) before broadway.

Menken Fan said: "The songs ranged from the 'welcome to Hollywood' song to the 'welcome to the fancy store' song to the 'welcome to the fancy polo club' song. There were also the 'prostitutes want something better' song, and the 'you look beautiful' song, and the other 'you look beautiful' song. And the 'businessmen like money' song."

Thank you all for your observations!

I haven't seen the show, or heard the score, but looking at the "Musical Numbers" page from the Playbill, combined with Menken Fan's comment above (hysterically funny BTW) let me know I can probably pass on getting the cast recording should one be made.

rosemonday said: "Narrator might've been the wrong word, sorry. Not sure what the word I'm looking for is, actually."

Greek Chorus-of-one?

rosemonday also said: "The woman behind me was involved in the production and I overheard her saying that Samantha had been sick, which I didn't find to be obvious. She has a great voice."

I think that when people involved with a show publicly say things like that, it comes off as an unintentional apology. It's as if they want audience members to know beforehand that if something about the performance doesn't appeal to them, perhaps they should take into account that, 'Samantha has been sick'.

If an actor's illness isn't obvious (as you mentioned), I think it's best to not make mention. It can appear to be a lack of confidence in the performance.

It's interesting to me to isolate the adjectives that folks who saw the preview performances are using to describe the show: generic, bland and flat (all used by more than one poster), confused, similar, glaring, minimalist, wasted, etc. ...And that beloved chestnut: "a big hot mess".

The strongest positive adjectives used are fine and good.

Well, not sure if the bad reviews are from bitter people who have personal vendettas against the show or if they are on a witch-hunt to discourage people to go see it. Just saw the show tonight and IMOHO it was spectacular. Standing ovation, full house, laughs and fun from beginning to end. Yes, it’s the movie but with new, smart twists and turns added to modernize the story. Given that one of the bookwriters died in the middle of the project (I read somewhere he had cancer), the surviving bookwriter did a pretty good job in finishing it. The songs, for a debut duo who never wrote a Broadway musical in their lives before, were quite impressive. Of course, they’re not Rodgers and Hammerstein, but they’re not chopped liver either. Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance’s music and lyrics enhanced the story and brought depth to the characters. And the direction was just incredible. You have to understand that the director of the show, Jerry Mitchell, given his track record, always directs energetic, upbeat, uplifting stories. So if you’re looking for a boring, sad, depressing show, you won’t get that with his works. In terms of seats, they were all sold out (for a 2,000-seat theater!). There was a huge line for last minute tickets that had to be turned away because everything was sold out. One touching moment was when a lady in a wheelchair, who was at the last minute line tickets, got asked by the production team to join them to see the show. They noticed she wasn’t able to buy a ticket, so they invited her to get in and stay with them. Nobody from the line seemed upset because it was very kind and sweet of them to be so thoughtful. She had tears in her eyes as the people involved with the show took her in. In terms of the cast, they were all great. Eric Anderson was just mesmerizing playing multiple roles and helping the story move forward. The guy is so good, each time he plays a different character you think is a different actor/actress. His performance clearly screams Tony nomination IMOHO. You could also see the bond between all the actors; it felt like they really loved working together and being there. The chemistry between the main leads, played by Steve Kazee and Samantha Barks, was out-of-this-world. Both played very different characters, personality-wise, but the connection is undeniable there. Everybody in the audience left the theater smiling which was a good sign. Just a note, IMOHO the show doesn’t promote prostitution in any way, shape or form. It’s quite the opposite, it warns the dangers of it and shows how the lead female character is determined to get out of that lifestyle no matter what.

One last thing about this musical. On my way home I talked to a lady at the bus stop who had also seen the show and loved it. She showed me her playbill full of autographs and said that the cast of Pretty Woman was the nicest cast she has ever met at a Stage Door. According to her, they were all very warm, fun and friendly. That’s pretty cool.

blaxx said: "Aw,a shill. I remember when they used to post in big numbers trying to save a show. Those were the days."

Nah, no shill here, just a simple accountant who happens to be a theater fan. Come to Chicago and you will see what I'm talking about.

Updated On: 3/16/18 at 03:02 AM

I, too, love an obvious marketing intern shill post. Symptoms:

1) Just joined;

2) Hyperbolic adjectives;

3) Post reads like a freshman essay;

4) Gushes while others yawn;

5) Accuses detractors of personal vendettas.

Updated On: 3/16/18 at 09:24 AM