Priscilla performance on "America's Got Talent"

[Steve2]

Posted: 7/13/11 at 9:55pm

Anyone watch? I first thought it was going to be telecast from NYC but they flew most of the cast to LA. No Nick A. or Tony S. however.

Thank goodness it was different from the Tony performance!

Updated On: 7/13/11 at 09:55 PM

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 7/13/11 at 10:00pm

I'm on West Coast, so it hasn't aired yet. What did they perform?

[Steve2]

Posted: 7/13/11 at 10:08pm

Medley of "Finally" and "Shake Your Groove Thing," then Will performing to "MacArthur Park."

[Dennis-in-ct]

Posted: 7/13/11 at 10:12pm

They did McArther Park with the cupcakes.

This is the first promotional live performance I have seen that almost represents the actual Broadway show experience - almost.

The Tony award performance was a wreck. The Today show, the View etc have all been sad attempts to show off this fun show. I have seen the show 5 times and it is wonderful silly fun. I know people rank on it but I take it for what it is and just have FUN. If I used these promo performances to help me decide wether or not to buy tickets I would not. They need to stop doing these promos half assed, it is not helping them.

Tonight's promo performance was the best to date

[broadwayguy20012]

Posted: 7/13/11 at 10:12pm

I'm sorry...but this was a VERY lackluster performance. No Nick and Tony, as I had hoped and I was hoping that if they were gonna fly Will all the way out with the rest of the cast, he would at least sing his track during "Macarthur Park" with everyone. The trio vocals were lacking. I saw the show a few months ago and think its one of the most entertaining shows I have ever seen on a Broadway stage, but this just did nothing for me tonight...
Updated On: 7/13/11 at 10:12 PM

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/13/11 at 10:13pm

Oye. Priscilla, why do you make yourself bad when you really aren't? When "With over 500 costumes" is in your intro YOU DO NOT SHOW OFF RAINCOATS!!!!!!!!!! And Lip Syncing a song that Tick DOES sing in? WHY!?

Also, is Lindsay Mendez in the show or was she just hired to temp a Diva? Updated On: 7/13/11 at 10:13 PM

[misto625]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 1:31am

I was trying to figure out who the third diva was. Was that Lindsay Mendez? I was going to guess Esther Stillwell. This performance raises so many questions. Why choose those songs? Why the raincoats? (I just saw the show on Monday and I don't remember those raincoats in the actual show) Why was Will Swenson not even singing? Why is this show seemingly unwilling to embrace what it is, the gayest show on Earth? It seems afraid to be "too gay" when that really seems like the show's only selling point in my opinion. I don't find the plot or score particularly riveting.

Posted: 7/15/11 at 1:43am

Isn't that dismal show shot in Vegas? I didn't realize it was LA...

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 3:13am

I was trying to figure out who the third diva was. Was that Lindsay Mendez? I was going to guess Esther Stillwell.

It looks a lot like her and Priscilla only has two Diva understudies so they would both already have to be on back in NY so Esther is out.

This performance raises so many questions. Why choose those songs? Why the raincoats? (I just saw the show on Monday and I don't remember those raincoats in the actual show)

They're from the beginning of It's Raining Men before revealing all the men's actual costumes.

Why was Will Swenson not even singing?

I haven't gotten any idea. It's not like he's a name drawing in the people. An understudy could have done just as well if they're going to have them not even sing.

Why is this show seemingly unwilling to embrace what it is, the gayest show on Earth?

I don't even know. Every opportunity they get to show off this show they f*ck it up. BADLY. And it's a shame because it is not what they show off on TV.

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 3:57am

Long time no post, but I'm a huge Priscilla fan and completely agree. The national promos are incredibly disappointing! I thought they ALMOST had it, but then they send Will out to the center of the stage, and he doesn't sing. It makes no sense AT all if you don't know what the show is about.

I've seen the show several times. I boast about how fun it is to family and friends, and after every appearance, someone says "I can't understand why you would like that show." It's not my typical show, but I absolutely love the chemistry between the 3 leads (not to mention the voices!), and the story about a father reuniting with his son is super sweet. Why not showcase those aspects?

Posted: 7/15/11 at 4:51am

If they had put Will in drag, then I think the audience at least would have understood why he was lip synching. As others have said, as it is, out of context, it simply looks *odd*. If I had zero knowledge of the show, I would be beyond confused by the whole performance.

[evic]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 5:21am

Will looked like he was in an insane asylum.....weird that they were promoting it on a dance show and the segment had virtually no dancing- just the usual marching and walking...they actually flew all these people and costumes out for that?????? I don't think the teen moms in the audience cared at all-that won't sell a ticket...did Flotilla de Barge put a curse on this show?

[mee.who]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 5:24am

That performance started off well, I thought, with the divas but then they lost me at the raincoats that aren't in the show. They REALLY lost me when they brought poor Will out and had him dance around like the flailing ringleader of some lame circus.

I kind of wish they'd just stick with 'We Belong' on these promo spots. It's boring, but so much less of a mess than the medleys they come up with. (Either that or I'd love to see them perform 'Color My World', though I guess they'd need a bus stand-in for that one.)

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 7:02am

I believe those of you who say the show is very enjoyable on stage. But the TV promotions make it look like a hot mess. The numbers as performed on the Tonys and on AGT make no sense and give one no sense of the show. (I've seen the film and I'm assuming that's the basic narrative.)

And somehow on television, the costumes, no matter how ingenious, are just painful to the eye. It was one thing in the film when there were rarely more than 3 on camera at once and you had the monochromatic Outback for scenery; it's quite another when the costumes are backed by psychedelic swirls.

I'm surprised, given Midler is producing. She always does bad taste very tastefully.

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 7:35am

I just saw the show Wednesday night and this performance does the show no justice at all.

From the reviews and how it was mainly received here I wasn't expecting much but I ended up enjoying the show so much. It's just a really fun show and like one of the posters above said the 3 leads have really great chemistry together.
Updated On: 7/15/11 at 07:35 AM

[trentsketch]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 7:53am

Just throwing this out there. NBC consistently forces contestants and guests to change their performances at the last minute. It's almost always to tone down something super campy or simplify a sound scheme. I could see the show telling Priscilla to drop one of the mics onstage and not do costume changes for tech reasons. At least, they would claim they are tech reasons. It's a possibility.

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 9:11am

I'm surprised the Divine Miss M isn't doing more to promote the show...like opening her big mouth with performances like this and screaming "this is how we're doing it! This is what the show is about, like it or not!" It seems she's lost her chutzpah!

[trentsketch]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 9:14am

But Broadwayboobs, she hand-wrote and signed all those letters to theatergoers about advanced ticket sale. c.c.

I don't know what is happening with the promotion of this show. If something as ridiculous as Mamma Mia can be a hit, why not Priscilla?

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 9:29am

trent, just like she gave the cast "notes" during rehearsals. Through reliable sources I found out that most of the cast never even met her.

This show could be a hit if they had better promoters. Promoters who aren't afraid of showing the real Priscilla.

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 9:41am

It is possible they were told to tone their performance down, would explain the raincoats, which usually cover up a more revealing & flamboyant costumes. But why would they have Mitzi (Will Swenson character) lip sync while not in drag. Not everyone is familiar with why they lip sync. The performance would have been way better if Will sang or if he opened the number the way it is opened in the show.

I am a fan of the show, it is fun, entertaining and wonderful on the eyes. Too bad this TV appearance did not reflect that, shame on who ever put it together.

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 9:52am

I thought this performance was OK, and didn't really meet the expectations I had for it.

That being said, I'm noticing/realizing that advertising for this show is a double-edged sword. If they portray as the fun, fabulous gayfest that it is (which it should), the producers risk the loss of those lucrative "Midwestern tourist dollars".

However, in the advertising (up until now with that recent commercial), they have been glossing over the fact that it's a campy drag show with a big heart and decent story, which is the whole essence of the show. In an attempt to cater to more people, they cheapen what the show is all about.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 10:00am

Luv2Go, he did a pretty bad job of lip-syncing, too. That's what really got me thinking about how often AGT makes contestants and guests change their performances. Swenson's a better performer than that.

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 10:08am

I agree trent, he is a better performer and you are probably right about AGT forcing them to change things up.

[Annie_V]

Posted: 7/16/11 at 6:13am

I'm glad to hear people saying that this spot was confusing and not a good ad for the show! Our family is going to New York in August and seeing 3 shows - Priscilla is one of them. Honestly, the best thing about that preview is that it has probably lowered our expectations, so we will probably end up enjoying the show even more once we actually see it! Our 10 year old thought the cupcake costume were hilariously random.

We are Broadway virgins (like I would imagine most of the Americas Got Talent audience would be) so only I have even heard Will Swenson, and that is only because I came on this site to get advice about shows! So my husband, my 13 year old and I just kept asking ourselves "who is that guy supposed to be?", "why isn't he singing?", "I thought this was supposed to be a musical about drag queen's, those 3 ladies singing weren`t drag queen`s, where they?". (10 year old was too busy laughing at the cupcakes to participate).

So... if we hadn`t already got tickets, I think that performance wouldn`t have compelled us to get them. But... I remain optimistic (based on what I have read here) that all it has done is lowered our expectations, which will make our experience of the real thing better!

[misto625]

Posted: 7/16/11 at 9:53pm

In terms of promoting the show to Midwestern tourists, are we assuming tourists means families? I would think a lot of gay couples (and singles) would also visit New York City from the Midwest and would be interested in seeing Priscilla if they were made aware of it.