Rocky Previews — Page 15

I was at Rocky tonight also and I agree with Wickedrocks review of the show. It didn't bowl me over, but then I wasnt expecting it to. I had a hard time imagining it as a musical from the first time I heard about it. It was better than I expected and I love the two leads, especially Andy Karl. Have been a fan of his for 9 years (since Altar Boys). He played Rocky beautifully. It was a combination of Sylvester Stallone from Rocky, Luke from Altar Boys, Tommy from Jersey Boys and even Vinnie Barbarino from Welcome Back Kotter. I could pick up certain lines and mannerisms from each of them. It was most definitely a stand out performance for him.
Also really liked Margo Seifert in her Broadway debut and thought she and Andy had wonderful chemistry.
I did enjoy the fight sequence just for the excitement of it and of course it was obviously so reminiscent of the movie. The songs that resonated the most with me were Eye if the Tiger and Gonna Fly Now as they are the ones I am familiar with. The others weren't really memorable, tho I did enjoy Andys two solo numbers.
The one part of the show i think they could cut are the scenes in the pet store. I don't think they really serve any purpose.
I will definitely see it again later in previews and after it opens. Want to sit in the Golden Circle at least once. Also front mezzanine.

I saw the third preview (Saturday Eve) and was totally unimpressed. Spectacle over substance pretty much sums up my opinion of it. It was big and loud and well, just painfully empty. At least Spider-Man gave us Rise Above. Other than the quintessential Rocky Theme and Eye Of The Tiger--both lifted from the movie--the score is instantly forgettable and at times, cringeworthy (Mick's number). For me, a really strong score might have saved Rocky The Musical.

The two stoppages due to set malfunctions added approximately 25 minutes to the run time and I'm not sure why they even bothered taking the time to get the iconic steps to function properly for their second extremely brief appearance. Most all of the sets, as Blaxx pointed out, come and go so quickly it does give you the feeling that you're watching a movie with rapidfire editing. I found the constant set changes and moving in and out of columns and beams and television monitors and everything else almost disorienting. Again, spectacle over substance. Keep the audience's heads spinning and they won't notice all the show's deficiencies.

I sat second row orchestra right on the inside aisle. I felt sorry for the Golden Circle ticket holders. It took ten minutes or so to gather all their things and get led up to the stage like cattle--where many of them seemed to have a worse view of the fight than if the ring had been on the stage and they had stayed in their comfortable seats. Between the commotion of them being corralled stageward and the stagehands prepping the front orchestra for the emergence of the boxing ring, what little momentum the show had mustered died a slow death. By the time the big match got underway, I was just ready for it all to be over. Strangely, no one on my side of the ring stood for a better view and no one cheered. Perhaps they were all as underwhelmed as I was.

I thought Karl and Siebert both did fine jobs and must say that Karl has the most grueling job on Broadway right now. I feel sorry for him having to do this eight times a week--not to mention all the rehearsal time. I hope he's getting paid handsomely for it.

Updated On: 2/18/14 at 10:39 AM

Saw it last night. The tech problems are straightened out. The show moves very fluidly. The two leads connect emotionally and make us care about them very much. And that's really what made the show work, for me. The score served the material and the songs rose smoothly out of the underscoring, but was also dull and kind of monotonous. Happily, though, none of the songs last that long so you don't have much chance to get bored by them. I was surprised at how utterly mundane the music was.

Until you get to "Eye of the Tiger," of course, which made the rest of the music seem that much more dull and lifeless.

The final fight was pretty great. Never saw anything quite like it in a theater. Very well choreographed. I was not bothered by the audience filing onto the stage. It didn't really seem that long a wait, plus they had the sports announcers filling in the time.

All of the actors were great. Very connected to the material, emotionally, and it was a delight watching them perform. I really felt for them. They deserve a lot of kudos. Also, the book itself is sharp and witty, and carried us through the plot with a lot of laughs.

Overall, I would call it an excellent entertainment for the all the reasons above. But, god, how I wished the songs were better.

I remember a show years ago in the old Morosco that starred Danny Aiello called Knockout. It had an actual ring on the stage at the end. I remember people reacting as a real fight audience would with yelling and rooting for Aiello.

Question: If you had a TDF ticket for the night of the last snowstorm how long do you have to try and backdate it. I am not buying another set of tickets so I am trying to see if I will ever be able to exchange the pair. To bad their is no protection for theatergoers in the event of something like this.

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Updated On: 2/18/14 at 11:33 AM

I'm thinking about seeing Rocky tonight and I was wondering if any of you who have tried the lottery know around how many people have been entering lately? Thanks.

So what are the major sets/locations for the show, and how do they handle the transitions? Especially with the ring and staircase of the art museum? I am still confused on how the ring works and where it is stored and how it comes out?

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JMO, but the public should only be concerned about the actor's performance not what incentives or perks that actor is or is not receiving. I don't get this need to know it all, especially when it has absolutely nothing to do with how good the show is or isn't.

Back in the day theater goers weren't concerned with theatrical or even motion picture box office numbers, grosses, weekly nuts, etc. Now it seems even the average Joe Schmoe on the street has to know this information...for what I have no idea.

A quick question for those who have seen it ... and maybe it's been mentioned in this thread, but I didn't find it ...

In my opinion, Ahrens and Flaherty seem to thrive the most as a songwriting team when they latch onto a musical genre, like island music or ragtime music. They can sort of write "in character" within the style.

Does their music for "Rocky" have a specific style or genre? Did they give it a mid-'70s feel? Is the show even set in the mid-1970s? It sounds like the two songs that really stand out and grab people are Gonna Fly Now (with a VERY '70s sound) and Eye of the Tiger (with a big early '80s sound).

I'm wondering how the rest of the score fits into a period in time or a place ... or doesn't? Could that be a reason for the lack of any real "punch" (pun intended) in their music?

Either a fear or a desire not to commit to any era (aka, "dated" score)?

Personally, I would love it if it had a total 1970s-sounding score.

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Updated On: 2/18/14 at 01:55 PM

besty-The score is generic ballads-typical Ahrens & Flaherty stuff.

Is the time period for the musical supposed to be "today?"

It seems like such a missed opportunity to create specific music that evokes a special period and place in time. I actually think when writers avoid that, they end up dating the material quicker than if they embraced it. If it already has a period in time, it will never be anything but that ... 20, 30 years from now, it's still that period instead of some generic outdated trend in pop theatre music. I also think the music acts as an additional character in the story that way. (Think of Grease or Hairspray or The Music Man or Drowsy Chaperone.)

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I totally agree, Besty. I wish they'd taken a chance and done that. But, given the composer and lyricist, it doesn't surprise me much that the mishmash of pop ballads is what we're left with.

"besty-The score is generic ballads-typical Ahrens & Flaherty stuff."

That is not only a sweeping over-generalization but it is 100% wrong. Ahrens and Flaherty are capable of writing sweeping haunting music that on more than one occasion has brought me close to tears! Hell, when I was ten years old and listening to the Seussical cast album for the first time, I nearly bawled listening to Alone In The Universe and Solla Sollew. Even at their most intimate with shows like A Man of No Importance or Dessa Rose, I find myself being swept away by the sheer breadth of

I admit, I even enjoy this score even though it's not their best work. But to me, if this score has proven anything (again, kinda goin' against the popular consensus here), it's that the weakest of Ahrens and Flaherty is far better than the best of Frank Wildhorn.

*Disengage rant mode*

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What was the average age of people in the audience?