Rocky Previews — Page 6

The last time I can remember a song being replaced in a Broadway musical during previews was during Cry-Baby when they cut "Class Dismissed" and replaced it with "A Whole Lot Worse."

There have been many instances where songs have been cut, but it seems like by the time a show has reached previews it is very rare that any new musical material is added.

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Overall I agree with most of the comments here, and that the score is not particularly strong, but it certainly does service the show. I think the book is a lot stronger than most people here are giving it credit for, but maybe that's just me. But really, there is no reason to separate out any of those things. As a whole, the show works like gangbusters, as you can tell by the people who got nit-picky with their reviews still were rather blown away. A very, very theatrical experience, and don't think for a moment that you shouldn't see it because it doesn't appeal to you. Everyone here is raving for a reason.

Factoid:

The title of the first song is "Ain't Down Yet," eerily calling to mind the title of the triumphant opening song "I Ain't Down Yet," of a musical that played the very same theatre some 50+ years ago. To be sure, I would have preferred seeing the latter last night, but all in all, I found Rocky to be a good show. It's a surprisingly sweet and warm show, with a number of very nice soft ballads. The other songs were serviceable. I didn't like Adrian's get-the-hell-out-of-here power number, very much in the spirit of the same type of number in Nine to Five. Both were loud and undstinguished. I think in both cases, it would have been better to throw the bums out with a plain verbal tongue-lashing.

The first act is quite good, then the show gets a little rubber-legged. It manages to hold on to the well-staged boxing match. Thomas Meehan is our most accomplished book writer, and his hand is weloome here. The staging and set design are both smooth and polished. I thought Andy Karl was excellent in a very thoughtful, nuanced performance. The rest of the cast members were all fine.

I think it could be a crowd pleaser.

Updated On: 2/14/14 at 07:57 AM

"For my money, Margo Seibert is the best part of the show. She has a beautiful presence onstage and a unique and gorgeous voice. She performs both of her songs beautifully, but her act two number, as has been said, stopped the show entirely."

I have a friend who was a rehearsal musician on ROCKY and said that Margo Seibert is going to blow everyone away. He said she is a newcomer to Broadway who is giving a star performance.

I have Golden Circle tickets for March 12th -- I figure any technical problems will be worked out by then.

Can anyone who saw it say if there was blood spilled in the climatic fight scene?

Not seen the Broadway one but seen the German one and from what I hear little has changed. I thought the score (bar a couple of songs) worked very well, it feels quite small (the score) which I loved in contrast to the big show. Also I don't agree at all that the book was kinda weak, again it's a small story with a big ending just as the film was, I thought the charachters were very well drawn. The finale is electrifying but I think it has goosebump moments all the way through (Eye of the Tiger, Adriane's act 2 solo etc). I think this is a show that had managed huge spectacle and intimate story incredibly well.

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I am also in the camp of those who thought that the show was well executed, but otherwise pretty banal.

Alex Timbers has once again shown himself to be a most original and imaginative director and the finale is quite a coup de theatre, but the musical is bogged down by callow, cringe-worthy, lyrics and careless music. As impressed as I was with the show’s conclusion (and sporadic moments in between), the music and lyrics were so poor that I couldn’t imagine sitting through the show again.

I have no doubt that this will be a phenomenal success and probably run for years - the name recognition and spectacle within the show are enough to insure that. But is it a great, or even good musical? In my opinion, it's neither.

Glad to hear the show is stronger than folks were anticipating. I know this is just a preview and, while spectacle and strong staging can be very entertaining, I find it kind of dismaying that these days a show with what's almost universally being described as a serviceable and undistinguished score can be considered a huge success. I know this isn't the opera, but it's a shame that great musical scores aren't needed for (anticipated, in this case) success on Broadway. Guess Encores won't be performing this one in 40 years.

I DEPEND ON THESE THREADS TO HELP ME MAKE DECISIONS STOP CONFUSING ME BWW

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Sat directly behind the conductor last night. I would say I was underwhelmed by this show. I was extremely excited to see it but the score is seriously mediocre. Some of the melodies and lyrics are painful. "You digging it?... We're digging it." Woof! The performances are fine and the design was spectacular. The last 20 minutes onstage are incredible and worth the chatter. But the score is just so bad I can't get past it.

Can someone who has a songlist please post it

There's no nudity, but lots of shirtless guys. Josh Logan could have picked out this chorus!

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The posts make it sound "banal" yet "exciting". Like the movie was?