"Romantic Poetry" - Shanley/Kreiger

ROMANTIC POETRY

* Manhattan Theatre Club at New York City Center - Stage 1
* First Preview: October 1, 2008
* Opening: October 28, 2008
* Director: John Patrick Shanley
* Cast: TBA
* The world premiere of John Patrick Shanley and Henry Krieger's musical about three couples whose lives intersect.

Does anyone know anything about this?? I love Shanley and Krieger generally, but have no idea about this project. anyone?

Updated On: 5/26/08 at 12:08 AM

I just got the pamphlet about this in the mail from MTC.

I can't believe they're producing a new, Off-Broadway musical, with a new score by Henry Krieger, no less.

This should be interesting.

I wonder if it is well received if it will transfer to Broadway.

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Has anybody seen the Vassar reading? And how come the buzz on this show is very minimal???

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I saw an early incarnation of this a while back and it was interesting. A little all over the place but again, interesting.

I saw it at Vassar two summers ago. It was a fully realized production, and I loved it. I am really looking foward to seeing it in NYC. Cant' wait!

I am going to be seeing this based on the creative team alone. Shanley and Kreiger. Awesome.

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I'm seeing the show some time this week, but I know five or six people who have already seen it, and they all thought it was pretty awful. Maybe my expectations will be so low that I'll like it...

I'll let ya know!!

Honestly. It may actually be one of the worst things I've ever seen on a public stage. I'm not kidding. I have no idea what the show was about, what it was trying to say (Poetry is good?). I'm a fan of both writers, especially Krieger and his music did have buoyantly melodic lilt in the first act but descended to the depths of the rest of the show in the second. The cast isn't even very good. What a mess this show is!

I agree. Hands down! THE WORST THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE!!! (INCLUDING HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE SHOWS)! I saw the 2nd preview of the show, and I going into it I was so excited being that I am a fan of Shanley and Krieger, after 15min I kept on waiting for someone to come out and tell me that we were all being PUNKED! But no such luck! Its been almost a week and I still have no idea what the story was about! The actors (many of whom I respect) look like they are caught in a bad elementary school show! The set looks like a bad dinner theater design (which is very surprising for an MTC show) and then its long!!! It seems to end about 4 different times but then POW!! Another random song!! The music isn't memorable! The only tune I remember is from the first song when the actors repeat the chorus RO-MAN-TIC PO-E-TRY, RO-MAN-TIC PO-E-TRY about 10,000 times!! Those lyrics should be changed to RO-MAN-TIC PO-E-TRY , ITS-A-CATASTROPHE!!

I can't wait to see this now to see how bad it actually is. It got terrible reviews at Vassar, and it seems like they did nothing to make it better. The only reason why I am seeing this is because I have free tickets from the Night of Free Theater program.

There is one word that I am loathe to use because it is so dire.

That word is "unfixable".

Romanic Poetry is unfixable.

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So, can anyone who saw this show actually tell us what made the show so bad? What is going on on that stage, how were the performances of the leads, what kind of music is being presented and what the storyline is?

you know...DETAILS?

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The first act has basically nothing to do with the second act. The second act takes the show in a completely different direction, especially the latter half of the second act. It truly is bizarre.

However, the music isn't terrible, and the show does have a very talented cast. And you get to hear Patina Renea Miller prove that she is a star.