"Romantic Poetry" - Shanley/Kreiger

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 5/26/08 at 12:08am

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

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 5/26/08 at 12:28am

Connie of Woodmere has just married Fred of Newark, but her exes are back in the picture and not sure they approve of the union. Judy of Westchester is being wooed by Arthur, a dishwasher poet of no particular address, while her husband is out of town. And Lily of Soho is climbing Wally of Little Italy's fire escape with amorous erotic intent.

They are all mad and they are all sane and they are all creating ROMANTIC POETRY. Genuine emotion and the excitement of living an ideal crisscross like a night of shooting stars. When you have the the book and lyrics by Shanley, and a score by Kreiger collaborating, you know something delicious is coming from the kitchen...
Updated On: 5/26/08 at 12:28 AM

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 7/22/08 at 3:40pm

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.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 7/22/08 at 3:44pm

Definitely one of the more exciting shows to be announced for the next season.

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 8/29/08 at 1:14am

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

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/29/08 at 8:16am

Probably because nobody knows much about it yet.

[FosterChild]

Posted: 8/29/08 at 10:39am

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

[justme2]

Posted: 8/29/08 at 12:04pm

There is a link in this older thread to an article about the show when it was at Vassar last year.


https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=943698#3212012

There is also a YouTube video on this piece. Search under Patrick Shanley.

[Benny3390]

Posted: 9/19/08 at 9:29pm

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!

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 9:37pm

Can anybody who has seen it post a more detailed review?

[ashley0139]

Posted: 10/3/08 at 11:54pm

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

[justme2]

Posted: 10/4/08 at 1:29am

I am really curious as to why the few posts I've seen about this show lately seem very negative. When the show was at Vassar, the posts and reviews I read were mostly positive.

What happened between then and now? Major changes or what?

[RyToast1]

Posted: 10/4/08 at 9:14am

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!!

[ZiggyCringe]

Posted: 10/4/08 at 7:50pm

I'm going on Wednesday.

I have been very excited for a long time about this one. It's Krieger ("Dreamgirls") and Shanley ("Moonstruck"), so I had the best hopes.

I watched TheatreMania's "backstage" stuff about this show, and I was disappointed.

But all I saw was the opening number.

I'm seeing in on Wednesday, and I'm looking forward.

I hope it's great.

[Holbee]

Posted: 10/7/08 at 7:06pm

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!

[Sauja]

Posted: 10/7/08 at 7:31pm

Everything I'm hearing about this show seems disastrous. Which makes me wonder: bad enough to come back around to good? Or should I just stay away?

[Deycallmemimi2]

Posted: 10/7/08 at 9:03pm

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!!

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/7/08 at 9:31pm

Disappointing. I wanted to see this, but I might wait for the reviews.

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 10/7/08 at 9:53pm

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.

[sgweirdo]

Posted: 10/8/08 at 1:28am

I went tonight.

One of the worst things I have seen on stage anywhere. Period.

I don't even know how to begin reviewing it.

I had comp tickets, but I am embarassed that I even brought my friend and wasted 2 hours of her life.

And I really have found joy in every show I've ever seen on stage (even including cruise ship shows! or highschool shows! or summerstock!) .

I feel really bad for the actors - I know they were trying... but there is nothing that they could do to save this show.

Pretty much Deycallmemimi2 NAILS it. SOOO true.
Updated On: 10/8/08 at 01:28 AM

[WOSQ]

Posted: 10/8/08 at 9:52am

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

That word is "unfixable".

Romanic Poetry is unfixable.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 10/8/08 at 11:02am

I saw it last night as well, and Henry Kreiger was there, sitting right in front of me and my friend. I met him and got his autograph and raved to him about how much I love SIDE SHOW. He was such a sweet man and I'm honored to have met him. His score for ROMANTIC POETRY was quite good, but the book left a lot to be desired. The actors were definitely giving 100%...and the lead guy is so cute!

[justme2]

Posted: 10/8/08 at 12:39pm

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?

[WOSQ]

Posted: 10/8/08 at 1:16pm

Unlikable characters in a nonsensical 'plot' that is poorly staged (by the author) with jokes that fail to land and are clearly meant to, songs that lack substance until it is way too late (there are a couple of nice ones late in the second act), moon-June lyrics.

The bookwriter/lyricist has no idea that a musical is another form than a play and needs to be approached differently than a play. The same can be said of the director.

No one is around to say "This isn't working."

This is what happens to a resident company that has a huge hit with a particular writer's works. The company gets first refusal on the next batch of works and puts them on because maybe said writer will deliver another smash.

[barcelona20]

Posted: 10/8/08 at 1:38pm

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.