SPIDERMAN - thurs. 1/20

This is only about the 1st act. I just couldn't stay for the 2nd after the pile of s**t that was the 1st.It was sad to be at a show where the audience applauded so little. By the 3rd song many people around me weren't applauding at all at the end of the songs. I imagine this was due to the songs being such garbage.Which made them a perfect match for the book and dances. I was reminded of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN at one point where the Green Goblin does his own version of Rodgers and Harts song "Manhattan". Like YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN and "Puttin On The Ritz" you suddenly hear something worth listening to for a change. No one in the cast made much of an impression on me beside the Narrator Nerds who are just obnoxious. I had a discount seat in the Orch Q1. If you must see this junk don't sit too close or you'll go crazy trying to watch the flying segments.If you're thinking it'll be fun to watch this mess , you know,the "so bad it's good" show , forget it.Let me be plain....this was a bore. Only one moment in the 1hr 30 min got a decent amount of applause and that was the flying battle between Spiderman and Green Goblin at the end of the act. As for Julie Taymors visuals sometimes they're fun to watch but the majority is tacky and uninspired.Anything you watched on t.v. last night was probably far more entertaining.Just a sad waste of money.

Sure Act II COULD have been better, but the poster felt like he'd wasted enough of his time. I haven't walked out on too many shows, but it was his money and his time and he's entitled to do so.

He has every right to post his opinions about what he saw.

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Act 2 is even worse!

And the OP didn't evaluate the show as a whole...he spoke only about what he didn't like in act 1.

notabb-

Your opinion is NOT invalid at all. I completely agree (as do many) with you and perhaps I harbor more disgust for this show than you. So much potential, even greater disappointment. You are courageous for skipping act two because it is by a far margin, worse than act one in every aspect. You thought act one is boring? Act Two has children asking their parents if they can go home yet! I've seen the show twice, once early on, and this week to see the new ending, and SORRY 6AM, there is not a new second act by any means. What are you talking about? The only differences I noticed were a net added to the final scene with Arachne. Then, at the end of the show, Peter Parker flies over the audience a la Mary Poppins, though not as gracefully. There has been no progress that I've seen since I saw it last year. The one thing I consistently hear and tell people about this show, is that it IS BORING. Only short 15 second flying sequences for 3 hours of awful dialogue that is always irrelevant. The experience is not worth the full price.

And the net has been in use since at LEAST Xmas (when I saw the show.)

And yes, Act II is far worse than Act I.

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I left after Act 1 as well. I am still trying to decide if it is the worst thing I have ever seen. It certainly was the biggest waste of time. OP's opinions were not invalid at all.

I stayed for both acts, and I think it had to have been the worst thing I have ever seen. Cats, you've been replaced.

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"Sitting in my seat waiting for it to start I was EXCITED. When was the last time you felt that?"

At Daniel Sullivan's MERCHANT OF VENICE.
Also, at BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON.
Also, AFTER THE REVOLUTION.
Also, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES.

But you do make a salient point --

We all should probably not expect character development -- or, really, harbor expectations of any kind, in terms of the quality of the dramatic writing and development -- when seeing expensively produced musical theater in New York. That's most definitely too much to ask, and a lot of the posters here don't seem to recognize that. I applaud your courage, CenterOrchestra, to speak out against quality and be satisfied with artifice.

[ STANDING OVATION ]

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I can't believe some people are acting like this would be a great piece of theater. I mean, of course it is entertaining and at some points bad, but this is what I would expect and go into it with. Also, the flying is choreographed by Jaque Paquin, a Cirque du Solei veteran so I would expect that to be cool as those shows are just cool to look at, but often have very little substance as far as book. I think people need to relax or we are never going to move forward with progressive Broadway theater. It's a learning process and I for one am glad for the opportunity to see this.

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I think Reeve Carney has a great voice. That makes me a shill?
LOL.
It's trendy to hate this show among the ny theatre crowd. You guys are soooo cool! I wish I hated Spiderman and was trendy & cool too!
But sorry. I liked it.

Updated On: 1/21/11 at 01:03 PM

It ties with Lestat for the most boring book musical I've seen in 40 years of theatre-going. Call me a snob if you like. I still won't return the favor by calling you indiscriminate. That sort of argument belongs on the elementary school playground.

I've seen worse shows (Lennon, The Times The Are A-Changin', Good Vibrations, Ring of Fire) but those were mindless jukeboxicals.

And I would like to point out that Peter Parker is neither a good nor bad singer (as far as we know) - Reeve Carney is who you're discussing. If you can't bother to learn the actor's name, there's no point in reading further.

You are entitled to your opinion CenterOrchestra, just know that you are wrong.

I jest.

I'm glad you liked it. There seems to be a lot of people who are very entertained by it. I haven't seen it yet but the endless bad press has definitely lowered my expectations. Since I'm anticipating a disaster I may actually end up being surprised.

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Updated On: 1/21/11 at 01:10 PM

Congrats..you Liked it. You liked a show that a majority of the people who have seen it said it was terrible..but I guess since you say it was amazing that means that everyone else are "snobs." I'm sorry...but my cousin saw it, she loves fluff musicals such as "Legally Blonde" "Xanadu" and even enjoyed "Young Frankenstein" yet she texted me during intermission telling me to NOT buy the tickets I was planning on and that she was literally bored out of her mind. I am by no means making your opinion invalid, but you certainly cannot try to make other's opinion of this crap show invalid either.

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