School of Rock Previews — Page 5

Do they have an orchestra? Or are all the children the orchestra?

I saw Mamie on Friday night, and thought she was marvelous, making the most out of what feels like an "enhanced" featured role, not co-starring, but slightly larger than Ned and his wife. (I'm probably not explaining what I mean very well here, sorry.)

Overall, I enjoyed the show a lot, and found the music to be fun and spot-on for this show. I'm glad to see that the era of cloying, annoying child actors in Broadway shows seems to be a thing of the past. These kids are right up there with those in Fun Home and Matilda and others currently on the boards.

Let me first say that the many kids, and their young families, seemed to love SOR. For the rest of us, what it really is is THE MUSIC MAN meets THE SOUND OF MUSIC set to rock, and it is every bit as calculated as it sounds (but how could it not be with ALW involved?) What amused me most was that ALW also gets credit for the ear-splitting orchestrations...perhaps that's to drown out the soporific lyrics of Glenn Slater, famous for his LOVE NEVER DIES lyrics (ALW everywhere). In truth, there are only seven or so actual songs, with endless reprises of the each one. Alex Brightman has tremendous energy as he does his Jack Black bit, but it gets pretty tiresome by the end of the first act. And don't blame Sierra; it is a totally unwritten role that would be virtually unplayable by anyone. The parents/teachers are barely stick figures, all doing just what you'd expect them to. There is some real talent among the kids, but it is a little unnerving to see all these pre-teens striking adult/sexual poses over and over. Do you want to hear a real child sing from the soul? Then head to FUN HOME.

people dismissing ALW is beyond tiring.

Totally get it - that he's not everyone's cup of tea. Which is fine. There's tons on broadway that I've thought is crap/think is crap - that does well (or in some cases really well) But to diss him because he's ALW is pretty sad. The guy has been immensely successful - probably the most financially successful theater composer of our time; has won all imaginable theater, music and film awards. Deal with it: lots of people disagree with your opinion. It's okay, the world won't end. So you don't have to talk badly about the guy just to justify your dislike. End of rant

Saw the show tonight and went in with low expectations. I ended up really enjoying it! The message of the show is really is wonderful. That being said there were a ton of lyrics that made me cringe they were so bad...i also think the song "Dewey's Confession" should just be cut.

"The message of the show is really is wonderful."

To what message are you referring? Frankly, I found the message ---or messages --- of the show to be what was most off-putting about it. You can mooch, lie, and perpetrate fraud and get away with it. Being slovenly and unkempt is "cool." Rock music is better than classical music, (or anything else worthwhile) to allow one to express/find oneself. Not wanting a slovenly moocher/parasite living in one's home is unreasonable.

What message did you admire?

I loved this show. Loved it so much. Let me preface this section, I am a huge fan of the movie and of Jack Black. This show had me smiling from the top of the show. Alex Brightman perfectly embodied Jack Black, while still adding his own spin on it. He was non-stop this entire show and I loved it. Sierra Boggess did a very nice job as Ms. Mullins, she was quite funny and her song was solid, even if it didn't play to her strengths (She was still in a ankle brace/wrap thing during the show). The kids were FANTASTIC. They all had such natural talent and were all truly funny. Standouts were Luca Padovan (Billy), Isabella Russo (Summer), Bobbi MacKenzie (Tomika), and Brandon Niederauer (Zach). I liked the set and the way it moved (also, that couch/bed lift had to have been the quickest set lift I have ever seen in my life), fantastic lighting. Overall the show is a joy. Yes it is very similar to the movie, but the kids are so talented, and Alex Brightman gives a non-stop performance. We sat in row D, seat 6 and 8, right orch. Sierra came out first at the stagedoor, then Moses and Mammie, all the kids came out together, and then Alex came out about 20 minutes later. Go see this show, I was smiling the last 20 minutes like a complete idiot.

Has anyone done the lotto lately? Going to do it Wednesday matinee (assuming I lose Hamilton) and was wondering if it's very crowded usually? Also wondering if they are still doing lotto loser seats and the price of them if they are?

n2nbaby said: "Has anyone done the lotto lately? Going to do it Wednesday matinee (assuming I lose Hamilton) and was wondering if it's very crowded usually? Also wondering if they are still doing lotto loser seats and the price of them if they are?"

I did the Wednesday afternoon lotto the week before Thanksgiving week. There were maybe 30 people there. I was the 3rd or 4th person called. The did offer lotto loser seats. I don't remember the price of the lotto loser seats. It's a pretty easy lottery to win.

Interesting weekend at the show (yes I work there. I freely and proudly admit it). Alex Brightman took off both Fri. and Sun. matinees for vocal rest. His understudy, Jonathan Wagner, went on both shows. Jonathan did a fine job, especially if you have nothing to compare it to (i.e. Alex's performance). I don't think the audience left disappointed.

Andrew came back from London and was in and out. Actually most of the creative are merely floating in and out nowadays, although I can't say for sure that the show is officially frozen.

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were there with their kids. SUPER attractive family, although MIchael Douglas is showing his age.

The show is continuing to sell quite well, and it looks like we will be there for awhile.

And to the person who wanted to know what the message of the show is you clearly were not listening closely. Listen to the words of the reprise of "Make You Listen" for the answer. To give you a hint it starts "I was lost lost and alone. So much hurt bottled inside....You raised my voice up taught me not to fear." Each child sings their own line about what Dewey gave them, but the bottom line is he teaches them self-respect, gives them a sense of self-worth and empowers them through music....something their parents never did. This is epitomized in the relationship between Zack and his father.

The journey of the show is the kids', not necessarily Dewey's. It has nothing at all to do with getting away with something. It has to do with what he does to these children's lives. I feel sorry if that went over your head. What you are talking about is what happens in the show and not what it means.

It's a beautiful message for a fun show where people scream and dance at the end then leave singing the songs. Every night there is a standing ovation where no one stays sitting. Kids and senior citizens alike are loving it. It's so great to see multiple generations going to the theater together. I've never experienced anything like it.

Updated On: 11/29/15 at 11:23 PM

Is the show frozen by now? You have to figure critics will be seeing it this coming week.

The show has actually changed quite a bit during previews. One song was cut and replaced with a reprise of a different song. A reprise of another song was cut entirely for an orchestral interlude.

There are certain scenes that were rewritten daily. Jokes came and went, blocking got altered, costumes changed and, lately, even line readings have changed.

A lot of the lyrics you hear on the cast album have also been changed. I should also mention in passing that any connecting dialogue between parts of the songs have been cut out of the cast recording, so it might give the songs a more disjointed feel than they really have.

All in all it's been a lot of fun to witness the creative process of putting a show like this together. I'm grateful I got the opportunity to be there for it.