She Loves Me previews- Page 5

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/25/16 at 12:01pm

According the IBDB the 90s revival had even less than 14. I found that surprising. 

[sorano916]

Posted: 2/25/16 at 12:24pm

Sondheimtime said: "Someone above posted that they rushed the show -- I don't see any info posted on the usual sites. Aside from Hiptix, etc. How much? Location? "

 

According to the Roundabout website:

 

GENERAL RUSH

Limited number of mezzanine tickets offered at each venue box office on the day of performance only. Average price $27–$47. Subject to availability. 

 

STUDENT RUSH

½ price—best available—½ hour prior to curtain at each venue box office. One ticket per valid student ID. Subject to availability.

 

[billyelliotfan123]

Posted: 2/25/16 at 1:05pm

I saw yesterday's matinee. The show is like everyone said in incredible shape. It was my first exposure to the piece and I thought it was enchanting. 

That being said the sound was terrible. I couldn't hear the strings from where I was sitting house right in the rear mezz. Every time the orchestra played you could not hear the actors. I missed many lines because of underscoring. 

Also the only thing sold in the rear mezz yesterday afternoon were the hiptix seats basically so everyone got to move down to the first two rows of the rear mezz and filled in empty scattered seats in the mezzanine.

[HBP]

Posted: 2/25/16 at 11:34pm

Agree with everything you said, billyelliotfan. The show was charming, the set was great, the cast was perfect and Benanti is a freaking gem. My only issue was the sound. From third row front mezz, a lot of singing sounded muffled by the orchestra. Small quibble though, I loved the show and recommend it highly. I thought it was their best revival since Anything Goes.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 2/25/16 at 11:39pm

I caught this at the matinee on Wednesday, but haven't chimed in here because what else is there to say? It's a flawless cast in a near flawless production of an almost flawless musical.

I initially was seated upstairs, and agree the sound up there is rather terrible. I moved down to the orchestra section during the interval, and the sound balance was greatly improved downstairs.  As such, I must say, I think its worth springing for the orchestras seats on this show. Absolutely one of the highlights of this or any season.

 

Laura Benanti and Jane Krakowski are gems of the musical theatre and how divine it was especially to see these gifted, quirky leading ladies in a show with roles that showcases their unique gifts so perfectly.

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 2/25/16 at 11:40pm

Totally excited to see this. But what's this about the sound?

Quite a few people talking about how bad the sound is.  Doesn't this detract from a show if their voices are muffled and you can't hear them over the orchestra?

Someone put my mind at ease here.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 2/25/16 at 11:45pm

Well, I can honestly say that the sound for any show at Studio 54 is problematic in the mezz.  Obviously, the problem is worse with musicals, and I think it may be partly because the orchestra is placed in the upper side boxes and audiences in the mezz are hearing the music literally right in their ears - far closer than the actors' voices. The sound balance must be difficult to balance, even with microphones.  I noticed a similar problem when I saw DROOD.  

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 12:52am

This must be a wonderful musical if people are enchanted with it even when the sound stinks.

 

I saw If/Then with a group from up in the rafters. Hearing Idina sing was the main attraction of the show to me and the sound was a disgrace. Her voice was actually distorted. Either no sound engineer had ever felt like making the trek up there to check out the sound for the cheap seats, or they just didn't care.

 

Not acceptable at these prices. Also a slap at the performers whose efforts are wasted.

 

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 1:36am

Bummer…and I have seats in the mezzanine.  Wouldn't you know.  I'm usually good at researching seats but somehow missed the discussions on the sound at 54.  Oh well, I'll go in expecting the worst, and maybe come out thinking it was better than I expected.

[mg2685a]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 10:19am

I saw the show last night and sat towards the back of the mezzanine. I too felt like I missed maybe the first three or four songs as a result of the sound issues. The show itself is good. I don't think it will appeal to everyone because it is quite dated but something about it still works. Laura Benanti and Jane Krakowski shine. I hope to see them recognized come awards season. Zachary Levi is quite good too. He definitely had his weaker moments but he's doing a fine job. The real star of the show, however, is the set. It is absolutely gorgeous.

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 10:25am

The sound in the rear mezz doesn't ruin the show whatsoever. You'll be fine, theatreguy.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 10:37am

Ljay, I'm going to be a bitch and say I bet you had the score to SHE LOVES ME pretty well memorized before you saw it. I can tell you for my friends who didn't know the story, songs like 'Sounds While Selling" were pretty much intelligible from the upper mezz.  They still enjoyed the show, but obviously not as much as they might have if they had been able to clearly hear all the clever lyrics.

[tcawam]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 1:01pm

I got my ticket through Hiptix, so it's in the rear mezz. Should I consider purchasing another ticket, or maybe doing the lottery the day off to see what I get? I figured at the very least I could move down at intermission, there's just been so many comments about the sound up there that it's making me a bit concerned.

[Jshan05]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 1:02pm

tcawam said: "I got my ticket through Hiptix, so it's in the rear mezz. Should I consider purchasing another ticket, or maybe doing the lottery the day off to see what I get? I figured at the very least I could move down at intermission, there's just been so many comments about the sound up there that it's making me a bit concerned."

 

I'd also love to know this answer! I have hiptix tickets purchased in the rear mezz and now I'm worried! :/

[billyelliotfan123]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 1:08pm

It's surprising at first but you get used to it. And it is very worth it for $25. I'd say stick with it. 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 2:14pm

If it's not full, the ushers will let you move down. You can't beat 25 dollars. If you are unfamiliar with the music you might want to read the lyrics first if you are concerned with the sound. If you can move down it will be less of an issue

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 2:25pm

:"Agree with everything you said, billyelliotfan. The show was charming, the set was great, the cast was perfect and Benanti is a freaking gem. My only issue was the sound. From third row front mezz, a lot of singing sounded muffled by the orchestra."

Totally agree.  The sound upstairs is really my only problem with this show.  Not enough can be said about Benanti's wonderful performance.  And though the set looked meh, at best, from the early photo releases, happy to agree that it's actually very good.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 2:32pm

The sound isn't great from the rear mezz, but I don't think it's so bad that you can't make out the dialogue and lyrics. I had more issue with balance within the orchestra than hearing the words. 

[billyelliotfan123]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 2:42pm

I really hope they record this production. I know Roundabout has already recorded a production of She Loves Me but this cast is just too great to not have a cast album. I mean if Fiddler and its cast of not really singers can get yet another recording I sure would hope that this one will too. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 3:27pm

Is there no way for them to create an orchestra pit? Surely there is space underneath the stage? Or why not put the orchestra in the wings like a lot of shows do.

[tcawam]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 10:32pm

Cool deal. Thanks for the extra input guys!

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 11:23pm

I'm too lazy to look at the other pages. What's wrong with the orchestra? Where is the orchestra if not in the pit? RippedMan, I would guess the pit is too small for the size of the orchestra. 

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/26/16 at 11:31pm

QueenAlice said: "Ljay, I'm going to be a bitch and say I bet you had the score to SHE LOVES ME pretty well memorized before you saw it. I can tell you for my friends who didn't know the story, songs like 'Sounds While Selling" were pretty much intelligible from the upper mezz.  They still enjoyed the show, but obviously not as much as they might have if they had been able to clearly hear all the clever lyrics."

 

Uh, yeah, you're wrong. I had only heard 3 songs before seeing the show :"Vanilla Ice Cream," "I Don't Know His Name," and the title song. 

Jorge, the orchestra is in both of the boxes. 

Updated On: 2/26/16 at 11:31 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/27/16 at 12:08am

I don't think Roundabout as ever used a pit in Studio 54. 

I saw the show tonight. I was in the mezz, to the side, but full view. I was about halfway up, and I thought the sound was fine. I've never seen the show before, and only heard a handful of songs once or twice, so I was by no means an expert. 

I LOVED IT. It's such a delight. And having not seen it before, I didn't find it too dated? I think the performances are all very modern. I didn't get that typical musical theater type wooden acting. Everyone was on point. The only song that didn't total land was Michael McGrath's, but I don't think that's his fault. 

The set is beyond gorgeous and looks very expensive. Loved the design/lighting. And loved how they accentuated  the architecture of Studio 54 prior to the show. 

Benati is a revelation. As much as I enjoy Cynthia in Color Purple, I think Benanti really put her stamp on this character. She is just hilarious and heartbreaking and her voice is gorgeous. 

Levi was great in the part.  He has the right kind of nerdy charm, but you also want to root for him. However, his singing is not my thing. And his big number, "She Loves Me," kind of felt a little forced. The song seems a bit low for him, so I wish he would have spoken it more as the lyrics are quite hilarious and smart. 

Everyone else was just brilliant. Jane was hilarious and girl can do the splits. Creel has the best voice on Broadway, and he was great. The entire team was winning. 

Ugh, I just wish Masteroff wrote more musicals. Between this and Cabaret, homeboy knows what he's doing. He just writes such quick, cleverly-plotted books. 

 

GO see it.  

[BeNice]

Posted: 2/27/16 at 4:48pm

I consider myself lucky to have seen such a skilled and poised performer like Laura Benanti in the role of Amalia. She was born to be in musical theatre. (I kept thinking what a remarkable Irene Malloy she would make in the upcoming Hello Dolly revival.) She had me laughing at moments and crying at others.

This is a stellar revival of She Loves Me. I'm not a huge fan of the piece, to be honest, but it was well done from top to bottom. Loved the sets very much as well.