Spiderman Preview Thread!- Page 66

[SNAFU]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 2:53am

As soon as you try to coin a word, then continue to use it, thinking you are being 'Hip' you lose all credibility with me. It as self indulgent as Julie Taymor is and as just as filled with Hubris.

Updated On: 2/7/11 at 02:53 AM

[tazber]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 5:49am

I have read all the posts here bashing the show without making those people who wrote those comments feel like they're sub human.

Some of you really are riedel. Get a life.

Lol. Pot, meet kettle.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 6:25am

Hahahahaha so someone else gives it a pretty good review and the same old same old people quesyion his review as well because he gave the show a B yet didnt like some of the score.

Everyone who posts a good review for this show is going to have the same people question it, why is it so important for the ones who did not like it to be heard the loudest?

[tazber]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 7:01am

I guess for the same reason you have to post a defense of the show after every negative comment.

Updated On: 2/7/11 at 07:01 AM

[leefowler]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 8:45am

Songanddanceman2, when did you actually see the show?

[TheatreDork3]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 10:30am

First, What changed in the ending. You now have a real showdown between Spiderman and Arachne. While we find out it's still a dream, the section just seems more thought-out and put together. For example, there is a decent battle sequence between Spiderman and Arachne. Admittedly, the ending of the sequence still seems odd and needs some more clarification during the show. Once Peter saves Mary Jane from Arachne and Arachne ascends to the after life, there's a fun sequence of Reeve Carney flying as Spiderman through the theater, which really gets the audience going. The original finale just had Carney leave the stage and no more Spiderman flying.

As for why I gave the show a B, maybe it's because I'm a university professor and we're known for inflating grades because modern students think C's are F's and B's are D's. Who knows.

However, I did have fun. And while I think the score and book are problematic, which I'm hardly denying, I cannot disassociate myself from the fun factor. And despite some of the problems with the sets, I think they're amazing. Visually, I really enjoy watching the show. I enjoy the costume work and and puppetry. I even enjoy watching Swiss Miss sawing off a puppet's head during the second act!

Do I think the show is perfect, god no! But it is good. I think everything averages out on the slightly plus side.

As for the acting (forgot to mention this last night), Reeve is definitely getting stronger vocally. I could actually understand him most of the time this go around. There are still a couple of songs where it's hard to hear what's being said, but that could be technical or vocal - hard to say.

Overall, I hardly think the show is the second coming of Broadway Theater, but also don't think it's the downright bloody massacre discussed by Michael Riedel.

I do think the show is going to run. Trust me, I listened to comments people were making and for the most part they were positive. So while I don't count myself in the pro-Spidey column, I still have hope that I could get there and will definitely see it again once the show is locked (if that ever happens). At the same time, I also don't think the show will be where it could be by next month.

TD

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 10:32am

It's good that they don't pause for the groans anymore. But that doesn't make the lines any less groan worthy.

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 10:53am

Is it still an instrumental finale, or is it actually a song now?
Do they still use that gross banner?
(Thanks!)

[billyboyA]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 11:01am

As far as the rest of the audience went the night I saw it, the audience was REALLY gung-ho before the show started. Every time there was anything going on that might resemble the start of the show, there were cheers. Then when the guy came out on stage to explain that it was a preview and what that means, etc., there were huge cheers. And the audience reacted well to his little speech, which he sort of read off of a piece of well worn paper. Not sure who he was, but he was dull dull dull. But that didn't deter anyone - the cheers and the energy were huge. The minute the show started, there were huge cheers again, and pretty huge applause for the first number.

But it sort of continued to die down as the show went on. Someone else used the word "tepid", I think, on this board, and that's about right. You could feel that at times the audience as a whole was confused, or perhaps embarrassed and were applauding out of courtesy. With all of the complaints that can be made about this show, the CAST cannot be criticized for lack effort and lack of obvious caring about their work on the stage. Everyone works their tails off. And so I think a lot of the applause was to reward the hard work of the cast.

But you could feel a huge change as the show went on towards intermission and then towards the end in terms of the audience. It just died down a lot, and became polite applause. I even noticed that some people around didn't applaud at ALL during some numbers. That's not right. At LEAST give the actors some love - they're working their tails off for you. Even if you didn't like the scene or the song, the actors deserve some applause. But I think overall, it was the feeling of the people around me, at least, that some of the numbers weren't applause worthy.

"The boy who fell from the sky" probably got the most applause that night. Hey, it's a cool number. And adding the "Tom Cruise" running effect into the show (I have a theory that Tom Cruise must have it in every contract that there HAS to be a scene where his character, misunderstood and frustrated, has to run from something, with a big fat close up on his Tom Cruise "running face")... adding that running bit into the show was a cool move. We've all felt that way at times of extreme emotion, and it added to the passion of it. I still stand by what I said originally about the number - that it was pretty impossible to actually hear and understand any of the lyrics of that number. But it's a cool U2 song, and if you like U2's music (as I do), you'll like the song. So, there was a pretty huge round of applause after it. And I honestly think it was the applause of people wrapped up in watching an actor work his A** off and sing at the top of his lungs with passion... coupled with the running effect. I don't necessarily think if you really polled the audience members individually afterwards and had them really contemplate if the song itself hit at a deep emotional gut level like some of the best showstoppers ("Rose's Turn" "Send in the Clowns" "I Am What I Am"), where the song changes everything for the lead character, that everyone would agree this song hit exactly where it COULD have, and probably should have. But it did give the audience, who had somewhat dimmed in enthusiasm in the past hour and a half, a chance to full out applaud again.

In terms of the finale, well, I think a lot of people were again left confused. Someone else wrote about feeling that there was no explanation as to why Peter's kiss freed Arachne, and I think they were spot on with that. And even if you don't have a theatrically savvy audience that would be able to voice that kind of an opinion without having it handed to them, I still think there will be confusion overall with an unexplained plot point like that, which will affect the emotional impact of the end of the show. So it wasn't a rousing huge BURST of applause for the finale. More like a "I guess this is it, I should applaud now" thing.

Then when they started the curtain calls and all the guys lined up as Spider-man took their bows and unmasked, the audience quite very sincerely elevated their applause to huge. And the guys DESERVED it. Regardless of what Miss Taymor has chosen to put on that stage in terms of content - those guys deserved everything they got in terms of applause. And the audience followed suit and gave it to them. Then it died slightly while some of the smaller roles took their bows - the reporters, etc., which were pretty unessential. The MJ applause didn't quite amount to the type of applause an actress of her talent should get, but I blame that again on the role, and not on the talent. TV/Arachne got more of a swell of applause - which was well deserved. I still say that any actress that can deliver an inane line about 55 pairs of shoes and the astral plane believably without choking on their own vomit, deserves an award of SOME kind!! (sorry, I've tried not to put tacky comments in my review - but I couldn't help it this once! haha).

And then when Reeve came out of the ceiling upside down, there was another HUGE swell of applause. Admittedly, it was a cool effect, and I think it milked the applause a bit more than it might have if he had just walked on for his curtain call. I do feel that the applause for him had a different element than what I experienced the night before when Jacob Clemente came out for his solo bow/curtain call for Billy Elliot. In that applause, you could feel a palpable burst of love and admiration for an actor who bared his soul and shared every ounce of talent he had with an audience. The swell of applause for Reeve just felt different. And it's hard to put into words exactly how. But more like the applause you hear when seeing Cirque du Soleil, and a favorite act comes out for their curtain call. Less emotional than that for a Billy Elliot or a Mamma Rose, or a role of that ilk.

Again, I think this more the fault of the writing, than of Reeve himself. I would have really liked to have seen what he would have done with the role if a lot more conflict and perhaps some real feelings (dark feelings) for Arachne had developed and clouded the love he felt for MJ. Something a bit more than "I'm a geek who became a superhero, who would prefer to be anywhere else but here in this theater of my superhero life". And perhaps some of that is the fault of the casting. Reeve is a little stud-boy. No way around that. No amount of geeky glasses and plaid pants and being pushed around will take away the fact that Reeve is a little rock star. He has that "it" factor. Whereas Tobey M, is every bit the geek. That's why the movie worked SO well - Tobey just ISN'T a superhero, which is what made him SUCH a compelling superhero when he was transformed.

But it's the same issue as frizzing Anne Hathaway's hair and putting ugly glasses and ugly clothes on her in the Princess Diaries. She's STILL Anne Hathaway underneath and her transformation is more enjoyable than surprising. You enjoy it, in SPITE of not being surprised by it.

And it's probably same with having Reeve in this role. As the guys pushed him around and beat on him, I kept thinking "if he wanted to, he could probably be a scrappy little fighter and kick the s**t out of one or two of the smaller bullies".

Anyway, the question was about audience applause. I think the applause for the actor playing Peter might have been more emotional if we, as an audience, had taken an emotional journey with a character we really related to, and cared about. And I think his applause was more for an actor who worked his tail off and put a LOT of energy into the show that night... and sang the heck out of his big 2nd act number while running on a treadmill. And for that, Reeve deserved his swell of applause. And frankly, I don't think it'll ever be the kind of emotional applause that you get when Billy Elliot takes his solo bow, unless the script problems are resolved, and we get the chance to really grow to care about Peter and fall in love with him. And that's not the fault of the actor. That's the fault of the book, and the director.
Updated On: 2/7/11 at 11:01 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 11:01am

Your clarification of your "pros" certainly does explain your grade. So thanks for taking the time to do that.

I really disliked the show, and really was hoping I wouldn't.

I'll agree with you on two points: The sets WERE pretty spectacular, even though a few pieces were just overkill. The costumes, which thought were horrid from the stills and drawings I'd seen, really do work well on stage.

I also thought the lighting was incredibly done.

I was unimpressed with the flying, maybe because I couldn't see 1/2 of it, from my front row balcony seat. I wonder how little the people behind me actually saw. I just didn't think it was "ground breaking" or impressive. I thought the fight between spidey and the goblin was incredibly hokey.

And I was BEYOND disappointed in both the book and the music. All I kept thinking was: for 65mil, they couldn't find anyone with a coherent and worthwhile idea?

While the two gentlemen next to me were generally pleased (we chatted quite a bit before and after the show, and at intermission, the overall enthusiasm (in terms of applause) was nothing more than polite, except for after the one big flying sequence in Act I.

Have I seen WORSE shows? Sure, but this will stay pretty far down my list.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 1:19pm

"Songanddanceman2, when did you actually see the show?"


Cricket


Cricket

[willheim2]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 1:50pm

Hey billyboyA, thanks for that response. I really was curious.

It will be interesting to see what all the critics say tomorrow.

[Midnight Radio]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 2:05pm

I saw the show on Friday. It is bad but not terrible. It could be a crowd pleaser if the book was overhauled and most of the songs were axed, but that is obviously not going to happen.
It takes almost an hour until you even see Spiderman fly, and the show was so slow and laborious up to that point that I frankly wanted to leave.
The flying is impressive but actually under-utilized. During those moments the show comes to life but then is slammed to a halt by one slow throw-away song after another.
Arachne has potential but her story is not coherent and she never poses enough of a threat. Also, her "being freed" and then hanging herself once again at the end of the show is bizarre.
All of the other villains, save for the Green Goblin, are basically thrown away on the "Ugly Pageant" and given nothing to really do.
The Green Goblin is the clear crowd pleaser of the show but far too much of his stage time is spent on his back story and just when he gets fun he is killed off. Waste.
The set is impressive but sometimes tacky, such as the props in the Goblin's lab. The costumes range from stunning (Swiss Miss) to plastic looking (Carnage) to laughably stupid (the inflatable Lizard) Mary Jane and Peter's street clothes too often look sloppy and ugly.
There is way too much that is un-intentionally funny as well. The trolley going back & forth over the bring is just SO Mr.Rogers, all it needs is the bell. The inflatable doll standing in for the wrestler Buzzsaw was another real head-scratcher. Spiderman just flails it around like the octopus from Ed Wood. The tiny Spiderman doll descending from the rafters. The cardboard cut-out swinging from the wings during the ugly pageant. The list goes on...
I will say, however, when the show flies, it soars. The first appearance of Spiderman and the comically exaggerated citizen in peril wakes up the show and is pitch perfect. Arachne also has some beautiful moments. The weaving scene & when she appears within the web to sing her first song are both magical.
Moments like that offer a glimpse at real potential, but are unfortunately drowned out too quickly and often.

Updated On: 2/7/11 at 02:05 PM

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 3:52pm

Ive never defended the show as i have not seen it, i dont really have much intrest in seeing it, ive defended its right to preview a high tech show for longer, and ive defended a show against critics reviewing the show early, but that has nothing to do with it being Spider Man, it could be any show

[willheim2]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 7:47pm

Good lord.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-07/gorgeous-dumb-spider-man-remains-inert-after-65-previews-jeremy-gerard.html

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/the_theater_loop/2011/02/review-spider-man-turn-off-dark-broadway-chicago-tribune.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+chicagotribune/thetheaterloop+%28Chicago+Tribune+-+The+Theater+Loop%29

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/07/AR2011020704088.html?hpid=topnews

[rentheadca]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 7:57pm

I think ti's terrible the critics are reviewing it how it is now. I've seen it five times since I saw the first preview, and this Saturday had so many changes, and some were definitely for the worse. I know they're changing it a lot more, so the reviews that are coming out are of a different show than what will open. If they reviewed it 3 weeks ago, when I had last seen it, they would have seen pretty much a completely different second act.

[bk]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 8:13pm

This is exactly what makes these threads so confusingly amusing. You say it's a completely different second act, while scores of others say all there is is the new ending. Which is it? Certainly it cannot be both.

[tytonius]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 8:55pm

It sounds good. I can't wait

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 9:00pm

The second act is also different because it runs smoother and people don't fall into 30 feet pits anymore.

[rentheadca]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 9:38pm

It's both... Off the top of my head I remember a completely changed verse in a song in the second act, new lines right before that song, a song is completely gone now with just awkward lines replacing it that they can't do anything about, and the finale is completely different.

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 9:42pm

Did you see the scene with puppets that they cut? And, if so, would you describe it.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 9:44pm

so a few awkward lines, a changed verse, and a deleted song have been the result of months of previews? And there is still a massive amount of work to be done yet they wont change anything? Yea...that sounds like progress

[rentheadca]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 10:05pm

Well that's since I saw it in January, and it was different three weeks ago than in December. It may not sound that impressive, but the changed finale made a huge difference. and I know there are a lot more coming!

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 2/7/11 at 11:46pm

So, you said a song was cut...

Which song?


And, frankly, the changes sound minimal. I've worked on full blown work shops where entire songs, and scenes were added in less than 24 hours, so I can't understand how so much time is being spent when the changes, again, seem minimal.

[Kad]

Posted: 2/8/11 at 12:06am

"a song is completely gone now with just awkward lines replacing it that they can't do anything about.."

Who is "they"? Julie Taymor and Glen Berger? If that's so... the writers can't do anything about the awkwardness of the lines? Really?