RaisedOnMusicals wrote: "Well, the reality is that this show received across the board raves from the critics when it played the Atlantic."
Precisely. But then, have you seen across-the-board raves in this thread from the patrons who saw the show? Hardly. But you don't see THAT reality reflected in the critics' hype, now, do you? And it happens time and time and time again: Fun Home, The Humans, Once, Groundhog Day, Sunday in the Park With George, The Encounter,, .... The list is long, and gets longer by the day.
And so, unfortunately, does the hype.
And as always, the unfortunate losers in all this are those taken in by the hype, while reality takes it once again on the chin.
Why would I have thought I wouldn't like The Band's Visit? I liked Yazbek's score to Women on the Verge, and I thought the show had its good points. So of course I hoped I would like this show.
Saw this at matinee yesterday. It was recommended on this thread that I move my seat from original front Mezzanine seat to Orchestra. For $20 Telecharge moved me to Row BB Center Orchestra. Money well spent! Cannot say what my reaction would have been from Front Mezzanine, but I was enchanted by this beautiful production. I was bawling like a baby at the end. I have heard comparisons to Once which I get due to the actors playing instruments on stage. But I felt like comparisons stopped there. It actually put me in mind of In The Heights. Possibly due to both musicals focusing on the daily lives of marginalized communities. Make no mistake, I love all three of those shows, and they are each distinctively great. So glad I saw this!