THE BAND'S VISIT Previews- Page 3

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 10/7/17 at 11:45pm

People should not expect a flashy musical. This is probably one of the least flashy shows ever produced on Broadway. The show does not rely on a typical musical theatre arc or even a typical story arc. The plot is the same as the premise: An Egyptian band travels to the wrong Israeli city and must stay overnight before their correct bus in the morning. But the show is not about the plot; it’s about how strangers from different cultures connect, how the human experience is universal, how music can conquer barriers of language and background to bind people together in a powerful way. The tone is very dry and silence is a key ingredient. The show looks and sounds more beautiful than it did at the Atlantic (I thought the set swallowed up the space a little Off-Broadway). Katrina Lenk has the most seductive voice currently on Broadway. And the titular band is thrilling. Get ready for some serious shredding on the oud, violin, clarinet, and whatever hand drum the percussionist uses. But again, think art house/independent film vibe, not Hello, Dolly!

[VotePeron]

Posted: 10/7/17 at 11:58pm

theatretenor2 said: ""

That projection design is tacky & hideous. They need to change that asap. 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 12:09am

Actually, the projection design is not tacky at all and is used very sparingly and effectively. Those words are projected on a scrim with the set in full view (the buildings shown in the background is the set).

[10086sunset]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 12:15am

What a beautiful, smart and refreshing show. 

The simplicity makes it so effective.  Ultimately, the show is about the human condition, how we are the same, how we all have obstacles.

It's touching in very subtle ways. It doesn't shout or scream. It simply states. 

Katrina Lenk was wonderful. Her performance reminded me of seeing Carmen Cusack in Bright Star. I thought Lenk was that strong.

So understated and so very powerful. 

This is the best show I've seen in ages.  It's an absolute triumph.

Updated On: 10/19/17 at 12:15 AM

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 12:54am

I just wanted to post George Abud’s entire Playbill bio (this is literally all there is next to his name in the Who’s Who section) because representation matters:

I hope young Arabic kids, like I was, see this show, or hear it, or read about it, and know that there is starting to be a place for their expression, their stories and their faces. The Arab voice, rich in history and beautiful music, is vital in American theatre.

[P-E]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 1:15am

I was excited to see my first "first preview" tonight.

I thought it was a bit slower at the start than many shows I've seen recently.  (And I saw Come From Away yesterday.)  But about 20-25 minutes into the show I was hooked.  The leading female actor was stunning, with two of the better songs I've ever heard.  Her songs are worth the admission price by themselves.

Overall, the music is fantastic and the story is good.  And it was well acted throughout, with no sound or tech issues (that I noticed). But some in our crew tonight (group of 12, with a range of theatre-going experiences, including a "Broadway virgin" ) were wondering and debating the point of the story on the ride home.  I agree with HeyMrMusic that it's not a traditional story, but it is powerful one, especially upon reflection.  Those in my group all seemed to like the show, although with various levels of enthusiasm.

I hope that this can capture an audience for an extended run.  

Updated On: 10/8/17 at 01:15 AM

[holdyourbatboy]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 1:27am

I saw the first preview tonight. It’s absolutely stunning. This is one of the best new scores I have heard in a long, long time. 

David Cromer’s staging is magic and transporting. The lighting design is especially gorgeous.  

I will say that the show is a slow burn, but ultimately very moving and special.

Katrina Lenk (!) and Tony Shalhoub give fantastic performances. The song her and Tony sing on the bench near the end....... 

Adam Kantor leads a chill-inducing song near the end that I didn’t see coming - it’s a knockout.

 

[LesWickedly]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 2:59am

Would love to hear about people seat locations and thoughts on them, also the possibility of partial view/stage height. 

[h6p8gv]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 5:43am

Can someone please post a song list if there is one in the playbill?

[theatretenor2]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 8:12am

h6p8gv said: "Can someone please post a song list if there is one in the playbill?"

[theatretenor2]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 8:12am

HeyMrMusic said: "Actually, the projection design is not tacky at all and is used very sparingly and effectively. Those words are projected on a scrim with the set in full view (the buildings shown in the background is the set)."

Agreed. I thought the projections were great throughout.

[guppy150381]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 8:33am

It's very slow and very subtle. It's a quieter Come From Away with Middle-Eastern flavour, given it's "strangers stranded" premise. I really liked the overall atmosphere and I had the impression that the audience was very quiet, too and willing to listen carefully. As someone else said, there's a lot of silence, but people seemed to follow willingly. It's not much fun, but it's not a heavy downer at all either, it's not a big drama.

Staging is gorgeous, actors all did great jobs so that you never wondered about their "realness", nothing is too over the top here and the authenticity of it all makes it even more emotional, I thought. The staging looks gorgeous, the music feels special and fitting as well. All of it is very grown up.

Since someone wrote that they discussed the point of it all on the way home: I saw it as a story about how we stand in our own way when it comes to dreams and our longings and how hard it is to overcome the obstacles we perceive.

Having said that, I'm really not sure how big of an audience can warm up to this. They definitely should, imo, because it adds something valuable to the whole Broadway extravaganza that wasn't there before.

[guppy150381]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 8:35am

and even that song list is a bit too long, if you want to know about the singing. the well-played instrumentals, which feel just as important, are on there, too (i'd think it's about 5 of them) and that leaves us with around 8-9 sung songs, some of them rather short.

[theatretenor2]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 8:37am

guppy150381 said: "It's very slow and very subtle. It's a quieter Come From Away with Middle-Eastern flavour, given it's "strangers stranded" premise. I really liked the overall atmosphere and I had the impression that the audience was very quiet, too and willing to listen carefully. As someone else said, there's a lot of silence, but people seemed to follow willingly. It's not much fun, but it's not a heavy downer at all either, it's not a big drama.

Staging is gorgeous, actors all did great jobs so that you never wondered about their "realness", nothing is too over the top here and the authenticity of it all makes it even more emotional, I thought. The staging looks gorgeous, the music feels special and fitting as well. All of it is very grown up.

Since someone wrote that they discussed the point of it all on the way home: I sawit as a story about how we stand in our own way when it comes to dreams and our longings and how hard it is to overcome the obstacles we perceive.

Having said that, I'm really not sure how big of an audience can warm up to this. They definitely should, imo, because it adds something valuable to the whole Broadway extravaganza that wasn't there before."

I think the Come From Away comparisons need to stop. Aside from the premise, these shows are nothing like the other. I know the CFA comparison in earlier threads had me anticipating something completely different. CFA is fast moving, while TBV is a slow burn--one of the most sedate productions I've seen. I enjoyed the show, no doubt, but I wish I knew going in that it was going to be a slow burn. 

[10086sunset]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 8:51am

Last night, I kept thinking how the show doesn't feel or act like a traditional piece of musical theater. It felt more like a straight play with songs. It's beautiful and subtle. It's honest and moving. 

[guppy150381]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 8:56am

Yeah, I see why the comparison would need some context, you're definitely right. 

I myself thought that Come From Away does a worse job in creating characters, they are more cliché (the caring older woman, the muslim, the gay guys) than the characters you can find here. Sure, it's definitely slower and I guess people comparing should be aware of the fact it's not as jolly as Come From Away but that also made for a more profound and nuanced show, in my opinion. In the end, they both have their surprising qualities and I hope that they'll both get long runs against the fast food Broadway fare elsewhere.

(Having said that: Enough with the comparisons )

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 9:10am

That image of the "Turn off your cellphones" projection shows a mis-spelling in the Hebrew for Telephones. The first letter of that word should be the letter TET rather than PEH. Hope someone working the show sees this chat board and can fix it :)

[farawayfan2]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 9:24am

Pelephone is actually how you say cell phone in Hebrew - vs a land line (telephone) :)

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 9:31am

irishgator1 said: "At the stage door and the band came out to do a mini concert!"

Very cool! How was your view from the rear mezzanine?

[sparepart973]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 10:10am

This was a beautiful show when I saw it in the Atlantic, and it was refreshing to see Arabs as non-terrorists, or non-non-terrorists as portrayed in Come From Away. 

Being Arab myself, I would have never thought that I'd hear Arabic music performed in a Broadway show. My only issue, which I highlighted in a survey I took for the Atlantic while they were contemplating the transfer, was that the band speaks in classical Arabic together, where in the film (and in reality) they'd speak in an Egyptian dialect/vernacular. I'm not sue this was addressed for its Broadway run. 

I hope it runs long enough to last till Tony season and until my visit in June.

[irishgator1]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 10:12am

CT2NYC said: "irishgator1 said: "At the stage door and the band came out to do a mini concert!"

Very cool! How was your view from the rear mezzanine?"

The show’s Facebook page has the live streamed video of the concert, if anyone wants to check it out. 

We were front row rear mezz. I’m 5’3” and I could see over the wall (for lack of a better word) mostly fine. There’s also another wall for the back of the front mezz which was a little in the way too. Fortunately those walls only cut off the edge of the stage so nothing was missed. My husband is 6’1” and even the front row mezz’s wall similarly blocked a little of his view but again, he didn’t miss anything on stage. The leg room was bad for him, though, but he was on the aisle so it worked out. 

I bet the middle to last rows of the front mezz would have great views and probably more of the rear mezz too. 

So, to be honest, my husband thought it was just ok. It was too slow for him, but the last show he saw was Comet, which as we all know, couldn’t have been more different. He thought the singing was fantastic though. The accents were a distraction to him- almost like a caricature. 

I thought someone above described it well- a straight play with some songs every now and then. There was actually a lot of humor in it and while it was slow paced for sure, I kind of appreciated that it matched the slowness and mundaness of the town itself. 

And the music...goodness. Loved the music. 

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 10:52am

irishgator1 said: "CT2NYC said: "irishgator1 said: "At the stage door and the band came out to do a mini concert!"

Very cool! How was your view from the rear mezzanine?"

The show’s Facebook page has the live streamed video of the concert, if anyone wants to check it out.

We were front row rear mezz. I’m 5’3” and I could see over the wall (for lack of a better word) mostly fine. There’s also another wall for the back of the front mezz which was a little in the way too. Fortunately those walls only cut off the edge of the stage so nothing was missed. My husband is 6’1” and even the front row mezz’s wall similarly blocked a little of his view but again, he didn’t miss anything on stage. The leg room was bad for him, though, but he was on the aisle so it worked out.

I bet the middle to last rows of the front mezz would have great views and probably more of the rear mezz too.

So, to be honest, my husband thought it was just ok. It was too slow for him, but the last show he saw was Comet, which as we all know, couldn’t have been more different. He thought the singing was fantastic though. The accents were a distraction to him- almost like a caricature.

I thought someone above described it well- a straight play with some songs every now and then. There was actually a lot of humor in it and while it was slow paced for sure, I kind of appreciated that it matched the slowness and mundaness of the town itself.

And the music...goodness. Loved the music."

Thanks for the seating info. I'm short, as well, so I just exchanged my rear front row center mezzanine ticket for a front side mezzanine ticket E 14, for $10 more. 

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 11:31am

I also have front row of rear mezzanine. Other than the wall how is the view? This seems like a small intimate show where sitting far away might be detrimental?

[P-E]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 12:20pm

I had row E of rear mezzanine- thought it seemed close, actually.  Was happy we opted for the cheaper seats, as they were great.  (Although not much legroom if you're tall.)

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 10/8/17 at 12:26pm

thanks for the early reviews

very excited to see this show