THE BAND's VISIT Reviews — Page 5

Put me in the camp of those who thought this show was good but not great. I came in hoping to love it, and I came away appreciating and chewing on it but, ultimately, wanting more. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the piece did not feel fully fleshed out nor completely polished. What probably bothered me the most was that the book felt more developed than most of the lyrics; as such, I felt much more drawn into the characters when they weren't singing (which, as a musical lover, hardly ever happens). To me, some of the lyrics came across as too on-the-nose and obvious -- which I found especially jarring, given that a select few of the songs had immense lyrical beauty ("Omar Sharif", "Something Different", "Answer Me" ). Also, as someone earlier in this thread mentioned, a handful of the individual scenes were quite strong, but the whole did not feel greater than the sum of its parts; there wasn't a natural build or cohesive element that I felt I could reflect on as a whole.

Perhaps the piece will grow on me with time, and I hope it does. Regardless, it was worth the ticket price alone to see Katrina Lenk and Tony Shalhoub perform on stage. Katrina, especially, was a bright star. I got chills whenever she sang.

As for the running discussion on this board re: Dina's decision at the end, I did not find it out of character at all. To add to what the others have already said, I saw Dina as a character drawn to "something different" more than to an individual person (i.e., the human being in that person). Moreover, I saw her as conflicted over how to express and fulfill that desire in and for herself (or, perhaps, have it fulfilled for her). As such, Dina hoped that by simply keeping the night going, perhaps something would develop for her. When what ended up transpiring ultimately disappointed, she fell back to what she knew and had relied on in the past. It's a melancholy reality, but it's also a very human reality.

Updated On: 1/13/18 at 05:25 PM

FYI, Etai Benson will be out of the show until February 4:

https://twitter.com/etaibenson/status/953630538434273280

Thank you. Yes, I was wondering about the far sides of the balcony or the orchestra. I'm torn. Do we sit in the front orchestra sides, piggyback sides of the front mezz, or the best seats (center) in the second mezz? I'm trying to stay under $100 ea. For reference:

Aren't these the seats they were selling for rush?

catalana3 said: "Thank you. Yes, I was wondering about the far sides of the balcony or the orchestra. I'm torn. Do we sit in the front orchestra sides, piggyback sides of the front mezz, or the best seats (center) in the second mezz? I'm trying to stay under $100 ea. For reference"

I sat in the second row on Sunday, in the 5 seat in, which is the last regular ticket next to the PV seat, and this was my view. I think closer is best for this show:

Interesting that Etai will be taking almost a full three weeks off from the show when it is still extremely early in the run. I hope everything is OK.

My friend grabbed a ticket to The Band's Visit on Stubhub last night for ~$50 after fees. He sat in the orchestra and loved every moment of it.

This show to me is infinitely smarter and more thoughtfully constructed than Come From Away (which I also adore). But that you think CFA would beat this show for best musical is far-fetched, in my opinion.

OK then.

Think, for example, about "Omar Sharif." It's a song that in a tangible sense doesn't "move" the plot forward because it is really just this character free associating, working her way through thoughts that she herself has never articulated to herself nor anyone else, for no reason other than they haven't been stirred. She meets this person that has shaken loose a memory she has tucked away. It shows how deeply she is connecting to someone.

The melody from "Omar Sharif" is briefly reprised in "Something Different," the song sung later in the show by the same character who is now realizing that this older man is evoking something in her. She doesn't know why or what exactly it is, but she does now know she has been missing SOMETHING. Similarly, after that song, when Sammy finds the two of them and they begin arguing, Tewfiq screams at her that she "can forgive." Immediately after, Tewfiq wants to leave the park; he has been caught off guard by the viscerality of his emotions that he, too, has repressed (albeit for very different reasons).

Throughout the show, each of these two characters removes a brick, maybe two or three, from the sturdy walls they have built around their emotions to protect themselves. They ultimately do leave each other, but those bricks have been removed (as evidenced by Tewfiq's unprecedented softness to Haled at the end of the evening).

In this show, as I have described to others, nothing happens but everything happens. I completely understand it is not for everyone, but to say there is little emotional payoff, well, I think you may not be looking closely enough.

We enjoyed The Band's Visit yesterday. As others have said, Katrina Lenk gives a Tony-worthy performance. The show is about the heartbreak of love and the walls both literally and figuratively that surround us. It tells the story quietly, but effectively. Would more character development been helpful? Yes. Worth seeing? Yes.

My husband thought Ossama Farouk was especially good on Arabic percussion and the Darbouka drum, as well as Sam Sadigursky on the Oud, the lute shaped instrument.

Daniel David Stewart, who originated the role of Papi off Broadway, was in for Etai Benson. Stewart was terrific — watch out Etai.

Go to Stub Hub to score some great tickets at discount prices for this show. We had easy pick up at Stub Hub's midtown office.