THE BAND's VISIT Reviews — Page 7

After Eight said: ""I’m prone to snarky thoughts if someone were to say a show likeCatsis his/her favorite show of all time, "

Why? It's hardly the greatestshow of all time, but it's a hell of a lot better than the likes of Fun Home,Hamilton, The Band's Visit,etc.

"but that seems different from polarizedblack and white thinking that dismisses 95% of plsys/musicals on the basis that they’re “bad” while asserting only the shows I like are good."



What "polarized black and white thinking" are you talking about? There are varying degrees of good and bad, as there are of liking and disliking. And showsaren't bad because I dislike them; I dislike them because they are bad; and the same goesfor shows that are good.

The bottom line: write good shows and you can be sure I'll like them."

Art isn’t science. Art is prone to the interpretation of each audience member. Lots of people hade loved the shows you disliked and have probably disliked some you adore. Same is true for me. If you’re such an arbitrator of good taste, I encourage you to offer up your services to every production before it books a theatre so you ensure only “quality” shows make it to previews. Certainly you should be well compensated for your expertise  Of course, most theatres would remain forever dark, many performers and other theatre staff would go unemployed, and NYC would take a big hit in revenue. But it would be worth it right to ensure you’re not offended by shows that you deem as bad simply because you dislike them?

After Eight said: "Miles2Go2,

I still would like to knowwhy you would be prone to snarky thoughts ifsomeone deemed Cats his/herfavorite show of all time.Didn't you just say "Art is prone to the interpretation of each audience member?""

I’m not perfect. I said snarky “thoughts.”  That doesn’t mean I would verbalize them or post them. I’d like to think I would refrain for the very reasons of mine that you state above. 

It’s too bad Tony is leaving. He and Lenk are poetry together. However Dariush seems a solid replacement.

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Only time will tell. It is a vital time to be out considering April and May are when Tony Award voters go to the shows. 

Perhaps I should clarify I am specifically referring to the quality of the show/artistic outcomes. 

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I don't think this is necessarily about Shalhoub's box office power. However, he is a well known and well liked character actor. Plus, this is a little, well reviewed show that has been getting great word of mouth. People leave loving Shalhoub and Lenk's chemistry, as well as the other wonderful character actors. They tell others. It's not all about money or names, it is also about what Tony and Katrina have achieved in terms of trust and performance. Tony said from the moment he met Katrina he felt like he knew her. This must go into the energy of the performance. I think people are worried about the energy of the piece. 

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Bettyboy72 said: "I don't think this is necessarilyabout Shalhoub's box office power. However, he is a well known and well liked character actor. Plus, this is a little, well reviewed show that has been getting great word of mouth. People leave loving Shalhoub and Lenk's chemistry, as well as the other wonderful character actors. They tell others. It's not all about money or names, it is also about what Tony and Katrina have achieved in terms of trust and performance. Tony said from the moment he met Katrina he felt like he knew her. This must go into the energy of the performance. I think people are worried about the energy of the piece."

Exactly. This show will very quickly become an absolute bore and pointless should those two characters have little chemistry. Of course, almost everyone is replaceable in theatre so perhaps there is no need for us to feel concerned. They know what they are doing. But I wish them the best!

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It’s a great show and I’m so glad I saw it in November right after it opened to rave reviews. The whole cast, Tony included, is great. And I agree that it’s unfortunate that any of the cast is stepping away leading up to the Tony Awards. However, this is such a strong show that it can thrive with strong cast replacements as any worthy show should. I agree that Tony is probably not the major reason (ala Bette) people are seeing this show in such large numbers. If it is true that Tony voters usually wait until March or April to see shows, maybe they’ll see the show in May when he returns for select dates. I don’t think his absence will affect its Tony chances although I suppose it could affect his chances of being nominated. As good as he is in the show, I do wonder if he could actually win for a largely non-singing role in a musical. Can anyone enlighten me when someone, who had largely only a speaking role in a musical, won? Also, what are some noticeable instances of someone being nominated or winning even though they stepped away from a still running production prior to the Tony Awards?.

A major bummer. Hoping it doesn’t affect the grosses. I do think this virtually obliterates every chance Tony had to WIN the Tony (they were slight to begin with; he will still be nominated certainly). I do not think it will have an impact on the show winning best musical, so long as the new lead and Katrina Lenk have had at least some chance to rehearse with one another and are able to generate some chemistry. But in all seriousness: Shalhoub being out is nowhere near as detrimental to this show as would be the case were it Lenk departing. She to me makes the whole damn thing.

BroadwayConcierge, I want to give you a big THANK YOU for the heads-up that Shalhoub might be taking a leave from the show.  I was able to see it on Sunday with the full original cast, and I am really grateful that I was able to do so.

In terms of the Tonys, I agree that Shalhoub will be nominated, but won't win.  I'm not sure either of those have changed because of the leave.  Many of the musicals this season center around women, and I think the only eligible lead men will be Shalhoub, Ethan Slater, Paul Alexander Nolan, Joshua Henry, and Harry Hadden-Paton.  I believe there are supposed to be four nominees with 5 eligible candidates, and I can't see Shalhoub being left off that list.  Also, everyone on the Nominating Committee has probably already seen the show.

A recent example of someone who was on leave and still got nominated is Jonathan Groff for Hamilton.  

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Updated On: 2/28/18 at 10:12 PM

My pleasure, mikem! Glad you got to see such a special OBC

a short term blow for bands visit. I agree it wont hurt its best musical prospects.  Glad I got to see Tony and Katrina do their thing!