#1
Posted: 7/29/09 at 1:21pm
I saw THE FIRST WIVES CLUB over the weekend and can only echo the opinions of the earlier posters in response to the promo video. I've read Broadway World and the other board intermittently for ages but never felt compelled to post anything until now. Say what you will about previews, out of town tryouts, etc., but I paid for my ticket and I think that entitles me to voice my opinion.
Simply put, this is the most dismal, atrocious piece of theatre I've seen in 20 years+ of theatergoing. I've seen Broadway shows, tours, regional theatre, high school and college productions, you name it. This dog takes the cake. If you think watching 2 minutes and 6 seconds of the production on YouTube was aggravating, imagine dragging the experience out to 2 hours and 40 minutes (which is how long the show ran with intermission).
This is NOT an enjoyably bad show. Despite the unintentional humor of the video, it is not DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES, IN MY LIFE, or CARRIE. That would require the material to be interesting. No, THE FIRST WIVES CLUB is a depressing, offensive, one-dimensional creative void that is above all completely unprofessional on behalf of the creative team. I can't fault any of the actors because of what they're given, although they certainly don't perform with much energy. Who can blame them? This show has so many problems that if you stopped every time an issue came up it would be longer than a tech rehearsal. It?s like watching a musical comedy presentation of your closest friend's funeral.
I notice some posters are giving Rupert Holmes the benefit of the doubt. Don't. His book may be the worst thing about the show, which is saying something. It begins with a device (the girls' dead friend acting as narrator) that is never used again after the opening number. The one-liners are unbearable, such as Barbara Walsh's comment about her husband "dancing the hora with his whore-a" after he brings his mistress to their son's bar mitzvah. (That's actually one of Rupert?s better lines).
Each of the women is a weak-willed pushover determined to get her lying, philandering husband back. WHY??? Isn't the story supposed to be about strength and female empowerment? Walsh's Act 1 finale number (in which she grovels for her man to come back to her) is embarrassing. And speaking of embarrassing, the actress playing Karen Ziemba's daughter (Kat Palardy) is also in the ensemble, and Zambello's direction is confusing to the point where every time she enters, you can't tell if she's supposed to be playing the daughter or a member of the chorus.
In fact, everything Zambello does is confusing, from the bizarre blocking to the unflattering costumes and set design. The set is extremely cheap, with nothing but a few backdrops, tacky furniture, and frosted glass panels that swoop across the stage. Between the panels, garish pastels, and shimmery metallic fixtures, the show appears to be set sometime in the mid-80s.
And while we're discussing dated time periods, remember the gay character in APPLAUSE? Remember how obnoxious, simpering, and offensive he was? THE FIRST WIVES CLUB has a character that's even more reprehensible (never mind that this show was written almost 40 years later). His name is Duane, and he's the Walsh character's sassy BFF (never mind that this supposedly chic, uptown guy wouldn't be caught dead standing next to her dumpy outer-borough hausfrau). He makes Carmen Ghia in THE PRODUCERS look like Fred Phelps. Holmes has even given him a quip (which the blue hairs in the audience loved) along the lines of "Do I look like a man who spends a lot of time on his knees?"
As an open-minded straight person, I was ashamed at this character's presence on stage; I can only imagine how a gay man or woman would feel. Anyway, the plot (POTENTIAL SPOILER HERE) requires Duane to help the girls out by masquerading as fashion designer Duarto Fergini to persuade Walsh's husband's mistress to buy Sheryl Lee Ralph's possessions (which are being auctioned off in her divorce) in order to fund Ziemba taking over her husband's ad agency. Yes, posters, this is supposed to make sense. END SPOILER. Also, keep in mind that the specifics of the wives' plan are not revealed until the climax. While the intention behind this is to maintain the element of surprise, it's frustrating to have the audience spend most of Act 2 wondering what the hell these ladies are doing and for what purpose.
I am doing the songwriting team a favor by not discussing the score - you heard 2 minutes of it in the video and probably get the picture. I will say that there is no dramatic motivation or thrust to any of the numbers, and the transitions from book to score are jarring and at times incomprehensible.
I would write more but I'm exhausted, much like I felt this weekend after leaving the Old Globe. If anyone would like to know specific details (since it seems like I'm one of the few here who has actually seen the show), I'm more than happy to answer. It's unbelievable that a major award-winning theater has to stoop to putting on this kind of moronic, soul-crushing garbage. Of course, the subscription audience (who looked happy to be out of their recliners, regardless of what they were seeing) loved it.
Let's hope that this one dies a quick death so the talented leads can go on to greener pastures, and Zambello can play out the rest of her career directing middle school Christmas pageants where she belongs.
Simply put, this is the most dismal, atrocious piece of theatre I've seen in 20 years+ of theatergoing. I've seen Broadway shows, tours, regional theatre, high school and college productions, you name it. This dog takes the cake. If you think watching 2 minutes and 6 seconds of the production on YouTube was aggravating, imagine dragging the experience out to 2 hours and 40 minutes (which is how long the show ran with intermission).
This is NOT an enjoyably bad show. Despite the unintentional humor of the video, it is not DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES, IN MY LIFE, or CARRIE. That would require the material to be interesting. No, THE FIRST WIVES CLUB is a depressing, offensive, one-dimensional creative void that is above all completely unprofessional on behalf of the creative team. I can't fault any of the actors because of what they're given, although they certainly don't perform with much energy. Who can blame them? This show has so many problems that if you stopped every time an issue came up it would be longer than a tech rehearsal. It?s like watching a musical comedy presentation of your closest friend's funeral.
I notice some posters are giving Rupert Holmes the benefit of the doubt. Don't. His book may be the worst thing about the show, which is saying something. It begins with a device (the girls' dead friend acting as narrator) that is never used again after the opening number. The one-liners are unbearable, such as Barbara Walsh's comment about her husband "dancing the hora with his whore-a" after he brings his mistress to their son's bar mitzvah. (That's actually one of Rupert?s better lines).
Each of the women is a weak-willed pushover determined to get her lying, philandering husband back. WHY??? Isn't the story supposed to be about strength and female empowerment? Walsh's Act 1 finale number (in which she grovels for her man to come back to her) is embarrassing. And speaking of embarrassing, the actress playing Karen Ziemba's daughter (Kat Palardy) is also in the ensemble, and Zambello's direction is confusing to the point where every time she enters, you can't tell if she's supposed to be playing the daughter or a member of the chorus.
In fact, everything Zambello does is confusing, from the bizarre blocking to the unflattering costumes and set design. The set is extremely cheap, with nothing but a few backdrops, tacky furniture, and frosted glass panels that swoop across the stage. Between the panels, garish pastels, and shimmery metallic fixtures, the show appears to be set sometime in the mid-80s.
And while we're discussing dated time periods, remember the gay character in APPLAUSE? Remember how obnoxious, simpering, and offensive he was? THE FIRST WIVES CLUB has a character that's even more reprehensible (never mind that this show was written almost 40 years later). His name is Duane, and he's the Walsh character's sassy BFF (never mind that this supposedly chic, uptown guy wouldn't be caught dead standing next to her dumpy outer-borough hausfrau). He makes Carmen Ghia in THE PRODUCERS look like Fred Phelps. Holmes has even given him a quip (which the blue hairs in the audience loved) along the lines of "Do I look like a man who spends a lot of time on his knees?"
As an open-minded straight person, I was ashamed at this character's presence on stage; I can only imagine how a gay man or woman would feel. Anyway, the plot (POTENTIAL SPOILER HERE) requires Duane to help the girls out by masquerading as fashion designer Duarto Fergini to persuade Walsh's husband's mistress to buy Sheryl Lee Ralph's possessions (which are being auctioned off in her divorce) in order to fund Ziemba taking over her husband's ad agency. Yes, posters, this is supposed to make sense. END SPOILER. Also, keep in mind that the specifics of the wives' plan are not revealed until the climax. While the intention behind this is to maintain the element of surprise, it's frustrating to have the audience spend most of Act 2 wondering what the hell these ladies are doing and for what purpose.
I am doing the songwriting team a favor by not discussing the score - you heard 2 minutes of it in the video and probably get the picture. I will say that there is no dramatic motivation or thrust to any of the numbers, and the transitions from book to score are jarring and at times incomprehensible.
I would write more but I'm exhausted, much like I felt this weekend after leaving the Old Globe. If anyone would like to know specific details (since it seems like I'm one of the few here who has actually seen the show), I'm more than happy to answer. It's unbelievable that a major award-winning theater has to stoop to putting on this kind of moronic, soul-crushing garbage. Of course, the subscription audience (who looked happy to be out of their recliners, regardless of what they were seeing) loved it.
Let's hope that this one dies a quick death so the talented leads can go on to greener pastures, and Zambello can play out the rest of her career directing middle school Christmas pageants where she belongs.
Updated On: 8/7/09 at 01:21 PM
