THE WHO’S TOMMY Broadway Previews — Page 6

PipingHotPiccolo said: "quizking101 said: "I echo most of the sentiment of the previous post. I did find myself lost a few times because the minimalism doesn’t help keep the involved story on track sometimes.

Ali Bourgzi is currently my personal front runner for the Tony. The man has a set of pipes on him that could blow the roof off the Nederlander and had the charisma to match when he is portraying the thoughts of Tommy’s “locked in” self.

“Pinball Wizard” was a highlight for sure (and probably their Tony number), but also “I’m Free” gave Ali a chance to really show off his rock vocal range and “Smash That Mirror” gave Alison Luff the same opportunity. Bobby Conte also has a nice meaty supporting role and I could see him in an awards race too.

David Paul Kidder did a fantastic job as Captain Walker given his extremely limited rehearsal, but also AFRA HINES WAS FANTASTIC. She was giving something between Nicole Scherzinger and Tina Turner and, as I’ve told others, you never would have guessed that she had 2 hours of rehearsal. At the stage door, the entire line was screaming for both of them and David was tearing up.

Final Note: Ihave never, in seeing nearly 300 shows in my life - experienced a standing ovation before the finale number was over. That was an electric moment"

But did it feel earned? The show doesnt allow for many traditional applause moments, so maybe i misjudged, but it just felt messy and the audience felt mostly muted except for a few obvious Tommy-heads who were rocking along to a score they already knew. The standing ovation/burst of appreciation came out of left field for my group, we thought it was "planted" at first. And it came at such an odd time- the actors were still singing, in a pretty boringly staged moment?

Always glad others are enjoying what eludes me."

At curtain call my group (12 in all) sat in stunned silence and eventually decided it best to go with the flow and stand so they could get out of the theater easier than maneuvering out from a seated position.  They all stared at me as I sat clapping.  The show did not earn a standing ovation in my opinion and my friends know that I will not stand up for something that does not meet the standard.  There are too many given, not earned standing ovations now. And it is no longer special.  I also sat at “The Notebook.”

 

The company will perform from the show this Tuesday on Jimmy Fallon, and Pete Townshend will sit down for an interview as well. 

BentleyB said:

At curtain call my group (12 in all) sat in stunned silence and eventually decided it best to go with the flow and stand so they could get out of the theater easier than maneuvering out from a seated position. They all stared at me as I sat clapping. The show did not earn a standing ovation in my opinion and my friends know that I will not stand up for something that does not meet the standard. There are too many given, not earned standing ovations now. And it is no longer special. I also sat at “The Notebook.”


Well aren't you precious...

 

 

 

BentleyB said: "At curtain call my group (12 in all) sat in stunned silence and eventually decided it best to go with the flow and stand so they could get out of the theater easier than maneuvering out from a seated position. They all stared at me as I sat clapping. The show did not earn a standing ovation in my opinion and my friends know that I will not stand up for something that does not meet the standard. There are too many given, not earned standing ovations now. And it is no longer special. I also sat at “The Notebook.”

My understanding is pre-WW2, standing ovations on Broadway didn't even exist. So the idea standing ovations used to have this one meaning and it's changed is true, but giving standing ovations for great performances wasn't the starting off point either.

How audiences respond to performances continues to evolve, and right now being the only person not to give a standing ovation (if there's not a physical reason you can't), is going to come off a little rude and hostile. Whatever your original intent. 

Plus, even if you want to reserve standing ovations for things you love, at this point there's no way for the performers to know that's why you stood up.

I certainly don't think every show deserves a standing ovation but I usually do stand because I want to see the curtain call.

The way Listening to You is staged, I feel like some people are thinking it’s the curtain call. So they start standing and other people go along with it so they can see.

Please make links clickable. If not, please don’t bother next time. Understood?

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/23/theater/pete-townshend-tommy-broadway.html?smid=nytcore-android-share&ugrp=c&pvid=565c9de6-38ca-43d4-a7af-04eb4f68da69

BrodyFosse123 said: "Please make links clickable. If not, please don’t bother next time. Understood?"

It's not difficult to copy and paste a link. Well, for me, anyhow.

Understood?  HAHAHA - or what?!?  Do you not understand tone??? Or are you intentionally acting like a condescending know-it-all?  

This is a community, and guess what, not everyone on here is computer savvy.  Do you know how many times my mother calls me with a computer question that is so simple?  Not everyone spends all day on message boards and knows the ins and outs of it...understood?

And next time, if someone's post REALLY bothers you why don't you DM them and say "hey, your post sounded interesting but the link didn't work.  They can be a little tricky, here's how you make them work".  If something is GENUINELY a problem for you - DON'T BE A JERK (for no reason at all) BE PART OF THE SOLUTION. 

Sorry, just every time I come on here, it seems every interesting thread I'm following has one person who finds a way to make it spiral into a reminder of how rude people can be sometimes. 

i think we are reading you loud and clear, bud, no worries. 

Fallon:

https://youtu.be/Mjv_dftuPqY?si=HKS8jj1rwgicAn6E

Absolutely LOVED this production and I hope I can find an affordable ticket for a return trip. It was so refreshing to have something like this on Broadway. It seems like some of the negative reviews on the board might have enjoyed it more if you understand that this is NOT a typical musical. It's not a standard book musical and it does not have linear storytelling. If you understand that going in and accept the wild ride, it's mighty enjoyable. 

Ali has an incredible voice and presence. He will definitely get a Tony nomination. Not sure if the supporting players have enough material to get nominated, everyone gets their moment, but otherwise not much else to do. 

Pinball Wizard is incredibly staged. Part of me wishes there was a pinball machine set piece, but I get that they were keeping it in line with the representational/abstract set design. That design worked brilliantly to pull you into the weird world it sets up, so I suppose I wouldn't want to break the formula for one scene.

The acid queen sequence is the only let down as it really is staged quite poorly. Which was a shock because I found every other moment to be staged with such specificity and with a thrilling build in intensity. But the acid queen moment feels like they hadn't solidified it yet. Was just lacking overall direction.

Oh and the SOUND. Gareth should win another Tony for this. You feel it in your body without it being too overpowering and the whole theater is just thundering along. The sound design really is just as big a star in this show as the music imo.

Enjoyed this immensely and cant wait to go again. Incredible night out.