Posted: 10/8/15 at 9:24am
The first preview of The Bandstand is tonight at Paper Mill. Is anyone going tonight or planning to go during the run?
I'm seeing this Saturday night and very excited!
Updated On: 10/8/15 at 09:24 AM
Posted: 10/8/15 at 10:49am
Posted: 10/9/15 at 12:27am
Did anyone see the first preview tonight? I'd love to see your comments.
Posted: 10/9/15 at 6:30pm
Did anyone see those amazing photos ?
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Posted: 10/10/15 at 12:42pm
Seeing it tonight, will have a full review! My friend that works at Papermill said first preview was wonderful, lovely story and that Corey was phenomenal. She also said there was a standing ovation at the end!
Posted: 10/10/15 at 12:54pm
Wait...a REALLY standing ovation at the end of a musical? Holy poop! Move mormon out! Bandstand is coming in!
Posted: 10/10/15 at 3:01pm
i cant wait for this!!! I bet its coming to broadway this spring
Posted: 10/10/15 at 5:18pm
Posted: 10/10/15 at 5:52pm
RockyRoad said: "A standing O? Not only that, but at THE END?
I think Hamilton's days are numbered."
I seriously hope you are joking
Posted: 10/10/15 at 7:42pm
I attended the second preview and it was not well received. The first act is too long. The talent on stage is stellar but they are saddled with a book that is slow to get to the point. Not until the female characters arrive on stage does the show begin to click.
During intermission, I heard audience members saying things like, "I really want to like this show, but something is missing, it is not coming together."
During the second act the stagehands were making noise and their flashlights were easily seen from those of us in the front orchestra.
For the record, the cast received only a partial standing O. Walking to the parking lot, many patrons were shaking their head saying they were disappointed because they had high hopes.
Posted: 10/10/15 at 8:03pm
Well, this will never make it to Broadway. Had I written the score, it would have been a hit.
Posted: 10/10/15 at 11:29pm
On the way home, will write a full review later. I'll say for now though, that I absolutely loved it. The show ran just under 3 hours. Yes, there may be a little that could but trimmed but it was still wonderful with a great plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. Stargazer, I had a much different audience at my performance tonight. Everyone around me was very responsive and saying how much they enjoyed the show. I overheard patrons saying they "expected raves once it opened".
Posted: 10/11/15 at 12:17am
Second preview. Lots of walk outs. There is not enough story to hold a three hour show together. Osnes has no character to play. Where's the conflict in the relationship with Cott?
First thirty minutes or so are quite good. Last song (a musical nervous breakdown) is powerful. All else in between never gets off the ground. Lots of the same ideas repeated over and over and over. The dance movement between scenes has a purpose, I suppose, but what it is, who knows? And that set? WTF was that all about? It made no sense whatsoever.
But it is an original musical, so there is some slack to be cut - and if they use this as a workshop and go back to the drawing board, there might be a show there, providing people today know how to attack a flailing out of town try out ad do more than cut a number and change someone's costume. A LOT needs to be done here. To rush it to Bway right now is a mistake.
That said I enjoyed it more than Hunchback
Posted: 10/11/15 at 1:05am
Saw this tonight with my wife and theater-major college age daughter. Were so happy to score crazy-cheap $37 orchestra seats (prior to the show) - with the industry buzz already being fairly high on the show and with stars like Osnes and Cott. Hoped we'd be seeing a lightning in a bottle performance, as we have in the past with early previews of new ot of town shows like Ragtime (Toronto), etc... - or, at worst, some good/great moments to build on...
Instead.... Oh, my.... Oh, my...
The infinitely better 2nd act (and I mean that in a terribly relative way...as it is probably a 4.5 on a 10 best scale) saves the show from being a total disaster, but the 1st act, from the weak, weak opening number on (and even giving it tons of slack due to early preview timing) is a rudderless, conflictless mess like we'd never seen. We were stunned, at intermission, about how uninteresting, mediocre, if not just plain bad, the 1st act was... especially at some of the unintentional laugh out loud moments...
With that said, the cast is talented and works hard. But the show, which tries to go out with an emotional wallop, revolving around the emotionally wounded war vets (including one unseen soldier who did not come home and their significant other) needs to better set up the audience for that wallop. I have already rewritten the opening and 1st act ending in my mind (using Steel Pier, Follies influences) and it is stellar!
Unfortunately, for now, I feel more than a bit ripped off on those $37 tickets. Paper Mill would need to pay ME to see again.. Show isn't worthy of Bway in anywhere close to this state.
Posted: 10/11/15 at 7:40am
Beth does a great job in this troubled show. Her character is highly relatable to the audience, and you wish she had even more to sing and do on stage. Her character says at one point in describing the unfortunate circumstances of life that, "S**t happens" - the audience loves her delivery, and in a way it's an appropriate headline to describe the overall show in its current format.
I agree with other recent posts that the show seems to revisit the same idea or dialogue over and over in Act One. The set is functional but drab. Lastly, Corey is the driving force of the show, and much is asked of him. It is apparent he is giving his all, but is it enough?
Posted: 10/11/15 at 10:08am
This is an AMAZING new musical! The show is definitely not as tight as it needs to be right now, but they are in previews and you can tell they are trying to find their footing. The music in this show is SPECTACULAR and I LOVED the choreography from Andy Blankenbeuhler. I also loved how seamless all of the transitions in the show were. Laura Osnes and Corey Cott are both giving heart wrenching performances and the guys in the band are as good if not better than any musician you would here in a broadway pit (especially the trumpet player). The show is set in the 40s but feels very contemporary and relatable to todays audience and I enjoyed that it didn't feel like an old school musical. They are tackling the issue of PTSD in the military so it was a lot darker than i expected and I really liked that! I agree that I wanted more from Beth's role and the second act is a lot better than the first, but if they cut a few things I think this show will be a huge hit (was a little long). I was in the audience the 2nd preview and everyone around me LOVED it! Its refreshing to see something new. I hope they bring it to broadway!
Posted: 10/11/15 at 10:21am
Thanks for joining to tell us about it! I look forward to your many other reviews of shows in your time here on the board!
Posted: 10/11/15 at 12:09pm
Thank you all for your reviews. It's so interesting how split they are, some very positive and some very negative.
Posted: 10/11/15 at 3:26pm
people's opinions are always varied like this. If they really do have serious problems, they should definitely wait. Generally, the best shows are the ones that are created slowly and take their time, and come back to the material with fresh eyes. I want Laura Osnes to come in with Carousel this spring.
Posted: 10/11/15 at 5:14pm
Posted: 10/11/15 at 5:17pm
Posted: 10/11/15 at 5:24pm
This looks like 2015's version of Steel Pier.
Posted: 10/11/15 at 5:40pm
It was mentioned "Osnes has no character to play" - can anyone elaborate? She describes Julia as such an interesting character. What happened? Also, how is the score?
Updated On: 10/11/15 at 05:40 PM
