The Rascal's ONCE UPON A DREAM

[silversurfer2]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 12:22pm

Performances begin tonight...anyone going? I have tickets for the 26th and I am very excited to see them. One of my favorite singing groups.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 12:56pm

I'm going tonight. I'll let you know what I think when I get home.

[Pammylicious]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 2:16pm

Got tickets for Thursday night thru TDF. Is there a preview period. That would seems silly since there are only 15 shows.

Can you please post the song list.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 2:24pm

My boss saw this and loved it. She said it was "better than Jersey Boys."

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 3:05pm

I am not going until May, looking forward to hear more about it.

[Len Gersten]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 3:18pm

Saw this show at the Capital Theater in Port Chester back in December. It was great seeing this group back together after so many years - I believe for the first time since the late sixties. They were fabulous; the way they sounded, you would have thought it was 1969 all over again! I have tickets to see them on the 24th. Can't wait to see them again! Regarding it being "better than Jersey Boys," I also loved that show, and think it's a bit unfair comparing it a regular (or even a jukebox) musical. Seeing the original performers on stage performing their own catalog (especially when they are as talented as the Rascals), will always trump a group of performers playing someone else's songs. I will also say, The Rascal's Once Upon A Dream, was an extremely creative way of staging a reunion concert while also giving the back story of the group's history. Highly recommended!!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 3:24pm

Pammy, I think with these special events there are usually one or two "previews" just so things can settle in before opening. I don't know how The Rascals will be operating, when they'll invite critics, or even if they'll invite the critics.

I thought I read somewhere that they are treating this as Broadway workshop type run.

PJ, I was wondering if this would be more like Jersey Boys or Rain.

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 4:06pm

Len Gersten, let us know what changes were made, if any. I am still at myself for not seeing this at the Capital Theatre.

[macnyc]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 4:22pm

I am going on Thursday, and my theater partner and I are very excited. I know this is going to be a great show, and I was delighted to get TDF tickets. If any other member is interested, tickets for Tuesday are under the Pop/Rock tab. A friend who saw the Port Chester show said she personally would have preferred more singing and less history. I read they do 30 songs, so I don't know how much more would be possible. Whizzer, I'm looking forward to your thoughts tonight!

[Len Gersten]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 6:16pm

Luv2go, I will happily report on the show and any changes that were made since it played at the Capital Theater following next Wednesday's performance.

[Len Gersten]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 6:25pm

Macnyc, they played virtually every song that graced the charts, as well as some well-chosen album cuts, so I do not think the concert aspect of the show was diminished in any way by the back story of the group. Unfortunately, the program provided by the Capital Theater did not list the song list, and I was not keeping track either, but as you note, they probably performed close to 30 songs.

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 6:34pm

Thanks, I listened to one of the interviews Little Steven gave, it sounds like they added & enhanced lighting effects and video clips.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 9:22pm

surprised they didn't extend this another week(or two) considering how well it sold.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 10:24pm

I'm back from the show tonight and before I give my thoughts I have to confess I knew nothing about The Rascals before this show was announced (and even when it was I wasn't sure if this was a fictitious group or a real one!).

My favorite parts of the evening were the book scenes between the songs. Steven Van Zandt has written a "Behind the Music" book, which has all be filmed in interview style, spliced with a few dramatic reenactments. All of the book scenes are projected on the back skrim as the performers are given a breather between numbers. Big Pussy even makes an appearance in the videos, which garnered nice applause.

I liked the music for the most part, and even realized that I knew a few of the songs. There was a HUGE hindrance to completely enjoying this portion of the show and that was the sound. The mics were so low at points and the instruments were so loud that you could barely hear the vocal line, let alone make out a lyric. The show started out in especially horrid fashion, but the sound guy must have made some adjustments because it got better about 4 or 5 songs in. Every once and awhile though the mics just seemed to fade or cut out entirely.

For most people in the audience this didn't seem to be that big of deal as most were grooving in their seats and clapping along; one lady in the row in front of my friends and I mouthed the words to every single song!!!

During one of the biggest hits everyone stood up and danced around. There was a lady in the front row orchestra who I SWEAR did the complete Shelley Long dance from Troop Beverly Hills. That alone was worth the TDF price of admission.

The lighting was excellent and the projections were often interesting. The show lasted a little longer than 2 hours and there wasn't an intermission. I would have cut a song or two, but then again I wasn't familiar with any of the material. Maybe if I knew the songs by heart I would have loved that they played nearly 30 songs, but really I think they should cut one of two. I must preferred the hippie peace numbers at the end to the earlier stuff.

If you are a fan of The Rascals I would say this is unmissable. If you're curious grab a TDF or rush(?) seat and take a chance. Hopefully they'll have worked out the sound issues by the next performance.

[macnyc]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 10:30pm

I'm glad you enjoyed the show, Whizzer. I bet you were one of the few in the audience not familiar with the band's work. I hope the sound issues are ironed out soon, or at least by Thursday, the performance I'm seeing. Thanks for your report!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/15/13 at 10:37pm

I think my two friends and I were the ONLY people in the audience who didn't know the songs! I'll totally buy a couple of them on iTunes now though. I wish there was a song list so I would know which ones to buy.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 4/16/13 at 12:05am

Heh. A friend and I were there tonight as well (through comped tickets. The only reason we went.) We knew about 4 or 5 of the songs, just the big hits really. So we were really not the audience for this show. It started out so incredibly loud that it was just noise. Had I been on an aisle I would have left immediately, as I knew there was no intermission and I really did not want to spend 2 hours suffering to music played too loud to actually hear. They must have eventually fixed it, because it became bearable about 20 minutes in.

There's not much to say about it really. If you're a fan of the band, you'll like it (provided there are no more sound issues.) If you're not familiar with the music, there's nothing for you.

(Btw, the actors in the recreated scenes were terrible. Some of the most wooden, cheesy line readings I have ever heard.)

[Pammylicious]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 5:52pm

Just picked up TDF tickets. Orchestra Row B seat 13 and 15. Whats wrong with them?

[macnyc]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 6:03pm

Wow, I hope mine are half as good. Enjoy the show, Pammy!

Updated On: 4/18/13 at 06:03 PM

[Pammylicious]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 6:40pm

come visit. im the gorgeous one...hehehe

[macnyc]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 10:32am

Pammy, I'm sorry I didn't come over to say hello! We were seated all the way over on the right, Row D (TDF tickets). It was nice to be so close, but I think the projections would have looked better from the mezz.

I did enjoy the show but thought it could be better. It is a thrill to see all four original members of a Hall of Fame band reunite after 40 years. Pretty amazing to contemplate. And they all played and sang competently. Yes, the years have taken a toll, but the guys put their hearts and souls into it.

Slight drawbacks: They played almost 30 songs. Of those, about 10 had been monster hits. But the rest of them were album cuts or B sides that were unknown to me. So there would be a string of maybe three or four songs that I didn't recognize. For the audience of a nostalgia band like this one, I think that being familiar with the material increases the enjoyment overall.

Also, the show seemed a bit low-budget at times. For instance, where was the horn section? Along with three backup singers, there was one additional keyboardist, and I guess he had a synth also, but it just isn't the same as having real horns. There is a Beatles tribute band called the Fab Faux that my husband follows, and they tour with strings and horns, depending on which Beatles album they're performing. The sound is magnificent. Stevie, c'mon, cough up the dough for some horns. This is Broadway! Bring your A game.

(TDF still has tickets. Click on the Pop/Rock tab.)










Updated On: 4/19/13 at 10:32 AM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 10:41am

FYI, for it's Mon/Tue/Thur shows this week, it was at TKTS for 40% off. Not sure if it'll be up there for the weekend(Fri/Sat).

[Pammylicious]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 11:20am

I loved it. Gene tossed me a pick and waved to me at the beginning when I was taking my camera out to snap a photo of him.

Felix sounds the exact same and he's what 71 or 72.

Love the cell phone announcement at the beginning: Take you cell phones out and keep them on. Take pictures, lots of them and facebook and tweet them, because we don't give a fvck!

Being the huge Rascals fan, I have all their albums and new 99% of their songs so I was not lost when the B sides were being performed.

Loved Fat Pussy doing the narration.

[macnyc]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 11:37am

Pammy, glad you enjoyed it. Yes, the announcement was great, considering the nature of the show. And I subsequently realized that the only Rascals album I owned was the greatest hits one. It would have been better to be familiar with more of their work.

A funny side note: Imagine a theater full of baby boomers (there were a few younger folks mixed in, but not many) trying to make it through a performance two hours long with no intermission without using the rest room! If you had a beer or a cocktail, you had to excuse yourself to make a pit stop. I missed the best song of the evening that way.


Updated On: 4/19/13 at 11:37 AM

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 2:08pm

anyone know info about rush tickets?