The Threepenny She-Bopera: Where’s Bobby Darin when you need him?- Page 3

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:04am

Thanks, I'm proud of my age and proud of my ability to let others have their opinions.

[stuart]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:10am

Okay Folks,

Lets get a grip. I think that it's rather funny that this little spat made me become a member after a good year. Threepenny has never been a show for everbody and it's okay to takes risks- even on Broadway- that is what theatre artists are supposed to do! The play is political and somewhat in your face and the truth be told Brecht and Weill would love any production of their work if it gets people talking like this. Also we must remember and for me one of the most exciting parts is that Cyndi Lauper has no theatrical background- It's all from her guts- this is her first time having to understand the process of getting a production together- GIVE HER A BREAK! They have 4 more weeks of previews!!!!! This is a good sign and probably what the reviews will be like- The show is stricktly limited engagement and has almost sold out from what I understand!

[leadfootlouie]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:17am

Stuart,

The problem is there IS NO in your face element there. There is nothing new, exciting or even interesting here. This is one of the numerous problems the show has.

Of course, Lauper will get her druther's in a few weeks but it still may not be the revelation fans of Lauper (and I am one) may have hoped for.

If people are going into this expecting cutting edge, in your face, shocking theatrics, they should tune into Howard Stern because they ain't gonna find it here.

[Calvin]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:25am

Louie, let me just add thanks for your opinion, although I'm hoping you saw an off night. What really struck me was you seemed to love Nellie McKay, while those who really loved it seemed to point to her as the weak point in the show. This production seems very polarizing in opinions, which has me more excited to see it than ever.

[leadfootlouie]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:30am

I liked her and came in expecting the worst due to various comments I read.

I kept thinking it was an off-night until they would'nt stop talking - until the musical numbers, when they did come, seemed under-cooked or worse, boring.

Would love to hear what you think.

[BreeDaniel]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:40am

This is one of the strangest things i've ever seen Either ALL of the cast of threepenny has an unlimited amount of time on their hands OR the publicist has strict orders to monitor this board, which is too sad for words.

One of the only threads I've EVER seen removed from this vicious board was one which I repeatedly had to defend my stance against CAMTHOM, (aka Nellie McKay) for stating my opinions on she and Threepenny. So be careful, you apparantly cannot, under any circumstances, dislike this show or ANYONE in it.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:43am

the canthom posts were a low point, very true.

[ruprecht]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:48am

I agree GG. It was mostly disturbing because Bree had some really valid and educational points and each time he said something MORE valid, CAMTHOM would throw a literal fit. Can't believe of all the threads to ever be removed, that one was.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:51am

i don't understand why it was removed. Bree made points, the person got very nasty and looked foolish -- was it because the person embarrassed themselves?

[leadfootlouie]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:51am

Again, the reviews will take of everything.

Is this fixable - yes, almost anything is (we'll maybe not anything)....

... they should extend the previews and figure out another way to do this. If they stay on the same path, they are doomed!

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:53am

i certainly hope it all gets worked out. i love cyndi lauper, and i love this show. i even have a soft spot for wally shawn, although i can't imagine him as a lyricist.

[GreatWhiteWay]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:54am

Okee, I usually don't sound off on stuff like this, but I have to say something. I don't mean to be rude leadfoot but you're really sounding quite egotistical. Now, i don't mean to start a fight, but saying that they're all doomed and warning people not to waste their money is just a tad pretentious.

Why not encourage people to go and make up their own minds?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:55am

Thanks for the review Leadfoot. I haven't seen the show, so I don't know if I share your opinions, but I think you adequately explained your reasons for not liking it. Findyourgrail is of course absurd, and I think it should be noted that this is a "message board" - and it's a given that any review posted on here is subjective and doesn't need to be prefaced on every line with "IN MY OPINION."

Nor do we need to be "nice" in our critique of what we see. Ben Brantley sure isn't when he dislikes something. We're talking about a Broadway production not some community theatre thing here.




Updated On: 3/27/06 at 11:55 AM

[leadfootlouie]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:57am

Oh people should go -!!

Of course, they should make up their own minds - they should however not be foolish and pay $111 dollars to do so, like I did !

I went into this show with glorious high hopes. They were dashed. I am dissapointed. That's all!

[timote316]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 12:01pm

Thank you very much for the review. A review is an opinion - and if backed up, you are completely entitled to it. You don't have to agree. Thank you for such a well-written review.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 12:09pm

I really need to chime in here for a moment. For once and for all, not EVERYONE who expresses a less than glowing "review" on a message board is bitter over "not having had a callback" as findyourgrail so foolishly suggested. Some of us also don't profess to be best friends with stars, aren't masquerading with false identities, aren't getting paid to shill, aren't somehow involved with a production, in other words, most of the adult posters here are simply lovers of the genre.

It's such an ATC mentality to think anything to the contrary and it makes me ballistic. Us theater lovers pay outrageous amounts of money to see people in shows and sometimes, (oftentimes lately), it turns out to be a less than wonderful experience. This is a MESSAGE BOARD, not Time magazine or Variety, or anything else of that ilk. So quit your bellyaching and allow for Louie, or anyone else for that matter, to have their OPINIONS!

Maybe now people will understand why I need such long absences from this board.

(edited for sp) Updated On: 3/27/06 at 12:09 PM

[leadfootlouie]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 12:16pm

I've never had the interest nor inclination to audition for any Broadway or/and theatre realted project in either New York or Pocatella, Idaho.

I do know people in the arts but I also know janitors as well! Sometimes, the janitors are equally compelling and even more astute.

It is just my opinion and I expect there will be others who simply love what I didn't and hate what I loved.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 12:39pm

From the way I've heard the show described, it sounds like it sticks pretty close to Brecht's theatrical style (much more so than the 1950s revisal). If this is true, it will probably get critical acclaim, though audiences unfamiliar with Brecht will be turned off by it (with the exception of the cast, whom they are probably there to see in the first place). I've never been a fan of Brecht, so I doubt I would enjoy it much, though I can respect the production for its faithfulness (if that is indeed the case). I do like the Donmar recording, however.

[elmore3003]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 12:46pm

Leadfoot, thanks for your comments. I've been in THREEPENNY OPERA, directed a production, and seen at least three other productions, including the 1976 Lincoln Center production with Raul Julia. I was looking forward to seeing this new translation, but it was primarily the casting of talented Brian Charles Rooney as Lucy and the bisexual element added to this production that turned me against seeing it. I'm no prude, but Brecht in his notes on this piece makes it clear that Macheath is very bourgeois, and that he and his gang are good solid businessmen, not raffish clubgoers.

I don't believe Tiger Brown would relish the thought of his daughter Lucy as a drag queen, and I believe Macheath, as a good solid businessman, would ignore any homoerotic feelings he's carrying. The whole production strikes me as being more about the production team's psychosexual fantasies than the writers'.

When I saw the Lincoln Center production, my impulse was to stand up and yell, it's supposed to be funny. Is there any humor in this production?

[Brennan88]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 12:51pm

This is my first post here, and I probably wouldn't even bother but I am because I happen to have been in the front row at the first preview.

Now I know that the front row isn't always the best place to be for perspective (for instance, I didn't even realize there were subtitles throughout the entire production.) Also, I'll say right up front that I'm a long time fan of Weill, if not always Brecht.

I don't want to get into a full blown review--I don't think that's fair considering how early in the process this is, but I will make a few points.

I was at first put off by the vulgarity of the costumes, especially the mens (not because I'm a prude, but because they were distracting.) However, after a while I didn't mind them so much, and by the end found myself admiring them for what they said about each character's life.

I will also say that while I did not enjoy every single minute of the piece, I was never bored, always engaged, and often quite thrilled.

Ana Gasteyer is a winning and powerful presence, especially in the second act. Like everyone in the cast, I am sure she will find more layers as the work progresses.

I think Cyndi Lauper's characterization was heartbreaking, particularly in her silences and in her song. She's a smart cookie with a wealth of perfroming experience (and let's not forget, an acting Emmy) and I am confident that in a few days any sign of nervousness will be gone.

I have to agree with leadfoot (I think that was his name) that Nellie McKay was the revelation of the evening. While her breathy speech could have passed as a superficial homage to Audrey Hepburn or an MGM starlet, there was a knowing astuteness just under the surface that never lets us forget we are watching a didactic piece of theatre, which I imagine would have pleased Brecht very much. One moment McKay is a winning farcer who is very much in on the joke, the next a jilted and heartbroken flower. It's a balancing act that I believe she accomplishes with great skill.

As for the show on the whole, it will not be to everyone's taste, but I for one loved it.

[leadfootlouie]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 12:57pm

Brennan88 - she sang one whole song like Audrey Hepburn which I thought was simply amazing but we could not put our finger's on who she was imitating.

One person said "Shirley Temple"? One said "Joan Fontaine". One said Judy in "The Wizard of Oz"! I also thought there were shade of Mink Stole in it as well.

Then, we noticed she was all we were talking about.

Very interesting.

[Brennan88]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 1:28pm

I'm glad you liked Nellie, I'm just sorry you didn't have a better experience. As they say, I guess that's why there's chocolate and vanilla!

And to Elmore, who asked if there's any humor, I would say yes, quite a bit, including a site gag that I believe was a nod to Studio 54's disco days.

[DG]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 1:39pm

"I believe Macheath, as a good solid businessman, would ignore any homoerotic feelings he's carrying"

Elmore, may I ask what exactly you meant by this - I must admit I'm at a bit of a loss.

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 2:05pm

Leadfoot - Thank you for your review.

What did you think about the visual elements of the show? I have heard wonderful things about lighting in particular. Costumes?

I appreciate your willingness to share your opinions and stich to them regardless of the hostility you have faced on this thread.

[leadfootlouie]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 2:10pm

I thought the costumes to be ludicrous.

The sets, spartan but useful.

The lighting was very good.

as for the bashing:

I get the feeling it's coming from people who either never went to the show (it was a 4th preview - come on - how many people could have gone in 3 days)or were TOLD to like it!
Updated On: 3/27/06 at 02:10 PM