Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

#1

Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:24pm

Very positive notices for Sherie Rene Scott and Norm Lewis' abs (despite the rest of him being underused). Overall, show's a clunker because of Wright's book, the awful design elements (save Natasha Katz' lighting), and Zambello/Mear's uninspired staging.

Little-to-no mention of Sierra Boggess.

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934502.html?categoryid=33&cs=1

#2

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:25pm

So, do Norm Lewis' abs get a song?

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Some people paint, some people sew, I meddle.

#3

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:27pm

No, and that was one of Rooney's complaints...

"...his impressive gym results getting more exposure than his mellifluous baritone."

#4

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:28pm

This is why we need Josh Logan back. He could a find a way to show off Norm's baritone AND abs!

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Some people paint, some people sew, I meddle.

#5

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:37pm

That's a rather scathing review.
How do you get rid of the set, costumes, book and most of the cast in 2 months?

Can't wait to see how the DISNEY Professional Bloggers turn this around.
I am sure they will try.

Updated On: 8/26/07 at 11:37 PM

#6

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:37pm

Ouch.

#7

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:41pm

How do you get rid of the set, costumes, book and most of the casr in 2 months?
You don't. In the old days they'd have folded out of town, fire a bunch of people, and start from scratch. Given what Disney did with TARZAN, they'll just tweak a couple of things, bring a mediocre show to Broadway, and trust that audiences will flock to it based on name recognition...Sad thing is, they'll recoup either way.
The only reason I want to see this show anymore is Sherie Rene Scott, glad she's getting stellar reviews.

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"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"

#8

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:46pm

Are his abs truly this incredible? I am not going to lie, but the critics' raves for his abs makes me want to see them.

And yes, that was incredible scathing...however, they clearly reasoned why they felt the way they did...which could help the creative team.

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How to properly use its/it's: Its is the possessive. It's is the contraction for it is...

#9

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:46pm

Well TARZAN did not re-coup.
It lost Millions of Dollars.

But this is DISNEY, so we never hear a word of how much a show costs or when it re-coups.

#10

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 12:58am

TARZAN isn't nearly as well-known and popular as LITTLE MERMAID, plus Phil Collins' tunes aren't anywhere near as fascinating as what Howard Ashman and Alan Menken did for the film. I have no doubt that even if they put on the Disney's MGM Theme Park version of LITTLE MERMAID the show would be a big fat hit.

#11

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 1:15am

Yes, ThankstoPhantom, they ARE that good. I can out of the theatre telling my companion that after this I'd take Triton over Eric ANY day. Yummy.

#12

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 1:16am

One hopes that is what they do Ray, hold the opening for a six months or so and go fix this.

Disney could always bring Hunchback into the Lunt, while waiting for Mermaid to be fixed.

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Well I didn't want to get into it, but he's a Satanist. Every full moon he sacrifices 4 puppies to the Dark Lord and smears their blood on his paino. This should help you understand the score for Wicked a little bit more. Tazber's: Reply to Is Stephen Schwartz a Practicing Christian

#13

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 2:19am

Disney could always bring Beauty into the Lunt, while waiting for Mermaid to be fixed.

#14

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 2:19am

Disney could always bring Tarzan into the Lunt, while waiting for Mermaid to be fixed.

#15

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 3:20am

Wow! I see the show loseing a director and haveing its sets chopped up before hitting the East Coast. Disney must be squirming here at the reviews. I think holding the show for a number of months may help but maybe most of the damage has been done. The sets and costumes are already done, it just seems they dont have a show show to go on them!

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A young actress with Noel coward after a dreadful opening night performance said to him 'Well, i knew my lines backwards this morning!'' Noels fast reply was ''Yes dear, and thats exactly how you said them tonight'!'

#16

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 8:31am

As i said before, Disney needs to take the Aida aproach and fire the creative team and start from scratch.

Yes they have already booked the lunt, but hey, bring up one of the touring productions of Lion King and mount it there, that show sells out so fast they probably could afford to run 2 productions in NYC at the same time, lol.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/27199361@N08/ Phantom at the Royal Empire Theatre

#17

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 8:44am

They're not going to close to retool.

That would be admitting defeat, and Tommy doesn't do that.

Updated On: 8/27/07 at 08:44 AM

#18

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 8:51am

Aida's tryouts where at least a year before the broadway production opened, yes?
There is only what a month or two after closing in Denver to opening previews in New York?

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Well I didn't want to get into it, but he's a Satanist. Every full moon he sacrifices 4 puppies to the Dark Lord and smears their blood on his paino. This should help you understand the score for Wicked a little bit more. Tazber's: Reply to Is Stephen Schwartz a Practicing Christian

#19

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 8:56am

Yep...they start at the beginning of November...the 3rd to be exact.

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How to properly use its/it's: Its is the possessive. It's is the contraction for it is...

#20

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 9:06am

This sounds completely terrible.

Even if you take out all the (negative) adjectives and just read the descriptions of what they're doing on stage, it's god-awful.

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"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."

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#21

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 9:24am

It's sad that they even closed Aida.
It was doing well from what I heard and it wasn't a typical "Disney" show. The songs were fantastic and the staging was amazing. I think they should just bring that back while they fix up Mermaid.

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WR: "Jeff, are you going get this game when it comes out?" JB: "I wouldn't be able to write another musical..." ~NY ComicCon 2/8/09

[believe]

#22

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 9:49am

Way more intrigued by the raves over Norm's abs than anything else. Just putting that out there.

#23

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 10:53am

His abs are worth the price of admission!

I don't get the reviewer's comment about it not being eye-popping. I thought it was. As I have mentioned here in other threads, I am not the biggest fan of Disney stage shows. But I just took this show for what it was and pretty much enjoyed it. It wasn't the most fantastic show but it was entertaining. And it does need some work. I expect it will be ripped apart in New York and quite honestly, if they don't fix the problems, then it should be. Hopefully Disney is reading posts on sites like this and the posts in the Denver Post to find out what people do and don't like. Not that they will do anything based on what they read!

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Just give the world Love. - S. Wonder

#24

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 11:58am

Oh, to ne a fly on the wall of that production meeting this morning.

#25

re: Variety Pans 'Mermaid'

Posted: 8/27/07 at 12:01pm

I'm sure Norm will get a chuckle out of the great ab comments, But I'm also thinking that he'd rather have a meatier part than lean, ripped abs! His voice is a beefy as it gets. Here's hoping he's got other plans on Triton's pitchfork.

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www.pbentertainmentinc.com BWW regional writer "Philadelphia/South Jersey"