WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN begins previews TONIGHT!- Page 27

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/20/10 at 10:02pm

The reason LuPone's song, which, for the record, isn't very good, gets such a strong reaction is that it's LuPone singing alone on a bare stage.

The audience knows they're in the presence of legend. Even the non-theater queens.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 10/20/10 at 10:33pm

Katurian, was that the performance of Shipwreck that the Clintons were at? If so, I was there as well!!!

[wonderwaiter]

Posted: 10/20/10 at 10:45pm

"...there were a few points when she was singing that I couldn't understand a single word coming out of her mouth."

In Evita, we called that "Act Two"!




/I keed, I keed.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/20/10 at 11:06pm

Haha!

[dramarama3]

Posted: 10/21/10 at 12:44am

Patti's act one number Time Stood Still is really awful. Like, it's all well and good to say she doesn't need to belt the crap out of everything, but the song really does nothing for her voice at all. It's just all over the place...

[Katurian2]

Posted: 10/21/10 at 10:07am

Katurian, was that the performance of Shipwreck that the Clintons were at? If so, I was there as well!!!

Wow, haha if it was, I certainly had no idea that they were there! Did this sort of event happen more than once then?!

[Steve2]

Posted: 10/21/10 at 11:39am

I am curious to know of Patti LuPone's weekend schedule considering she has a concert in South Florida on Saturday evening. I know there are no WOTV perfrmances Saturday, however It might be calling it close to make it back to NYC for the Sunday afternoon performance.

I wonder how others meet their outside engagements?

Don't mess with Broadway star Patti LuPone Updated On: 10/21/10 at 11:39 AM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 10/21/10 at 11:58am

I didn't notice until RIGHT before Act 2 started. They were coming back to the seats from the lobby and the entire audience (in the orchestra) applauded. Bill stood up and waved.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/21/10 at 12:14pm

I am curious to know of Patti LuPone's weekend schedule considering she has a concert in South Florida on Saturday evening. I know there are no WOTV perfrmances Saturday, however It might be calling it close to make it back to NYC for the Sunday afternoon performance.

Yeah, because South Florida is a 16 hour flight to New York City and that's not putting in consideration the snow delays, etc.

Common sense will tell you that YES, Miss LuPone will be able to do a 5 hour concert in South Florida AND still have enough time to be back in New York City by 6am; get enough sleep to make the 2pm matinee performance at the Belasco Theatre.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/21/10 at 12:17pm

The show has no performances this Saturday.

[Steve2]

Posted: 10/21/10 at 12:24pm

Common sense will tell you that YES, Miss LuPone will be able to do a 5 hour concert in South Florida AND still have enough time to be back in New York City by 6am; get enough sleep to make the 2pm matinee performance at the Belasco Theatre.

Sorry for asking, Brody. You must be having a bad day (or life).

[MimiJudith]

Posted: 10/21/10 at 12:29pm

Why are there no performances this Saturday?

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 10/22/10 at 11:04am

They knew about her concert well in advance, and perhaps thought it would be better to just cancel the performances on Saturday and add one on Sunday instead of worrying if her understudy was full rehearsed and ready to go on.

[theaterdrew]

Posted: 10/23/10 at 10:11am

Tidbits from around the web, one blog I read suggested the negative reaction from many in the audience (especially the elderly members) may be because they don't grasp that the telenovella concept they are trying to recreate. He suggests the opening act doesn't do enough to explain this and who the characters are.

Speaking of which, according to a facebook update from someone in the ensemble, they have a new opening number that will be tried out either Sunday or Tuesday. Perhaps that also explains why they planned no show today. It's about half-way and a good time to take a break to rehearse some big changes.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 10/23/10 at 10:32am

"they don't grasp the telenovella concept they are trying to recreate"

"Trying" being the operative word. I've seen many a telenovella and that show doesn't even come close to conceptualizing that quality. If that is the concept they were going for, in my opinion they missed it.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 10/23/10 at 12:58pm

Perhaps that also explains why they planned no show today. It's about half-way and a good time to take a break to rehearse some big changes.

That would make sense only if they're rehearsing things Patti isn't in (which is totally possible).

[Joey.]

Posted: 10/23/10 at 1:59pm

I saw the show on the 15th. I remember having a really good time, but by curtain my boyfriend and I looked at each other incredulously at the mess we had just witnessed. As has been said, Laura's is the only character given any real substance and as such her performance (particularly "Model Behavior") is the only element of the show that's really stuck with me. Poor Patti is giving a leading lady, 100% performance of mediocre material and the rest of the cast is largely forgettable. I hope to see the show again some time in January (assuming it doesn't close early) just to see how it evolves.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 10/23/10 at 2:17pm

Joining to trash DDD
you troll, you, you posted #666!

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 10/23/10 at 5:41pm

A new opening number?!?!?! AWESOME.

That would legitimately make this show at least 40% better. "My Crazy Heart" is a pretty song, but it does NOT work where it comes and/or as it's staged.

Has anyone seen the show with the new ending yet? Have they put in a new closer?

[dramarama3]

Posted: 10/23/10 at 6:03pm

I'm actually surprised how little changes have been made, at least according to reports. I mean, shows like Shrek went through overhaul from day one (in the try-out at least, but still).

[ohjohnny]

Posted: 10/23/10 at 6:03pm

Saw it last night and based on this thread and others on the internet, I was expecting to see a real piece of dreck. Maybe it was lowered expectations, but I thought the show was fine and I'll go again to see if it improves. Now, I don't think this was the greatest thing I've seen on Broadway, but for those who think this is the worst thing you've seen, I suggest you buy tickets to the Addams Family and let me know if you still think Women on the Verge is garbage or the worst thing on Broadway. THAT SHOW is an enormous waste of talent and beyond redemption, but I don't think Women on the Verge is.

Anyway, I give a big thumbs up to Laura Benanti, who may be singlehandedly saving this show because until "Model Behavior", I did think the show was pretty lackluster. From "Model Behavior" on, I was on board and was finally getting the tone of the show. She made me think of Noises Off for some reason. That level of well-paced and acted comedy.

LuPone could use some work on her accent, but I thought she did a great job most of the time, although I couldn't hear her through half of her first number. It could be the orchestra drowning her out-- I don't know. But something was up.

I was a little disappointed with Sherie Rene Scott, only because I expected a gangbusters voice but instead found her acting to be the strongest thing she was offering. She made me think that I hadn't seen a well-acted musical comedy in recent memory and I appreciated what she was doing. But still, she was a little underwhelming.

I liked Danny Burstein and thinks he's such a likeable performer.

I could do without Brian Stokes Mitchell. Not that I thought he was bad, but I just didn't need all that much Ivan. I say cut his whole number with Guarini. Well sung or not, it did nothing for me.

The rest of the cast was adequate and nothing more, imo.

Loved the costumes, which I think is very important to this show. Was ambivalent about the staging at first, but as I said, Benanti convinced me that the conveyor belts could be well used.

Unlike others, I loved the Taxi and the hanging ladies in the close of the first act/opening of the second.

Overall, again, I did not have the same feeling of betrayal and disappointment I felt when I saw Addams Family. That show is beyond help, imo. So was Young Frankenstein a few season back. Both of those shows were generic dreck. This show has its problems but is better than both of those shows and has more personality, a higher level of talent and an interesting point of view. Women on the Verge just needs some tweaking, I think, and things could improve. But what I saw was pretty damn entertaining for the most part.

[chewbaca]

Posted: 10/24/10 at 3:49am

saw the preview 10/22/10 with my family. I am surprised how critical and wrong most of these posts are about this show. although it is not an outstanding show, it is a good one with some flaws and some excellent acting.

As I am sure most of you know, Spain was in a vast termoil of change after the Franco regime ended. Throughout the play there were many referrals to the "old" Spain and the "nuveau" Spain where many of the social values have changed. I thought the presentation of this was both interesting and wonderful.

Lack of deep characterization, except for Ms. Benati(who stole the show) is one of my chief complaints. The court scene dragged on for what seemed forever to conclude with Ms. Lupone's song.

Some songs were good, others less memorable.The play's ending was a bit weak. I loved the sets and the movement made it more interesting and enjoyable for me. Justin Guarini was excellent as was most of the acting. While I never read the book or saw the movie I found the play easy to follow and for the most part did not get bored or fidgety as I often do during many uninteresting plays (except for court scene). I think, in reviewing this play in my mind after seeing it, it was a very artistic representation and expression of the culture shock and changes in Madrid after Franco. I would like to see it again to revisit some things I missed the first go around. Maybe they tightened it up since some of these critiqes, but I found this play not to be a mess or a masterpiece but a very interesting bit of theater with a message.
Updated On: 10/24/10 at 03:49 AM

[dramarama3]

Posted: 10/24/10 at 4:48am

Might wanna edit your post chewbaca before you get slaughtered...

benanti not binotti
and there is no book, it was solely based on an original movie

[chewbaca]

Posted: 10/24/10 at 8:16am

I stand corrected. Thank you. My daughter read the screen play which was in Spanish while she lived in Madrid this past year. We all liked the show. I've snoozed many a time on Broadway, but not on this one.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 10/24/10 at 9:52am

"I am surprised how critical and wrong most of these posts are about this show."

Wrong? An opinion is a personal belief. There's no right or wrong.