WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN begins previews TONIGHT!- Page 31

[tinmanp7]

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

For anyone who saw the show last night.I am a high school teacher who wants to take my class to this show.Since there has been changes,has the nudity been taken out? If not,how explicit is the nudity.Thanks in advance for your help.

[MimiJudith]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 8:16am

tinmanp, I wish I had a high school teacher like you! Although I really didn't like this show, I'm sure I would have thoroughly enjoyed a field trip to any Broadway show with my high school class.

Anyway, I saw this show a few weeks ago and the nudity that was in was very quick and not explicit at all. It just showed a guy's backside, from what I remember. Perhaps this has changed, though, since I saw the show.

Anyway, if you need another show to take your class to, I would highly recommend "The Fantasticks."

[doodlenyc]

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

I was at the show last night...so many problems...OY! I have not tracked all of the changes, so I may not have much to add to that discussion, but I do have some thoughts about the show itself.

SPOILERS

The best things about the show are Lupone, Benanti and Scott and the score. The three ladies are perfect in their roles and I couldnt ask for more from them given what they have to do. All three had terrific timing. That can not be said about the rest of the cast, but I can forgive some of that due to the changes.
The two best numbers are Benanti's phone calls (the only number that actually moved the plot) and Patti's courtroom solo (which stopped the plot dead, but she was terrific and the song was lovely). My least favorite number, now the opening, was "Madrid" and Burstein seemed embarrassed to be delivering it.
I do think that the problem is basic and unfixable with the material. Farce is too difficult to keep pace as a musical. You need to get on the trainride and not get stuck in those deadly numbers that felt like quicksand. Poor Mitchell, in fine voice, delivers the next worst songs. I did feel sorry for him.

The worst part, and I feel kind of bad about this, was the actress playing Marisa, AND that bizarre dance she does during her dream. The dance should be cut (I was hoping Burstein was going to hit them with his cab) and she should be replaced by a decent actress...she was such a dishrag and there have to be some young actresses that could shine in the role. It wasnt that it was underwritten (tho it was), she was just terrible. The song list gave her the last number, but thankfully it must've been cut.

Unintentional laughter in parts, especially when Patti entered Pepa's apartment for the first act finale...in a negligee? That was just bad direction. Was she dropped from a helicopter on Pepa's balcony so she could mock the others? It made no sense. Since it's the title number, I get why she is in it, and I did like the women on the bungees at the end(sans lollipop), but it shouldnt have taken place in Pepa's apartment...it was just ridiculous.

I really wanted to like this more, but it's just a train wreck that I dont think can be saved.
If it runs a few months, I'll be very surprised, but would then expect Lupone and Benanti to be nom'd for Tonys...really great stuff from them.

Just my opinions, of course...

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 10:54am

If it runs a few months, I'll be very surprised

I've been meaning to ask this, and since you brought it up, I'll ask now. I've seen quite a few posters comment that they'd be surprised if it ran until January (and variations thereof). In all seriousness, what are the chances that a subscription-based show like this wouldn't run its entire planned run?

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 11:51am

Great question.

[Brick]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 11:52am

It will complete its run. An extension is the only thing in question.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 11:53am

I don't see why it wouldn't plan its planned run.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 12:00pm

It will complete its run. An extension is the only thing in question.

That was my line of thinking, but since it had been mentioned several times (and not by people I find to be generally prone to hyperbole), I was curious.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 12:01pm

I'm sure an extension will mostly depend on the reviews.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 12:03pm

And the availability of the actors.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 12:04pm

True.
Have you seen the show yet? I know you're a huge LuPone fan.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 12:10pm

Not yet. I have tickets for November 20th, when a friend is visiting. Initially I was worried I wouldn't be able to wait that long, but when I started hearing the poor initial word of mouth and the news that there'd be big changes made during previews, I figured it made more sense to just wait it out.

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 2:13pm

How has the rush been? I was wanting to try the rush tonight, but wasn't sure what time to get there to ensure I get a ticket. Has anyone tried lately?

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 2:49pm

@doodlenyc: about the problem being that they're trying to make a musical out of a farce - the only successful example I can think of is "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." Anyone got any other good examples. Why does "Forum" succeed where "Women" is failing? I keep hearing from y'all that the songs stop the story. Any chance some simple lyric rewrites could fix that?

[morosco]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 3:02pm

...they're trying to make a musical out of a farce.

That's a good point. A farce needs momentum and a musical number would bring that momentum to a halt. Can you imagine NOISES OFF as a musical? Impossible.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 4:55pm

Changes discussed in the Times.

http://familycircle.typepad.com/family-circle/

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 5:09pm

there are other successful musical farces. "Crazy for You" and "Sugar" come to mind.

the problem with "Women on the Verge" is that the songs are bland, repetitive, and lack energy. Thusly, the action halts.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 5:14pm

I think the score is anything but bland. There are some really great numbers. I also think these are Yazbek's best lyrics to date.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 8:07pm

^ I agree with ljay, it is tied with DRS for my favorite Yazbek score...2/3 lol...but I think there are wonderfully written songs in there.

does anyone know if the taxi driver still sings Madrid as the opening? I thought it was pointless as the act 2 opener when i saw it a few weeks ago, but...

[kyle4]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 8:08pm

"the problem with "Women on the Verge" is that the songs are bland, repetitive, and lack energy. Thusly, the action halts."

ok... um, and...

the problem with WOMEN ON THE VERGE is that it is a COMPLETE and UTTER, CONVOLUTED mess... also quite OXMORONIC in that there is TONS AND TONS OF CHAOS, MOVEMENT, FIRE, CONVEYORS and AERIAL activity.... yet, it is SOOOOOOO BORING....

NOT A LITTLE BORING..... SOOOOOOOO, SOOOOOOOO FRIGHTENINGY BORING.....

examples:

a) stokes BLAH, BLAH, BLAH song

b) interminable taxi conveyor-ing across the stage at a snail's pace

c) long, boring (unnecessary!) courtroom scene building up to patti's "ok" song... not a bad song, but just EH...

d) conversations with building concierges... often... why?

but WAIT... THEY MADE CHANGES!!!!!! ITS A WORK IN PROGRESS!!!! ( a "work in progress" performing for near a month at FULL PRICE!!!)... A WORK IN PROOOOOOOGRESSSSS!!!!!

and one of the GREAT changes is... they took the SCARIEST, WEIRDEST and MOST UNINTERESTING and POORLY STAGED, NONSENSICAL number.... and made it...

THE OPENING NUMBER!!!

EUREKA!!!!!!

THE WORK IN PROGRESS is NOW a "WORK"....

YAY!!!

this is gonna be REAL ugly and NO WAY, NO WAY....

NO WAY

will it run for the full 10 weeks!!!

I pray those actors and crew members get their CASH!!!

reviewers arrive on SATURDAY!!!!

lord oh lord....





Read more: https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?page=31&thread=1022953&boardid=1#ixzz13bgbITX6

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 8:10pm

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 8:12pm

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE

[After Eight]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 8:32pm

"Where's Charley?" and "The Boys From Syracuse" were two successful musical farces. And I thought "Let It Ride!" was also a good one, even though it did not have a long run.

As for the anti-troll can, unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be working!

[bk]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 8:57pm

So these huge changes involve the moving of one musical number and some dialogue tweaks? Is that it? Boy how times change - huge changes used to mean - huge changes. Now it means moving a musical number and tweaking some dialogue? I haven't seen the show and am looking forward to doing so, but let's not call these changes huge because, at least from what I've read, they are not. If the small changes are helping the show, then that's great. It's hard to know reading this thread because, as always, you have the lovers and the haters, and both camps seem to share equal obsession.

[kyle4]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 9:40pm

... and the lovers call the haters trolls!!!