Wall Street Journal review of "Brooklyn"

[NJgirl]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 12:24pm

Havent seen this posted...so I figured some might want to see it...
Not a very nice review....here's the highlights (if you want to call them that)..basically, all I left out was the synopsis of the show that he gave and his comments on how the lyrics werent so great and were cheesey "Disney-soul"....lol

"Broadway has a new musical with that rarity of rarities, an original score. That's cause for rejoicing, right? Er...no. The fact that its songs were custom-written by Mark Shoenfeld and Barii McPhereson is the only "original" thing about "Brooklyn:The Musical", which opened last night at the Plymouth Theater. Otherwise, it's 100% pure recycled - from garbage."

"In short, we're talking about "RENT" for the preschool set, a molasses coated piece of boob bait whose presence on Broadway, however temporary, is proof that musical comedy standards never seem to hit rock bottom-they just sink lower and lower. "Brooklyn" is so stupid, in fact, that I thought for about 5 hopeful minutes that it was going to turn into a jeeringly cynical "Avenue Q" style parody. No such luck"

"So far as I can tell the authors are a pair of Pollyannas, who were suckled on greeting card verse, and the members of the cast either believe in what theyre singing or deserve a collective Tony for dissimulation above and beyond the call of duty. By 8:35, I was looking at my watch wondering if the battery might be low. After, I did my best to tune out the words and music and concertrate on the energetic staging, but every time I let my guard down, however briefly, I heard another line and flinched. "Brooklyn" is performed without an intermission, a wise move on the part of the producers, since it makes it harder for unsatisfied customers to stalk out discreetly. The being the case, I have another suggestion: the ushers should pass out precautionary megadoses of Dramamine to all ticketholders."

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 12:39pm

Wow...and I thought the other reviews were bad...

[NJgirl]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 12:43pm

yeah...that's what I thought to, until I read that at work yesterday...and was like wow...there werent even any nice comments about the actors singing well like Ive seen in other reviews...lol

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 12:52pm

"[T]he cast either believe in what theyre singing or deserve a collective Tony for dissimulation above and beyond the call of duty." Now that's some vivid writing right there.

But if it can just hang on until Tony time it'll build an audience.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 12:57pm

Especially with every audience running right to the box office after the show to buy more tickets.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 12:59pm

Any chance of them moving the Tonys up? Like say tomorrow?

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 1:01pm

*ouch*
I've read bad reviews before, but I'm gonna have to print this one out to hold as a standard

[etoile]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 1:10pm

The article was poetic. Namo, when did you start writing for the Journal?

[sean martin]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 1:10pm

I'm sorry, but this isnt a review. It's a vicious little "look at me I'm such a cutie John Simon must be positively green with envy" article whose sole purpose is to show off. Okay, the show's bad. It's probably posting its closing notice even as we all write here. Is that any reason to pound it and its creators into the ground? Give it a rest and move on; God knows it's not the first horrible musical to come to NY and it wont be the last, not as long as Lloyd Webber is still around to write them. :)

[insomniak]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 5:11pm

OUCH.

Will all these nasty reviews make it close sooner? No one seems to like it. It failed to be Rent, Q and Wicked all at once, which seemed to be the goal.

[grownupgroupie]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 5:18pm

boob bait? Yow.

Posted: 10/23/04 at 7:31pm

I JUST SAW THE MATINEE TODAY.

He's not far off, folks, sad to say. At the start,let me state that I was very excited to see this when I scored a ticket a month or so ago and made it one of only two shows I am able to see today (I live out in CA and am on a quick family visit to Phila,so I get one day in NYC....the other show is WICKED.) Suffice to say I was going into this with enthusiasm.

First off, the set was very good, the subway effect worked well and overall there was a nice mood set. And the costumes were clever, maybe too clever. Cleavant Derricks is a fave of mine and he was in fine voice and character, as were the rest. It got a little "cutesy" way too soon with the earnest 'Heart Behind These Hands' opening and the "hey look we're so street,we're gonna sing and act for you under this here bridge and bring a preposterous fantasy story to life right in front of your eyes, yo" thing. 'Christmas Makes Me Cry' made me cry, for all the wrong reasons. And, it might have seemed clever on paper, but after a while the scene changes by the actors on stage were more and more elaborate and ultimately more entertaining than the scenes that followed. So many groan-inducing lines of dialogue and mostly forgetable songs followed until it mercifully ended.

The actors were talented and could sing up a storm, but the material was all over the place, and mostly, not a good place.
The plot of the "fantasy" was so ridiculous, that it was mind-numbing. Without ruining anything (fill in your own jokes), it was something about a guy with a guitar from BKLYN loves and knocks up some french dancer, gets sent off to Vietman, his daughter magically can sing and play music having never been near an instrument before. She instantly becomes a pop sensation in the US (she's looking for the dad who has the words to some dumb lullaby..don't ask). She's challenged by an ebony goddess and senior Diva to some kind of American Idol thing in MSG, that pays like a gazillion dollar...the french/english girl, named..wait for it...Brooklyn plans to win and give all the money to the poor..."the United Streets of America" (GROAN). America voted, the Dark Diva won and yet a forced but happy ending followed.

Hey, I loved Rent and Avenue Q and Godspell and any musical that BRKLN is trying to be, and that's just the point. Yes it's original book and music, but there's nothing ORIGINAL about it. The musical themes are all over the place, the storytelling is confounding, and all the emotional moments forced and static. There's absolutely no reason to really care for any of these cliched misfits. Some of the songs are great as stand alones, but no amount of Pop wailing and soulful soaring by the actors (Eden and Ramona in particular) can make up for substance.

Sure they wail and warble to great heights, and that, some think makes it the next second coming. But this should have stayed a nice little Off-Broadway show. The logo for the show is so misleading, for there is little genuine heart in this one.

I don't have enough musical skills to write a new show or any show for that matter, but this, sadly didnt cut it and that bums me out.

For those who love it, keep loving it, but give other stuff a chance too...Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Little Women, revisit A Chorus Line, A New Brain, Ragtime, 3hree.....

Peace.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 7:36pm

thanks for the great review, backup!

Posted: 10/24/04 at 11:30am

I was so hoping for something better to write about. Keeping hope alive for some good original musicals.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 11:59am

"I'm sorry, but this isnt a review. It's a vicious little "look at me I'm such a cutie John Simon must be positively green with envy" article whose sole purpose is to show off. ... Is that any reason to pound it and its creators into the ground? Give it a rest and move on..."

This show was AGGRESSIVELY force fed for months as the next big thing, especially in the multitude of Brooklyn-is-awesome posts. I think a day or two of savoring the reviews and reactions (and yes, I've seen it..and in my opinion, the reviews have not been overly harsh) is justified. I doubt that the creators are reading our little message board, but it doesn't bother me a bit that all the Brooklyn shills are having to wade through all the posts.

Posted: 10/24/04 at 6:21pm

The only positive I can see is that at least people are still fired up about musicals and that any original offering can get a shot at making it. Hopefully the hype and hope surrounding the next one will be more worthy.

[sean martin]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 6:29pm

>> This show was AGGRESSIVELY force fed for months as the next big thing, especially in the multitude of Brooklyn-is-awesome posts.

Oh, I'm sure it was. When I started here, folks were wrapped up in the whole WICKEDwillneverdie! mindset (which thankfully seems to have calmed down a little...). The board here is sort of like the 3D boards I frequent, where everyone goes ape^%&$ over the latest 3D mesh.

Posted: 10/24/04 at 8:47pm

I saw wicked with eden and thought she was (quite a bit) better than idina, so its true what most of the reviews are saying: It's a shame that the talented cast has to put up with a show like this.
This review sums up what many of the others have been trying to say, and it isn't looking too good for brooklyn. Unless they make some MAJOR changes (i.e. pull the plug) Brooklyn's time on broadway won't be long.

[kates]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 9:54pm

My question, and it may be a stupid one, are the stars of this show contracually bound to stay in this until their contract is up or the show closes? If something better comes along can they pick up and leave?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 10:12pm

Broadway contracts are typically (with some exceptions) for the first year of the run. If the show closes before the first year is up, obviously the cast is free to pursue other options from the day after closing. NO, they CANNOT pick up and leave if something better comes along.

[Bobby457]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 11:25pm

It depends on their contract and how it was negotiated.....USUALLY an actor has a 2 week out....if they HAVE to leave the show in a hurry....an actor can buy themselves out of their contract....usually 2 weeks contractual salary

[kates]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 11:48pm

thanks for the answers!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 11:54pm

"if they HAVE to leave the show in a hurry"

Yes, as in the case of a REAL emergency. Not, however, just "if something better comes along." Any actor trying to walk out on a Broadway show a few weeks into a year long contract so they can go do a sitcom, etc... better prepare to be sued and get an earful from Equity.

Updated On: 10/24/04 at 11:54 PM