Walmartopia-- Reviews?

[JustABroadwaybaby2]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 9:28pm

Hi.
I was thinking of seeing Walmartopia after watching a segment of it on Onstage.
Did anyone see it?
If so, how was it?
Thanks, guys!

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 9:42pm

I'm interested in hearing about this as well. I'm doing will call for this show tomorrow (I'm handin gout the tickets. not picking them up).

[JACXR71]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 1:21pm

Saw it and have to say, was not impressed. I know the Fringe is all about experimental stuff and new writers/composers, but it still felt very very amateurish. The lyrics, the melodies, everything - there were a few laughs and catchy tunes, but for the most part I (along with the 4 other people with me) was extremely underwhelmed. The vocal talent was also a bit sub-par, with a few exceptions, but a lot of time when the company sang in unison (and it was a pretty big ensemble) the notes were pretty off. Very satirical, obviously, but at times you just want to say "yeah, we get it!" as some of the points were shoved down your throat, so to speak.

Hope I'm not coming across as too harsh - with some tweaking it could definitely be improved. Curious to see what others have to say about it.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 1:44pm

so, what was this about?
i know Walmart, but was it just making fun of it or something?
sounds interesting...

[JACXR71]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 1:59pm

Long story short - satire about Walmart's killing of small-town America, mistreatment of employees, etc. Most of their information is factual - things like union policies, employment statistics, legal information, and then they embellish a little bit. The first act is about a single mother trying to make a living as a Walmart employee. In the second act, she travels to the future and finds a world completely run by Walmart and has to fight to save the world, etc. Pretty cute, if not cliched, plot.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 6:47pm

Ugh. I ended up ushering today and stayed for the whole show. I want my 2 hours back.

I guess it could've been worse, but it was pretty bad.

I am in no way trying to undermine the issues that the show discusses, but it seems as if they are. What could have been a good satire was lost in a horrible book and cheesy, forgettable music.

The cast was just okay, with the exception of
Anna Jayne Marquandt (sp?), who played the lead, Vicki Lattrell. Other than Anna, the vocal talent was sub-par (as JAC said).

I know that sounds really harsh, but that was just how I felt.

[JACXR71]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 6:54pm

Haha, dancingthrulife - I was afraid I was being harsh, too. Glad I wasn't the only one who felt that way about the show. I agree with you about the lead, but I think with more training, the blonde girl who belted her a** off could be really good as well. She's definitely got natural talent, she just needs to learn how to control it. And I said to my friend exactly what you said - that a clever satire was overshadowed by a poor book/lyrics.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 7:02pm

That blonde girl's bio claims that she has been performing for 15 years. I was a bit surprised.

If they were going to do this, it should NOT have been a musical. that was my first big problem. the songs just made the whole story seem dumb.