White Rose Musical - Off Broadway

[broadwayindie]

Posted: 1/12/24 at 12:17pm

Anybody heard anything on this? Looks like a great cast but can't find much else out. Tickets are very cheap.

[Producer2]

Posted: 1/12/24 at 2:52pm

Updated On: 1/12/24 at 02:52 PM

[Menken Fan]

Posted: 1/27/24 at 4:38pm

Caught this afternoon’s performance. It’s a messy show. Seems like there’s a story here that could be interesting, but everything is working against it in this production. Starting with numerous technical glitches with sound and lighting, which made it seem like an early preview. 
 

The tone of the show overall really doesn’t mesh with the serious subject matter. I would say it’s very, very earnest, with a lot of serious facial expressions, shouting and hand wringing that are supposed to convey the gravity of what is happening. However. Most songs have a pop feel to them that really doesn’t seem to support the characters or story.  There are 2 or 3 short bursts of odd choreography, while there isn’t any in the rest of the show.  Moments like that had me holding back inappropriate laughter, and also thinking this would work much better as a play. Which I see it was decades ago. I’d really like to see that play or a documentary about these events now. 
 

Also, the performances seemed weak and underrehearsed. Much of the singing (from this very established cast) was incomprehensible and often cringingly off-pitch. There was almost zero character development. I had no idea who these people were or where they came from. I know one character liked beer, since it was mentioned several times. Late in the show, I found out one character was about to be a father for the 3rd time. That’s about as deep as we get to know anyone. 
 

I saw some positive reviews, so it might just be me. 

Updated On: 1/27/24 at 04:38 PM

[Fan123]

Posted: 1/27/24 at 6:08pm

If it's of interest to anyone, there has been at least one German-language musical covering the same historical events, possibly several. Here's the website of one recent musical: https://www.schollmusical.com/.

[FerdinandPrinz]

Posted: 1/27/24 at 7:27pm

White Rose: The Musical at Theatre Row left me awestruck with its powerful performances and captivating storytelling. The actors and creative team did a phenomenal job of bringing to life the true story of the German student resistance movement during World War II. The timeliness of this production is crucial in today's world, reminding us of the importance of standing up for what is right and fighting against injustice. The perfect duration of the production kept me on the edge of my seat as the story developed, making this a must-see show.

[GottaGetAGimmick420]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 4:50am

There’s some weird shilling going on on this board re: this musical. I caught it this weekend and did NOT like it, mostly for the reasons pointed out by critics already 

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 8:07am

Critics seemed mixed from what I read. I'm seeing this in March, so hopefully, it's not as bad as what some are saying on here. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 9:06am

I had been curious about this, and waiting for comments. I had no idea there were any official reviews yet (I guess it opened?). BWW's page only has three; Playbill's has five, all from minor outlets. That may make sense for a small off-Broadway show, and make sense why I missed them (but DiLella's is barely a pull-quote, not even a review?). They seem very mixed/somewhat polite at best. In case anyone else missed them too:

CitiTour (Brian Scott Lipton)

DC Theater Arts (Deb Miller)

New York Theatre Guide (Caroline Cao)

New York 1 (Frank DiLella)

Times Square Chronicles (Suzanna Bowling)

Updated On: 1/28/24 at 09:06 AM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 10:12am

Can anyone expand on this? Who in the cast are playing nazis and how does the show justify a non-white person in the role? Do they acknowledge it or are they just supposed to be playing a white character?

[Menken Fan]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 11:47am

Cal Mitchell, a black man, plays one of the two main Nazi characters. His race is not addressed. The other is Sam Gravitte, who for better or worse, looks perfectly cast. 
 

And yes, that shill post above reads exactly like a press release. 

Updated On: 1/28/24 at 11:47 AM

[Marcus goldhaber2]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 10:42pm

Its great! U have to see it!

[Marcus goldhaber2]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 10:47pm

Sorry I disagree... 
 

What a rich experience . A few days ago I had the privilege of seeing a new off broadway show-
"WHITE ROSE . "
It was an informative & emotional  piece of history of which I had no prior knowledge.
In these unsettled times of increased anti semitism , it is brave & encouraging to see a story that resonates & informs  so beautifully . 
I highly recommend WHITE ROSE - an important theatrical musical  to be sure ! Don't miss it !

 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 11:30pm

Is anyone counting shills already? Does anyone know what the record is? 

I count 4 so far.

[Ensemble1707079994]

Posted: 2/4/24 at 10:01pm

I’ve been studying the story of The White Rose Resistance for 4+ years and I’ve been following this musical since the very beginning. Originally I was extremely optimistic, the songs were emotional and accurate, and the story seemed genuine. But then I watched the staged reading at 54 below as a live stream and OH MY GOD! This musical is truly a work of fiction calling its self a “true story”

First of all almost every sub plot is completely made up. I don’t know if this was kept but Huber’s student being the one to interrogate Sophie… not a thing. I found it kind of offensive that the Nazis who called for the deaths of these were being given any sympathy at all actually, especially when that syptathy wasn’t grounded in fact

Fredrick Fischer and his “run away with me” sentiment? Also not a thing. The weird part is that Sophie had a fiancé, his name was Fritz Hartnagle, and he DID have a similar sentiments towards the Nazi party which were slowly changed by Sophie. I have no idea why they had to invent a new storyline. The 54 Below concert even included a song where Sophie sang about her refusal to get married. She HAD a fiancé. I hate that she had to lose that part of her to been seen as a “feminist” in the playwright’s eyes.

Furthermore,  Lila Rahmdor is completely made up. I know her story was inspired by certain historical figures, but it seems so odd to throw her into a story that she wasn’t a part of. And it isn’t like there weren’t Jewish characters connected to The White Rose. Christoph Probst had a Jewish stepmother, and because her husband (Christoph’s father) killed himself she was without support. Ernest Reden, a close friend of the Scholls, spent six months in a concentration camps for being gay. HANS SCHOLL WAS ARRESTED FOR BEING GAY. If the writers needed to push the discrimination by the Nazi’s narrative they had so many outlets to do.  But by adding in a fictional storyline, they actively erase true stories of Nazi Atrocities. 

Perhaps the biggest offense though, was the complete disregard for Alexander Schmorell. See, the White Rose leaflets were the products of the intellect, and resilience of two best friends, Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell. The fist four leaflets, were written and distributed by them and them alone. The final two were still mostly their work, although the others (Sophie, Christoph, Willi, Huber, Traute Lafrenz) When the history was written (by Sophie’s sister, Inge) the spotlight was intentionally taken away from Hans and Alex and placed on Sophie. Alex was a Russian and Hans, as I said previously, had been arrested for Homosexuality. Sophie, on the other hand, had nothing to hide and her well spoken and flawless bravery secured heroism in history for the whole group. 
 

Still, Alex secured the typewriter. Alex introduced Hans to the rest of the group. Alex wrote the leaflets. Alex supported Hans when he fell into depressive episodes. Alex strongly influenced the groups religious views. Alex’s execution was signed off by Adolf Hitler himself. Without him there would be no White Rose. And any story without him is not, and cannot call itself, The White Rose.

It is so heartbreaking to me that this is how the amazing story of the White Rose is going to be introduced to Americans. Is it wrong to be offended? Angry? I want to believe that there was good intentions. I always want to believe that people have good intentions. But it has been incredibly difficult for me to find a silver lining here. 

With hopes for a better future I did write my own short play. Alex and Hans at the center. Hans’ queerness kept genuine and intact. We performed a staged reading for about 100 high schoolers and it felt good to know that they got an honest introduction to the history that is so important in this day and age. There are other non-American productions working toward this as well. THE WHITE ROSE is a musical out of Australia written by two young best friends (which feels beautifully symbolic) and the very successful German production SCHOLL: DIE KNOPSE DER WEISSEN ROSE which uses Hans Scholls actual poetry as song lyrics. There’s also an article on Medium called “The True Story of the White Rose Deserves to be Told” in which another historian gives his thoughts on this musical - I agree with some of his sentiments and disagree with others, but it’s a good account to have. 
 

(also forgive me for posting this twice in two different places I didn’t see this thread)

Updated On: 2/16/24 at 10:01 PM

[Menken Fan]

Posted: 2/4/24 at 10:58pm

Thank you for the detailed fact vs fiction on this story. It’s fascinating. My dislike of the show was purely based on the music, structure and technical aspects. Now I have another, much more meaningful, reason to not only dislike, but also condemn, this production. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/6/24 at 9:14pm

Saw this tonight. For a musical with a fascinating subject matter that I’m probably going to spend a significant amount of time researching this week, this show is BAD. I love seeing Kennedy and Cole (Jack and Milky White) reunited onstage and it made me so happy but god-almighty they deserve a better show. 

[sarahthustra]

Posted: 2/7/24 at 1:40pm

I'd consider myself extremely knowledgeable about the German resistance - I'm even about to start my PhD research on its role in modern German memory culture - and I was all set to get on a plane to New York to see this show. Will I be utterly infuriated by all the inaccuracies and liberties taken with the real story (questionable musical elements aside)? I know not every story makes it to the stage or screen with every element as it was in history, but as it's being described, it sounds pretty egregious...

[Ensemble1707079994]

Posted: 2/7/24 at 9:31pm

Personally, I was utterly infuriated when I saw the reading and decided there was no way I could support the show going forward. But then again, I specialize in specifically the story of The White Rose. 

If you don’t mind spoilers (not that you can spoil history) this very positive review kind of summarizes the whole show  https://caroleditosti.com/2024/01/25/white-rose-the-musical-impactful-uplifting/?fbclid=IwAR1jzkcbMHVHFUJvriWiCB1gZIS9ZtpL9J8H3dCpaQdkcVLDRyuSJzTVzDU_aem_AfVOy9hYNTaY_mVYQKgmaSpCnZ4hejdXec26lx00XxTHoVZC5kfK6w_1L6OThh8v2-M

And this very negative article (maybe too negative) offers insight into the playwrights views about the inaccuracies of the show 

https://medium.com/the-radical-center/the-true-white-rose-story-deserves-to-be-told-58508acf2c2a

For me, the quotes, “Our sincere hope is that audiences will be inspired to learn more about the real story!” and “Not everything depicted in the show is true, and not everything true about the White Rose is depicted in the show,” given by the playwright, just kind of confirmed to me that the team is utilizing these resistance stories for their own personal gain, and they don’t really care about telling an accurate history.
 

It’s like they think the tagline “A true story” (because they aren’t saying, “based on” - again, weird to me) 

There’s even a picture on their Instagram where the playwright sits in front of these two giant pictures of Hans and Sophie Scholl and it used to captioned something like, “Hans and Sophie literally watching of the shoulder of our incredible playwright Brice Belding” The caption has since been changed, so I can’t offer you any evidence other than my word, but that pissed me off beyond compare. 

That aside though, you might actually enjoy the made up characters such as Lila and Fredrick. They offer insight into the lives of Germans reacting to the circumstances of Fascism in different ways. And although fictional they are inspired by real people.

Once again, full disclaimer, I will not be seeing this production, so all this info is based on reviews, research, and the staged reading that I did see. I’ve been doing my best to keep up, so that I can educate people on the real history and the differences in the show but I haven’t sat in the audience and I don’t plan on it. So take that as you will.

There ARE people who really enjoy, and were really inspired by this show. So there’s a chance you’ll feel the same.

A very credible biographer who wrote a notable book about Sophie Scholl will be doing a talkback tomorrow (Feb. 8) so there IS a historian on their side, even if I find that unfathomable. I’m only offering one perspective, so form your own opinion.

If you’d like more sources, I would be more than happy to share!