Who's going to the first preview of STORY OF MY LIFE? — Page 2

Xanadu was fairly successful with the critics, though -- that's got to count for something. Financial success is not the only kind there is. And if we measured only by financial terms, that would be pretty sad. Yes, that's what it all comes down to at the end of the day because money makes a show run, but if we only counted in dollars, we'd have a very different idea of what "successful" is.

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The mezz looked full because it was papered, darling.

I loved it as well! I def. want to go back and give it another listen. It's the kind of score that you hear and think "I like that," but you can't really remember specific melodies, but you know you enjoyed it. Like someone said, the music is so perfectly woven with the story and the characters that the songs seem so natural. A lot of musicals seem like "okay, here's the next song," but there are so many different parts of all the songs scattered throughout that it they weave into each other so well.

I thought all the minimal set pieces worked perfectly. I was surprised at how well it was all staged. I LOVED the ending. I don't want to spoil anything, but when Chase threw the paper in the air and the "snow" feel, I thought it was magical. Props to the set designer. I like seeing such a nonconventional set in a musical.

I thought Will Chase gave a star performance. I found him to be so captivating, honest, and real. I really do think he deserves to get the Tony - the best male performance out of the season. His vocals were great and all of his acting moments were spot on. Malcom Gets was just alright to me. His characterization got on my nerves after awhile, and his singing wasn't that great. I expected more from him vocally (as I love "A New Brain). He had some good moments, though, and I thought they had wonderful chemistry.

I'm really excited that Bradley Dean and Jim Staneck are the understudies. I really hope they each get a chance to perform the roles because I'd love to see their takes.

Also, and I know my review is a bit jumbled, but I thought the story was great. It had a lot of different "twists," but they weren't so jarring that they took you out of the play. Just a beautiful fleshed out story. I thought the whole "telling stories" gimmick would get old, but it actually work really well, and by the end of the show I was trying to fight back tears. I had to call all my friends who live across the country after and tell them i wished they were here with me! It's such a great show, I really do recommend it.

The music had a very Sondheim like quality to it. There's a motif that runs through the show ("Write what you know Tom"), and it reminded me so much of "Sunday In the Park.."

Everyone go check it out and write your reviews. I'm not sure how the critics will view the show. I think it could use some tightening up and some sound issues worked out, and I think Gets needs to hone his characterization down, but other than it's ready. I think because Chase is playing such a honest, real, subtle performance that Gets' comes off as fake next to it. (And can we please get Gets a new costume. That thing was UGLY. It reminded me of a community production of "Our Town." I mean, I know he's not suppose to rich and successful like Chase, but at least he could have stuff that's somewhat flattering.)

Just got home from first preview. I'm baffled that I'm even writing a "review" on the boards... because I've already wasted 90-minutes of my life with this "show" (or rather, "tell") and should almost refuse to give it any more of my time. Good riddance to 2 talented actors stuck in 1 hell of a torturous musical (or perhaps I should be wishing luck to future audiences)

Entertainment has it so rough right now (hell, Wicked was in-house papering last week!) I feel bad, I really do, for bad-mouthing shows. These are hard-working actors, musicians and creators. But the door swings both ways. People put their hard-earned money into buying show tickets. At least make them feel like it's money well-spent.

The Story Of My Life was just terrible. I mean, really, there are going to be people who LOVE this show (I know a couple). More power to them. I just don't have that ability.

It's boring. Slow-moving. Anti-melodic. Visually unaesthetic (hell, it's a freakin' white stage with white props). Every song sounded the same. There are countless over-wrought metaphors as deep as a kiddie-pool (about snow angels, throwing sticks into rivers, It's A Wonderful Life, butterflies).

People moaning, sighing, leaving mid-show (even without an intermission). In my case... sleep-inducing.

I will say that I'll never get tired of hearing or seeing Will Chase. I just ogled him whenever I got bored (which was 95% of the time)

I think, for me, the biggest offense was not that it was exuberantly boring, drab and endless... but the blatant plagiarism of Sunday in the Park with George: I kid you not. In one scene the writer (Chase) is at his desk, in an all white stage, having "creative-block" (Saurat?) writing the same line over and over until he gets it right and the ghost/apparition of his bestfriend (Gets) over his shoulder (Marie?) as a clarinet plays notes EXACTLY LIKE "Color And Light" and then.... get this... he asks later "Are you working on anything new?"

Felt like Roger and Mark of Rent at age 35 on Prozac.

Will's suit at Goodspeed was a black pinstripe, with a lighter purple shirt... actually the first time i saw it up there i joked with him about still being dressed as Roger in this new role.

Tonight he said that they wanted to change it because the old one spoke "retail manager" not writer.

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This suit does not have pinstripes and i'm pretty sure the shirt is different. i only noticed because of where i was sitting tonight. i didn't notice it from the mez at the dress last night.

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Will kept tucking his shirt in/playing with his belt... at least that's what it appeared. i did not see the mic pack either, you could see the wire going up the back of his neck through his hair, but i don't know where the pack was.

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I don't see why the show shouldn't belong on Broadway. Whoever said it was exclusive? If something like Eugene Ionesco's "The Chairs" can run on Broadway, or a musical as obscure as "Grey Gardens" can run on Broadway, then why not this little show? I think the tag "musical" just implies certain things. People expect a dance number, or a chorus, or flashy costumes, but that's not true. It just means a story told through music, and that's what this is. Sure, the story could be fleshed out and told in a conventional style, but then it wouldn't be half as interesting. I hate when people say "can this show survive on Broadway" because there are so many things that factor into it. I hope it at least lasts until the Tonys because I could see it winning Best Score and maybe Best Book. And I think Chase should walk away with the Tony, as of right now...

I have my tix - Rather anxious to see this one.
I don't know WAHT to expect!
Is the view from front row centergood for this show?
I've seen some promo shots and Will and Malcolm are
preeeeetty far downstage-center. Hahaha!
Not that I'm complaining.

Eugloven, you took the words right out of my mouth. This show for me ranks as one of the most disappointing shows of 2008-2009. I kept having the deja vu feelings whenever songs began. It sounded almost like a Stephen Sondheim show, only not as good.

Some of the audience members I observed were either falling asleep (the woman next to me) or giving loud sighs of boredom behind me. The 90 minute running time felt more like 2 1/2 hours.

I did enjoy 2 songs, The Butterfly and Angels in the Snow, but the rest of the score is mostly forgettable. It is such a shame because I was so hoping this show was going to be excellent, but it was extremely tedious and dull.

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THE CHAIRS (revival) also won Tonys for most of the people involved and was a limited run, if memory serves.

"oogling Will Chase is the only reason to spend $110 on a ticket."

Except for a handful of blockbusters (i.e, Jersey Boys, Billy Elliot, Wicked, South Pacific), there is not a Broadway show on the boards that you have to pay full price for. Even Jane Fonda is on TDF. Everything is discounting. As Michael Reidel said in his column today about Shrek: "Officially, a decent seat is priced at more than $100. But you'd have to be a chump to pay that in this market." That same sentiment can be said about practically every show.

I wonder how many of the people on here who raved about this thing had comp tickets. I wonder if they would have felt the same if they dropped a hundred bucks on the evening.