Why is Wedding Singer on the rocks?- Page 2

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:03pm

Whose basement it is doesn't matter.

Grandmothers are beloved sacred creatures and they cannot be portrayed as sluts or you want to string up the writer.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:06pm

"Get rid of the filthy dirty jokes that are as bad as what you'd hear from truck drivers, or worse."

I've had occasion to hang around truck drivers, NDP, and have never heard a single filthy dirty joke. Around how many have you hung?

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:10pm

"Around how many have you hung?"

Oh, brother.

Tsk, tsk.

By the way, my cousin runs a fleet of trucks and drives them.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:18pm

Lynch doesn't have that much physicality--a real theatre person can tell, and Lynch isn't a dancer. He's been lucky to have been as well received as he has been in the role and to get the Tony nom.

...Matthew Morrisson ... [is] too good looking for the part anyway. The character is supposed to be a loser everyman

Poor Stephen! Why don't you just toss him out into a real dumpster? Poor fella.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:23pm

"Lynch doesn't have that much physicality--a real theatre person can tell, and Lynch isn't a dancer. He's been lucky to have been as well received as he has been in the role and to get the Tony nom. I'm not putting Lynch down, he gives what he has, but others, and Mr. Morrison in particular, have more to give."

If you're going to quote me, better you didn't omit the last sentance of my paragraph there.

And yes, I was aware of what Lynch was lacking when I saw the show. He's not a triple threat, which is a good idea to have for a Broadway lead.

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:27pm

I like Stephen Lynch (and I think he's good looking enough) but he definitely passes for a normal guy who lives in his grandmother's basement and is a wedding singer before Matthew Morrison does (I suppose I haven't had sufficient proof of Matthew Morrison's Streep-like ability to play everything). In fact, I think that's his whole schtick. That he's just one of the guys who's willing to make fun of himself as much as other people/things/etc. Maybe people shouldn't take it so seriously.

Nomdeplume, you know, there was a time when grandmothers had their fun. I don't know who you are to tell writers what to write and what not to write but I'm much less concerned about a grandmother with a filthy mouth (and I've met many a grandmother with a filthy mouth. Your daughter having children does not automatically shine you up) than I am about a 70 year old woman supposedly doing the worm. Now THAT wasn't funny.

EDIT: I take it back. If she actually did it herself, it would be REALLY funny.

Updated On: 8/12/06 at 03:27 PM

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:30pm

i also agree that tourists always want to see the big hit shows which are hard to get tickets to, and won some sort of awards.
i personally think WEDDING SINGER is an incredibly fun show, and really i think my favorite show ive seen (tied with COLOR PURPLE), so yeah, i really wish it could do better! such a good show!

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:32pm

i agree bwayondabrain! Such a great show! It really just needs some press and word of mouth.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:37pm

maybe ill start an email campaign...just find hundreds of random email addresses, and email everyone to go see the show
:P
is that legal?

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:38pm

There is a way to hint that even a sacred grandmother has had her fun and do it with a little more Broadway finesse and class.

That is what this show needs. You want people who can afford this hamburger to pay for it? Give them lean organic ground serloin, not 30% gristle and fat. This is Broadway. We expect a little more.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:41pm

In case you haven't noticed, Mr. Morrison comes off as very working class. That is what I particularly like about him.

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:42pm

"maybe ill start an email campaign...just find hundreds of random email addresses, and email everyone to go see the show
:P
is that legal?"

ha ha, i dont know but its a good idea, ha ha. i reallt think that if ppl would go and give the show a try, most of them would fall in love with it. its hard for me to get my friends to go because we live so far away but they know that if they can make it to ny the same time as me, were seeing that show lol. and me and my friend who already saw the show are going back in oct! we love it!

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:43pm

It would also be a nice transitional type of show for Mr. Morrison. As he slips from the leading boy to the leading man roles. This is kind of in the middle.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:44pm

yeah, i live far away from NYC too, and the next time i can go to New York is in March, so i doubt it would be open then...
but it might not if i did an email campaign... :P haha

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:47pm

ha ha, go for it!! im going for my birthday, thats the only reason i get to go back up. but i really wanna meet laura, that would be the best bday present so i really hope she can get better, but if not, ill enjoy tina. if you need help with your email campaign just let me know, lol

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:49pm

Well, the grandmother reminiscing about her sex life is one of the great stock comedic roles, isn't it?

Oh, I agree (about Broadway having a little class), but again, you're asking for an entirely new show. You can't make an adaptation of an Adam Sandler film that which it is not. Actually, I have no objections to totally classless theater. Neither did the Greeks, neither did Bill Shakespeare, neither does Stephen Sondheim, so who am I to say? Besides, it's Broadway... which has, from inception, been a commercial endeavor.

I just think that The Wedding Singer had its run, it was fun, and the circle of life (Broadway?) must keep on spinnin'...

(And Laura gets time off to heal and then she can use her beautiful voice in something new and great!)

Updated On: 8/12/06 at 03:49 PM

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:52pm

Lemme put it this way.

You can have a show about the working class with a little class.

If the show plans on staying around, that's where I hope it moves to land its audience.

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 4:03pm

Isn't it a little late to be retooling? After all, the reviews are in, the show has been open for months, the creative team has probably started looking for new projects, they've already got a potential replacement for this show.

Maybe you should have told them that at the beginning of the year when they opened out of town.

[overthemoon419]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 4:56pm

nomdeplume, if you don't like the show, then just don't see it. Personally, I agree that Matt Morrison is talented but looks like he has stepped out of Tiger Beat, which is not Robbie Hart. I also have yet to see his Streep-like qualities (thanks, Roninjoey) that allow him to be perfect for any and all roles onstage.

The Wedding Singer is based on an Adam Sandler movie. It's charming, and certainly has "a touch of class." I personally appreciate that it's a show that doesn't look down its nose at the audience. Its characters are sincere and lovely.

As far as the grandmother bit goes, I find it humourous, and apparently, others do to, because it's in the script and has gotten a laugh each time I saw the show. If you don't find it funny, don't laugh. But get over it. I don't find the Pong reference funny, but there are hundreds of people that do, so I don't go around running my mouth about how it shouldn't be in the show.

I love Stephen Lynch. I know he's not a dancer, and that's fine with me. He moves well for someone who isn't trained, and I don't think Robbie needs to have a ballet background to be entertaining. I think Lynch does a fine job falling after getting punched outside Julia's house, that's physicality enough for this role, IMO.

And if you think so lowly of the show and its humour, nomdeplume, then why do you think Matt Morrison needs to be in it? Morrison will find another project, one better suited for him, that can be the "transitional" piece you wish him to find. Meanwhile, let Lynch continue to be the sweet, adorable Robbie that he is.

No, the show isn't perfect. But it's fun and I've never left the theatre disappointed.

[snl89]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 7:11pm

yeah.. I think its mainly just that know one seems to really KNOW about the show, which is kinda strange. i mean, obvious there's a huge billboard and everything, and the theater's so colorful how could you NOT notice it? but it just seems like whenever I talk to people who are pretty into broadway and stuff they go "oh wow the wedding singer is a broadway show? thats cool.." so yeah, somehow the word has just not really gotten around, which is a shame. Because honestly, although apparently some people dont seem to like it much, when I went the audience really did eat it up. I mean honestly, they were laughing SOOO hard, and the ENTIRE audience gave a standing ovation the MINUTE people started walking out. Maybe its just cuase I've rarely ever seen shows with the OBC and everything, but I dont recall EVER having seen a full standing ovation. Not even at Les Mis was there a total ovation. Not even at RENT, not even CLOSE. So yeah.. to me, that says its pretty well recieved and just needs to get more popular :) as much as I hate to say it, I think soon they might need to start thinking about some stunt casting- but I'd SOOOO much more prefer Mandy Moore or someone like that who's actually talented to... you know... hilary duff. So, yeah, if they did stunt cast though I think the show would be infiitinitely better off in the long run. Cause the main thing right now is just to get it popular enough so that it STAYS. If someone famous comes in, that'll get the word about it out there and I'd think it'll lead to a much much longer run over all

[JerseyScoundrel]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 7:28pm

Audiences will go into anything as long as they get into a show. they really don't care if a show is good. They just want to be entertained.

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 7:35pm

Nothing about the show has to be changed. It won't make a difference. The audiences are loving it the way it is. If you (in general) don't like it, fine-that's what makes the world go around. I loved it. More than any other show I saw this season.

But back to the question-it seems to be one of those unanswerable questions in theatre. I hear this all the time-A show gets extremely enthusiastic audiences, good word of mouth because of it, yet closes. No one knows the reason. Poor marketing is the first answer brought up by the most people. The other answers have been mentioned here also. I think it's one of those mysteries of life that will never be answered.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 7:39pm

I think any positive word of mouth the show might get has to be stronger than a lot of peoples' notions that there isn't much need for a musical version of 'The Wedding Singer.' Just because a movie was a moderate hit doesn't mean people are going to automatically make the leap to see it onstage for $100. The movie is a slight bit of fun for a few bucks or on cable, I'm not sure there's a way marketing people can convince a lot of people that it's therefore worth $100 just to see it onstage.

There's not always a direct translation of material from one medium to another, especially if the price to see it is increasing exponentially along the way.

[snl89]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 7:41pm

yeah... I'm trying to think... what really DOES make a show unsuccessful? I mean, Wicked was a HUGE smash hit,still is, and it probably wont go off broadway for a LONG long time, and yet it had to have gotten a few bad reviews and stuff too right? I mean, I know there are people on here who dont like wicked (prob about as many as there are who dont like WS)... so if they both got about the same audience reaction, why is it that wicked was SOO much more successful than WS? I guess publicity prob does have a lot to do with that.. but is there anything else? or like.. RENT too. RENT is HUGE (though, it DID have a massive massive amount of publicity when it opened obviously), but yet there are plenty of people who DONT like it too, right? Wedding Singer is NOT that bad. a LOT of people really love it. So why isn't doing well when the others did SO well?

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 7:50pm

'Rent' appealed to a young, artsy demographic in a way a show hadn't in a long time. I'm not a huge fan of it but it obviously spoke to a lot of people. 'Wicked' is a big spectacle that a lot of non-hardcore theater people want to see and it's based on one of the most revered stories in the world.

'The Wedding Singer' is based on an Adam Sandler movie and is hardly speaking to any sort of detached generation of person.

And making assumptions based on your own perceptions of 'audience reactions' is pretty flimsy in the first place.