rOcKS @ 'Yank!'

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:05am

Alright, I know LOTS of people on BWW love this show. Which is why I was a bit reluctant to post my thoughts about tonight's performance being such a mess.

I really did not enjoy the show at all. The book is really horrible, so predictable, so "convenient," and just unfunny and flat-out poorly written. I mean, that scene before Stu and Mitch kiss for the first time was seriously straight out of a porno. That was the first thing that popped into my head when that scene started.

It just feels so inauthentic on so many levels and totally pedestrian. We never get to see them fall in love, or any kind of explanation as to why or how they feel this way about each other. So why should we cheer for them?

Also, I really found some of their depictions of gay men to be pretty offensive. They're treated like jokes 75% of the show and are stereotypical and really, really ridiculous. How am I supposed to take a show that tackles such serious issues seriously if it itself doesn't take the issues at hand in a serious light. I'm not saying all of their depictions of gay men had to be stoic, serious, and boring but look at NEXT FALL. They manage to create three strong gay male characters, albeit in a totally different plot, setting, etc, who are funny and charming without being ridiculous stereotypes. If people had an issue with the purple Teletubby in NEXT FALL, I don't see how they have no issue with the way gay men are depicted overall in YANK. Just saying...

And I also think this show could have easily been 90 minutes.

The score fared better, to be sure. The music at least, not the lyrics. It's hummable, appropriate, fun, and cute. But it is forgettable, and "fun" & "appropriate" can only go so far.

The best thing about the show is Bobby Steggert, obviously. He's such a powerhouse talent and really does everything he can, and then some, with the role he plays. The rest of the cast is solid, particularly Nancy Anderson who is funny, but Bobby stole the show for me. There's plenty of groan-worthy moments in the staging. And the ballet in the second act was also kinda weird. It's a good idea in theory but it didn't really work for me.

I just really thought the show was kind of a mess overall. I went in wanting to LOVE it and hoping to love it because of all of the great word of mouth I had heard but maybe I set the bar too high or maybe everyone else set the bar too low. Or maybe it's just a case of different strokes for different folks. I'm glad people are enjoying it and that it's apparently selling so well. But I just really didn't enjoy it very much at all, if I'm being honest.

Am I the only one?!

* out of ****

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:12am

Well that's theater. I felt the same way going into Next Fall (having such high expectations from all the word of mouth) and was totally disappointed.

Thanks for posting :)

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:14am

Hm...sorry to hear that.

I don't know what changes have been made to the show, but back when I saw it at NYMF I thought it was terrifically written and showed lots of promise.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:19am

I'm with rocks on this one. I was there tonight as well, and I was very disappointed. I expected to love it. I really enjoyed a lot of the score, and the performers were talented for sure. The standouts for me were Bobby, Nancy, and Jeff Denman. The book is pretty terrible and EXTREMELY predictable. I just felt like the entire thing was a cliche from start to finish. It amazes me that some people can call Next Fall a Lifetime movie when this is so much more like a Lifetime movie. False drama, cliche, and a level of predictability only found in children's books.

[hushpuppy]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:42am

You're certainly entitled to your opinion. Sorry you didn't like the show. Will you permit a rebuttal from someone who loved YANK?

First, I don't agree with your comment that the book was horrible. I don't know how old you are, but I'm 52, so while I wasn't alive during WWII, I did come of age when things were quite different from the way they are now. Comparing the show to NEXT FALL just isn't fair. They take place in completely different eras. Prior to the 1980's, there simply were not any positive gay role models. We grew up thinking we were the 'only one' who felt the way we did. No way could we come out to our families, or employers, or even many of our friends. Many, many gay men and lesbians got married and lived in the closet. IMHO, the scene on the train between Stewbie and Mitch was honest and true. They're simultaneously attracted and repulsed by their feelings for each other. Trust me, I have passionately kissed another man, only to have him pull away and say 'this is wrong', or make some comment the next morning like 'Boy was I drunk last night. I don't remember a thing'. Mitch's taking solace in liquor in order to blunt his feelings was not uncommon for closeted men of that era.

I also don't agree with your assertion that we don't see them fall in love. We see some very tender moments between the two once Stewbie rejoins the squad. What is it about the song 'A Couple of Regular Guys' that doesn't show them falling in love? To me, it was just like a zillion love songs sung by heterosexual couples. It's no less a love song than 'People Will Say We're in Love' or 'Small World', where two people, obviously smitten with each other, begin to plan their future together and dream of what life with each other will be like.

Lastly, you say that gay people are treated like jokes and stereotypes. Keep in mind, that for many gay men of that era, being a flaming queen was a defense mechanism. By being flamboyantly gay, these men were daring others to challenge them. It was a very early manifestation of 'we're here, we're queer, get used to it'. But underneath the 'Marys' and 'Dearies' was a spine of steel. Remember, it was a bunch of drag queens that started the Stonewall Riots.

I didn't mean to get all preachy on you, but I just wanted to defend the show a bit.

I enjoyed reading your post. I guess that's why Baskin-Robbins makes 31 flavors.

Regards,
Paul

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 1:00am

Okay, WiCKEDRoCks, I do like "Next Fall," but you need to stop jizzing all over it. It's good, but very flawed, and some of the things you say make me wonder if we saw the same play.

"look at NEXT FALL. They manage to create three strong gay male characters"

I'm sorry, who was strong besides the lead character? The pretty young Christian one whom we learn nothing about other than that he's Christian. There is one, and only one, well-defined character in that play, so I don't know what exactly you're talking about..

[ThatsCoffee]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 1:02am

100 percent agree with rOcKS

Updated On: 3/5/10 at 01:02 AM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 1:28am

Okay, MiracleElixir, I don't "need" to do anything, first of all. Second of all, do you realize that you're making claims that you believe to be true? It's not like you're stating a fact. If you think it's very flawed and the characters are poorly developed, that's your opinion. I completely disagree.

I happen to think all of the characters in NEXT FALL are very well-crafted. I really don't need you patronizing me by telling me "it IS" this or that. It's a matter of opinion, not fact.

I don't see how I can have a constructive discussion about the show when you clearly have closed off all other opinions about it and believe only what YOU believe/can't accept that people have different opinions. And that's your decision. I don't see how I'm even supposed to defend my thoughts on the show from your post...

...Which has nothing to do with the topic at hand. I just used NEXT FALL as a comparison to this show on a very basic surface level.

Updated On: 3/5/10 at 01:28 AM

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 2:51am

Nancy Anderson is wonderful in it, but I also don't think is THAT amazing. A cute show, and that's about it. But I wouldn't rave about it either.

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 8:02am

Well, if you're going to compare "Yank" and "Next Fall," here's one theatregoer who didn't like either. But "Yank" struck me as a good deal more tolerable than "Next Fall," which I hated.

"Yank" is pedestrian, that's it. Its score is undistinguished. Bobby Steggert was excellent, as was Jeffry Denman. I liked Nancy Anderson as well.

"Next Fall" was specious, soap opera-y, manipulative, and unlikable. And as for the comment,
"They manage to create three strong gay male characters, albeit in a totally different plot, setting, etc, who are funny and charming without being ridiculous stereotypes."

"Charming?" Are you for real? One's a coward, the other nasty as all get-out, the third a drip. That's "charming?"

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 8:35am

wickedrocks, I'm with hushpuppy on this, but I have no problem if YANK! wasn't for you. I was scratching my head over TIME STANDS STILL, which I thought was an enjoyable but very predictable rehash of something akin to a postwar Joan Crawford movie. It happens!

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 9:31am

After re-reading the New York Times review, I think he captures the show perfectly. Act I is cute, and isn't actively offensive in any way (though I maintain that the book is anachronistic and cookie cutter), but Act II is a muddled mess.

[newintown]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 9:49am

Sad to say, I agree with a lot of what rOcKS says about Yank. I enjoyed much of it, but thought it still felt like an early stage in development of a show. But, also sad to say, I wasn't crazy about NEXT FALL, either. I think Geoffrey is a better actor than writer (like David Marshall Grant), and wish he had more opportunity to act.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 10:16am

I haven't seen Yank!, but I gathered from reviews and articles that the point was to create an old-fashioned style romantic musical, only with two men falling in love. So, wouldn't being cliche be the point?

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 10:22am

Believe it or not, Kad, there are old-fashioned style musicals that aren't corny or cliche.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 11:01am

This thread definitely makes me want to avoid both Yank and Next Fall. They both sound like your typical gay indie films that are usually only found on Netflix.

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 11:12am

Mr. Matt, I suggest you try both and make up your own mind - yes, I'm a big YANK! fan, but I also agree with the negative comments concerning NEXT FALL (and I really hate the ad campaign for the latter).