ekscrunchy

Even for this non-musical-lover, this show was terrific! Lauren Graham, Craig Bierko, and Oliver Platt do a terrific job. We got discount tickets through Broadway Box. Recommended!

I also give high marks to the Bonnard show at the Met Museum.

runnerjefff

THANKS FOR PUTTING THAT REVIEW IN! We are planning our whole NYC trip this weekend just to see this musical. I was worried, since LG is a TV person, but she was so good on Gilmore Girls & a hoot on talk shows. Thanks

mclaurie

Glad to hear it despite the awful review (for Guys & Dolls) in the Times.

NeoPatrick

My personal opinion is that Guys and Dolls is such a terrific and fun show that it is hard NOT to like. I think it often gets picked to death by critics who want to analyze it as if they were critiquing Macbeth.

That said, there were few to no critics who thought this production was anything special or even very good.

Here are summaries of most of the major reviews:
http://broadwayworld.com/blogs/viewblog.cfm?blogid=2368

HowardR

Patrick, I tend to think that the critics simply saw it as a bad production! A great show (on paper) doesn't mean that any production of it is automatically good.

NeoPatrick

No, no, Howard, that is NOT what I meant. There is a big difference between the average theatregoer enjoying any production of some shows and claiming that it was necessarily a good production. You may remember my saying a similar thing about Fiddler on the Roof a couple years ago. My point is that most audiences will love even a mediocre production of that show -- but I don't mean to imply that the critics are wrong to say it wasn't a particularly good production. Nor do I mean to suggest that just because an audience loves a production it was necessarily a good one.

HowardR

Patrick, point very well taken! It's a subject I well remember you and I agreeing while exchanging comments about in the past
By the way,thanks for posting that website with the capsule reviews. I didn't realized just how near-unanimous the criticism was for the show.
We see West Side Story tonight. And, since it's one of our all-time favorites, we are really looking forward to the experience. I'll post my review in the morning.

NeoPatrick

That's great Howard. I'm still confused how the Spanish is being managed -- subtitles projected?
I'm anxious to hear about this production, but I have this overwhelming negative feeling that it can't match the excitement of the original.

rncheryl

Patrick, did you see the original WSS on Broadway? The music and dancing is extraordinary.

Will check tomorrow to see the review.

Oh to be able to go to NYC now to see WSS and South Pacific.
Sigh..

321go

Thanks for posting this ekscrunchy. We've been thinking about seeing it, but the reviews had tended to put us off.

NeoPatrick

No I saw a national tour when I was in high school and was simply overwhelmed. I'm not sure I could have survived the actual original Broadway production!

ekscrunchy

My partner is a huge Guys and Dolls fan and thinks it has the best music of any American musical.

He is also a big Lauren Graham fan, evidenced by the fact that he owns the entire boxed set of Gilmore Girls! And I agreed to go since even I know many of the songs.

So we rushed out and got the tickets at the box office (could not get previews on TDF or Audience Extras). We were SO disappointed when the reviews came in. But then we read the very good review in the New Yorker by John Lahr. So we had some hope. As it turned out, it really was terrific!

The next task is to find WSS tickets at less than full price! We were also wondering how they handle the Spanish.

HowardR

West Side Story was, in a word (or two or three or more) dazzling, electric, exciting and overwhelming! See my new thread with detailed comments.
ek, I would think your chances of finding discount tickets soon are slim. However, you don't have to buy the most expensive tickets to enjoy the show. We sat in the rear mezzanine (row K) and thought the seats were excellent for this show. It's one show where I think that if you you sit too far up front you will miss the full impact of the dancing which is, to put it mildly, dazzling. To me, there's no question that the best seats for this show are the front mezzanine and not sixth row center orchestra!

Songdoc

Oh ... you're REALLY making me want to go to NYC.

I certainly haven't always agreed with critics. But when the consensus is so overwhelmingly negative (i.e., "Guys & Dolls"), there's usually a reason.

My question is: How were the reviews of "Wicked" when it debuted? The only reviews I found online (with a quick search) were re: the current touring companies.

I was lucky enough to win the ticket lottery and sat first row center for Idina Menzel's final performance. It was a night I will never, ever forget. OMG, I absolutely LOVED that show ... yet on another thread, SO many people either didn't like it -- or thought it was "okay." It seems inconcievable to me.

Similarly, at the close of the first act of "Sunday in the Park With George" I don't know when I'd ever been so moved by a moment in theater ... . I was practically speechless. Yet waiting in line at the men's room, the conversations were about how lousy the show and the music were.

The list goes on and on. I recently saw a touring production of Avenue Q and was LOVING it -- as people walked out complaining! But I didn't like "Rent" -- while others raved.

I guess that's why Baskin Robbins makes 31 flavors -- 'cause some people like the taste of stuff that I'd spit out ;-)

ekscrunchy

Thanks, Howard! I will tell my partner what you wrote. We did have great seats at Guys and Dolls-front row mezz!! We printed out a coupon on Broadway Box and went to the box office with it to choose the seats.

I know WSS will be impossible at discount. My thrifty partner feels he can wait until the second cast to see it, and thinks he will get a discount when the cast changes. He is very balky about paying full price for tickets! For this reason, we have not seen South Pacific,another show I would like to see.

He did see Jane Fonda's show 2 weeks ago so if anyone wants comments, I will report back.

A friend of ours said good things about the new James Gandolfini play...

nytraveler

I think Guys and Dolls was solid - but not brilliant. (The last time I saw it, with Nathan Lane, it was brilliant.) But, for someone who has never seen the show live I think this version would be way more than satisfying.

TC

Glad to hear that some like this show. My sweet friend, Mary Testa, seems to be the unanimous exception to the negative reviews. Hopefully the show will still be around in May when I get to NY.

Centralparkgirl

Yes ekscrunchy - I would like to know what you thought of '33 Variations.' The Times and WSJ both liked Jane Fonda, but not the play. I'm going next week and really want to see her on stage.

ekscrunchy

My partner saw 33 Variations and while he liked JF, he says he did not like the subject matter of the play so much. So he agreed with the critics you mention.

Speaking of Nathan Lane:

Here is a story:

Our friend sat next to him at G-d of Carnage this week. After the play, an elderly woman spotted him and cried: "Nathan Hale!! Nathan Hale!!!" "Can I have your autograph for my daughter??"

NL: "Of course! I regret, though, that I have only one autograph to give for my country!!"