Read the reviews @ Papermill. They were cordial at best with Brantley not really liking it
Why than bring it to Broadway knowing Big Ben will probably not like it? Just curious. One of the very few shows we might see but I just wonder re the reasoning behind a Broadway transfer knowing this ahead of time.
Below are some quotes from Brantley's review. He certainly seems to like it ...
The delightfully unexpected “Honeymoon in Vegas,” which opened this week at the Paper Mill Playhouse here, has wrestled the neon mirage of its title into the solid, satisfying shape of a classic Broadway musical.
featuring a revelation of a score by Jason Robert Brown
Normally, I’m all for calling a moratorium on musicals based on movies. Then along comes “The Producers,” or “Once,” or “Honeymoon in Vegas.”
And as soon as you hear the opening bars of the overture by Mr. Brown ... you know you’re listening to the sound of success.
So will this Vegas come to Broadway, where it belongs? One of the lessons of the ill-fated poker game that is central to this show is that nothing is a sure bet. But “Honeymoon,” bless its double-dealing heart, sure comes close to feeling like one.
"Many a tut has been tutted in recent years over the contamination of Broadway by the spirit of Las Vegas, the world capital of the flashy, boozy floor show. So I am happy to report that you can score one for Team Broadway. The delightfully unexpected “Honeymoon in Vegas,” which opened this week at the Paper Mill Playhouse here, has wrestled the neon mirage of its title into the solid, satisfying shape of a classic Broadway musical.
Based on the 1992 movie by Andrew Bergman, who also wrote the salty book for this show, and featuring a revelation of a score by Jason Robert Brown, “Honeymoon in Vegas” is no facile satire. Instead, it captures, tickles and exalts the singular sensibility of a desert city based on surreal estate. Like Las Vegas itself, “Honeymoon” exists at the corner of tacky and hip. As performed under the single-malt-smooth direction of Gary Griffin, it’s a swinging hymn to laid-back outrageousness."
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"a deliciously underplayed star turn by Tony Danza." And from later in the review: "may be the best musical portrayal of a gentleman gangster since the heyday of “Guys and Dolls.”
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"a nicely matched Rob McClure and Brynn O’Malley" Later: "Mr. McClure (who wowed in the title role in Broadway’s “Chaplin”) and Ms. O’Malley keep us grounded as an ordinary couple in extraordinary circumstances. They bring a conversational ease to their songs, while resisting the temptation to make frenzy cute. Our believing in their characters is crucial to our believing the unbelievable plot they find themselves trapped in."
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"You wouldn’t think that “Honeymoon” could possibly work, adapting a convoluted screenplay that sets its characters twirling from New York parks to Las Vegas hotel palaces to the beaches of Hawaii. But as a moviemaker (in films that also include “The Freshman” and “Soapdish”), Mr. Bergman has brought a convincing deadpan logic to impossible situations. He knows that over-the-top is funniest when it’s presented at ground level.
Working with Mr. Griffin and a design team that includes Anna Louizos (sets) and Brian Hemesath (costumes), he translates that point of view to the stage with a droll sincerity that never strains for wild-and-crazy heights. The direction by Mr. Griffin (“The Color Purple”) is a paradigm of narrative clarity, even when “Honeymoon” is taking place in different time zones (and even different times) all at once.
But since this “Honeymoon” is a musical, what counts most is the music. And as soon as you hear the opening bars of the overture by Mr. Brown — who, as the composer of “Parade” and “The Last Five Years,” had been consigned to the commercial margins of “cerebral” post-Sondheim theater composers — you know you’re listening to the sound of success."
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"Packed with gleaming brass and cascading piano notes, the score melds Vegas chutzpah with Broadway schmaltz, or vice versa."
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"With orchestrations by Don Sebesky that Nelson Riddle would be proud of, this music (overseen by Tom Murray) hooks you from the get-go; it’s as corny and sophisticated as Sinatra’s doing “Strangers in the Night,” and it revels in the contradiction."
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"So will this Vegas come to Broadway, where it belongs? One of the lessons of the ill-fated poker game that is central to this show is that nothing is a sure bet. But “Honeymoon,” bless its double-dealing heart, sure comes close to feeling like one."
I agree that Brantley gave a positive review @ Papermill. Also, I saw the show and I think the familiar title, star power (a surprisingly good Tony Danza), a fan-favorite JRB score (attracts theater-goers), and flashy subject matter (attracts tourists) justify the transfer.
This show has a great upbeat unpretentious score... the kind we had in the sixties. It is unlike anything Jason Robert Brown has done before. It is an old fashioned hummable score with a sixties style book.
I think it will do very well. They need to throw a little more money at it to glitz the look up a bit. It does have that "Good Old Broadway Musical" feel to it.
Those Blocked: SueStorm. N2N Nate. Good riddence to stupid! Rad-Z, shill begone!