Has anyone seen SCANDALOUS lately...?- Page 4

[WhatIWasBorn2Do]

Posted: 11/10/12 at 5:42pm

Updated On: 11/11/12 at 05:42 PM

[goldenboy]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 3:08am

I saw it tonight Saturday Nov 10 with one of the critics.
We both went with trepidation as we have read this board and were expecting the worst. I must say boy was I surprised. I found myself enjoying this musical (as did he) . Carolee Carmello is wonderful in a tour de force performance. I was educated about the life of Aimee Semple McPherson - the good, the bad the indifferernt and it had some nice rousing numbers. I thought the story was told intelligently and the staircase bothered neither myself or the critic I was with. It was better than Leap of Faith. It was better than Chaplin. There is no show without Carolee. Roz Ryan was great fun. George Hearn did a nice job. Edward Watts sang well and was dreamy in both parts. Perhaps I am devils advocate here. Perhaps I was expecting worse than it was but I was pleasantly surprised by this show. Interesting to see the reviews.

[eperkins]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 8:24am

Except for the falling asleep part, I totally agree with what you (little_sally) said about this show, including Carolee. Despite that most people like her (as do I), I did not think she was good in this poor excuse for a show. How can someone be great singing crap songs? How can someone act trite dialog? I'm pretty sure this is absolutely the worst Broadway show I have ever seen, and I have seen, literally, 100's of them.

This show is guaranteed to close the moment KLG's cash runs out.

Updated On: 11/11/12 at 08:24 AM

[little_sally]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 2:29pm

Exactly, eperkins. It's like that scene in which Aimee is ripping up the Bible. It's supposed to be a huge, dramatic moment for the character but it's so cheesy that it's hard to see it as anything but. Carolee does what she can, and sounds and looks gorgeous but I can't imagine her winning a Tony for this role.

[newintown]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 2:34pm

For the actors' sake, I hope goldenboy's "critic" friend is nice. But it's truly difficult to imagine any discerning audience member finding anything good to say about this truly terrible writing.

[eperkins]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 2:58pm

^^^^^THIS^^^^

[Jack Hughes]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 4:34pm

Last night a dream came true for me when the show I've been working on, that's been so dear to my heart for the past twenty or so years, finally opened on Broadway at the Neil Simon theater. It was an absolutely magical evening that I will not allow to be tarnished by some of the truly mean spirited unhappy men and women who attempted - but failed - to rain on our parade by spewing their hatred and venom towards me and my marvelous company who have been working their tails off to entertain audiences night after night after night at the Neil Simon theater.

When I first conceived this show, I knew that this was a show for people not for critics. And not an evening goes by that I'm not embraced by members of my audience telling me how much this show moved them and how much it meant to him. And if you don't believe come see for yourself at the party we're having at the Neil Simon theater every night of the week but Monday and Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Finally, I'd just like to say one more thing to the so called critics who had their knives out for me last night. I don't mind when you come after me. I've gotten used to that. Perhaps its because strong women of faith are too intimidating for some people to handle. Whatever. But coming after my actors is like coming after my children, and I will not stand by idly when you attack my children, and if you have children, if you love your children, the best way to get even with these so called critics, to tell them that you will not allow them to attack my children, or yours, is by coming to our party at the Neil Simon to cheer, laugh, and shed a tear or two, just like literally tens of people have been doing since we began workshops for this gem of a show in 1978.

- Kathie Lee Gifford, The Today Show, the morning after opening night.

[newintown]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 5:47pm

She's delightfully delusional!

[behindthescenes2]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 6:24pm

Well, I saw the Matinee today. Boring is the word and never, never, never, never, ever should Carmelo play a teenager - sorry, they should have spent some money and hired a teenage actress to play the teenager. Sometimes the simple step is the best. If the show had a catchy tune...like a run on same melody continuous boring song. Set design is a big flaw in the front of the stage it block 1/4 of the viewing in certain seats. The lyrics - of the same boring contemporary christian music variety, if only there was a tune - a real song. They should have done a segment of her life, like the trial itself, not the whole life - it was too much material for the composer, lyricist, and book writer to do - they are not in the same league as the ones that birthed, Gypsy, or My Fair Lady, or Westside Story, or Book of Morman or Chicago, or Pippin...shall I go on? The worst thing to say is that it is boring, boring, and boring.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

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

Why was it "creepy" that there were empty seats? And why is "creepy" in quotes?

[goldenboy]

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

You guys really hate Kathy Gifford that much? There are far worse musicals out there.
Leap of Faith, Women on the Verge, Bring it On.
How can you not be impressed with Carolee Carmello's performance, voice and commitment? The story is a great piece of Amercicana== come on. Only in America can you preach your way to the top. Friedman and Pomeranz's music has a lot of merit.

I love playing devil's advocate here.

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 7:20pm

There are far worse musicals out there.
Leap of Faith, Women on the Verge, Bring it On.

Really???

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 9:06pm

Leap of Faith was much better than Scandalous.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 9:18pm

I enjoyed Beth Leavel's work in Baby, It's You! but that doesn't make that a good show, either.

[jbm2]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 9:45pm

How could KLG have said that on the Today Show? The show hasn't opened yet, reviewers haven't seen it yet... I really question that statement.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 10:00pm

Scandalous better than Women on the Verge? I don't think so.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 10:11pm

A friend of mine had comps the other day so I told him I'd go because I wanted to see how much work they'd done since the 4th preview I saw. Sadly, all changes (and there were very very few) had nothing to do with the book or the score. Strangely, the first time I saw it I didn't hate it. I thought it was decent. The other day though, I was restraining laughter at just how awful it was and thanked God for the half naked man in most of Act 2 who kept me awake.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 11/12/12 at 12:29pm

Jordan, so VERY true on all fronts. It's as though *everything* is up for debate and change *except* Gifford's work - which is the worst of the bunch... and I still maintain that it was offensive to see her socialize and mine people for compliments in the theatre, working the room like a debutante ball when every other creative team member was there, pad in hand, and visible working to bail out the sinking Titanic.. and there she is, just scraping it back and forth across the iceberg, cocktail in hand, laughing out "Isn't this fun? I'm amazing!"

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/12/12 at 12:36pm

Whoever was there in the orchestra with notepads in hand fell asleep at the beginning of Act 2 and woke up during the curtain call. I couldn't blame him, really.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 11/12/12 at 12:44pm

I think that tops the designer and associate seated just in front of me who looked around the theatre as people where crying with laughter when Aimee went missing before quite literally dropping their pen, throwing their hands up and falling into laughter with the audience.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 11/12/12 at 12:45pm

.. and the two men seated several seats from Madame Gifford who were crying with laughter within 20 minutes of the start of the show and gave a rousing "boo" when the lights went to black.
(They did applaud the hard-working cast though...)

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/12/12 at 1:47pm

What's that line she has about "SOULS! I WANT THEIR SOULS!"

I swear to God, I was howling. It was like something from a 70's horror film.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/12/12 at 2:08pm

It's hard not to laugh after someone goes missing and you sing a song called "Lost and Found" that's upbeat and has hilariously bad lyrics. And awful choreography.

[finebydesign]

Posted: 11/12/12 at 2:45pm

Oh geez this is starting to sound like Spring Time for Hitler. I CANNOT wait to see off-broadway revivals.

[MimiJudith]

Posted: 11/12/12 at 3:10pm

Can anyone post some samples of Kathie Lee's lyrics?