BIG FISH Reviews- Page 2

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/6/13 at 11:50pm

I don't see how Brantley can commend Steggart's singing. He was warbling horribly. Sounded like Sarah Brightman getting choked.

[ggersten]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 12:26am

My image of Brantley was fixed by "Avenue Jew" when "he" says "Melanie Griffith was the best Roxie Hart EVER!"

[WestCoastActor/Director]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 12:55am

Sarah Brightman getting choked
They throw that in the show will sell out nightly.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 12:56am

ggersten, in reality, Brantley said Melanie Griffith was the most convincing Roxie that he himself had ever seen. While he certainly loved her performance, it was a far cry from calling her "the best Roxie Hart ever," which is what the lore of his opinion has become over the last few years.

Updated On: 10/7/13 at 12:56 AM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 1:09am

NY Daily News is mixed, with 3 out of 5 stars: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/big-fish-theater-review-article-1.1476529

NY Mag is negative: http://www.vulture.com/2013/10/theater-review-broadways-big-fish.html

TheaterMania is positive: http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/reviews/10-2013/big-fish_66219.html?cid=homepage_news

NorthJersey.com is positive: http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/226701621_A_celebration_of_tall_tales__set_to_music.html?page=all Updated On: 10/7/13 at 01:09 AM

[devonian.t]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 2:25am

I have yet to enjoy a Lippa score. Keep him away from promising shows!

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 3:50am

While the reviews aren't absolutely glowing, there's a lot of great pull quotes and if they can get a decent word of mouth, perhaps hit the morning show TV circuit, they'll be able to do well. Honestly, having Brantley rant and rave your praises isn't exactly going to guarantee you anything - ie: the quirky, lovely, and not longed for the world Lysistrata Jones. Point being - the reviews may not be great, but the show isn't officially doomed. It's all about popular, I mean - advertising.

I've heard mostly positive things from all of my friends who have seen it, and I'm a big fan of the trio of leads from various other projects, so I'm already on board to see it.

Updated On: 10/7/13 at 03:50 AM

[indytallguy]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 7:17am

"I don't see how Brantley can commend Steggart's singing. He was warbling horribly. Sounded like Sarah Brightman getting choked. "

I read that as Brantley trying to saying something half-way nice about Steggert in a somewhat thankless role given the way it was written.

[ChrisShort]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 8:03am

why oh why is everyone so content on being bad

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 8:07am

Bobby sounded just fine at last week's preview. Think the blame for this show is less with Lippa's score and more with the overproduction by Stroman. And the endless projections do not play well from down front. Norbert was just dandy, and if he were a big box office star (say, Nathan Lane) the show could run for a while. But those reviews are not money reviews, by and large, and it's not just the Times.

[NewYorkTheater]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 8:16am

The musical has a wondrous production design — Watch while gnarled tree trunks transform into whirling witches and back again; and when a campfire turns into a sexy dancer. The musical also starts off on the right foot — literally — with a song in which Edward introduces most of his adventures to his son, concluding with a rousing bluesy “Alabama Stomp”...But the surprising consequence of so much spirited staging is the increasing perception that the big numbers are too similar; the eventual result comes close to tedium.
New York Theater's Big Fish Broadway Review

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 9:27am

*Spoilers*

It was fine. I was entertained, if nothing else. The people I saw it with loved it, and they're more representative of the general theater-going public than I am, so I think word-of-mouth will be strong.

I agree with the general consensus that the score is tuneless and forgettable and the production is excessive (Why are there twinkling lights in the daffodils? Do we really have to SEE the sonogram to understand what is going on?). I found the projections to be nauseating and cheap looking, but they were certainly used to full effect (the muggles who saw the show with me thought they were great). I was often focusing more on the projections than on what was happening in the show because they never stop moving. During the entire Witch's number, there's a bird in one of the projected trees that periodical flaps its wings. In other scenes, flowers, leaves, and clouds are CONSTANTLY moving slightly. Impressive as far as projections go, I guess, but WHY? It adds nothing.

There were also some unclear plot points. (again, SPOILERS) As it turns out, the one true story from Edward's life is about how he helped relocate people from his hometown before the town is destroyed. The town is about to be flooded (someone is building an aquifer or something), and the flooders(?) are unaware that people from the town have chained themselves to the town statue. The point of this story is to show that, despite his wild imagination, Edward did actually do something heroic and extraordinary. The audience should see in this story an act of heroism that they can believe and relate to. But the story is as unbelievable as the others. Apparently, this wins Will over, but as an audience member, I wasn't convinced. Will calls this whole ordeal "heroic" despite the fact that part of the story is that Edward cheated on Will's mother. For most of the show, Edward is an unreliable character and Will is a bit unsympathetic. By the end, I found them both to be unreliable and unsympathetic.

This may be something I missed, but is there a particular reason why Will Bloom has no hint of a Southern accent either as a child or an adult? I know he lives in New York now, but was he not born and raised in Alabama?

[Kad]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 10:53am

That is certainly not uncommon in today's world. A friend was born and raised in Arkansas and has no hint of an accent.

Posted: 10/7/13 at 1:10pm

"Sounds like Sarah Brightman getting choked" makes me want to see it, actually. I'd put that on the poster!

Updated On: 10/7/13 at 01:10 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 1:34pm

"I don't see how Brantley can commend Steggart's singing. He was warbling horribly. Sounded like Sarah Brightman getting choked."

I have to come to the defense of a friend here:

Bobby Steggert has been seriously ill for the past few weeks, As this was the critical preview period, he didn't want to miss any performances. His poor singing was a result of his illness.

[mrkringas]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 6:15pm

I like Bobby's tone. His solo "Stranger" appeared to touch a few nerves. I also rated the score overall and found in melodic, memorable and appropriate to the story.

And the show itself was highly enjoyable that left me an emotional mess. And I'm a cynical Scotsman.

If I had one quibble with the score then I couldn't figure out the early key change in "Time Stops" unless it was to facilitate Kate Baldwin's range when she joined the duet a few bars later. Otherwise this was the opposite of the Addams Family - a cast album that I look forward to buying.

[frankenleeestein]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 7:30pm

So, the main consensus seems to be that the score sucks and Norbert Leo Butz is too good.

Seems about right.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 7:36pm

It was incredibly creative, and the production design was top notch. The acting and the energy was wonderful too. The only thing lacking was the score. Some of the songs were great but many of them fell flat. I still hope it' successful. The usher I was talking to said that the Neil Simon theater had not had a hit since Hairspray.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 8:01pm

How long do we have to wait before they announce a cast recording? Or will they just close after those reviews?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 9:02pm

It's pretty popular it seems so it won't close soon. The cast recording will happen. Hands on a Hardbody closed after 28 performances but they still got one.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 10:14pm

Bobby Steggert has been seriously ill for the past few weeks,

Must you be so melodramatic? You do him a disservice.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 10:32pm

NJ Newsroom is negative: http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/movies/big-fishq-broadway-review-a-new-musical-made-of-mythical-americana

Financial Times is negative: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e52af480-2f2f-11e3-ae87-00144feab7de.html#axzz2h5rK10dh

Huffington Post is mixed: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rex-reed/big-fish-review_b_4059181.html

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 11:21pm

Also, for anyone interested, it's up on TDF.

[Up In One]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 11:30pm

It's pretty popular it seems so it won't close soon. The cast recording will happen. Hands on a Hardbody closed after 28 performances but they still got one.

It's been popular in previews, it may have just broken even last week. It cannot sustain at those numbers. The next few weeks will be telling. I don't see it getting a bump from those reviews, and the expenses are much higher than Hands On A Hardbody. If they drag it out I see it closing right after the holidays.

[indytallguy]

Posted: 10/8/13 at 12:29am

The only thing lacking was the score.

I believe the reviews found a bit more lacking than just the score.