BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY Reviews- Page 4

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 1:50am

Playbill website says it will be 2 CD'S. I assume besides dialog a lot of cut material should be on it (maybe including some of the demos)

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 3/2/14 at 10:32am

Hated to see the Times article this past week citing how bad biz has been, and had been waiting to see the full or 2-page spread in the Times raving about all the good reviews and comments. It was in this morning's A&L section, surrounding the ABC listing, and hoping this helps sell tickets to that targeted audience. And yes, cannot wait for the OBCR! And will be going back to see Kelli and Steven very soon.

[thebeautyis3]

Posted: 3/2/14 at 1:11pm

I'm sorry to hear the show is doing so poorly. I hoped reviews might help it a little bit. Do you think it will stay open through the Tonys? I'm planning on getting down there sometime in April or May to see it, and now I'm worried it might close before then.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/2/14 at 1:42pm

Jay, do you have the link to that article? I missed it and was curious about.

[binau]

Posted: 3/2/14 at 2:35pm

http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/artsbeat/2014/02/24/slow-start-for-newly-opened-bridges-of-madison-county/

How expensive is this to run? I can think of few shows except those that aren't too expensive ever recover from such a slow start. There does seem to be at least some hope though (cf. Leap of Faith or Scandalous).

The theatre looks strange at the moment with new pull quote artwork and old Marquee artwork.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/2/14 at 5:11pm

Are they planning on updating the marquee with the new artwork?

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 3/2/14 at 5:26pm

I think they don't have the money to spare and they don't think it's worth it.

[youcantstopthebeat2]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 1:54pm

I'm seeing the show in a few weeks. For those of you who have already been, do actors stage door after the performance? Just asking in order to organize the evening. Thanks!

[hanabana]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 2:19pm

I saw the Saturday matinee, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The music was beautiful, the cast gave stellar performances. When Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale sang together, their harmonies were beyond amazing. Especially during One Second And A Million Miles/Before and After You, the music and their voices soared, it felt like the entire theater just lit up and it was glorious! I hope that this show finds its audience, because it is definitely a treat to see live.

As for the stage door, when I went, many cast members came out, including Steven Pasquale, Kelli O'Hara, Hunter Foster, Derek Klena, and Cass Morgan. They were all very nice, and Kelli is so genuine and sweet. Have a good time at the show!

[bobs3]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 4:44pm

Even with the good reviews for Kelli O'Hara, the grosses for THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY are discouraging. I'm sure it is not an expensive show to run (compared to WICKED, ROCKY or ALADDIN) but when you are only making 39% of your potential gross and the average ticket price is less than half of the full top ticket price, the producers have some soul (and pocketbook) searching to do. This might have done better as a limited run at a not-for-profit theater (and given Sher's, Brown's and O'Hara's history with LCT they should have done it at the Newhouse).

Updated On: 3/3/14 at 04:44 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 8:51pm

Exactly. It could than have moved to broadway if there was a demand for it

It should have also opened in April after the first 3 brutal months and it would have been closer to the Tony nominations.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 9:02pm

Glad I am seeing this next week since it seems like it won't be around much longer.

[Steve721]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 10:52pm

I have tickets for the first week in April; I hope it lasts that long. I suppose the fan base for this story is just too narrow, and it doesn't have the draw of a well-known film or TV star. Perhaps if it had gotten absolute raves things might be different, although I understand there is also some softness in the ticket sales for Gentleman's Guide. I have been listening to the songs, and Brown's lush, romantic score is gorgeously sung by O'Hara and Pasquale. It's really too bad, but Broadway musicals are such a crap shoot. At least there will be a cast album.

[BwayGeek2]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 11:24pm

I definitely think that the producers counted on the popularity of the movie/book to bring in audiences and it's not working quite as well as they would have hoped. Here's hoping that more people see the new commercial and it brings them into the theatre because i think Kelli O'Hara is as luminous as ever. Perhaps her accent falters a bit, but her duets with Stephen are gorgeous.

[evic]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 11:36pm

Actors moving a staircase leading to nowhere is not a set piece that will draw in people as the commercial shows. A boxing ring that floats will. And Rocky the movie has more fans than Bridges the movie.

[bobs3]

Posted: 3/4/14 at 12:38am

It is missing the STAR factor. Kelli O'Hara is brilliantly talented but outside of certain circles in NYC no one really knows who she is. If Cate Blanchett had played Francesca this would have been the hit of the season and you wouldn't have been able to get tickets for months.

It was depressing to sit in the theater on a Tuesday night and be surrounded by empty seats. We got half-price tickets at TKTS and moved to better seats at intermission. The audience that was there (maybe 200-250 people) were enthusiastic but there was not the rapturous applause you would hear from a near capacity house.

[Steve721]

Posted: 3/4/14 at 7:03am

If Cate Blanchett had played Francesca, you'd want to put your fingers in your ears. Blanchett can sing a bit, but for that role you must have a superb singer with a big voice.

I am somewhat surprised that O'Hara isn't a bigger draw. But I suppose the days when someone could become a real broadway star by just performing in musicals are over.

[dreaming]

Posted: 3/4/14 at 8:38am

I thought Pasquale would be the bigger draw, myself. He's more of a household name from television, isn't he?

Regardless, I wonder if they're waiting to see what happens with the pre-Tony awards and their shot at Tony nominations. O'Hara has an excellent shot at best actress if they can stay open. I think they might be in wait and see mode to see if they can generate awards buzz leading up to the Tonys.

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/4/14 at 11:03am

I wonder if those who choose to musicalize certain films bother to ask themslves from the outset: does this film cry out for musicalization, or even lend itself to it ? Were these films such blockbusters themselves that their title alone could bring in huge crowds? Wholly irrespective of this show's merits-- or lack thereof -- this is just not a property that would have inherent wide-range appeal, or one that needed musicalization in the first place. And the same could be said for Big Fish, Leap of Faith, Little Miss Sunshine, Grey Gardens, Far From Heaven, and many others I've failed to mention, I'm sure.

If the creators had stopped and asked themselves these basic questions before startng these projects, a lot of money could have been saved, and a lot of disappointment avoided.

Updated On: 3/4/14 at 11:03 AM

[Steve721]

Posted: 3/4/14 at 4:05pm

The film of Once grossed $9.4 million domestic and $11.2 million foreign, and it's basically a plotless story about two ordinary people in Dublin, with an ending that's something of a downer. Sounds like a terrible idea for a musical. What were they thinking?

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/4/14 at 8:13pm

^

It already had been a musical as a film.

"Sounds like a terrible idea for a musical."

Really? Not when you know the critics will pull out all the stops to ram the wretched thing down our throats, and that award givers will follow suit.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/4/14 at 9:23pm

"I wonder if those who choose to musicalize certain films bother to ask themslves from the outset: does this film cry out for musicalization, or even lend itself to it ?"

That's what I was wondering when I went to see both Far From Heaven and Bridges of Madison County. I think they both do, and even though people had mixed reviews of Heaven, it extended several times. Playwrights Horizons was a perfect theater for it, and I think they should have done Bridges there as well. As Roxy said, it could have moved to Broadway if there was a demand for it.

[indytallguy]

Posted: 3/4/14 at 9:30pm

The Light in the Piazza ran for a very long time and it's story wasn't one you would think would be a draw nor did it have bigger name stars as leads. I know it was LCT, but it ran long beyond its initial subscriber appeal.

[philly03]

Posted: 3/4/14 at 9:49pm

I enjoyed this but didn't love it - the score is great. But the plot is pretty thin for "Broadway" and could easily have been told in 90 mins. intermission-less and I would've enjoyed it more.

Considering the structure, it amazes me that JRB didn't let any performer have a big finish on any song. The only song that got any sign of big applause was "One Second/Million Years." Perhaps that's just the Wildhorn showing in me.


I'm a bit more surprised a title like this wouldn't sell better - As After Eight said, some of the recent mega flops (Leap of Faith comes to mind instantly) weren't critical and/or box office film smashes, so who would ever think they'd make a profit on Broadway.

[binau]

Posted: 3/5/14 at 1:48am

(I have never read the book or seen the movie, I didn't really know the plot at all going in).

The plot is thin in the sense that it isn't very complicated but I think it is a character driven, not plot driven show. The first act was a dream...the build up to the two leads getting together was so, so satisfying. I loved the exposition of the opening number, the subtext of "You're Never Alone", Robert touching Francesca's arm for the first time, when they sing about how they feel about each other when they are alone after their first meeting, the dramatic pauses when you can see they still want to be together but don't want to say it and eventually Francesca having the courage just to come right out and invite him over again. It really was so well set up and very carefully detailed and developed. This is the kind of show people probably expect when they hear of a musical called "Passion". The score is great, as are the two leads. I can't wait for the cast recording - I've never heard of a score that describes the process of falling in love in as much detail as this one. Something didn't work in the second act for me that I can't quite work out at the moment, but the ending brought it back together. I can't stop thinking about the show and the two leads' performances.

There were no other real stand-out performances to me. However, I will say that Hunter Foster did a good job at looking unattractive next to Steve and I've always been prejudice towards him ever since he made those comments about giving the "Tonys back to Broadway". This actually really works for the show because it makes it so believable how Francesca was never in love with him and would fall in love with Robert.

I was a bit skeptical going in because I hated the (original) artwork, and I'm scarred from 'romantic' musicals having seen the disastrous Lucy Simon DR ZHIVAGO and the OFFICER AND A GENTLEMEN tryouts in Australia. I was afraid it would be boring. But I really was blown away.

The orchestra seemed full (not sure about the Mezz) and the audience response was pretty positive - this was just a Tuesday night. I really hope it lasts till the Tonys.

In an ideal world this show would have been at the Booth Theatre with a better marketing team. I can probably see why they thought this show would be served in a large theatre given the brand name (which TBH I hadn't heard of anyway), the creative team and cast - which all seem first rate. I can't see how they thought the original marketing would work though. Seeing the house staff wear those ugly red hats with the old logo makes me feel very unclean. The worst artwork I have seen in a very long time.

This is O'Hara's GREY GARDENS, NEXT TO NORMAL or GYPSY. I can't imagine anyone , or at least I wouldn't want to imagine, anyone else doing it.

Updated On: 3/5/14 at 01:48 AM