Mrs R dragged me to see this today. I told her she owes me an apology and she agreed. Never have I seen a musical so unjustly praised in my over 50 years of theater going. The actors gave it their all but they were swimming against a tidal wave of mediocrity. It looked and sounded like a musical by a bunch of guys going thru puberty. My wife almost left and I would have gone with her if she did.
It was tasteless, sophomoric and and beyond bad taste. The Hell number was the worst I have ever seen. The people next to us agreed and left at intermission. A woman in front of us , later revealing herself as a psychiatrist, said it was the worst thing she had ever seen and almost walked out. The severly cramped seats reminded us of a recent Jet Blue flight. Others around us gave it polite applause. Naturally, there were other people there who thought it was the greatest show they had ever seen.
To think this beat out other worthy musicals like the Scottsboro Boys, Sister Act and Catch Me If You Can is mind boggling. This show reminded me of why I am turned off by Broadway
I know I am in the minority here but I told my wife do not believe the hype anymore. She wholeheartedly agrees. She also apologized profusely.
While you clearly didn't care for the subject matter, what did you think of the performances? And you have to admit, Sal tlay ka siti is pretty touching song.
Mr. Roxy, I thought this was way overrated when I saw it. (Tony week with the original cast). Like I stated years ago, those seats in the mezz were so cramped together I could not really enjoy the show. It is finally coming to Jacksonville for the first time. If I can score a cheap lottery ticket, I will give the benefit of seeing it again. My opinion may change.
I also think it's a bit overrated. I was surprised to find half of the songs very clunky. I also thought some characters should have been fleshed out a bit more. Especially Nabulungi. The book really does has some problems. While it was still a fun time in the theatre, BOM sadly doesn't even begin to compare to Scottsboro Boys. This is coming from a huge South Park fan.
If only people had described the show and its content in the past few years, you might have had some idea what you were in for... rather than expect everything to be to your exact taste, no?
Conservative, old, or conservative old people aren't going to like this show. My weirdo Tea Party Aunt and Uncle left within 30 minutes when they saw it in Des Moines.
Today was an Actors Benefit & I too was there. Even though I don't agree with Mr. Roxy's harsh indictment of the show, I can understand.
The cast now seems very young & theme park-like, with emphasis on energy & bright tempos rather than on a feeling of actor-like discovery/commitment, sophistication, or touching poignancy.
Some production numbers did seem on the ho-hum side where instead of sensing a wave of adoration from those around me, I felt as if I was applauding out of politeness.
Ben Platt as Elder Cunningham was out today & swing Nyk Bielak (who according to his prgm. bio, has performed with all 3 N. American companies). I found what he did very enjoyable.
All in all I was quite tickled & enjoyed the show.
I was there today too. I was sitting second row in the Mezzanine and the seats were INSANELY cramped. That really bugs the crap out of me. The only reason I got through it was because the seat next to me was empty. If it had been taken I don't think I could have sat through it.
As for the show, I think it has some really funny, funny moments. It's totally rude but it isn't vulgar because it's smart. (I just saw Bayside The Musical and THAT was vulgar with no charm at all). BOM is charming and the cast is sensational. They are really giving it their all, which is considerable. I do think it wanders in the second act. I would have cut the nightmare number, which is probably the weakest thing in the show. Is it overrated...? Probably... but it's not bad in any sense of the word. Certainly nothing you would walk out on. There is quite a bit to enjoy. I think the best part for me was the 7 guys who played the Mormons and the two leads. Every song they were a part of was joyous. I thought the audience today loved it.
I personally love this show (I am in my mid 60's and a liberal conservative). Seen it 10 times. It's funny, touching and all around entertaining. Very pro religion. But you have to stick around to the end for the pay off. Yes, it is not everyones cup of tea, but neither is South Park.
I saw it on tour, and I pretty much enjoyed it, but I can totally see why somebody would hate it and I could see why somebody would love it. I've never really seen anything like it other than Avenue Q, so you really have to see it for yourself to come up with an opinion.
I actually just saw this show this weekend (finally caught the tour) and my big problem was that some of the songs seemed waaaay too long. Yes, the conceit behind them were funny but after 4, 5, 6 minutes?? The whole second act was just tedious and boring for me because these long songs just kept coming and there wasn't a ton of dramatic action till the president came in for the "Joseph Smith American Moses" number.
I did like a lot of the tunes though, and found many of the jokes to be very funny, especially the running text gag. I also really loved the show curtain with the planets (don't know if it was modified for the tour) and the tour cast was very good.
I think this show would be better as a pared down one act (although I did love the act one finale, very thrilling).
Overall it was just like I expected it to be. Funny with some decent tunes, but certainly not the best show on Earth (and certainly not worth what they charge on Broadway).
I agree with "to each their own" for this show but, like CurtainsUpat8 mentioned, it's smarter than what some people give it credit for. There's no doubt that there's plenty of scenes/lines that I'm sure plenty of people can find offensive but if you go with an open mind (and a knowledge of the Matt/Trey's humor/satire style) I would definitely say it's a good show. I am by no means a religious guy but was pleasantly surprised at what the show had to say about religion and how, in the end, it actually is quite pro-religion...it just takes a few "blasphemous" detours to get there :) I've definitely recommended it to most of my friends but always with the caveat to go with an open mind and try not to let entertainment offend them.
Is it the Best Musical ever? No. Can it be enjoyed by people with an open mind for entertainment? Yes. Is it a ridiculously good time? Hell Yes!
Isn't this like Dogma, which is satirical but arguably pro-religion? I think it's the satire that really throws people off and only a certain type of viewer can get into it.
The cast now seems very young & theme park-like, with emphasis on energy & bright tempos rather than on a feeling of actor-like discovery/commitment, sophistication, or touching poignancy.
It's definitely gotten more and more like this as time has gone on -- there are bright spots, but I think the company with the most heart is the 2nd national tour and no longer Broadway. With this show it's really easy to fall into this trap, and having seen every company I feel like Broadway is the one that is kept the least in check.
My parents have seen the show with me twice and had a good time, but also thought the songs were too long. I just think Hasa Diga is too long.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt