On the Twentieth Century Audience Opinions and Stage Door Info

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 12:13am

I just thought I'd create a separate thread now that the show is open. I saw the show tonight and I'm still forming my overall opinions.

As for the stage door, James Moye and Peter Gallagher came out and signed. Kristen signed a few Playbills but didn't go down the line. She ran off to her car pretty quickly. The guards sent everyone away shortly after that. I'm more of the cast wasn't signing this early into the run but it might be the cold.

[loliveve]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 12:25am

Which side of the theatre is the "stage door" on? The American Airlines Theatre always confuses me.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 12:32am

The actual stage door is on 43rd street. But actors go out either entrance, so it's always a total crap shoot.

[loliveve]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 12:33am

okay, thanks Jordan!

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 12:41am

They told us to go out on the 43rd St side. That's where the actors I mentioned exited from. It would be annoying if the rest of the cast is going out the other exit.

[loliveve]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 12:48am

Thanks for the tip! And I agree- that would be annoying if they are signing in 2 different locations. On the other hand, if they are just using the other door to not sign, then I understand. I would just think that they would coordinate a "stage door" for signing.

Updated On: 3/19/15 at 12:48 AM

[bfreak]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 6:47am

I'm surprised that Andy Karl didn't come out. He was very nice after Rocky.

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 8:32am

I must've gotten lucky with stage dooring. It was a after a Sunday show. The guy at the stage door said she'd only sign Playbills and window cards and she wouldn't be talking, but she came out and signed pretty much everything (crowd was full but not overly full by any means). She took her time and when someone talked to her she talked back and was so fricken genuine. Nicest person I've ever met at the stage door besides Kelli O'Hara and Kate Baldwin. She even just stood and talked to a fan (both holding on to each other) for a good while, still there when we walked away. Peter Gallagher was out but Moye came and signed everyone's Playbills as well. No one else came out though, which I found weird!

[bfreak]

Posted: 3/19/15 at 10:53pm

I wonder if Andy Karl maybe thinks people only want to meet Cheno and Gallagher because he didn't come out after Drood but was incredibly nice and kind after Rocky so I think thats proabably it.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 3/21/15 at 12:06pm

Can you take one more belated review?

A near-rave from the Wall Street Journal drama critic. A newspaper with a very large circulation.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/on-the-twentieth-century-review-tied-to-the-tracks-of-delight-1426794124

I'll quote some of this since I'm not sure if you can read it without a subscription.

So you’re looking for a good time? Look no more: The Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of “On the Twentieth Century” is the best musical to hit Broadway since “On the Town.” Staged with hurtling éclat by Scott Ellis and featuring a jaw-droppingly virtuosic performance by the amazing Kristin Chenoweth, it’s a fluffy exercise in high-octane pleasure, blessedly devoid of deep thought and certain to satisfy anyone not congenitally po-faced.

Coleman’s score is a knowing pastiche of old-fashioned over-the-top operetta, and Ms. Chenoweth, a full-fledged musical-comedy singer who also has rock-solid operatic chops up to and including a gleaming high C, was born to sing it. On top of all that, she’s a stage comedian so accomplished that she can make you laugh without singing a note. It’s as if Beverly Sills and Carol Burnett were the same person.

On the debit side, Mr. Gallagher, wonderfully funny though he is, doesn’t sing well enough to hold his own alongside Ms. Chenoweth. I haven’t heard such ill-tuned singing from a Broadway lead since Bill Irwin inflicted his voice on “Bye Bye Birdie.” And Coleman’s score, though effective as a vehicle for the fizzy farce comedy in which his collaborators specialized, is so musically unmemorable that none of the songs is now known outside the context of the show.

So no, “On the Twentieth Century” isn’t perfect—but it’ll do quite well enough. Mr. Ellis and choreographer Warren Carlyle make head-spinning magic out of “She’s a Nut,” the 11-o’clock number in which a hundred kinds of farcical hell are unleashed onstage, and David Rockwell’s deco-to-the-max sets look as though they cost as much as the national debt of Grand Fenwick. As for the supporting cast, it features Andy Karl, Mark Linn-Baker and Mary Louise Wilson, all of whom deliver the goods right on time.

I'm becoming semi-addicted to this musical and, listening quite often to the OBC, John Cullum sets a very high bar for this character, especially in his singing.

Updated On: 3/21/15 at 12:06 PM

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 3/21/15 at 1:37pm

Is there going to be a cast recording?

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 3/22/15 at 12:44am

There was a video of Cheno and Gallagher in the recording booth so I think there'll be an album.

[BroadwayBrat]

Posted: 3/22/15 at 12:48am

I was at the stage door tonight and Kristin was a delight. It was cold, but she signed and chatted anyway. No pictures with her, but we were told to take as many as wanted of Kristin.

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 3/22/15 at 10:13am

Yes, there will be a recording.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 3/22/15 at 3:12pm

OK, after thinking it over for a few days, I've settled in my feelings on this show. I know there are a lot of people on the board who love the show so please understand this just my opinion and I don't want to discourage anyone from loving the show or seeing this production. But...

I didn't really enjoy it. I enjoyed it in the sense that I got out of the house and saw a Broadway show. There were some amusing moments and it's always going to be a thrill to hear Kristin Chenoweth live but if I'm being honest, I was bored through a lot of it and I've definitely seen a lot of better shows. I don't know if it was the small theatre or the performances but from the overture the show felt static and that feeling never fully went away though there were some numbers like Veronique that injected some energy into the show. While I wouldn't give them a Tony for costumes, I did think they were eye-catching. Oddly, Kristin seemed to be dressed the most simply and not to great effect.

The interludes with the porters could have been tighter. It wasn't like they were loose and everyone had their own style. They just weren't in sync. I did enjoy the part where they mimicked the sound of a train.

The outside of the train isn't that impressive at first but the interior is beautiful and there are some fun tricks in the second act. I just kind of wish it hadn't happened all at once. Again, the show felt so static for so long and then suddenly we got this injection of momentum only for the show to end by squandering all of that energy.

I went into the show having seen the movie and heard the original cast album. The changes from the structure of the movie didn't make much sense to me. Why have the piano scene and Veronique as a flashback? Our Private World and Repent seemed out of place and those two numbers brought the show to a screeching halt.

All the principals had their moments, but I never felt like anyone really got into their characters. Maybe that will come later into the run but I think that'll be something they have to bring because there's not much there in the book or the songs to begin with. The material is weak to me. There aren't really strong characterizations and the lyrics are mind-numbingly tedious and repetitive at times. A lot of times. I wasn't that entertained by the musical numbers and I wasn't invested in the characters and their issues.

Kristin is fantastic but I greatly preferred her performance in The Apple Tree. Gallagher is fine (despite a few shaky notes that I will attribute to the cold) but the way Oscar is written muddles the character. Andy Karl has some amusing moments but he's not a laugh riot and I don't think he'll be winning a Tony unless the competition is really lacking.

[ebontoyan]

Posted: 3/22/15 at 5:40pm

I suppose people just see a show differently. I completely disagree with you VintageSnarker but of course this is just my opinion. I loved the show, the cast and songs when I saw it on 2/28 I've already got tix to see again for #2 and #3.

Updated On: 3/22/15 at 05:40 PM

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 11:32am

Twentieth Century is far from your average musical. It is a fast-moving, physical farce propelled by fast-moving, operetta-like songs that don't work on their own but mostly work in the show to keep the forward movement of the story going. It doesn't work as a play; there is not nearly as much depth to the characters to support that.

Gilbert and Sullivan, the R&H of English operetta, were hugely popular in their time, but how many of their songs have survived and are still played regularly and are frequently covered. In contrast, Rodgers and Hart wrote songs over eighty years ago ("Isn't it Romantic") that are still around today

You just have to take it as is, a "Madcap Farce," and this won't be everyone's cup of tea. I was surprised at the strength of the reviews and the show has been SRO in its first two weeks.

On the other hand, if you listen to the OBC album a few times, you might find 20th Century growing on you.





Updated On: 3/26/15 at 11:32 AM

[LuminousBeing]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 12:27pm

I saw James Moye's first performance, so my opinions are based on having seen the show during that somewhat tumultuous time for the cast. Like VintageSnarker, I understand there's love for the show here, and I certainly don't want to spoil it for anyone. All theater love is good love, and in this case, I simply don't share it for this show.

Overall, I didn't enjoy "On the Twentieth Century," and was even fairly bored during much of it--especially the big production numbers, which I felt stalled what little momentum (haha, train, momentum) there was. "She's a Nut!" was particularly challenging for me to sit through. ("She's a nut, she's a nut, but but but but but but but, it's a lie, it's a lie . . ." ad nauseum)

I'm usually a fan of classic "BROADWAY" shows that have little actual plot and focus instead on developing a relationship with the audience through sheer entertainment: "How to Succeed," "The Music Man," "She Loves Me," and "Bells are Ringing" are some of my favorites. "On the 20th" just didn't resonate for me. I wasn't invested in the characters; I anticipated the twists; and while the material was expertly performed by Cheno and Moye (whose voice I quite loved, and who gave a fantastic performance, especially for the circumstances!), it just didn't work for me.

The best part of the show for me, outside of the Mildred Plotka scene (Cheno's best work in the show imho), was the work from the Porters, whom I wish had more to do throughout the body of the show, as minor characters or as a choreographic/thematic thread to tie their role more tightly into the fabric of the show as a whole--making the train itself more of a character taking these crazy people on a ride.

Overall, the cast did a wonderful job, the orchestrations were lush and vibrant, and it felt like old Broadway come to life: unfortunately, the material and score didn't thrill and delight me as I so hoped it would.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 10:41am

Saw the show last night and found it to be quite entertaining. It's certainly a madcap farce which made for a nice couple hours of escape. It's certainly not a perfect show, and there were some songs that lasted too long and slowed things down, but again it was overall entertaining. I attended the preshow talkback (I think they have them every Tuesday) by a Roundabout dramaturge - it was highly informative and gave great background about the play and musical and its various incarnations. 

It was absolutely thrilling to see Ms. Chenoweth on stage and I thoroughly enjoyed her performance - marvelous voice, great comedic timing. She's just perfect in this role. Her scenes with Andy Karl were utterly ridiculous - in the best way. James Moye was on for Peter Gallagher which was just fine with me. I thought he did a great job.

The singing, tap-dancing porters were a big hit with the entire audience including myself - those guys are working hard and do a great job to set the tone of the time period.

I stage doored afterwards and not many people came out, a couple of the porters did and they were really nice. Ms. Chenoweth came out after about 30 minutes and was very gracious. I was fourth in line and witnessed a wonderful, tender interaction between her and a young man who is clearly a huge fan, there with his mother. She "knew" him from past interactions and him having baked for the cast, etc. and she took time to speak with both of them, sign a book and had her security guard take a picture (though by rule she wasn't taking pictures). She was genuine and enthusiastic with all of us and it was a thoroughly pleasant experience. I left after that so I don't know if anyone else came out.