IN TRANSIT Previews
IN TRANSIT Previews
BroadwayConcierge
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/24/15
#1IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/7/16 at 3:24pm
Previews for the Broadway premiere of In Transit begin in just a few days (Thursday, November 10, 2016) at the Circle in the Square Theatre. With a cast featuring Justin Guarini, Telly Leung, Erin Mackey, James Snyder, and more, the a cappella musical is set to open on December 11 for an open run.
Who'll be there this week?!
#2IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/7/16 at 3:33pm
A friend and I are going on Sunday, and we're looking forward to it!
nolanativeny
Stand-by Joined: 3/29/16
#7IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/10/16 at 10:02am
I see what they're going for with that set but the picture makes it look awful.
A little swash, a bit of buckle - you'll love it more than bread.
#8IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/10/16 at 10:19am
The publicity for this show is so misguided. I understand what they're going for, certainly, but latching onto the ubiquitous MTA imagery is just attempting to send a signal through a lot of noise.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#9IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/10/16 at 10:28am
I'll be there Sunday afternoon and will report back! I love the opening number, so I'm excited to hear the whole thing.
BroadwayConcierge
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/24/15
jacobsnchz14
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/06
#11IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/10/16 at 12:19pm
I know someone who was at the invited dress last night and she loved it. I won't share her details about it, but she said it was indeed entirely a capella (I read somewhere on the boards that there was no way it was possible; something to do with the musicians/union,etc.?).
RippedMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
#12IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/10/16 at 1:26pm
Was curious about this show design wise because I love the space, but that just looks rather pedestrian and boring. Curious to hear everyone's thoughts.
#13IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/10/16 at 3:51pm
Have they set a rush policy yet? The voices on the promo video are impressive, but I'm not sure I could sit through an entire evening of a capalla singing (a little goes a long way for me). Will be excited to read the first reports here.
“I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then.”
RippedMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
#14IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/10/16 at 6:37pm
I'm guessing the cast sits in the front row to be the "orchestra" throughout?
mcsquared
Featured Actor Joined: 3/2/11
#15IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/10/16 at 7:27pm
QueenAlice said: "Have they set a rush policy yet?
"
They started $39 lottery on today tix but don't think they're having rush
@z5
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/30/15
#16IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/10/16 at 8:09pm
Looking at getting tickets, but holding of because is it better to sit in the 100's (center) or on the sides?
RippedMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
#17IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/10/16 at 10:26pm
Look at the set pic! Looks like you'd be better off sitting in the 100s.
Ortensiah
Chorus Member Joined: 11/11/16
#19IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/11/16 at 2:20am
I saw it and really liked it! It was much funnier than I expected - some subway related jokes and pop culture references. And the emotional bits, while personally not gut-punching, didn't feel cheesy. I thought the set worked pretty well too. The "plot" was pretty much a bunch of vignettes, which I usually don't like, but somehow everything moved fast enoigh that it didn't really bother me much.
On seating, I think I was in seat 110 or so, and it was an excellent view. Great angle and no blocking heads.
sephyr
Leading Actor Joined: 11/21/10
#20IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/11/16 at 2:34am
Got my ticket for a couple of weeks from now :) Very excited. Groupon has a nice deal with no taxes!
VintageSnarker
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/30/15
Ortensiah
Chorus Member Joined: 11/11/16
#22IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/11/16 at 9:10am
They said 90 minutes, and I'd say that's pretty accurate.
#23IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/11/16 at 3:34pm
Discount Code:
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$99-$69
"Anything you do, let it it come from you--then it will be new."
Sunday in the Park with George
Auggie27
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/03
#24IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/11/16 at 7:55pm
I know two people who went, one with a (theater program) class (part of papering) who were ... less enthralled than the posts here. Younger theatergoers, (judgmental?) students, so take that demographic response as not necessarily typical or prognosticating. The concept seemed embraced, the execution, particularly the score, not so much.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
#25IN TRANSIT Previews
Posted: 11/11/16 at 11:05pm
I was at the second preview tonight and there are plenty of problems with the piece, but overall I found it pleasantly floptastic. The cast is largely appealing; the music, lyrics and book much less so.
I'm with Queen Alice in that I usually think a little A Cappella goes a long way, and really is having an all-A Cappella musical much more than a marketing gimmick? They're sure pushing it as the selling point, but one could also orchestrate a score to only use kazoos and recorders and be the first all kazoo and recorder musical, but so what? There's got to be more to a show than a gimmick.
A big problem with the A Cappella genre as a theatrical score is due to the general sameness of the beatbox cadence the songs all share a similar tempo and feel. You get a general easy-listening/adult contemporary radio station vibe without too much change up in aural experience.
Another thing with 8 (or I believe they have stated up to 11 part harmony?) is that if the sound design isn't exactly 100% perfect, all those intricate harmonies sound muddled. Now I know sound needs adjustments in early previews at all Broadway shows, but I wonder if it is even humanly possible to amplify the voices to the heights they desire and make it all crystal clear. If they want to go for gimmicks maybe this should have been the A Cappella, amplification-free show too.
The next issue in this now apparent laundry list of issues is that these four(!!) authors never met a cliche they weren't in love with and prepared to unleash on the audience until it was beaten like a dead horse. (I can use cliches too!) The whole show reminded me of "Lost" from Leap of Faith, where Kecia Lewis-Evans sang that never ending list of metaphors about life being dead end streets and not seeing off ramps ahead. (She also later sang a lyric in another song: life is a highway to god's own address/some take it local and some go express.)
The opening number of In Transit is called "Not There Yet." The trains are all delayed and all the characters are running late, but you see it's really a metaphor for not having your life figured out as much as you thought you would. Get it?
The worst offender is "The Moving Song" in which Erin Mackey's life/train is stuck and she needs to "move on" and she keeps singing "time to move on." Unfortunately for this show we already have a song in the canon called "Move On" and drawing attention to this by having her sing Dot's phrase over and over is ill-advised.
What keeps this show in the pleasantly floptastic category and not the embarrassment flop category is the winning cast. Margo Seibert was very good, as were Justin Guarini and Telly Leung. Mackey has an annoying character to play, but she does well with what she's asked to do.
The stories all develop and the characters tangentially are connected, but they rarely intersect and the intersections come almost exclusively in the book scenes rather than the musical moments. Justin and Telly's plot in particular is very isolated from the rest.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
Updated On: 11/11/16 at 11:05 PM
