Now. Here. This. - changes from workshop?

[jdrye222]

Posted: 3/28/12 at 1:25am

If there is already a post, I apologize, but I cannot find it -

How much has "Now. Here. This." changed since the "Lab" production last year? I know the point of the Lab is to not be reviewed, but having paid for a ticket, I am entitled to my opinion that it was one of the more self-indulgent and pointless evenings I've ever spent in the theater... (and I enjoyed and appreciated "title of show" even though I wasn't an ardent fan). It seemed kind of pointless and had no focus. And there are many more compelling stories to tell right now than watching an entire sequence about stage fright (and I am a fan of Heidi B.)....
So I'm wondering if it is completely changed and worth seeing??? Anyone see both who can comment? I know is opening this week.

Thanks in advance!

[newintown]

Posted: 3/28/12 at 12:20pm

I admit that I was amused by one of the reviews on the other board:

"Never. See. This."

Blickenstaff and Blackwell are good performers; Bell is cute when he plays himself (but every time I see him play "a character," he's pretty amateur-ish, I find). Bowen... has a nicely defined torso.

But the show (at least at the Lab) is a pointless and witless piece of sophomoric juvenilia. As writers, they just don't have anything to say (I find).

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 3/28/12 at 1:10pm

It's far more focused now. They've kept the Museum of Natural History throughline, but they're now toruing the museum and the exhibits and ideas trigger memmories, songs, and emotions. A lot of the root matierial like the songs are still there just arranged in a more linear, thoughtful way.

The stage fight idea is cut. The song is still sung by Heidi (beautifully, I might add) but instead of comments about stage fright it's memories of her father.

The concept and show isn't for everyone and I didn't want away completely in awe this time, but I relate to these people and respect their talent and drive to create something original and new.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 3/28/12 at 3:40pm

I didn't attend the Lab, so I can't make a comparison, but your descriptions of the show remain apt -- "self-indulgent and pointless," "no focus." It's not 100% without merit. All four performers have genuinely funny/cute moments, and there are a couple of tuneful melodies -- but, sincerely, only a couple.

From what I've gathered, structural aspects have been rejiggered and threads of plot have been rewritten or tightened or both, but the overall package seems to have remained roughly the same. It hasn't had a huge overhaul, at least not that I've heard about, and descriptions I've read of the Lab sound very much like the production I saw just over three weeks ago.

[newintown]

Posted: 3/29/12 at 9:55am

Sometimes I wish that I was one of those people who feel that they've had a good time if they enjoy 20 minutes of a 90-minute show. (I'm not saying you're one of those people, growl, btw.)

I need a higher ratio of good-to-bad material to enjoy an evening. Maybe 75/25 at the worst.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 3/29/12 at 10:20am

I agree 100%, newintown. 50/50 shows are the hardest to evaluate accurately because as time goes on, my opinion usually worsens, as I'm more apt to remember details about the things I didn't like than the things I did like.

Take, for example, EVITA. I didn't hate the show. It's not awful. It's not even really close to awful. But it's pretty close to 50/50, and in the ensuing days since I've seen it, looking back on it, I grow more sour. I'm more inclined to say to someone, "Eh, it wasn't very good," rather than, "Oh, it wasn't that bad!" because, really, what kind of endorsement is that? To me, the negatives are more important, especially to start with, because the objective should always be higher quality, and then the positives become the qualifiers, rather than vice versa.

On the flip side, I just saw DEATH OF A SALESMAN, about which I felt, like, 99/1. There may have been one or two teeny-tiny irrtations that struck me while I was watching the show, but I'll be damned if I can remember what they were now.