Anna Nicole: The Opera

[BudFrump23]

Posted: 9/17/13 at 5:24pm

Anybody else checking out this show at BAM in the next two weeks? I luckily found a last-minute $25 balcony seat for tonight, so that was exciting! As a fan of Jerry Springer: The Opera and having read some reviews of the London production, I am hoping for the best.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 9/17/13 at 5:26pm

So excited to hear about this!!

Posted: 9/17/13 at 5:42pm

I have a friend in it- hope it;s wonderful!

[somethingbypuccini 2]

Posted: 9/17/13 at 5:47pm

I'll be there this weekend, really looking forward to it. I didn't realize until today that Mary Testa was in the cast, so that was a nice surprise.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 9/17/13 at 5:56pm

Ben Davis has been posting wonderful photos on Facebook. I'm a big fan of his, so, yes, I am going to go see it!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/17/13 at 6:05pm

I have tickets for the 25th and had NO idea Mary Testa was in this! Just got 100x more excited for this.

[somethingbypuccini 2]

Posted: 9/17/13 at 6:07pm

James Barbour is in it as well. I have no idea how I managed to hear so little about the cast, when it really looks to be pretty great.

[AirJewels]

Posted: 9/17/13 at 6:13pm

Does anyone know of any discount tickets? I saw them on TDF a while back but they sold out almost instantly.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/17/13 at 7:12pm

I'm going this weekend. I had no idea until the other day that Ben would also be in drag. HA.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/17/13 at 7:49pm

Yeah, due to my work schedule I wasn't sure if I was going to get to see this. I wish there were some cheaper ticket options.

[round2]

Posted: 9/18/13 at 1:08pm

Great review in the Times, in addition to good reports on ATC.
NYTimes Review: "Anna Nicole" at BAM

[BudFrump23]

Posted: 9/18/13 at 2:14pm

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

Well, Miss Anna Nicole was quite the tragedy!

I sat in the balcony for last night's Opening performance. There are great seats up there. A few sound problems here or there, but the whole show is subtitled above the stage so even if you can't hear quite so good, you know what's going on.

Act 1 was the highlight. Though not the most melodic of music, I found myself captivated in this young girls struggle to find herself. (Gosh, am I really saying this about Anna Nicole?) There was a plethora of Broadway folk scattered in with the opera folk, and sometimes you could definitely tell which was which based on the styles of singing. My two favorite performers of the evening were Anna's mother and her elderly husband. The set and costumes were pleasing to the eye and kept my friend and I entertained. There were many laugh out loud moments throughout the first half, and the audience seemed to be liking it. (The gigantic orchestra sounded great as well!)

Act 2 is where it fell apart for me. It was very sloppy at times, was very dark (yes, true story, but after laughing my way through Act 1, I was disappointed) and left me feeling like I had seen two different operas. The highlight of Act 2 for me was the giant mattress. I think that thing was bigger than my apartment. There was a Larry King segment in Act 2, and that's when I began to lose interest in the piece, which saddened me. It was hard for me to walk about raving about the show - because with such a wonderful time during Act 1, to be so let down with Act 2 - I felt annoyed.

It was also my first time ever seeing an opera live, so maybe this is the way it goes. Or perhaps I was hoping for something more along the lines of Jerry Springer (which, I'll admit, has more of a musical theater sound than opera). Anyway, what a spattered and somewhat mish-mash of a review. Would love to hear other peoples' thoughts.

[Kad]

Posted: 9/18/13 at 4:36pm

For those unable to attend this production, the Royal Opera production was filmed and is available on iTunes for a $3.99 rental.

[xoffender45]

Posted: 9/20/13 at 1:09am

I absolutely LOVED this show tonight. Sarah Joy Miller is a star. Like BudFrump23 pointed out, the first act is hilarious, but like Jerry Springer, the second act becomes dark and more serious. I highly recommend it. My only problem with the show itself is that even though I was 5th row of the mezzanine, I had a hard time hearing a lot of what they were singing, over the orchestra. Thank god for the subtitles.

Slightly off topic, but BAM's website states they offer a student rush policy, but I called early this afternoon anyway, to confirm that they were still offering it. The rep confirmed that they would be available 90 minutes before showtime, so I got there extra early to make sure I'd get a ticket. But then at 6:00, the box office worker said they weren't offering rush tickets at all. I even spoke to a box office manager, and he said he "can't create a rush policy out of nowhere." And even after showing him their own website and telling him I called and got confirmation, all he did was give me the generic customer service phone number to call and complain. Luckily I got a cheap ticket from a lady whose friend couldn't make it. I'm glad I got to go, but disappointed with that whole rush thing.

Updated On: 9/20/13 at 01:09 AM

[WOSQ]

Posted: 9/20/13 at 9:43am

Well, I turned to my companion as the lights came up after Act One, "I don't know if this is any good, but it sure is entertaining."