Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder OVER-RATED!

[forgetmenotnyc]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 12:08am

Sorry folks. I generally like to keep it upbeat & positive - but saw today's matinee with great expectations & found it pretty much A BIG SNOOZER.

The show is marketed as 'Hilarious!' when the reality is just a MILD CHUCKLE OR TWO. I'm not saying it sucked. I'm just saying 'IT AIN'T GRAND.' It's kinda more like a small cheap DROOD WANNABE?

I can't imagine theaters around the country wanting to do this one & def. don't think it's a strong touring choice.

The cast album may do well because the original score may be the best thing about it - but all in all, very DISAPPOINTING. Simply didn't live up to the hype.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 12:20am

I was not too thrilled with the cast recording that was on EW's website.

[blaxx]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 12:23am

I can't imagine theaters around the country wanting to do this one & def. don't think it's a strong touring choice.

Thank you for starting a new thread on this!

You are entitled to your bad taste, love.

Regarding theatres around the country not picking up a new musical with glowing reviews, small cast and a part that will showcase each city's best musical theater actor, well...just come back here in 7 to 10 years and try again!

Updated On: 2/24/14 at 12:23 AM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 12:26am

Wicked is overrated.

This is not. Critics right on this one.

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 12:50am

"The show is marketed as 'Hilarious!' when the reality is just a MILD CHUCKLE OR TWO."

They didn't market it as hilarious, they used a pull quote from the New York Times who called it hilarious. What kind of quotes do you honestly expect to see in ads for a show... "A mild chuckle or two" or "It doesn't suck but it ain't all that great either"?

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 12:54am

"The show is marketed as 'Hilarious!' when the reality is just a MILD CHUCKLE OR TWO."

EVERYONE must have the SAME sense of humor and find EVERYTHING the SAME level of funny! Perhaps other people in the theatre let out three mild chuckles.

[blaxx]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 12:59am

Why are we getting so many sock puppets starting new threads lately?

We must be getting close to Tony season.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 3:00am

"It's kinda more like a small cheap DROOD WANNABE?"

Odd, nothing about Gentleman's Guide seemed to me like they were trying to be boring, unintelligible garbage.

[ARTc3]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 4:19am

I loved it.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 8:10am

This might just be my favorite paragraph to ever grace BWW.

"Sorry folks. I generally like to keep it upbeat & positive - but saw today's matinee with great expectations & found it pretty much A BIG SNOOZER."

Updated On: 2/24/14 at 08:10 AM

[Patash]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 9:13am

"They didn't market it as hilarious, they used a pull quote from the New York Times who called it hilarious."

Umm. I get what point you're trying to make here, but it is just wrong to say "they didn't market it as hilarious". They actually repeated "hilarious" three times in a row as pull quotes from three different reviews -- Entertainment Weekly and USA Today as well as NYTimes. Emphasizing a particular word three times from pull quotes is not considered "marketing"? I'm confused.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 10:38am

So, the main issue is that the reviewers only gave their opinion, the show used the best quotes from those opinions to sell tickets and, despite other people agreeing with the reviews, you are actually delivering us "reality," rather than a solitary contrary opinion?

You expected to like something and didn't? Big deal. Grow up and figure out clues between your desires and the reviews to tip you off so it doesn't happen again.

[Demitri2]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 10:58am

I saw seven shows on my last visit to the city and often chatted with audience members during intermission. The one show they kept telling me to see over and over again was "Gentleman's Guide To love And Murder". I don't recall hearing such a favorable recommendation for a show in quite some time. As that saying goes, "To each his own" I guess.

[dented146]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 1:45pm

I agree with the majority. I thought it a well produced and performed show when I saw it in San Diego. During the previews, however, many of the comments on BWW were not very positive. The reviews were much more favorable than the opinion of many on this site.

But if people are expecting big belly laughs then I can see why they would be disappointed. I simply had a two hour smile.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 2:16pm

I agree, dented. The initial handful of lukewarm-to-negative reviews cooled my interest, which had been immediately captured when I read about its premier at Hartford Stage. A new musical comedy, sharing a source with "Kind Hearts and Coronets" and starring the incomparable Jefferson Mays in the ostensible Alec Guinness roles? Who wouldn't be excited?

I nearly gave it a pass last fall, and I'm so glad I didn't because it's one of the finest, freshest, and funniest new musicals I've seen in a while, and I would recommend it to anyone. And I hope to see it again soon.

Updated On: 2/24/14 at 02:16 PM

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 2/24/14 at 2:54pm

"Umm. I get what point you're trying to make here, but it is just wrong to say "they didn't market it as hilarious". They actually repeated "hilarious" three times in a row as pull quotes from three different reviews -- Entertainment Weekly and USA Today as well as NYTimes. Emphasizing a particular word three times from pull quotes is not considered "marketing"? I'm confused."

I'm very sorry if I have caused you to be confused. I may not be looking at the same thing you are looking at cause I saw a full sentence fragment pulled, not a single word. Having said that, I'm really not sure parsing the definition of the word "marketing" is a good use of time for either of us. My point was that they are not saying the show is hilarious, the critics are. If the OP has an issue, she should take it up with the critics not the production since it's their opinions on which she relied. The production merely reproduced them albeit obviously in a favorable light.

The larger issue is as I stated, should anyone really take the pull quotes in an ad at face value? Is a production really going to use any negative quotes there? Should someone paying $14 to see 47 Ronin really think they are without question about to see "Absolutely the Best Movie of the Year" because a quote from Paul Schmutsky of Ain't It Cool News in an ad says it is? These are opinions based on personal tastes, not fact. Anyone who reads 3 pull quotes in an ad and actually believes well if they said it's hilarious, I'm sure I will without question, find it hilarious deserves what they get.




Updated On: 2/24/14 at 02:54 PM