Unless I'm totally overlooking it, it doesn't look like Limelight Mike posted a thread for this... but they should be emerging soon!
I can't imagine anything better than moderate-to-negative reviews for this one. It was a pretty big mess that did nothing more than regurgitate Mr. Prince's IBDB page.
I saw it at the last minute the other night for free, only because it's not something I would have seen of my own accord, but free is free. I mean, it's fine, we get the hear songs form the shows he directed, but it's just like any other revue type of show, there's nothing special about it.
The footage posted here makes the evening looks so startlingly literal in its homage, cruise ship recreations of numbers with all the original concepts intact but on the cheap. And the rare stuff -- "Superman" the exception -- is mostly missing. The idea of ending with that much of the long overexposed "Phantom," done precisely as it is it is across town, but with slimmer accoutrements, just makes the whole enterprise look recycled -- and missable.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
NYT always comes out at 10PM on the dot. Brantley is rather kind here, giving credit to the performers but essentially calling the show itself a random blur of things that don't cohere.
*shrugs* I enjoyed it for what it was...a revue, featuring a top-notch roster of performers. I agree that more of the "hidden gems" would have been cool- rather than an extended Phantom montage- but my friend and I still had a helluva time.
BroadwayConcierge said: "NYT always comes out at 10PM on the dot."
The last big Off-Bway show I did, the Times review came out minutes before we started our opening night performance. We were literally at places and somebody was like, "The Times review is out." "How is it?" "Terrible." "OK, don't tell anyone. Happy opening!" (sad trombone)
I know the days are long gone of staying up all night at the party to wait for the reviews, but jeez, at least let us start our opening performance with the hope that maybe we won't immediately close.
Auggie27 said: "The footage posted here makes the evening looks so startlingly literal in its homage, cruise ship recreations of numbers with all the original concepts intact but on the cheap. And the rare stuff -- "Superman" the exception -- is mostly missing. The idea of ending with that much of the long overexposed "Phantom," done precisely as it is it is across town, but with slimmer accoutrements, just makes the whole enterprise look recycled -- and missable. "
I will say this--it let's you see the good 10 minutes in Phantom without sitting through the other 2:20 of awfulness. And it did introduce my 12 year old to a number of classics, for example between the four Cabaret songs here and "it couldn't please me more" (the Pineapple song) at 54 Below's Broadhurst birthday party, she REALLY wants to see Cabaret when it's next revived.
Overall though, I found it like tapas. Some good nuggets, ultimately leaves me wanting a more substantial course. Even a simple framing device and some semblance of a book/organizing concept would have been an improvement.