PRETTY WOMAN in Chicago- Page 3

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/14/18 at 10:17pm

Everything about this seems bland - including the logo. Just oof. Boring. 

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 3/14/18 at 10:38pm

If people are comparing this to First Wives Club YIKES. And if the score is bad then they have already lost me. Maybe they will be RED-DAY FO CHANGE(es) before broadway. 

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/14/18 at 11:54pm

CurtainPullDowner said: "So, does the story "glorify" the prostitute to Cinderella status? I have a hard time seeing this fly at this time of Women's empowerment. Will the Woman's movement accept or protest this show?"

That was already addressed above by Ravenclaw.

[John Adams]

Posted: 3/15/18 at 11:17am

Menken Fan said: "The songs ranged from the 'welcome to Hollywood' song to the 'welcome to the fancy store' song to the 'welcome to the fancy polo club' song. There were also the 'prostitutes want something better' song, and the 'you look beautiful' song, and the other 'you look beautiful' song. And the 'businessmen like money' song."

Thank you all for your observations!

I haven't seen the show, or heard the score, but looking at the "Musical Numbers" page from the Playbill, combined with Menken Fan's comment above (hysterically funny BTW) let me know I can probably pass on getting the cast recording should one be made.

rosemonday said: "Narrator might've been the wrong word, sorry. Not sure what the word I'm looking for is, actually."

Greek Chorus-of-one?

rosemonday also said: "The woman behind me was involved in the production and I overheard her saying that Samantha had been sick, which I didn't find to be obvious. She has a great voice."

I think that when people involved with a show publicly say things like that, it comes off as an unintentional apology. It's as if they want audience members to know beforehand that if something about the performance doesn't appeal to them, perhaps they should take into account that, 'Samantha has been sick'.

If an actor's illness isn't obvious (as you mentioned), I think it's best to not make mention. It can appear to be a lack of confidence in the performance.

It's interesting to me to isolate the adjectives that folks who saw the preview performances are using to describe the show: generic, bland and flat (all used by more than one poster), confused, similar, glaring, minimalist, wasted, etc. ...And that beloved chestnut: "a big hot mess".

The strongest positive adjectives used are fine and good.

[Broadway Fan2]

Posted: 3/15/18 at 7:20pm

I wasn’t planning to see this show, but all this talk made me curious. Just got my ticket for tonight’s preview. I’ll share my thoughts after the show.

[Broadway Fan2]

Posted: 3/16/18 at 2:49am

Well, not sure if the bad reviews are from bitter people who have personal vendettas against the show or if they are on a witch-hunt to discourage people to go see it. Just saw the show tonight and IMOHO it was spectacular. Standing ovation, full house, laughs and fun from beginning to end. Yes, it’s the movie but with new, smart twists and turns added to modernize the story. Given that one of the bookwriters died in the middle of the project (I read somewhere he had cancer), the surviving bookwriter did a pretty good job in finishing it. The songs, for a debut duo who never wrote a Broadway musical in their lives before, were quite impressive. Of course, they’re not Rodgers and Hammerstein, but they’re not chopped liver either. Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance’s music and lyrics enhanced the story and brought depth to the characters. And the direction was just incredible. You have to understand that the director of the show, Jerry Mitchell, given his track record, always directs energetic, upbeat, uplifting stories. So if you’re looking for a boring, sad, depressing show, you won’t get that with his works. In terms of seats, they were all sold out (for a 2,000-seat theater!). There was a huge line for last minute tickets that had to be turned away because everything was sold out. One touching moment was when a lady in a wheelchair, who was at the last minute line tickets, got asked by the production team to join them to see the show. They noticed she wasn’t able to buy a ticket, so they invited her to get in and stay with them. Nobody from the line seemed upset because it was very kind and sweet of them to be so thoughtful. She had tears in her eyes as the people involved with the show took her in. In terms of the cast, they were all great. Eric Anderson was just mesmerizing playing multiple roles and helping the story move forward. The guy is so good, each time he plays a different character you think is a different actor/actress. His performance clearly screams Tony nomination IMOHO. You could also see the bond between all the actors; it felt like they really loved working together and being there. The chemistry between the main leads, played by Steve Kazee and Samantha Barks, was out-of-this-world. Both played very different characters, personality-wise, but the connection is undeniable there. Everybody in the audience left the theater smiling which was a good sign. Just a note, IMOHO the show doesn’t promote prostitution in any way, shape or form. It’s quite the opposite, it warns the dangers of it and shows how the lead female character is determined to get out of that lifestyle no matter what.

One last thing about this musical. On my way home I talked to a lady at the bus stop who had also seen the show and loved it. She showed me her playbill full of autographs and said that the cast of Pretty Woman was the nicest cast she has ever met at a Stage Door. According to her, they were all very warm, fun and friendly. That’s pretty cool.

 

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/16/18 at 2:57am

Aw,a shill. I remember when they used to post in big numbers trying to save a show. Those were the days.

[Broadway Fan2]

Posted: 3/16/18 at 3:02am

blaxx said: "Aw,a shill. I remember when they used to post in big numbers trying to save a show. Those were the days."

Nah, no shill here, just a simple accountant who happens to be a theater fan. Come to Chicago and you will see what I'm talking about. 

Updated On: 3/16/18 at 03:02 AM

[rosemonday]

Posted: 3/16/18 at 9:11am

Broadway Fan2 said: "Well, not sure if the bad reviews are from bitter people who have personal vendettas against the show or if they are on a witch-hunt to discourage people to go see it."

Bit dramatic there, yeah? Glad you liked it but I certainly have no vendetta against the show. 

[newintown]

Posted: 3/16/18 at 9:24am

I, too, love an obvious marketing intern shill post. Symptoms:

1) Just joined;

2) Hyperbolic adjectives;

3) Post reads like a freshman essay;

4) Gushes while others yawn;

5) Accuses detractors of personal vendettas.

Updated On: 3/16/18 at 09:24 AM

[markypoo]

Posted: 3/16/18 at 9:25am

While I'm not entirely doubting your word, it's a stretch for me to fathom that that Grand Canyon of a theater contained a full house on a Thursday night.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 3/16/18 at 2:32pm

JeaniusIsMe said: " In the finale, Vivian says she saved Edward just like he saved her, but nothing in the story has been changed to give her any action that makes Edward change. It just seems like sleeping with her/spending time with her loosened him up to the point where he decided to torpedo the hostile takeover?

Really? Because in the movie she at least is like 'why are you being mean to this nice old man we had dinner with' and it sort of comes across. That's why I'd expected it to be the angle they pushed if they tried to make her a more equal partner in the relationship.

@Ravenclaw Based on your report, the way this is muddled was absolutely predictable. On the plus side, if the most offensive thing is him telling her she has self-worth because she's beautiful then they're ahead of where I thought they'd be.

rosemonday said: "Agree with others saying Steve Kazee sounded good but fell flat in terms of acting. I'm not sure if this was because he was playing into the uptight nature of Edward's character or not, but there's a lot of room for improvement there."

I mean, Richard Gere was apathetic and jaded to an almost pathological degree in the movie. Though obviously they should be free to explore what actually works for a musical adaptation.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/16/18 at 3:07pm

Broadway Fan2 said: "Nah, no shill here, just a simple accountant who happens to be a theater fan. "

As an accountant, surely you understand the value of line breaks. I couldn't even read your long post.

[Bwayfan292]

Posted: 3/16/18 at 3:59pm

Broadway Fan2 said: "I wasn’t planning to see this show, but all this talk made me curious. Just got my ticket for tonight’s preview. I’ll share my thoughts after the show."

Not trying to be rude but all the previews start at 7:30, and you posted at 7:20. So you would have already been in the theatre and considering the fact that you just joined I doubt someone would make an account while waiting for the show to start to post that.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/16/18 at 4:16pm

Isn't the timestamp here Eastern time, though?

Still, that's a shill...

[Bwayfan292]

Posted: 3/16/18 at 4:19pm

LizzieCurry said: "Isn't the timestamp here Eastern time, though?

Still, that's a shill..."

Huh. Guess your right. Sorry about that! but yeah 

[Broadway Fan2]

Posted: 3/16/18 at 5:40pm

Not trying to be rude but all the previews start at 7:30, and you posted at 7:20. So you would have already been in the theatre and considering the fact that you just joined I doubt someone would make an account while waiting for the show to start to post that."

Don’t worry. You were not rude at all. I posted around 6:20pm Chicago time and probably this website shows posts according to its Eastern Standard Time (EST), hence the time showing is 7:20pm (you know, New York is one hour ahead of us Chicago). In terms of creating this account, it was just coincidental, not relation to this post. To be honest, I will admit that I signed up for this website in order to know more about what’s going on with Hamilton (which I loved so much) and to get info about cheap tickets and rush deals. That’s all, no big conspiracy, lol.

 

 

[JeaniusIsMe]

Posted: 3/16/18 at 7:28pm

VintageSnarker said: "JeaniusIsMe said: " In the finale, Vivian says she saved Edward just like he saved her, but nothing in the story has been changed to give her any action that makes Edward change. It just seems like sleeping with her/spending time with her loosened him up to the point where he decided to torpedo the hostile takeover?

Really? Because in the movie she at least is like 'why are you being mean to this nice old man we had dinner with' and it sort of comes across. That's why I'd expected it to be the angle they pushed if they tried to make her a more equal partner in the relationship.
 

In this production, she clearly likes the owner of the company (and his very attractive son), and they dance and are friendly. Vivian also talks about how she thinks cruise ships would be cool to build. I suspect, if Kazee appeared more engaged in the story from an acting perspective, his change of heart from her interest in saving the company would come across more. But it seemed to come out of nowhere in the musical. One moment he's buttoned up and the next he's barefoot and chill, telling them he's torpedoing the takeover.

[Jessetenny]

Posted: 3/17/18 at 11:13pm

Any new updates on the show? Changes, new thoughts? Also, any idea of what the run time is so far?

[Justice01]

Posted: 3/18/18 at 12:38am

We saw it tonight. I wanted to love it, the tickets were a Christmas gift and I’ve been looking forward to seeing it for a couple of months.

I loved the casting, the direction, and I liked the choreography although the boulevard numbers did not do anything for me and I thought there was one too many (Never Give up on a Dream).

But the music... it hurts to say this, it needs so much work. I did love On a Night Like Tonight, but the rest of the songs did not stand up on their own. Such a missed opportunity with an exceptional cast. By the second act, the lyrics are actually hokey. And I like Bryan Adams!

Unlike others, I loved the story. Then again, I love the movie. I thought Steve Kazee did a great job, by the end I really liked him. I would love to hear a killer duet between he and Samantha Barks, and there is a wealth of material there to create meaningful, heart-wrenching songs. I would have loved a song for Vivian about not falling in love/kissing on the mouth ending with her realizing that she loves Edward, for example.

I think this musical with this cast could be amazing, but I don’t know how much these shows change between previews and the actual show.

However, my husband and I agreed that it was worth the full price tickets just to see Samantha Barks live. She is fantastic and brought down the house tonight.

[Jessetenny]

Posted: 3/18/18 at 12:42am

Justice01 said: "We saw it tonight. I wanted to love it, the tickets were a Christmas gift and I’ve been looking forward to seeing it for a couple of months.

I loved the casting, the direction, and I liked the choreography although the boulevard numbers did not do anything for me and I thought there was one too many (Never Give up on a Dream).

But the music... it hurts to say this, it needs so much work. I did love On a Night Like Tonight, but the rest of the songs did not stand up on their own. Such a missed opportunity with an exceptional cast. By the second act, the lyrics are actually hokey. And I like Bryan Adams!

Unlike others, I loved the story. Then again, I love the movie. I thought Steve Kazee did a great job, by the end I really liked him. I would love to hear a killer duet between he and Samantha Barks, and there is a wealth of material there to create meaningful, heart-wrenching songs. I would have loved a song for Vivian about not falling in love/kissing on the mouth ending with her realizing that she loves Edward, for example.

I think this musical with this cast could be amazing, but I don’t know how much these shows change between previews and the actual show.

However, my husband and I agreed that it was worth the full price tickets just to see Samantha Barks live. She is fantastic and brought down the house tonight."

I love hearing the praise for Samantha Barks. She is one of my favourites, and has been since she was on I'd Do Anything and I said I would kill to see her live, and when this was announced I knew I was going to see it. I knew the skeptics would be proven wrong about her. 

I know you mentioned that the score is a weak point, but how are her 2 big numbers? Anywhere But Here and I Can't Go Back, I think they are called.

[Justice01]

Posted: 3/18/18 at 12:55am

She sings the snot out of them, but I can’t even remember how they go. And I just saw it tonight.

There was not a song in there that anyone will be using for an audition song in my opinion, if that makes sense. But go see it. The cast truly is amazing, and I can see a reworked version being a big hit. I am glad we went.

[Jessetenny]

Posted: 3/18/18 at 12:58am

I am going on the 30th of this month. I am so incredibly excited. The only reason I am going to see it is Samantha Barks (and the fact that I love the movie) so I am sure I will be very happy since she is incredible. How long was the show tonight?

[Jessetenny]

Posted: 3/18/18 at 2:50am

Also, where have people been sitting and how is the view?

[Justice01]

Posted: 3/18/18 at 12:38pm

Started at 8, let out around 10:30 pm. We were in row R, 26&28 and had a good view.