What if BANDSTAND opened this awards season?

[CedricOates]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 1:57am

Just saw the Fathom Event’s presentation of BANDSTAND and my goodness was it a good show. I feel as if Bandstand has opened this season, things could have been different. A completely new musical is what we missed out on this season besides Margaritaville and Prince of Broadway. I feel like the Tonys would have been different as well.

Thoughts? :)

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 2:36am

I thought it was quite mediocre and cheesy when I saw it. I was fighting to stay awake during the first act. It is indeed better than most new musicals last season, and I do see why some people find it appealing. Nevertheless, it could've done nothing to stop The Band's Visit's Tony sweep if it opened last season. It simply doesn't have the nuances and emotional truthfulness that set The Band's Visit apart from most shows that have ever played Broadway.

[A Director]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 3:27am

Dancingthrulife2 said: "I thought it was quite mediocre and cheesy when I saw it. I was fighting to stay awake . It simply doesn't have the nuances and emotional truthfulness that setThe Band's Visit apart from most shows that have ever played Broadway."

Nonsense.  Bandstand and The Band's Visit are different shows with different goals.  You don't understand emotional truthfulness is.  Bandstand has plenty.

 

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 3:41am

If ''Bandstand'' had opened this past season, which was pretty skimpy, it would've picked up more Tony nominations that it did (only 2) during a crowded 2017 season. I'd like to believe that Corey Cott might've gotten a Best Actor nomination this year, and it definitely would've gotten the 5th slot for Best Score over ''Angels in America.'' Given how little the Tony nominators seemed to care for Disney's ''Frozen,'' ''Bandstand'' might've grabbed those 4th slots for Best Musical and Book instead. But who knows?

Updated On: 6/26/18 at 03:41 AM

[EllieRose2]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 4:15am

It definitely would have done better this year, I really don't know why audiences did not connect to it.  The score and talent were both incredibly strong.  One complain was that no principle role was played by an person of color.  Another was "its the summer, I don't want to see a show about PTSD".  I don't know but I saw it twice and loved it.  The cast recording is wonderful and I hope this lands on Amazon and Netflix someday.  I was there the night (or one of the nights) they filmed it, so it will be a great memory for me.  

[A Director]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 4:32am

EllieRose2 said:  One complain was that no principle role was played by an person of color. 

This was a bogus complaint.   The show takes place in 1945. The US military was not desegregated until 1948.  The band members are hired during the song "I Know A Guy."  It is doubtful if any of these vets would know a vet who was a person of color.

 

[EllieRose2]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 5:09am

I agree with you, but some critics and patrons mentioned it, so it did hold weight with some people.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 7:33am

A Director said: "Dancingthrulife2 said: "I thought it was quite mediocre and cheesy when I saw it. I was fighting to stay awake . It simply doesn't have the nuances and emotional truthfulness that setThe Band's Visit apart from most shows that have ever played Broadway."

Nonsense. Bandstand and The Band's Visit are different shows with different goals. You don't understand emotional truthfulness is. Bandstand has plenty.

"

Huh. I was tempted to type "How dare you...," but I don't think it's really worth it. By "emotional truthfulness," I mean that the show in general felt manipulative and I don't think many of my tears were spontaneous as they were when seeing The Band's Visit.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 7:58am

The show was bland beyond belief IMO. The very definition of mediocrity. 

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 8:30am

I remember walking out going eh that was ok but it was completely forgettable. I can't remember one song from it.

[MCfan2]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 10:35am

I think it's one of the most emotionally truthful shows I ever saw, and the cast album is one of my favorite (and most memorable) CDs. I play it all the time. Eye (and ear) of the beholder. 

Anyway. I think Corey, at the very least, would have gotten a Tony nomination. Maybe some of the others as well -- Laura was wonderful, and Beth was deservedly a great audience favorite, both when I saw it onstage and when I saw it last night. I would have loved to see them rewarded for their transcendent performances. But what's done is done. I'm just glad they caught it on film and were able to let more people see it.

Updated On: 6/26/18 at 10:35 AM

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 10:40am

It's a cheesy trite show.

Like a worst Memphis (which I didn't think was possible).

It didn't help that the Broadway production was uniformly so white.

If it would have opened any season, the fate would have been the same:  No Tony Awards and closing in less than six months.  

I'll never understand how great works of theatre (Fun Home, the Hedwig revival, Next to Normal, Deaf West's Spring Awakening, Bette in Dolly, Caroline or Change, and many more) do not get filmed while drivel like Bandstand, Allegiance, and Memphis do.  

Updated On: 6/26/18 at 10:40 AM

[Impossible2]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 10:41am

The first act was great the second act was drivel.

[Btb1993]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 10:46am

I know this is somewhat off topic but in terms of last year's shows opening this season I think Great Comet could have really given The Band's Visit some competition at this year's Tonys more so than Bandstand.. just my opinion though!

[rjm516]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 10:47am

I think it was such a good, important show. I really appreciate the score more now having listened to it a lot than I did during the show, but it definitely would have been nominated for Best Musical, Score, Book, and acting for Laura and Cory. I don't think it would have won any more than it did but it would have been decent competition for TBV unlike what we had. 

[Impossible2]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 10:48am

Btb1993 said: "I know this is somewhat off topic but in terms of last year's shows opening this season I think Great Comet could have really given The Band's Visit some competition at this year's Tonys more so than Bandstand.. just my opinion though!"

I agree, Comet would've beaten Bands Visit.

[newintown]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 10:51am

It reminded me of a host of other mediocrities - Chaplin, A Tale of Two Cities, High Fidelity, etc. These are shows that are created by very enthusiastic, well-meaning people, but whose talents are limited to merely rearranging ancient theatrical, sentimental clichés.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 11:07am

Since WINNING Tony awards (and really, only Best Musical) is what makes a difference, I doubt it would have made any real difference in its longeevity/success.

 

 

Updated On: 6/26/18 at 11:07 AM

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 11:24am

newintown said: "It reminded me of a host of other mediocrities -Chaplin,A Tale of Two Cities,High Fidelity, etc. These are shows that are created by very enthusiastic, well-meaning people, but whose talents are limited to merely rearranging ancient theatrical, sentimental clichés."

Expertly said!  

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 11:28am

Btb1993 said: "I know this is somewhat off topic but in terms of last year's shows opening this season I think Great Comet could have really given The Band's Visit some competition at this year's Tonys more so than Bandstand.. just my opinion though!"

If TBV had opened last year, it very well might not have won a single award.  Evan Hansen would have won the same awards; Bette Midler would have won; Gavin Creel would have won.  It is a question of timing...some seasons are super strong, some are thoroughly mediocre.  I liked TBV quite a lot, burt it won in a crummy year, just as Sunset Blvd (which I love) did, just as Big River (which I hated) did.  

Re Great Comet comment, probably not; but Come From Away probably would have...it has hit a chord that very few shows hit.

Posted: 6/26/18 at 11:58am

If it had opened this season, I wonder if it could’ve won the one award it did win last year (Best Choreography).

[Rainah]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 1:45pm

A Director said: "EllieRose2 said: One complain was that no principle role was played by an person of color.

This was a bogus complaint. The show takes place in 1945.The US military was notdesegregated until 1948. The band members are hired during the song "I Know A Guy." It is doubtful if any of these vets would know a vet who was a person of color."

Yes, because before official desegregation in the US black people lived on an entirely separate pane of existence where they did not interact with white people at all. Furthermore, so did Asian Americans, Middle Eastern Americans, Indigenous peoples, and every other minority. There is no possible way to meet poc vets they didn't serve directly with, before, during, or after the war, because no white people ever interacted with poc before 1948.

I'm not saying demonize the show because the cast is white, I'm just saying that that's a pretty flimsy excuse. If they wanted to have poc in the cast, it is not difficult to find a way. They chose not to or, more likely, it didn't occur to them. The same as many many shows on broadway, many very successful shows on broadway.

To answer the actual question, I think Bandstand would have done much better if it opened these season. Probably not for Tonys, but it just got swallowed up last year. Everything was "DEH, Comet, CFA, Groundhog day, and... oh, yeah, and Bandstand opened too". It was the afterthought of the afterthought, and people had other priorities. 

It was also a year of DEH and Dolly's dominant marketing. TBV has not been pulling out the same stops, so there would be a lot less noise for Bandstand to push through to reach people. Last year, I don't think a lot of people even knew the show existed. (Though it would give us even more confusion re: The Band's Visit, The Boys In The Band, Getting The Band Back Together, Bandstand... broadway likes bands)

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 3:21pm

What if La La Land had first screened in 1939?  Would The Color Purple have won more Oscars in 1986?  Would Donald Trump have been killed in a car accident before he pretended to write a terrible book and become infamous for being a pathological liar?  Would Judy Garland have survived the 60s?  Would there be no kale bandwagon on which to jump with smug authority?

[CedricOates]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 8:35pm

Mister Matt said: "What if La La Land had first screened in 1939? Would The Color Purple have won more Oscars in 1986? Would Donald Trump have been killed in a car accident before he pretended to write a terrible book and become infamous for being a pathological liar? Would Judy Garland have survived the 60s? Would there be no kale bandwagon on which to jump with smug authority?"

Unnecessary man we get it lol.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 6/26/18 at 8:48pm

Maybe had there been five Best Musical nominees last year given the amount of contenders (especially since a new rule was established this year with five guaranteed nominees if there were at least nine eligible candidates), Bandstand probably would've taken the fifth slot. Though I will say how truly stunned I was that Andy Blankenbuehler still managed to win Best Choreography because it had been 18 years since a show that wasn't nominated for Best Musical nor Revival won that award. Granted, Swan Lake also opened in a pretty weak season on Broadway, but still.

Updated On: 6/26/18 at 08:48 PM