Anastasia/Frozen/SpongeBob

[MMKNIM]

Hello everyone has anyone seen one or more of these shows?  any recommendations on any of them?     Seeing Beautiful later today and want to see another show end of August.  Thank You!!

 

[dramamama611]

You won't get much of consensus as opinions vary greatly.

Most people seem to think SB is a great deal of fun, and will likely get the most amount of votes on this.  (And you probably should, since its closing and you won't get the chance again on Bway.  

Frozen - while some love it, most have said it was "meh" and missing real magic

Anastasia - ummmmm, I have no idea what people think about this one.  Probably one of the few threads/topics I just have no interest in.

[bwayphreak234]

I have seen all three. I loved Frozen and SpongeBob. Both are faithful adaptations of the beloved source material. Frozen is a bit more of a straightforward adaptation while SpongeBob is a more creative and outside of the box. I think both shows are very strong, and I would definitely recommend either one. Anastasia, on the other hand, was a slog to sit through.  

[ilysespieces]

Dramamama is totally right, you're going to get a ton of "this was great, that one not so much" but no consensus. Already, I can say I really enjoyed SpongeBob and Anastasia but checked my watch a couple of times during Frozen because it felt so long and I just wanted it to end.

[EJ24642]

I've seen all three. I would rate Anastasia and Frozen above SpongeBob. 

SpongeBob has some highlights (namely Wesley Taylor as Plankton and Gavin Lee as Squidward), but if there are jokes you won't get if you don't know the cartoon (despite it being marketed as original for everyone to enjoy), and I think it drags a bit. 

Frozen is quite beautiful in my opinion, and the new music is really quite good. The set design is great, the actors are incredible, and you really can't go wrong with it. But since it's Disney, there will probably be a lot of little kids in the audience.

Anastasia is incredible. Christy Altomare (Anya) pours her heart and soul into every performance, and everything from the sets to the costumes to the music will blow you away. 

[Lot666]

My husband and I have seen all three. We bought tickets for Anastasia and Frozen because I was interested in them, but we had no interest in Spongebob SquarePants and only went at the insistence of a friend who (inexplicably, to us) loved it.

We left SpongeBob SquarePants wishing we could've gotten our time and our money back (and we had discounted $99 orchestra seats). There's not much plot to speak of and nothing really happens until act two; the first act consists largely of "My name is ___ and I'm ___" songs to explain who/what each characters is, because their identities and relationships to one another are not very apparent if you haven't seen the cartoons. On the plus side, most of the cast is very good and they give it their all, particularly the girl who played Pearl when we saw it. In the end, however, we thought it was just a theme park show that had been granted a much bigger stage and budget.

Although I knew nothing about the film, I was interested in Anastasia because I've enjoyed most of Ramin Karimloo's work and a brief music clip on the show's website sounded promising. Unfortunately, we found it to be an inferior Disney knock-off with an uninspired set design that overuses huge, dazzlingly bright video screens (think Times Square) that feel highly anachronistic in such a period piece. We did, however, very much like the "ghost dancers", projections of couples dancing in a ballroom that spill out into the boxes in the house. That said, I actually nodded off more than once before intermission and we both agreed that we'd like to have our time and money back for this one as well.

Frozen is not a perfect show, but we enjoyed it more than either of the other two. The cast is great and the visual effects are enchanting, although the show is let down in spots by some of the new music that was written specifically for the stage production (i.e., none of the new songs is another Let It Go).

[ErikJ972]

Spongebob is the best musical of last season. See that.

 

[Miles2Go2]

Of those three, I’ve only seen Spongebob, but I enjoyed it very much. In fact, I enjoyed it as a whole much more than the other two musicals (My Fair Lady, Once on This Island) I saw on my June trip. I know that’s a sacrilege to most. And it does surprise me, as well. I was a naysayer about this production from the time it was announced and throughout previews, but eventually I decided to take a chance on it. I say see Spongebob. It’s closing soon. Frozen will likely run for years and Anastasia will probably run for at least another year. You might want to look at some of the cast videos on You Tube to help you decide. I will say I saw a Frozen video montage when Caissie Levy appeared on a rerun of Rachel Ray today and it was the first time I was intrigued. Of course, Frozen is the only one that isn’t listed at TKTS, if that matters.

[Actinggbugg474]

Spongebob. It is closing soon and even if it tours, I doubt it will be as much of a spectacle as the Broadway version. I was slightly familar with the cartoon, not even really a huge fan ... but I knew the characters and I left the show absolutely LOVING it. I know it is devisive and some people hate it .. but the cast is amazing, the spectacle surpasses Wicked in my opinion, and the music is mostly great. The plot is the weakest part of the show, but visually it is incredible. Out of the 30 or so Broadway shows I have seen over the past few years, it would probably be in my top 3. I know it sounds crazy and before I saw it .. I NEVER thought I would say that.

[Steve C.]

IMO, 

- While the cast is terrific, Anastasia really suffers from an interminable first act; way too heavy...but once you get to "Paris" it's much better. I haven't seen Vicki Lewis but she should be a blast in that role. Caroline O'Connor and JB really save this/that show...

- Frozen is another victim of "C--Ursula"; way overblown, tries too hard to be everything for everybody but it's way too much. Nice puppets but special effects, etc..meh...

- SpongeBob...oh yeah, go, go, go! I'm seeing it a 4th time before it closes. Ethan Slater and that cast, Gavin...the energy and spirit of this show jumps off the stage. (and you'll never see another set design like this one; incredible!) I'm really bummed that it's closing. It's like losing the energetic "Great Comet" way too soon.

SpongeBoB!!!! 

[bwayrose7]

I genuinely love Anastasia (although even I have to agree that Act 1 runs a tad slow) - I think it's beautifully done, perfectly cast, and emotionally satisfying. 

I can only judge Spongebob based on the score because I'm not able to see it (I mean that literally: the neon lights in the show clips are of the particular kind of lighting that gives me massive migraines). It's not the most coherent score in my opinion, but a ton of fun and super creative. It's the most polarizing show I've seen in a while - seems like people either think it's genius or trash without much in-between.

Frozen is a mess, IMO. They took a charming movie and padded it out to fill a theatre run time without actually adding any substance or depth. You may as well go see the Disneyland "Frozen Live" or whatever it's called. 

[James Kerrigan2]

Frozen has great prices on Stub Hub it is also available for Broadway Week.

[OnBroadway4]

I enjoyed Anastasia. Although, I had seen the Disney movie as a kid, I didn't remember much of it besides the song "Journey to the Past" which I absolutely adored since seeing the movie in theatres. I took my parents to watch it, who kept asking me to take them to see a Broadway show. I didn't know what would appeal to them and finally I decided to get us tickets to see Anastasia. My parents really enjoyed it and have limited English. However, I think there is always something magically about seeing your first Broadway musical, because you don't always expect such grandeur and visual and musical beauty from a theatre production especially going into it a bit blind. 

However, I do think it was a great show. You can get great Orchestra seats at the TKTS booth for less than 80 bucks.

[JennH]

I can now say I've seen all three, I JUST got back from Spongebob...I can't believe I'm saying this, but SEE THAT. Immediately. Yes it's very theme park-y but it knows that, unlike Aladdin and Frozen, that COULD have had so much depth and heart, but don't. They're shallow and ended up being theme park when they shouldn't have been. A Spongebob musical was never going to be all that deep, it's was always meant to be a colorful, wacky spectacle, but that's ok because again...it knows what it is as a piece of theatre. It has som pretty immense amounts of creativity behind it and like some have said, I'll also never judge a show before seeing it again thanks to SB...remember three years ago when it was the worst idea? I enjoyed the absolutely hell out of it tonight. And it's closing, so you have a reason. Hell, see the closing itself, the energy all around will blow the roof off, I'd see it again at closing if I could. I didn't think I was going to love it, it' such a weird wonderful acid trip of a show, and that's ok because it knows the world it lives in. The best thing about it is that it retains the same specific pocket of style and silly humor of the series. That's what a good show does. Retains what people love but still manages to be it's own thing. Hard balance to strike, but worth it if done right. 

Like I said, Frozen is a very uninspired attempt at a Disney screen to stage translation. It has so much potential to be the epic piece that the movie was supposed to be in the first place, but it's possibly less epic than the movie which should not have happened. 

Anastasia is lukewarm show but it has a charm to it that I Iike. 

Overall I'd say SB. The other thing it has going for it, is that it's a new story specifically for the stage. Frozen and Anastasia are certainly the more straightforward ones, but Anastasia I'm sure you've heard by now, is NOT the movie on stage. It has a lot of story changes. 

OnBroadway-This is your kind reminder from me that Anastasia isn't Disney  

[BroadwayConcierge]

SpongeBob is the best of the three, by far. Inventive, creative, and FUN. Anastasia is a cute, decent, rather slow show. Frozen is a horrific disappointment.

Go for SpongeBob.

[OnBroadway4]

JennH said: "OnBroadway-This is yourkind reminder from me that Anastasia isn't Disney "

 

Ok girl, you can have several seats. I wasn't trying to imply that Anastasia was Disney. I mentioned that I had watched the Disney film in theatres as a child but didn't remember it at all besides loving the song "Journey to the Past" which is in the film as well and a few other songs performed in the musical. I recall that in another thread , before I had even watched Anastasia and was deciding what to take my parents to watch, many people's issue was that the musical was unlike the film. That was the connection I was trying to draw. Either way it's not that deep x

 

[OnBroadway4]

JennH said: "OnBroadway-This is yourkind reminder from me that Anastasia isn't Disney "

 

Ok girl, you can have several seats. I wasn't trying to imply that Anastasia was Disney. I mentioned that I had watched the Disney film in theatres as a child but didn't remember it at all besides loving the song "Journey to the Past" which is in the film as well and a few other songs performed in the musical. I recall that in another thread , before I had even watched Anastasia and was deciding what to take my parents to watch, many people's issue was that the musical was unlike the film. That was the connection I was trying to draw. Either way it's not that deep x

 

[ilysespieces]

OnBroadway4 said: "JennH said: "OnBroadway-This is yourkind reminder from me that Anastasia isn't Disney "



Ok girl, you can have several seats. I wasn't trying to imply that Anastasia was Disney. I mentioned that I had watched the Disney film in theatres as a child but didn't remember it at all besides loving the song "Journey to the Past" which is in the film as well and a few other songs performed in the musical. I recall that in another thread , before I had even watched Anastasia and was deciding what to take myparents to watch, many people's issue was that the musical was unlike the film. That was the connection I was trying to draw. Either way it's not that deep x

"

... They mean the movie isnt Disney, it's 20th Century Fox. Though now that Disney is buying 20th Century Fox, maybe we can retroactively consider Anastasia a Disney princess. 

[OnBroadway4]

ilysespieces said: "OnBroadway4 said: "JennH said: "OnBroadway-This is yourkind reminder from me that Anastasia isn't Disney "



Ok girl, you can have several seats. I wasn't trying to imply that Anastasia was Disney. I mentioned that I had watched the Disney film in theatres as a child but didn't remember it at all besides loving the song "Journey to the Past" which is in the film as well and a few other songs performed in the musical. I recall that in another thread , before I had even watched Anastasia and was deciding what to take myparents to watch, many people's issue was that the musical was unlike the film. That was the connection I was trying to draw. Either way it's not that deep x

"

... They mean the movie isnt Disney, it's 20th Century Fox. Though now that Disney is buying 20th Century Fox, maybe we can retroactively consider Anastasia a Disney princess."

Oh ok, thanks for the clarification. I had seen many posts on a different forum months ago that Anastasia was now officially a Disney princess. I hadn't made the connection that she wasn't originally a Disney character at all. Thanks for that clarification. 

[South Fl Marc]

Go see Spongebob, it is a lot of fun and very creative. I also enjoyed Anastasia..  but then, I love the music.

Frozen, on the other hand, has nothing redeemable about it. Save yourself some money if you want to see it and watch the movie.The stage show is awful.

[MMKNIM]

Thank you everyone! I read each post and decided on Spongebob.  Thanks all for your thoughts and advise! Saw Beautiful yesterday and Loved It!   After SpongeBob it's Pretty Woman and Mean Girls. 

[OnBroadway4]

MMKNIM said: "Thank you everyone! I read each post and decided on Spongebob. Thanks all for your thoughts and advise! Saw Beautiful yesterday and Loved It! After SpongeBob it's Pretty Woman and Mean Girls."

OMG! Yes, I was pleasantly surprised by Beautiful. Not the best thing I've seen in years type good, but it was fun and had great music. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Let me know about Pretty Woman, I'm curious.

[Charles Pierson]

dramamama611 said: "You won't get much of consensus as opinions vary greatly.

Most people seem to think SB is a great deal of fun, and will likely get the most amount of votes on this. (And you probably should, since its closing and you won't get the chance again on Bway.

Frozen - while some love it, most have said it was "meh" and missing real magic

Anastasia - ummmmm, I have no idea what people think about this one. Probably one of the few threads/topics I just have no interest in."

Anastasia is fantastic. Christy is wonderful, but the real star of this show is the costuming and sets. I took my daughter and surprisingly enjoyed it.

[bwayphreak234]

MMKNIM said: "Thank you everyone! I read each post and decided on Spongebob. Thanks all for your thoughts and advise! Saw Beautiful yesterday and Loved It! After SpongeBob it's Pretty Woman and Mean Girls."

I really enjoyed SpongeBob, Pretty Woman, and Mean Girls! GREAT choices! Enjoy!