THE PROM Previews- Page 8

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 11/2/18 at 6:46pm

Sorry to bring this up again, it will probably be the last broadway show of a great marathon and I still have an extra ticket orchestra for Sunday matinee

It’s orchestra center but I’m selling for something 40-60 depending whoever say first :)

Thanks in advance!

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 11/2/18 at 7:47pm

Saw this last night.

Such a surprisingly charming show! The only problem I had was the oddly dated choreography, orchestrations and prom outfits. The story it’s based on is from 2010, so why did it feel like 1985?

I found the book funny and quick witted, performed by a top notch cast, led by Brooks and Beth! Caitlin is a terrific foil for the shenanigans the wacky showfolk who blow in to “help”, and she has such a lovely voice!! I actually got a few tears during the final anthem she led when her message gets out.

I highly recommend this show!! I hope it has legs!

From a picky bww oldtimer!!

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 11/2/18 at 8:08pm

MadsonMelo said: "Sorry to bring this up again, it will probably be the last broadway show of a great marathon and I still have an extra ticket orchestra for Sunday matinee

It’s orchestra center but I’m selling for something 40-60 depending whoever say first :)

Thanks in advance!"

What row?

[Melissa25]

Posted: 11/3/18 at 9:04am

Who’s the Greatest Star of ‘The Prom’? Me. Me. Me. Me.

Thanks to Audiences Rewards I was able to pick up good tickets for The Prom.

Sincerely looking forward to having a hoot.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 11/3/18 at 11:01pm

I’m pretty torn. My immediate reaction after seeing this is not positive, but it means so well. It’s just so eye roll inducing that I feel beaten to a pulp by charm. Overall, I wish it was actually as smart as it thinks it is.

The story was just...so random. They could’ve made a show about an inclusive prom, or made one about washed out actors, but in their attempts to smush the two of them together, every message is lost. I also don’t understand how a high school so diverse (and talented at break dancing?) can be so comically homophobic.

The book is...not good. The lyrics are worse. The music is actually pretty catchy. I think the structure of the musical is deeply flawed from a storytelling perspective, and it wasn’t interesting to watch. Opening the show with the broadway actors on opening night may be a fine idea, but to have it go on for >20mins is not. The show drags immensely in the second act, as it’s scene after scene of each principle getting a solo. Again, it was just boring to watch.

The cast is VERY talented, and are working hard. But this is made for one very very niche crowd, and unless they have a producer like HOH, I cannot see it lasting long. They genuinely should sell the concept to Disney and let them make another Disney Channel Original Movie musical a la Freaky Friday.

[LucyEth]

Posted: 11/3/18 at 11:09pm

I know it's not fair to judge a show for what it's not, but I think this would have been so much more successful had they concentrated on how a small town deals with homophobia.  Had Beth Leavel and Chris Sieber played Emma's parents (she's too conveniently alone right now, IMHO -- where the hell is grandma?), the writers would have been able to really explore the whole conflicted family vs. town dynamic.  Even if they were accepting parents dealing with a cautious and/or angry community -- dad loses his job, mom loses friends -- it would have been more interesting and contemporary that what's on stage right now.  Brooks Ashmanskas could still be the ONE NY Broadway actor come to protest etc., but now with four, the whole dynamic of the show is off-kilter.  On the other hand, one gets the feeling that the writers aren't up to writing that show.  (Jeanine Tesori, Lisa Kroll and Pasek & Paul they're not.)  And they obviously didn't want to.  There are entertaining moments as the show stands, particularly in the 2nd Act, but all in all, I just thought...why?

[uncageg]

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

Lucy, I don't think it is that they weren't "up to writing that show", it's not the show they set out to write. JMO

[robskynyc]

Posted: 11/3/18 at 11:20pm

random thought: anyone else notice how OBNOXIOUSLY loud the synthesizer heavy prom song is toward the end of ACT I? like holy sh!t turn it down a few clicks lol

[ThaDudeAbides]

Posted: 11/4/18 at 8:20pm

I don't post on here that often, but I have to echo the sentiments of those who smiled their faces off at this show. Yes, I cringed at a few lyrics and at the 80s synthesizers, but I also teared up multiple times and laughed so hard at the inside-Broadway references that the lady sitting in front of me said she was enjoying me enjoying the performance. I apologized, thinking it was obnoxious, and she repeated what she said and that she really meant it.

At intermission, I texted a friend and said "Did I write this show??" (to which she responded, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?". I said it because there were jokes that seemed written specifically for my enjoyment (I won't spoil them). I worry that the show is TOO inside-baseball for the general public, but I usually don't understand why the general public responds or doesn't respond favorably to things.

All I know is that it has been a LONG time since I wanted to buy tickets to see the very next performance of a Broadway musical. I am the very specific choir to which they are preaching, and I loved the whole shebang.

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 11/4/18 at 8:24pm

I laugh so hard about the Drama Desk joke that itself alone was worth

[BeNice]

Posted: 11/4/18 at 9:43pm

I agree. I was not expecting to enjoy this so much. I laughed out loud a lot (and even teared up once.) But, I too wondered if people outside of the industry will appreciate the story and the humor (i.e. laugh lines like “And I am, well— what we used to call--a Broadway gypsy.”  
It definitely requires an extra dose of willing suspension of disbelief but the material is elevated and sold by the super talented and committed performers. It helped that the theatre was mostly filled with theatre folk when I saw it so the crowd experience was just great. Hopefully this will stay open another 6-7 months.

Updated On: 11/4/18 at 09:43 PM

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 11/4/18 at 11:18pm

Is Row A too close for this production? Also, is the stage high for this?

[HugoP]

Posted: 11/4/18 at 11:59pm

I don't think the problem with THE PROM is that it's 'too inside baseball'-- the Atlanta crowd totally 'got' the Broadway jokes and most of the references (ok, the Drama Desk reference might have been under-appreciated...).   These days, though, the 'inside' crowd is surprisingly large.   The problem with THE PROM is that it presumes people outside of New York are clueless, uniformly homophobic and seem to be living in 1980s America.    The rest of the country is more worldly and sophisticated than THE PROM gives it credit for...and that might turn people off more than some too-inside Broadway references.   

THE PROM's saving grace is that it is hilarious and beautifully performed by its Broadway vets.    

[BeNice]

Posted: 11/5/18 at 12:13am

Yes really good points, Hugo P.

[Mitch101]

Posted: 11/5/18 at 1:27am

Regarding the comment that the Midwestern folks are portrayed poorly, I would also add that the New York Theatre characters are portrayed as over the top, anything for attention, self-centered.  Nobody is left unscathed.  I thought this was the point.  I wasn't offended, I was amused that everyone get their due.  Maybe the show is too gentle to really stir up serious controversy in the portrayal of the characters, but again, I thought this was the point.  It seems to me the show is an old-fashioned musical and smartly uses those cliches and devices to tell this beautiful story.  

I also wanted to post about Brooks Prom Tux at the end of the show.  Brilliant.  Keep an eye on the back of it!

[robskynyc]

Posted: 11/5/18 at 11:01am

LimelightMike said: "Is Row A too close for this production? Also, is the stage high for this?"

seen it twice in Row A and it is a perfect spot. the stage is not high at all

[HugoP]

Posted: 11/5/18 at 1:00pm

Regarding the comment that the Midwestern folks are portrayed poorly, I would also add that the New York Theatre characters are portrayed as over the top, anything for attention, self-centered.  Nobody is left unscathed.  I thought this was the point.  I wasn't offended, I was amused that everyone get their due.  Maybe the show is too gentle to really stir up serious controversy in the portrayal of the characters, but again, I thought this was the point.  It seems to me the show is an old-fashioned musical and smartly uses those cliches and devices to tell this beautiful story.  

There is a difference between depicting a few 'famous' Broadway stage actors as over-the-top egomaniacs and depicting an entire community as close-minded, homophobic and unsophisticated.   If the townspeople of THE PROM included a range of people then maybe I'd see things differently, but the show asks you to believe that this one single lesbian student has not one ally in the whole region (and seemingly can't locate one on the internet either).     that includes the entire high school, her own grandmother, all the parents, all the counselors, the local press....etc.     I guess one school administrator is somewhat mildly compassionate...but completely ineffective.   Even the real-life story that likely would have inspired this plot had a lot more layers to it.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/5/18 at 1:27pm

Yeah, how dare a broad comedy broadly depict things.

 

if anyone wants to meet me in front of the Longacre at  7pm tomorrow night, I’ll be protesting the unfair and offensive way the show depicts New York actors and also midwesterners and also anyone else who might be portrayed in the show and who might take offense to people who are able to speak their thoughts yet are forced to sing them instead; thus mocking us who don’t sing. 

Updated On: 11/5/18 at 01:27 PM

[robskynyc]

Posted: 11/5/18 at 1:36pm

HugoP said: "her own grandmother, "

her grandmother took her in when her parents threw her out, and emma says she "loves the gays" so it's implied shes an ally

[HugoP]

Posted: 11/5/18 at 1:42pm

Jordan:   You know, I get your point.   Maybe it's unfair for me to take the show to task for its broadness (especially since its broadness is so entertaining), but the issues I was pointing out were so easy to address without hurting the show's entertainment value at all...   And, to be fair, the performances and production are so good that the concerns I raised will easily be overlooked by many.     I want this show to be successful-- and I've wanted it to be successful since I first posted positive advance word out of Atlanta.    

[Jakeevan942]

Posted: 11/5/18 at 1:46pm

robskynyc said: "LimelightMike said: "Is Row A too close for this production? Also, is the stage high for this?"

seen it twice in Row A and it is a perfect spot. the stage is not high at all"

Any thoughts on legroom in Row A? Considering for this weekend, but I'm about 6'1, and the Longacre doesn't have the best legroom overall.

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 11/5/18 at 6:25pm

If you think about it, then it’s not really a great show... but it was a fun night!

I think the cast and the music are pretty amazing. Beth and Brooks are superb and made me laugh many many times, that’s what overact should feels on stage, as this was my last show on broadway, I was happy to see such hammy performances.

I wouldn’t say the technical aspects are that great and sometimes makes the history seems really cheap and not “Broadway level”. That includes, for me, sets, costumes and lightning. They aren’t bad but not great either.

The book is certainly problematic because aside from the little twist in the end of act I, feels like something that I’ve seen or that I don’t wanna see.

The subject is very good and even when they go full religion, Still had a blast, but seems thrown away more than thought about.

All Broadway jokes, and they used a lot of them, were perfection. But again, I almost died with the Tony/Drama Desk bit.

I know this won’t last but after seeing Pretty woman and King Kong, it’s sad that this show won’t have bigger legs. I really enjoyed after all.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/5/18 at 7:21pm

I have thought about it and I think it really is a great show.

[robskynyc]

Posted: 11/5/18 at 11:41pm

Jakeevan942 said: "robskynyc said: "LimelightMike said: "Is Row A too close for this production? Also, is the stage high for this?"

seen it twice in Row A and it is a perfect spot. the stage is not high at all"

Any thoughts on legroom in Row A? Considering for this weekend, but I'm about 6'1, and the Longacre doesn't have the best legroom overall."

The front row legroom is hands down the worst legroom I’ve ever had. I’m 6ft. And it had to do that awkward turn knees to the side thing

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/6/18 at 12:47am

Hugo, tbere are small towns like this. They exist. I feel like you missed something regarding the kids feelings. I won't mention it here (and no spoiler toggle has appeared here).

Also, in a lot pf these really small towns, even with the internet, things seem to get there slower (Fashion, music, etc.) and then throw in religion. Some of these towns are in a time warp. So the choreography, clothes, hair and 80's style music didn't bother me. JMO