Be More Chill and The Prom Closing Performances Thread

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 8/12/19 at 1:10am

So no one has started a thread for either and I always love reading peoples closing day experiences.

I revisited The Prom today and boy what an afternoon the show ran I think almost 8 minutes long due to applause.

I arrived early to a VERY long line of folks in show shirts and a group of ladies all wearing Apples & Bees custom shirts which were clever, not posting the link but if you look around it is online for purchase.

one of the longest standing ovations I have EVER seen after Beth destroyed The Lady's Improving and I don't know how long she usually hits the last note for but looking back at a video someone posted she held it for 13 seconds which is wild and she is a treasure.

I think the only big weird difference from the last time I saw it (but someone correct me if I am wrong) was at the top of Act 2 Caitlin was wearing a cat onesie which alot of folks were gigging about, someone later informed me this is her usual intermission outfit so I guess she just said F--k it today and went on wearing it, Brooks ad-libbed "hey kitty cat" which brought down the house.

Tons of tears onstage as the final number started and people handed each other tissues

also Michael Genet who replace Michael Potts for the last six weeks and had shoes to fill was excellent as Mr Hawkins and his We Look To You was really beautiful.

also shoutout to the guy I overheard saying "this is the 87th time I am seeing it" and the girl I heard say "this is show #41 for me"

what a shame it couldnt last, what a beautiful joyious afternoon. 

[MollyJeanneMusic]

Posted: 8/12/19 at 8:16am

Hi!  A few days ago, I put up a thread about people's favorite "last performance" experiences, be it for a show they liked or a specific performer who was leaving.  Stories about both BMC and The Prom are in the thread, and I would suggest you check it out!

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1118496

Posted: 8/12/19 at 1:38pm

I was at the BMC closing, and the energy was amazing. It was very clear how many people love the show, and what it means to them. Lots of tears, onstage and off. Joe gave a very heartwarming speech at the end, and the Goodbye Song performance by Jason SweetTooth Williams, and many Iconis and Family members was the perfect way to end the run. 

[BentleyB]

Posted: 8/12/19 at 3:50pm

LightsOut90 said: "So no one has started a thread for either and I always love reading peoples closing day experiences.

I revisited The Prom today and boy what an afternoon the show ran I think almost 8 minutes long due to applause.

I arrived early to a VERY long line of folks in show shirts and a group of ladies all wearing Apples & Bees custom shirts which were clever, not posting the link but if you look around it is online for purchase.

one of the longest standing ovations I have EVER seen after Beth destroyed The Lady's Improving and I don't know how long she usually hits the last note for but looking back at a video someone posted she held it for 13 seconds which is wild and she is a treasure.

I think the only big weird difference from the last time I saw it (but someone correct me if I am wrong) was at the top of Act 2 Caitlin was wearing a cat onesie which alot of folks were gigging about, someone later informed me this is her usual intermission outfit so I guess she just said F--k it today and went on wearing it, Brooks ad-libbed "hey kitty cat" which brought down the house.

Tons of tears onstage as the final number started and people handed each other tissues

also Michael Genet who replace Michael Potts for the last six weeks and had shoes to fill was excellent as Mr Hawkins and his We Look To You was really beautiful.

also shoutout to the guy I overheard saying "this is the 87th time I am seeing it" and the girl I heard say "this is show #41 for me"

what a shame it couldnt last, what a beautiful joyious afternoon."

I     thought that the final performance was an amazing send off.  The kitty cat onesie was hysterical.  I     have see "The Prom" 9 times and yesterday was so special.  Beth and Brooks weeping in each other's arms are a memory that will never leave me. I     loved when the crowd shouted that Meryl in the movie was bull**** and Beth lifted the curtain and gave an "okay" sign....

So thankful that the funny, silly, show had a nice run.  It did deserve better.  

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 8/12/19 at 4:58pm

I imagine this isn't a popular opinion, but as charming and emotional as BMC's performance of "The Goodbye Song" was, the curtain speech rubbed me the wrong way and perfectly summed up why I have been so frustrated with this show and its team from day one. Instead of a simple "thank you for the journey," they just had to get in one last insistence that they had been "bullied" and "mocked" and mistreated. That attitude persisted throughout the show's run, from the creative team on down to the fans, and it really soured me on it. The insistence that their failure was entirely due to outside forces rather than the simple fact that the show didn't work for a lot of people was wildly unprofessional, and to keep doubling down to the very end wasn't a great look. 

The Prom was the sweet, geeky underdog who learned to embrace their own not-A-list status. BMC wanted to sit at the cool kids' table but also wanted the street cred of being the weirdos, and they managed to not be either one and then whine about it a lot. I'm sorry that a lot of people who were just along for the ride are out of a job, but I'm not sorry for the willfully blind among the team.

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 8/12/19 at 9:58pm

"The Lady's Improving" from yesterday's performance of The Prom, courtesy of Lisa Goldberg, who had full permission to post:

https://twitter.com/lisagoldbergpr/status/1160706773814317057

 

[Lot666]

Posted: 8/13/19 at 2:20pm

We saw The Prom on Wednesday night and Be More Chill on Saturday night. It was clear from early on at both performances that the respective houses contained a fairly large contingent of repeat viewers.

The audiences were quite vocal, especially at Be More Chill, where each actor's first appearance of the evening was greeted with shouts and wild applause (and lest you assume that the place was full of children, it was not; there were actually relatively few kids to be found). The cast was very grateful and I couldn't help but think how sad it was that they were unable to enjoy that level of enthusiasm throughout the run. This was my second time seeing Be More Chill, and I enjoyed it even more than the first.