Saturday Night Fever is my favorite film and I never had the opportunity to see the Broadway production. I read on Playbill there was an event last night celebrating the twentieth anniversary. How was the Broadway production received ? If you did see it, what were your thoughts?
Also, someone told me the police had to be called one night as the cast got into a brawl with each other backstage. Any truth to this rumor?
Saw it twice and I enjoyed it a lot, though I was in college and easily impressed - I recall reviews were not kind. I thought it had some clever staging - specifically, the mirror over the top to showcase the disco floor lighting. I thought James Carpinello was great - the oozed sex appeal the same way Travolta did on film, he nailed the iconic dances, and did well on his scene work, Orfeh was a stand-out,. That voice on that score was pure heaven. I would pay good money for a recording of her doing "Nights on Broadway".
As an aside, I recently saw a production in Sydney which was probably one of the worst things I have ever seen. They had four singers (winners/contestants of X-Factor/The Voice/Whatever) do all of the songs!!! Tony's parents were played by famous Australian sit-com stars, all their scenes were filmed, and appeared on a giant screen that came down whenever Tony sat down at the dinner table. And they danced hip-hop But I digress.
"Observe how bravely I conceal this dreadful dreadful shame I feel."
I saw it in London before it came to Broadway and it was truly awful.
Disclaimer: for some reason, I thought it was going to be a spoof. When I realized they were going to play it completely straight up, it was not good. Honestly, I would have left at intermission, but my friend wanted to stay. She grew up on SNF (actually wore out one album and bought a second) and even she agrees it was bad, to this day.
Remembering sitting all the way through that gives me PTSD. The only saving grace was the gentleman playing Tony was built. I tried to just focus on that. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. :)
I can recall seeing it but I also recall it being mostly bland and forgettable. It was one of those musicals that if not for having a playbill and a ticket in my collection to remind me that I did see it, I would totally forget that I actually saw it. I VAGUELY recall a scene in a dance studio with mirrors and the scene on the bridge but I couldn't tell you anything else about it. So. Forgettable.