THE NOTEBOOK Opening Night Critics’ Reviews- Page 4

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 12:55pm

I misread the post i commented on, saying featured actress. 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 12:56pm

They announced (post-reviews) that tickets are now on sale through November. I can see this having a healthy year-long run, at least. 

[Kad]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 12:56pm

I personally think there are signs of softness in The Notebook's box office numbers- I'm not really sure how durable it will be in the longer run. Granted, there have only been five weeks to go on, but after the initial burst of excitement, there is a downward trend. I think it will really need very strong word of mouth (which I am not sure is as strong as reactions here indicate) and a good showing at the Tonys to carry it through the end of the year.

Shows like BTTF and Beetlejuice have demonstrated recently that some shows can survive a slate of negative reviews if they've got a strong brand that resonates with a motivated audience. I think it's too early to tell if The Notebook has that.

Updated On: 3/15/24 at 12:56 PM

[akhoya87]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 1:01pm

MemorableUserName said: "chrishuyen said: "It's been a while since critics' reviews have been able to tank a show as immediately, especially when online response is more positive (otherwise Back to the Future would've already been closed). So while the reviews aren't great, I could still see this running through the summer (especially since it has a built in fanbase for the movie/book and Ingrid Michaelson)."

Yep, I was going to mentionBack to the Future. Another show that did well out of New York and the Broadway critics disliked when it arrived here (its BWW average score of 56 is almost identical to The Notebook's 55), but is still going 8 months later. Both have Show-Score ratings of 90. Neither may be great as works of art, but both have name recognition, and BTTF has spectacle and Notebook has emotion, which may be enough for plenty of audience members to keep them running."

I think the main material difference, especially to Kad's point about softness in the box-office numbers, is that you can take the kids to spectacle.  Even though I personally loathed BTTF, I would recommend it to someone who's just looking to distract their young kids for a few hours.  I can't say the same about the Notebook; setting aside the cursing, the material is PG-13, at a minimum.

[Wick3]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 1:42pm

You make a good point. I watched BTTF a month ago and there were a lot of kids and families. They even ran out of booster seats. There are only a handful of shows that are marketed as family-friendly on Broadway and I think that and the parents' love of the movie brand is what's keeping BTTF afloat. 

I think older kids would appreciate watching The Notebook but I can see how younger kids may get bored or fall asleep.

[OhHiii]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 1:47pm

MemorableUserName said: "This is nonsense. If they only wanted to chase a dollar and deliver "a lowest common denominator product" they would have just slapped the book/movie onstage with some songs (yes, a la Doubtfire, or even Mean Girls). But they didn't. They attempted to reconceive it as a theatrical piece. They hired a respected and popular folk songwriter to write the score, not some random person who could have been hired for cheap, relying solely on the name of the property to sell it. Those choices may not have worked (and I certainly didn't love this show), but there's no indication this was a phoned-in production by people not bothering with more than a "lowest common denominator" product. Actually, astraightadaptation for the "lowest common denominator" likely would have done better with the audience members who've been complaining about the casting and the changes, if not the critics."

Go on, tell me. What do you do for the production? :)

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 2:07pm

I think it's totally fair to say that they are trying to REACH the lowest common denominator (and part of that is hiring a pop composer with no musical theatre writing experience) and be a populist musical.

Most Broadway shows are aiming to be populist hits.

If this wasn't aimed to reach a lower-common-denominator ticketbuyer, the producer very easily could have hired Michael John LaChuisa or Adam Guettel or Dave Molloy or Shaina Taub to write the show, and we could have all gone to see it at 59E59 or the Public Theater instead of on Broadway.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 2:12pm

OhHiii said: "MemorableUserName said: "This is nonsense. If they only wanted to chase a dollar and deliver "a lowest common denominator product" they would have just slapped the book/movie onstage with some songs (yes, a la Doubtfire, or even Mean Girls). But they didn't. They attempted to reconceive it as a theatrical piece. They hired a respected and popular folk songwriter to write the score, not some random person who could have been hired for cheap, relying solely on the name of the property to sell it. Those choices may not have worked (and I certainly didn't love this show), but there's no indication this was a phoned-in production by people not bothering with more than a "lowest common denominator" product. Actually, a straight adaptation for the "lowest common denominator" likely would have done better with the audience members who've been complaining about the casting and the changes, if not the critics."

Go on, tell me. What do you do for the production? :)"

Post all the negative reviews, complete with long scathing quotes, in this thread, along with providing a gift link to Jesse Green's particularly harsh one? If that makes me seem like a shill, so be it.

A person doesn't have to be connected to this production to recognize that, even if it fails in a lot of ways (and I agree it does), it is not a "lowest common denominator product." 

[akhoya87]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 2:47pm

Wick3 said: "I think older kids would appreciate watching The Notebook but I can see how younger kids may get bored or fall asleep."

When I last saw the Notebook, I was fortunate enough to be sitting front row.  And misfortunate enough to be sitting next to a group of Gen Z/Gen Alpha folks who were there with their family.  I think only one of them paid attention to the show; the rest looked bored, and occasionally pulled out their phones to not-so-discreetly go on Snapchat.  I felt bad for the cast, who could clearly see them -- I thought it was incredibly rude, but it wasn't my place to reprimand the group.  (Also surprised that the ushers did not shine a flashlight on them.)

[verywellthensigh]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 3:23pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I think it's totally fair to say that they are trying to REACH the lowest common denominator (and part of that is hiring a pop composer with no musical theatre writing experience) and be a populist musical.

Most Broadway shows are aiming to be populist hits.

If this wasn't aimed to reach a lower-common-denominator ticketbuyer,the producer very easily could have hired Michael John LaChuisa or Adam Guettel or Dave Molloy or Shaina Taub to write the show, and we could have all gone to see it at 59E59 or the Public Theaterinstead of on Broadway."

"We could have brought anyone into this show: Michael John LaChiusa...Adam Guettel!  Ingrid Michaelson is what Broadway is all about!  She's middlebrow, she's lukewarm, and very, very forgettable!"  

[BETTY22]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 3:30pm

I did not like Ingrid Michaelson score but understand this is the direction broadway is heading.

These more generic pop scores seem to be what producers - if not the public - want!

 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 3:41pm

verywellthensigh said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I think it's totally fair to say that they are trying to REACH the lowest common denominator (and part of that is hiring a pop composer with no musical theatre writing experience) and be a populist musical.

Most Broadway shows are aiming to be populist hits.

If this wasn't aimed to reach a lower-common-denominator ticketbuyer,the producer very easily could have hired Michael John LaChuisa or Adam Guettel or Dave Molloy or Shaina Taub to write the show, and we could have all gone to see it at 59E59 or the Public Theaterinstead of on Broadway."

"We could have brought anyone into this show:Michael John LaChiusa...Adam Guettel! Ingrid Michaelson is what Broadway is all about! She's middlebrow, she's lukewarm, and very, very forgettable!""

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 3:45pm

I don't think anyone WANTS a generic pop score. Certain producers & audiences want a contemporary-sounding score, but making them stand out from the crowd is easier said than done.

The long-running shows with pop & rock usually are not generic: DEH, Waitress, Rent, Next to Normal, Six, even shorter-running things like The Prom and Legally Blonde. Not every song is a banger, but there's a diversity amongst the score to keep the audience interested, and enough skill in the lyrics to tickle their ears. Hadestown, Come From Away, and Hamilton sounded different than anything else on Broadway when they opened.

Every era of Broadway has had its share of B and C-tier musical scores... sometimes it's Happy Hunting or Tiffany's or Ballroom or Coco or Sugar, sometimes it's How to Dance in Ohio or First Date or Back to the Future or Doubtfire or Gettin' the Band Back Together or Mr. Saturday Night.

Updated On: 3/15/24 at 03:45 PM

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 4:53pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "HenryTDobson said: "I'm surprised by these reviews, much more negative than I expected. This season is crazy - what's winning best musical?!?!"

My heart still saysDays of Wine and Rosesat the moment."

I have a feeling it will end up being Lempika vs. Suffs.  There are so many musicals this year that are adaptions of well-known books/movies that I think they will all just blur together, regardless of how good they are.  The more original shows will stand out, if they are actually good.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 5:01pm

Now that the transfer is official and we’re just waiting on an opening date, my new best musical pick is Illinoise.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/15/24 at 7:14pm

lopside said: "I guess the out of town reviews really do no give much of a hint of howsonething will received once it lands

"

We've known that for decades.

[Owen22]

Posted: 3/16/24 at 9:45am

MemorableUserName said: "NY Daily News/Chicago Tribune is positive:

BROADWAY REVIEW: ‘The Notebook’ is an unexpectedly sophisticated tearjerker

https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/14/broadway-review-the-notebook-is-an-unexpectedly-sophisticated-tearjerker/

"There are two main reasons why this show works. Most important is thesongwriter Ingrid Michaelson, who might be a Broadway newcomer, but whose lyrics eschew the mawkish pitfalls in favor of simple, direct communication of intense but familiar emotions through melody and song.

It’s never easy to define freshness in songwriting but it feels as if Michaelson just decided to watch the movie, or read the 1996 novel, and then write music about the way each stage of this central couple’s journey makes her feel. It’s unstuffy and unpretentious, which is good. But most crucially, Michaelson does not condescend."

...

"The other reason? Thedirector Michael Greif, who co-directs with Schele Williams. Years ago with “Rent,” astute observers noted, the dry-eyed Greif was the ideal foil for Jonathan Larson’s emotional wetness. So it goes here. If you’re familiar with the Greif oeuvre, you can see how he cuts away the treacle, focused on how life does not end as well as it starts (for most of us), and how he and his co-director clearly figured out that the antagonist here is time. That’s what kills every lasting love affair. Mistakes and third parties are benign by comparison.

Bekah Brunstetter’s effective book uses young, middle and older versions of Allie and Noah, beginning with Jordan Tyson and John Cardoza, moving through Ryan Vasquez and Joy Woods and culminating in beautiful performances from Dorian Harewood and Maryann Plunkett, as set in a retirement home. The senior couple truly are moving, but then so are the actors playing their youngest selves. In the more formulaic middle stretch, Vasquez sings out Michaelson’s music the best of all, even if the connection between he and Woods is not all one might hope.""

Chris Jones is usually an astute critic.  I'm...uh....I'm really astounded by his take...

[Owen22]

Posted: 3/16/24 at 9:59am

MemorableUserName said: "TimeOut is three stars/recommended.

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/the-notebook-broadway-musical-review

"It feels like Brunstetter has pruned everything she can to make room for Michaelson’s songs, but the tradeoff is not always worth it. The music is better suited to mood than action; it’s pretty, but in a general way, and it fades into itself. And when the score does reach for emotional character moments, the lyrics often let it down. Tyson belts out the show’s catchy takeaway tune, “If This Is Love,” with gusto, but it’s hard to sound like you’re discovering fresh feelings when you’re stuck with “Butterflies that fly in me / That never seem to go away” or “Knots in my stomach / The kind that never heal.” (Do any knots heal?) Woods sings wonderfully in her big second-act decision number, “What Happens”—ecstatically lit by Ben Stanton—but you wish she were sharing something less banal than “Only I can choose my choice.""

Thank you!!  Some of her lyrics are atrocious!! I am so glad Jesse made sure we knew. I sat there embarrassed for the songwriter and the actors who had to make sense of them. There is sometimes no basic sentence structure (musical theatre songs are actually dialogue you know) and when there is, they sometimes make no logical sense. And the similes!!  Dear God.

[Owen22]

Posted: 3/16/24 at 10:01am

Jordan Catalano said: "I still hopeAudrey Brisson can bring the new version of “Amelie” to NYC. That show went from being one of the worst to one of the best."

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/16/24 at 11:11am

Owen22 said: "
Thank you!! Some of her lyrics are atrocious!! I am so glad Jesse made sure we knew. I sat there embarrassed for the songwriter and the actors who had to make sense of them. There is sometimes no basic sentence structure (musical theatre songs are actually dialogue you know) and when there is, they sometimes make no logical sense. And the similes!! Dear God."

Yeah, that "time, time, time" and "mine, mine, mine" bit in the opening song is pretty dire. ("Time time time" and "mine mine mine" do not rhyme, rhyme, rhyme, Michaelson!)

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/16/24 at 11:14am

Gardner in the NY Sun is negative.

For a Certain Type of Viewer, ‘The Notebook: The Musical’ Will Hit the Right Notes

Yet while this reviewer frequently is driven to tears by shows, books, and films, she recoils on a similarly visceral level from anything that seems too contrived to tug at the heartstrings or too obvious in that attempt.

https://www.nysun.com/article/for-a-certain-type-of-viewer-the-notebook-the-musical-will-hit-the-right-notes

"The movie proved a showcase for some very fine actors, and so does a new musical based on Mr. Sparks’s bestseller — which, frankly, is the best thing that can be said about the “The Notebook: The Musical.” 

[mmh1019]

Posted: 3/16/24 at 1:10pm

I've been reading all the feedback here and I was curious to see what the reviews had been of Waitress (I wasn't living in the city when it opened and obviously there's a "songwriter comes to musical theatre" thru line with Sara Bareilles/Ingrid Michaelson). Given that it ran for 4 years, they were more mixed than I'd realized. They mostly all praised Jessie Mueller (as most have praised Joy Woods) and gave a ton of kudos to Chris Fitzgerald. There were negatives around Earl being a one-note role (it was, Nick Cordero deserved better) and the book/setting (and accents) sliding into cheesy. But the big thing was, on the whole, there was a praise for the score. Yes, they were pop songs, but they didn't all sound the same and they enhanced the story. How many young ambitious theatre students are using "She Used to Be Mine" for their audition songs now? "Take It From An Old Man" sneaked up on me when I saw it for the first time, understated and emotional.

That's what I found to be such a bummer about The Notebook's score. Joy Woods and Ryan Vasquez, they could sing the phone book and I'd listen (Ryan in The Wrong Man and Walk on Thru were next level fabulous). The songs just weren't memorable. I think they're pretty (love that they released Light On because it's an excuse for me to hear Ryan sing) but I'll third the people who've said WHAT are some of these lyrics?? Joy's big number does bring the house down, and she sings it beautifully, but I found myself listening to her saying "wait, that's it? she deserves lyrics that are so much better" But I've found myself playing the songs they've released from The Outsiders way more.

The thing Waitress did have going for it is who they could bring it as Jenna, including some bigger names like Shoshana Bean, Jennifer Nettles, Katharine McPhee and Sara herself (though Stephanie Torns was still my favorite Jenna I ever saw, #wonderstudies). I don't see how that would be possible with The Notebook because of how the show is structured. It sounds like they've released a new block of tickets through November, and I truly hope they have a long healthy run, because I think the story resonates with so many people (Harewood/Plunkett together are really fabulous, I'm so glad they're not just set decoration) and I think the experience of going to the show is beautiful.

 

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/16/24 at 6:46pm

Owen22 said: "MemorableUserName said: "NY Daily News/Chicago Tribune is positive:

BROADWAY REVIEW: ‘The Notebook’ is an unexpectedly sophisticated tearjerker

https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/14/broadway-review-the-notebook-is-an-unexpectedly-sophisticated-tearjerker/

"There are two main reasons why this show works. Most important is thesongwriter Ingrid Michaelson, who might be a Broadway newcomer, but whose lyrics eschew the mawkish pitfalls in favor of simple, direct communication of intense but familiar emotions through melody and song.

It’s never easy to define freshness in songwriting but it feels as if Michaelson just decided to watch the movie, or read the 1996 novel, and then write music about the way each stage of this central couple’s journey makes her feel. It’s unstuffy and unpretentious, which is good. But most crucially, Michaelson does not condescend."

...

"The other reason? Thedirector Michael Greif, who co-directs with Schele Williams. Years ago with “Rent,” astute observers noted, the dry-eyed Greif was the ideal foil for Jonathan Larson’s emotional wetness. So it goes here. If you’re familiar with the Greif oeuvre, you can see how he cuts away the treacle, focused on how life does not end as well as it starts (for most of us), and how he and his co-director clearly figured out that the antagonist here is time. That’s what kills every lasting love affair. Mistakes and third parties are benign by comparison.

Bekah Brunstetter’s effective book uses young, middle and older versions of Allie and Noah, beginning with Jordan Tyson and John Cardoza, moving through Ryan Vasquez and Joy Woods and culminating in beautiful performances from Dorian Harewood and Maryann Plunkett, as set in a retirement home. The senior couple truly are moving, but then so are the actors playing their youngest selves. In the more formulaic middle stretch, Vasquez sings out Michaelson’s music the best of all, even if the connection between he and Woods is not all one might hope.""

Chris Jones is usually an astute critic. I'm...uh....I'm really astounded by his take..."

Even though I, personally, enjoyed the show I agree that there is something… off… about Chris Jones’s review.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/19/24 at 10:13pm

Sorry for the double post. (See below.)

Updated On: 3/21/24 at 10:13 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/19/24 at 10:23pm

That was simply put: boring.  The first few minutes, I was excited. Somr pretty images, nice laughs landing then it just started to sink to mundane. 

 

Plunkett was delightful, and I rather liked John Cordoza, but the rest were forgettable. It felt as if none of them were given any motivation or character development.