Ten Little Chances to be Free (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tenlittlebullets) wrote2011-08-14 01:37 am
tenlittlebullets) wrote2011-08-14 01:37 am
Theatrical mixed bag.
Quick NYC update:
Did not intend for this to be a Weekend O' Theater, and yet somehow I saw three shows in two days. Avenue Q yesterday, which was tons of fun; today, completely on a whim, I joined my cousin and his friend in the rush line for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Because... Dan Radcliffe, and why the hell not? So we ended up with standing room for the matinee and it is a really, seriously fabulous production and Dan Radcliffe kind of comes off as the adorable fan-favorite understudy. Because he is good but he's not quite there yet in terms of vocals and stage presence--he can totally carry the show, but you can tell he's not a seasoned stage actor even by comparing him to the ensemble. Adorable though, and I had no idea he was so short, and also no idea that he could dance that well.
And then we all went and entered the lottery for Book of Mormon, figuring our chances were obviously nil we wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if we didn't at least try. And my cousin fucking won. Two tickets, front row center, and he and his friend have both been dying to see it for ages, and I already had a rush ticket for Addams Family, so it was pretty much decided. In retrospect I kind of wish I had at least wheedled a bit, though, because Addams Family was terrible. I mean--I love campy goth shit and I love musical theater and I have a high tolerance for things that are so bad they're good, and I had a hard time getting through this steaming pile of horseshit. After the initial novelty of "lol, Gomez and Morticia in a generic cheesy Broadway number complete with kick line" wore off, I started wondering where the fuck they were going to take this, and the answer was nowhere. It started nowhere, it went nowhere, I couldn't remember a single tune after it was over, and I'm not sure who it's meant to appeal to except the kind of people who enjoy laughing at musical theater and campy goth shit rather than with it. My ratio of "money spent on ticket" to "money spent on alcohol just to get through the show" was pretty damn embarrassing, and I realized at the top of the second act that drinking didn't actually make it funnier, it just loosened the (strictly metaphorical) tongue of my inner bitchy theater critic enough that I could cope. For it to be funny I'd've needed copious quantities of weed, and there may be a time and a place for stoner humor, but that is not something you want with Addams Family.
tl;dr: I thought it'd at least be entertaining, and that the dreadful reviews were just critics jumping on the chance to snark on something stupid and fun. Turns out it was stupid, not fun at all, and that the critics were 100% right. Snark away.
Did not intend for this to be a Weekend O' Theater, and yet somehow I saw three shows in two days. Avenue Q yesterday, which was tons of fun; today, completely on a whim, I joined my cousin and his friend in the rush line for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Because... Dan Radcliffe, and why the hell not? So we ended up with standing room for the matinee and it is a really, seriously fabulous production and Dan Radcliffe kind of comes off as the adorable fan-favorite understudy. Because he is good but he's not quite there yet in terms of vocals and stage presence--he can totally carry the show, but you can tell he's not a seasoned stage actor even by comparing him to the ensemble. Adorable though, and I had no idea he was so short, and also no idea that he could dance that well.
And then we all went and entered the lottery for Book of Mormon, figuring our chances were obviously nil we wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if we didn't at least try. And my cousin fucking won. Two tickets, front row center, and he and his friend have both been dying to see it for ages, and I already had a rush ticket for Addams Family, so it was pretty much decided. In retrospect I kind of wish I had at least wheedled a bit, though, because Addams Family was terrible. I mean--I love campy goth shit and I love musical theater and I have a high tolerance for things that are so bad they're good, and I had a hard time getting through this steaming pile of horseshit. After the initial novelty of "lol, Gomez and Morticia in a generic cheesy Broadway number complete with kick line" wore off, I started wondering where the fuck they were going to take this, and the answer was nowhere. It started nowhere, it went nowhere, I couldn't remember a single tune after it was over, and I'm not sure who it's meant to appeal to except the kind of people who enjoy laughing at musical theater and campy goth shit rather than with it. My ratio of "money spent on ticket" to "money spent on alcohol just to get through the show" was pretty damn embarrassing, and I realized at the top of the second act that drinking didn't actually make it funnier, it just loosened the (strictly metaphorical) tongue of my inner bitchy theater critic enough that I could cope. For it to be funny I'd've needed copious quantities of weed, and there may be a time and a place for stoner humor, but that is not something you want with Addams Family.
tl;dr: I thought it'd at least be entertaining, and that the dreadful reviews were just critics jumping on the chance to snark on something stupid and fun. Turns out it was stupid, not fun at all, and that the critics were 100% right. Snark away.