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Post by viserys on Feb 19, 2019 9:39:47 GMT
Can anyone remember what the professional reviews for CFA in New York were like? Did the show succeed there on word-of-mouth or were the critics more kindly disposed to it?
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Post by MoreLife on Feb 19, 2019 10:17:31 GMT
Can anyone remember what the professional reviews for CFA in New York were like? Did the show succeed there on word-of-mouth or were the critics more kindly disposed to it? they are  I especially like this passage from the NY Times: "But we are now in a moment in which millions of immigrants are homeless and denied entry to increasingly xenophobic nations, including the United States. A tale of an insular populace that doesn’t think twice before opening its arms to an international throng of strangers automatically acquires a near-utopian nimbus. So does the reminder that there was a time when much of the Western world united in the face of catastrophe. And when politicians who have since become the butts of jaded jokes (hey there, Rudolph Giuliani and Tony Blair) stood tall as leaders of substance." Maybe some of the professional critics on the main newspapers felt they couldn't quite embrace the show's message as wholeheartedly, now that on the verge of Brexit this very country holds its arms less than fully open to foreigners and most politicians in power can only aspire to be the butts of jaded jokes? |
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Post by Phantom of London on Feb 19, 2019 11:24:15 GMT
Can anyone remember what the professional reviews for CFA in New York were like? Did the show succeed there on word-of-mouth or were the critics more kindly disposed to it? Before it opened on Broadway, posters on BroadwayWorld were determined not to like it, as the emotions were still fresh of 9/11 and this one is going to close to the bone, it opened to very strong word of mouth and got a critics pick from the New York Times, it became a very hot ticket and it recouped very quickly.
Interesting that the Daily Telegraph gave this only 3 stars, yet gave Motown 4 stars.
3 stars from Michael Billington isn't great, as he seldom gives out 1 or 2 stars.
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Post by Mark on Feb 19, 2019 12:27:00 GMT
I’m going again tonight  . My rush seat today is row P stalls. |
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Post by sparky5000 on Feb 19, 2019 13:03:03 GMT
I think once the show queens have all seen this that the reviews will actually matter and this show will struggle. It has no stars, and as others have said , not based on a tv show or film. It's thrived on Broadway based on word of mouth more than anything else so I''m really hoping the same will apply here. I'm just (probably irrationally!) annoyed that some of the more negative reviews are focusing on the show being too positive / uplifting, and yet for a show like 9 to 5 that's apparently not a problem. And don't get me wrong, for what it is I enjoyed 9 to 5 but imo it isn't in the same league as CFA. That all said, I really shouldn't compare, because I'm happy for any show that succeeds! |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Feb 19, 2019 14:20:13 GMT
Hal Prince said with Follies that reviews count for the first few months and then after that it's all word of mouth.
Looking at the low stars for this and some of the tosh that gets awards (book of Mormon and Bat out of Hell) reinforces my mantra of just go with your instincts and sod the critics and 'esteemed'judging panels
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Post by boak on Feb 19, 2019 18:19:36 GMT
Excited for the show tonight!
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Post by Phantom of London on Feb 19, 2019 18:36:10 GMT
The Guardian and Daily Mail actually think; Bat Out Of Hell, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I Can’t Sing, Bend It Like Beckham and The Girls are better than this, no wonder why theatre journalism is on a downward spiral.
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Post by mrbluesky on Feb 19, 2019 19:03:16 GMT
Having just seen a few clips from press night, it got me thinking. If, heaven forbid, the show did end up needing a boost, and star casting was needed, I wouldn’t be completely against Beverley Knight taking on the role of Capt. Bass.
Thoughts?
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Post by danb on Feb 19, 2019 19:06:38 GMT
The Guardian and Daily Mail actually think; Bat Out Of Hell, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I Can’t Sing, Bend It Like Beckham and The Girls are better than this, no wonder why theatre journalism is on a downward spiral. Shows aren’t reviewed against each other though. They are just reviewed against a rather woolly star system that exists in the reviewers head. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 19:20:00 GMT
The Guardian and Daily Mail actually think; Bat Out Of Hell, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I Can’t Sing, Bend It Like Beckham and The Girls are better than this, no wonder why theatre journalism is on a downward spiral. I wasn't sold on this but rather loved Charlie enough to return many times. Am I also on a downward spiral? *cue NIN fans* |
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Post by alece10 on Feb 19, 2019 19:33:04 GMT
The One Show should question the quality of their researchers.
A real life couple who feature in the show were just on talking about their story and Matt Baker asked them if they were going to catch the 2nd act tonight!
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Post by meister on Feb 19, 2019 20:34:19 GMT
Is the Grand Circle on sale for this? Want 3 tickets for tomorrow matinee and can only see a smattering of stalls and dress circle online!?!?
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Post by danb on Feb 19, 2019 20:39:03 GMT
Band D&E are sold out on ATG, so it’s possibly sold out up there.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 21:07:01 GMT
Is the Grand Circle on sale for this? Want 3 tickets for tomorrow matinee and can only see a smattering of stalls and dress circle online!?!? Every show in the run so far has been sold out, so I imagine tomorrow will be the same. |
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Post by Phantom of London on Feb 19, 2019 21:14:30 GMT
The Guardian and Daily Mail actually think; Bat Out Of Hell, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I Can’t Sing, Bend It Like Beckham and The Girls are better than this, no wonder why theatre journalism is on a downward spiral. Shows aren’t reviewed against each other though. They are just reviewed against a rather woolly star system that exists in the reviewers head. All apart from the Guardian, the stars are actually awarded by the sub-editor. Aware shows aren’t competing against each other, but the woolly star system invites that. The Guardian and Daily Mail actually think; Bat Out Of Hell, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I Can’t Sing, Bend It Like Beckham and The Girls are better than this, no wonder why theatre journalism is on a downward spiral. I wasn't sold on this but rather loved Charlie enough to return many times. Am I also on a downward spiral? *cue NIN fans* You are very much in the minority not liking this one. As for preferring Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you should go to the Bridge Theatre immediately and mean immediately and have an exorcism performed by Sir Nicholas Hytner. |
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Post by No. on Feb 19, 2019 21:14:43 GMT
Is the Grand Circle on sale for this? Want 3 tickets for tomorrow matinee and can only see a smattering of stalls and dress circle online!?!? Not for everyone, but if you’re willing to stand there’s on the day standing room available online |
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Post by jaqs on Feb 19, 2019 21:16:29 GMT
Is the Grand Circle on sale for this? Want 3 tickets for tomorrow matinee and can only see a smattering of stalls and dress circle online!?!? Every show in the run so far has been sold out, so I imagine tomorrow will be the same. Being half term would expect most matinees to be sold well. |
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Post by meister on Feb 19, 2019 21:40:00 GMT
Thanks all. Got 3 in the stalls, not altogether but a pair and a single. Looking forward to it
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Post by Snciole on Feb 19, 2019 22:13:10 GMT
So my hot take is that musically I found it very difficult to warm to in the first 30-40 minutes but warmed to book and characters. The songs all sound the same and it felt like musically it had a boring identity because it needed to establish these characters with only minimal props.
For me it all comes together during the Newfoundlander song, the welcome the plane people get felt like musically the show was able to trust its audience and provide diverse memorable tunes and it came together as musical rather than a play with songs.
There isn't a weak link amongst the cast or casting, what I like about it is that if I were involved in Amdram I would be looking for the rights for this because it is such a feel good community production about being being kind and the emotional rewards kindness can bring when we break down out borders and trust each other.
For the reasons above I can see why professional critics haven't raved about it, the fact it feels like it would well in Amdram suggests an unprofessional feel, the lack of star names don't help and the lack of memorable tunes throughout. Perhaps for critics if they didn't warm to it immediately then it's general niceness isn't enough. It is much deeper production, especially in the book, that a lot of critics are giving credit for but in the long term I am sceptical if it can survive on word of mouth/strong social media alone.
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Post by boak on Feb 19, 2019 22:36:03 GMT
Just came back from today's show. Absolute stunning cast and I loved how there was no interval, allowing the story to just keep building.
It was a full house and instant standing ovation from the audience.
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Post by maria on Feb 20, 2019 7:47:26 GMT
Saw this last night, I too took a little while to warm up, I think it was adjusting to the accents and the whole style of the piece. But after about 30 mins or so, was smitten, and came out on such a high. Great to see such a diverse cast on stage (not just pretty young things and a token oldie or two), and loved the band. Unlike The Guardian, I didn’t struggle with the “relentless niceness”, I felt it was the perfect balance to the constant presence of the awfulness of the attacks.
Seats were K2-5, back row of the dress circle, and amazed how great they were for the price. A perfect view of the stage, and didn’t feel far away at all. My 11 and 13 year olds came out on a high too, in case anyone wonders about suitable for / appealing to children (a couple of swear words but barely noticed). And we got a badge each from the usher at the exit door, perfect end!
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Post by sophie92 on Feb 20, 2019 8:21:02 GMT
Well, this one left me completely cold. I just couldn't engage at all. Too much going on on stage all the time and I just couldn't connect or care for any of the characters. There's a lot of energy on stage and the audience seemed to enjoy it. I was really looking forward to see it, but I was very disappointed Thank you for posting this. Whilst it didn’t leave me cold, it certainly didn’t blow me away like it seems to have done for the majority of posters here, and so I was hesitant to post anything myself. I was moved by the last 10 minutes or so, but everything up until that point was just nice. Great performances, but unfortunately just didn’t do a lot for me. (I listened to the cast recording once, a while back, and the music on its own didn’t particularly capture my interest. I had hoped seeing the full production would make more of an impression, but sadly not.) |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2019 18:59:39 GMT
Well, this one left me completely cold. I just couldn't engage at all. Too much going on on stage all the time and I just couldn't connect or care for any of the characters. There's a lot of energy on stage and the audience seemed to enjoy it. I was really looking forward to see it, but I was very disappointed Thank you for posting this. Whilst it didn’t leave me cold, it certainly didn’t blow me away like it seems to have done for the majority of posters here, and so I was hesitant to post anything myself. I was moved by the last 10 minutes or so, but everything up until that point was just nice. Great performances, but unfortunately just didn’t do a lot for me. (I listened to the cast recording once, a while back, and the music on its own didn’t particularly capture my interest. I had hoped seeing the full production would make more of an impression, but sadly not.) Indeed - I was the same. My main issue was the music was so bland (and didn't improve for me hearing it live which I was hoping it might). And I do get what a lot of the 3 star reviews are getting at - it was TOO saccharine and desperately needed some light and shade - despite the generosity of the Newfoundlanders this was the darkest and most horrific week of modern history. And that would have affected people. For me, it should have been deeper. |
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Post by CG on the loose on Feb 20, 2019 21:29:37 GMT
Saw it this afternoon. Started slowly, but from the bus onwards, it was exceptional. Loved how the cast kept it real, and the audience just felt like more members of the visiting community by the end. For sightlines, imagine a wooden kitchen chair at the back of the stage. Row AA day seats won't see below the seat, row A - a couple of inches below that, and so on as you go back a row. C is pretty OK, but F is where you see the whole stage floor. Great guide on sightlines (of course, I expect nothing less from you) - I saw it from C ... will aim for a few rows further back next time |
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. My rush seat today is row P stalls.
