Haines His Way

FJL, if I'm reading between the lines it sounds like you didn't care for title of show.  I know the kiddies love it, but it really sounds too in and with it for my tastes.  I really don't like these musicals that exist for no other reason than to be smart-ass and self-referential.  Oh, I'm sure that producer Kevin McCollum has made them put in some "heart" - that's what he does, and I'm sure he'll do the whole "the little show that could" thing that he did with Avenue Q, but I just have no interest in it at all.

Was there a mid-show standing ovation?  Was the audience screaming and cheering?

Was there a mid-show standing ovation?  Was the audience screaming and cheering?

That's what happens with every half-way decent act on "America's Got Talent." There was a man last night who sang some R&B.  He was pretty good, not the second coming but certainly better than average, but as soon as he started singing, a standing ovation (they didn't even wait until half way through his song) and screaming and cheering...like he was The Beatles.  It's ridiculous.  

Thanks for your theatre report, DR FJL.

Re: SummerShorts...  Do you know if they are planning to sell tickets online at their website?  The "tickets" link doesn't work, and I've been checking for a few weeks.  Emails to the site go unreturned.

For Ask bk day:  [or any DR that knows]

I know over at that "other" theatre chat board that people always say "Ask Michael Lavine for that sheet music; he has everything!", but how does it actually work?  Do you email him a list of what you want, and he emails back with what he has and the price?

And the word of the day is: EMOLUMENT!

At the local TraveLodge's cafe, if you order anything that isn't on the MOTEL MENU you can expect an extra EMOLUMENT for the cook to be added to your check.

I just realized after reading Ginny's post from last night that if I want to see her and Richard I'll have to work fast because I leave for Wisconsin on August 29 and they get in on August 27

And on that note I take my leave for the morning.

I don't know from that tour group, DR CILLA LIZ.....

Thanks to DR FJL for the Summer Shorts link.

Note to self:  Pre order the book on Monday.

Thanks to all for the rehearsal vibes for last night.  The show went much better, MOST of the lines were there, and there was much less "ACTING".
We suffered through a severe thunderstorm and lots of rain during Act One, but things settled down during Act Two.

Question for ASK BK day:

What is the thing that surprised you most on your first visit to New York City?

For SOME REASON, I didn't realize that only the stations on the SUBWAY were wide and spacious, and that indeed most of the ride was in a dark tunnel....when we shot into that narrow space the first time, it was scary.

I would surmise that New Neighbors, for the most part, are better than Nude Neighbors.

It depends on the Neighbor.    

More rain headed your way, DR GINNY.....it's headed here from DR CILLA LIZ and just about to get to me.

BK, I personally had a very fine time at Title of Show, and we found its insights powerful and disturbing, just wonder aloud where the universality is.  Sorry if my late/early-morning post gave the wrong impression.  And nothing about it doesn't feel like it belongs on Broadway in terms of physical size of the show.  My issue with the show is that these two main characters - as written - just WANT to be writers and have success, they don't seem to have NEED to be an artist, no special need to communicate; that NEED to be an artist seems to have been written into one of the supporting ladies, and it's very effective there.

Here's my complete post from All That Chat:

"Up late, can't get TITLE OF SHOW's disturbing themes out of my head - SPOILERS, esp. re production values

Posted by:   BklynBoy 03:04 am EDT 07/09/08
In reply to:   re: By chance... - shoebusiness 12:51 am EDT 07/09/08

shoebusiness, i always enjoy reading your thoughts on just about everything - but maybe because I'm seeing the show for the first time, I'm still ruminating over the experience of having seen TITLE OF SHOW tonight. I suspect most struggling theater writers will find it hilarious, insightful and disturbing; I have no idea how people who have no interest in or fascination/desire about actually being in the world of theatre will relate to it.

My feeling was that Bell and Bowen and thus their characters would have lovely careers as performers even if they couldn't write, and somehow the lack of survival-urgency of their particular need to write made it a strong want rather than a real need, and for me it became a very funny, thought-provoking journey, a Noel Coward play for slackers I felt, but (despite the greatness of Heidi Blickenstaff's performance) Susan Blackwell's journey became the one I FELT most strongly about, since her character needed to get away from what she was doing with her life, or at least that was the impression I got.

Meanwhile, the much-minimized-by-some production values seemed to me to be no less elaborate than many other shows for which I've paid close to $100 a ticket, and I suspect that whatever the "official" ticket price is, very few people are paying anywhere near that. The producers must label the ticket $110 to get $47.50; one of the things producers must deal with in the 2000's. But the physical set is even more elaborate than that for Spring Awakening, Xanadu or A Chorus Line, let alone Equus and other plays, as far as this scenically-untrained eye can see. Here's the spoiler: Making the whole set fly up like that and then the faux stuff that descends didn't seem cheap at all, and it helped make the whole scenic design extremely satisfying for this first-time attendee at the show, and took away any sense that this was a cheap show."