Author Topic: Theatre - The last play you saw, or are about to see  (Read 27013 times)

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36128
  • Marathon Man
Re: Theatre - The last play you saw, or are about to see
« Reply #30 on: November 11, 2012, 09:24:59 AM »
Book of Mormon
* * * *

Book of Mormon isn't as funny as Avenue Q, but it's much more creative. Much like I feel Jon Stewart teaches me a lot about politics, I walked out with a greater understanding and appreciation for the Mormon religion. It manages to be warm and friendly, even though it also holds the belief up for ridicule much like Parker & Stone do Scientology on South Park. They get away with it by simply being so creative and talented I was in awe with the tight construction and smooth execution of the project.

There's the handful of tunes that can play in your iTunes, but some only work within the context of the show, and that's okay. A prime example is "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream". Not a great tune, but on stage it becomes an increasingly outrageous parody of Broadway excess.

This show is filthy. There's so much talk of female anatomy and curses at God, I believe it would have trouble getting an 'R' rating if translated directly to cinema. Like most of Parker & Stone, it's hilarious though excessive in a couple of places. My biggest problem is with the last 10 minutes. There's a climactic re-interpretation of Mormon religion. It's the number that should bring down the house, but ends up being the weakest of the bunch. After that all of the conflicts are resolved in rather pat and overly-simple ways. It's the only time where the storytelling falters into "just go with me on this".

Pretty negative for a 4-star review, but these are the interesting things to talk about. As for the rest... incredible performances and energy and staging and just one of the best musicals I've ever seen. I could easily watch it again, and someday I believe I will. Come for the laughs, be blown away by the characters, intelligence and creativity.

FLYmeatwad

  • An Acronym
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 28785
  • I am trying to impress myself. I have yet to do it
    • Processed Grass
Re: Theatre - The last play you saw, or are about to see
« Reply #31 on: November 11, 2012, 09:27:09 AM »
I wish I could see this play. It hasn't come to Philly yet, or not to my knowledge anyhow. They need to get on making the film adaptation. I have listened to the soundtrack a ton, makes me laugh a lot.

That said, I still don't consider musicals to be plays  :P

Osprey

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 360
Re: Theatre - The last play you saw, or are about to see
« Reply #32 on: November 13, 2012, 11:10:02 PM »
I saw this last month for the first time and I think your review is mostly right on. I thought the villager's play was one of the high points of the musical  Book of Mormon clearly has a point, much more so than a regular musical.  I thought Avenue Q was consistently funnier and had catchier songs.  Book of Mormon certainly had laugh out loud funny points, but not as many as I was perhaps expecting.  The only song I think I might want to hear after Book of Mormon is "Turn it Off", whereas there are a couple from Avenue Q on my best of list. 
.
Book of Mormon
* * * *

Book of Mormon isn't as funny as Avenue Q, but it's much more creative. Much like I feel Jon Stewart teaches me a lot about politics, I walked out with a greater understanding and appreciation for the Mormon religion. It manages to be warm and friendly, even though it also holds the belief up for ridicule much like Parker & Stone do Scientology on South Park. They get away with it by simply being so creative and talented I was in awe with the tight construction and smooth execution of the project.

There's the handful of tunes that can play in your iTunes, but some only work within the context of the show, and that's okay. A prime example is "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream". Not a great tune, but on stage it becomes an increasingly outrageous parody of Broadway excess.

This show is filthy. There's so much talk of female anatomy and curses at God, I believe it would have trouble getting an 'R' rating if translated directly to cinema. Like most of Parker & Stone, it's hilarious though excessive in a couple of places. My biggest problem is with the last 10 minutes. There's a climactic re-interpretation of Mormon religion. It's the number that should bring down the house, but ends up being the weakest of the bunch. After that all of the conflicts are resolved in rather pat and overly-simple ways. It's the only time where the storytelling falters into "just go with me on this".

Pretty negative for a 4-star review, but these are the interesting things to talk about. As for the rest... incredible performances and energy and staging and just one of the best musicals I've ever seen. I could easily watch it again, and someday I believe I will. Come for the laughs, be blown away by the characters, intelligence and creativity.

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36128
  • Marathon Man
Re: Theatre - The last play you saw, or are about to see
« Reply #33 on: November 13, 2012, 11:26:51 PM »
What I will add in further defense of Avenue Q is that the themes of that musical speak to me. It's not just dirty puppets. Songs like "It Sucks to be Me" and "Wish I Could Go Back to College" deal with being happy with where you end up, even if it falls short of your original goals.

Osprey

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 360
Re: Theatre - The last play you saw, or are about to see
« Reply #34 on: November 14, 2012, 02:58:18 AM »
Avenue Q is about finding out who you are and where you fit in the world at a vulnerable and sometimes scary time in your life.  Book of Mormon is about belief and the need humans have for belief.  What age you see these at probably impacts which one you find more compelling. 

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36128
  • Marathon Man
Re: Theatre - The last play you saw, or are about to see
« Reply #35 on: January 03, 2013, 10:18:16 PM »

Anything Goes
* * *


Here's a great montage of what we watched.

My Christmas Present from Mrs. 1SO. 5th Row Orchestra to this revival of the 1930s Screwball farce featuring songs by Cole Porter and starring Rachel York, who sings, dances and acts like the great entertainers of that classic era. My biggest delight was that only some of the jokes lean on the corn. While old-fashioned, most of the humor works like a great, well-timed bit of sketch comedy. A couple of the performers are flat, and there were no hidden gems among the unfamiliar Porter tunes.

I was a fan of the 1956 film, which kept the good songs and added a completely different story. This was better, yet probably wouldn't go over well with a modern film audience. (The crowd was almost exclusively retirees.) The big dance numbers - especially the title tune - were exceptional to see performed live. Couldn't have been happier during those moments.

Mrs. 1SO loved it much more than me. (* * * *) She thought it was funnier than Book of Mormon and Avenue Q. I take this as a minority opinion.

jdc

  • Godfather
  • *****
  • Posts: 7799
  • Accept the mystery
Re: Theatre - The last play you saw, or are about to see
« Reply #36 on: January 04, 2013, 01:52:56 AM »
If non-musical, I think I have only ever been to a couple.  I saw that Nicole Kidman one called Blue Room back in 1999 in New York.  They made such a big deal of it because she went in the buff on stage but from my cheap seats and didn't make much of a difference.

Then the last one was in Melbourne when we found out one of our coworker was secretly moonlighting as an actor .  A bunch of us showed up to one of his performances, it was a similar style to The Blue Room being a 2 person play which the characters overlapping from different scenes. 

"Beer. Now there's a temporary solution."  Homer S.
“The direct use of physical force is so poor a solution to the problem of limited resources that it is commonly employed only by small children and great nations” - David Friedman

oneaprilday

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 13746
  • "What we see and what we seem are but a dream."
    • A Journal of Film
Re: Theatre - The last play you saw, or are about to see
« Reply #37 on: January 04, 2013, 09:39:24 AM »
Anything Goes
* * *


Here's a great montage of what we watched.

My Christmas Present from Mrs. 1SO. 5th Row Orchestra to this revival of the 1930s Screwball farce featuring songs by Cole Porter and starring Rachel York, who sings, dances and acts like the great entertainers of that classic era. My biggest delight was that only some of the jokes lean on the corn. While old-fashioned, most of the humor works like a great, well-timed bit of sketch comedy. A couple of the performers are flat, and there were no hidden gems among the unfamiliar Porter tunes.
This sounds and looks wonderful - what a treat!

don s.

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2025
  • You had me at "Hello, here's $50."
    • my movie collection
Re: Theatre - The last play you saw, or are about to see
« Reply #38 on: January 22, 2013, 11:26:44 AM »
My buddy and I just got our tickets for the Ashland [Oregon] Shakespeare Festival (we're going in August) -- six plays over four days:

Cymbeline
The Taming of the Shrew
King Lear
A Midsummer Night's Dream
My Fair Lady*
A Streetcar Named Desire*

(* I am aware that Shakespeare didn't actually write these)
My TV ain't HD / that's too real

Teal | Green | Lime Green | Orange | Red

oneaprilday

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 13746
  • "What we see and what we seem are but a dream."
    • A Journal of Film
Re: Theatre - The last play you saw, or are about to see
« Reply #39 on: January 23, 2013, 08:40:48 PM »
My buddy and I just got our tickets for the Ashland [Oregon] Shakespeare Festival (we're going in August) -- six plays over four days:

Cymbeline
The Taming of the Shrew
King Lear
A Midsummer Night's Dream
My Fair Lady*
A Streetcar Named Desire*

(* I am aware that Shakespeare didn't actually write these)
Looks fantastic! I'm ashamed to say I've never been to the Ashland festival - have always meant  to go but have somehow never made it.  Maybe this summer?

 

love