Am I the only one who's unimpressed? I haven't seen the show and I know others love it, but to me it seems completely charmless. Loud, pushy performances, flat jokes, easy Theatre 101 references to other musicals you can spot a mile away but thinks it's OH SO CLEVER.
I promise I'm not trying to be negative, but I seriously don't get it. Am I missing something? The whole thing reminds me of this Onion article:
^ Much of the reason I seldom listen to cast recordings before I see a show.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
You're not the only one. I'm growing a little tired of the musical satire genre and I'm not hearing anything that The Producers, Spamalot and Book of Mormon didn't do better.
Agree. It sounds like it really wants to be SPAMALOT (if not MORMON or PRODUCERS). But those shows were all legitimately clever and had a lot of genuine affection and heart that made them more than just a collection of hoary jokes. Maybe I'll feel differently when I see SOMETHING ROTTEN, but it seems rather lazy and superficial on this first listen.
Such a fun show! I had fun watching it and now listening to it takes me back. The Musical number is my favorite. I also loved Right Hand Man and a lot of the other songs. Can't wait to add it to my collection :)
It honestly fell a wee bit flat to me. But I'm not going to fully judge it until I actually see it...but Right Hand Man is literally the best thing ever.
Never saw the show but listened to cast album for the first time last night. Have to say i was very much thinking "this is the new Book of Mormon?" but after a second listen I have to say the songs started to grow on me. Especially Right Hand Man, God I Hate Shakespeare and A Musical (Loved all the musical reference). Sometimes I think the are trying to hard but overall I would say its a good and funny comedy score! Would love to see how it translate on stage, I would say it would be hilarious.
Something Rotten! is good but I still want Fun Home to win best score!!!
"Am I the only one who's unimpressed? I haven't seen the show and I know others love it, but to me it seems completely charmless. Loud, pushy performances, flat jokes, easy Theatre 101 references to other musicals you can spot a mile away but thinks it's OH SO CLEVER. "
No. This is pretty much what I felt when I saw the show.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
The only reason why one would call this a "don't listen before you see it" show is because listening to the music makes you realize it's... bad... and your opinion isn't clouded by a theater full of easy lays laughing and clapping. It's a lazy, desperate, haphazard show with a lazy, desperate, haphazard score (and frankly, terrible lyrics). Feh.
Reminds me of The Producers in that the numbers try to duplicate classic Broadway, but fail to emulate the charm and natural likability of those scores.
"The only reason why one would call this a "don't listen before you see it" show is because listening to the music makes you realize it's... bad... and your opinion isn't clouded by a theater full of easy lays laughing and clapping. It's a lazy, desperate, haphazard show with a lazy, desperate, haphazard score (and frankly, terrible lyrics). Feh."
No - I say that because I think that many of the jokes and funny bits are complimented by the staging, movement and design elements; and the score is more enjoyable to hear for the first time with those complimentary elements that the show provides visually. The score in its entirety isn't my all-time favorite, and I am still favorable to Fun Home's score this season... but there are some moments that I truly love on this score. I would hardly call it haphazard.
"Reminds me of The Producers in that the numbers try to duplicate classic Broadway, but fail to emulate the charm and natural likability of those scores."
They aren't trying to duplicate "classic Broadway" - they are trying to invent "classic Broadway" (NOT literally, but in terms of the premise of the show). That's the entire point of the show, taking place in the 1590s and all.
This part of the article on the WSJ struck me:
“To hold up a rat trap and a washboard and sing, ‘We have the latest gadgets and appliances,’ lets the audience know right away that we aren’t going to take ourselves too seriously and we’re going to have a lot of fun with a view of what is ‘new’ from a 400-year-old perspective,” Wayne Kirkpatrick says. “Also, when we break into the rock section with a driving rhythm section and distorted electric guitars, we are also foreshadowing the type of music that is to come—and letting the audience know there is going to be a collision of these two styles; traditional Broadway and contemporary rock."
Say what you will, and to each his own… but I for one love the score.
It's not like a life-changing score or anything...like it didn't have an impact on me like other scores (I mean it's no Jason Robert Brown or Stephen Sondheim that's for sure). But I appreciate it for what it is you know? It's definitely one of those that don't require a lot of thought, but it's still enjoyable.
I do wish there were more sweet moments in it though. One thing I love about most musicals is that in a lot of comedies, there's some relief in those sweet moments. I feel like it could have afforded a few more of those...rather than constant silliness. But I think it did what it was supposed to do. I just prefer musicals with a wee bit more substance. Thoughts?
If you want fluff, nobody did it better than the masters of pre-World War II Broadway. Try some Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Gershwin, Youmans, etc.
I feel like it's doing well because of that cast. I mean you got musical theatre LEGENDS all in the same show. D'Arcy James, Borle, Blickenstaff, Oscar. I mean those people are amazing performers. Without them I think the show would be more prone to flopping.