about the NEW YORK, NEW YORK Reviews... | why did the critics hate this new musical on Broadway?
Vložit
- čas přidán 30. 04. 2023
- Join my channel to gain access to exclusive content:
/ @mickeyjotheatre
•
OHMYGOD HEY!
Last week, the new musical NEW YORK NEW YORK became one of the last shows to open on Broadway in the 2022-23 season ahead of tomorrow's Tony Awards nominations.
The show, which is directed and choreographed, features musical from John Kander and collaborators including Lin Manuel Miranda and stars Colton Ryan and Anna Uzele.
Check out my latest review roundup to find out what New York's critics thought of the show...
•
SUBSCRIBE to My Channel: @MickeyJoTheatre
#newyork #broadway #theatre - Zábava
Colton Ryan is absolutely amazing. I'm so bummed he keeps getting cast in stuff that doesn't get good reviews. He's too talented for this
I thought he ruined the show.
@@user-sh4mv3tc3rI disagree, he was the best part of the show
@@SlimShady91021 He was just awful. He looked at the floor for most of the performance I saw. He was boring and his singing was awful. He had the personality of brick..and the show bombed. So there's that.
I’m surprised there’s no reviews saying something akin to “it’s not good, but it’s not Bad Cinderella.”
New York New York and critics just love being negative about everything that they don't want to give us the slightest satisfaction that Bad Cinderella is not that bad show, even though they literally panned it.
🤣🤣🤣
Well, “New York, New York” received 9 Tony nomination. Including an acting nod for Colton Ryan. If the performance during the Tonys goes over well, then it might survive. It actually has been earning more, at the box-office, than “Some Like it Hot”…. and that show got 13 Tony nominations. Seems part of the issue is just how similar the two musicals are, especially when it comes to the type of audience they are being marketed towards.
Whereas, “Bad Cinderella” was completed shutout. Even dumpster fire flops like “K-POP” and “Almost Famous” got more recognition than “Bad Cinderella”.
@@ChienaAvtzon I was surprised Anna Uzele was not nominated.
😂
Amazes me how no one spots a flop when it is in rehearsal or are people afraid to say it’s not good?
I wonder this OFTEN
I genuinely recommend the books *Not Since Carrie* and *Second Act Trouble*. The first is an extensive examination of dozens of Broadway flops, both notorious and obscure; the second is a collection of deep-dive articles about a dozen or so troubled productions.
Sometimes the creatives get in so deep they can’t see fundamental problems. Sometimes the insistence on sticking to a certain premise, even when it’s unworkable, sinks the whole effort. Sometimes even when a show has everything going for it, things just don’t align.
Also worth mentioning-I own a program for the first flop I ever saw, *Annie 2: Miss Hannigan’s Revenge.* And there’s a fascinating detail in an article in that program-apparently producers didn’t think the original *Annie* would work either, and were shocked by its success. A lot of musicals that are hugely successful now have a premise that might at first make you say “come on, that would never work”.
Great topic for a future video to discuss with other stagey CZcams creators, maybe.
Given how many of these same people were in the room for _Steel Pier_ ... It's safe to say these particular collaborators either can't detect or can't address what isn't working.
I so badly wanted to like this show. Managed to see the first Saturday matinee after the Tonys - and my first thought afterward was, “This is what people who hate musicals think all musicals are like.”
Wow, that is exactly how I felt about the “Camelot” revival.
That metaphorical summary that likens the show to a dance on unfinished materials makes me want to give my literature and writing degree back. So good.
Right?! So good!
@@MickeyJoTheatre there were so many pithy, stand out lines in these reviews. You just know they sat back from their laptops, crossed their arms and were mightily chuffed with themselves. I know I would have been.
P.s your title, An American in America is also commendable. Got a nod and verbal 'Very good Mickey' from me.
I’m rather surprised none of the critics mentioned another recent musical about a group of recent WWII veterans getting together to form a band with the actors playing their instruments and lots of superb dancing: Bandstand
I still love Bandstand with all my being.
Bandstand is WONDERFUL
Haven’t seen it but odd nobody mentioned On the Town as a comparison? As another ‘New York’ musical, period piece, that features the city in a similar romantic way, that I can gather from this discussion. When one of the last reviewers talk about the potential of loneliness bringing the couple together, it brought On the Town to mind - it’s a theme that’s played out beautifully in that show. There’s a haunting bittersweet sense to the ending, which feels so NYC for me, having lived here for decades. Wonder if they get anywhere close to that in this show.
Crucially, _On the Town_ was written and premiered *during* WWII, whereas NYNY takes place immediately *after* ... that bittersweet ending that you allude to is so potent because casualties were still mounting.
No "Company"?
the leads are great-colton ryan is an absolute star and anna uzele is incredible-but the book is so mishmashed and there are so many storylines that the actual plot just doesn’t work
I'm sure I would feel that the lack of musicians on-stage was irksome since the characters are supposed to be instrumental musicians, but in general, I remain skeptical about the trend. When I first heard about the John Doyle _Sweeney Todd_ I was alarmed, since it seemed to necessitate scaling back the brilliant (and massive) vocals. However, when I _saw_ the show (twice), the thing that struck me was that the actors did NOT play the instruments; their _characters_ did. It's a subtle distinction, but one that most actor-musician shows should take note of. Including Doyle's own _Company_ -- which achieved the same thing only a vanishingly few times.
When the characters are literally instrumental musicians, their music is diegetic, so having them mime their playing is an embarrassing flaw.
After watching your clip of the curtain call you placed at the beginning, I too was disappointed there wasn't a kick line. Yes, it's clichéd. But it's also expected. I'm a native New Yorker, born and bred, and live here still. There's never been a time when I've been with friends and "New York, New York" started playing, that we didn't do a kick line. And we wouldn't be the only ones! It makes no sense to not have one. Unfortunately, it looks like I won't be seeing this show because I don't want to spend my money on something that's just "meh". I'll go see Shucked instead.
Personally I would recommend NY NY over shucked any day.
NO - no kick line. No. Leave that to the Rockettes.
I just saw this show yesterday. It reminded me of that episode of Animaniacs (the original) where they want to do a "Very Special Episode" and try to address every single social problem they can think of; whatever good intent this show had, there was simply not enough time to explore every character and their dilemmas in a satisfying way. Janet Dacal and Emily Skinner are talented actors who deserved better roles with more songs. The leading man lacked charisma and I often struggled to hear his dialogue. The production design, choreography and leading lady were the best elements of the show.
You summed up my view of this show perfectly!
I saw this show and I hate to say this, but I really disliked it….
Bud, you hit the nail on the head!
"Money can't buy artistic merit."
BOOM.
About the song Music, Money, Love; isn’t being practical about life a thing in Kander & Ebb musicals, there’s the song Money in Cabaret and Sally Bowles is very practical in her decision to have an abortion, Velma and Roxie performing together is a completely practical decision.
I saw the show a few days ago and while I thoroughly enjoyed it I could very easily see where the critics were coming from. The book is overstuffed and relies too heavily on miscommunication between the leads. That being said I still found myself getting swept up in the kaleidoscopic scale of it all and was able to have a really good time in spite of what I would consider to be massive shortcomings
Hello there! I'm a school teacher in Louisiana who knows a few people in New York Theatre. I really like Broadway shows but I absolutely adore the West End. One of my friends is the lead sound engineer on NY,NY so I, like you, saw the show in early previews. In talking with my friend, I was amazed at how much a show can change during previews, and with a month to go before opening, I'm a little curious to go back and see what the final product is. I do follow your extremely knowledgeable reviews, and particularly enjoy your delivery. I happen to travel regularly to London and would love to meet up with you for lunch or coffee. I'm a regular attendee of the first week of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year as well. Thank you for all you do and this review of the reviewers was spot on. Have a wonderful day and a wonderful life! Sincerely, Vincent P Barras
Listen… as a performer and theatre lover, I saw the show.. AND I LOVED IT! The amount of joy and love and passion I saw from every single person involved in the show was immaculate! The performers/set/costumes were incredible! I had a great time!
I loved it too. It's a deep dive into New York and show biz archetypes, which may not be illuminating but in this production are joyfully appealing. Not sure it could work without such a great production and cast.
I find it funny that these critics remember K&E as a successful musical composer that in reality the original Cabaret, original Chicago, and Scottsboro Boys are in fact either a mixed bag of panned by critics and box office failure or either one of two. This is not new to K&E.
Uhh... 70 Girls 70? The Happy Time? The Rink? Flora, the Red Menace? Steel Pier? The Act? Woman of the Year?
Most people can't name more than a fraction of their shows, because they mostly flopped.
@@benjaminsagan5861 - Literally every legendary composer has had creative and financial flops. Except, perhaps Stephen Sondheim.
@@ChienaAvtzon Uhh... Stephen Sondheim had almost exclusively financial failures (apart from Forum, Night Music, and Into the Woods). Yes, even celebrated masterpieces like Company, Follies, and Sweeney Todd closed in the red, in their original runs.
@@ChienaAvtzon And to clarify: I don't think financial success means anything. Sondheim's musicals are mostly artistic triumphs (I'm not sure Pacific Overtures fully comes together, despite several fantastic moments). But in the case of K&E, their many, many flops share a theme: unless they're genuinely awful shows (like 70 Girls 70), they have beautiful scores with incoherent and/or (chiefly And) maudlin Books. This is true of The Happy Time, The Rink, and Steel Pier, at a minimum.
Personally, I loved this show. I can agree that the first act is way too long (I saw it in early April so I don’t know how long it ended up being). The show is just so entertaining to watch. I’m not the biggest dancing fan, but I loved the dancing in this show. Susan Stroman deserves a standing ovation for her work in Directing and Choreography. Colton Ryan and Anna Uzele especially both put on dazzling performances. Despite its short comings NY NY perfectly encompasses why New York is the greatest city in the world. It was my second favorite thing I saw when I was just on Broadway, right behind the new revival of Parade. ( This also included Phantom, Sweeny Todd, Shucked, and Some Like it Hot for Context).
The movie is a very dark romantic musical with a two great songs and a fabulous MGM style production number for Liza- "Happy Endings"
I saw this about a week before it opened, and I gotta be honest, I loved it. The performers were amazing, the story, in my opinion, wasn’t bad, but the songs and dances blew me away. I will never stop listening to the cast album when it comes out. My only issue was that there were a couple of lines that were very cliché, almost advertismenty lines about how you can “make it in New York”. But I was just smiling the entire time. It really wasn’t too slow for me, and I did care about the characters. Maybe it’s just the fact that I was happy to be seeing a broadway show, but I really enjoyed it. (I’m also much more of a music person over a story person, so maybe that was something.) but oh my god the two number? And the one love song at the arch at the train station? Phenomenal. I think the writing is really what hurts the show, and that kills me. I wish the music could be recognized for what it is (amazing) without the mediocre plot.
I also think as a hopeful performer I was able to sympathize with the characters more.
👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
The Liza version of the title song blows the Sinatra version out of the water.
That statement is entirely subjective and a matter of opinion. Both Sinatra and Minnelli are two massively talented singers with totally different styles and they each put their own distinctive spin on the song. One isn't better than the other, just completely different.
@@music4thesoul80 I say this as somebody who loves Sinatra.
never been to Broadway and I’m lucky enough to go this summer - this was one of my shows I’m seeing purely because I loved the rehearsal clips. Really hoping I actually love it when I’m there as this has made me nervous :/
Sadly, it's not a good show. Lower your expectations if you still plan on seeing it.
I'd never been to broadway either and I saw it in April and really enjoyed it! And I've seen a lot of shows on the West End! It's typically big band, glitzy, New York, everything you'd want from a Broadway musical in my opinion. Don't go in with too many expectations, just enjoy the idea of it. Enjoy!
I was in NYC about a week or so after you. Have to say that, unfortunately I do agree with you and the reviews for this show. It looked amazing (I'll be surprised if the set design doesn't win a Tony) and the choreography was fab, but the book lets the show down so much. It's far too long and a bit of a mess. This Broadway season is so strong (I saw 6 shows; 2 revivals, 4 new musicals) and I think NYNY will struggle to win enough awards to keep it open past the end of the year. I'd be very interested to have a chat about this season in general cause there's some fantastic work this year.
I saw the show a couple days ago and I had to look up the critics reviews to see if I wasn’t crazy and thought it was a bad show for no reason. The story was mushy and rushed. The leads were amazing and the cast was just so talented I just kept getting distracted by the bad Irish/New Yorker accent that I couldn’t understand half of the time. The jokes didn’t land. But the music was amazing and the dancing numbers were my favorite.
Hi Mickey! Great video, I haven’t seen New York New York but had high expectations this is quite disappointing with the reviews. That little news bear in the background is adorable! We’re did you get it? Also, I am curious will you be attending musical con this year? Wonderful video again!
I saw the show towards the end of the preview period. WE LOVED IT! Colton Ryan, who I’ve seen in several films and tv shows, as well as Anna Uzele, who is new to me, are both outrageously talented. And my wife and I aren’t tourists. We’ve lived here for 67 years, and regularly see Broadway, Symphony, and opera.
I have zero plans on seeing this show- can someone spoil what the big set surprise is for me?
It’s a big love letter to the city. The set is the real star imho
Took the train up from Philly and left at intermission. The thought of getting home 2 hours earlier was more appealing than sitting through Act II. I admit that I was sold on the pedigree of the creators and took a chance because that approach paid off big time for me with 'Some Like It Hot'. Not here.
This show drags and the book is all over the place. The characters feel like stock characters but the narrative doesn't give us any reason to be invested in them. (One commenter here observed that a main character is New York itself. Well, when I'm actually IN New York, I don't need a show which illustrates the famous locations.) The actors are trying the best they can with the material. The main romance between Jimmy and Francine feels rushed and forced and, based on his drunken behavior, I don't understand why she agrees to marry him. The Act I finale feels like a parody (much of the act feels like parody but they don't seem to be playing it for that) when, after Francine has just agreed to marry him, Jimmy makes a mocking comment to her producer who has shown up at her place unexpectedly. She throws Jimmy out, the marriage is off and she's on the fire escape tossing his clothes down on him. The whole neighborhood is also out on their fire escapes and say, in unison, "But do you love him?". She shouts, "I love him like crazy!!" and Jimmy runs up the fire escape for the big embrace to end the act.
The score is not engaging and I expect that the marketing will capitalize on the known material ("But The World Goes Round" and, of course, "New York New York"). Both songs come later in Act II with NYNY being the finale, no doubt a big singalong.
The jokes don't land well. For their first date, Francine is bringing food to Jimmie's place. There is what appears to be a gangster shooting at the restaurant while she's there. Instead of being freaked out, she tells Jimmy something like, "We have to eat this food. Someone died for it."
The direction definitely contributes to the slow pace. Many scenes feel static with actors stuck center stage. To break it up, random people cross upstage in the background. Woman with basket of flowers crossing from stage left. Enter guy in white tank top tee carrying lunch pail crossing from stage right. They distract rather than enhance.
Random choreographed sections that don't contribute to or strengthen the narrative add to the sense that we're watching a series of NY vignettes loosely connected by a love story. At one point, Jimmy and Francine are on the street and it begins to snow. He says, "It's snowing, you know what that means. We have to go to the stone bridge in Central Park." The surrounding characters move to cleverly create the bridge with their snow shovels. A neat effect and then the couple appears on the bridge. End of scene. ??
"If I can make it there..." is what I was saying to myself, except I was talking about Penn Station to catch an earlier train out.
I have to agree that the statement along the lines of "performer miming instruments in this day & age is inexcusable" is a bit extreme because band/music programs in schools across the US have been slashed for years (since the 2008 market crash), so assuming stage performers have had access/ability to be proficient enough at an instrument to play it at a professional level screams of elitism and classism.
I can't get over "Gosh, that was brief and strange"
Could you do the Rattouille musical? I would love your take!
I was stuck between seeing this and hadestown. once i saw the reviews for this i decided on seeing hadestown again. id still love to see this one day, but also the hadestown orchestra tix were cheaper... update: i ended up seeing this too. whole cast was so talented but the show was longer than it needed it to be and had wayyy to many storylines as you mentioned
Thanks for the overview and synopsis of the reviews. Saw the Tony Awards last night and was wondering based on that one performance if the show really was living up to critics and here I get to see for the most part - its a no. I'm gonna see what other tracks from their soundtrack interests me to add to my playlist at least. I'm enjoying these videos and now I wanna see what critics are saying about Josh Groban in Sweeney Todd.
Oh I forgot that there was such a famous creative team too. I was just going to go see if for Colton Ryan but haven’t been able to go yet. Hopefully it doesn’t close before I’m able to go 😢
I went to the show after the reviews, but even prior I knew this would not be a good show. With a tamped down expectation, I went and surprisingly, for the most part -- enjoyed it. If you soon realize to ignore the story and just enjoy the music, choreography and sets there was a lot to smile about. Some of the songs I did not really care for, but grew on me afterwards and I essentially left the theater mostly humming the set design and lighting. Colton Ryan was the biggest surprise, I really enjoyed his performance so I think a Tony nom is well earned.
Would love to see you check out the movie!
Despite the massive changes, I think it might give you some useful perspective on certain things. Like you saying the title song needed a kick line... From watching the movie, you'd probably find a kickline to be very out of place on stage during that song, and might change your feelings about them not including one. Just maybe, might be worth checking out. Would love to see you compare the film to the stage production.
Great review as always! Thanks for your insights Mickey!
I saw this last week and your review was spot on. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t really good. I did love the set and lighting design though.
I seriously am hoping some of these mixed reviews won't cause this to close, because I want to witness this adaptation which IMO is 1000x better than the film. More importantly, I'd never thought I'd imagine Lin-Manuel Miranda and John Kander showing their exquisitely unparalleled talent in writing this beautiful score, and bringing some of these classics back to life. I love the fresh perspective this show's characters bring to the timeless plot, and the set design is just a visual delight for the eyes.
I've just seen the show and I found the experience amazing! I feel that the performers and designers have done their absolute best and make the evening super engaging. I understand/agree with the point made about the watered-down, possibly bland, storylines of the other 3 characters, but the inclusion of these extra characters does emphasise the great diversity of NYC. Yes it's an ode to NY which may rely too heavily on stuffing in too many tricks from up its sleeve... Overall, I'm looking at it from a British drama-student’s POV, but I think the papers' reviews were pretty harsh.
I saw the show yesterday and I was floored. Everyone did amazing. The stage design, the choreography, and the fact that they were playing live instruments. There was definitely a lot going on but it the foundation of it has a lot of heart.
I think there’s every chance that most tourists will buy tickets based on the creative team and title number, having not actually read the reviews, and that it’ll have a decent run as a result 🤷♀️
So its okay to screw over a tonne of customers, buyer beware?
I'm going out to the city in July and bought my tickets for then before reviews came out, hopefully I don't end up regretting that purchase 😬
Everyone I know who has seen it so far have really enjoyed it and had a great night but agree it’s not going to end up on top 10 list. That said I suspect the cast album will stand up really well as it seems the book that has most of the problems.
I saw it 5 days before it opened and LOVED it!
Couldn’t agree more. I went in previews as well on April 1 and I was incredibly disappointed. Part of me thought maybe I was being grumpy or had too high expectations given the people involved and when the reviews came out I felt so validated. I’m a huge theater fan and I’ve seen a lot of the shows you have around the same time frame and this was by far the most disappointing night at the theater in a long time for me.
I could've sworn that Colton, at ;least partially played at least some of the instruments his character played... as did I think the violinist? Tho maybe ive been duped! The other 2 I could very clearly tell were miming. I was Row F on the side orchestra, house left.
Im also so here for the Emily Skinner love, she's a phenomenal talent!
Colton learned and played the instruments.
Lin-Manuel Miranda and John Kander only rhyme if you're Tim Rice ;)
(But this was a really great video.)
I saw the third preview and pretty much agree with the reviews and Mickey-Jo/s comments. Just many characters, thinly developed. I especially agree that Anna Uzele's "THe World Goes Round" was a showstopper. The dance interludes showing the different seasons were just twee,
And now it's closing this Sunday. 😞
I think it might do okay due the name of Lin manual Miranda attached
What I am obsessed to hear? Your FUNNY GIRL experience. SPILL
I saw the show 2 days ago and I would describe it as boring. I grew up in the new york area see shows on broadway often. The show felt old and outdated to me. The characters seemed very one dimensional. I could care less what happen to the main characters. And I often stopped paying attention when they were on stage. The only character I cared about was Emily Skinner's character. She was wonderful!
I think this could have been a good show 20-30 years ago when presenting stereotypes of what people think New Yorkers are like would have been fine. But today is so much more diverse and inclusive. So it made the show feel outdated. And I think that's first, the fault of the book. The story was just bad. Second, I think it's over directed. It felt like everyone's movement was planned. Nothing felt natural. It felt forced. With too many background performers. The city isn't always walking. There are areas that are calmer.
I have seen hundreds of shows in my life (14 this season alone and 5 more before the Tonys) and I usually can find the good in a show. I am a very optimistic and forgiving audience member. But I think this might be the worst musical I have ever seen. I didn't hate it, I just didn't like it.
Colton plays all those instruments
Tony nominations--even Tony wins--won't help a musical very much on Broadway *unless* it wins Best Musical. The Best Musical Tony has saved several shows in the past (Memphis, Spring Awakening) that might otherwise have closed early. I think it very unlikely that New York, New York will win Best Musical. But I think that it's safe through the end of the year at least. I think that, like An American In Paris, it will be one of those shows that runs about a year and a half (600 or 700 performances) but winds up closing at a loss. (There have been a couple of recent Broadway musicals that recouped in less than 600 performances, but those were very inexpensively produced.)
Plenty of Best Musical winners have flopped.
@@ChienaAvtzon A few have, but not very many--a handful over the 74-year history of the award. And I didn't say the Best Musical Tony was a guarantee of success. What I said was that the Best Musical Tony is the only one that *can* make a serious difference at the box office--not that it always does.
My NY, NY grades:
Music and choreography: A-
Story development: C
Character development: C-
Sets and lighting: A
11:00 number at end of show: A
Overall grade C+
TONY AWARD noms: 9
Will pickup 0-1 TONY AWARDS SET OR LIGHTING DESIGN??
Set and Lighting are very possible - but I wouldn't rule it out in choreography if it doesn't go to Casey Nicholaw!
So as someone who absolutely loved the Broadway version of An American in Paris, will I love this show too?
I love AAIP and I really liked the cast album (Though bear in mind that I've only listened to the cast album and have not seen the show)!
As someone who has seen both, a hard no. Some Like It Hot is the better option.
A theatre friend of mine walked out. First time ever leaving a show at intermission.
I agree that it hurts to dislike it. I so wanted to love it. There are definitely some really enjoyable parts but nothing to make me forget how bad my knees hurt from being smashed into the seat in front of me. With everyone attached, it was one of my most anticipated shows.
I will say that if they were mining them, they did a very good job. I know that the lead did mention learning sax and piano for the role. Anyone that may have been mining was doing a good enough job not to be distracting at least. That was my major frustration with some like it Hot. The mining of the instruments, especially towards the end was very obvious and distracting
i loved it. i haven’t seen many but when I watched it I couldn’t stop thinking about until the end of the week. i thought it was really good despite it being a little cliche. - nyny as first broadway show
OUCH. I'm still thinking of going.
I am surprised that they even thought that this would work. The original movie was an expensive flop! The best thing about the movie was the title song.
Producers are contractually obligated to pay for so many musicians per Broadway theater whether they play or not. If you have to pay them to be there anyway, that's a good excuse for having them play.
While I get why Mickey Jo wants a kick line, it’s really hard to sing and do a Rockette/ Chorus Line type kick line and sing well at the same time. To make something like that work only part of the ensemble is really dancing and the other is really singing (Moulin Rouge does this in a lot of the high energy dance numbers), there’s a dance break where the high energy “jump kicks” happen… like in A Chorus Line), or the singing is pre recorded or someone completely different to the dancers (like the Rockettes do).
Don't underestimate the stamina of Broadway performers!
@@NFTProductions it’s not a stamina thing, with the way intense choreography (like Rockette style kick lines) forces a dancer to use their core/ breathing it is impossible to do that type of dance well while also singing well (seriously try it, singing often sounds wobbly, and range becomes more limited than it is doing less intense choreography).
@@NFTProductions- AKMorehouse is absolutely right, "stamina" has nothing to do with it. To pull this off you'd need either a backing or track or an offstage chorus singing into mics to support the dancers singing onstage.
@@music4thesoul80 I believe there is an off stage chorus (at least, I read about it somewhere) for Hairspray during the dancing/singing scenes.
@@Pastadudde - Oh I don't doubt that at all, offstage choruses have been used in musicals to boost onstage vocals since the days of the Golden Age of Broadway. Nowadays (unfortunately) shows are more apt to use backing tracks as they're far less expensive than paying for larger cast choruses.
I saw it on the first preview. I hoped it was going to be good because how could New York, New York not be good. Wow, were the songs boring and lacking the punch besides the two major songs from the movie. Robert DeNiro was right that those two songs are great. The two side stories were not necessary because it doesn't do anything emotionally for the main couple. The money, love, music song was hard to understand. The set was like Newsies. I wanted to like the songs more, but I don't remember a single one.
Critics seem to not like it because the show seems to be a stream of consciousness, with each scene hopping between characters and not really spending time on each of them. BUUUUT.... if you're in NYC, that's sort of emblematic of the frenetic pace of the city and how the people you meet is simply fleeting. It's supposed to be "sprawling."
So, I absolutely disagree with the critics and many others. But I see where they're coming from. I thought Colton Ryan would be a dark horse for the Lead Actor Tony. But I knew J Harrison Ghee would get it, because they were simply amazing in the role. Of course, it only won one Tony - for sets. Which it rightfully deserves for simply the tap dancing skyscraper construction scene.
No... a kick line would be out of place in the final scene. You're in a club! The orchestra rises from the pit and breaks the 4th wall.
Those unique suitcase/designer looking bags in the show with NYC landmarks on them to serve as setting props would be priceless conversational pieces, whoever gets them after the show closes. Right???
I saw another theater CZcamsr claim that this show could have really used a tryout/workshop before opening on Broadway.
I assume it had workshops, I don't know how well it would have worked as a tryout anywhere outside of New York to be fair 🤔
@@MickeyJoTheatre maybe an off Broadway run?
I saw this at the start of April on Broadway. I think from the sounds of it I enjoyed it a touch more than you did but I definitely was a little underwhelmed compared to my potential expectations. I think the main problem was definitely that the other characters were so underdeveloped it did feel like we never really delved into them, in particular Janet Dacal's and John Clay III's characters for me. I did love both Colton Ryan and Anna Uzele's performances though - I can see why Colton's didn't work for some people but for me I really found him entralling.
I had a rush ticket which was in the front row and I will say maybe I just didn't know what to look for, but to me the musical instruments looked totally real as well so I don't think it's badly done at all - I definitely believed it despite being so close lol (though it's not a super close front row, it has the pit in between... and an amazing view up until it suddenly becomes almost hilariously over the top restricted :D). One other thing that I don't think worked very well from the front but maybe worked better further back was the rain sequence - a couple months ago I saw an amdram group do Singin in the Rain with real water on stage so it seemed a bit lame that such an otherwise lavish show had a projection. I also do think the comparison one reviewer made to Runyonland was very apt as that first number definitely seemed excessively similar, even in terms of the types of little groups and characters that were coming through. I quite liked the little ensemble vignettes to cover scene changes though after that.
Really curious what will happen tomorrow at the Tonys! Gutted that I will have to be in a meeting at work rather than watching it live or on your livestream haha.
The just announced Tony Awards nominations do not reflect this hatred of the musical by critics. Frankly, I'm surprised by all the nominations for "New York, New York" and, given these nominations, their snubbing Susan Stroman for a nomination.
See I get how both can exist - the set, lighting, choreo and sound are all fantastic, but the sum of their parts lacks a lot. I am surprised by the book nomination.
The show was long and boring. Sad because I love LMM and went because of his writing credit. It didn't feel like his music at all. Hated all the characters too especially Colton's character.
I don't think he was there to really insert himself stylistically but I actually think a fusion of his and Kander's work could have brought classic and contemporary New York together brilliantly! Shame we didn't get that.
@@MickeyJoTheatre omg hi MickeyJo I'm a huge fan ❤️ I agree 100%
It didn't feel like his music because Lin-Manuel Miranda didn't write music for this show; he contributed lyrics to some songs.
This musical looks like a graceful swan on the surface at first glance but is an uncoordinated odd duckling deeper inside.
i saw it sunday as my last one too !!!
A great last show to see in New York!
I didn’t realize Lin was involved before this video
I saw it and have to say whilst I was very entertained by lots of elements of the production and a lot of the performances, it was very messy and far too long, and the seats at that theatre were SO uncomfortable which didn't help. Also Marry Me from The Rink and A Quiet Thing from Flora being thrown in reeked of running out of ideas, however I did enjoy it, it's not something I would rush back and see, and feel the reviews are a little harsh, perhaps due to the over reach of their expectations.
I’ll tell you why as a born & raised New Yorker. For 60 years I’ve watched Idaho, Minnesota, Kentucky, etc. sitting on our sidewalks begging. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. Buh bye…
It is astounding that with the Stellar broadway, Know How, people involved in this piece, Susan Stroman, Lin Manuel Miranda, John Kander and more! That they got together and made this giant nothing of a musical.
Not one of them thought about the story telling
the first act ends with the two leads falling in love. So why come back for act two. There was no tension, every thing came to a happy ending. this is where older musicals usually end, With a wedding (the wedding is implied).
Act two was just as bad inbetween pointless production numbers. There is a jewish immigrant who plays the violin and a beautiful older woman violin teacher. Who gets him into Julliard with a lovely john Kander melody from one of his other musicals, Woman of the Year. But they had nothing to do with the story. If you left them out we could have gone home 25 minutes earlier
For some reason they ignored the source material (Scorsese honorably Flawed Film) In the film they travel the country in DeNiro's big band, They get married, she gets pregnant. he cheats, she leaves, he buys a successful club, She becomes a super star. then sings NyNy
At least that had a story
the movie was loosely based (i think i read at the time) on the life of Doris Day. who started out as a big band singer then left and became a movie star
the creators of this "show" CUT all of that out.
I must say that the NYC set looked very much like the NYC set of King Kong.
This New York New York could have used a 30 Ft puppet
I think I was at the same showing as you!
Hell no! I've seen the show and these reviews were not what I was expecting. They were vicious, but then again, as you know, some people out there are not nice. Did the show work overall know. The biggest problem in my opinion was the book did not pull everything together and make it a cohesive whole but choreography was fabulous. I loved all the performers.
Saw it in early April. I thought it was a nostaligic old-timey musical. I enjoyed the special New York mentions like the Whispering Hall in Grand Central Station and the tap dance on the iron beams.
Surprised Colton Ryan was Tony nominated, but Anna Uzele was not.
Were you shocked that it got a Tony nominated for Best Book?
Will you do a video of your reactions to the Tony nominations?
I haven't seen the movie or show but I think if they had cast both leads with older actors (they are both in their late twenties) there might have been more grit in trying to make it in a town were the odds are against you. Also, the push and pull would have come from bad life experiences instead of convient misundestandings. Will try to still get RUSH tickets.
How do you know they haven’t had bad life experiences? I know that Colton Ryan has.
from what I've heard Liza Minnelli is rolling in her grave and she's not even dead
Well, she did move out of NY, NY (the city) in time.
How can you have New York New York without a kick line? That song was made for a kick line.
I was there on opening night-- wasnt really much :(
I endured this production about two weeks ago. That was three hours of my life wasted to listen to the theme song "New York, New York." The rest was a big-set, forgettable-songs setup for the hit-song finale. It was so bad that my husband left at intermission, but I stayed through to the end ... he made the right decision. As New Yorkers would say (and I lived there for 20 years), it was just "meh," at best.
It’s a great show! Go see it!
Dont know about this show. I was struck by the comments citing LMM. Miranda & Minnelli --- same initials: LMM.
I really appreciate the show. I don't understand why reviews are so bad.
I must respectfully disagree about the kick line. That's what the Rockettes are for ;)
I would love you to watch the film and comment what you would keep. I can see an Amazing show from the film but it seems like they dumped all the good points.
My only question is does every musical have to have a grittiness or a sadness or motive? I wonder if this will actually do well on Broadway as some people don’t want hard hitting on their fun NY trip. Just a question that I don’t know the answer of as I love a gritty musical but i don’t want this when I’m in a happy mood 🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
I feel you! But it's not a particularly lightweight and lighthearted show either, it had the hallmarks of something more substantial without much substance.
@@MickeyJoTheatre oh I’m just playing devils advocate 😂😂 I just wonder if will do well with Debbie from Middletown America who wants glitz and glam but nothing else but I don’t know only time will tell. Thank you for the reply though :)
So I also agreed with the reviews when I saw it. But I disagree with your main point. I really did not enjoy the lead character nor how he was written. I really wanted the story to be about her not him. The movie was boring, and I was sad that this wasn’t an update. The original introduction of Mateo did make me tear up, but
I liked when I saw how much Raise a bat to his father, even under the circumstances. Just felt out of character, so many weird directions the show took
I saw on Friday coming in with low expectations. Maybe for that reason I had a total blast.
Like the MGM musicals that populate TCM the book is a generic 'boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets her back.' The flying pastel umbrellas during a rainstorm, snowfall in Central Park, tap numbers in the sky, perfect re-creation of Manhattanhenge, first rate cast, and swinging score more than made up for the book's deficits.
Anna Uzele not being nominated for a Tony is crazy
I liked the show and i dont listen to others opinion aside from my own 😁😁😁
Again distracted by the Phantom bear.
Anyway, I find LMM’s plays are rather cliché. I know people love Hamilton but if you look at the plot, it’s just another story to sell American dream. But somehow the American dream story actually sells.
I hate the trend of forcing the actors to play instruments on stage. It is nothing more than a obnoxious gimmick, as it sacrifices the vocal performance. One would think "Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812" being a colossal flop, after Josh Groban left, would have permanently killed the trend.
Sounds like "New York, New York" should have been delayed, until next season, to fix the book. Since, this is the type of show that makes for a great first Broadway experience. Especially, with how outdated "Chicago" has become. This should have been pure escapism but with interesting characters.
Update: “New York, New York” will close, on its 110th performance, at a total loss. Making it one of the biggest financial flops in Broadway history. It cost $28mil to mount and had a weekly operating cost of $1.2mil, neither of which was ever going to be sustainable.
I'm going to be that guy, and say that maybe these creative should have just worked on a brand-new idea instead of adapting a movie Musical.
Based on the description, it feels like this film is derive from is problematic and they needed to keep on adjusting it to make it suitable for a modern audience
The movie was a bit of mess and DeNiro and Minelli were miscast as lovers - Liza acted her heart out
I've never seen it, only the clip of her singing THE song.
@@MickeyJoTheatre You NEED to see the whole film. It's totally worth it for Liza's musical numbers.
@@waynejewers7044 Liza owns the second half of the film, once the marriage ends and becomes a star.
I went in expecting something fun but I was SO BORED and it might have been one of the most dull scores I’ve ever listened to. The side stories were also extremely boring. I wanted to leave at intermission.
If the show runs too long, is dull and has too many side stories, it sounds to me like it needs a major edit.