"On the Record" stage review


SpectroPluto

SpectroPluto

Member
I have my tix for when it comes to Tampa, but here is a reviewer who saw it in Ft. Lauderdale:

http://broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=2905

Needless to say, he was NOT impressed. It does not sway me, however...I am still looking forward to seeing it in a few weeks. As I have told people, "I'm just looking for pretty people singing pretty disney music. I expect nothing more than an elongated theme park show."

I will try to post my reviews after I see it, but check out what this guy had to say!

*Tommy
(4 more days till we can order the CDs!!)
 
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Steve LeVine

Member
My parents took my nieces to see it in Detroit a few months ago and the kids really did not like it all and I think pretty much agreed with the review you posted. My parents said they liked it but the kids were very bored. Very few costume changes and nothing to keep the kids interested.
 
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xfkirsten

Member
I just got the CD the other day and have been listening to it regularly. There's some numbers that I really like (particularly some of the stuff on disc 2) and some that just don't do it for me. I am interested in seeing the show, but after the mixed reviews it's gotten, I'm not just dying to see it.
 
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Disneymagic022

Member
I saw the show in Detoit a few months ago,.,,We had front row seats and even being that close I still lost interest... There are no set changes and one costume chnage and thats for the closing number. There is no dialog, they use the songs to tell a very weak story of two sets of lovers who meet in a recording studio. The show was cancelled due to the lack of interest. The show is "cute" and It would be great for the Disney Cruise Line. But it would never make it on Broadway. It is reminds me of the traveling stage shows that Disney used to do for malls.
 
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SoccerMickey

New Member
I really was not expecting much from the show. I was going based on what I read in the papers and the review my two friends from Pittsburgh gave me because they got the show Thanksgiving weekend. These two guys, trust me, love everything Disney does. Im sure they're saying Chicken Little is their favorite Disney film and they haven't even seen it yet (We all know the type.)
So I knew it was coming to Boston and I had intentions of seeing it but I could not justify the $80-90 ticket prices. So I waited and luckily Boston has BostTix, which is very similar to TKTS in NYC, where they offer same-day, half price tickets. Well needless to say, Disney's On the Record tickets were available for half-price every day of its run, with great seatsno less.
Did I like the show, emphatically I will say YES. Did I like it because I was a Disney fan? Of course. The children in the theatre were very bored and I think a lot of the parents were confused because I could tell a lot of them were expecting the characters to come out. I am glad there were no character visits in the show it would make it seem like a Disney On Ice presentation.
Would I have like it if I paid full-price? No. I would have felt I had gotten ripped off. The cast, however is BEAUTIFUL, and they really are talented and professional. The sold each and every song that they sang like they really bought into the show they were in.
I would definitely like to see the show as a Cruise Line production or even as a Dinner theatre show at Walt Disney World, where I think it would be a good fit, but definitely not at Broadway prices.

John
 
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plutogoodboy

Member
I saw "On the Record" in Ft. Lauderdale this weekend. I think why people are feeling disappointed or cheated or that it's somehow subpar is because they are expecting a musical, with story, sets, characters.

This is not that. It is a revue and maybe Disney should have made that more clear somehow. And I would agree with the assessment it's not for kids, either.

But it is a very well put-together musical revue. Think of "Smokey Joe's Cafe" (a revue of the music of Leiber & Stoller) or "Ain't Misbehavin" (a revue of the music of Fats Waller) or even "Fosse" ( a dance revue of the choreographer's style.) It is most definitely at their level, which is probably why Disney thought it was fair to charge prices in that range. (And to be fair, I paid $60 for 4th-row seats; Broadway prices for that would have been $100.)

I'm not sure the casual fan would be that interested, but it was fascinating to hear the different arrangements, see new meaning on the songs based on the way they are sung. (I deliberately did not get the CD or read the program first, so each song was a surprise to me.)

The four principals put a lot of life into their characterizations and it's fun to see how you instantly recognize the "types" used throughout musical theater.

All the singing and dancing is very good, even if you disagree with some of the vocalists' choices ("Colors of the Wind" made me cringe!)

It was very entertaining, and no offense to Disney mall performers, definitely a polished step above what can be achieved on a tour of that level.

Tommy -- you're going to love it! Enjoy! ;D
 
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