Falsettos National Tour- Page 2

[Kitsune]

Posted: 3/14/19 at 12:27pm

Miles2Go2 said: "Wow. Just wow. Still processing tonight. Easily one of the finest nights of theater I’ve ever experienced. The whole cast was firing on all cylinders, including Thatcher Jacobs as Jason. I was crying so much at the end that the woman next to me patted my knee to comfort me. I have to get up in less than 3 hours to catch my early flight home so I’ll try to keep this short. Eden Espinosa, Max Von Essen, Nick Adams and Nick Blaemire were just phenomenal. Someone said they felt some of them were walking through their roles earlier in the run. That couldn’t have been further from the truth tonight. In fact, Nick and Max did the curtain call plea for Broadway Cares and Max had to stop talking momentarily because he was overcome with emotion. He says it was the first time they had given the Broadway Cares plea after the show.

I have to admit my first exposure to the show was the PBS broadcast of the revival and I was slightly underwhelmed by it. Tonight the show came totally alive for me. I went crazy at the merch booth. Before the show I bought the mug, magnet and keychain. At intermission, I bought the grey t-shirt with the rainbow and “love can tell a million stories.” I also bought the 2-CD OBCR. I already have it in my Apple Music library, but I felt like I needed a physical copy of it. After the show I also made a donation to Broadway Cares in exchange for a signed window card and a tote bag."

I'm going next Tuesday in San Francisco - I'm excited!

How much was the Broadway Cares donation for the signed window card?

[LuPita2]

Posted: 3/14/19 at 2:30pm

The PBS Broadcast didn't do the show justice.  The Broadway revival was incredible and every single performance was brilliant. You had to the be there to fully appreciate it.  A broadcast rarely makes a show look at good as it truly is.  

This tour was bizarre from the start, especially the two month stop in CA, considering the entire tour is four months. Glad the show is tightening up.  

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 3/14/19 at 3:23pm

The donation for the signed window card was $60. The donation for the tote was $20. They also have an apron for $20, I believe.

I have been listening to the OBCR from the revival during my long layover in Atlanta. It never fails to surprise me how much more vibrant a cast recording sounds after you’ve actually seen a stage version.

[schubox]

Posted: 3/14/19 at 7:33pm

Miles2Go2 said: "Wow. Just wow. Still processing tonight. Easily one of the finest nights of theater I’ve ever experienced. The whole cast was firing on all cylinders, including Thatcher Jacobs as Jason. I was crying so much at the end that the woman next to me patted my knee to comfort me. I have to get up in less than 3 hours to catch my early flight home so I’ll try to keep this short. Eden Espinosa, Max Von Essen, Nick Adams and Nick Blaemire were just phenomenal. Someone said they felt some of them were walking through their roles earlier in the run. That couldn’t have been further from the truth tonight. In fact, Nick and Max did the curtain call plea for Broadway Cares and Max had to stop talking momentarily because he was overcome with emotion. He says it was the first time they had given the Broadway Cares plea after the show.

I have to admit my first exposure to the show was the PBS broadcast of the revival and I was slightly underwhelmed by it. Tonight the show came totally alive for me. I went crazy at the merch booth. Before the show I bought the mug, magnet and keychain. At intermission, I bought the grey t-shirt with the rainbow and “love can tell a million stories.” I also bought the 2-CD OBCR. I already have it in my Apple Music library, but I felt like I needed a physical copy of it. After the show I also made a donation to Broadway Cares in exchange for a signed window card and a tote bag."

I had a similar reaction when I saw the show on Broadway. I pretty much was full on sobbing by the curtain call. It took me by surprise how overcome with emotion I was

[SacPsych]

Posted: 3/16/19 at 8:26pm

Just got out of the matinee and wow, that did not disappoint.  This was my first exposure to the show, other than some of the songs which I've heard on SiriusXM.  The entire cast was firing on all cylinders.  It was disappointing, though, to see that only about 80% of the seats looked sold and probably another 5-10% left at intermission - come on Sacramento, do you only want to get stuff like On Your Feet and Dirty Dancing??

I hope the tour is selling better in other cities because this deserves to be seen (or maybe my audience was the exception to the rule).

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 3/16/19 at 8:39pm

SacPsych, sadly it wasn’t just your audience. When I saw it Wednesday night, I was shocked at how many people were headed to the exits at intermission. I was third row center Orchestra Pit and there were empty seats in the pit. I didn’t pay attention to how full the rest of the theater was, but I’m guessing it was probably like your audience. I guess some people only want musicals that are based on known quantities and aren’t challenging. I, personally, adored it.

Updated On: 3/17/19 at 08:39 PM

[LuPita2]

Posted: 3/16/19 at 9:50pm

It's challenging, serious, and sad. It deals with real life issues and a lot of people just don't want to see that. Their loss. 

What an incredibly special show, I'm glad more people can experience and love it.  

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 3/17/19 at 1:17am

FALSETTOS is my favorite musical after FOLLIES and we only get to see a first-class production every 30 years or so. I refuse to care whether some people walk out because they'd rather see a jukebox musical. In fact, I PREFER they leave at intermission so they don't distract the rest of us during that hard-hitting second act!

(This isn't a criticism of those who are reporting on audience reactions elsewhere. I'm not saying we shouldn't discuss them, just that I fully intend to ignore those who don't "get it".)

[SFCowboy]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 1:45pm

I caught this last night in San Francisco. This was my first exposure to Falsettos, and I went in knowing very little about it. I thought it was an excellent production of a good show. I didn't quite have the love for it that some on this board have, but I can understand how it would resonate for some. It's quite a contrast to Hello Dolly that just left San Francisco!

The cast was very strong and did not disappoint. Thatcher Jacobs as Jason was a total delight. A minor quibble -- I thought there wasn't enough Jewish neuroses as set up by the opening song's "I'm neurotic, he's neurotic, they're neurotic, we're neurotic." Sure there was some, but I was expecting more. The set was just OK for me. I went from finding the deconstruction of the cube interesting to finding it a bit tedious. Again - minor complaints. I found this production very enjoyable and some of the scenes were truly sublime.

The big let-down was the lighting. I have never seen such poor lighting performance in any production, ever, professional or amateur. I realize this was their first night in San Francisco, but even so. The first clue that something was amiss was before the show started, when I noticed odd shadows cast on the cube. I first thought they were shadows of objects that would be used in the play, but then realized the lights illuminating the cube were unintentionally catching the edge of another lighting rig in front. Shortly after the start of the show, a light on the stage floor started flashing bright orange every 5 seconds or so, illuminating the entire half of the stage. At first I wondered if it was intentional, but then it continued into the next scene, and then a stage hand crawled out on hands and knees and put a piece of cardboard(?) in front of it. The worst offense: throughout the entire show, right up to the end, the spots on the characters were frequently missing or off to the side or bouncing up and down. I felt like I was watching The Play That Goes Wrong. Or maybe it was "Take Your Kids To Work" day. 

Since no one else has mentioned the lighting problem, I have to assume that this was a fluke. I'm going to see this show again in a couple of weeks, so hopefully I'll have an improved experience.

[Kitsune]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 2:09pm

SFCowboy said: "I caught this last night in San Francisco. This was my first exposure to Falsettos, and I went in knowing very little about it. I thought it was an excellent production of a good show. I didn't quite have the love for it that some on this board have, but I can understand how it would resonate for some. It's quite a contrast to Hello Dolly that just left San Francisco!

The cast was very strong and did not disappoint. Thatcher Jacobs as Jason was a total delight. A minor quibble -- I thought there wasn'tenough Jewish neuroses as set up by the opening song's "I'm neurotic, he's neurotic, they're neurotic, we're neurotic." Sure there was some, but I was expecting more. The set was just OK for me. I went from finding the deconstruction of the cube interesting to finding it a bit tedious. Again - minor complaints. I found this production very enjoyable and some of the scenes were trulysublime.

The big let-down was the lighting. I have never seen such poor lighting performance in any production, ever, professional or amateur. I realize this was their first night in San Francisco, but even so. The first clue that something was amiss was before the show started, when I noticed odd shadows cast on the cube. I first thought they were shadows of objects that would be used in the play, but then realized the lights illuminating the cube were unintentionally catching the edge of another lighting rig in front. Shortly after the start of the show, a light on the stage floor started flashing bright orange every 5 seconds or so, illuminating the entire half of the stage. At first I wondered if it was intentional, but then it continued into the next scene, and then a stage hand crawled out on hands and knees and put a piece of cardboard(?) in front of it. The worst offense:throughout the entire show, right up to the end, the spots on the characters were frequently missing or off to the side or bouncing up and down. I felt like I was watching The Play That Goes Wrong. Or maybe it was "Take Your Kids To Work" day.

Since no one else has mentioned the lighting problem, I have to assume that this was a fluke. I'm going to see this show again in a couple of weeks, so hopefully I'll have an improved experience."

I was also there last night, and I agree the lighting problems were distracting. Sometimes a light would be off to the side of a character. The house didn't open until 7:15 for the 7:30 show, which makes me wonder what was going on. Given there was a tight turnaround time for Hello Dolly to load out and Falsettos to load in, I wonder if there were issues with the lighting crew having enough time to get acclimated? (I've never worked in tech, I don't know how these thigns work).

As for the show itself, it didn't pull me in quite as much as the Lincoln Center broadcast. I still think the Golden Gate is too big for this kind of show. I sat in center Row H, which was the same location I had for Hello Dolly a few weeks earlier. This felt like a great seat at Hello Dolly, but for Falsettos I felt removed and in the back. 

All this being said, I thought the cast was solid (especially Eden Espinoza). By the time we got to "What Would I Do?", I had full on waterworks. In the lobby of the Golden Gate there were a few AIDS Memorial Quilts displayed, which was a tangible reminder of the reality of the story, fiction or not.

No BCEFA merchandise or speech, but it was only the first night.

[SFCowboy]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 2:34pm

Yes, I had the privilege of seeing this from orchestra row B, which was great. I also recommend seeing this from as close to the front as possible. The stage is not too high. My next visit will be from row H, and after Kitsune's observations I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile trying to move forward (or even if that would be possible).

[Kitsune]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 2:38am

I happened to look at the comments for the Facebook ad for the Falsettos tour at SHN. I was taken aback by the number of people who were negative or reported walking out at intermission. At first I wondered if it was some kind of right-wing smear campaign, but nearly all of the negative commenters were from the Bay Area, and a few ended up being friends of my Facebook friends.

1) I get that it's not the most accessible work, and the first act can be really off-putting. 2) Obviously people are entitled to their opinions, and also entitled to leave at intermission if they wish. 3) I myself wasn't blown away by the touring production, but still had a decent time.

I'm curious how others experienced the audience, or the show itself.

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 1:31pm

I haven’t seen this tour, but I did see the tour in San Francisco in the early 1990s. Many people left at intermission then too. Of course, it was a very different time in terms of talking about homosexuality and AIDS. 

I distinctly remember one audience member, an older man and likely a subscription holder, leave half way through Act 1 saying rather loudly to his wife, “This is crap!” The wife stayed. At the end of Intermission she returned to her seat — alone — and appeared to be thoroughly engrossed in the performance. Always wondered if they discussed the show later and if maybe the wife enlightened the husband a bit. 

[Laurelbluesky]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 5:47pm

I watched the show at yesterday's matinee, where a swing (Josh Canfield) stepped on for Marvin midway Act 1. I noticed, just at the top of the show, there were a lot of empty seats in center orchestra and was thinking of moving up, but a pair of audience members who were sitting in front of me tried to move up and were told by an usher to go back to their original seats. I don't recall seeing many people leaving at intermission -- only two or three. Overall, though, I thought this production was great.

I noticed a lot of the comments on the SHN Facebook page seemed to think that the musical was a brand new one. Perhaps that is the reason for so many audience members leaving at intermission? They don't take into account the time in which the show was written? 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 3/25/19 at 1:29pm

I think Falsettos along with shows like Fun Home and Next To Normal are not served well in large touring houses. Their intimacy is easily lost. I think I would not like them if I saw them in large spaces.

[Kitsune]

Posted: 3/25/19 at 11:26pm

Bettyboy72 said: "I think Falsettos along with shows like Fun Home and Next To Normal are not served well in large touring houses. Their intimacy is easily lost. I think I would not like them if I saw them in large spaces."

Ironically enough, my first experiences seeing both Fun Home and Next to Normal were in touring houses. I loved them both. However, I saw both at the comparatively more intimate Curran, which is only 1667 seats (The Orpheum and the Golden Gate are 2203 and 2297 seats respectively).

I'm worried about The Band's Visit at either SHN theater. Not because of anything against SHN, but The Band's Visit is such an intimate piece and I worry it'll get swallowed up.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 3/26/19 at 12:03am

SFCowboy said: "...A minor quibble -- I thought there wasn'tenough Jewish neuroses as set up by the opening song's "I'm neurotic, he's neurotic, they're neurotic, we're neurotic." Sure there was some, but I was expecting more. The set was just OK for me. I went from finding the deconstruction of the cube interesting to finding it a bit tedious. Again - minor complaints. I found this production very enjoyable and some of the scenes were truly sublime...."

I don't know how they could have omitted the neuroses, they are very much written into the score: "I'm Breaking Down", "March of the Falsettos", "Late for Dinner", "I'm Tired of All the Happy Men who Rule the World", "These Are the Games I Play", and the entire first act deals with getting Jason to a psychiatrist even as the psychiatrist moves in.

Based on the video (I won't see the live tour until April 30), I sort of agree about the cubes. I think Lapine's original staging of MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS with a few screens and rolling chairs remains one of the most brilliant stagings I've ever seen. Of course, adding FALSETTOLAND to the evening makes staging quite a bit more complicated.

[notalwaysontime]

Posted: 3/26/19 at 2:34am

Just saw the cast perform at Feinstein’s at the Nikko Hotel tonight in a concert to benefit BC/EFA and wow, what a stellar cast! I knew they were good already, but what a fun, and incredible concert tonight. I can’t wait to see them all in the actual show next month.

[kbrainz]

Posted: 3/28/19 at 3:18am

I saw the show tonight in San Francisco and enjoyed it for the most part.

I was surprised to see how few seats were filled...50% of the house, at best. And multiple folks around me left during act one or didnt return from intermission.

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 3/29/19 at 12:41am

kbrainz said: "I saw the show tonight in San Francisco and enjoyed it for the most part.

I was surprised to see how few seats were filled...50% of the house, at best. And multiple folks around me left during act one or didnt return from intermission."

Since this production is part of the current subscription series for SHN I'm wondering if the subscribers themselves are opting out of attending.  I'll be going Friday night with my theatre-going group of 18 (have 386 members, but range is usually 20-120 seats purchased, depending upon the familiarity with the show).  Should be interesting to see this revival.  Did attend the first touring production.

May get to visit with the "two Nicks" post-performance.  My nephew was [is?] Nick B.'s agent and my nephew's husband dressed one of the leads in Priscilla on Broadway.  Not certain if it was Nick A. or not.

 

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 3/29/19 at 1:14am

I find it very sad that this show in particular is playing to half empty houses in San Frickin’ Francisco. I loved it in Sacramento. I count myself very, very fortunate to have been able to see it. One of my favorite nights of theater ever.

[SFCowboy]

Posted: 3/29/19 at 1:52am

I also saw the show (again) on Wednesday night, and in the front orchestra it seemed like 90% of the seats were filled. There is a huge difference depending on where you're sitting. Looking at tomorrow's availability, the front orchestra is pretty full, but the balcony is terrible, maybe only 40% full. Rear orchestra and mezzanine are somewhere in between. (I was going to post a seating map, but I don't know how to post an image.)

Most of the folks around where I was sitting were completely absorbed in the show and gave it a good reception. I did notice one couple leave at intermission. And I did hear one couple saying it was no Hello Dolly, which had me thinking that having these two very different musicals back to back might be jarring for some.

 

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 3/29/19 at 2:30am

SFCowboy said: "...And I did hear one couple saying it was no Hello Dolly, which had me thinking that having these two very different musicals back to back might be jarring for some."

Indeed. In just about any spectrum, those two productions would find themselves on opposite ends. Personally, I appreciate variety, but I think that expectations are key to reactions to this show - especially if one is expecting something as big, old fashioned and traditional as the Dolly tour.

The first couple of performances in SF were, indeed, "off." Likely this was at least partially due to the short load out/load in period and lack of time for fine-tuning lights and sound. (The HUGE Dolly production out at end of Sun matinee and Falsettos in by Tues evening.) I was at yesterday's matinee and the audience reception seemed a lot better than the week prior, and more seemed to be in tune with the show. (Admittedly - it's not your typical Wednesday matinee crowd show). I didn't notice any walk outs, but I'm sure some didn't return after intermission - not that that's unusual for Wed matinees, either!

 

Updated On: 3/29/19 at 02:30 AM

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 4/1/19 at 12:31am

Friday night 3/29 with my group of 15 (3 peeps were out with colds) was very well attended in the Golden Gate orchestra and less so in the loge, mezzanine, balcony (our group was loge).  Audience was quite enthusiastic over the production and the cast was very warmly received.  Personally, I still haven't warmed to the show, but I do admire it very much and would never consider denying my group patrons the chance to attend.  

Met briefly with The Two Nicks at the stage door and shot a couple of photos to put on my Facebook page.  They were both amused over our "Six Degrees Of Kirsten Chenowith" situation vis-a-vis my Broadway agent nephew and his "Dresser To The Stars" husband and Nick B. even remembered me because my nephew and I both share southern accents.  He gave me a big hug.  My nephew was his agent when he appeared in the Godspell revival on Broadway (oh, that trampoline!). 

[Kitsune]

Posted: 4/1/19 at 1:01am

Tangentially related, but I was lucky enough to get to see Faith Prince at Feinstein's at the Nikko last night. It was my first time seeing her live, and she's really one of a kind. Equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, and she can still belt like nobody's business.

She told the story about how everyone assumes she's either Jewish or Italian, and during Falsettoland she had to get her cast mates to explain what exactly a Bar Mitzvah was. (I believe this is one of her cabaret staples, but it was still really funny). 

I really liked SJB as Trina in the Lincoln Center Broadcast, Eden Espinoza is fantastic on tour, but I have no words for Faith's "Holding to the Ground." It had largely been a light-hearted night, but her rendition had me in tears. Faith did a short meet and greet after the show, and I got to tell her how moved I was by her performance. Faith said that the song still gets to her, and how she loves cabaret because of how you can really "feel" a room.