I've tweeted quite a bit about the road to Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark. How my tickets were cancelled and my seats move to progressively worse locations. How Ticketmaster told me they were excited about the "great seats" they had for me at the December 26 performance, only to discover they were not just bad, but obstructed view. (And a decent usher who moved us to perhaps the best seats in the house.) But I finally got to see Spiderman, and now I get to add my thoughts to the bizzilion others on the web.
The technical difficulties that have made headlines were largely absent. A brief pause during the first act and another during the second act finale actually added a bit of excitement to the proceedings.
Long story short: Pretty much every aspect of Spiderman needs work. The technical effects are exciting, but mostly occur in the first act. The second act, particularly the finale needs a technical marvel to compare to the first act finale. The book and score are passable, but certainly not yet rising to Broadway quality.
Act I is stronger in some key ways. The story is more fully developed and, as noted, has the high-flying technical marvels we've been promised. But overall it feels derivative. This is partly due to the fact that it's an origin story, so anyone who's seen the first film pretty much knows what;s going to happen. The opening seems pulled from Lion King, and a key musical performance repeats the choreography from Across the Universe. Julie Taymor's work is about discovery, but telling an all too familiar story in such a mundane fashion simply doesn't work.
Act II focuses on Arachne, a Taymor creation rooted in Greek mythology, and an original story. While it's ultimately more satisfying and creative, it's also muddled and underdeveloped. It begins with an ill-conceived, ripped-from-Aida fashion show of Spiderman villains. It leads to a finale that lacks energy, comprehension and techno feats. And the big reveals, like Mary Jane finding out that Peter Parker is Spiderman, happen off stage. But at least it feels original throughout.
The flying effects are generally exciting, but the web-spinning effects are mostly absent and uninspiring.
The music by Bono and The Edge is not particularly memorable. The one song that works well, The Boy Falls From the Sky, is a solid second act number. But the music is not really theatrical.
Patrick Page and T.V. Carpio (subbing for the now department Natalie Mendoza) are given the meatiest roles and make for interesting villains. Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano are in excellent voice, but in rather thankless roles. The production makes no secret of the fact that multiple actors are playing Spiderman, and the unfortunate effect is that there's no fully developed character.
Julie Taymor is on video discussing the fact that Spiderman is part musical, part cirque, park rock concert. But ultimately it's still a musical that doesn't know what it wants to be. With five weeks of previews left, there are certainly opportunities to make substantial improvements. And Taymor is always up for a challenge.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Wicked Update
I had a chance to see Wicked again last weekend. It's been a few years since I last saw it, but two friends needed to see it. It's holding up well. The producers have made a few modifications to the Broadway production, so it feels mostly indistinguishable from the two touring companies I've seen.
Mandy Gonzales stepped into the role of Elphaba only last week, and Katie Rose Clarke continues her long run in the bubble. Both are just fine and make the roles their own. Gonzales is a bit less intense than previous Elphies, and Clarke has this Ann Reinking/Zooey Deschanel thing going that works well.
The production is still slick, with very strong supporting performances by Rondi Reed (Morrible) and Alex Brightman (Boq). It also feels fresh, which was great to see.
Wicked still remains a show that is better than it should be. It is far greater than the sum of its parts, which is good because the parts aren't all that great. But the lapses in story, the weak lyrics, and the only tangential connection to the Maguire novel disappear into a wonderful time at the theater.
Mandy Gonzales stepped into the role of Elphaba only last week, and Katie Rose Clarke continues her long run in the bubble. Both are just fine and make the roles their own. Gonzales is a bit less intense than previous Elphies, and Clarke has this Ann Reinking/Zooey Deschanel thing going that works well.
The production is still slick, with very strong supporting performances by Rondi Reed (Morrible) and Alex Brightman (Boq). It also feels fresh, which was great to see.
Wicked still remains a show that is better than it should be. It is far greater than the sum of its parts, which is good because the parts aren't all that great. But the lapses in story, the weak lyrics, and the only tangential connection to the Maguire novel disappear into a wonderful time at the theater.
My iPad is Here!
Two excellent reviews sum up my thoughts about the iPad. Check out USAToday and MacWorld for well-written, thorough reviews of the iPad. And check out Gizmodo for all-around excellent coverage of the device.
What would I add? Ever since the rumors started flying around almost a year ago about the entry of Apple into the tablet/netbook market, I have been anxiously awaiting this day. I own a netbook (and a laptop and iPhone), but have never found it to be as functional as I'd like. That is due, in very large part, to the inefficiency of XP as netbook system software. Apple is rarely first on the scene, but Steve Jobs is good at transforming the marketplace. The iPod was not the first mp3 music player and the iPhone was not the first smartphone. But both have changed the way we listen to music and communicate. Jobs has always done a better job of making devices that complement my lifestyle, rather than dictate it.
So, I was giddy and cautious when the iPad announcement came in January. It looked beautiful. It seemed to do amazing things. It was also missing key features and was going to run the closed iPhone/app-store model OS. The reviews referenced above discuss this well.
I ordered my iPad at 8:32 on March 12, two minutes after it went on sale. And I tracked it from China on March 30, got very concerned when I saw that it was still in Louisville at 4:22 yesterday morning, a happily greeted the UPS guy at 10:17 when it was delivered.
Do I love it? Oh yeah. And even some of my more skeptical friends who've now played with it are crowing. Is it a game changer. No! But I'm pretty sure it will be. Remember, the first iPod wasn't, and neither was the first iPhone. But the second generations were revolutionary.
Put the iPad into the hands of a 3-year old. She'll be able to use it. Put it into the hands of my mother. She'll be able to use it. The ease of the iPad comes two ways. Set up is beyond simple: download latest itunes, plug in. Within ten minutes of doing this I was off listening to music, watching Up and sending tweets and email.
The iPad is insanely simple to use, too. Why? because you need to know nothing about the operating system. The OS truly operates in the background. Now, I do understand that the downside of this is that everything goes through the iTunes Store and the ability for creativity is within a range and under the control of Apple. But there's so much potential.
The other thing the iPad does is separate consumption for creation. Laptops have largely brought those things together in hugely effective ways. This has, among other things, transformed student learning. But I digress. I'm not too concerned at the moment. Ultimately this will change, and I've been hugely impressed with the day-of-release apps available for the iPad.
For the record, I'm very disappointed in the opening of the iBookstore. I had a list of 6 books that would be my first ebook experience. None of them was available on opening day. My first book? Dorian Gray. Free!
When I travel with my netbook, I often bring my laptop. I can easily see myself traveling sans laptop with just the iPad and my wireless keyboard.
People are still figuring out how they'll use their iPads. Me, too. But, except when I needed to multitask, I have been able to function easily with just my iPad over the last 24 hours.
And it is quite simply a gorgeous piece of equipment.
What would I add? Ever since the rumors started flying around almost a year ago about the entry of Apple into the tablet/netbook market, I have been anxiously awaiting this day. I own a netbook (and a laptop and iPhone), but have never found it to be as functional as I'd like. That is due, in very large part, to the inefficiency of XP as netbook system software. Apple is rarely first on the scene, but Steve Jobs is good at transforming the marketplace. The iPod was not the first mp3 music player and the iPhone was not the first smartphone. But both have changed the way we listen to music and communicate. Jobs has always done a better job of making devices that complement my lifestyle, rather than dictate it.
So, I was giddy and cautious when the iPad announcement came in January. It looked beautiful. It seemed to do amazing things. It was also missing key features and was going to run the closed iPhone/app-store model OS. The reviews referenced above discuss this well.
I ordered my iPad at 8:32 on March 12, two minutes after it went on sale. And I tracked it from China on March 30, got very concerned when I saw that it was still in Louisville at 4:22 yesterday morning, a happily greeted the UPS guy at 10:17 when it was delivered.
Do I love it? Oh yeah. And even some of my more skeptical friends who've now played with it are crowing. Is it a game changer. No! But I'm pretty sure it will be. Remember, the first iPod wasn't, and neither was the first iPhone. But the second generations were revolutionary.
Put the iPad into the hands of a 3-year old. She'll be able to use it. Put it into the hands of my mother. She'll be able to use it. The ease of the iPad comes two ways. Set up is beyond simple: download latest itunes, plug in. Within ten minutes of doing this I was off listening to music, watching Up and sending tweets and email.
The iPad is insanely simple to use, too. Why? because you need to know nothing about the operating system. The OS truly operates in the background. Now, I do understand that the downside of this is that everything goes through the iTunes Store and the ability for creativity is within a range and under the control of Apple. But there's so much potential.
The other thing the iPad does is separate consumption for creation. Laptops have largely brought those things together in hugely effective ways. This has, among other things, transformed student learning. But I digress. I'm not too concerned at the moment. Ultimately this will change, and I've been hugely impressed with the day-of-release apps available for the iPad.
For the record, I'm very disappointed in the opening of the iBookstore. I had a list of 6 books that would be my first ebook experience. None of them was available on opening day. My first book? Dorian Gray. Free!
When I travel with my netbook, I often bring my laptop. I can easily see myself traveling sans laptop with just the iPad and my wireless keyboard.
People are still figuring out how they'll use their iPads. Me, too. But, except when I needed to multitask, I have been able to function easily with just my iPad over the last 24 hours.
And it is quite simply a gorgeous piece of equipment.
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