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Thanks for the comment! What was the new song?

More shows should end with double homicides. Worked for Romeo and Juliet. 😛 Thanks for the comment!

Costumes were great! I try to keep these reviews under ten minutes and I focus more on the writing since that is the area I know the most about. The is a very expensive looking show and a lot of that money went into fabulous costumes for the three women.

@ fair! I think the mention that it’s like a drag show is a close one. The phrase “no expense was spared” crossed my mind throughout the night

I knew it was "for the gaze" as well, and I think that in context of the show, she is singing "I do it for the Gaze" but is so obsessed with herself that she doesn't realize her lyrics can be easily interpreted as something else, but she's also playing into the hands of the audience at the same time I thought it was absolutely genius

I guess I should have spent more time at the merch stand before the show. lol

Did you see a T-shirt too?

@ I am usually rolling into the theater so close to curtain that I don’t have time. But since I went with my mother who needs extra time to get from point a to point b, we got there about 25 minutes before, so we were able to look at each item. Sad there wasn’t a pen in the shape of the potion or something like that.

Preach! Love your passion and the image of Jamie Lloyd coming up with his concept for the show after an all night cocaine binge. LOLOL

@@MatthewHardyMusical Preaching the truth is preaching love. Preaching lies is why Broadway, and this country, are both a mess.

@@consrevilgreen9117 I don't know if what you're preaching is the truth or a strongly held belief. But point taken.

LOL Love this review! where is it from? Love the tangent about Tom Francis's hair. Love the idea of excessive minimalism and questioning whether Jamie Lloyd actually likes the musical. I agree with most of this review and yet I had a great time watching this crazy revival.

@@MatthewHardyMusical Ken Kelieber, "Thats Kentertainment"

@@yelp-l4s Thanks for sharing. I'm checking him out.

I HEAR YOU! This is why I felt so guilty giving Maybe Happy Ending a mixed review. It is one of the only original show this season. All of those writers you mention did adaptations of plays and movies, so the big question is what has changed? Were they just better writers? Were they choosing better material to adapt? Or are we forgetting all of the flops that would open on Broadway every season and only remembering the hits?

No worries. Lot's of other content out there!

I'm surprised no one in the creative team pointed that out to the songwriters.

On some level everything is! LOL It was either opt for an eye catching title for the playlist or come up click bait titles for each review. I opted for the former because it's just easier. And I explain the title within the first 10 seconds of every video so the confusion shouldn't last long. Maybe I shoould add a question mark?

@@MatthewHardyMusical Yes a question mark would be good. I am fine with the concept of whether you were 'bored' or 'confused' - but if am searching for a particular show (one that's good even) and your review comes near the top of the search listings, I worry that someone might just see the B&C note thinking that's your final summary - when it actually is neither of those.

@@j4m3sg Good point!

Is the test to see if he can resist her charms? So he failed.

Yup. Just like in the movie.

@@paulst.austin1015 These are som messed up people.

@@MatthewHardyMusical Well, of course they are. If they were mentally stable people we'd be really bored.

Thanks for subscribing! They didn't have Helen get overweight. They had one short scene between Helen and her therapist/doctor where we saw how obsessed she was with Madeline. Honestly, a 90 minute movie is ideal for adaptation because it leaves a full hour for songs. But if you're going to adapt an iconic movie that has issues, you have to solve those issues using the magic of musical theater. I love that Hairspray the Musical created a finale that worked bette than the ending of the movie. Sadly Death Become Her wasn't able to do the same.

@@MatthewHardyMusical Yes! to "Hairspray"!

Funny you should say that. There were two squealing young women sitting behind me that were getting on my nerves. They were so loud that I couldn't hear some of the lines and lyrics.

@ That would drive me crazy.

@@SLisheron1 Yup. That's the risk you take when you go to the theater.

I love that you were watching Death Becomes Her as a child! LOL Yes, that is the question with any adaptation - "How are they going to make it better or at least different enough from the source material?" I don't think this succeeds on either count.

Also loved the movie as a child and the musical was absolutely amazing!! Just saw it a few days ago in Preview. Really fun to watch :-). Great actors, great costumes and the whole vibe was gorgeous! Can absolutely recommend it.

@@behappyandtravel Thanks for sharing! So glad you loved it. Spread the word!

It's difficult to watch a show where everyone is unlikeable. I know that can work with a television show like Seinfeld or Always Sunny In Philadelphia. But I can't think of any successful musicals that have all unlikeable characters. Can you?

​​​​​​​​​ it's the same problem with the movie and they even went back to do reshoots and appearantly didn't think of this missing element either. This is what I came up with last year. The maid Rose had 3 deleted scenes, plus she was also at the Menville wedding that got cut. + Rose gets told to work in the evening cause Mad has to look her best for the bookparty. + Rose helping Madeline with her dress on the stairs... she explains she would have left Madeline if she hadn't been such a masochist. Then Madeline goes off at her and tells her about her own sad youth being born in a trailerpark, abandoned by her father. Rose has heard this a million times before and mouths all the words with her behind her back. + Rose comes to work in the morning and finds Madeline stuck in the freezer. She panics and as Ernest tries to make up an excuse she has had enough of him drinking so she rips his drink out of his hands. When Madeline has been taken out of the freezer she goes walking round the house like some freaky frozen zombie and Rose gets fired because Ernest tells her they have sold the house. She gets very upset and tells him she was so happy there. He then gets Rose out of the house and lifts Madeline up the stairs to start spraypainting her. They could have left the entire original film intact and add the maid to the third act at the bar. Since Rose LOVES her job and appearantly has no problem being treated by Ernest & Madeline as a punching bag she would eventually return to their house, notice all the weird stuff and then re-appear in the 3rd act at the bar where Ernest staged his death. (This is all based on the original cut of the film) Madeline and Helen have retreived the potion bottle back from Toni (a cut love interest) & Ernest (who is playing dead by dressing up a dead guy in his clothes)... Then they could have had the maid pop back up but after realising there is no more Ernest (who treats her slightly less bad than Madeline) she really doesn't want to work for just Madeline (and Hel now). Madeline hires her back and wants to touch herself up so she asks Rose to hold the potion as Mad and Helen walk to their car. Then the women notice they have started to peel and panick... then they hear the screeching of a car. They stand there dumbfounded... Rose has taken off. Then they start the whole I'll paint your ass you'll paint mine and then stop laughing... 37 years later the whole ending plays out the way it does in the final cut and when the Eternal Ladies have shattered to bits a veiled figure comes walking down the church steps, she lifts her veil and it's Rose. She is stunning now, she has taken the potion as she just keeps smiling. Mad not acknowledging Rose's improved look throws her the keys of the car and asks her to bring the car around and surprisingly Rose obliges. Then we see Rose throwing the last limbs in the trunk of the car as the women are bickering to eachother. Rose punches the gass and drives off into the sunset, smiling... happy.

@@XanArt21 I LOVE it! Such a dark ending but it's fun because these awful people get their comeuppance. I'm looking at the playbill trying to find the name of the assistant played by Josh Lamon, but they don't attach the name of the actor with the character. So weird. They're all just credited as Ensemble even though there are characters named Luciano and Chagall that sing in some of the musical numbers. They better call their agents!

​@@MatthewHardyMusicaloh dear haha!

Thanks for all this insight to the movie. Often problematic movies can be turned into even better musicals if they can use what is unique about musical theater to improve on the material. Hairspray is a musical that I thinks works better than the movie. I think this musical tries to stay too true to the movie so it suffers from the same issues. There is no maid in the musical, but they created a character of Madeline's assistant who functions in the same capacity as the maid. Yes, the musical ends like your description of Madeline and Helen seeing Ernest and his wife - WHO incidentally its played by a chorus person dressed up to look old. I couldn't help but think if that character drank the potion she could believably transform into someone who becomes 40 years younger. Ernest has some final words with Madeline and Helen and exits. Then Madeline and Helen mock Ernest for his choice and they walk off into the sunset instead of falling down the stairs and shattering into pieces. So we don't really get much of a resolution. Helen's obsession with Madeline makes sense and I was aware of it. But something about the way the scene was written and played confused me. I think it was Helen being so sure of herself and then doing a 180 is what felt untruthful to me.

Are the deleted scenes online ?

Sadly not (just snippets from making ofs, trailers tv spots and photos) but they are in the shooting script on David Koepp's page (pink one). I also talked to some people who saw the original cut, they were super confused about the film when they ended up seeing it on VHS, they thought it was some weird mandela effect@@TheTurkaderr

​​@@MatthewHardyMusical I can't judge it fully of course but I think that Michelle & Jennifer are a bit miscast (if I judge it by the movie roles) to be honest. Goldie had a fragility about her (that got very trimmed down also but it's still there) that I don't see in Jennifer and Isabella had a more sensual feel to her. (And deadly, cause she actually was 600 years old, she tells this to Ernest in a deleted portion when she tries to get him to take the potion and even lets him know she killed Shakespeare, Lincoln and Max Factor cause they refused to take it).

@@XanArt21 LOL She killed Max Factor! That's hilarious. Yes, as I mentioned in my review I think Michelle was a bit out of her depth. Jennifer makes the role her own, but you're right, she's more of a battle axe. I think this is why I was so confused by the scene where she takes Ernest to meet Madeline. She didn't seem like someone who could be destroyed so easily. And she's also 10 years older, so making her look better than Megan at the book signing party was a challenge. They opted to put Megan in a pants suit and Helen in a dress. Because apparently, pants = old. That being said, she is hilarious and I always find her immensely entertaining.

Thanks! It doesn't have the non stop jokes of a Mel Brooks musical. The tone of Young Frankenstein is much sillier.

And I think the gays will like it.

I'd forgotten about that show. I've never seen it. Is it good?

Thanks for the warning about rows 1-3. I sat in the Mezzanine. I love the mezzanine at the Longacre because it's only 7 rows and every seat is great. The balcony is much larger and has some annoying seats with poles in front of them. Did you read the story of the Mignonette? There was a whole part 2 drama after the men returned to London and were tried for murder.

Thanks for the comment. I LOVED all the technical elements - set, lighting, costume, sound. It really is a gorgeous production. And it was great to hear the Avett brothers music.

Were you familiar with all the songs in the show before you saw it?

Good suggestion. The set is really cool but you need to be towards the center of the audience to fully enjoy it. I sat in the back of the orchestra, a little bit to the side. I plan to go back and see this show again to give it a second chance. The problem I was having is that I think I was too empathetic towards Oliver's situation. I just felt so terrible for him. Knowing that it all works out in the end, I might be able to watch the show a second time without a feeling of dread.

Thanks for the comment. I don't know the Avett brothers complete discography so they may have written new songs for the show. But if they did, it sure doesn't feel like it. I get a little frustrated that there aren't more musicals on Broadway that are written by composers who are primarily musical theater composers. Writing for musical theater is a different skill than writing songs for an album.

I am familiar with Weird Romance. I've never seen a production but I've heard a few songs. Another example of how hard it is to make a sci fi musical work.

Thank you! I love comments like this! So glad I could help you sort out your feelings regarding the show.

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying what I'm putting out!

Of course. It's about many things. But the AI part was what makes it so timely. Thanks for the comment!

@MatthewHardyMusical Thank you for your response and your eloquent review!

@@pshakouri Sure thing! 😄

Thanks! I've lately been finding some exceptions to my rule. If you play music that is more ambient and just gives a mood I think it can work. But don't play songs people know! I just saw Elf and they played Christmas music during the walk in which was nice to get us in the holiday spirit BUT I have to say that none of the songs in Elf could hold a candle to the pre-show playlist. I think a smarter choice would have been to play Christmas music in the lobby (it's in a hotel) and then have ambient Christmas sounds in the theater. Jingling bells, voices of elves, winter winds, Santa's ho-ho, perhaps the sound of far away carolers singing a traditional Christmas tune.

@@MatthewHardyMusical Oh! So Elf must be playing at the Marquis? Yes, I agree with the kind of setup you suggest. Honestly, if people are going to a holiday musical, very few songs from any score can stand the clout and resonance an established holiday piece has. I'll have to check out your review of Elf. I find Grey Henson an interesting performer. The show also has a returning to Broadway, Mary Poppins, Ashley Brown. I'm less interested in Sean Astin's (Patty Duke Jr.) Broadway debut, but smart to debut in a show with a limited engagement.

@@chocolatesouljah Yeh, I don't even mention Sean Astin's performance in my review. It's unremarkable. Loved Grey Henson. He's the reason to see it.

@ good to know! The NYT love Mr. Henson but not so much the show “It’s a tonic of a performance - the kind that makes you smile later, just thinking about it. The trouble is that Buddy is trapped inside “Elf the Musical,” a creaky adaptation whose two-and-a-half-hour length seems designed less to maximize audience enjoyment than to ensure there’s an intermission that people can spend buying merch.” Eek! But yay for Gray!

Everyone likes a little skin on stage! :-) Joe takes off his clothes because he wearing the expensive suit that Norma bought for him. It's his way of saying he's not going to be a kept man any longer. I think Norma having blood all over herself was a way of making her act of murder visible on her person. I think she kisses Joe after she killed him, just as Salome kissed the severed head of John the Baptist. When she kisses him she gets the blood on her.

Yeh the kids will love this. And the adults can enjoy it too. Perfect family show.

Sure! I'll do a bored and confused after I see the movie. I may need to see the Broadway show again. I haven't seen it since it premiered with Idina and Kristin. I remember liking it but having a lot of confusions - like Why was Glinda shorter than the munchkins? LOL

@@MatthewHardyMusical Thanks Matthew...I look forward to the video. By the way, I hope you had a wonderful birthday.

@@MrBBunny-rv1mk Thank you! I did!

Whoosh! Right over my head.

Couldn't be helped! I had to shave for an audition. It's hard to know if the book writer, director or the songwriters were to blame. Any or all three of those creative could have worked together to make the moments I took issue with work less confusing. I don't know if I'd call them 'flaws'. They were just moments that pulled me out of the play for a second. But for someone else they may not be an issue at all. That being said, I think the lighthearted tone of the show allows the audience to overlook inconsistencies that would be problematic in a more realistic piece.

Do you still believe in Santa?

I'm sure you can see a production near you. It's licensed all over. Thanks for your comment and grammatical correction! 🙂

I'm really curious how involved the Avett Brothers were in this production, Were they involved in the creative process?

​@MatthewHardyMusical They were involved bc they wrote Lord Lay Your Hand On My Shoulder for Swept Away. I had similar thoughts about wishing the lyrics to other songs had been adapted to better fit the storyline when I saw in DC. I was baffled to be honest that with all the talent and creativity from the creators on the stage side that they took the songs as they were with no changes. One thing that really got me was the song May It Last that the Captain sings was only given one verse and chorus or something when the whole song should have been a centerpiece for him and drawn out bc it's literally about a Captain on the seas and has big sweeping strings and sea vibes, even in the original album version. I'm a literal paid member of the Avett Bros fan club, and it's hard for other die-hard fans to see this show is thin in a lot of ways. All that said, I will be seeing it again on Broadway in a couple weeks! Lol We've also got tickets to see Allison Russell in her new role as Persephone in Hadestown and splurged on stage-side seats for Cabaret. I'll squeeze in another show if I can! ❤

@@norwoodt Thanks for the info! I don't remember where that new song was in the show. The playbill doesn't help because the songs are listed in alphabetical order. I recall the captain having a pretty substantial ballad in the middle of the show. Maybe they gave him more of that song to sing. It's hard for me to remember the songs because they weren't always tied dramatically to the action. And I saw the show twice!

Thanks! Yes, I had to shave for an audition. My chin is cold. Happy Holidays to you too!

Thoughts and Prayers

Thanks for the comment. Hard to make 40 minutes in a lifeboat exciting.

thank you! I had so much to say that I had a hard time editing it down to 10 minutes

Glad you enjoyed it! I find it interesting that they changed lyrics. I wonder if the lyricist changed them or the book writer. I think they should have changed more!

If only the songs had developed the characters!

@@MatthewHardyMusical perhaps the biggest downfall of a jukebox musical.

@@germantownmd76 Are there any jukebox musicals where the songs actually develop character?

Thanks for your comment. I just learned that they are going to air the show on PBS. I look forward to being able to see it again on TV!

@@MatthewHardyMusical Nice! Thanks for letting me know.

Thank you! Love reading comments like this. Good luck on Swept Away tickets. And let me know if you see Maybe Happy Ending. I seem to be the odd man out on that review.

I saw it! I haven't posted the review yet because there are too many Broadway shows opening this week. I'll post it after Death Becomes Her opens next week.

Thanks!