Grease

MrE1111 · Guru

The Official Review Thread

MrE1111 · Guru

Negative review from Linda Winer of NY Newsday:

"...Now we have the reality-show "Grease," its two young leads proudly cast by TV plebiscite in a nation that can't trust the vote count in its presidential elections. "You're the One That I Want," the NBC talent contest that, despite so-so ratings, still reached more people in one episode than the new revival will be able to attract in anything less than 18 sold-out years...

Or so we're told by the forces behind the bullet-proof international money-machine that is "Grease" today. Kathleen Marshall's production, which opened Sunday night at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, has been shined-up and de-sexed for the rich new 'tween market. How anything can be so perky and yet so bland is yet another mystery for the ages.

The winners -- Laura Osnes as the virginal Sandy Dumbrowski, Max Crumm as conflicted bad-boy Danny Zuko -- are both 21 years old. She sings with the sweet pop-lite voice cultivated by Disney heroines and can touch her nose with her leg while wearing Spandex. He can dance and has the haplessly endearing quality of an adolescent beagle. To be heard, however, his singing requires increasingly aggressive help from the sound technicians...."

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/stage/ny-etgrease0820,0,4458957.story

MrE1111 · Guru

Matthew Murray of Talkin' Broadway is also Negative:

"Very seldom is the mere passage of time sufficient to transform a raunchy midnight romp into a Saturday-morning cartoon. But such has been the journey of Grease, which began life in 1971 as a salacious tribute to the 1950s that never were, and in the new revival that just opened on Broadway has become so squeaky clean that you could eat your Sunday supper from it. The aroma of Lysol hanging in the Brooks Atkinson air is so pungent, no one could consider it accidental.

Whether its the best thing for the Jim Jacobs-Warren Casey musical, however, has apparently not been considered. But no matter. There are more important things at stake than the shows well-being: the audience-cultivating popularity of the phenomenally successful 1978 film version (which starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John) that must be respected, to the point of interpolating four of its songs and continuing the sanitization trend it started; as well as the questionable novelty of this production being the first Broadway show whose leads were cast by the American television-viewing public.
...
Theres not a lot of humor, for example, in a Doody (Ryan Patrick Binder) who sings of Those Magic Changes while the world around him evinces no clue of its pop-provenance irony. Or in a Roger (Daniel Everidge), the classs pants-dropping artist, who croons with Jan (Lindsay Mendez) about Mooning as though it were anything other than an extended double entendre. Or in a beauty-school-dropout Frenchy (Kirsten Wyatt) who seems so genuinely upset about her failure as a makeover artist, you believe her cries to the Teen Angel (Stephen R. Buntrock) who wants to convince her to go back to high school.
...
As for Crumm and Osnes, they both sing prettily (though Crumm lacks confidence in his falsetto) and make Danny and Sandy their own as much as is possible. If Osnes is better as the innocent debutante than the go-go kitty who prowls about the final number, she's thoroughly likeable throughout; Crumms geek-chic take on Danny is unusual, but casts effective new light on someone who's never all he claims to be. But neither is dynamic enough to elevate a Grease that would need a constant IV of Vitalis to attain even trace amounts of slickness."

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/Grease2007.html

MrE1111 · Guru

Variety's review is particularly negative.

"It's hardly a minority opinion to say one of the lessons learned from the rocky Bush administration is that America doesn't always make the most farsighted choices. That forlorn conclusion is amplified loud and clear in the dispiritingly bland Broadway revival of "Grease." While the results of misguided casting decisions can't be compared to the impact of longterm political appointments, letting the people choose their own Danny and Sandy in this case does little to validate the democratic election process.

Not that there's anything especially wrong with Max Crumm and Laura Osnes, the pair chosen to play cool-dude Danny Zuko and his innocent summer love Sandy Dumbrowski, respectively, in Kathleen Marshall's low-wattage New York production. They sing confidently, dance capably and both have their own low-key, unaffected charms. But they're unprepossessingly innocuous, which is not a great quality in musical theater leads. What's more, they have less-than-zero sexual connection.

In a regional theater production -- which is what this one resembles -- Crumm and Osnes might be the toast of the town; the latter's vocals, especially, are lovely and she handles the high notes with admirable ease. Basically, they're two talented kids who would be fine on the support team but have no business carrying a Broadway show. They also have the kind of tiny bodies and small, telegenic features that don't communicate beyond row C of the orchestra.

The most dismal thing about this "Grease" is that aside from the two discoveries plucked from a mediocre TV talent pool and thrust into this sorry walk-through, no-one appears to be trying very hard. Like the drag-queeny wig slapped on Sandy when she finally conforms to the cool-kid ethos by unleashing the bad-girl within to win Danny, it all seems somewhat counterfeit."

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934453.html?categoryid=33&cs=1

Edwardian · Veteran Member

Ouch. They're tearing them up, even when they're trying to be kind. Bad reviews don't mean that the show won't succeed. Mr.E, thanks for finding and posting them.

Ed

Hello799 · Senior Member

Thanks for posting MrE. Keep them coming. What I said before will prevail. This production can NOT be touched. There are just too many people (fans) that will make this show a success.

The one thing that I don't understand is why they would be so negative. I understand if they didn't like it that much. Maybe I'm just blind. I would think that there would be so many fans (newbies) coming to see this show and they will end up seeing others as well. Everyone benefits from this production. Can someone at least post a positive review?!!!

Mrs N · Senior Member

http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/11392

Reviewed By: David Finkle

...leads Max Crumm and Laura Osnes make a cute but not instantly combustible couple as Danny and Sandy. When they wrap themselves around each other, the result is a gentle glow rather than flying sparks. As a result, the central love story simmers but doesn't have the non-stop drive and verve needed to make this expensive but under-budgeted looking reprise more than an adequate return visit to Rydell High School.

Crumm was probably elected to stardom because of his high likability quotient -- not necessarily the priority requirement for the supposedly heart-throbby Danny. His confidence when singing certainly didn't hurt. Osnes, who's noticeably not blond as some of hee notable Sandy predecessors have been, has the appealing girl-next-door quality if the girl next door happens to have chromium-lined pipes. Her delivery of "Hopelessly Devoted to You," John Farrar's addition to the 1978 movie, is explanation enough for her being tapped.

Moreover, both Crumm and Osnes turn out to be much better dancers than they had the opportunity to demonstrate on the only modestly successful NBC series. They're likely as good as any two unknowns producer David Ian and director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall might have turned up in a traditional casting process. Both winners trained in musical theater -- Osnes was playing Sandy in a stock production when she first auditioned for the boob-tube competish -- and they may become more commanding as what shapes up as a potentially acceptable run gathers momentum.

It should be pointed out that if they don't explode into their roles more than they have, it's not entirely their fault. They're asked to prove their newcomer mettle in a tuner blatantly beginning to show its age. Maybe the lax Danny-Sandy puppy-love story has always been scattershot and the jokes blunted. Plot-wise, the explanation for the sweet-tempered Sandy being asked to join the saucy Pink Ladies bunch never made sense. Not that underneath the adolescent bravado all the teens in Grease are anything less than nice kids.

Mrs N · Senior Member

http://theater2.nytimes.com/2007/08/20/theater/reviews/20grea.html?pagewanted=2&8dpc

Review by BEN BRANTLEY

Changing the channel is not an option.

I am sorry to report that the limp new production of Jim Jacobs and Warren Caseys Grease, which opened last night at the Brooks Atkinson Theater, is not governed by the rules of audience control that applied to Grease: Youre the One That I Want, the reality TV show through which this revival cast its stars....

Ms. Osnes has a valedictorians poise, a sweet singing voice and eyes that instantly well up during emotional moments. But she approaches Sandy the good girl with the earnestness of a first-year acting student doing Juliet.

Mr. Crumm has the dopey, likably sly face of a nerdy class clown, which makes him a refreshing if improbable choice for the studly Danny Zuko. But he never projects the authority of a natural leader of the pack. (Every time Danny pulls up the collar of his leather jacket in a cooler-than-thou gesture, it feels as if Mr. Crumm is actively remembering this is something he needs to do.)

Among the rest of the cast (who were not, for the record, elected by television voters), only Kirsten Wyatt, as Frenchy, the beauty school dropout, shows any command of comic timing. The dance numbers, which quote Patricia Birchs prototypes, are executed dutifully instead of joyously.

The objective of Ms. Marshall, who so memorably rejuvenated The Pajama Game a year ago, seems principally to get her cast through the show without any of its members embarrassing themselves. They dont, although a truly embarrassing moment or two might at least give this Grease some of the raw life it lacks.

ddktt · Veteran Member

Max & Laura Fans will love it. Don't read the reviews. Just go and have fun.

However, a random theater goer will not be happy they spent over $100 for tickets to this "Broadway" show. They look to the reviewers for guidance on how to spend their money. I saw the show and the reviewers are correct--this says it all:

The most dismal thing about this "Grease" is that aside from the two discoveries plucked from a mediocre TV talent pool and thrust into this sorry walk-through, no-one appears to be trying very hard.
This show was very mediocre with poor productions values on a way too small stage for a musical. Have they no pride in what they put out there???

I saw 1776 at the Guthrie in Minneapolis today and it was everything I had expected to see on Broadway. Every detail was first class. The same cannot be said for Grease by a long shot.

David Finkle · Senior Member

Here is a little more complete rendition of the theatermania review. It has a bit more information about other cast members among other things.

Grease

Reviewed By: David Finkle


	Max Crumm and Laura Osnes in Grease (© Joan Marcus)

When the spiffy, spoof-y Grease came on strong in 1972, it asked the musical question whether a nice girl at a small-town high school belonged with the most prominent member of the local tough-guy & gal crowd. The answer was yes, but only if the nice girl agrees to become black-leather naughty.

In this second Broadway revival, the Jim Jacobs-Warren Casey blockbuster still asks the same musical question and gets the same dubious answer. But it also asks another musical question: Did the American public that watched the NBC reality-show Grease: You're the One That I Want choose the right twosome to go together like rama-lama-lama-ka-ding-it-y ding dong?

The long-awaited answer is that leads Max Crumm and Laura Osnes make a cute but not instantly combustible couple as Danny and Sandy. When they wrap themselves around each other, the result is a gentle glow rather than flying sparks. As a result, the central love story simmers but doesn't have the non-stop drive and verve needed to make this expensive but under-budgeted looking reprise more than an adequate return visit to Rydell High School.

Crumm was probably elected to stardom because of his high likability quotient -- not necessarily the priority requirement for the supposedly heart-throbby Danny. His confidence when singing certainly didn't hurt. Osnes, who's noticeably not blond as some of hee notable Sandy predecessors have been, has the appealing girl-next-door quality if the girl next door happens to have chromium-lined pipes. Her delivery of "Hopelessly Devoted to You," John Farrar's addition to the 1978 movie, is explanation enough for her being tapped.

Moreover, both Crumm and Osnes turn out to be much better dancers than they had the opportunity to demonstrate on the only modestly successful NBC series. They're likely as good as any two unknowns producer David Ian and director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall might have turned up in a traditional casting process. Both winners trained in musical theater -- Osnes was playing Sandy in a stock production when she first auditioned for the boob-tube competish -- and they may become more commanding as what shapes up as a potentially acceptable run gathers momentum.

It should be pointed out that if they don't explode into their roles more than they have, it's not entirely their fault. They're asked to prove their newcomer mettle in a tuner blatantly beginning to show its age. Maybe the lax Danny-Sandy puppy-love story has always been scattershot and the jokes blunted. Plot-wise, the explanation for the sweet-tempered Sandy being asked to join the saucy Pink Ladies bunch never made sense. Not that underneath the adolescent bravado all the teens in Grease are anything less than nice kids.

But when Grease was first presented, it had a satirical edge that enabled it to do more than get by. The original score consisted almost song by song of send-ups audiences immediately recognized from recent Top 40 exposure. Though the Jacobs-Casey pieces --augmented by Barry Gibb, Louis St. Louis, Scott Simon, and John Farrar movie additions -- are still the show's prime attractions, the cutting-edge is now dulled.

Marshall, who's earned a deserved reputation for revitalizing classics and minor classics, doesn't exactly hit her previous heights, either. She imbues the production with enough greased lightnin' to match the enthusiastic song the hot-rod-happy Rydell boys sing, but eventually the musical numbers begin to look like too much of the same hand-jive.

Cast members who were signed the old-fashioned way don't let Marshall down either, although some of them look as if their only reason for still being in high school is a history of repeating grades. Nevertheless, stand-out performers include Jenny Powers as the tough-as-nails Rizzo, who slams "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" to the rafters, and hefty Daniel Everidge, as Roger, who turns his steely version of the pun-heavy "Mooning" into an ear-pinner.

Grease kicks off with a title tune including the teen-lament lyrics "This is a life of illusion, wrapped up in troubles/Laced in confusion. What are we doin' here?" The hand-wringing sentiment seems to promise a different experience than the one offered. What Ian, Marshall, and gang are doin' here is exhibiting the beloved Grease as at best a mild nostalgic diversion.

http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/11392

Stan/gramps

-- Edited by gramps3 at 04:49, 2007-08-20

greatwhiteway · Senior Member

I was there tonight. ( So were Kevin, Chad and Matt in the very first row, center stage. )The show was great.... a lot better than the first preview. They fixed the storyline so it makes more sense. They added more to the relationship between Danny and Sandy so there is more feeling to it. And they enhanced the choreography. They made the dance contest a real contest having different choreograhy for the different contestants instead of all doing the hand jive....and Danny was made to lookk a lot better than any of them. Max' dancing is great. The crowd loved the show and Max seemed very, very genuinely happy at the end of the new finale which was phenominal. Actually the negative reviews above don't seem quite as bad as they could be. Seems like maybe they just don't like the idea of reality shows or Grease in general, more than this is a bad production. And as for the one that said these actors don't really seem like they are trying....If there is one positive thing about this show it is that these actors are working their butts off, especially the guys.

MaxFan · Veteran Member

While I did not agree with the NY Times review, I did enjoy the audio slide show.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/08/19/theater/20070820_GREASE_FEATURE.html#

Kathleen's statement about creating "a new generation for Broadway" is certainly true. My kids have always loved theater, but now they are completely addicted to Broadway. They already have a list of what they want to go back to see (besides Grease again)--Hairspray, Spring Awakenings, Rent, and the list keeps growing.

MrE1111 · Guru

Scathing from the NY Post:
"So saying, the misguided selection of uncharismatic Max Crumm as Danny and unexciting Laura Osnes as Sandy was achieved by the votes of viewers like you. And while the TV show was no "American Idol," if all the participating voters were to be laid end to end, they'd add up to a remarkably long Broadway run.

Now, all the producers have to do is to get them into the theater. I suppose that's where director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall (a woman of some experience) comes in.

All told, I've seen worse - but then, I've been attending the theater for more than 65 years, so "worse" is a very well-thumbed comparative."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08202007/entertainment/theater/tv_aided_grease_frightening_theater_clive_barnes.htm

Negative from the Daily News:

"Crumm and Osnes' chemistry is more sibling than sizzling. He holds his own singing and dancing, but is short on the sexiness and swoony swagger that's part of Danny's DNA. Osnes might be the prettiest Sandy ever, and she can belt. But she's a limited actress, even playing a cardboard character. During her ballad "Hopelessly Devoted to You" (one of the film tunes grafted onto the show), she wrings her hands and paces the stage like an expectant father in a maternity ward, rather than letting the lyrics show her ache. Without magnetic performances, interest wanes in whether Danny and Sandy will couple up. Chills don't start multiplying, antsiness does."

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/culture/2007/08/20/2007-08-20_reality_tv_and_bway_dont_go_together.html

Positive from the Hartford Courant
http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hc-greaserev.artaug20,0,370687.story

Mixed from the AP
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/08/20/ap4034028.html

Mixed-Negative from the NY Sun
http://www.nysun.com/article/60875

Rave from the Journal News
http://www.nynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070820/ENTERTAINMENT/708200313

MaxFan · Veteran Member

MrE1111 wrote:

Mixed from the AP
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/08/20/ap4034028.html

This review cracked me up when it "listed" Lindsay Mendez on the New York Stock Exchange:

"Other standouts: Lindsay (nyse: LNN - news - people ) Mendez"

I would buy stock in her and her castmates. smile

-- Edited by MaxFan at 13:49, 2007-08-20

Kait · Senior Member

As will I, when I buy my tickets for the Broadway show.

The reviews are probably the most predictable aspect of this production of Grease.

Edwardian · Veteran Member

Here's that positive review from the Journal News, my old home town paper:

Monday, August 20, 2007

Review: TV-tuned 'Grease' roars back to Broadway

By JACQUES LE SOURD
THE JOURNAL NEWS

"Grease" is the word on Broadway, again.

And it's better than ever.

The second major revival of this sweet, nostalgic show about high school life in 1959 opened last night at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

Somehow it feels like a freshly minted hit: one part show, and two parts party where everybody's invited.

The show certainly has a gimmick: The two leads were cast on a network TV reality show called "Grease: You're the One That I Want."

They are a pair of frisky 21-year-olds from nowhere named Laura Osnes and Max Crumm.

She's the Sandra Dee type (though she's not a blonde, this time) named Sandy Dumbrowski, and he's the greaser Danny Zuko that she fell in love with during the summer.

For the record, the TV winners do just fine, live on stage. Of course, Osnes and Crumm wouldn't get the huge ovations they receive on their first entrance if they weren't already famous from TV.

But this reception adds to the jolly buzz of the show from the start, which is maintained right to the end. You won't be looking at your watch, even if you are the chaperone for a gaggle of giddy youngsters.

And in keeping with a new Broadway tradition that started with "Mamma Mia!" in 2001, an extra 10 minutes of revelry -more dancing and and a recap of the show's musical highlights - follows the first curtain calls.

Credit for the elegance and focus of the whole production goes to Kathleen Marshall, the director and choreographer, who was one of three judges on the TV show and who has guided its way back to Broadway. Two-time Tony Award winner Marshall choreographed the recent revival of "Kiss Me, Kate" and directed "The Pajama Game."

Reinterpreting dances that were made famous by Broadway veteran Patricia Birch, Marshall gives "Grease" a shiny new face, with all the requisite gloss and humor.

One plus: This is the first revival of the stage "Grease" that includes four hit songs from the 1978 movie version that starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. These include the very catchy title number composed by Barry Gibb, and "You're the One That I Want," which gave the TV audition show its title.

The show's original score by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey is all here, too, of course.

"Grease" started as an unlikely prospect in Chicago in 1972, and moved to Off-Broadway and eventually to Broadway itself, where it ran for years. A 1994 revival on the cheap included star turns by Rosie O'Donnell and Brooke Shields. But it ran too.

The new "Grease" has a young cast that is full of energy and real talent. Jenny Powers is quietly effective as the "bad girl," Betty Rizzo. Kirsten Wyatt is funny as Frenchy. Matthew Saldivar is amusing as the hang-dog hot-rodder Kenicke, Jose Restrepo strikes a chord as Sonny and Ryan Patrick Binder is Doody, a role Travolta played in the national company of the original show.

Derek McLane's set captures a distinctly upscale version of the late-'50s to early-'60s look without falling into caricature. (Kenickie's gorgeous car is like another character in the show.) And lighting designer Kenneth Posner keeps things bright.

Only costume designer Martin Pakledinaz seems to miss some opportunities for humor with a rather uninspired wardrobe for the show. It makes us yearn for the tireless invention of William Ivey Long.

Still, the tone is all fun, with a depth of character, an understanding of the period and a rooted musical tradition that are all totally absent from erzats '60s nostalgia shows like "Hairspray."

It's amazing to realize that the original "Grease" invited nostalgia for a period that was only about a decade old.

Today, though, 1959 seems as about as far away as the Roaring '20s. But that doesn't stop kids from flocking to "Grease." At a matinee last week, the average age of the audience seemed to be about 8.

That may give some parents pause: The show has some insistent sexual content they may deem inappropriate for pre-teens.

But in the age of Britney Spears, "Grease" seems G-rated after all.

gramps3 · Senior Member

More reviews:

NY Post (focusing on the music director)
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08202007/entertainment/theater/the_one_that_you_want_theater_barbara_hoffman.htm
--------------------
Twin Cities Pioneer Press 9predictably positive)

http://www.twincities.com/stage/ci_6656465
---------------------
The Journal News (positive)
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070820/ENTERTAINMENT/708200313/1186/ENTERTAINMENTFRONT
------------------------
The Courant (mixed but positive for Danny and Sandy)

http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hc-greaserev.artaug20,0,370687.story
------------------------
On-line Theater News (positive but not gushing)

http://theaternewsonline.com/NYTheaterReviews/HAZYSUMMERNIGHTS.cfm
--------------------------
Philaelphia Inquirer (Strongly negative with some perks for Sandy)

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/20070820_This_Grease_isnt_the_one_that_we_want.html

---------------------

Stan/gramps

MrE1111 · Guru

A lot of those aren't reviews, just articles about the show.

grannygreaser · Senior Member

Haven't seen this one listed and I think this is an on-line news at NorthJersey.com. It's middle of the road.

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxNjcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcxODMwMTkmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3

Another trip back to Rydell High
Monday, August 20, 2007

By ROBERT FELDBERG
STAFF WRITER

Anyone who thought -- or hoped -- Max Crumm and Laura Osnes would fall on their faces as the first Broadway leads chosen by popular vote will be disappointed.

And so will those who believed the pair, who opened in "Grease" Sunday at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, would debut as shining stars.

TUKEE GAL · Veteran Member

OK... the "critics" have done their thing and gone home. I have a hard time believing their opinion really matters to anyone with the possible exception of theater buffs--who didn't like the casting process and thus probably wouldn't go to see it anyway. Whether or not the critics and thearer buffs like it, money talks. Mr. & Mrs. Average America are willing to spend their hard-earned $$$ coming to NY to see Grease because of the TV show while some of the more widely acclaimed productions like "Grey Gardens" have short life spans due to slow ticket sales. If the critics didn't like Mr. & Mrs. America's opinions, give me a reason why Mr. & Mrs. America should care about theirs?

So who does matter? The audiences who attend the show day after day matter. If the cast ignores the reviews and concentrates on making the audience happy at each and every performance, Grease will run for a long time. As long as Mr. and Mrs. Average America and their families enjoy the show (and it sounds like they do), they are the ones that count. No one's career is going to be tanked based on Broadway reviews.

Right now I would bet the cast of Grease has more nationwide name recognition than any other show on Broadway, with the possible exception of Fantasia in The Color Purple (oh yeah... she came from a reality show too... hmmm). We will be seeing more of all the cast members. Seems to me like 'things they are a-changin' and Broadway better get used to it!

LauraFan1 · Senior Member

Oh AMEN to that one!!!!!! I wholeheartedly agree with every word you said! I visit some of the other Broadway message boards, and the majority of posters have been just BRUTAL to this show, and the #1 reason seems to be that they have a problem with the casting process/television show. I'm reminded that the contestants on the tv show had to duke it out week in and week out in their audition----I think they had it tougher than any other actor auditioning for a Broadway show!!! Those people make me crazy, they all have such attitudes and are so judgmental, it's really hard to stomach them for very long..... It's funny because you come back to THIS board, and read the nice, normal, complimentary reviews from those who have been there, and what they are saying doesn't add up IN THE LEAST to those who have critcized the show to death! To me, if I were in the performer's shoes, what a critic says wouldn't bother me that much if the people that I was truly performing for (the audience, as you say, Mr. and Mrs. Middle America) had the time of their lives and absolutely loved every second of it, which seems to be the case in the reviews I've seen here. I can't wait to go, and I am from VERY middle America (Minnesota). I just know I'll enjoy every minute!!!!!!!!!

MrE1111 · Guru

I think they had it tougher than any other actor auditioning for a Broadway show!!! You've obviously never auditioned for something 12 times only to get cut after the final call-back.
***

Yes, to a great degree, the show is critic-proof. However, there's also the idea of "what happens once everyone who wanted to has seen it?" Thats where the reviews help - if good, they boost sales every now and then when it's needed.

-- Edited by MrE1111 at 22:42, 2007-08-20

Kait · Senior Member

Tukee Gal, yes. I agree with you, too. Most of us 'regular folk' have learned to take critics' advice with a grain of salt because they often miss so much of what appeals to the (paying) public. I am biased in this case, of course. I watched the NBC show and voted. My favorites won. But I did make my choices for reasons, after all, and I have no real-world association with Max and Laura.

Mr. E., you are probably right, too. If the show received rave reviews it might run even longer. I'm betting it'll make a good little run, and I'm one of those TV show fans who hasn't been able to work out the timing yet. I'll bet there are many more out there like me.

Here's a positive review I haven't seen listed yet:

http://www.amny.com/entertainment/am-grease0820,0,2874371.story

Kait · Senior Member

And yet another positive review:

http://theater.about.com/od/youretheonethatiwant/fr/greasereview.htm

Mrs N · Senior Member

http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2007/08/tonys-2008-grea.html for a summary of various reviews...though how credible is it as the article's accompanied by a photo of Max with Kate Rockwell?

DogsandBirds · Guru

Time Magazine likes Grease.

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1654775,00.html

cpathens · Veteran Member

That Time Mazagine review is pretty rosy. Will it be in the print edition? If so, it will be seen by a lot of people.

greatwhiteway · Senior Member

Not only is it rosy I think it is accurate. They were brave enough to buck the tide and were smart/open enough to see Marshall's vision in the play. I had the same thoughts as they did. So I am sure many' many other people are thinking the same way. There were so many families with kids and women with friends at the show. Not the type I think to worry about a review anyway

michele77 · Member

Thanks for giving the link to the Time Magazine review.

It was good to read something more positive. I'm so tired of reading how Max is too "geeky" looking for this role. I think he looks great as Danny. He's really very cute and girls and women of all ages seem to like him. He and Laura seem much more age appropriate than what we saw in the movie and what is frequently seem in other Grease revivals.

Thanks, again, for bringing the Time Magazine article to everyone's attention.

michele77 · Member

NEW YORK MAGAZINE HAS WEIGHED IN WITH ITS REVIEW.

http://nymag.com/arts/theater/reviews/36081/

Blames the book, not the kids who they seem to like.

Kait · Senior Member

I love the Time Magazine article. (Of course.) I'm printing that one out to keep.

NYC9758 · Veteran Member

http://www.usatoday.com/life/theater/reviews/2007-08-21-grease-revival_N.htm

Elysa Gardner gives a positive review for Max and Laura, but is not a fan of Jenny Powers' belting. I'm not a fan at all of the "American Idolization" of singing, but I quite liked Jenny's performance of the song. I agree though that Robyn's light playful touch with Freddie My Love was simply "effervescent" and a joy to watch.

greatwhiteway · Senior Member

Perhaps with expectations set rather low, Crumm and Osnes stand out rather nicely. They look like kids, and even though the chemistry doesn't exactly spark, they have command of the requisite skills acting, singing and dancing to keep Grease from being a total clunker.

Above was from NY1. Seems some of the later reviews are more positive for the the two leads. Maybe these critics actually saw the play. yawn

vfd88 · Newbie

MaxFan wrote:

My kids have always loved theater, but now they are completely addicted to Broadway. They already have a list of what they want to go back to see (besides Grease again)--Hairspray, Spring Awakenings, Rent, and the list keeps growing.

Sorry to threadjack here. MaxFan, just out of curiosity, how old are your kids? Spring Awakening and Rent have some very mature subject matter. It's really great that they are interested in Broadway, but those shows may not be appropriate for them

-- Edited by vfd88 at 05:55, 2007-08-23

MaxFan · Veteran Member

vfd88 wrote:

MaxFan wrote:

My kids have always loved theater, but now they are completely addicted to Broadway. They already have a list of what they want to go back to see (besides Grease again)--Hairspray, Spring Awakenings, Rent, and the list keeps growing.

Sorry to threadjack here. MaxFan, just out of curiosity, how old are your kids? Spring Awakening and Rent have some very mature subject matter. It's really great that they are interested in Broadway, but those shows may not be appropriate for them

-- Edited by vfd88 at 05:55, 2007-08-23

No worries. Trust me, I do my homework. Just because it is on their list, does not always mean they can go. Honestly we would have gone to Spring Awakening already, had it not been so mature. My kids range from elementary to high school. I look for plays that are sophisticated enough but not too much. Les Mis is one of their favorites and Grease, of course. smile

Speaking of Grease--Back to the reviews.

Max Boyfriend · Member

MaxFan wrote:
No worries. Trust me, I do my homework. Just because it is on their list, does not always mean they can go. Honestly we would have gone to Spring Awakening already, had it not been so mature. My kids range from elementary to high school. I look for plays that are sophisticated enough but not too much. Les Mis is one of their favorites and Grease, of course.

Heaven forbid you expose your kids to something sophisticated. Afraid to allow them to think? Or are you just scared that seeing a show like SPRING AWAKENING would force you to engage your kids about serious, real life issues? You know, that's what SPRING AWAKENING is all about. Cowardly parents, and the damage their unwillingness to be real does to their kids' lives. SPRING AWAKENING is a gorgeous piece of theatre. Seeing it will not scar your children. Having to talk with them about the truth that lies in what they see may be too frightening a thought for you to want to bother with, though.

Kait · Senior Member

Max Boyfriend, you might want to reread MaxFan's post. Her kids range from elementary to high school age. I'm not sure that even the most ardent Spring Awakening fan would consider it appropriate for a child at the age of, say, eight or nine. Besides that, a parent knows better than anyone how their child will react. Until one of my daughters was about twelve, she'd groan and leave the room if a couple (on TV) came close to touching. No way I'd pay money to watch her squirm and fidget and bother the folks around her.

-- Edited by Kait at 15:50, 2007-08-23

-- Edited by Kait at 16:36, 2007-08-23

DogsandBirds · Guru

There is also nudity during a sex scene in Spring Awakening. I think it is inappropriate for teens under 16.

While Rent deals with difficult situations, I don't remember much sex but there is cursing. I saw it when it first opened, so I may not remember it correctly. As far as cursing is concerned, if you child is over 12, the school yard during lunch has more cursing than any play on Broadway, so not much to shock there.

Max Boyfriend · Member

There is brief nudity in SPRING AWAKENING. But really, what kid doesn't know what a naked body looks like? And in RENT, there is a song called "Contact" in which several characters are having sex which result in multiple orgasms, but again, that's reality. It's nothing to be ashamed of, and it's nothing that should be withheld from young people of any age who are truly interested in seeing good theatre.

Laura Mom · Senior Member

Here's another review I don't think was posted yet.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a3bEDLLXaj7U

Max Boyfriend · Member

Simon appropriately puts the blame on Marshall.

NYC9758 · Veteran Member

Hmm making fun of an actor's name...a bit juvenile isn't it?

KoKo3 · Member

I couldn't contain my horror and anger when I read what Simon wrote about Max. This reviewer obviously has no grasp on what women find sexy or attractive or how perfectly Max truly captures the teenage angst or how much he radiates that "it" quality.
He did say some wonderful and very true things about Laura, though, nice comments. She is beautiful and amazingly talented.
I guess I honestly can't believe that everyone doesn't see what we all see in Max.......But I guess we all are entitled to our opinions, its just that my opinion of Max happens to TRUE wink

.

MrE1111 · Guru

Believe me, John Simon has done a lot worse than simply make fun of a name during his career. He's not the most hated critic for nothing.

vfd88 · Newbie

MaxFan wrote:

vfd88 wrote:

MaxFan wrote:

My kids have always loved theater, but now they are completely addicted to Broadway. They already have a list of what they want to go back to see (besides Grease again)--Hairspray, Spring Awakenings, Rent, and the list keeps growing.

Sorry to threadjack here. MaxFan, just out of curiosity, how old are your kids? Spring Awakening and Rent have some very mature subject matter. It's really great that they are interested in Broadway, but those shows may not be appropriate for them

-- Edited by vfd88 at 05:55, 2007-08-23
No worries. Trust me, I do my homework. Just because it is on their list, does not always mean they can go. Honestly we would have gone to Spring Awakening already, had it not been so mature. My kids range from elementary to high school. I look for plays that are sophisticated enough but not too much. Les Mis is one of their favorites and Grease, of course. Speaking of Grease--Back to the reviews.

Oh, good.

KoKo3 · Member

I couldn't let this go....I just emailed Mr. Simon my two cents, here is an excerpt:

Dear Mr. Simon,
I know that you have probably received many emails on this topic so far but I just wanted to add mine for whatever its worth. I saw Grease last week and I felt exactly the opposite about the effect of Max Crumm. I happened to be an attractive mid-thirties educated professional and I find Max to be quite the opposite of dork or goon. He radiates a quality that may be lost on men, but women happen to find him sensitive and good looking with a quality to make women feel weak in the knees. Isnt the reaction Danny Zuko is supposed to elicit? Maybe you should have mentioned how many female fans Max has and that although you find him dorky, the ladies seem to go crazy for him. That is the true test of sex appeal, womens reaction. You seemed to find Laura Osnes delectable. Max has plenty of sex appeal, enough that the nation wide audience of that crazy reality show chose him over an over muscled, soap opera handsome type actor. Wake up and ask the ladies next time you call a leading man a goon.
Okay I feel better!K

Kait · Senior Member

Koko,
I'm glad you wrote him. I'm sure, if he's the most hated critic as Mr. E. states, that he's gotten a few angry e-mails in the past. I agree with you entirely about Max's charms. The male critics always want to compare Max to Travolta. Funny thing. I liked the movie version of Grease well enough, but I was never a huge Travolta fan. Don't know why. I only know that I'm enough of a Max fan to insist that we head into NYC in the spring or summer of '08. I might also add that my two daughters are thrilled with the idea, while my slightly befuddled husband has agreed to indulge all of us.

One more point: I take nothing away from Laura, here, but how would any critic know whose fault it was if a stage couple didn't have chemistry?

-- Edited by Kait at 19:18, 2007-08-23

MrE1111 · Guru

If you're expecting an apology or even him defending his coments, don't get your hopes up.

Simon is a brilliant and ruthless man. Not even American born or a native English speaker (born in Serbia in 1925), he's got a Bachelor's, Masters, and doctorate from Harvard.

He's best known for his highly spirited reviews, both positive and negative, as well as his well-known commentaries about the physical appeareance of actors rather than their performance. He famously referred to Barbra Striesand's nose as a "ziggurat made of meat."

The most famous incident against him happened in the early '70s when actress Sylvia Miles dumped a plate of spaghetti on his head in a restaurant.

Still, he's regarded as one of the foremost theater critics (though at 82 some think he's going the way of fellow old-timer Clive Barnes).

-- Edited by MrE1111 at 19:25, 2007-08-23

KoKo3 · Member

Mr. E
Believe me, I am not delusional. I in no way think that my little email to Mr. Simon with make a tiny drop in the bucket. It was strictly to make myself feel better and to let Max and his family know that his fans certainly disagree strongly with his opinion. Thats all, its all in good fun.

And Kait, thanks for posting, I know its crazy but I feel protective of Max. I just wanted he and his family to know that he has fans of all ages who think he rocks!! My husband liked Grease a lot, he had a great time! I hope you and your family have a great time too!
K

MrE1111 · Guru

KoKo - I actually give you a lot of credit for emailing him. I'm actually curious to see if he'd respond.