LEMPICKA Reviews- Page 8

[Fordham2015]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 6:57pm

Something Rotten is the only show to do that kind of advertising well

[Popular]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 7:20pm

KevinKlawitter said: "gotta appreciate the chutzpah"

Love the chutzpah! Also, they aren’t wrong. Maybe this is an unpopular opinion but I think this was clever. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 7:55pm

MemorableUserName said: "And where is it from? In his Williamstown review he does refer to Gould's "often stirring, richly polyphonic music" but "blockbuster" is only used in reference to Evita ("Full points if you answered “Evita.” That’s the late-1970s blockbuster about Eva Perón," ). He doesn't say "a stirring blockbuster" anywhere, and a Google search didn't come up with a quote with that term either."

Actually Green didn't write the quote attributed to him in his review either. He said, "the condensing, rejiggering and flat-out fudging of the plot create a contextual blur" and "the musical is overeager to make her unconventionality palatable." Both "quotes" in the ad are random words cherry-picked from the reviews and put together.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 8:07pm

oh dear lempicka team, no no no no no. cringe. yikes.

there were PLENTY of pull-quotable comments in the reviews--from NYT alone:

"a jolly big sing, with superior belting from several excellent practitioners of the craft"

"theres no denying the realness of the vocal power"

"Abud is excellent"

 

[yyys]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 8:12pm

they forgot to put "Closing May 5th" at the bottom. 

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 8:18pm

MemorableUserName said:  "Actually Green didn't write the quote attributed to him in his review either. He said, "the condensing, rejiggering and flat-out fudging of the plot create a contextual blur" and "the musical is overeager to make her unconventionality palatable." Both "quotes" in the ad are random words cherry-picked from the reviews and put together."

For this to be funny, you have to get the quote right. On the other hand, blurring the context of Green's words, kind of reinforces his point. 

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 9:59pm

This social post doesn’t feel clever to me at all, particularly because Brantley was describing an entirely different production that truly felt like a very, very different show than what is currently on Broadway. If they wanted to use this kind of marketing, at least take (real) quotes that are describing the same production.

To me, all this tells me is that they had a better show back in 2018 and made it worse (which, to me, is 100% true).

 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 10:37pm

GilmoreGirlO2 said: "This social post doesn’t feel clever to me at all, particularly because Brantley was describing an entirely different production that truly felt like a very, very different show than what is currently on Broadway. If they wanted to use this kind of marketing, at least take (real) quotes that are describing the same production.

To me, all this tells me is that they had a better show back in 2018 and made it worse (which, to me, is 100% true).

"

Agree, Spotco thinks it clever but it's not! Yea, from what I'm hearing Lempicka was a better show at Williamstown.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 10:42pm

yyys said: "they forgot to put "Closing May 5th" at the bottom."

Once the Tony noms are announced on the 30th the reality will hit them and then the closing notice.

 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 10:49pm

The mood backstage must be dour.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 10:56pm

KevinKlawitter said: "gotta appreciate the chutzpah"

You know what? I admire the swing even if it's not going to sell a single seat.

What I don't admire is the lead producer posting BS like this on the Musk platform, especially on the day that he announces stars in a play!!!

Updated On: 4/16/24 at 10:56 PM

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 11:10pm

i found more to like than dislike in this, and i am still rooting for Espinosa and Abud, at least, to pick up some nominations, but WOW is the reaction to *critics doing criticism* turning me off to this show, and viscerally. this producer is mad that the critics, PAID TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK OF THE ART ON THE STAGE, are telling us what they think of the art on the stage? 

And now i see the inevitable takes that suggest the "wrong people" reviewed this.... god help us.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 11:23pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: 
What I don't admire is the lead producer posting BS like this on the Musk platform, especially on the day that he announcesstars in a play!!!"

Did he delete it? I'm not seeing anything. Or does anyone have a screenshot?

eta: Never mind. I don't know why it wasn't coming up but I tried it in another browser and it did.

Updated On: 4/16/24 at 11:23 PM

[Alessio2]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 11:32pm

Sad about these reviews. I saw it at LaJolla and enjoyed it very much. Did anyone else see it at LaJolla and were there many changes?

on a side note, has anyone done rush for this lately? What time would you recommend getting there and where have the seats been located? Thanks in advance.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 11:34pm

Greg Nobile

Thank God Adam is here to tell us what art is “not-great” so we can make room for things he personally deems more artful! Like adaptions and stars in plays!

Quote



Adam Feldman

@FeldmanAdam

·

Apr 15

Counterpoint: Time, money and Broadway theaters are not in unlimited supply. It is not the responsibility of audiences—including critics—to like and support everything artists create. Every not-great work of art is taking space and resources from other, potentially better ones.

 

This will turn off the TONY nominating community!

[GottaGetAGimmick420]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 11:36pm

MemorableUserName said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said:
What I don't admire is the lead producer posting BS like this on the Musk platform, especially on the day that he announcesstars in a play!!!"

Did he delete it? I'm not seeing anything. Or does anyone have a screenshot?

eta: Never mind. I don't know why it wasn't coming up but I tried it in another browser and it did.

"

Oh I just lost a LOT of respect for Greg Nobile

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 11:42pm

“Adaptations”, Greg.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 11:45pm

Michael Schulman of the New Yorker is covering the fake quotes: 



Which led to this perfect gem:



But also this bit of certifiable insanity:



The people attacking the reviews are simply unhinged at this point.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 11:51pm

I had to look up who Greg Nubile is. A producer on Enemy of the People and last year’s Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window is dunking on stars in plays? What?

And Michael Schulman for the win. He’s funny AND correct.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/17/24 at 12:30am

Quote-doctoring has gone way too far. The League has strict rules about how Tony noms/wins can be advertised, and I wish there was a way for some group to instill rules that are even half as strict as the Tony advertising rules...whether that's the League, or the NY Drama Critics Circle (which doesn't include Times critics), or someone else.

Most critics don't care as long as the sentiment matches the tone of their review, and often the exposure of inclusion in show advertising is far greater than the readership of their publication. But sometimes words get cherry-picked or omitted and make the critic sound ridiculous or ignorant.

There are also weirdnesses like MORMON still advertising "the best musical of the century" (itself a doctored quote) 13 years after Brantley said it.

[jagman106]

Posted: 4/17/24 at 12:41am

I just came in from tonight's performance. The orchestra was full (I was sitting in the rear, so I didn't see into the mezzanine). Before the show started, an announcement was made thanking the audience for "supporting new theater," which meet with whoops and applause from many of the audience members. The delivery of the announcement seemed odd because it sounded as if it was trying to defend new musicals as "good musicals." It was obvious (to me) that the show was heavily papered and many in the audience were friends and supporters of the cast and others associated with the show. When the spotlight shone on Eden on the park bench in the opening scene, again there was much whooping and applause, with some people giving her a standing O. People were screaming, whooping, and applauding after every number and Eden was enjoying a lot of audience support (despite my cringing during some of her songs). There was a lot of cheering and applause for the lesbian scenes (the first kiss, first bedroom scene, the opening of the Monocle). There was a large contingent of women sitting behind me wearing shirts identifying their advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community who were particularly vocal during those particular scenes. I found the whole audience experience interesting, but I doubt the producers can sustain that type of audience for very long. 

Personally, I don't think the critics were wrong, although some were unnecessarily harsher than others. I thought there was potential for a good show and that the story would be a lot more compelling had there been a less convoluted way to tell it. I didn't find the music to be anything more than serviceable, if that, and the choreography distracted me in many of the numbers. I got the impression that not everyone on the creative team shared the same vision, and they tried to appease everyone's ideas, detracting from the final product. I'm still trying to process what I saw tonight, and I really wanted to like it. It's certainly not the worst show I've ever seen. All I can think at this moment is that this show as musical theater is an art form trying to find its art (no pun intended given the subject). Again, just my opinion. I found the audience to be more interesting than the show.

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/17/24 at 12:45am

Cattily speaking, after these antics maybe some critics will take an extra swipe at Lempicka in reviews for other shows opening in the next week.

"The best art deco-era musical of the season" (Gatsby)

"The best musical about a famous 20th century woman this season" (Suffs)

"It's so bad it makes Lempicka look good!" (tbd)

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 4/17/24 at 1:54am

Sigh. I know every show has to do what they can to stay in the conversation but this show choosing to become a self-appointed "martyr" for quality, underseen shows is just such a stretch and so obnoxious.

but this will close in early May and we'll all forget about it except for an occasional "remember when the Internet got weird about Lempicka" anecdote

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/17/24 at 7:44am

jagman106 said: "There was a large contingent of women sitting behind me wearing shirts identifying their advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community who were particularly vocal during those particular scenes. I found the whole audience experience interesting, but I doubt the producers can sustain that type of audience for very long."

 

That's one of the dumb things about the response to the reviews. A big expensive Broadway musical cannot survive with a niche audience. It can be made for a certain audience, sure, but it needs to appeal--and sell tickets--to a lot of people outside of that group. Yet so much of the response to the reviews is stuff like this, which is one of the Google results that comes up when I search for Lempicka review:


Putting out the message that an already struggling show is not for certain people may rally your core audience, but it's also explicitly telling a lot of other people not to come.

Updated On: 4/17/24 at 07:44 AM

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 4/17/24 at 8:19am

"Putting out the message that an already struggling show is not for certain people may rally your core audience, but it's also explicitly telling a lot of other people not to come."

And message received, at least by me. Had thought of giving this a shot but the righteous indignation that a critic dared to not like their wonderful show in an attempt to rally the public to their side is a complete turn off for me and quite frankly a technique that I can't actually recall ever working.