Mayer-helmed GALILEO musical and more part of Berkeley Rep season- Page 2

[NYfanfromCA]

Posted: 5/18/24 at 1:18pm

Here are a couple of other reviews:

"Spellbinding yet problematic"

https://www.kqed.org/arts/13958082/galileo-review-theater-berkeley-rep

"But the Galileo creators are certainly a talented bunch who created a gorgeous production"

https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/05/17/does-berkeley-reps-world-premiere-of-galileo-live-up-to-the-hype

 

[MezzA101]

Posted: 5/19/24 at 7:01pm

'Galileo' Review: Musical With Raul Esparza is Assertive but Awkward

https://variety.com/2024/legit/reviews/galileo-musical-review-berkeley-rep-1236007154/

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/20/24 at 2:02pm

I haven't seen a money review among the more respected publications, or at least from traditional production-moving media sources. The Variety pan seems the industry's blow that the show didn't need. The blog-ish reviews are rather generically enthusiastic and read like small town papers. A lot of these positives note the solid vocals and impressive productions elements; neither in a vacuum would inspire a Broadway move. 

Does anyone know if the creatives will be in residence for the entire run, making weekly adjustments to further enhance the piece thru June 24? That's a decent run to try new material or at least tighten the show. Anyone familiar with the wonderful Into the Woods podcasts might say, "are they writing 'No One is Alone," and plan to install it before closing in Berkeley?"  The major reviews seem to suggest conception problems, not just errors in their execution, i.e., the piece is the earnest yet flawed bio musical that the creatives intended it to be.    

Updated On: 5/20/24 at 02:02 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/20/24 at 2:13pm

It's not just creative team availability, it's a matter of budgeting to house them (including the designers) and retain them for the next month, which usually a nonprofit theatre will not have the funds to do, even with enhancement $$ from Jordan Roth.

Inserting something as simple as a new song or scene means restaging and re-teching and re-orchestrating and having daytime rehearsals. Given the complexities of 21st century theatre, it is very tough (and expensive) to make sizeable changes when the show is on its feet and a physical production is in place. If the team is taking notes and making adjustments, those probably won't be incorporated until the next step. I won't see Galileo in California, but it sounds like the problems are quite a bit bigger than changing up a song here and a scene there.

Sometimes better to look at the changes wholistically instead of incorporating select changes out of town.

Updated On: 5/20/24 at 02:13 PM

[Kitsune]

Posted: 5/20/24 at 3:59pm

I went on Friday. I agree that there are a lot of structural problems, and that the songs (while often tuneful) often sounded very similar. But I'd never seen Raul Esparza perform live before, and for me that was worth the price of admission.

Others I've talked to have basically agreed that the performances and sets/lighting are excellent, and they had fun despite the other issues. That's not exactly glowing praise for a transfer, but it's not quite the pan of some of the reviews.

[bear88]

Posted: 5/21/24 at 5:37am

Galileo is a frustrating show - worth seeing for the performances, set and lighting design, and a second act that has a genuinely interesting confrontation between the title character and his longtime ally, who is now the pope, along with more variety than the first. It's easy enough to grasp, almost too easy, with a score that is too repetitive (especially in the first act) and lyrics that don't move the story forward at all - except a couple of times in the second act.

I didn't dislike the show, and my wife enjoyed it more than I did, but there was something a little too predictable about it - with one notable exception. The cast is first-rate, with Raul Esparza playing the scientist as an arrogant but gifted rock star. That's fun for a while, especially because the book - as written by Danny Strong - also makes clear that he is as devout as the leaders of the Catholic Church who are suspicious of his ideas and rebellious nature. I had never seen Esparza live before, much less from the second row, and he was in good voice during the fifth performance of the weekend Sunday night.

Madalynn Mathews plays Galileo's daughter, Virginia, who is unmarriageable because her father is not financially independent and is also considered a scandalous figure. This leaves her in a nunnery by the second act. She makes the most of a tricky role that's constrained by her character's limitations. The most intriguing performer on stage is Jeremy Kushnier, a Broadway veteran who plays Bishop Maffeo Barberini. He is so inspired by Galileo that he writes a poem (well, fine, it's a song that he performs while shyly looking away from Esparza's character) about him and is his biggest supporter within the church hierarchy, which is very afraid that Galileo's insistence that the earth revolves around the sun will challenge the prevailing dogma in a way that will turn Catholics into Protestants. Strong deserves credit for making this concern seem less ridiculous than it sounds. The dynamic between Esparza's Galileo and Kushnier's Barberini is always interesting, and Kushnier - given the largest variety of songs along with high energy, a charming sense of humor and a lovely falsetto - practically steals the show. The opening song of the second act is a hilarious showstopper that also illustrates how becoming the pope is changing the former bishop. 

The new pope has other problems - he's an embattled military leader against Protestant armies in Germany - and he gives a careful blessing to another attempt by Galileo to promote his theory. But Galileo pushes his luck, and his old friend - influenced by his enemies in the church, including cardinals played by Javier Munoz (of Hamilton fame) and Bradley Dean, as well as military leaders - feels betrayed. This leads to the best scene in the show, a showdown between the Pope and Galileo in which both men feel wronged but only one has power.  

The score by Michael Weiner and Zoe Sarnak isn't bad, exactly. But as others have noted, the songs do tend to blur together, and the lyrics fall into an unfortunate habit of repeating words over and over. In fairness, things improve in the second act. But the show, directed by Michael Mayer, peters out with some predictable uplift. 

I liked Galileo more than many of the professional critics, but it's easy to enjoy a new musical with strong, Broadway-caliber performances and some innovative effects. I assume this is just the first stop and another out-of-town tryout is coming. But despite the talent involved, I'm not sure the show can be fixed for Broadway just by banning the lyric writer from using the words "faith" and "louder." But I agree with Kitsune that Galileo, flaws and all, is worth checking out.

Updated On: 6/2/24 at 05:37 AM