Kids and I saw DEH yesterday in SF. I have really wanted to see it for 2 years now so I was so excited. I was not amazed. I think maybe it was hyped up so much that I was expecting AMAZING, but I just did not connect with the characters. Everyone just seemed really annoying and SO over the top. Maybe it was our cast, I don’t know. I LOVED Hamilton so much, I guess maybe I thought I’d feel the same about this one since so many people love it, too. Alas, nope. I definitely liked what they were trying to say but overall i was just bored and kind of annoyed by the characters. Kids were in agreement with me. As everyone gave a standing ovation we dashed out as fast as we could. We decided maybe we’re all dead inside. Anyone else not love this?
I totally loved DEH but mostly because my kids did and I was with them. 
We were lucky enough to see Ben Platt on Broadway and he was the show. Some of the other actors were weaker but you pretty much didn’t care. Also, the projections were great and one of my kids works in tech theatre so we enjoyed that aspect as well. I think it’s a delicate show - the characters are a little “out there” so unless the cast is very good they might become caricatures instead… which is what it sounds like happened with your show in SF.
I also think hype can ruin a show. I walked into Hamilton expecting to be disappointed - and I wasn’t, so I was amazed!
Totally agree about the set/projections. I did really enjoy that aspect. When Zoe asks him at the end when they’re in the apple orchard if he knows why she wanted to meet him there I thought for sure it was becuase there was no cell reception LOL You are really lucky to have seen Ben Platt!!
Yep, for ours yesterday I think the characters did really become caricatures. I kept on feeling, “Oh! Here we are. Watching a musical.” It didn’t enthrall me. None the less, since I really did want to see it, I’m glad I did. And now we can make plans to see Hamilton again when it’s back ; )
If you get a chance and you haven’t seen it, go see Come From Away. It’s the single most impressive musical other than Hamilton I have seen in years. The cast is small and they play a multitude of characters - the cast has almost no downtime. Even though many of the characters are broadly drawn the spirit of the show is admirable and the talent and effort required by the actors is outstanding. Also, it made me cry - it really touches the bewilderment and pain everyone in the nation experienced on 9/11 in a very tender way. Loved it.
I liked the show but my H could not wait to leave (“too many angsty people”) and we saw it with Ben Platt. I’ve seen shows everyone loves where I couldn’t wait to leave (ex. Spring Awakenings) and I’ve loved shows that have got mediocre reviews (ex. Something Rotten). IMO that’s what makes the world go around.
@CaMom13 I don’t know if I want to make sure I’m not dead inside or what, but I just bought a ticket to go see Come From Away on 1/30 LOL. I’ll let you know what I think…based on how you felt about Hamilton and how I felt about Hamilton, I’m hopeful. Thanks so much!
Ha ha, @happy1 I was SO happy that we did not spend $150 on ticket from my husband. I think he truly would have left! My 13 year old son was very close to doing so :))
Something Rotten got bad reviews? I thought it was terrific. I haven’t seen Dear Evan Hansen but the soundtrack is played fairly often on On Broadway. I think a little of it goes a very long way. Angsty is a perfect descriptor.
@crknwk2000 - please do! I will be really interested to hear your reaction!
@wellspring We really enjoyed Something Rotten as well, but here is the link to the NYT review. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/theater/review-something-rotten-an-over-the-top-take-on-shakespeare.html Apologies for getting off topic.
Something Rotten is playing at our local community theater, so we will get to see it. Haven’t seen Come From Away, butveould like to. Haven’t heard of DEH. Haven’t seen Hamilton but am going to buy a block of tickets to Phantom, which is coming to our community.
I loved Something Rotten!! I saw it on Broadway just before Christian Boyle left. It was amazing. Everyone was smiling as they left the theater. I think these reviewers become jaded over time. Of course, I do not get to the theater very much. We are in London right now and we were finally able to see Lion King. We loved it. Even my husband loved it, and he isn’t into musical theater much.
@crknwk2000 No, you’re not dead inside. You’re not alone, many people didn’t like DEH. It had so much hype that I think a lot of people felt let down. In addition, without going into detail here, the premise of the show put a lot of people off. Ben Platt is a great talent but the show itself, certainly no Hamilton, or anywhere close. The trip that I saw DEH, I also saw The Great Comet, and also Come From Away (for the 3rd? time, can’t keep track because I’ve seen it multiple times). Either of those, in my opinion, would have been a better choice for the Tony.
I have recommended CFA here for a few years now. It’s a fantastic show, the story beautifully told, terrific music, choreography and book. Excellently acted, and it will make you laugh and cry. I’m a little biased because I know the man who had the genesis of the idea for the show, I know the couple who wrote it, as well as many of the actors in it, and the real people who are portrayed. Still, it’s a really great show.
I am looking forward to seeing DEH and CFA next month. I missed Come From Away when it had it’s first run at La Jolla Playhouse before it went to Broadway (I was out of town for all the run that year.). I did get to see a concert version as a fundraiser for the Playhouse, though. Can’t wait to see the full production.
Count me in as another fan of Something Rotten – I saw it with the original cast on Broadway, and caught the touring version earlier this year. The second half got a bit silly, but I thought it was a very clever riff on the Bard.
Hamilton was – without a doubt – one of the very, very few things that live up to their hype. Book of Mormon, on the other hand, was not (at least not for me). Actively disliked that one.
I’m going to echo others here, I haven’t seen DEH as it looked and sounded boring to me, but Come from Away had me moved. I saw it on Sept 12th last year, there were ‘plane people’ and Newfoundlanders in the audience and the cast had a Q+A about how they pay it forward. It’s a short and simple play around 90 minutes with no intermission, but I’ve never been moved to tears before.?
Phew! So glad it wasn’t just me not loving DEH…when you hear so much raving about something, I had to wonder, is it ME?! Especially when I couldn’t have loved Hamilton more (crying, laughing, the costumes, the set design, the dancing, the cast all 100%). Hearing that so many of you liked CFA has me looking forward to, but I’m not going to get too hyped about in advance since lesson learned with DEH ; ) I’ll let you know what I think after I see it on 1/30.
Happykid’ direct quote about DEH: “It was awful. I hated it. Your CC friend isn’t dead inside. She should just go see Aladdin.”
lol. @happymomof1…“your CC” friend. My husband and kids died laughing when I told them a “friend” suggested I go see Come Far Away so i bought a ticket. They were like WHAT FRIEND?! Then I had to fess up that it was someone on CC :))
I would check out The Band’s Visit. Found it really moving.
I hear mixed reviews on DEH but consistently positive ones on CFA.
CFA is “feel good” in the best possible way. I loved the Great Comet as well. On that trip, I couldn’t get tickets to DEH but I bought the cast album. Unimpressed. Derivative of Next to Normal. The only song I love is You Will Be Found.