ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread- Page 7
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MemorableUserName
Broadway Star Joined: 3/27/19
#150ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/24/23 at 1:06pm
OhHiii said: "BroadwayNYC2 said: "I don’t necessarily have the same concerns with Briga. I’d rather it be an acting part (which I think she bails) with the self awareness of it not being a belting part. I’d rather her than an empty Broadway belting leading lady."
...it's a Britney Spears musical. You do not need a captial A Actor for this. It isn't Virginia Woolf."
No, it needs an actor who conveys warmth, humanity, and likeability, especially when surrounded by a cast of characters who are mostly cartoons, while playing both comedy and some heavier moments (that, no, aren't Virginia Woolf). That's the acting part that's required and which she delivers more than capably.
If we're judging it by the standards of "just" being a Britney Spears musical, why would a show based on the music of Britney Spears need a belting singer in the lead, when Britney Spears herself doesn't belt in her music?
#151ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/24/23 at 1:20pm
“...it's a Britney Spears musical. You do not need a captial A Actor for this. It isn't Virginia Woolf.”
and when did I say it was? All I’m saying is I’d rather have a character actress type for the role. I think it fits the material better.
OhHiii
Broadway Star Joined: 4/30/16
#152ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/24/23 at 1:42pm
MemorableUserName said: "If we're judging it by the standards of "just" being a Britney Spears musical, why would a show based on the music of Britney Spears need a belting singer in the lead, when Britney Spears herself doesn't belt in her music?"
Pardon me for thinking that a lead in a MUSICAL that isn't that deep story-wise should be able to carry a tune, much less in a show where Aisha and Jennifer blow the roof off when they open their mouths. Briga cannot sing. Point blank. And "handles the acting capably" isn't exactly a glowing review. lol
And Britney doesn't belt on her songs? Tell me you haven't listened to "Stronger without telling me you haven't listened to Stronger.
#153ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/24/23 at 1:59pm
I can't edit that message ^ because it added at least 10,000 lines of junk coding, so here's the link to what I was trying to post.
#154ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/24/23 at 2:22pm
And Britney doesn't belt on her songs? Tell me you haven't listened to "Stronger without telling me you haven't listened to Stronger."
Don’t know many of her songs, so just pulled that one up… I don’t hear any belting. I DO hear Autotune, old school studio-echo/doubling effects and backup singers added to her voice. (ducks)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrel
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/26/05
#155ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/24/23 at 2:39pm
While Britney herself doesn't necessarily belt in all of her songs, she has plenty of songs that lend themselves very well to belting, particularly with the orchestrations this show has. If you've not yet seen it, there *is* belting in this show - and some of that belting is done by Cinderella. Britney is a pop star, not a Broadway actress. So I think the quality of her singing voice is honestly irrelevant at the moment because we are discussing the singing abilities of a performer in a Broadway musical.
As others have said, this book does not make too many demands of its actors. Prince Charming is one-dimensional and Guarini has some truly cringeworthy lines to navigate, but he does the best he can and then makes up for that in spades with his wonderful singing, dancing, and charisma. The same can be said for Aisha Jackson as Snow White and Jennifer Simard as Evil Stepmother.
Cinderella needs to be likable, and you need to root for her. That really is the long and short of it acting-wise. She isn't expected to deliver a monologue that brings us all to our knees. She is, however, the lead character in a musical. She sings more than any other person in this show. She should be able to sing. That is the bare minimum expectation. This is not a tradeoff, nor should it be a compromise of "she can carry a tune well enough." There are so many talented actresses in the world who can SING these songs *and* act the part. I'm sure those of us who've seen the show and didn't enjoy Heelan's performance could each rattle off several established actresses who would do an amazing job in this part. I also am sure that there are countless other actresses desperate to break into this industry who could do an amazing job if given the chance Heelan was. This is Heelan's first-ever credit. I just refuse to believe she was the best available choice.
Dan6
Featured Actor Joined: 8/7/10
#156ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/24/23 at 4:41pm
Saw this last night and fully agree with Dirty Rotten Scoundrel’s detailed “great/good/meh/bad” breakdown on the previous page, except that I would move the choreography from the good column to great. “Circus” was simply one of the best choreographed and executed numbers I’ve seen on a Broadway stage, made even better by Justin Guarini’s solid triple-threat performance. And Jennifer Simard was, as always, a delight, albeit an underused one.
As for the rest, it was a miss for me. Briga Heelan’s voice is just not good enough, and I kept longing for someone with Lorna Courtney’s pipes in the role. And the book is a complete mess, particularly the second act. I’m not even sure what was supposed to happen at the end, though that might be a result of the poor little girl playing the Reader going up on her final lines (kudos to the company for stepping in to help her out and comfort her, but ultimately it just…ended).
Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content
And no clue what that was all about with the slipper. Through the whole first act they made a point of needing the quill to break free of the Narrator, and then it seemed to happen with breaking the slipper…but they went ahead and got the quill anyway?
#157ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/24/23 at 4:52pm
Saw this a few days ago and agree that it’s not a good show but it’s a hell of a lot of fun, regardless. I asked my friend if he noticed the problems with the leads voice and he didn’t but then during act two he nudged me and said “oh yeah i hear it” - but other than that I thought she was good. MVP’s clearly are Simard and Guarini. The audience lost their f’in minds at the Monday night show to a point where during act two, I started to get excited at the idea that I’d be home soon and could take some ibuprofen.
#158ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/24/23 at 4:54pm
I honestly want to go see it a 3rd time closer to opening to see if they manage to fix act 2. I feel like the changes they made since the first preview didnt help at all. Yeah, Stronger is a better ending than Passengers but overall that **** still feels rushed
Also, this is my first time seeing Aisha in anything and holy f*ck..mama is killing it.
Miss Keisha? Miss Keisha? Miss Keishhhaaaa?
Updated On: 5/24/23 at 04:54 PM
#159ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/25/23 at 11:11am
Jordan Catalano said: "Saw this a few days ago and agree that it’s not a good show but it’s a hell of a lot of fun, regardless. I asked my friend if he noticed the problems with the leads voice and he didn’t but then during act two he nudged me and said “oh yeah i hear it” - but other than that I thought she was good. MVP’s clearly are Simard and Guarini. The audience lost their f’in minds at the Monday night show to a point where during act two, I started to get excited at the idea that I’d be home soon and could take some ibuprofen."
This is very similar to how I felt when I saw it in DC. I had fun at the time but remember very little about the show except the set was ugly, the best actors were Guarini and Emily Skinner (Stepmother in DC), the gay subplot seemed tacked on to appease Spear's gay fans not because the creators thought it should be there and the audience was so annoying that though I was having fun, I was glad when it ended. I find this thread fascinating to read because I have no plans on going back to see the show even if given a ticket.
pablitonizer
Chorus Member Joined: 4/8/21
#160ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/25/23 at 12:01pm
I find interesting from users who did not like this musical or found it to be not good, but had a great time. I usually when I don't like a musical/I find it to be bad, I just don't have a good time. I don't mean it to shade anyone, I just find it pretty interesting
CornCity
Swing Joined: 5/25/23
#161ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/25/23 at 4:28pm
Hello all! Longtime lurker here, but first time joining the conversation. :)
I just saw this show last night, coming in as a big Broadway fan and even bigger Britney fan. As others have noted, this one was such an anomaly for me, as I walked out knowing the show wasn't good, but I still enjoyed myself.
My complaints were that the set and costumes felt a bit cheap (one of the set pieces squeaked the entire time as it crept out during Everytime and I had to control my giggling), the book was rough, and Briga Heelan just didn't feel up to the role (the vocals were thin and it felt overacted).
That said, Justin Guarini is a bonafide Broadway star, Jennifer Simard was incredible as always, and the choreography was some of the best I've seen. The concept is clever and they still have a bit of time to work out the issues, but I worry that it might be too much to overcome before opening and that this one may have a relatively short run. I hope I'm wrong, as there's definitely talent on that stage that deserves to be seen.
yyys
Leading Actor Joined: 6/29/14
#162ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/25/23 at 4:44pm
maybe they can borrow Bad Cinderella's costumes after it closes?
#163ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/25/23 at 4:45pm
pablitonizer said: "I find interesting from users who did not like this musical or found it to be not good, but had a great time. I usually when I don't like a musical/I find it to be bad, I just don't have a good time. I don't mean it to shade anyone, I just find it pretty interesting"
It's such an odd show... While I found it to be pretty terrible, I won't deny I had fun... Not many (bad) shows can pull that off.
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
pablitonizer
Chorus Member Joined: 4/8/21
#164ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/25/23 at 4:54pm
bwayphreak234 said: "pablitonizer said: "I find interesting from users who did not like this musical or found it to be not good, but had a great time. I usually when I don't like a musical/I find it to be bad, I just don't have a good time. I don't mean it to shade anyone, I just find it pretty interesting"
It's such an odd show... While I found it to be pretty terrible, I won't deny I had fun... Not many (bad) shows can pull that off.
"
I understand! But probably if you had fun, perhaps it was not a terrible show after all. I believe there has been some serious terrible shows along Broadway history, but I think this one is far from that. Could it improve? Absolutely!
yyys
Leading Actor Joined: 6/29/14
#165ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Broadway Previews Thread
Posted: 5/25/23 at 5:03pm
It is similar to going a concert and saying the band was alright/OK/terrible, but overall it was still a great time (I guess especially if you were there with friends, etc.)
pablitonizer said: "I find interesting from users who did not like this musical or found it to be not good, but had a great time. I usually when I don't like a musical/I find it to be bad, I just don't have a good time. I don't mean it to shade anyone, I just find it pretty interesting
"
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