Question about AIDA

[Mouse's Magic]

When AIDA opened on Broadway, werent the reviews consistenly negative? I remember the show getting ripped apart? Am I right or just imagining?

 

[RonAnnArbor]

NO - they weren't all negative. They were a wildly mixed bag - some reviewers raved about the music and the performers. None of the reviews ripped the show apart. Heather Headly and Adam Pascale got consistently good reviews. Several called it derivitive and inconsistent in style. Do a google search for "Elton John's AIDA reviews" and you will find a lot of them.

 

[mousermerf]

I remember it being well recieved overall, not like say Wicked or anything, but not a show anyone was dreading.

 

[nicholas]

I remember it being well recieved overall, not like say Wicked or anything, but not a show anyone was dreading.

I need to go back and check, but I remember Wicked getting some mixed to bad reviews.

 

[mousermerf]

True, but all shows do it seems. I mean moreso how like now Wicked is viewed by most people as "the show" like how Rent was a few years ago.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

Every show gets some raves and some pans -- Wicked received some of the best overall reviews of any musical that year. You have to take it all in perspective. Rent got some horrible reviews when it opened too -- but mostly it receieved raves. Tommy receieved some of the worst reviews in some papers that I had read -- while the New York Times was so elated about the show it colored all further reviews and the show used almost exclusively NY Times pull quotes to sell the show. There is actually a website that tracks the good/mixed/and poor reviews for all the shows that open on broadway and tallys them. If I find it I'll post. I don't readily have it at hand but I am sure you can google around for it. Similarly, if you visit either playbill.com or allthatchat.com you will find a wealth of theatre review information.