St. Paul Reviews

[kport]

And at the other end of the spectrum is this blogger's review of the show -- which is a definite pan:

http://www.howwastheshow.com/2012/10/bi ... he-ordway/

I am astonished.

I have seen dozens of boys play Billy; all great; and I saw Noah play this role five times in Boston. He is superb; his take on the role is fresh and convincing; his singing is some of the best and his ballet and dancing skills are first rate. I don't know if this reviewer expected a dancer who 'leapt fully formed off the brow of Zeus' or whether that person simply doesn't like talented kids in main roles (there seems to be a distinct lack of reference toward the Ballet Girls, I note). I hope Noah knows that we enjoy every effort and skill he gives to his role, and takes no notice of this review. There will always be one Grinch in every crowd!

[jdmag44]

OK - We are all BETM fans, most of us "super-fans" and we DO love great reviews. I am sure we are always put off a bit by negative ones. I must say I am "pissed off" after reading Mr Olive's blog review. At first he seemed to appreciate the story, the original source material, and the acting of the adult cast, but then my heart sunk and my blood pressure went up as he trashed Noah's performance. He didn't think that Noah (The American Jr Male Dancer of the year) danced like he was good enough to get into the Royal Ballet School. Did he see the same exceptionally talented Noah that many of us have seen? I have seen him perform twice and was "blown away" with his dancing skills. I heard his beautiful voice and it did not "quiver".
I'm sorry, but I feel that his comments were "cruel" and totally off the mark. A particularly cruel comment was that he gave what he called an "under-rehearsed" performance. Clearly he knows NOTHING about dance and is amazingly ignorant about the hard work (including endless,ongoing rehearsals)that goes into playing the role of Billy. Clearly,as has been previously stated he does not like kids in main roles-I think he just does not like kids at all.
Young performers, like the kids in BETM have all struggled to learn to deal with rejection and criticism. Its not easy. I too hope that if Noah sees that blog that he recognizes that this man does not know what he is talking about. I also hope that he knows how much the members of this Forum appreciate his remarkable talent and care about him. I know I certainly do.

Joe

[ERinVA]

Of course, it is possible to tell the blogger that directly by using the "Leave a Reply" form at the bottom of the page. I am surprised that no one has yet done so.

[jdmag44]

dahh! of course Thanks Ellen I will do that right now. I hope others will also.

Joe

[ERinVA]

Another positive review:

http://stpaul.broadwayworld.com/article ... y-20121011

[accessmenj]

I did reply two days ago to the blogger, and I was not very nice to him. I did not receive a reply and i do not expect one.

[porschesrule]

The Ordway Performing Arts Center has posted a nice list of reviews of BETM in St. Paul:

http://www.ordway.org/blog/?id=228&utm_ ... +ORDWAY%29

I believe all but the last review on the list has previously been listed in this thread. In reading that last item on the list, I was struck by how this reviewer (who was viewing the show on the same night as the earlier negative reviewer we've been discussing) has such a completely different view of what she was watching:

"It’s difficult to point out highlights from such an amazing show, but the moments where Billy is dancing made the show worth every penny. When young Parets began to dance, time stood still, and the world faded away. Talent like his is not seen every day, especially from such a young performer."

[kport]

The Ordway Performing Arts Center has posted a nice list of reviews of BETM in St. Paul:

http://www.ordway.org/blog/?id=228&utm_ ... +ORDWAY%29

I believe all but the last review on the list has previously been listed in this thread. In reading that last item on the list, I was struck by how this reviewer (who was viewing the show on the same night as the earlier negative reviewer we've been discussing) has such a completely different view of what she was watching:

"It’s difficult to point out highlights from such an amazing show, but the moments where Billy is dancing made the show worth every penny. When young Parets began to dance, time stood still, and the world faded away. Talent like his is not seen every day, especially from such a young performer."

That last review cheered up my day!

[tomtorfan]

I too feel driven to weigh in on the mugging handed to young Noah by John Olive, the critic responsible for the cruel review that has had many of us shaking our heads.

I wrote out some comments, removed the obscenities, and sent them along so his readers could contemplate the possibility that their beloved Mr. Olive might just be a bit of a twit:

http://www.howwastheshow.com/2012/10/bi ... he-ordway/

[ERinVA]

I had my doubts that the comments would make it through, but I'm glad they did.