RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
At the show, not in reserved seating but really close to the front. So excited.
At the show, not in reserved seating but really close to the front. So excited.
All For One
- Thread starter CastleOSullivan
- Start date
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
I think that given a week or two, Busch Gardens will have a great show on their hands. All they need to do is tighten some choreography (they still need to get practice getting closer to each other). The only other issues are tech. related such as delayed sound cues and rigging not yet being used. This is very "Old Country" with a "classical" theatrical style that even my Theatre teacher would appreciate.
When they first started, I got a bit uneasy because they brought volunteers up on stage. In the end, it all worked out, because it explained the story (broke the ice). Planchette, (the lead musketeer, D'artagnan's well-intended, yet slightly dimwitted assistant) starts off the show by "casting" characters from the audience to give a brief synopsis.
I can feel a tasteful vibe which has not existed in Busch Gardens shows for about five years.
[tweet=https://twitter.com/castleosullivan/status/749057226783031296]
I think that given a week or two, Busch Gardens will have a great show on their hands. All they need to do is tighten some choreography (they still need to get practice getting closer to each other). The only other issues are tech. related such as delayed sound cues and rigging not yet being used. This is very "Old Country" with a "classical" theatrical style that even my Theatre teacher would appreciate.
When they first started, I got a bit uneasy because they brought volunteers up on stage. In the end, it all worked out, because it explained the story (broke the ice). Planchette, (the lead musketeer, D'artagnan's well-intended, yet slightly dimwitted assistant) starts off the show by "casting" characters from the audience to give a brief synopsis.
I can feel a tasteful vibe which has not existed in Busch Gardens shows for about five years.
[tweet=https://twitter.com/castleosullivan/status/749057226783031296]
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
And there was fireworks!(best part of the show)
And there was fireworks!(best part of the show)
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
Show was horrible....didn't know what was going on. I'm just going to pretend I didn't see it and hopefully they will have worked through everything in a couple of weeks.
Show was horrible....didn't know what was going on. I'm just going to pretend I didn't see it and hopefully they will have worked through everything in a couple of weeks.
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
^I'm sure a lot of reactions are the same as yours. I do think a lot can happen in a week though. This is a serious show, which something they have been afraid to do until now. Classical shows are not for everyone, but they are not meant for anyone if they can't be... serious.
They obviously were lacking rehearsal in that particular space. Tech. crew and performers alike can make each other look bad if they are not on their A-game. There were so many awkward moments when the tech people hesitated because of not knowing their cues.
Also, I noticed that many elements were not yet in use, such as the drop curtains shown in most concept art. Overall, it was not their worst opening show. However, considering how far this is from their comfort zone (because it's actually "The Old Country"), I will give them time and applause.
^I'm sure a lot of reactions are the same as yours. I do think a lot can happen in a week though. This is a serious show, which something they have been afraid to do until now. Classical shows are not for everyone, but they are not meant for anyone if they can't be... serious.
They obviously were lacking rehearsal in that particular space. Tech. crew and performers alike can make each other look bad if they are not on their A-game. There were so many awkward moments when the tech people hesitated because of not knowing their cues.
Also, I noticed that many elements were not yet in use, such as the drop curtains shown in most concept art. Overall, it was not their worst opening show. However, considering how far this is from their comfort zone (because it's actually "The Old Country"), I will give them time and applause.
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
I really do agree with Castle O Sullivan here. The show is obviously under rehearsed, and there are many, many technical issues that need to be worked out. It really does have a classical style, that is sometimes fairly hard to appreciate at times. But even so, I still have multiple gripes that I want to address, and I'll try to be prompt, but it's most likely going to turn into a rant anyway.
There is a long list of technical issues that need to be fixed. First of all, mics. I feel like I really would've understood the show a lot more if I could hear more than half of what the actors were saying. This is definitely an issue that will be worked out overtime, as far as my observations go, I don't think they were even rehearsing with mics on until yesterday. It appeared to me that almost half of the special effects didn't work or were forgotten about by the technicians in the moment. Splash effects worked for the first couple times they were supposed to, but never did again after that. The fire effect was quite cool, the crowd really seemed to get a kick out of it too. There was an explosion effect, that although the rigging on the actors for it made it look cool, the explosion never actually went off. The gun effect had a couple kinks that needed to be worked out. The fireworks worked during the finale, but I wasn't sure if they were supposed to go off during any other point in the show. Also during the finale, the curtains with the three musketeers on them did not drop down as they were supposed to. Overall, tonight, the "special effects" side of the show was just not there. But again, it needs time.
I can appreciate the opening a little bit because the story telling is very "Old Country," but the crowd participation was just too much cheesiness for my likings. However, probably my biggest gripe and the most major flaw in production is the lack of conflict development and the dumbing down of the real story. We're basically told these characters don't like each other, and you're about to watch them fight about it. In the rehearsal video the park posted they called the villains "Richelieu's lap dogs," but it appears as if Richelieu was totally pulled from the storyline altogether. In the real story, Cardinal Richelieu is the overarching villain, and Milady de Winter is just his facilitator. The lack of accuracy and development in the story is a major production flaw, and unfortunately, I don't think it can be fixed with some more practice.
Really, the actual show is maybe a little more than 15 minutes, the other time is taken up by the preshow and the fireworks. I pray that the lack of rehearsal forced them to cut a scene tonight, but I don't think that is likely. The first real scene is the tavern scene, which, in my opinion feels like it should be in the middle of the show. There's just so much going on right off the bat that the crowd has very little time to make sense of it. In scenes like this, I feel like everyone put an idea into the pot and they just decided to use all of them, which is extremely confusing and distracting for the crowd.
My second largest gripe is the music. Now don't get me wrong, the music is fantastic, and it's probably one of, if not the biggest thing I was looking forward to about this show. However, I feel like I wasn't able to appreciate it at all. The park specifically advertised this soundtrack as being epic, and that it would really make scenes intense. How can it do so if it's emphasized no more than some background elevator music? During fight scenes, instead of having the music being prominent, they just leave the mics on so we can hear some random grunting, and lots of wind noises, while the music is just pushed to the background. This is probably the most disappointing aspect of the show for me, but I do think it can be fixed.
At the end of the night though, I know this show should not have gone public tonight. It needed a couple, probably even several more days to get ready and prepared. You could tell the actors, technicians, and definitely the higher-ups were frustrated about it all. But that also makes me hopeful that they know that many things need to be fixed and soon. The 10:00 showing was cancelled, and I don't think the weather was the biggest reason as to why.
I see the potential in this show, and I'm willing to pardon this showing that I saw tonight for another one in a week or two. But on the bright side, the set is fantastic, with the landscaping department even playing a little bit of a role also. The special effects, or the potential of those that were not used, are very promising. Undoubtedly, the feeling this show gives off is probably the best of all. It is different and it is new, and sometimes that can feel weird for everyone involved. It is probably the first attempt at authenticity in a show that we've seen in 6 years now, in addition to being very reminiscent of the Old Country, and that is something I can appreciate.
I really do agree with Castle O Sullivan here. The show is obviously under rehearsed, and there are many, many technical issues that need to be worked out. It really does have a classical style, that is sometimes fairly hard to appreciate at times. But even so, I still have multiple gripes that I want to address, and I'll try to be prompt, but it's most likely going to turn into a rant anyway.
There is a long list of technical issues that need to be fixed. First of all, mics. I feel like I really would've understood the show a lot more if I could hear more than half of what the actors were saying. This is definitely an issue that will be worked out overtime, as far as my observations go, I don't think they were even rehearsing with mics on until yesterday. It appeared to me that almost half of the special effects didn't work or were forgotten about by the technicians in the moment. Splash effects worked for the first couple times they were supposed to, but never did again after that. The fire effect was quite cool, the crowd really seemed to get a kick out of it too. There was an explosion effect, that although the rigging on the actors for it made it look cool, the explosion never actually went off. The gun effect had a couple kinks that needed to be worked out. The fireworks worked during the finale, but I wasn't sure if they were supposed to go off during any other point in the show. Also during the finale, the curtains with the three musketeers on them did not drop down as they were supposed to. Overall, tonight, the "special effects" side of the show was just not there. But again, it needs time.
I can appreciate the opening a little bit because the story telling is very "Old Country," but the crowd participation was just too much cheesiness for my likings. However, probably my biggest gripe and the most major flaw in production is the lack of conflict development and the dumbing down of the real story. We're basically told these characters don't like each other, and you're about to watch them fight about it. In the rehearsal video the park posted they called the villains "Richelieu's lap dogs," but it appears as if Richelieu was totally pulled from the storyline altogether. In the real story, Cardinal Richelieu is the overarching villain, and Milady de Winter is just his facilitator. The lack of accuracy and development in the story is a major production flaw, and unfortunately, I don't think it can be fixed with some more practice.
Really, the actual show is maybe a little more than 15 minutes, the other time is taken up by the preshow and the fireworks. I pray that the lack of rehearsal forced them to cut a scene tonight, but I don't think that is likely. The first real scene is the tavern scene, which, in my opinion feels like it should be in the middle of the show. There's just so much going on right off the bat that the crowd has very little time to make sense of it. In scenes like this, I feel like everyone put an idea into the pot and they just decided to use all of them, which is extremely confusing and distracting for the crowd.
My second largest gripe is the music. Now don't get me wrong, the music is fantastic, and it's probably one of, if not the biggest thing I was looking forward to about this show. However, I feel like I wasn't able to appreciate it at all. The park specifically advertised this soundtrack as being epic, and that it would really make scenes intense. How can it do so if it's emphasized no more than some background elevator music? During fight scenes, instead of having the music being prominent, they just leave the mics on so we can hear some random grunting, and lots of wind noises, while the music is just pushed to the background. This is probably the most disappointing aspect of the show for me, but I do think it can be fixed.
At the end of the night though, I know this show should not have gone public tonight. It needed a couple, probably even several more days to get ready and prepared. You could tell the actors, technicians, and definitely the higher-ups were frustrated about it all. But that also makes me hopeful that they know that many things need to be fixed and soon. The 10:00 showing was cancelled, and I don't think the weather was the biggest reason as to why.
I see the potential in this show, and I'm willing to pardon this showing that I saw tonight for another one in a week or two. But on the bright side, the set is fantastic, with the landscaping department even playing a little bit of a role also. The special effects, or the potential of those that were not used, are very promising. Undoubtedly, the feeling this show gives off is probably the best of all. It is different and it is new, and sometimes that can feel weird for everyone involved. It is probably the first attempt at authenticity in a show that we've seen in 6 years now, in addition to being very reminiscent of the Old Country, and that is something I can appreciate.
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
Felt like a rehearsal. Definitely not ready for public viewing. Tons of technical problems including mic issues and nonfunctioning effects. Cast was under prepared; stunts were missed. The opening to the show was a waste of time with unneeded audience participation. I'm incredibly unimpressed.
Felt like a rehearsal. Definitely not ready for public viewing. Tons of technical problems including mic issues and nonfunctioning effects. Cast was under prepared; stunts were missed. The opening to the show was a waste of time with unneeded audience participation. I'm incredibly unimpressed.
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
audience participation is never needed. Just saying
audience participation is never needed. Just saying
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
So the big story here is that this show is far from ready... and they have decided to debut it anyway? A delay would have been far preferred to showing what has been described above.
Also, Matthew made some fantastic points about the story. What on earth would possess the park to cut the villain in the show?! Was their budget sliced to bits? Did they burn through their budget and have to work with scraps at the end? Something go horribly wrong in casting? When I see things like this, it is a HUGE red flag that someone, somewhere really fucked up. We are supposed to be past problems like this by now.
So the big story here is that this show is far from ready... and they have decided to debut it anyway? A delay would have been far preferred to showing what has been described above.
Also, Matthew made some fantastic points about the story. What on earth would possess the park to cut the villain in the show?! Was their budget sliced to bits? Did they burn through their budget and have to work with scraps at the end? Something go horribly wrong in casting? When I see things like this, it is a HUGE red flag that someone, somewhere really fucked up. We are supposed to be past problems like this by now.
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
I have heard that one of the casted main characters in the show was injured in rehearsal, which now prevents him from performing anytime soon. This could have potentially caused a big casting shuffle towards the last minute. But I would think, they should already have swing and understudy roles worked out by then.
There is a villain in the show (Milady de Winter), but it is not the correct villain or antagonist from the real Three Musketeers story (Cardinal Richelieu). They could easily explain who Richelieu is at the beginning of the show, and that Milady is just his facilitator, but they just rolled over the accuracy in the story that they appear to previously had planned, which left a sour taste in my mouth.
Zachary said:
I have heard that one of the casted main characters in the show was injured in rehearsal, which now prevents him from performing anytime soon. This could have potentially caused a big casting shuffle towards the last minute. But I would think, they should already have swing and understudy roles worked out by then.
There is a villain in the show (Milady de Winter), but it is not the correct villain or antagonist from the real Three Musketeers story (Cardinal Richelieu). They could easily explain who Richelieu is at the beginning of the show, and that Milady is just his facilitator, but they just rolled over the accuracy in the story that they appear to previously had planned, which left a sour taste in my mouth.
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
I remember thinking to myself "This show is not going to be anywhere near ready." I'm still glad that I got to see a "rehearsal". Honestly, I thought that Twas That Night was almost as bad (under-rehearsed).
Also, Milady de Winter is a (mixed-message) symbol of feminism in this show. "(as if hiding something) I am but a weak woman who bares you no harm." "I am a lady! I can handle this by myself! (kicks man in the groin)"
Most problems are due to the late sound cues. When the lady fell backwards on the bench, everyone thought it broke by accident because there was a brief pause before the next cue. The tavern scene was not rehearsed for that stage much beyond what was shown in the video that the park published.
I remember thinking to myself "This show is not going to be anywhere near ready." I'm still glad that I got to see a "rehearsal". Honestly, I thought that Twas That Night was almost as bad (under-rehearsed).
Also, Milady de Winter is a (mixed-message) symbol of feminism in this show. "(as if hiding something) I am but a weak woman who bares you no harm." "I am a lady! I can handle this by myself! (kicks man in the groin)"
Most problems are due to the late sound cues. When the lady fell backwards on the bench, everyone thought it broke by accident because there was a brief pause before the next cue. The tavern scene was not rehearsed for that stage much beyond what was shown in the video that the park published.
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
It was not good. Not good at all. I was embarrassed for the actors and the park.
I just don't understand coming off of Christmas Town, in which my opinion, has a show lineup that is so, so strong, and delivering this. They could have easily made the decision to cancel both shows on account of "weather" and taken all day today (Saturday) to rehearse if they really wanted to push this thing out this weekend.
WE knew this show was coming in February, so that means Busch knew the show was coming last year. Knock out that set ASAP in the season and get these performers properly acclimated to their stage before debuting. There are way too many moving parts in this show to not have this thing down 100% opening night so that someone doesn't get hurt.
It was a train wreck. Very disappointed in something that could have been amazing.
Edit: Furthermore, there is no reason why I, upon my first viewing, should be able to tell when a mistake is being made. And it was painfully obvious. Maybe after watching it 20 times would it be acceptable for a viewer to be able to spot when something goes wrong, but not for a show in its infancy.
It was not good. Not good at all. I was embarrassed for the actors and the park.
I just don't understand coming off of Christmas Town, in which my opinion, has a show lineup that is so, so strong, and delivering this. They could have easily made the decision to cancel both shows on account of "weather" and taken all day today (Saturday) to rehearse if they really wanted to push this thing out this weekend.
WE knew this show was coming in February, so that means Busch knew the show was coming last year. Knock out that set ASAP in the season and get these performers properly acclimated to their stage before debuting. There are way too many moving parts in this show to not have this thing down 100% opening night so that someone doesn't get hurt.
It was a train wreck. Very disappointed in something that could have been amazing.
Edit: Furthermore, there is no reason why I, upon my first viewing, should be able to tell when a mistake is being made. And it was painfully obvious. Maybe after watching it 20 times would it be acceptable for a viewer to be able to spot when something goes wrong, but not for a show in its infancy.
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
For what it's worth, 'Twas that Night was in much better shape than this show was last night. In 'Twas That Night, a few people picked up on some missed cues (I wasn't able to pick up on any, which is how it should be for my first time seeing the show), and there were a couple slip-ups, but it did not look like I was watching the first full rehearsal of the show, which is what All For One looked like last night. Actors weren't giving up by the end of the show in 'Twas that Night because of so many issues, and Phil was not shaming himself in the back of the theatre like he was last night. It was a clusterfuck and everyone there knew it.
Also, that second line "I can handle this by myself," I recall coming from Queen Anne in her and Milady's battle. It appeared to get a lot of applause from the audience. But I wouldn't really know what people were actually saying because their mics only worked 50% of the time.
CastleOSullivan said:
For what it's worth, 'Twas that Night was in much better shape than this show was last night. In 'Twas That Night, a few people picked up on some missed cues (I wasn't able to pick up on any, which is how it should be for my first time seeing the show), and there were a couple slip-ups, but it did not look like I was watching the first full rehearsal of the show, which is what All For One looked like last night. Actors weren't giving up by the end of the show in 'Twas that Night because of so many issues, and Phil was not shaming himself in the back of the theatre like he was last night. It was a clusterfuck and everyone there knew it.
Also, that second line "I can handle this by myself," I recall coming from Queen Anne in her and Milady's battle. It appeared to get a lot of applause from the audience.
But I wouldn't really know what people were actually saying because their mics only worked 50% of the time.
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
I loved 'Twas that Night. I really did. But that's subjective opinion. Like I said before, I believe that CT's shows are top notch and I cannot wrap my head around what happened to get from that quality to this.
Looking at All for One objectively, I really can't see how anyone can say that this show was ready for it's public debut. There is no way.
I appreciate the effort, I really do. I'm sure that the performers tried their best. The set looked really nice.
But someone, somewhere green lit this thing to go on stage last night. Somebody said, yup, this is a good idea, this will work. Most people recognize sh!t as soon as it hits the bowl, so I don't know what happened here.
I loved 'Twas that Night. I really did. But that's subjective opinion. Like I said before, I believe that CT's shows are top notch and I cannot wrap my head around what happened to get from that quality to this.
Looking at All for One objectively, I really can't see how anyone can say that this show was ready for it's public debut. There is no way.
I appreciate the effort, I really do. I'm sure that the performers tried their best. The set looked really nice.
But someone, somewhere green lit this thing to go on stage last night. Somebody said, yup, this is a good idea, this will work. Most people recognize sh!t as soon as it hits the bowl, so I don't know what happened here.
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
Showed up around 9:35 last night for the 10pm reserved seating showing. It was cancelled, and I heard either other guests or other employees mumbling it was because "apparently they don't know what they're doing" (referring to the show actors/directors). I also saw a bit of heat lightning, not enough to cancel the show, idk.
Note:
Did anyone see the All For One beer they have on draft? Noticed it at 2 different areas of the park. Also inside RPT they have 2 different All For One drinks, I think 1 is just the All For One beer in a "fresh cut pineapple" it said. I think the other one was some sort of All For One Frozen Drink.
Asked a few employees who brewed this "All For One" beer. One employee told me Michelob but sounded extremely unsure/wrong. She said it was an amber. I'm assuming she meant an amber ale, I'll be sure to try it next time.
Showed up around 9:35 last night for the 10pm reserved seating showing. It was cancelled, and I heard either other guests or other employees mumbling it was because "apparently they don't know what they're doing" (referring to the show actors/directors). I also saw a bit of heat lightning, not enough to cancel the show, idk.
Note:
Did anyone see the All For One beer they have on draft? Noticed it at 2 different areas of the park. Also inside RPT they have 2 different All For One drinks, I think 1 is just the All For One beer in a "fresh cut pineapple" it said. I think the other one was some sort of All For One Frozen Drink.
Asked a few employees who brewed this "All For One" beer. One employee told me Michelob but sounded extremely unsure/wrong. She said it was an amber. I'm assuming she meant an amber ale, I'll be sure to try it next time.
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
They also sell the All For One Beer at the Trapper's show grill, along with an All For One Hot Dog. They also sell other royal-themed hot dogs and bratwursts at the show grill.
They also sell the All For One Beer at the Trapper's show grill, along with an All For One Hot Dog. They also sell other royal-themed hot dogs and bratwursts at the show grill.
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
Up front I have not seen this, and it is unlikely I will. Having said that, I have noticed that here we always seem to give performers a pass.
Why do we always assume bad performances are not the actors faults? Technical issues, sure we will blame the techs, direction issues, sure the directors, marketing, you bet the marketing department. But if the performance sucks, never the actors, must the parks fault. No chance the actors did not do their part, no chance they just lack talent, no way they did not do their homework.
just saying. It is a collaborative art-form and as much as actors like to forget that factoid, it does include them.
Up front I have not seen this, and it is unlikely I will. Having said that, I have noticed that here we always seem to give performers a pass.
Why do we always assume bad performances are not the actors faults? Technical issues, sure we will blame the techs, direction issues, sure the directors, marketing, you bet the marketing department. But if the performance sucks, never the actors, must the parks fault. No chance the actors did not do their part, no chance they just lack talent, no way they did not do their homework.
just saying. It is a collaborative art-form and as much as actors like to forget that factoid, it does include them.
RE: New Show for 2016: All For One
^There were some actor faults too. After a knowing the type of people that act, you can pick up on when someone messes up, or if they are just not great in general. I tend to blame the performers last, but some were excellent acrobats, but not-so-great actors. Those individuals spoke their lines, but did not attempt to act them out.
I hesitate to give any specific examples, because I think all performers work their hearts out. Some just need more prying to get them to use enthusiasm. This is a real pain for directors, because most would rather tell performers to tone things down rather than ask for more. 'Twas That Night would have had the same problem three-fold if they gave the skaters microphones.
Anyway, here are some photos from curtain call. The costumes looked great.
^There were some actor faults too. After a knowing the type of people that act, you can pick up on when someone messes up, or if they are just not great in general. I tend to blame the performers last, but some were excellent acrobats, but not-so-great actors. Those individuals spoke their lines, but did not attempt to act them out.
I hesitate to give any specific examples, because I think all performers work their hearts out. Some just need more prying to get them to use enthusiasm. This is a real pain for directors, because most would rather tell performers to tone things down rather than ask for more. 'Twas That Night would have had the same problem three-fold if they gave the skaters microphones.
Anyway, here are some photos from curtain call. The costumes looked great.
