Fiends
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RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
Saw two 'Fiends' shows yesterday. The show has evolved since last weekend. Some of the trouble spots have been fixed, and the performance has tightened up.
- Watching the recordings I made last Sunday confirmed that the doctor was lip syncing 'Thriller' all day. The lip syncing was gone yesterday, and both performances were well sung by the doctor.
- The "How do I turn you on?" blocking was modified so the doctor doesn't actually touch the nurses behinds. Bummer. (So to speak.)
- Comedic timing and delivery on several jokes is much improved.
- The 'creature from the fat lagoon' joke is condensed to a single line. Eliminated 'Oh, no, he didn't!'
- Timing on 'not that switch' improved.
- Timing on 'Really? Really?' improved.
Technical problems with wireless mics still persist. Igor switched to a handheld mic in one of the shows. The last show of the night had no issues.
So, for those of you, who wrote the show off after the first weekend, don't despair. Problems are being fixed and improvements being made. I realize that the footage I recorded the first weekend will be obsolete by the end of the run. It's going to be a different (and better) show.
Saw two 'Fiends' shows yesterday. The show has evolved since last weekend. Some of the trouble spots have been fixed, and the performance has tightened up.
- Watching the recordings I made last Sunday confirmed that the doctor was lip syncing 'Thriller' all day. The lip syncing was gone yesterday, and both performances were well sung by the doctor.
- The "How do I turn you on?" blocking was modified so the doctor doesn't actually touch the nurses behinds. Bummer. (So to speak.)
- Comedic timing and delivery on several jokes is much improved.
- The 'creature from the fat lagoon' joke is condensed to a single line. Eliminated 'Oh, no, he didn't!'
- Timing on 'not that switch' improved.
- Timing on 'Really? Really?' improved.
Technical problems with wireless mics still persist. Igor switched to a handheld mic in one of the shows. The last show of the night had no issues.
So, for those of you, who wrote the show off after the first weekend, don't despair. Problems are being fixed and improvements being made. I realize that the footage I recorded the first weekend will be obsolete by the end of the run. It's going to be a different (and better) show.
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
Thanks Todd. I was at the 1:00pm show and did hear the "Oh no he didn't!" Line. The Doctor and Igor both had mic problems. I wish hey would say "back" instead of "fat".
That being said, I ran into a few friends/fiends and enjoyed the show.
Thanks Todd. I was at the 1:00pm show and did hear the "Oh no he didn't!" Line. The Doctor and Igor both had mic problems. I wish hey would say "back" instead of "fat".
That being said, I ran into a few friends/fiends and enjoyed the show.
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
I'm glad that the timing is getting fixed, but my issue wasn't really with the execution from the actors, but the dialog and tone of the show. From what you said, they're modifying some of the jokes which I'm happy to hear about, but there's no reason they can't go back to the show from last year.
I'm glad that the timing is getting fixed, but my issue wasn't really with the execution from the actors, but the dialog and tone of the show. From what you said, they're modifying some of the jokes which I'm happy to hear about, but there's no reason they can't go back to the show from last year.
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
I knew somebody else besides me would have a problem with that line. It's rather insulting.chickenking said:I wish hey would say "back" instead of "fat".
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
Yes. The doctor is not a nice person. He insults his minions. He is sexist. He is mean. He is egotistical. He plans to do evil. This is why his servants rebel, chain him to an electrified fence, and FRY HIS BRAINS OUT. And then dance with glee, while the audience claps.
<edit> Sorry. That was a bit snarky. I usually don't show that side of my sense of humor except to very close friends.
Yes. The doctor is not a nice person. He insults his minions. He is sexist. He is mean. He is egotistical. He plans to do evil. This is why his servants rebel, chain him to an electrified fence, and FRY HIS BRAINS OUT. And then dance with glee, while the audience claps.
<edit> Sorry. That was a bit snarky. I usually don't show that side of my sense of humor except to very close friends.
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
^
Well then, I am grateful to be counted amongst them Todd.
It wasn't anything I took personally, I just don't get it. I mean, The Creature, he isn't really overweight or anything. I can only assume this line was changed 'cause maybe some folks either didn't catch "back" vs. "black", or more likely that it was intended to be as mean as possible. He is eeeeeeeeeeeevvil after all.
^
Well then, I am grateful to be counted amongst them Todd.
It wasn't anything I took personally, I just don't get it. I mean, The Creature, he isn't really overweight or anything. I can only assume this line was changed 'cause maybe some folks either didn't catch "back" vs. "black", or more likely that it was intended to be as mean as possible. He is eeeeeeeeeeeevvil after all.
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
I'm right there with y'all. I personally loved the whole "back lagoon" joke. His little lisp when he talks just fits that joke so much better. The fat joke just seems childish for such a 'mature' show.
I'm right there with y'all. I personally loved the whole "back lagoon" joke. His little lisp when he talks just fits that joke so much better. The fat joke just seems childish for such a 'mature' show.
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
I'm too tired to report how I feel about Fiends tonight.
But, let it be known. I feel like a best friend betrayed me.
I'm too tired to report how I feel about Fiends tonight.
But, let it be known. I feel like a best friend betrayed me.
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
Alright, now that I'm more awake, I can finally say what I feel about Fiends this year. It's a mixture of hurt, betrayal, and wtf is this nonsense.
I'll start with what bothers me the most. Simply put, it's the werewolf.
(I can tolerate the next following issues. But, they are still things I have problems with.)
The next issue I have is probably Freakenstein and Simplicity singing Thriller. And this is more based on the fact that, every actor will interpret the role they are given differently. I understand this. But, the way he sings Thriller, I don't care for it. It doesn't seem like he's into it. He sort of speak-sings the words. What makes it worse, is Simplicity in turn belts out the song. So it's going from quiet to loud back to quiet, and so on and so forth. He got a bit louder towards the end, but it still didn't work with Simplicity's singing.
Was it just me, or was Simplicity constantly switching between her accents. She went from like the normal regional accent from this area to a sort of weird New York-ish accent. I really caught it when she said "Whot parts do ya' need Doctah." I don't know the reasoning for the accent switch, because by the end of the show she was speaking with, what I consider to be a normal accent. Pick an accent, stick with it, don't switch during the show.
Everything else is along the lines of, they overdid the sex jokes. It made it feel like I was watching some dumb comedy movie made in recent years. I specifically don't watch comedy movies now, because I never find them funny. Why would I want to watch to watch a show at a theme park that follows the same tropes. Sex jokes are alright in a show, when done properly and are not overused. We get it already Simplicity and Freakenstein like to have sex a lot. Please move on to the next joke.
The fourth wall breaks are terrible. If I'm supposed to be in a Doctor's lab, don't remind me that I'm only at a theme park. I'm supposed to believe that I'm there with you . Fourth Wall Breaks can be great additions to a script, don't get me wrong. But, they have to be made just at the right moments. None of the breaks worked.
I still hate the sparkly bras the nurses wear. I hate their partially sparkled panties even more though. It's unnecessary. But, I'll end the nurse outfit discussion there, because you all know my opinions on the matter, so I'd be beating a dead horse.
Otherwise, small things I noticed. (these aren't really complaints, just things i noticed.) Simplicity (And the nurses selling alcohol), all have had their aprons changed. They now have red ties around their waist instead of white ones. One nurse, after the doctor's failure walked over and put her face in another nurse's breasts. And the vampire after the finale, when holding the nurse, did the tongue flicking thing.
I have loved Fiends, since it's original version. I have loved the nurses and Dr. Freakenstein since then. I can easily say now that, to me, this is the worst version of Fiends. This is worse than the final year of Fiends in the Festhaus before they brought it back in 2011. And that version had a sock puppet Igor.
Alright, now that I'm more awake, I can finally say what I feel about Fiends this year. It's a mixture of hurt, betrayal, and wtf is this nonsense.
I'll start with what bothers me the most. Simply put, it's the werewolf.
When I said this, I wasn't expecting what I saw yesterday. When I said this, I was expecting more movement, more owning of the stage, more being a sinister werewolf. What I got was, wolf humps stage, wolf humps air, wolf shoves his hairy hidden dick in some poor woman's face, and pelvic thrusts towards her. Wolf jiggling his hairy ass after his song is over. I can't even comprehend how any of this is remotely attractive. I can't begin to understand how there were women in the audience cheering like it was the sexiest thing on the planet. Are we looking at the same person? The guy is in a suit of hair. Hair. It was gross last year, it's even worse this year. The Werewolf is my biggest disappointment with the show. If his whole routine was changed back to the way it was last year, I could tolerate the show. Hell, I could probably learn to love the show again.Applesauce said:
(I can tolerate the next following issues. But, they are still things I have problems with.)
The next issue I have is probably Freakenstein and Simplicity singing Thriller. And this is more based on the fact that, every actor will interpret the role they are given differently. I understand this. But, the way he sings Thriller, I don't care for it. It doesn't seem like he's into it. He sort of speak-sings the words. What makes it worse, is Simplicity in turn belts out the song. So it's going from quiet to loud back to quiet, and so on and so forth. He got a bit louder towards the end, but it still didn't work with Simplicity's singing.
Was it just me, or was Simplicity constantly switching between her accents. She went from like the normal regional accent from this area to a sort of weird New York-ish accent. I really caught it when she said "Whot parts do ya' need Doctah." I don't know the reasoning for the accent switch, because by the end of the show she was speaking with, what I consider to be a normal accent. Pick an accent, stick with it, don't switch during the show.
Everything else is along the lines of, they overdid the sex jokes. It made it feel like I was watching some dumb comedy movie made in recent years. I specifically don't watch comedy movies now, because I never find them funny. Why would I want to watch to watch a show at a theme park that follows the same tropes. Sex jokes are alright in a show, when done properly and are not overused. We get it already Simplicity and Freakenstein like to have sex a lot. Please move on to the next joke.
The fourth wall breaks are terrible. If I'm supposed to be in a Doctor's lab, don't remind me that I'm only at a theme park. I'm supposed to believe that I'm there with you . Fourth Wall Breaks can be great additions to a script, don't get me wrong. But, they have to be made just at the right moments. None of the breaks worked.
I still hate the sparkly bras the nurses wear. I hate their partially sparkled panties even more though. It's unnecessary. But, I'll end the nurse outfit discussion there, because you all know my opinions on the matter, so I'd be beating a dead horse.
Otherwise, small things I noticed. (these aren't really complaints, just things i noticed.) Simplicity (And the nurses selling alcohol), all have had their aprons changed. They now have red ties around their waist instead of white ones. One nurse, after the doctor's failure walked over and put her face in another nurse's breasts. And the vampire after the finale, when holding the nurse, did the tongue flicking thing.
I have loved Fiends, since it's original version. I have loved the nurses and Dr. Freakenstein since then. I can easily say now that, to me, this is the worst version of Fiends. This is worse than the final year of Fiends in the Festhaus before they brought it back in 2011. And that version had a sock puppet Igor.
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
This. So much this.
There was this rather brilliant part in last year's show that I'm not sure most people payed too much attention to. When the vampire came out and the first line of music played ("Shot through the heart, and your to blame"), everybody looked around as if wondering where the music was coming from. This is a subtle and well executed fourth wall joke because it simple, short, and didn't yell out "HEY, THIS IS A FOURTH WALL JOKE." This year, we have a few minutes going on about motive and whatnot that only is for a fourth wall joke of, "Hey, you guys are actually seeing a show in a theme park. Isn't that funny? LAUGH!!!!1". I said this before, but it feels like comparing an episode of Community to an episode of Two and a Half Men. Both are technically comedies, but one gets it's laughs by being smart the other gets it's laughs by lowering the expectations of the audience.
This. So much this.
There was this rather brilliant part in last year's show that I'm not sure most people payed too much attention to. When the vampire came out and the first line of music played ("Shot through the heart, and your to blame"), everybody looked around as if wondering where the music was coming from. This is a subtle and well executed fourth wall joke because it simple, short, and didn't yell out "HEY, THIS IS A FOURTH WALL JOKE." This year, we have a few minutes going on about motive and whatnot that only is for a fourth wall joke of, "Hey, you guys are actually seeing a show in a theme park. Isn't that funny? LAUGH!!!!1". I said this before, but it feels like comparing an episode of Community to an episode of Two and a Half Men. Both are technically comedies, but one gets it's laughs by being smart the other gets it's laughs by lowering the expectations of the audience.
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
I miss the barbie doll/stepford wife/hive mentality of the nurses this year, if you know what I'm talking about. They only really have it when Igor runs back on the stage after his "trip".
I miss the barbie doll/stepford wife/hive mentality of the nurses this year, if you know what I'm talking about. They only really have it when Igor runs back on the stage after his "trip".
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
I'm sorry but Fiends was awful tonight. The show's quality seems to be degrading every time I see it and, in some feeble attempt to save it, the cast seems to be pushing every boundary imaginable. I won't detail what all happened at tonight's show, but I thoroughly believe multiple things in tonight's final showing were simply unacceptable for a theme park show. The cast is pushing things too far and it's just making the show worse.
Also, the creature's mic was completely dead for the entire final show tonight and he was forced to use a handheld mic for his whole performance. Why are the headsets so hard to keep working?
Lastly, who the hell put the werewolf in cut-offs? I've seen some stupid things added to this year's Fiends, but this takes the cake.
I'm sorry but Fiends was awful tonight. The show's quality seems to be degrading every time I see it and, in some feeble attempt to save it, the cast seems to be pushing every boundary imaginable. I won't detail what all happened at tonight's show, but I thoroughly believe multiple things in tonight's final showing were simply unacceptable for a theme park show. The cast is pushing things too far and it's just making the show worse.
Also, the creature's mic was completely dead for the entire final show tonight and he was forced to use a handheld mic for his whole performance. Why are the headsets so hard to keep working?
Lastly, who the hell put the werewolf in cut-offs? I've seen some stupid things added to this year's Fiends, but this takes the cake.
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
We got to see Fiends for the first time this past Friday evening and it was okay.
The main singing nurse's mic was so very loud that we all cringed when she sang the first song with the Doctor. Luckily by the "Eye of the Tiger" song she was back down and we could enjoy it.
We also noticed that she kept switching up accents and trying to sing with the accent. Odd.
The Vampire's pants left very little to the imagination. We were cracking up over this.
But my two favorites Igor and the Creature did wonderful jobs. They were on point and making us laugh like they always do. Fiends was a good show all in all.
We had the most fun sitting right outside of the AbbeyStone bar at a table and watching men walk past the bar, stop and do a double take when they saw the nurses serving drinks and then say to their group "Hey I think I need a drink".
We got to see Fiends for the first time this past Friday evening and it was okay.
The main singing nurse's mic was so very loud that we all cringed when she sang the first song with the Doctor. Luckily by the "Eye of the Tiger" song she was back down and we could enjoy it.
We also noticed that she kept switching up accents and trying to sing with the accent. Odd.
The Vampire's pants left very little to the imagination. We were cracking up over this.
But my two favorites Igor and the Creature did wonderful jobs. They were on point and making us laugh like they always do. Fiends was a good show all in all.
We had the most fun sitting right outside of the AbbeyStone bar at a table and watching men walk past the bar, stop and do a double take when they saw the nurses serving drinks and then say to their group "Hey I think I need a drink".
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
Do they strap you to the table and "inoculate" you?
Do they strap you to the table and "inoculate" you?
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
Hee, hee. I think I get as much entertainment from Zachary's indignant Monday posts as I get from the park on Sunday evenings. I saw three Fiends shows yesterday. First show sat with regulars who thought it gets better every weekend. Second show sat with a goth girl, replete with fangs, who was entranced by the vampire. We took turns playing with the smoke that rolls off the stage in the beginning of the show. Last show sat with a couple who saw Celtic Fyre regularly with their kids all summer. They laughed most at the over-the-top antics of the werewolf.
One can only hope. Personally, I'm imagining pasties.
Hence the person walking around the line area with the huge blinking "adult content" sign.
And, here we get to the crux of the matter. They are definitely getting wilder, but "worse" is in the eye of the beholder. Your taste may not be my taste. The most over-the-top stuff gets the biggest laughs. In a show like this, I would argue that you can't get too campy and over-the-top. That's what makes the show fun.
Completely agree with you on this one.
I think it gives him a bit of a classic 'Teen Wolf' vibe. Crossed with The Hulk. (The originals, not the recycled "updates" from recent years.) Also, the cut-offs cover up the fact that the crotch was ripping out of the costume. And, he looks less like a "Furry". The shorts, in combination with his more authentically canine reactions to the nurses, were one of the best improvements to the show.
In the second show I saw, there were on-break cast members in the audience, including Igor and some of the dancers. For the last show, a lot of the Blood Banquet cast members showed up. That just made the on-stage performers ham it up even more.
I'm ehh on the new Nurse Simplicity. Her singing is better matched to the Doctor's, though, honestly, mismatched singing levels are the fault of the soundboard technicians, not the performers. I understand her trashy New Jersey accent, and it might be funnier if she could hold it through all the dialog and the singing, but it pops in and out. I'm personally repelled by the whole Jersey girl thing. It's more plausible to me that a mad scientist who creates his own fantasy 'assistants' would give them English or French accents, but there is no accounting for taste.
So, consider this the thumbs-up contrast to Zachary's thumbs-down.
Zachary said:
Hee, hee. I think I get as much entertainment from Zachary's indignant Monday posts as I get from the park on Sunday evenings. I saw three Fiends shows yesterday. First show sat with regulars who thought it gets better every weekend. Second show sat with a goth girl, replete with fangs, who was entranced by the vampire. We took turns playing with the smoke that rolls off the stage in the beginning of the show. Last show sat with a couple who saw Celtic Fyre regularly with their kids all summer. They laughed most at the over-the-top antics of the werewolf.
Zachary said:
One can only hope. Personally, I'm imagining pasties.
Zachary said:
Hence the person walking around the line area with the huge blinking "adult content" sign.
Zachary said:
And, here we get to the crux of the matter. They are definitely getting wilder, but "worse" is in the eye of the beholder. Your taste may not be my taste. The most over-the-top stuff gets the biggest laughs. In a show like this, I would argue that you can't get too campy and over-the-top. That's what makes the show fun.
Zachary said:
Completely agree with you on this one.
Zachary said:
I think it gives him a bit of a classic 'Teen Wolf' vibe. Crossed with The Hulk. (The originals, not the recycled "updates" from recent years.) Also, the cut-offs cover up the fact that the crotch was ripping out of the costume. And, he looks less like a "Furry". The shorts, in combination with his more authentically canine reactions to the nurses, were one of the best improvements to the show.
In the second show I saw, there were on-break cast members in the audience, including Igor and some of the dancers. For the last show, a lot of the Blood Banquet cast members showed up. That just made the on-stage performers ham it up even more.
I'm ehh on the new Nurse Simplicity. Her singing is better matched to the Doctor's, though, honestly, mismatched singing levels are the fault of the soundboard technicians, not the performers. I understand her trashy New Jersey accent, and it might be funnier if she could hold it through all the dialog and the singing, but it pops in and out. I'm personally repelled by the whole Jersey girl thing. It's more plausible to me that a mad scientist who creates his own fantasy 'assistants' would give them English or French accents, but there is no accounting for taste.
So, consider this the thumbs-up contrast to Zachary's thumbs-down.
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
^^
Todd, you 'da man!! Love your take on the show; irregardless of any issues. I noticed the ripped-out crotch hole on Friday and was like... :shocked: Is this part of the show? Them Naughty Nurses being REAL naughty.
^^
Todd, you 'da man!! Love your take on the show; irregardless of any issues. I noticed the ripped-out crotch hole on Friday and was like... :shocked: Is this part of the show? Them Naughty Nurses being REAL naughty.
RE: Fiends (2011 to Present)
There is a certain point where the show can get too sexy. Last year's was great because, while it was sexy, it was able to show restraint and was able to fit in well with the goofy aspects of the show. Now there are two different extremes when it comes to "goofy" and "sexy" it simply clashes with each other. There's also a certain amount of plausable deniability, if you make sex too strong, it becomes the focus of the show to more and more people. While I'm certainly not really offended by the increased sex in the show, I feel it's certainly worse off and cheaper for doing so. (Being cheap instead of quality seems to be a running theme this year)
Also, face humping guests is not cool, especially in that ratty, unsexy fur suit...
There is a certain point where the show can get too sexy. Last year's was great because, while it was sexy, it was able to show restraint and was able to fit in well with the goofy aspects of the show. Now there are two different extremes when it comes to "goofy" and "sexy" it simply clashes with each other. There's also a certain amount of plausable deniability, if you make sex too strong, it becomes the focus of the show to more and more people. While I'm certainly not really offended by the increased sex in the show, I feel it's certainly worse off and cheaper for doing so. (Being cheap instead of quality seems to be a running theme this year)
Also, face humping guests is not cool, especially in that ratty, unsexy fur suit...