Roll Out the Barrel

[wombat96]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

The show just started so things such as audio will be improved over the season. Maybe it will pull a Fear Fair and go from mediocre to excellent. I will not be judging the show until I see it in person in the upcoming weeks.

 

[mtpelepele]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

My wife summed up the show as "inoffensive".  While I don't think it's a great show, and don't think it will ever be, it is miles better than Entwined.  The performers are very good at their jobs, I'm just not a huge fan of the material they were given to work with.  The acrobats were fantastic.  They pulled off a couple of stunts that I've never seen before, and while truly not necessary to the plot, were nonetheless impressive.  The sound does need some major improvement.  Between volume issues and fake German accents, it was sometimes very difficult to hear the dialog.  And just to give the Facebookers something to complain about, they did include the line "I've been brewing beer since I was 10!"

 

[CastleOSullivan]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

The sound is a major problem. However, they just installed a big new sound system. A few of the lines could use tweaking Ex.: [Ludwig: Hey Everyone! Let's show Peter what a chicken he is! (ques chicken dance)] Sigh.

 

[Jrbgwfan06]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

Or Leizl saying "...Giving folks refreshment with a lovely sounding 'Ah!'" Luckily, that was the only piece of sexual innuendo I picked up on in the show, unlike Entwined where there was multiple occasions.

 

[CastleOSullivan]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

I think there was a pretty major mess up when I saw the show. The actors finished their dialogue, which was barely audible. Suddenly there was a big awkward pause. From what I could tell, one of the actors gave the lead band member a big stare. I guess the band missed their queue. What made it worse was how the singers sounded drunk when they started the song. I'm pretty sure that was not deliberate. Although it was very embarrassing for them, it is educational for people that don't understand what goes into showbiz.

 

[Party Rocker]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

Singers for a show based on a beer fest sounding drunk just seems more authentic.

 

[Luke]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

Some more pictures...

[Instagram=https://instagram.com/p/06K16jMG5t/][instagram=https://instagram.com/p/06JzDuMG34/][instagram=https://instagram.com/p/06Xf3KsG9-/]

 

[BuschGardener]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

Nothing much to add to the conversation here - just wanted to say that I agree with the general consensus. Better than Entwined, not as good as TiO. My hope was that they were just going to give us a supercharged This is Oktoberfest, with acrobats. Sadly, they chose to try to fit a few TiO songs into a cheesy, predictable story line. I imagine this one will stick, unfortunately. But, like pretty much everyone, I'm hoping it gets more palatable with successive views.

On a (slightly) related subject, did anyone see tht they are selling growlers in the Festhaus now? I was really excited to see that on pass members preview weekend, then quite disappointed to hear that they will not be filling them... WTF? Not sure I've ever heard of a place that sells growlers and draft beer and doesn't fill them. Another failed opportunity for BG, IMHO...

So I don't go out on sad note I will say that I really like some of the Old Country, old ride Tshirts!

 

[GeoUSA]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

On a (slightly) related subject, did anyone see tht they are selling growlers in the Festhaus now? I was really excited to see that on pass members preview weekend, then quite disappointed to hear that they will not be filling them... WTF? Not sure I've ever heard of a place that sells growlers and draft beer and doesn't fill them. Another failed opportunity for BG, IMHO...

I did notice the growlers but for some reason did not expect to be able to have them filled in the park. At 64 ounces it is equivalent to 5 or 6 bottles or draft beers. Would guests pay $35 or $39 for a growler fill-up? IDK. Maybe -- I've grown accustomed to $7 or $8 brews in the park but I would hate to keep up with a growler all day. On the other hand, it would fit right in with the theming in New France!

BTW, I visit the park tomorrow and look forward to seeing the show for the first time. I will report back on the audio.

 

[Jrbgwfan06]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

The audio was still pretty bad to day. Honestly, I don't know if it was the same or worse. I don't understand how they can add all of these extra speakers, but have the audio turning out worse than it was before. I can't imagine how hard it is for a person with semi-good hearing to hear the audio in this show, because I have pretty good hearing and I have a difficult time hearing the loudest parts of the show.

 

[Nicole]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

I don't believe the Festhause was actually designed to be a theater per se. It used to have a show, based mostly on dancing, that served as background entertainment, while people ate. So, I don't think good acoustics were important. Sound quality isn't often a major design point is a restaurant.

Maybe they should go back to having more dancing and less singing and talking.

 

[CastleOSullivan]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

They can add as many speakers as they want, but if they can't fight the bad acoustics, it is all for nothing(ex:Globe Theatre). I watched the show twice yesterday. It seems they have improved a few things such as lighting. I actually fully enjoyed it the third time I watched it.

Last time I watched the show, I noticed that the costumes were literally falling apart at the seams. One of the performers got wrapped up in red thread, but he played it off very nicely. Not only do the costumes look cheap-they probably are cheap and thrown together. Maybe just a few proper embroideries could go a long way.

Edit:

I don't believe the Festhause was actually designed to be a theater per se. [...] So, I don't think good acoustics were important.

Also, traditional Bavarian music (like in TiO) was written to be played in large halls where the acoustics are bad. This kind of (partially pre-recorded) music is not designed for that type of space. That is why they have always avoided shows that don't involve either rock or Bavarian music in Das Festhaus during any season. When "This is Oktoberfest!" had a full band, they barely needed microphones, because those instruments are meant to echo in big spaces.

 

[chickenking]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

Isn't it time by now for ROTB to be listed under Current Entertainment?
The Advisory Pane shall deliberate!!

 

[Mushroom]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

Maybe they should go back to having more dancing and less singing and talking.

I think this is a point many of us have been trying to make since the debut of Entwined in 2012.

With zero experience in theater or sound, I cannot attest to the sound quality of the Festhaus, but I still agree wholeheartedly that "theater" does not belong in the Festhaus.

I don't care for following a story or trying to understand dialogue while I eat. I dislike squinting to see my food in the darkened facility. I have distaste shouting to my table mates just so they can hear me.

The thing about This Is Oktoberfest, by its very nature, was that it was meant more as a diversion to accompany the food at the beer hall. Nowadays it is the opposite, where it seems the food is the diversion for the main event, which is they show.

There are so many reasons why a "theater" show in the Festhaus is wrong, but my biggest beef is that I don't want theater while I eat. This is why I think I will always dislike any show Scott puts in here- it will always be some big, story-filled production that I simply don't care to be in the presence of while I am dining. The building just wasn't meant to hold that type of show.

It's a beer hall, not Broadway.

 

[Zimmy]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

Building acoustics are never easy, that being said usually they can be overcome with 3 things: time for tech rehearsals, money, and good design.  As with most things, I suspect we have an issue of "pick 2" here.

Sound design is a very tricky item.  Adding speakers is usually not the best answer.  Often microphone placement, in this case body mics are the biggest issue.  In the case of a space like this, proper design with a large speaker array requires multiple layers of delay and sophisticated equalization.  Feedback is the enemy and it would be a hard nut to crack in this kind of space.  The audience is very close to the strange and that makes things harder.  

Making matters worse audiences often make the mistake of believing that being close to the stage is better.  In general it is not.  Shows are designed, in all 4 major areas, scenic, lighting, costuming, and sound for MOH (Middle of house)  The worst place, for sound and scenic, is usually up against the strange.  Frankly it is damn near impossible to hit the first few rows without having huge feedback problems.  This is particularly true when there is live music and monitors.

When I go to the theater I always try to get middle of house seats as that is typically where the sweet spot lies.  

When you watch a sound designer during a tech rehearsal you will see him move around a room quiet a bit for balance.  Often the front 2 rows are write offs.  

When I saw the show they had mix down problems, but without seeing their equipment, mix, pink noise readings, delay patters, general design, micing techniques, total speaker and monitor placement et al. I have no way to say where the problem lies.

 

[GeoUSA]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

I saw ROTB for the first time at noon on Friday. It incorporates quite a few things and [gasp] includes a positive message for kids. As usual, I was seated on the back side of the stage about two tables back. I found most of the audio quality acceptable except for the dialog. Dialog was definitely coming from the new speakers suspended around the stage and it was loud, difficult to understand, and somewhat painful. I will take Zimmy's advice above and sit further away next time. I enjoyed the acrobats, the music, and [wow] even the story.

 

[chickenking]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

Until a thread appears under Current Entertainment I'll just leave this right here...

I've finally seen the show enough times where I was comfortable giving it a fair review.  It is worth noting that it has had multiple tweaks since opening day that I think helped improve it quite a bit.  ROTB clearly has elements of Entwined, The Maypole and This Is Oktoberfest at its core.  I'm not going to touch on audio issues, lighting or whether or not it belongs in Das Festhaus, etc.

I found this show to be charming and entertaining.  It has likable characters and catchy songs.  There are some familiar faces from other productions in previous seasons.  The highlights for me are:
- The many nods to TIO
- The banners/poles that the characters carry at the beginning and end of the show
- The amazing acrobatics of the Alpine Brothers!!
- The Maypole Dance
- The very animated drummer/percussionist
- The Chicken Dance & audience participation
- The "Mother"; love her personality, outfits, singing (especially that glass-shattering high note at the end) and the way she "expresses herself" and keeps the daughter and father from getting a word in while she is singing.

*Notably missing in this show is confetti, streamers and bubbles!!  My daughter and I like that stuff.

---

One rather annoying thing for me when watching this show is the way the tables have been arranged.  Instead of the straight rows that we are used to, they have now been fanned out in an attempt to make it more theater-like (I guess).  That itself doesn't really bother me.  It is the side effect created by the new arrangement.  Especially at the front end of the rows (closest to the stage), there is almost no room between the benches at the tables.  You are practically sitting in your neighbors laps and sharing their food and drinks.  It was already a tight fit in there anyway, but this has made it extremely uncomfortable.  If you are a tall guy like me then you will be hard-pressed to keep from bumping someone by just the sheer act of breathing or moving your head around.  Also at the front of the stage where the performers use the steps, the area to walk from that spot to head back out of the Festhaus is way too narrow now.  More than once I saw guests and performers get to know each other a bit too much by accident (meaning it wasn't guest interaction time).

I certainly hope the table arrangement goes back to the way they were before, or at least spread out enough where I can sit at the front end of a table near the stage without being forced to constantly bump our neighbors at the other tables.  I'm sure they are good people and won't mind so much, but come on!  Personal space...breathing room!!  As best we could tell there are no additional tables or seats so please fix this situation.

---

Anyway, to summarize...I like this new show.  Good job BGW!!

---

Also, not every show in the Festhaus has been worth watching from the backside, as the performance tends to cater towards the front (for obvious reasons).  However, ROTB was just as enjoyable for me on either side.

 

[BGW Family]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

The actual boy male should be appearing in shows now. Thus far the swing has been performing. The boards and sound system are new, but the nature of the venue will always plague this type of production in there.

I've seen worse. I've seen better. Crowd applause was tepid. I think the show could be greatly improved by more actual traditional German songs while keeping the best two originals. Rather than the other way around as it is now. It also needs more audience participation. BTW, why does everyone speak with a German accent except the boy and girl? Leaps and bounds over Entwined but not TIO.

The table fan issue is hard to see from ground level. It just looks like chaos. The public, nor I, get the artistic slant (Sorry, bad pun) of this arrangement. Almost all around were grumbling and thought Park Ops didn't know how to line tables up straight. Families with children and buggies seem to have the hardest time. Little did they know it is on purpose. The 4th worst idea for this place next to removing the round stage, Entwined, and the sea of death floor. Just put them back into rows.

Pictures from floor level does not do this mess justice.

 

[chickenking]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

It also needs more audience participation.

Do the Chicken Dance next time with me!!

I just realized this show is missing the customary drinking game associated with Festhaus shows.

 

[BGW Family]

RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

Is there room for us to the Chicken Dance now?