Roll Out the Barrel
- Thread starter Jrbgwfan06
- Start date
[split] New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel
No, there in not. I brought my nephew to the park for the Easter event that same day. He had to lead the way, because by the time I was able to join him and the others, the song was over.
By the way, you must have been there at the same time as me. I spy three others from my party.
BGW Family said:
No, there in not. I brought my nephew to the park for the Easter event that same day. He had to lead the way, because by the time I was able to join him and the others, the song was over.
By the way, you must have been there at the same time as me. I spy three others from my party.
RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel
Yes, you were. We will have to do the formal introduce thing next time I see you.
Yes, you were. We will have to do the formal introduce thing next time I see you.
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
More pictures! Love the show!
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MqJneMG-H/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MtWVmMGyT/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MDc14sGwA/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MaDFSsG0g/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MZzwZsGz8/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MZf_uMGzg/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MZMUZMGy6/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MYo0zMGyC/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MYLOysGxL/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MVGFdMG8I/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MH32FsG34/]
More pictures! Love the show!
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MqJneMG-H/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MtWVmMGyT/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MDc14sGwA/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MaDFSsG0g/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MZzwZsGz8/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MZf_uMGzg/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MZMUZMGy6/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MYo0zMGyC/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MYLOysGxL/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MVGFdMG8I/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1MH32FsG34/]
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
Something hit me when I saw the stage this past weekend. With that huge stage, how many tables were eliminated to make space? That might not seem like a big deal on a moderate to slow day, but the days where they have to control capacity, it makes a big difference. For instance, how much money did culinary lose because the seating capacity shrunk? Over time that has to add up to something and with that big stage being there now for a few years I'm sure it's a decent size number.
Something hit me when I saw the stage this past weekend. With that huge stage, how many tables were eliminated to make space? That might not seem like a big deal on a moderate to slow day, but the days where they have to control capacity, it makes a big difference. For instance, how much money did culinary lose because the seating capacity shrunk? Over time that has to add up to something and with that big stage being there now for a few years I'm sure it's a decent size number.
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
So here's my opinion: I thought the show was AMAZING. I LOVED it. I loved the whole thing, I thought it was silly, fun, the actors did a fantastic job and their voices were amazing! Plus, and yeah I'll say it, the Alpine Brothers were... shall we say... aesthetically pleasing. I was secretly routing from them the whole time. Especially the tall one. *cough* Moving on, I thought the songs were fun and I loved that they included the Chicken Dance. It's bright, it's a lot of movement, it's astonishing acrobats, and although I generally despise when theater "includes in the audience" and they come out to engage you (god I hate that) I still have to say that it was nice to see the actors come dance in the crowd and sit at the tables. I thought it was all just very wonderful and I give BGW an A+ all the way.
Also, Luke, your pictures look absolutely gorgeous. I'm assuming you studied photography? But anywho, I love your photos and I loved browsing through your Instagram photobook. Excellent photos, thank you so much for sharing with us!
So here's my opinion: I thought the show was AMAZING. I LOVED it. I loved the whole thing, I thought it was silly, fun, the actors did a fantastic job and their voices were amazing! Plus, and yeah I'll say it, the Alpine Brothers were... shall we say... aesthetically pleasing. I was secretly routing from them the whole time. Especially the tall one. *cough* Moving on, I thought the songs were fun and I loved that they included the Chicken Dance. It's bright, it's a lot of movement, it's astonishing acrobats, and although I generally despise when theater "includes in the audience" and they come out to engage you (god I hate that) I still have to say that it was nice to see the actors come dance in the crowd and sit at the tables. I thought it was all just very wonderful and I give BGW an A+ all the way.
Also, Luke, your pictures look absolutely gorgeous. I'm assuming you studied photography? But anywho, I love your photos and I loved browsing through your Instagram photobook. Excellent photos, thank you so much for sharing with us!
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
I think it's sad that only about four of the characters actually have microphones. I don't really like that new trend. At least the cast gives a good effort to pretend.
Granted, the dancing is probably better because of that. For the most part, people either love the show, or are repulsed by it.
Personally, I try to ignore the Alpine brothers. They're good, but I never liked "intimate acrobatics". They are targeted to a very specific audience like the one that created the show. I have to admit though, I love their actual strength stunts on the ground They are essentially the equivalent of the three male characters in Entwined, which I thought were completely unnecessary. At least they don't annoy me like they did.
I think it's sad that only about four of the characters actually have microphones. I don't really like that new trend. At least the cast gives a good effort to pretend.
Granted, the dancing is probably better because of that. For the most part, people either love the show, or are repulsed by it.
Personally, I try to ignore the Alpine brothers. They're good, but I never liked "intimate acrobatics". They are targeted to a very specific audience like the one that created the show. I have to admit though, I love their actual strength stunts on the ground They are essentially the equivalent of the three male characters in Entwined, which I thought were completely unnecessary. At least they don't annoy me like they did.
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
Basically this. One of the few things that annoyed me about SNM was the pre-recorded tracks to which the actors pretended it was a chorus, but it was all pre-recorded audio with maybe one singer or two actually singing, and it drowned them out frequently. I could somewhat forgive it though, because they all had microphones on and spoke or sang at some point in the show, and all of the show was mostly live singing.
But with ROTB it is absolutely ridiculous that they make all the dancers without microphones move their lips to the prerecorded audio, not only is it blatantly obvious now, but almost the complete show other than the 3 or 4 solos/duets are either prominently back up tracks with some live vocals or completely pre-recorded audio. Considering vocals and singing are one of the main draws for me to a show, it really puts a damper on the overall show for me knowing a lot of what I like in a show most is completely fake.
CastleOSullivan said:
Basically this. One of the few things that annoyed me about SNM was the pre-recorded tracks to which the actors pretended it was a chorus, but it was all pre-recorded audio with maybe one singer or two actually singing, and it drowned them out frequently. I could somewhat forgive it though, because they all had microphones on and spoke or sang at some point in the show, and all of the show was mostly live singing.
But with ROTB it is absolutely ridiculous that they make all the dancers without microphones move their lips to the prerecorded audio, not only is it blatantly obvious now, but almost the complete show other than the 3 or 4 solos/duets are either prominently back up tracks with some live vocals or completely pre-recorded audio. Considering vocals and singing are one of the main draws for me to a show, it really puts a damper on the overall show for me knowing a lot of what I like in a show most is completely fake.
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
But look how cool (and flexible) they are. I would never leave the house if I could do that.
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1WyZwIMG2i/]
~gasp!!!~CastleOSullivan said:
But look how cool (and flexible) they are. I would never leave the house if I could do that.
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/1WyZwIMG2i/]
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
Ok. I never said I wasn't jealous did I? Seriously though, I took my dad to see the show recently. I do know why, but the entire show (especially the Alpine brothers) made him cringe. I laughed it off at that time, but now I feel like the negativity of other people has wiped off on me.
I always go to the park to have fun. To me, it comes naturally. I still tend to review shows from a director's point of view. If I'm by myself, I can enjoy just about anything. However, if I realize that a show is falling short of its capabilities, I can be positive and critical in hopes that it will become a fully good show.
This one isn't far off but it isn't "TIO" yet. I just want a real German show(even more than TIO), but that won't happen at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. As the Germans often say;"Das würde unpraktisch sein! Unpraktisch!" ("That would be unpractical!")
Ok. I never said I wasn't jealous did I?
Seriously though, I took my dad to see the show recently. I do know why, but the entire show (especially the Alpine brothers) made him cringe. I laughed it off at that time, but now I feel like the negativity of other people has wiped off on me. I always go to the park to have fun. To me, it comes naturally. I still tend to review shows from a director's point of view. If I'm by myself, I can enjoy just about anything. However, if I realize that a show is falling short of its capabilities, I can be positive and critical in hopes that it will become a fully good show.
This one isn't far off but it isn't "TIO" yet. I just want a real German show(even more than TIO), but that won't happen at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. As the Germans often say;"Das würde unpraktisch sein! Unpraktisch!" ("That would be unpractical!")
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
I saw the show yesterday with my Gals. Nora who is 4 loved it. The wifey said there was way too much going on, but was impressed by the Alpine Bros. I pretty much agree with her. I liked the story. I liked the Alpine Brothers' strong presence. I'm not feeling full of negativity today so I'll just call the show only slightly disappointing, with a mild sense of clusterfart going on.
I saw the show yesterday with my Gals. Nora who is 4 loved it. The wifey said there was way too much going on, but was impressed by the Alpine Bros. I pretty much agree with her. I liked the story. I liked the Alpine Brothers' strong presence. I'm not feeling full of negativity today so I'll just call the show only slightly disappointing, with a mild sense of clusterfart going on.
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
I was pretty young but I do remember This is Octoberfest. Having said that, someone will need to explain this exceptionally high bar that TiO set. Frankly, as (again) someone who literally saw This is Octoberfest several times I'm not *entirely* sure what was so amazing that Roll Out the Barrel doesn't even compare.
I was pretty young but I do remember This is Octoberfest. Having said that, someone will need to explain this exceptionally high bar that TiO set. Frankly, as (again) someone who literally saw This is Octoberfest several times I'm not *entirely* sure what was so amazing that Roll Out the Barrel doesn't even compare.
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
I'd like to state that everyone's opinions on the shows are most likely going to differ. But for me, I found TIO to be an overall fun, enjoyable show, that just made me happy, which no other show has been able to accomplish. But I think for most everyone else who thinks TIO is better, it comes down mainly to these two points:
1. TIO fit the Festhaus the best in thematic and production terms; It's a beer hall, not a theatre.
2. TIO was a much better, less offensive representation of German traditions and Oktoberfest, which is the hamlet the Festhaus resides in.
I'd like to state that everyone's opinions on the shows are most likely going to differ. But for me, I found TIO to be an overall fun, enjoyable show, that just made me happy, which no other show has been able to accomplish. But I think for most everyone else who thinks TIO is better, it comes down mainly to these two points:
1. TIO fit the Festhaus the best in thematic and production terms; It's a beer hall, not a theatre.
2. TIO was a much better, less offensive representation of German traditions and Oktoberfest, which is the hamlet the Festhaus resides in.
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
Yeah I can see that. I think those are really good points and very true. The only thing I could possibly say to that is 1. The festhaus is, at least in its own way, a theater insomuch as it's in an amusement park and is intended to be exactly what it is (food and a show with dancing and singing and costumed spectacle), and 2. is Octoberfest and Barrel offensive? I mean, like, compared to Celtic Fyre's depiction of Irish people or London Rocks' portrayal of the current sovereign Queen of England or what have you. It's not really intended to be a commentary on German people or a reenactment of history but rather a deliberate fairy tale story that draws from German culture.
Honestly I like to imagine what these various countries would do for a show if there were a Busch Gardens Dublin or Busch Gardens Paris/Berlin/London and they were putting on a show based on their idea of American culture... lol god I don't even want to *know*.
Matthew said:
Yeah I can see that. I think those are really good points and very true. The only thing I could possibly say to that is 1. The festhaus is, at least in its own way, a theater insomuch as it's in an amusement park and is intended to be exactly what it is (food and a show with dancing and singing and costumed spectacle), and 2. is Octoberfest and Barrel offensive? I mean, like, compared to Celtic Fyre's depiction of Irish people or London Rocks' portrayal of the current sovereign Queen of England or what have you. It's not really intended to be a commentary on German people or a reenactment of history but rather a deliberate fairy tale story that draws from German culture.
Honestly I like to imagine what these various countries would do for a show if there were a Busch Gardens Dublin or Busch Gardens Paris/Berlin/London and they were putting on a show based on their idea of American culture... lol god I don't even want to *know*.
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
Germans usually just laugh it off, but aside from that, I still think it could be offensive. However, I knew what to expect before I ever saw the show.
Let me put another way.- If they fixed the costumes, and learn how to pronounce "zicke-zacke hoi! hoi! hoi!" (it literally just means zig-zag hurray!), I would forgive them. It is an American park. I don't expect perfection, but I don't like the current political cartoon style.
That being said, it is miles better than "Wunderbarn" or even the modified version of TIO. The second show literally made one of my cousins tear up from laughing so hard. At least she took it well.
Germans usually just laugh it off, but aside from that, I still think it could be offensive. However, I knew what to expect before I ever saw the show.
Let me put another way.- If they fixed the costumes, and learn how to pronounce "zicke-zacke hoi! hoi! hoi!" (it literally just means zig-zag hurray!), I would forgive them. It is an American park. I don't expect perfection, but I don't like the current political cartoon style.
That being said, it is miles better than "Wunderbarn" or even the modified version of TIO. The second show literally made one of my cousins tear up from laughing so hard. At least she took it well.
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
Audio will never improve in FestHaus until they take the audio op down from the structure over the entry way. That's a great place to put the lighting and stage manager, for choreographers, etc, but it's a total dead zone for audio. Audio needs to be down where the audience is . . . more importantly, where the SPEAKERS ARE AIMED.
/rant (that I've been saying since they put audio up there)
Audio will never improve in FestHaus until they take the audio op down from the structure over the entry way. That's a great place to put the lighting and stage manager, for choreographers, etc, but it's a total dead zone for audio. Audio needs to be down where the audience is . . . more importantly, where the SPEAKERS ARE AIMED.
/rant (that I've been saying since they put audio up there)
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
Saw the show last week.
It was okay. I neither walked away from the Festhaus praising the show (as with Celtic Fyre), nor did I come away hating it (as with Entwined). I'm honestly having trouble coming up with a sound opinion of the show. "Indifferent" is probably the best term to describe my feelings towards Roll Out The Barrel.
Let me begin by saying that the cast itself is, as always, wonderful. Unsurprisingly, the show was beautifully cast with incredibly talented performers. In particular, I felt like the young man who portrayed Peter did an excellent job of playing out the shy, kind character. The woman who played Leisl's mother (Marlena, was it?) had a fantastic singing voice, and the high note she hit at her song was without a doubt the highlight of the show.
Now, the show itself. To put its style in a word: "cartoony." It was, by design, a mere caricature of Bavaria than it was in any way accurate to Bavarian culture. As others have said, this show feels like the unholy offspring of Entwined and This Is Oktoberfest, expressing the theme of the latter with the style of the former. The show felt goofy, but intentionally so. I see no problem with a "goofy" show, but such a style just felt awkward for Das Festhaus.
Although I firmly believe Das Festhaus is not the place for a plot-heavy show, I will forgive that issue for the sake of fairly judging the show itself. The plot itself was simple, which in the wake of London Rocks' overly complicated mish-mosh of a plot, was certainly a good thing. The idea of a brewery celebrating its fortieth anniversary, and a contest to brew the best beer, is rather clever in and of itself. I think it does a good job of tying the park's fortieth anniversary with a Bavarian-themed plot. (Although I do wonder what will happen next year? Will the story be changed or will it just become independent of the park's age?) The story was easy to follow, and it wasn't jam-packed with romance or dick jokes. I honestly enjoyed the "brewing contest" plot.
As usual, I think the execution of the show is where things get a bit shaky. In some parts, there was simply too much going on. The stage often felt too busy to concentrate on the scene's focal point. Some parts of the show were just weird. The nutcrackers, for instance, just seemed silly and unnecessary, and that was a trend that continued throughout the show. The chicken dance felt forced. While energetic, the show seemed almost too full of false cheer, and it grew annoying.
Two things that kind of bothered me: they do a variation of the "Zicke-Zacke Hoi Hoi Hoi!" cheer from This Is Oktoberfest, but said "Ticke-Tacke Ticke-Tacke Hoi Hoi Hoi!" instead. It felt very forced, and it was surely meant as an homage to This Is Oktoberfest, it felt more like a slap in the face. I also disliked the table configuration surrounding the stage. I'm not sure if they were aiming for a more "theatrical" arrangement or what, but it looked and felt awkward and uncomfortable.
For Luke's sake, I'll add that I thought the Alpine Brothers did a good job of adding another dimension to show, without becoming overly annoying as in Entwined. Their athletic talents complimented the show, rather than overpowered it.
There has been past debate over the word "classy" on here, but I say with confidence that Roll Out The Barrel certainly wasn't it. Again, that was by design, and I cannot fault the final product for lacking in a quality it was not meant to have. With that said, I think I will automatically dislike something that is not of a more realistic, (somewhat) accurate, "classy" (pardon the opinionated term) show in Das Festhaus, because that is what I have always come to expect from that building.
To describe the feel of the show, Roll Out The Barrel honestly felt like a cheesy Disney flick. The show's antagonist, Ludwig, was the spitting image of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. Then you have your classic tale of a kind little nobody falling in love with a beautiful, prominent woman, whom he thinks is only interested in the antagonist, and then he and said woman eventually fall in love and live happily ever after. I legitimately think likening Roll Out The Barrel to a cheesy Disney flick is the most sound conclusion I can make.
tl;dr Roll Out The Barrel wasn't a bad show by any means, and it had a marvelous cast, but I did not walk away wowed. I do not feel the need to see it more than once or twice more this season. I think another member summed it up best, calling it "inoffensive." That is how I would describe the show's impact. It certainly didn't carry the wave of success brought upon by Scrooge No More, but it didn't make wish to spontaneously combust as did Entwined. I guess it staked out a somewhat comfortable middle ground.
With that said, I'd take back the rising stage and good ol' This Is Oktoberfest any day.
Saw the show last week.
It was okay. I neither walked away from the Festhaus praising the show (as with Celtic Fyre), nor did I come away hating it (as with Entwined). I'm honestly having trouble coming up with a sound opinion of the show. "Indifferent" is probably the best term to describe my feelings towards Roll Out The Barrel.
Let me begin by saying that the cast itself is, as always, wonderful. Unsurprisingly, the show was beautifully cast with incredibly talented performers. In particular, I felt like the young man who portrayed Peter did an excellent job of playing out the shy, kind character. The woman who played Leisl's mother (Marlena, was it?) had a fantastic singing voice, and the high note she hit at her song was without a doubt the highlight of the show.
Now, the show itself. To put its style in a word: "cartoony." It was, by design, a mere caricature of Bavaria than it was in any way accurate to Bavarian culture. As others have said, this show feels like the unholy offspring of Entwined and This Is Oktoberfest, expressing the theme of the latter with the style of the former. The show felt goofy, but intentionally so. I see no problem with a "goofy" show, but such a style just felt awkward for Das Festhaus.
Although I firmly believe Das Festhaus is not the place for a plot-heavy show, I will forgive that issue for the sake of fairly judging the show itself. The plot itself was simple, which in the wake of London Rocks' overly complicated mish-mosh of a plot, was certainly a good thing. The idea of a brewery celebrating its fortieth anniversary, and a contest to brew the best beer, is rather clever in and of itself. I think it does a good job of tying the park's fortieth anniversary with a Bavarian-themed plot. (Although I do wonder what will happen next year? Will the story be changed or will it just become independent of the park's age?) The story was easy to follow, and it wasn't jam-packed with romance or dick jokes. I honestly enjoyed the "brewing contest" plot.
As usual, I think the execution of the show is where things get a bit shaky. In some parts, there was simply too much going on. The stage often felt too busy to concentrate on the scene's focal point. Some parts of the show were just weird. The nutcrackers, for instance, just seemed silly and unnecessary, and that was a trend that continued throughout the show. The chicken dance felt forced. While energetic, the show seemed almost too full of false cheer, and it grew annoying.
Two things that kind of bothered me: they do a variation of the "Zicke-Zacke Hoi Hoi Hoi!" cheer from This Is Oktoberfest, but said "Ticke-Tacke Ticke-Tacke Hoi Hoi Hoi!" instead. It felt very forced, and it was surely meant as an homage to This Is Oktoberfest, it felt more like a slap in the face. I also disliked the table configuration surrounding the stage. I'm not sure if they were aiming for a more "theatrical" arrangement or what, but it looked and felt awkward and uncomfortable.
For Luke's sake, I'll add that I thought the Alpine Brothers did a good job of adding another dimension to show, without becoming overly annoying as in Entwined. Their athletic talents complimented the show, rather than overpowered it.
There has been past debate over the word "classy" on here, but I say with confidence that Roll Out The Barrel certainly wasn't it. Again, that was by design, and I cannot fault the final product for lacking in a quality it was not meant to have. With that said, I think I will automatically dislike something that is not of a more realistic, (somewhat) accurate, "classy" (pardon the opinionated term) show in Das Festhaus, because that is what I have always come to expect from that building.
To describe the feel of the show, Roll Out The Barrel honestly felt like a cheesy Disney flick. The show's antagonist, Ludwig, was the spitting image of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. Then you have your classic tale of a kind little nobody falling in love with a beautiful, prominent woman, whom he thinks is only interested in the antagonist, and then he and said woman eventually fall in love and live happily ever after. I legitimately think likening Roll Out The Barrel to a cheesy Disney flick is the most sound conclusion I can make.
tl;dr Roll Out The Barrel wasn't a bad show by any means, and it had a marvelous cast, but I did not walk away wowed. I do not feel the need to see it more than once or twice more this season. I think another member summed it up best, calling it "inoffensive." That is how I would describe the show's impact. It certainly didn't carry the wave of success brought upon by Scrooge No More, but it didn't make wish to spontaneously combust as did Entwined. I guess it staked out a somewhat comfortable middle ground.
With that said, I'd take back the rising stage and good ol' This Is Oktoberfest any day.
RE: Roll Out the Barrel (2015 to Present)
A lot of actual theaters keep their audio techs dead center up near the top of the theater. The issue is the design of the building itself and how to work around that. Mainly, where to place speakers appropriately, adjust their settings like volume, etc.
To me, it sounds like they need to turn the mics up and the background music down.
freyja said:
A lot of actual theaters keep their audio techs dead center up near the top of the theater. The issue is the design of the building itself and how to work around that. Mainly, where to place speakers appropriately, adjust their settings like volume, etc.
To me, it sounds like they need to turn the mics up and the background music down.