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

Just saw Luke's pictures of the stage. Barf! I hope it looks better in person and I still have high hopes for the show, but it looks like a Michael's store exploded in there!
 
RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

I have not seen the show yet, but I am going to see it tomorrow. The thing that worries me the most is the costumes. Even if the show itself is so fantastic, those costumes are horrible in my opinion. I realize most of the designs are recycled from several old Illuminights shows, but those costumes were horrible too.

Keep in mind; even though I am half German, I tend to give plenty of leeway to American productions about Germany. With that being said, I look forward to seeing it tomorrow, and I hope to write an extensive review on the show at some point.
 
RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

CastleOSullivan said:
I have not seen the show yet, but I am going to see it tomorrow. The thing that worries me the most is the costumes. Even if the show itself is so fantastic, those costumes are horrible in my opinion. I realize most of the designs are recycled from several old Illuminights shows, but those costumes were horrible too.

Keep in mind; even though I am half German, I tend to give plenty of leeway to American productions about Germany. With that being said, I look forward to seeing it tomorrow, and I hope to write an extensive review on the show at some point.
Looking forward to your review. And yes, those costumes are horrendous...doesn't matter what country you come from! Let's hope that those pictures are old or something.
 
RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

Wait until you guys see the lead dressed like Elsa towards the end of the show.
 
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RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

From what I've seen, Roll Out The Barrel looks like the "Dullsburg" portion of Entwined stretched into a full show.

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

flamanar said:
CastleOSullivan said:
I have not seen the show yet, but I am going to see it tomorrow. The thing that worries me the most is the costumes. Even if the show itself is so fantastic, those costumes are horrible in my opinion. I realize most of the designs are recycled from several old Illuminights shows, but those costumes were horrible too.

Keep in mind; even though I am half German, I tend to give plenty of leeway to American productions about Germany. With that being said, I look forward to seeing it tomorrow, and I hope to write an extensive review on the show at some point.
Looking forward to your review.  And yes, those costumes are horrendous...doesn't matter what country you come from!  Let's hope that those pictures are old or something.

Why would the pictures be old? It's a brand new show. Expect to be let down....
 
RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

Griffon said:
flamanar said:
CastleOSullivan said:
I have not seen the show yet, but I am going to see it tomorrow. The thing that worries me the most is the costumes. Even if the show itself is so fantastic, those costumes are horrible in my opinion. I realize most of the designs are recycled from several old Illuminights shows, but those costumes were horrible too.

Keep in mind; even though I am half German, I tend to give plenty of leeway to American productions about Germany. With that being said, I look forward to seeing it tomorrow, and I hope to write an extensive review on the show at some point.
Looking forward to your review.  And yes, those costumes are horrendous...doesn't matter what country you come from!  Let's hope that those pictures are old or something.

Why would the pictures be old?  It's a brand new show.  Expect to be let down....
I was grasping at any kind of hope that those costumes would somehow not be used at all in the new 'show'...regardless of how far-fetched and impossible that hope may be. I'm still trying to be optimistic, but those pictures put a SERIOUS dent in any kind of real hope that I had that this show would be, at the least, 'tolerable'. Sorry for the confusion. I'd like to formally request a REALISTIC German Oktoberfest experience, please...oh, that's right. It was canceled :/
 
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RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

My opinion on the show so far: I had a headache during and shortly after the show, but I want to give it another chance. Before I get to the show; the sound was horrible, in spite of all the new speakers they set up. Hopefully that will be fixed soon. Until then, it will be hard for me to judge how good or bad this show is.

That being said, it could have been much worse than what it turned out to be. I don't think the show itself is the problem. The concept of the show is where the problem lies, in my opinion. I think the concept is very frenzied for one thing, but above all it is incredibly racist. I don't even want to mention the stereotypes that they use because that would sound just as racist-- even coming from me. The fact that they call the town "Schmalzenburg" is bad enough. In English, that essentially means "Crooning Town". It gives off the idea that Bavarians are all about fake love that you only find in the story book.

The entrance into Das Festhaus was actually pretty decent. I liked how they played an instrumental version of "Here Comes the King" before the show started. It was a very exaggerated version of the German sounding song, which helped set the mood of the show.

I could go on and on about what I liked and what I didn't like, but to me, this will never be "This is Oktoberfest!". TiO was never really perfect(at least since the loss of the Burgermeister), but even in it's watered-down state, it portrayed the essence of Oktoberfest in a much more appropriate manner. That is something that this show simply cannot do, no matter how much they tweak the authenticity of minor details. I am slightly more optimistic however, because now that I have seen the show, I know what to expect. I hope seriously that the sound system will improve. Then, maybe I can watch this show and enjoy it. I can enjoy just about anything if I give myself the right mindset. I just dislike having to change my mindset that much to enjoy a show. Hopefully, as the year goes by I can give a more optimistic review.

[tweet=https://twitter.com/CastleOSullivan/status/581978565148831745/photo/1]
 
RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

I found this show to be a massive thing of the Entertainment department wanting to have the best of both worlds. It reminds me of the current soundtrack in Banbury Cross, they want to please us by playing the classical music, but also want to do what they want by playing the LR soundtrack. In this case, they want to please us by giving us the Oktoberfest Elements to the show, but also want to have their way by altering it into an Entwined/Wunderbarn feel. This was very apparent to me, they added a storyline and the tacky elements to the show, but used a TIO layout. I just think they need to accept the fact most people do not want or like their "concepts" and go back to actually pleasing their fans again, and not themselves.

As for the show itself, I'm honestly kind of neutral. Was it the worst thing ever? No, I could probably sit through it again and enjoy some aspects of it. Would I want TIO, even the watered down version back? Absolutely. The thing here is that I couldn't pick up on a lot of the offensive German references as COS did, so it doesn't play a huge role in my view of the show.
 
RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

Thanks to both of you for your opinions/thoughts about the new show. It doesn't sound at all promising. My personal view is that if you have to 'get used to' something by viewing it again and again...then it wasn't good to begin with. Something REALLY good/fantastic will blow you away the first time out of the gates. When you exit the venue, it would make you say to the person you're with, "WOAH! That show was awesome!". If a show doesn't do that for me (and yes, I HAVE said that about past shows at BGW), then I don't feel the need to see it 'x' amount more times...in order to eventually 'like it', or at least not hate it. Again, personal opinion. Why do they always try to do things WAY 'over-the-top'??!! How about a nice show that doesn't have flags, banners, gaudy colors, glitter, gimmicks, acrobats, jugglers and confetti shot in your face. That would be a welcome change of pace. Asking for too much as usual.
 
RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

I loooved the Alpine Brothers
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/0wKAQlMG-A/]

Here are some other pics.
I haz a pretzel on my shirt.
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/0v-rhlsG2X/]
I haz a key.
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/0v-SwcsG1q/]
Something Something
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/0v9ntBMG0c/]
Something
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/0v8V3LsGyK/]
Yaaay Alpine Brother
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/0v8GH8MGxy/]
Something (I'm not good at coming up with captions)
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/0v7TQFMGwW/]
Yaaay Alpine Brothers
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/0v7FUVsG_6/]
Dear Virginia Gazette...
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RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

There may be many things I don't like about this show, but I could honestly go see it just to hear the lead female's solo, not only do I find the song to be really funny, but she had a great voice, and she hits a note at the end of her solo that just left me wanting more.
 
RE: New Das Festhaus Show for 2015: Roll Out the Barrel

We saw it today. After the show, my wife and I both said the same thing: "It's a million times better than Entwined." But, perhaps that's not saying much.

First, the sound needs to be fixed. Often I found myself straining to hear the lyrics. What I could make out was good, and oftentimes funny. 1-2 cast members used a mike. They were clearly not comfortable using one, and it lead to some awkward moments, like when a cast member tried to hold a mike and two barrels at the same time.

The music was good, and the singers had nice voices.

My kids (14, 6, and 3) all enjoyed the show, and particularly loved the acrobats.

It included some elements from TIO, which I appreciated.

However, there is nothing about the show that WOWED me. No particularly memorable moments that I would look forward to seeing next time. It was enjoyable, but not memorable.

As to the concept, I thought they hit the nail right on the head. It has a simple plot that can be explained in a few sentences, allowing guests to eat while half watching and listening to the show, and the show creates the atmosphere of an Octoberfest celebration. Also, in terms of plot-heaviness, I think ROTB carves itself a unique niche in the park. Mix it Up (assuming it's coming back) has 0 plot, Celtic Fyre has minimal plot, and London Rocks has a full plot (not to the extent of Scrooge No More, though). ROTB fits nicely between Celtic Fyre and London Rocks. I like this variety of plot-heaviness throughout the park.

My wife, however, would have preferred less plot. She wouldn't want a "new" TIO, but rather characters coming together to celebrate a wedding, or a holiday, etc. My response was that then they would have nothing more than a German Celtic Fyre.

We all look forward to seeing it again, when the sound is fixed, and the cast has some time to smooth out the choreography. Until then, I'm not sure whether this is a show that I would want to see numerous times a year for several years (like I do Celtic Fyre, which I love). My lack of love for the show could very well be from these kinks they need to work out, and nothing more. Perhaps when I'm not straining to hear the cast, I will see the WOW moments. It may simply be hard to fully appreciate aesthetics while straining my auditory skills. We will see.

One final thought. Even if, after the sound is fixed and the cast more comfortable with their roles, the show remains mediocre, there would still be hope the show could become great. Because I like the concept, all they would need to do is tweak the choreography and song arrangements to create those WOW moments, and make the show memorable. Then we would have a keeper.
 
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