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Fela! Reviews
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| 16 |
Review by: Ozmike, Apr 28, 2010 |
My wife and I went to see the show a few weeks ago for a birthday celebration. The first half was wonderful - terrific dancing, great music and a captivating main character. Enormous energy generated by a terrific cast that gave it everything.
Unfortunately the second half was a disappointment - too long, a repetitive refrain from Fela, a painfully long, boring dream sequence, a jarring injection of violence, less interesting dancing,... read more, and repetitive music. This resulted in a lost connection with the audience.
On balance I'd say it's an uneven show which soars to great heights at times but leaves you unfulfilled at the end.
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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Recommended for:
Tourists, Adults
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| 17 |
Disappointing!! Review by: Stanley, Apr 3, 2010 |
Thumbs down! Obscure story line. No theme or flow to the play. I felt like I was in a dancing concert just going from song to song. Attempts were made to engage the audience but with no success. PLEASE spend your money on MEMPHIS. Far better entertainment.
Dancing and singing alone were good but could not overtake the weak plot. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
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| 18 |
Great Suprise! Review by: Bronxstar, Mar 29, 2010 |
| On March 26 we saw the evening performance of Fela. The tickets were a surprise for my mom by my son to celebrate her birthday. We had center mezzanine seats and the show was great. Fela came alive to us and we enjoyed the music, the dancing and the actors as they told the story of a revolutionist. We marveled at the sets the music and the natural dress. Fela's story is one of many that need to be told. We also cried with the cast as the stories ... read more of fallen comrades were being told. Knowledge is power and we left feeling like the struggle is within us all and should be used to help us all..Great show.. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 19 |
Review by: Sasha, Mar 28, 2010 |
| Amazing show. However, I think the audience miss the message. It was a message of strength,courage and pain. I have to see it again. Fela is such secret,most people have never heard of it. Why? |
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must see!
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| 20 |
No. Review by: student, Mar 6, 2010 |
| If you want an informal afrobeat concert, do it at home for free. Hazy story line with no real connection to the audience. By the middle of the second act I was reading my program, dozing off, and I am an 18 year old black drama student at NYU. Something about the story is missing, or gets lost, and never truly engages you. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 21 |
Review by: yo stewardees, Feb 20, 2010 |
| this play is a must see. I was excited the minute I walked in the door. The energy in that theatre is amazing. Sahr Nqaujah played the part of Fela and I cant see anyone else doing it justice like he did. The dancers and band was sick, crazy..loved, loved, loved it.. going back a.s.a.p.There has never been play on broadway like it and when it leaves there will not be another..trust me.. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 22 |
Must See Broadway Review by: torlece, Feb 11, 2010 |
| The dancing in this musical was excellent-in an era of overblown Disneyesque stage productions it was refreshing to see a musical that a THINKING adult could appreciate. The intimate stage configuration gave the viewer the impression that they were actually in a circa 1970's African club. The only dissapointment was that the writers completed ignored the fact that Fela dies of AIDS. How can anyone create such a political story yet omit this fact.... read more. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Business Associate
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, The Entire Family, Business Assoc.
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| 23 |
catch it while you can Review by: lynn59, Feb 9, 2010 |
| Bought the tickets because I had gottten a good price and I thought it would be a little different. Wasn't expecting much more than an entertaining evening. What I got was amazing. The set, the cast, the music all top notch. I realize the story line may not be for everyone. The second act is a bit more serious than the first but it was wonderfull. To be honest I wasn't sure what the story line was before I bought the tickets. I had read the ... read more music description and thought why not. As a native New Yorker my husband and I have seen many plays this one will stand out for a long time to come. If you have the opportunity don't miss it. |
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must see!
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Romantic Date, The Entire Family, Business Assoc.
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| 24 |
Mind-blowing dancing shouldn't be missed. Review by: , Feb 4, 2010 |
| Fela is great theater. The singing, dancing, acting couldn't have been better or more exciting. The story was interesting and important but not told as simply and succinctly as it needed to be. Regardless, it was an amazing theatrical experience and makes for a truly special evening.Bill T Joneses' dances and choreography was mind-blowing. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 25 |
Review by: bajantech, Jan 30, 2010 |
| The music and Dancing was great. other than that I thought it was boring |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 26 |
Review by: Nessie, Jan 29, 2010 |
I loved the costumes and the set design. Kevin Mambo was incredible. He became Fela. What more can I say? I enjoyed the fact that Fela encouraged us to sing a long and showed us some pretty cool dance moves. After the show, I kept wondering about Fela. I had known about him before from a PBS movie. However, the play allowed me to see another side of him. The rest of the cast was amazing.
There truly was a lot of teamwork & chemistry. ... read more Go see the play. If you are easily offended or thin skinned, Remember this is FELA's story. FELA wasn't perfect and neither is the play..that's the beauty of life.
I plan to see the play, again. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Anyone
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| 27 |
THE BEST Review by: REIGN, Jan 28, 2010 |
| it is the BEST broadway play ive ever seen ... going back to see it 4 the 3rd time ... when are the auditons.... FELA |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Large Group
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Tourists, Adults
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| 28 |
What is up with all the negative reviews? This show was great! Review by: NYER23, Jan 26, 2010 |
| I dont know how anyone can write that this show is boring or that you're counting down the minutes till its over. Yes I will agree the show is long...but that is because its about 30-40 minutes longer then the average broadway show. At certain parts it does drag a bit, but overall I think was a fantastic production and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Go see it if you can! |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Seniors, Adults
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| 29 |
Review by: endecott, Jan 21, 2010 |
Amazing Story Totally Neutered by Mediocre Show
What should have been an amazing experience was really boring.I Was never engaged by or connected to the performers or what was going onstage. Even though the dancers , dance their heart out, the brilliant musicians play beautifully and passionately. In the end all the dances seem the same and never feel focused enough to deliver any true exhilaration. The music feels stale and dated and is not ... read more the best or most potent Afrobeat music. I love Afrobeat music and was very underwhelmed by what was presented here.Not one number is memorable or stands out. The lead performer Sahr Ngaujah seems to be very talented but the material he works to deliver does not click or engage. After awhile his belligerent talking at the audience becomes obnoxious. The writing and story is very unfocused and scattered doing a great disservice to an important, amazing and heartbreaking story.I also found the show Fela distastefully Sexist. I am a very frequent Broadway and off Broadway theatergoer and have never wanted to leave at intermission except for this show, although I stayed so I could responsibly speak about the show in total, it never got better. I was a bit tortured and counting down the songs till it would end. My companions felt the same and i noticed many audiencemembers leaving before the final number was completed. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
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| 30 |
Wish I'd liked it Review by: , Jan 13, 2010 |
| I have to agree with the posters who said "don't go." I was really disappointed. Somehow this show seems to have tamed the afrobeat sound and made amazing dancing seem kind of empty. Perhaps something was lost in the transition from off-Broadway? I do think it's based on an important story, and I'm all in favor of musicals that don't follow a typical structure or plot. But in spite of the lead actor's charisma, Fela himself never came alive ... read more for me. The telling of his education and politicization felt oversimplified, even cliched. None of the other characters had any dimension except Fela's mother, and she was only minimally present. I'd hoped to learn more about Nigeria, about a great kind of music, about a great man. Instead, I learned it's probably time for me to take a break from Broadway. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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