The Playgoer: Too Late to Save "Hi Fi"

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Friday, December 15, 2006

Too Late to Save "Hi Fi"

New York 1's Roma Torre so far seems the only critic to actually like the soon-to-be late "High Fidelity."

Its aim is simply to entertain which means it's loaded with kitschy gimmicks, some of which score while others fall flat. But mostly it is successful in reaching out to a young, culturally hip audience that does not want to think too hard and just have fun....

But best of all in this show is Will Chase's pitch-perfect performance as a winning kind of guy who keeps on losing. Impressive last year as the best of the Lennon’s in the musical "Lennon," he sings and acts with a truthfulness that makes you want to jump right up and buy a 45.
Yeah, I imagine quite a few in the audience have had the urge to reach for a '45...

And which demographic again doesn't want to think at the theatre???

(Maybe assumptions like that is why no one succeeds in attracting the young hipsters in the first place...)

11 comments:

Mark said...

Somewhat strangely, Entertainment Weekly liked it too.

Anonymous said...

Roma Torre -- the idiots' Eric Bentley?

Aaron Riccio said...

I mean, it really wasn't that bad. It was sheer candy, like the set itself, and the only problem High Fidelity ran into was billing itself off a book and film that were not, in of themselves, nearly so cheesy.

I won't argue that this was the best, but it was certainly tolerable, and deserved to run longer than How to Save the World in 90 Days or Mimi LeDuck. Perhaps it's just the venue -- if this had premiered at New World Stages, a theater space that seems perfect for off-beat and slightly more campy musicals for a younger audience (complete with 11:30 performances), I have no doubt that High Fidelity would still be playing--no, just hitting its stride.

Anonymous said...

Huh? Everyone wants to shoot Lennon? How offensive.
And anon. 1: Please don't insult Eric Bentley.

Anonymous said...

Intended as a critique only of Torre. Though I do apologize to Bentley for putting his great name in the same sentence as Roma Torre's.

Playgoer said...

Um, I hope it's obvious to everyone else my joke had nothing to do with John Lennon.

Anonymous said...

Playgoer: It's not your joke that's offensive. It's the Roma Torre line, ". . . as the best of the Lennon’s in the musical "Lennon," he sings and acts with a truthfulness that makes you want to jump right up and buy a 45."
What can that possibly mean?

Anonymous said...

Good God. Torre was referring to a 45 record, and the Playgoer made a joke about the audience wanting to commit suicide with a 45 revolver.

Anonymous said...

OH. PHEW! That wasn't clear to me. Sorry. I guess one has to be old enough to associate "45" with a vinyl record!

Anonymous said...

Lennon was shot with a .38.

I just had to google 'Lennon shot caliber' and there it was at the top of the page. The internet is wonderful.

Anonymous said...

I was quite pleased with the show, and the audience I was in loved it too. I'm sorry there won't be a soundtrack.