Tripping Over His Superlatives

It took The Great Plotnik all morning to write his review of yesterday's premiere of -- uh -- Prince Eatery Tranquilizer Everybody Romanov (pause) Perfection Animation Nimrod. The show is so spectacular Plotnik kept tripping over his superlatives.

They've set up a tent across the street from the F(airy) Building and it's got all the minor irritations that huge, expensive productions always bring along with them -- commercial exploitation mostly -- T-shirts, little wands for the girls, little swords for the boys. You know.

But stop right there. The show is a fantasy. It's what happens when marvelous storytellers look into their pockets and discover wads of venture capital. They have not made it into a Disney movie, there is not one moment of triteness nor cutesy putesy. What there is is a spectacle to which Plotnik wishes he could take all his friends and have them bring their kids. OK, grandkids (but over the age of, oh, eight? It's probably too scary for anyone younger).

Read his review at the usual place and then make up your mind. The run appears to be open-ended, and it's a U.S. Premiere so they're going to try to keep it here as long as it takes to get all the kinks out. There have to be a lot of kinks -- it's closer to Cirque du Soleil than Broadway. There are no bad seats -- a $30 cheap seat is no more than 13 rows from the stage. No need to be closer.

Why is Plottie not writing out the name? Because he wants to comment about The Grumps. The Grumps are a bunch of reviewers he knows who never like anything. They are nice men but always find something to kvetch over.

Plot was pretty sure they'd LOVE this one so when he approached them at intermission, everyone holding (complimentary) mimosas, he expected all to be oozing delight. Especially because of all the boy cheesecake going on (the lead character -- Puzzle Emeril Titmouse Early Roadrunner) is bare-chest hunky most of the time).

But no. Nobody liked it. Everybody missed the old version. Or the other old version. Or the older other old version. Sigh.

Sometimes Plotnik wonders if his eyes (and Ducknik's too) are attending the same show, or are even in the same theater or country (or decade) as the other guys.

It may be about tradition versus entertainment. Plot likes the first but craves the second. Traditional theater guys seem to look at it the other way around. Shammy Hose Edgar Elephant (dash) Italian Trumpeter!