In the 2016 musical comedy, "Opening Night", Topher Grace from the iconic "That 70's Show" plays a failed Broadway singer turned production manager who struggles to save a show that is seemingly doomed to fail because of its selfish cast. Every character in "Opening Night" is a caricature of some of the worst things about Broadway and show business. The film takes off in the spirit of the Oscar winning film Birdman, but fails to deliver a compelling plot by the end despite delivering a few noteworthy laughs.
Topher Grace is mildly funny in his role as a production manager struggling to keep a Broadway show going on opening night after things get particularly awry when the main singer gets humorously knocked down by a toothpick. Witnessing the chaos on stage is amusing and the comedy offers a respite from the singing.
Musicals aren't everybody's cup of tea. "Opening Night" even acknowledges this fact by making plenty of quips making fun of both musicals and the people who attend them. But, despite making fun of musicals, "Opening Night" is a musical. So the critique of musicals in a musical film was clever to say the least.
While Opening Night isn't profound or enlightening, it is highly entertaining and simply funny. The domains of show business and Broadway theatre tend to take themselves too seriously. "Opening Night", on the other hand, doesn't take itself too seriously and consequently offers a refreshing change of pace from the usual fare. In fact, the film even offers a few brief moments of clarity about the price of fame and its nostalgic quality despite its short runtime. In one intense scene, the audience witnesses the old Broadway star coronate the newcomer. As she does this, she reminds the young singer to cherish the moment because a star's first opening Night, "It's the best it's ever going to get".
Topher Grace is mildly funny in his role as a production manager struggling to keep a Broadway show going on opening night after things get particularly awry when the main singer gets humorously knocked down by a toothpick. Witnessing the chaos on stage is amusing and the comedy offers a respite from the singing.
Musicals aren't everybody's cup of tea. "Opening Night" even acknowledges this fact by making plenty of quips making fun of both musicals and the people who attend them. But, despite making fun of musicals, "Opening Night" is a musical. So the critique of musicals in a musical film was clever to say the least.
While Opening Night isn't profound or enlightening, it is highly entertaining and simply funny. The domains of show business and Broadway theatre tend to take themselves too seriously. "Opening Night", on the other hand, doesn't take itself too seriously and consequently offers a refreshing change of pace from the usual fare. In fact, the film even offers a few brief moments of clarity about the price of fame and its nostalgic quality despite its short runtime. In one intense scene, the audience witnesses the old Broadway star coronate the newcomer. As she does this, she reminds the young singer to cherish the moment because a star's first opening Night, "It's the best it's ever going to get".