I came into watching this with high hopes. The introduction had some promise, but continued to fall flat as the show continued. Odd choices and liberties with a story line really have no place with a classic, historic account like that of Moses. They might as well have made a musical adaptation of Schindler's List taking place in a circus tent. I found it that offensive.
Some of the musical numbers were delivered well, but others lacked cohesion. They skipped over one of my favorite numbers: "Messing with the Big Boys, Now" and added in much weaker songs that didn't carry the story or add to the characters.
Some of the dance numbers were fun to watch and I enjoyed the costumes. The backdrops felt like cop-outs to making stage props. For example, during the scene where the eight plagues come about (frogs to darkness) some video is just projected on the screen. I realize that it was rushed through the movie as well, but it seemed even more like the musical was considering the plagues as a passing thought than it was. Even during the Seder, we give the plagues more time from the Haggadah - and having little kids, the Haggadah we use is a comic book (please don't judge)!
The characters get a complete rewrite with the Pharaoh and Moses being henpecked, them being the girly BFFs, and Pharaoh and Moses both being weak in character and roles of the story. At the end, the godless priest saves the story by hypnotizing Egyptians into walking to their deaths in an unseen, barely mentioned, Red Sea while Pharaoh helps Moses escape.
It felt like a DEI alphabet of heresy that is as offensive as it is long.
Some of the musical numbers were delivered well, but others lacked cohesion. They skipped over one of my favorite numbers: "Messing with the Big Boys, Now" and added in much weaker songs that didn't carry the story or add to the characters.
Some of the dance numbers were fun to watch and I enjoyed the costumes. The backdrops felt like cop-outs to making stage props. For example, during the scene where the eight plagues come about (frogs to darkness) some video is just projected on the screen. I realize that it was rushed through the movie as well, but it seemed even more like the musical was considering the plagues as a passing thought than it was. Even during the Seder, we give the plagues more time from the Haggadah - and having little kids, the Haggadah we use is a comic book (please don't judge)!
The characters get a complete rewrite with the Pharaoh and Moses being henpecked, them being the girly BFFs, and Pharaoh and Moses both being weak in character and roles of the story. At the end, the godless priest saves the story by hypnotizing Egyptians into walking to their deaths in an unseen, barely mentioned, Red Sea while Pharaoh helps Moses escape.
It felt like a DEI alphabet of heresy that is as offensive as it is long.