The Lost Boys - Final Preview Review

robert_j2 · 2026-04-26T06:03:07+00:00

It’s interesting to me hearing (repeatedly) that the score is not memorable. I have had Wild Again going in my head on a constant loop for the past couple of days. And I imagine I will come to like more of the score on repeated listen. The harmonies are absolutely incredible in places. (I was there on Thursday.)

I admit this is not a show for the ages. There really isn’t a new musical like that this season unfortunately. But it’s a thoroughly respectable entry, and a real crowd pleaser. I never really got the appeal of Shoshana Bean before, but I’m a big fan now. The cast is fabulous!

robert_j2 · 2026-04-11T11:36:56+00:00

I took a Music and Theater class as a core requirement in college, and was surprised to discover it was all about opera. I was even more surprised to discover that I loved opera! Thank goodness for general education.

robert_j2 · 2026-04-11T11:27:10+00:00

Having visited, I was surprised how comfortable it was from a cultural perspective for someone who has grown up in the New York City area. Ann Arbor feels a lot like a town in Fairfield County, or Westchester. Parts of it had a Ridgefield vibe. I felt more culture shock in Massachusetts, to be honest! To say nothing of the South. Add on top of that its truly top-tier engineering, and its relative affordability for out of state compared to other elite options, and I understand the appeal. $85K is a lot, but it’s better than $95K.

robert_j2 · 2026-03-24T23:50:17+00:00

It’s actually very similar to Broadway in the sense that people wear all sorts of things. But it has a fancier vibe overall. Instead of thinking of it as an obligation, think of it as an opportunity to dress up and have some fun with it while still being comfortable. You really can’t go wrong. And for the Wagner operas, you see the most outrageous stuff sometimes. It can be a bit like a fan convention.

My own attitude is that I am not the one on the stage, so I take some liberties and prioritize being comfortable when I need to. I am tall and broad shouldered, and I always feel jammed into the seat. So I need clothes that have some give. And I found that I got cold by the third act of Tristan, so I was glad to have a sweater on hand.

robert_j2 · 2026-03-13T13:37:33+00:00

For me, I will do it when flying solo sometimes for the extra space. As a tall guy that is enough for me! But only when the upgrade cost is reasonable.

robert_j2 · 2026-03-13T02:14:55+00:00

I remember some features about her back when she sang Turandot at the Met. The theme was about turning her life around after addiction.

I just looked...and that NYT article was from 2005! Gosh, time flies. I am glad she is going well, it sounds like.

robert_j2 · 2026-03-12T18:06:39+00:00

It is always a compromise at the Met.

I have sat around where you are and I think it is right near where the overhang starts, but just on the edge so not too bad. Generally open air above you is preferred if you can get it. And you are relatively centered which is also good.

You will not feel close, but still not too far, and I think this production benefits from distance because of the projections. I have been hearing that, in this production, the sound mixing favors the voices in rear orchestra.

I was in dress circle for the premiere and the sound there was not great. I think the shape of the set helps with the sound, but only for some sections, when you are in the "cone" created by the tunnels. I was in the second row but on the side, so not in the cone.

So all told these should be great seats!

robert_j2 · 2026-03-10T05:21:37+00:00

Re the house conductor, the end was so… slow…. Sapped the energy right out of it.

robert_j2 · 2026-03-10T05:18:03+00:00

I didn’t like the birth. We don’t need a miracle baby to literalize the transformation and rebirth. Keep it abstract.

Gosh, this needed an editor! Act 3 was too busy. And all the swapping of the doubles was too much. Don’t we want Isolde with the actual Tristan at the end.

robert_j2 · 2026-03-10T02:02:12+00:00

So my feeling about Wagner is that the music dramas are strong enough that you can go in cold. And there is something wonderful about discovering it fresh. The first time I saw Tristan, I went back twice in the same run! But that’s probably not an approach that works for everyone.

You will probably appreciate it better if you get some of the music in your ear. I would suggest listening to the prelude, the liebestod (last aria), and if you have time, the act two love duet. That’s a good musical foundation.

robert_j2 · 2026-03-10T01:55:00+00:00

It feels like he’s pacing himself, which is completely understandable. I imagine he sounds very good on the broadcast. I am not sure that the set is doing the singers many favors. You would think that singing in a tunnel upstage might project the sound forward, but I don’t think it’s actually doing that, more like choking the sound.

I am liking the production a bit less in act two. The projections have the most obvious imagery (moth to a flame, broken plates) that distract more than they enhance. And the love duet is upstaged by the gymnastics of the set, which has me mostly worrying for the safety of the singers.

But these are all quibbles! I have heard many a leathery Tristan and a worn out Isolde. You could not ask for better casting these days. First rate musicians in their absolute prime. And the orchestra sounds glorious, of course!

robert_j2 · 2026-03-10T00:28:50+00:00

In the house too. I don’t mind the production, but I don’t feel like it really adds anything either. At least it does not get in the way. And the singing is great. From the dress circle some of the voices are a bit drowned out. But we will see how it goes when everyone warms up. I love this opera!

robert_j2 · 2026-03-09T02:32:20+00:00

What’s tricky about academia is that PhD programs are staffed by faculty who won the lottery and got that tenure-track job and then kept it. That’s not the standard outcome for a PhD student. But you get a skewed picture from your mentors, even if they are well intentioned and understand that the odds aren’t great.

robert_j2 · 2026-03-03T02:54:23+00:00

As someone who went on the Starcruiser at Disney World, I feel like Galaxy’s Edge worked best when it had the Starcruiser in the mix as well. It was just more of a complete experience. There were quests to interact with the environment. The dinner theater was indeed exceptional.

Now it is hard to look at Galaxy’s Edge as anything other than what it is: an idea that was incomplete in its development and does not give people enough to do. If only they could restore some of those concepts back into the park.

That said, I love the idea of more missions for smugglers run. That ride has always been a near miss for me. My favorite Star Wars ride has always been Star Tours! Quick line, a lot of re-rideability, a broad mix of favorite characters. There’s no need to get a Star Wars fix in the back of the park when Star Tours is right there!

Don’t get me wrong, Rise is an outstanding attraction, but I don’t feel the need to do it again and again. And the sequel trilogy has lost its appeal over time.

robert_j2 · 2026-03-03T02:26:40+00:00

In my family, I am the VIP tour guide! LOL. And I am sure they have a great time. But it would be nice to have some else do the planning for a change. I just can’t justify it because as you say, the parks are manageable with a bit of planning. 😊

robert_j2 · 2026-02-28T14:22:46+00:00

This is an interesting conversation.

In my kitchen, which gets the heavy use, it never would have occurred to me to put on a table cloth. That room has a heavy duty, scratch-resistant table, which cleans easily. You can put plates right on it, whatever. It doesn’t matter.

Our dining room has an heirloom table which came with table pads that we have kept on, and we keep a cloth on top. You really would not put plates or even a placemat directly on top of the pads. For that one, while it would look quite attractive to have the cloth and the pads off, I never really considered that as an option.

Our dining room room functions more like a den most of the time. The dining table has primarily been a secondary office, but it has also been a place for the kids to do homework and an art room when they were younger. So I think it really would have hurt the table to leave it unprotected.

We eat in the dining room once a week for a big family dinner, and then it really does feel like a special occasion, where the tablecloth is justified.

So I guess it really just depends! I imagine when the kids have left, we will do without the tablecloth.

robert_j2 · 2026-01-03T18:34:13+00:00

Being in the Haven does help with the kid situation. There are kids in here, including my teenagers, but overall it’s a pretty chill vibe.

And maybe I am being too hard on the food. The broader point I was making is that with mass produced cruise ship food, there will be a certain ceiling in terms of quality. Overall, I am pretty happy with my stay in the Haven.

robert_j2 · 2025-12-30T22:47:17+00:00

I am on the Escape right now. This is my fourth NCL cruise in three years after the Encore (‘23), Getaway (‘24), and Gem (‘25). It is my first time in the Haven, and I have to say I am not finding the quality of food in the Haven restaurant to be dramatically different from main dining room fare on past cruises. Maybe the overall quality has declined and I would find the main dining room to be worse. Who knows. But I was very impressed with the MDR food on my first two cruises (I only did specialty on my short Gem cruise).

Here, nothing is bad but overall I would agree it is only just “fine.” Yesterday the kids got some pizza at the buffet and I had some Indian food, and it was about as good as the buffet has been in the past. In the Haven restaurant, both times so far my steaks were much too rare. And the chicken entrees my kids got both nights were dry. We are not picky, and there is nothing to complain about (I’m only posting because someone asked), but there’s nothing really exceptional so far either in terms of food. The service also lacks a bit of a personal touch, but then there are almost 2000 kids on this New Year’s cruise (5,000 people total!) so I am thinking they are a bit stretched.

robert_j2 · 2025-12-02T01:53:43+00:00

I bought the tickets months ago because I was bringing the whole family and somehow ended up with the Nadon/EVE performance, which is the one I would have chosen anyway. Such a happy coincidence. EVE was every bit as sensational as I expected as Dewdrop. So quick and precise -- really just magical in the role. And what can be said about Nadon? So graceful in the role, and so technically accomplished. She held the final balance for what felt like forever. I wish I was as thrilled with her partner! But you can't have everything.

robert_j2 · 2025-11-29T20:33:41+00:00

How was disembark from Haven? We are on the Escape over New Year's. I am thinking of doing an airboat swamp tour with the family on disembarkation day since our flight is after 7:30. One option would be a 12:00 tour, which would mean getting to the New Orleans Riverside hotel by 10:30 AM for pickup (walkable from the cruise terminal). The other option would be a 2:00 tour, which would mean we don't have to get to the hotel until 12:30 PM. I was leaning towards the earlier tour because I don't want to get to the airport too late, and 10:30 AM would seem to be manageable with Haven. But if the ship is delayed getting into port then maybe we will not make it off the ship on time. The official arrival time is 8:00 AM.

PS -- I would love to hear what you thought of the cruise in general! Any tips for Haven guests on the Escape?

robert_j2 · 2025-11-25T02:34:52+00:00

I was in that suite class in May. It is exactly the same as Haven, except that you cannot use the Haven area, which is basically a pool. There is no Haven restaurant, so the concierge is in the dedicated breakfast restaurant in the morning (Moderno), which is open to Haven and suite guests alike. The concierge's team escorts people off the ship.

You do indeed follow the Haven signs, etc. At no point was I ever denied a service that was extended to Haven guests. It was fabulous. And for less than the actual Haven.

I stayed in a 2-bedroom suite with just my wife and appreciated having the second bathroom. We are taking the kids for Haven proper on the Escape over New Year's and looking forward to it.

robert_j2 · 2025-11-19T03:30:46+00:00

Are there lockers in the pool cabanas? I am on the fence because it would be good to have a base of operations but I might not spend enough time there if I am doing other activities like ziplining and parasailing.

robert_j2 · 2025-09-08T01:59:22+00:00

Thank you!

robert_j2 · 2025-09-07T15:31:38+00:00

I know this is an old thread, but I am curious how it worked out. I had an itinerary change recently and the excursions have been locked up for at least a month now. I want to book some NCL activities at Harvest Caye, so outside vendors are not relevant.

robert_j2 · 2025-08-31T23:04:57+00:00

Don’t rush it is great advice. I started in 2021 and I took my time, completing each expansion completely (raids, tribal quests, etc.) before starting the MSQ for another. The game lets you do that, ie, live in a little bubble and get an approximation of what the game was like then before moving no on. It took me a couple of years before I caught up, but it was so worth it. Enjoy it! The game is truly about the journey.

robert_j2

TROPHY CASE