Elite Evening at Lysistrata Jones

Hmmm so this review is wayyyyy late, but here goes.
I’ve only been to a handful of Broadway shows (Rock of Ages twice!) and while I definitely enjoyed Lysystrata Jones, it’s not the best show out there. Some jokes seemed a little forced, but I was entertained. The mix of basketball into the show was innovative and added to the entertainment value.
I hope NYC Unilocal does more of these show previews!

When your email has been on the fritz for some months, that means your Unilocal goodness stops coming. That’s not good! Luckily your friends save the day, by sending you an A.P.B. on the coordinates and exact start time of the afterparty, thereby allowing yourself a surreptitious entrance to said party.
Good times, a couple of beers, a super friendly cocktail waitress, and a little dirty dancing towards the end. Good times!

Very very fun event! The energy of the cast was monumental and really made the show a delight to watch.
Storyline (not recommended for anyone younger than high school age… and even then older may be better…) was ok, but the cast definitely brought it to life and helped go beyond the cliches.
It’s a happy show. =D
Thanks Unilocal!

I liked it a lot. I had to think about it. All along I was thinking… hey…it’s like Glee goes to college or High School the Musical graduates and goes to college! ha!
I got to sit in the 2^nd row center. I never never never gotten as close as that at a Broadway show. It is mad cool. They were choosing short peeps… like moi… to sit in the front so we wont get in the way of the photographer. FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I WAS REWARDED FOR BEING VERTICALLY CHALLENGED. AWESOME!
Oh Mickey you’re so fine! You’re so fine you blow my mind! CHEERLEADERS! Talk about energy and pep!
Sitting so close I was flashed a few times! Those cheerleader outfits are… small! ehhehhe. OMG! So if this is your thing to watch cheerleaders up close… hahahhahhhahha. I saw the guys in the front with me with raised eyebrows! ha! This was fun for a friday night. FUN FUN FUN! Thanks to Jane K.
Too bad there wasn’t a playbill so I can read about the show but that’s okay. All the dancing and singing is awesome…
The material is intended for a mature audience. Sex talk! I thought the innuendos and sex jokes were hilarious… I guess it was for me! heehehe. It is for a young but not toooooo young an audience. I think about 18 to 40 ish is the target. Especially if you like high school or college situations in movies and tv… Saved by the Bell, the musical but more risqué…Glee but with more sex… or H.S. The Musical but raunchier!!!
Hello Kitty is now solidified in my mind as the Asian Mascot… the Asian Cheerleader had a Hello Kitty patch sewn into the butt of her short shorts.
I really enjoyed myself!

Lysistrata Jones.
Comedy.
Musical.
Happy.
Peppy.
Cheerleaders.
Yup — I’m definitely not the right target audience for Lysistrata Jones.
Anybody notice that the banner inside in theater says Faith Hope Charity.
The sign outside says Faith Hope Chastity.
Courtesy of Unilocal,I got free tickets to go see their FIRST DRESS REHEARSAL. Nicely done. Worth a see if you’re looking for Comedy, Musical, Happy & Peppy Cheerleaders.

Normally I ain’t a play person, but this one was fab-​u-​lous! I also got a chance to hook my out of town friends with tickets to check out this show. Gotta show those Chicagoans how New Yorkers roll (for free too)!
Yeah, it was witty and fun, and playful. The play did start a little bit late, but that was okay because people were still trying to find seats and get settled.
If you love glee, high school musical, then I think you would have a blast here. I don’t think this is really for children, but what parents would take their kids here.
It was definitely a fun time, and my boo was grinning and laughing the whole time. A fine date on the town for free gets 5 stars from me!

Had an awesome time!
Hassle-​free retrieval of tickets.
Funny, L-​O-​L kind of show.
Pretty decent seats.
Two tickets for free for a musical before it premieres! Really can’t ask for anything more.
Thanks a million Unilocal!!!I had a rocking time! :)

Fun and entertaining, although I have to admit I’m not sure who their target audience is. The characters and cultural references make me think they’re aiming for the young, high school/​college crowd but the ticket prices are not necessarily in the best range, unless you set way up in the balcony. Given the topic, you probably wouldn’t want to bring kids here.
The set was pretty low-​budget and I wouldn’t say any of the songs were very memorable but I had some good laughs and enjoyed the dancing — I was actually quite impressed with the dance numbers that included making shots with the basketballs.
Pretty good but not a particularly amazing show.

I have to give this 4 Stars, because other than the Lion King… this has been my first «Broadway» experience (does the Lion King even count?).
And, I was even more excited because this is the first Unilocal Elite event that I had RSVP-​ed to. I dragged Russell B. along and hoped for the best. Turns out Rusty had actually acted in a rendition of this musical during high school… so I knew that he was somewhat excited underneath that unaffected exterior.
Anyways, we probably arrived too early because we were standing outside in the freezing cold for about 45 minutes… but we did have our choice of pretty much any seat once we got in. This theater was kind of cramped, so definitely expect to be bumping elbows.
The musical itself was quirky, very upbeat, energetic, the cast colorful and young. Imagine a bunch of skittles singing and dancing on stage.
Characters were all well acted… somewhat predictable outcome with the plot though (i.e. «Batman» and «Robin» hooking up, nerd and jock hook up, etc…)
They add in a lot of cute, modern, relevant jokes, the script keeps you on your toes a little. However, I wish that there was more of this.
For a dress rehearsal, I’d have to say that this was an amazing production… however, it did remind me that I am not a huge fan of musicals.
The best part of this Elite Event was definitely the after party! The staff at Social Bar and Grill were really nice (especially considering that it was a completely open bar) and they were not stingy with the drinks and apps. Lots of the Lysistrata cast also showed up, including the music pit, so we even got to mingle with them! AH! Star struck!
I loved meeting other (cool) Unilocalers and can’t wait to link up again! Thanks Jane K. and other Unilocal crew, this was an excellent event!

I can’t help it. I am a sucker for musicals. I like the campiness. Yea, I am a thespian-​wanna-​be. Don’t worry, I am in therapy for my «issues.»
We were pretty excited to see a Broadway musical. My +1 said she hadn’t seen one in a long time. So this was perfect for both of us! The last one I saw was Fela, and that was eons ago. BTW, I highly recommednd Fela!
I was a bit weirded out by the title as I get very insecure when I can’t pronounce words. So, initially, I was a bit skeptical. And besides, I can’t stand basketball.
But this show won me over. The singing, the plot, everything just went well together. There was diversity in the show and I liked seeing that. Asians, Latinos, Blacks, interracial couples, gay couples, people coming out of the closet, the jock who falls for the nerd, hookers. The tunes were catchy, the singing spot on, costumes were colorful.
Thanks Unilocal for making my Friday night a blast. And the saying is true, «don’t judge a book by its cover!»

I really did not expect much from this show-​I never heard of it, the plot seemed fuzzy (on the posters), and what the heck is Lysistrata?
However, I was amazed. I was practically smiling or laughing out loud the entire time-​this play is freakin’ hilarious! Haha. And the outfits were super glittery, sparkly, and cute-​just my type of wardrobe!
It’s a teenie bopper type of plot, which is always fun to watch. The characters were so vibrant and full of energy, and the entire audience could feel that. Being able to catch their dress rehearsal was so amazing-​I absolutely loved it! This is now one of my top Broadway shows I’ve ever been to-​thank you so much, Unilocal

So my husband and I are standing in line waiting for the doors to open when he says «what’s this show about?» Lysistrata … Aristophanes… Lysistrata … Aristophanes — it’s very familiar but I haven’t read any Greek plays since college, so I’ll admit, I cheated — and Wikipedia’s it (yeah, I just used Wikipedia as a verb).
Anyway, after reading the first two lines of the summary, I remembered: in an effort to end the Peloponnesian War, Lysistrata convinces the wives of Greece to withhold sex from their husbands in a very progressive (and possibly misguided) attempt to force them to make peace with each other. Of course, things go awry when her plan doesn’t go, well, according to plan, and a battle between the sexes ensues (a battle which has lasted for the better part of the almost 2,500 years that follow).
The 2011 Broadway update has tweaked some details: We now find the characters at Athens University, and the war that wages on attributed to the Spartan basketball team’s depressing losing streak. Instead of trying to end a war, Lysistrata incites her girl friends to stir in their respective boyfriends a passion for something other than the lower nether regions, as it is clear that the boys lackluster approach to the game mirrors their apathy in life for anything other than, ahem, coital pleasures.
Lysistrata Jones works so well because it is rooted in the ever-​evolving present (the characters reference events that are so recent, The New York Times hasn’t even published them yet) while simultaneously drawing upon the historical pretext of the original story written by Aristophanes in 411 BC — all while being uniquely self-​aware in a comical and off-​beat way. The dancing and musical numbers were refreshing because the did not stick to one particular style (I took note of a salsa song, a reggae song, and a Top-​40 type song, among others, in addition to the standard «Broadway» hits).
I also loved that the production was filled with so many extremely talented newcomers: Patti Murin is perfect as Lysistrata — bubbly, energetic, optimistic, and wow, what a beautiful voice! Josh Segarra literally made me melt when he started to sing and one might be tempted to file him away into a boy-​bander, were it not for his sharp wit and charm (damn, maybe he is a boy-​bander after all). Liz Mikel as Hetaira serves the duel role of omnipotent deity-​like being … and venerable whore at the local brothel. Jason Tam’s Xander is that hot, nerdy guy that every girl refers to when they say they have a thing for nerdy guys, and Lindsay Nicole Chambers, brings humor and attitude to her slam-​poet counterpart, Robin. I did love the respective «posses» of both gender groups, but felt that their stereotypes were maybe too overt (or maybe that was the idea, who knows).
As always, a big thank you to Jane K and the Unilocal team for putting together such a great and memorable event.

Exclusive Unilocal Elite Night for a dress rehearsal performance of a comedy musical preview before opening to the public. The plot story line has been done over a thousand times by movies and TV shows… a loosing college basketball team where a newbie student makes a difference to enhance morale and enlighten the school spirit to win one game. «One person can make a difference» who the leading character, Lysistrata Jones, with immense passion and extreme high energy to change the continuous sorrowful loosing streak. Been there and done it. Weak and very common plot story line with a carbon copy of their dramatic wining shot complete in slow motion (without the «Chariots of Fire» background music added effect). It lacks solid substance with a weak definitive underwriting in the plot storyline. Lysistrata Jones, together with the entire cheer leading squad boycotted against their boyfriends for abstinence as a motivator to win one measly college basketball game. Unfortunately, this musical play imbues sex as the main base for motivation, and in the storyline of how young college relationships are portrayed in 2012 as I forsee «Lysistrata Jones» to be a very short lived run on Broadway. Note: I do NOT recommend «Lysistrata Jones» for children as it is not a family friendly play.
Poetic verses from renowned Emily Dickinson’s «A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day» and Walt Whitman’s «I accept reality and dare not question it,» which as a avid poet and writer it uplifts the spirit and morale.
Set in the 2011 era of a typical university student life including the colloquial nonstandard verbal language with today’s heavy digital usage of laptops and smart phones to a Broadway stage. The set design displays this fictional university’s colors and Greek fraternity/​sorority. A complete seven piece band is visible to the audience that sits above the stage to bring the characters from script form to live on stage. The music is catchy with humor and the story flow is continuous without dead air. I strongly do not advise children to see Lysistrata Jones for the heavy explicit sex image (not the actual sex acts) of relationship dating. The Walter Kerr Theatre is fully equipped with good acoustics and adorn from wall to ceiling attentive details of paintings with gold relief art and chandeliers. Facilities are ample and relatively clean, but get there super early before intermission! Ushers are inadequate to instruct patrons of seating sections. Amid, it was a dress rehearsal performance (aka Beta version) thus no Playbill programs were distributed and free seating.
A shout out to Angel R. for being available, without question, as my guest for this Unilocal Elite event. Lysistrata Jones reminisce my undergraduate days. Where’s your school spirit?

My first Unilocal event after a long hiatus out of the country! I love theatre but rarely get to see shows anymore (thanks, wallet).
My boyfriend and I were recruited to sit in the front rows because we’re short and they wanted to photograph during the show, teehee. Unfortunately his chair back BROKE (I looked for loose parts but no, it had just fallen off its screw on one side???). We spent ten minutes before the show began trying to wedge it back in and hoping that it didn’t happen after curtain. It worked, whew.
Aside from the broken chair, the Walter Kerr theater itself is very small and intimate, which is great. There’s no lobby, though, and waiting outside in the growing cold for 40 minutes sucked, I think, for all of us.
As for the show itself… I found it hard to buy that all this was happening for a college (but felt like high school) sports game. There were character/​race stereotypes abound, the writing sounded too frequently like older people trying too hard to capture the «colloquialisms of the young’uns.»
And I’m kind of dumbfounded as to how tickets will sell to a show that’s PG-​13 (did they ever even say the word «sex»?) but that’s at the same time supposed to be very raunchy. Is it targeting high schoolers? Would you watch a show like this with your parents? Good for Kids? Not Sure.
Still, very cute comedy and the actors’ endless energy was a HUGE redeeming quality. Dancing was perfect. I loved the live band rocking out above the stage.
Big thanks to Unilocal for organizing this!

This refreshing new Broadway Musical will be a welcome addition to the slow and repetitive «remakes» around the Broadway theaters these days.
Lysistrata Jones is fresh and funny. The dancing is good, the singing is excellent and the music+lyrics are very catchy. The sound track will be popular.
It’s like High School Musical graduated to College!
The characters are interesting, the flow of action is continuous and the tones make for a lot of toe tapping!
I got lucky with orchestra seats to the final Dress Rehearsal of Lysistrata Jonesat the Walter Kerr Theater.
The story line is cute yet predictable which is not a big deal. It was an entertaining evening!

Thanks to Unilocal,just like everyone else before me, I came for the dress rehearsal. I had no idea what this show was about, but saw a number of posters for them. Saw the trailer right before the show and I really didn’t know what to expect.
If you love glee, you’ll love this. The show is about a losing basketball team and their girlfriends withhold sex until they win a game, but things definitely don’t go as planned.
This is probably one of the most cheesiest shows I’ve ever seen, but it was good! I was so surprised by the production that was put together. The set and costumes were really simple, but everything just fit together perfectly. It is definitely worth seeing. If it wasn’t so cheesy, they’d definitely get the full 5 stars, but you can’t complain about 4 either.

I came for the dress rehearsal, compliments of Unilocal Elite :)
I totally did not expect this. The script was a little corny, but the singing and acting and dancing just blew me away. I could definitely see resemblance to Glee.
Great show. I LOVE Unilocal!

As we waited outside the theatre in freezing cold, I was wondering what would be in store for us during the dress rehersal show of Lysistrata Jones.
The stage was apt, dialouges were great and the music was dead awesome. Even though the show started little late, but the cast made sure to present a great show. The theme of the show revolved around a basketball which was famous of always losing the games.
The cast members really did a very good job. The script had everything right from emotion, drama, humour. Costumes were very apt for the show. My favourite were the band members, they really enticed us all with that superb music.
The only reason for gving four stars is the weak script of the show. The show became quite predictable specially in the second half. Having said that I really had a very good time. It was a fun way to spend friday evening with fellow Unilocalers at Walter kerr theatre.
Special thanks for Emily for the Unilocal team for giving me her tickets for the party at Social Bar. She always goes out of her way to help fellow Unilocalers.
Shouts out to Jane K and her Unilocal team for putting together these awesome events over and over again. You always surprise us with these spectacular events. I don’t know what would be in store for us next!

The dialogue was witty. The acting was the perfect amount of cheesy and kind of felt like a really long episode of Glee, complete with sexual frustration and great tunes!
In all seriousness, i did not know what to expect. But I left thinking it was a very enjoyable show. Its broadway. Things have to be slightly overdone to get the point across.
A few things:
–My sister, the plus one, kept telling her husband we were going to see Lakisha Jones… aint she cute?
–Why is there ALWAYS a token Hispanic?
–cheerleaders, whores, basketball, and a spartan. check, check, check, and check.

Great show. Funny throughout, lots of energy, dancing and story.
The length of the show is fairly standard for Broadway at 2 hours including intermission.
I won’t ruin the story any further so go see it!
PS-​Thank you Unilocal for the preview. This show opens December 14^th!