NDNation Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 I've only seen the Cadets show live (twice), and I thought it was a blast.I noticed that Little Geo. struck me as much less obnoxious than other people posting here seemed to find him. I wonder if that is because many have seen him in close-up on the Fan Network? To me, his oversize gestures seem meant for an audience many yards away, and I suspect they are garish and cloying at close range. Doubtless close looks at his face also emphasize his true age, which would serve to undercut his childlike behavior. Wouldn't it better if tonight's theater-cast (which I won't get to see) and the DVD recording eschewed close-ups? I dunno... I was about 1,500 miles away tonight, and it was still bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman1084 Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 (edited) Yet again, you consider 2007 a failure? They placed 2nd (and should have won IMHO). How is that a failure at all? I know when I marched we would have been plenty happy with 2nd. It's really sad that you think that out of all the shows this year 22 of them are failures, and the only successful show is BD. It's pretty sad that you put words in my mouth, when I think that BD's show is actually the failure, and that there are plenty of shows OUTSIDE the top 12 that are connecting with the audience and yet only get to perform once or twice this weekend. And what is this "yet again" crap regarding the Cadets 2007 show? I'm sure you're thinking of the wrong person when you're responding to me, because I actually enjoyed 2007. I should have probably clarified in my original post. I don't consider 2007 to be character driven in the sense that 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010 are. Each of those years there were members of the corps dedicated solely to portraying a character. 2007 was primarily portrayed through dialogue vs. character. When I say character driven I mean the entire show revolving around a dedicated character. By Cadets standards (and don't give me a feel-good answer about how the performers feel or how the audience responds like I'm expecting), are you really going to argue that 2006, 2008 and 2010 have been a success thus far? Edited August 13, 2010 by Musicman1084 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris ncsu Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 The Cadets don't do characters very well. They did it best in 1991, and did it very well in 2005, too. I'm not sure why George continues trying them out. I think most of us consider 2006 and 2008 to be failures in terms of characters. 2007 has a bit more debate. I think LJ is the best character attempt from The Cadets since 2005. He communicates from the field VERY well, like a good mime (and without talking at all). He introduces the show very well, communicates his fear and confusion during Scandal 1 very well, the ballad centers around his interaction with a guard member who teaches him to toss a rifle (without yelling about this being his rifle), he has some fun with the corps during Children's Dance as the corps has come to life, and then he gets to turn into a drum major at the end. I'd be fine though with not seeing any more characters from The Cadets. They miss more than they hit, and the audience usually doesn't like characters unless they're evil, crazy, or tapdancing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 I agree with some of your views, however, my main problem with the Jeffrey character is that it does not even come close to the level of sophistication the corps proper exhibits. It is like a big ugly wart on the face of a model. And I thought the theme of the show is Toy Souldiers? At times it seems as though Jeffrey is the theme of the show. I think you summed it up pretty well. This guy is doing a fantastic job playing JEffrey. Its obvious that he is a outstanding Gaurd member. The problem is its wearing thin on the audience. Cute and funny the first time you see it but it gets old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somerville Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 Leave Little Jeffrey Alone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted August 13, 2010 Author Share Posted August 13, 2010 I dunno. I was about 1,500 miles away tonight, and it was still bad. But there were close-ups, right? So you saw Little Geo. better than most who see him live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoaster Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 Yet again, you consider 2007 a failure? They placed 2nd (and should have won IMHO). How is that a failure at all? I know when I marched we would have been plenty happy with 2nd. It's really sad that you think that out of all the shows this year 22 of them are failures, and the only successful show is BD. Lots of corps "should have won" lol. If you didn't win, you lost. For a corps with a winning tradition like the Cadets, that's a failure. (in contrast, if the Bluecoats pull out 2nd place on Saturday, that would be a "big win" for the organization as it will be their highest placement ever yada yada...just like Crown last year) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoaster Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 (edited) It's pretty sad that you put words in my mouth, when I think that BD's show is actually the failure, and that there are plenty of shows OUTSIDE the top 12 that are connecting with the audience and yet only get to perform once or twice this weekend. Failure in what sense? Because some people don't like them? Guess what...MOST people on Earth don't care about drum corps AT ALL. Most people don't even have an appreciation for MOST of the music that ANY drum corps plays (it's all lame crap to most, yes MOST people). And I would guess the Blue Devils are well aware of the fact that people are going to resent them no matter WHAT they do, so they'll play what they want to play (just like Star did in 93 after being roundly rejected try as they might to please, once too often). I think there is a strange disconnect when people start disrepecting the kids for their efforts...the activity is about THEM, not YOU. Edited August 13, 2010 by WestCoaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApathyJones Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 My son saw his first DCI show ever in the theater tonight. He has developmental disabilities and is perpetually twelve in some regards (he's 21), so I consider him an easy audience for performers, as he's not very demanding or discriminating. I got a kick out of listening to his reactions to shows, because he had absolutely no prior experience with drum corps and no knowledge of any of the shows. He said he liked the Cadets show except for Little Jeffrey. He thought LJ was stupid and would have preferred that the cameras had ignored LJ to show the rest of the corps. I had to agree with him. Your son is officially my favorite person ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 Close ups of Little Geoffrey = giggling when a kid is doing something wrong....don't encourage him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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