oli: ...that character Lestat comes across as a pretty middle of the road wishy washy whiny vampire.

You hit that one right on the nose.

Aren't we to have a sense of fear, awe and admiration for Lestat?

He just comes off as a fop.

LodiBill: For me, the first Act flows well, with the second being choppy.

That's a real problem, since the first act explains far less than the second act. So the question becomes, should the play concentrate on telling a shorter story more slowly, or a longer story more quickly.

For me I would prefer a shorter story. In fact, if they kept the story to be within the bounds of "Interview with a Vampire" that starts in New Orleans and ends in Paris, I think they could substantially reduce the character count, and have a flow that is well paced for audiences that haven't read the books.

Ok, the "wolf-killer" stuff was really cool. The people around me loved it. But when he actually appeared on stage and did the deed, it wasn't scary enough. I understand that there might be kids in the audience, but frankly, there shouldn't be kids in the audience. This is a play about vampires.

Personally I found the use of videos intriguing. However some of the art needed some more time in the cooker to get right. In particular the baby images and the tree at the end seemed amateurish.

It's possible that the boat scene music was good. But by the time it got there frankly I was already tired and bored.

Unfortunately I think some of the best music is attached to some of the more cuttable scenes.

(I sent this to the PR company yesterday before I knew there was this site and this forum.)

I saw Lestat with my wife last night (12/20) and I have a few thoughts about it for you if you are still looking for input and tweaking.

By far the most important problem with the play is the lack of a central theme or conclusion. If the main theme about the play is living life to the fullest whether you have 100 days or 100 lifetimes then the ending needs work. Living life to it's fullest and not giving in are recurring throughout. But there is no conflict point where Lestat gives up and then learns again about living his life and is thus redeemed. Given the layout of the play it seems like the most logical point for this break would be the death of Claudia.

In addition, there are far too many characters and some need to be dropped. The play feels like it was written for the fans. If it could be honed down to four primary characters; Lestat, Gabrielle, Louis, and Claudia it would make the play far easier to follow. Lestat, Louis and Claudia are obvious choices. I mention Gabrielle only because she has some great numbers.

Some other comments:

• The play was way too long. Everyone around us was yawning and uncomfortable late in the first act and through most of the second act.
  
• The vampires never appear threatening. The turning of Lestat needs to be unexpected, brutal, vicious and scary. And Lestat needs to go to a far darker place before he realizes that he can use this 'dark gift' in his own way.
  
• Overall the musical segments need to be shorter and tighter. There were several stanzas where the characters would merely iterate there ideas, and that just lengthened the play.
  
• It would be far better to have the musical numbers move the story more and involve more than one character. The first number between Lestat and the violinist (I can't remember his name because he is completely insignificant) is a good example of this.
  
• The violinist should be cut or greatly simplified (e.g. a hunting buddy). The related scene between Lestat and his mother in the beginning should be a two way conversation with Lestat going to Paris.
  
• You can tighten up the second act by merging Claudia's second number about being a little girl with the burning of Lestat.
  
• The boat scene should be dumped completely. It's a nice set piece, but it's boring to watch. He went back to Paris. We get it.
  
• The character of Louis is far too weak. The book starts off with Louis as a very strong character who is much older and wiser in San Francisco. So we allow for him to be weak in the beginning so that we watch see him grow. In the play he just comes off as a weak-willed idiot that we don't care at all about. The point could be made more subtly that he doesn't care for Lestat's methods.
  
• Claudia's death scene could be shortened.

On the positive side, the score, costumes, set design, and acting were all superb.

What needs work is the story. You need a non-fan editor to come in, find the central theme of the work, then chop it down until it becomes a coherent story that appeals to a wider audience and not just the fan base.