"Barney Live! In New York City" Video Review

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

It's been a while since my last review. First of all, ideas were scarce. Second, school is coming soon for me; so I'm trying my best to get ready. Anyway, I was lucky to stumble upon a video that I used to see when I was a kid. By that, I mean Barney Live! In New York City.

Not a whole lot has changed since I last saw this video, but as an adult, I know that it's not perfect. First of all, a little background...

Remember Barney In Concert? That was the Barney franchise's first-ever stage show that was performed in March 1991, and was released on video that same year in July. Barney Live! In New York City was performed a few years later, taped at Radio City Music Hall on March 6, 1994, and was released on video on August 26 of that same year.
-Now mind you: Radio City Music Hall, from what I've heard, is really hard to get into, unless you're either a good performer or you have a lot of money... But since the Barney franchise was already becoming huge, they probably had enough to get into this place and have a stage show.
Now with that being said, Barney Live! In New York City was said to be, by far, the largest stage show in the Barney canon. But... if this was the largest performance ever, then it wouldn't be so underrated, right? Well, let's see why this performance was huge and has yet to get any recognition in today's standards. This is Barney Live! In New York City.

Opening:

So the video begins with people going to see the show.
-Eh.
-By the way, the camera angles look like a newscast is going on. Are we trying to interview people, or are y'all just in the way of these people? Let the people pass!

As we're taken inside Radio City Music Hall, we see that there's a bigger audience than the one in Barney In Concert.
-Larger crowd and larger stage. What would be the budget for this stage show? We'll never know.
We then hear an announcer introducing the audience to Barney.
-Okay. What announcer did they rope in?
(researching) Charles Edward Hall? Who's that?
(researching) Oh. It turns out that he's an that's performed in Radio City Music Hall and has been in Sesame Street once. (Okay.)
But when Barney doesn't show up at first when his name is called, you can see some of the kids with their jaws dropped.

-Don't worry. They're just ratting with us.
After the second attempt, Barney the dinosaur finally comes out to thunderous praise.

-Again, big stage. I mean, that's a lot of stage for a dinosaur like Barney. Just saying.
So after the intro song and the first song of the night, the audience are already sucked into the excitement...
-Wait. One kid has two Barney plushies? Lucky!!!
>: (
Barney: "I'd like to thank you all for coming to see me!"
-Okay...

Barney: "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you..."
-Oh. He wasn't joking... What a way to start the friggin' night. Good luck thanking thousands to people individually...This'll be a long night.
Barney: "(inhaling) Thank you. Thank you..."
-OMG! Get to the friggin' show already! Five minutes into the show, and we have to listen to this bullshit...
Barney: "Well, that's the first row..."
-NO! NO! Anything but that... (pause) Just realized that that was a Scar reference (Lion King).

So Barney finally introduces us to the kids that he hangs out with: Cathy, Julie, Derek, Carlos, Kelly, Tasha, Min, and Sean...
-I don't recognize Julie, Carlos, or Kelly.
... and they sing "Mr. Knickerbocker"...
-...which is a repeat from the previous stage show.

Backyard setting:
So the curtains go up, and we see a Sandlot-type clubhouse and yard. After a game of "Ring Around the Rosie," Baby Bop arrives...
-Uh, hi. Why are the kids lying on the ground?
Baby Bop: "They're all taking naps!"
-And that makes it better? What a way to justify something questionable.
Anyway, Baby Bop shows everyone her yellow blanket...
Baby Bop: "I'm so glad, I'm gonna sing about it!"
- Geez! They'll make a song about anything!
After THAT song, Barney and friends decide to make a surprise for the audience, thus leading to the Barney bag segment.

-Now, the Barney bag segment was one of the best parts of the franchise, because come on! Who doesn't like arts and crafts? Every time you see that blue decorated bag, it was exciting to see the bag be put to work, and the kids pulling out the materials. (pause) Sorry. That was some nostalgia for y'all.
So the kids work on "the surprise" inside the clubhouse; and afterwards, they tell the audience that it's in the Barney bag. But before they can show and tell, they help Baby Bop get her blanket unstuck from the clubhouse door...
-(pause) Why isn't anybody watching the Barney bag?
...and of course, a stranger...

-...a.k.a. a Ronald McDonald wannabe...
...comes by and snatches the bag.
Stranger: "Look what I've got!"
-See? I knew that was gonna happen. Called it!
So the gang gives chase, but the stranger brags about how fast he is... through song.
-By the way, this dude can't be really fast. There had to be stunt-doubles involved.
-Plus, is this warranting of a song? Well, since he's somewhat of an antagonist, or the King Julien, of this stage show, then maybe...
-Also, since the big surprise for the audience is in that bag that this guy stole, the audience should be booing the hell out of this guy for stealing!

By the way, this dude's name is the Winkster...
-(pause) Weird.
Winkster: "I don't try to be mean. That is not how I think..."
-And yet you're playing a mean joke on Barney and his friends. Have you no shame?
After that musical number, we see Barney and friends give chase once more, but the Winkster shows himself on the balcony to taunt them more.

Winkster: "Yoo hoo! Barney! Children! I'm up here just as quick as a wink!"
-Yeah, take a shot every time he reminds everyone that he's "quick as a wink!"
Winkster: "You'll have to catch me to see the surprise!"
-Challenge?
-Betcha this is what's keeping the show running...
So Barney explains the Winkster to the kids and audience. (Listen to this...)
Barney: "That was the Winkster. I know about him. He's not really bad. He's just a silly fellow who loves to play tricks and jokes."
-(pause) That's basically justifying the fact that the Winkster stole your bag...
Barney then enlists the help of the audience to point out the Winkster if they see him... but the show is still gonna go on. And as they do this, the Winkster arrives, another chase happens, and the Winkster vanishes.
Winkster: "Time for me to go bye bye, but I'll be back!"
-Whatever...
After that bullshit chase, we see Barney and friends go into another song...
Barney and kids: (singing) "She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes..."
-How does this connect to what just happened?
And then BJ arrives and sings a song...
-Okay. How long are we in this video?
23 minutes into the video
Then the Winkster shows up again, and challenges Barney personally to try and get the bag back. Barney accepts, but of course, Barney ends up stumbling over a mop and bucket...
-I don't know...
...and the Winkster leaves.
-Yeah, expect that every time the Winkster is on scene. That's all he's gonna do at this point: he shows up, challenges people to try and catch him, and vanishes.

Then the gang plans to stage a baseball game, so that it would lure the Winkster into getting distracted and letting go of the Barney bag.
-(sarcasm) Makes sense to me!
The plan almost works, but then it starts to rain.
-Yeah, paper streams to indicate that it's raining.
-Plus, they just leave Barney in the rain, because he can't fit into the clubhouse? And they only give him an umbrella? How mean.
So after a short rip-off of Singing In The Rain, the kids come outside in raincoats and umbrellas to sing a medley...
Barney: "A little rain never hurt anyone..."
-Yeah, but... but... (and this is your big "but") The Winkster still has the Barney bag; and no one has been able to catch him yet! So...
And then they sing another song after the medley...
: /
After the rain lets up, the gang hear a noise coming from the ground...
-(pause) The Rumor Weed, maybe? Oh. Wait. The Rumor Weed wouldn't be around until 1999. This video is in 1994.

...and it leads to yet another song!
-Again, they'll make a song about anything.
Barney: "Is everyone having a good time?"
-Depends. Will y'all ever catch the Winkster?

Then a marching band takes everyone to intermission.
-How far are we into the video?
40 minutes in...

Act 2:

After the break, we're brought into a circus environment, hence Barney's Imagination Circus, with Barney as the ringmaster; and the kids with the clowns and dancing bears performing songs and tricks like an actual circus...
-Now the circus is okay, but... what about the Winkster? Let's not forget that.

Anyway, it's a good 15 minutes during the circus part of the show, until we get to the last circus act- the cannon.

The cannon gets fired, and it turns out the Winkster was inside that cannon all along, and the chase is back on.
-Talk about a rushed transition back to the clubhouse.

Winkster: "You see, boys and girls? Barney and his friends will never catch me!"
-Piss off.
Tasha: "I don't think we're ever going to catch the Winkster."
-Come on, guys. Really? Whatever happened to using y'all's imagination? Isn't that what this franchise is all about?!
Then after another pointless song... and then another pointless song when they get back to the clubhouse, the gang decides to turn to... not God... not whoever... but the stars to wish upon them.
-Well, why not? Apparently, these people aren't religious.
And of course, the Winkster is wishing on the same star... Why?
Winkster: "I took this bag because I wanted everyone to play with me..."
-So... all this stealing and running so that people can play with you? Well, first of all, the bag... HAND IT OVER.
But as you can imagine, Barney is forgiving, and he let's the Winkster play with them, on the condition that he learns to share and be good. And then after a song about saying please and thank you...

-FINALLY! A song that connects to the story...
...we finally get to see "the surprise"... which is a small heart made of lace and glitter.
-(sarcasm) Oh. Not the Sega Genesis?
So seeing that the heart is too small for the audience to see, Barney has the audience "imagine" a big heart, and of course, a big heart (a banner) hangs above them.
-Impressive?

Ending;
And the show ends with one more song...
-Was a kid crying in the audience?
...and Barney blowing a kiss at the audience.

End credits:

As the credits roll, we see screenshots from the performance.
-Why are the screenshots fuzzy?
Also, we see that 5 charities benefited from this production.
-5 charities? Does that mean all the proceeds went to these charities?

And that was Barney Live! In New York City. So seeing that this was the biggest stage show in the Barney canon, and that this production is almost as old as I am (21 years, to be exact), why is this still underrated? And does it still hold up?
Well, unlike Barney In Concert, this production put a lot more effort into the set-up, the story, and the production itself. In fact, there may have been more budget money put into this than last time. You can totally see dollar signs galore in the background and foreground. Clearly the money is on the stage!
However, this may have also fallen flat, because the show didn't get to the point fast enough, and it bombarded us with pointless songs every once in a while. Plus, I don't think the Winkster has learned anything, because they don't show him redeeming himself, other than giving back the Barney bag at the end of the show.
Plus, I didn't even show you half of the stuff that was just awkward. I mean, that would be questionable in today's standards.
Nonetheless, I can't be too harsh on this one. In fact, remember my review on Barney's Great Adventure? Well, the same consensus applies here: it wasn't meant to be taken seriously. It's a stage production that's the equivalent to a road trip- it's to have fun and not worry about the technological side of it. So, despite the imperfections, I'm still I got to watch this as a kid. And yeah, I would like to see this again, even though I'm grown up now.

Whatsoever Critic
Source: Barney Live! In New York City

Courtesy: The Lyons Group