Well this long dead blogspot has had to be revived for the first "Wednesday Matinee Fortnight (fortday?) Theater". And what was the lucky show? Yup. It's Spiderman!
Now, I'd be lying if I said I haven't been looking forward to this for a long (very long) time. I mean it's Julie Taymor; a director who has yet to disappoint me in any medium: theater, opera, or film (I might be the only under 40 fan of her Titus). And as far as the direction goes, no, scratch that. As far at the technical direction goes, it's flawless. Visually stimulating, stunning, energetic, engaging, somebody grab me my thesaurus. But she should have left the book to more capable hands. I mean, it's Spiderman!! There's a wealth of source material out there. You can't throw a rock in this town without hitting a Marvel writer. (ok, that's hyperbole, but come on!) There are so many characters that are already written, fleshed out, well developed. Did she really have to go and create her own? (The fault here isn't that she wrote her own, it's that they are soooo poorly developed.)
Like so many others who have commented on the show so far, I feel that the Arachne storyline is just stupid. I get it. It goes along with the Geek (greek) chorus which, of course is a time honored tradition in the theatre. BUT HAS NO REFERENCE TO SPIDERMAN! I mean, If I was directing a new musical that had no format to rely on, I could see using the chorus device to move the story along. But Spiderman has a format. It has its own frame of exposition and any outside machinations are not necessary. Sometimes (rarely) they Geek Chorus is able to get some plot development out of the way but mostly (MOSTLY!) they just bring the storyline to a screeching halt, like when they discuss for 5 minutes whether Spidey was chosen to receive these powers or could it have happened to just anyone. Who cares? They left MJ hanging from that bridge so they could chat about this?
All right. Let's talk about the aerial acrobatics. Yes. The stunts are exciting. They're breathtaking actually. We had aisle orchestra seats and believe me, there was a lot of ducking and clutching of Kevin as they soared (swung?) over our heads. For one number, Arachne was zooming all over the orchestra seats, twirling and swinging violently and I knew (just knew!) that my life was over! I mean a lot of the show is a major adrenaline rush. And therein lies another problem Adrenaline can not take the place of an audience's investment in the characters they're watching or the story (?) that's being told. I really couldn't care if Peter and MJ live happily ever after but I sure as hell will have dreams of the Green Goblin falling on me.
Not that it bothered me too much, but 5 minutes shy of the intermission, stunt Spidey got his harness wires twisted and they had to pause the show for about 5 minutes while he dangled above the orchestra seats, and he waited to un-spin. (Now, I was watching this the whole time, and damned if it didn't look like he purposefully twisted his cables. Hmmmm. Giving the audience a taste of what they've read so much about? I guess only his hairdresser knows for sure...) Well he untangled, and they preformed the last 5 minutes of act one. And it should have ended there.
Act two. Oh act two! What did the theater ever do to deserve this?
Let's just say that the story is convoluted, which would save me from trying (trying!) to recall and recount all the falderol that happens in act two. The highlights include a chorus number where very well constructed spider gals do a number about shoes (yes, shoes). Each actress has a skirt of 6 (what appear to be) ladies' manequin legs wearing platform high heel shoes. They dance and twirl, all the time kicking up their "legs" to reveal what is now 6 crotches on each gal. Kevin and I were in stitches. No one else was. This is followed in the next scene by the worst line spoken on the Broadway stage in the last 20 years. Arachne, now in human form, tells the editor of the Daily Bugle that she "descended from the astral plane with the help of human shoes" Good night nurse!
Ok. Here's the positives. Kim Grigsby has done an amazing job with Bono and the Edge's score. The band and singers are flawless. I mean the music is really great. They're just sung by characters we care nothing about.
The sets and projections are out of this world. There must be 10,000 cues for this poor stage manager. It really is superb.
Now like Bill Samson says in All About Eve...
"The Theatuh, the Theatuh - what book of rules says the Theater exists only within some ugly buildings crowded into one square mile of New York City? Or London, Paris or Vienna? Listen, junior. And learn. Want to know what the Theater is? A flea circus. Also opera. Also rodeos, carnivals, ballets, Indian tribal dances, Punch and Judy, a one-man band - all Theater. Wherever there's magic and make-believe and an audience - there's Theater. Donald Duck, Ibsen, and The Lone Ranger, Sarah Bernhardt, Poodles Hanneford, Lunt and Fontanne, Betty Grable, Rex and Wild, and Eleanora Duse. You don't understand them all, you don't like them all, why should you? The Theater's for everybody - you included, but not exclusively - so don't approve or disapprove. It may not be your Theater, but it's Theater of somebody, somewhere. "
Last thought. Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark is like Chinese food. It was great in the moment, but 20 minutes later I realize I'm still hungry--for a story.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Addams Family - First Broadway Preview Night!!
I know it's customary to wait until a show has opened before reviewing it. Luckily I am anything but customary!!
Kevin has been so excited to see this show, ever since he heard it was coming to Broadway. It was certainly something we would be seeing sooner or later, but one day as I was reading the Grey Lady, an advert popped up for The Addams Family and announced that previews would begin on March 8th. Wait. Today is March 8th!! Certainly there couldn't be any tickets left...
There were! And I snagged two of them.
First of all, the advance word from the show's out of town try out in Chicago was just miserable. So much so, that almost all the news of the show was about how it was being completely re-worked. Would we be seeing a show that had risen from the ashes of failure, or the next phenomenal flop along the lines of Carrie: the Musical? The show lies somewhere in between.
The audience certainly was eager. Some came dressed as their favorite Douglas Addams character, some just in gothic garb.
And as the curtain rose, it was apparent that the design of the show was spot on. The first image is a family portrait of the Addams Family in the family cemetery, under the requisite full moon. And the design continued to impress as the show progressed, including a front curtain that became a character, framing certain more intimate scenes, and a house full of movable staircases right out of the mind of M C Esher.
Nathan Lane is laudable as Gomez. Bebe Newirth is perfectly droll as Morticia, but she has about a six note singing range which meant all her duets with Lane were keyed so low as to make them painful.
Jackie Hoffman impressed as Grandma as she did in Xanadu. Seriously, I think you could ask Ms. Hoffman to play toilet paper and be wowed! Kevin Chamberlin is wonderfully endearing as Uncle Fester. And Adam Riegler is a joy as Wesley.
Now the bad news on the Family front. Krysta Rodriguez is horrible as Wednesday Addams. I think she is probably a fine actor and she does have some chops as a singer, but the role that is written for her is so very bad it's painful to watch. Within the first 10 minutes of the show, Wednesday is turned from the brooding daughter with an evil streak into a lovestruck confused teen. And she doesn't seem to care. Gone are the braids, the melancholy, and the dry wit. And the poor songs the creative team force her to sing sound as they were leftover from the first draft of Wicked. They don't fit into what should be a dark, brooding score. If this is the part they re-worked, they've done the show a disservice.
In fact, much of the score seems better suited to other shows. It's hard to pin down what the musical style of The Addams Family should be, but there is one clear moment when Fester reprises a tune that has the lilt of a Parisian Waltz, and in that moment I found myself saying, Yes! That's what this score should sound like.
The plot line centers on Wednesday's budding love with a "normal" boy, and the requisite meeting of the two families. Carolee Carmelo and Terrence Mann shine like the true Broadway veterans they are. In fact my favorite musical moments where when they actually let Ms. Carmello sing. She has some of the most Broadway-worthy singing moments. There is a son, too, but he's so forgettable as to have been played by any number of actors. Sorry. It's not you, it's the script.
My best forecast for this show? It might run like The Producers or Spamalot solely on the draw of its star appeal and familiar theme, but unless some major changes are made (mostly surrounding the Wednesday storyline and songs [ugh!]) it will never be a timeless Broadway hit. Go ahead. Prove me wrong. Full Disclosure!
Go see it so you can say you've seen it.
I give it 2 curtains up.
Brian
Kevin has been so excited to see this show, ever since he heard it was coming to Broadway. It was certainly something we would be seeing sooner or later, but one day as I was reading the Grey Lady, an advert popped up for The Addams Family and announced that previews would begin on March 8th. Wait. Today is March 8th!! Certainly there couldn't be any tickets left...
There were! And I snagged two of them.
First of all, the advance word from the show's out of town try out in Chicago was just miserable. So much so, that almost all the news of the show was about how it was being completely re-worked. Would we be seeing a show that had risen from the ashes of failure, or the next phenomenal flop along the lines of Carrie: the Musical? The show lies somewhere in between.
The audience certainly was eager. Some came dressed as their favorite Douglas Addams character, some just in gothic garb.
And as the curtain rose, it was apparent that the design of the show was spot on. The first image is a family portrait of the Addams Family in the family cemetery, under the requisite full moon. And the design continued to impress as the show progressed, including a front curtain that became a character, framing certain more intimate scenes, and a house full of movable staircases right out of the mind of M C Esher.
Nathan Lane is laudable as Gomez. Bebe Newirth is perfectly droll as Morticia, but she has about a six note singing range which meant all her duets with Lane were keyed so low as to make them painful.
Jackie Hoffman impressed as Grandma as she did in Xanadu. Seriously, I think you could ask Ms. Hoffman to play toilet paper and be wowed! Kevin Chamberlin is wonderfully endearing as Uncle Fester. And Adam Riegler is a joy as Wesley.
Now the bad news on the Family front. Krysta Rodriguez is horrible as Wednesday Addams. I think she is probably a fine actor and she does have some chops as a singer, but the role that is written for her is so very bad it's painful to watch. Within the first 10 minutes of the show, Wednesday is turned from the brooding daughter with an evil streak into a lovestruck confused teen. And she doesn't seem to care. Gone are the braids, the melancholy, and the dry wit. And the poor songs the creative team force her to sing sound as they were leftover from the first draft of Wicked. They don't fit into what should be a dark, brooding score. If this is the part they re-worked, they've done the show a disservice.
In fact, much of the score seems better suited to other shows. It's hard to pin down what the musical style of The Addams Family should be, but there is one clear moment when Fester reprises a tune that has the lilt of a Parisian Waltz, and in that moment I found myself saying, Yes! That's what this score should sound like.
The plot line centers on Wednesday's budding love with a "normal" boy, and the requisite meeting of the two families. Carolee Carmelo and Terrence Mann shine like the true Broadway veterans they are. In fact my favorite musical moments where when they actually let Ms. Carmello sing. She has some of the most Broadway-worthy singing moments. There is a son, too, but he's so forgettable as to have been played by any number of actors. Sorry. It's not you, it's the script.
My best forecast for this show? It might run like The Producers or Spamalot solely on the draw of its star appeal and familiar theme, but unless some major changes are made (mostly surrounding the Wednesday storyline and songs [ugh!]) it will never be a timeless Broadway hit. Go ahead. Prove me wrong. Full Disclosure!
Go see it so you can say you've seen it.
I give it 2 curtains up.
Brian
A Little Night Music - Catherine Shmatherine, It's got Angela Lansbury!!
Lots of folks will be going to the Walter Kerr Theater to see Catherine Zeta-Jones. That's all fine and dandy, but the real reason to attend is, of course Angela Lansbury!
Because of some scheduling problems, it had been three weeks since Kevin and I had been to the theater, so I was prepared to pay full price to see A Little Night Music. But just in case, I headed down to the South Street Seaport TKTS booth just to see...and, Baruch Ha's hem!! (sorry to the members of the tribe) Lo, and behold there it was!! Discounted tickets to the show we had so anxiously been waiting to see. I snatched them up (the ticket booth guys are now recognizing me) and texted Kevin to share the good news.
Now, it's a Tuesday night show. Would the understudies for either Ms. Zeta-Jones-Douglass or Ms. Lansbury be going on in their stead? It would be a long 3 hours waiting to find out. (I won't keep you waiting. We saw them both!)
This has long been one of my favorite Sondheim scores, but I've never seen a live production. So it was kind of nice to finally put all the songs I know so well into context. (Oh! That's what that song is about...) And let's be frank. It is a singer's show. The well trained voice is what is called for. Luckily all but one cast member fits that requirement. Care to guess who the "one"is?
Let's get the supporting players out of the way. Ramona Mallory is just as annoying as the role of Anne requires. Good! Alexander Hanson is a wonderfully charismatic Fredrik. Nice! Hunter Ryan Herdlicka is competent as Henrik (although he lacks the un-godly high notes that Stephen wrote for some sadistic reason). Aaron Lazar and Erin Davie are wonderful as the Count and Countess. Hooray! But...
but...
Leigh Ann Larkin steals the show as Petra. Her rendition of The Miller's Son is the best I've ever heard. Tony nod here. Plus she has such an ease on stage; commanding presence without stealing focus. Care to guess which of her co-stars does not share her ability?
A quick nod to the chorus which had some of the best singing moments in the show. And in the Greek chorus tradition, they move the plot along whilst commenting on the action.
Kudos to the costume design, but double kudos to the amazing, versatile set design. Look for a Tony nod here, too.
I want to end on a high note, so I'll dispense with Ms. Zeta-Jones-Douglass. First of all, I want to say that she is well cast as Desiree. And she does understand the character. And there are wonderful moments when all the forces onstage align into a nice dramatic moment (Send in the Clowns). But somehow I'm left wanting more. It's as if she just doesn't "get" the live stage medium. I mean for chrissakes, hold for laughter and applause please! And while I certainly do not advocate grotesque over-acting, some of her moments are played too small to fully register with the poor people in the cheap seats. (There is one good thing about the cheap seats. Ms. Zeta-Jones-Douglass does "flash" upstage in one scene, and the back of the set is made of mirrors, and I'm told she is actually nude, and that you get a good view of this from the rear of the balcony.) She is taking a break for a couple of weeks in March and April. Perhaps I'll get cheap tickets and see her understudy. The show itself is certainly worth it.
And lastly, Ms. Angela Lansbury as Madame Armfeldt. This was my first time seeing this venerable actress, this superstar, this legend of the Broadway stage in person, and I can easily say, I was not disappointed. It's just a shame her part isn't bigger! Go see her while she's still in it!
All in all, a most wonderful night out at the theater! I highly recommend this production. (I'm going to have to start using some sort of rating system- 4 curtains up?)
Go see it!!
Brian
Because of some scheduling problems, it had been three weeks since Kevin and I had been to the theater, so I was prepared to pay full price to see A Little Night Music. But just in case, I headed down to the South Street Seaport TKTS booth just to see...and, Baruch Ha's hem!! (sorry to the members of the tribe) Lo, and behold there it was!! Discounted tickets to the show we had so anxiously been waiting to see. I snatched them up (the ticket booth guys are now recognizing me) and texted Kevin to share the good news.
Now, it's a Tuesday night show. Would the understudies for either Ms. Zeta-Jones-Douglass or Ms. Lansbury be going on in their stead? It would be a long 3 hours waiting to find out. (I won't keep you waiting. We saw them both!)
This has long been one of my favorite Sondheim scores, but I've never seen a live production. So it was kind of nice to finally put all the songs I know so well into context. (Oh! That's what that song is about...) And let's be frank. It is a singer's show. The well trained voice is what is called for. Luckily all but one cast member fits that requirement. Care to guess who the "one"is?
Let's get the supporting players out of the way. Ramona Mallory is just as annoying as the role of Anne requires. Good! Alexander Hanson is a wonderfully charismatic Fredrik. Nice! Hunter Ryan Herdlicka is competent as Henrik (although he lacks the un-godly high notes that Stephen wrote for some sadistic reason). Aaron Lazar and Erin Davie are wonderful as the Count and Countess. Hooray! But...
but...
Leigh Ann Larkin steals the show as Petra. Her rendition of The Miller's Son is the best I've ever heard. Tony nod here. Plus she has such an ease on stage; commanding presence without stealing focus. Care to guess which of her co-stars does not share her ability?
A quick nod to the chorus which had some of the best singing moments in the show. And in the Greek chorus tradition, they move the plot along whilst commenting on the action.
Kudos to the costume design, but double kudos to the amazing, versatile set design. Look for a Tony nod here, too.
I want to end on a high note, so I'll dispense with Ms. Zeta-Jones-Douglass. First of all, I want to say that she is well cast as Desiree. And she does understand the character. And there are wonderful moments when all the forces onstage align into a nice dramatic moment (Send in the Clowns). But somehow I'm left wanting more. It's as if she just doesn't "get" the live stage medium. I mean for chrissakes, hold for laughter and applause please! And while I certainly do not advocate grotesque over-acting, some of her moments are played too small to fully register with the poor people in the cheap seats. (There is one good thing about the cheap seats. Ms. Zeta-Jones-Douglass does "flash" upstage in one scene, and the back of the set is made of mirrors, and I'm told she is actually nude, and that you get a good view of this from the rear of the balcony.) She is taking a break for a couple of weeks in March and April. Perhaps I'll get cheap tickets and see her understudy. The show itself is certainly worth it.
And lastly, Ms. Angela Lansbury as Madame Armfeldt. This was my first time seeing this venerable actress, this superstar, this legend of the Broadway stage in person, and I can easily say, I was not disappointed. It's just a shame her part isn't bigger! Go see her while she's still in it!
All in all, a most wonderful night out at the theater! I highly recommend this production. (I'm going to have to start using some sort of rating system- 4 curtains up?)
Go see it!!
Brian
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Let the Sun Shine In - Hair, Again!!
What's the best way to spend your birthday morning??
Trying desperately to find out if, on the snowiest day of the year, a day that saw all city services canceled or shut down, your birthday matinee performance of your favorite show currently on Broadway is still going to happen.
Did you know that the direct box office phone lines for the Broadway theaters are listed nowhere!! The only number that's available anywhere is stupid Ticketmaster. So I spent most of the morning of my birthday trying to track down a source (computer and iPhone going simultaneously) that would tell me if the Broadway matinees were going ahead as planned. God bless the Broadway World iPhone app!! There it was at 11:00am. Yes, the show would go on!
Now, will any of the 7 friends I've invited to see Hair be able to brave the record snowfalls and get to the Al Hirschfeld theater on time? (I'm looking at you, lil Marc!) Yes! They all love me!!
Can I just say? If you haven't seen this production of the 60's tribal love musical, run-don't walk!! This was my second time seeing the show (Kevin's 4th, we'll talk about that crazy another time) and I am always amazed at the level of enthusiasm the cast brings to each performance. I firmly believe that they are having the time of their lives bringing each number to us.
Claude (Gavin Creel) is quite possibly the most talented young voice on the Broadway scene today! In his rendition of "I Got Life" he reaches down to his very toes (metaphorically) to wrench forth all the passion of youth that I have ever seen (told you I liked it!). We can talk about his abs at another time...
I have to give a big shout out to my favorite little Hippie, Kacie Shiek. She's a friend of a friend and I just love the performance she gives as Jeanie. So much fun!
I'm not sure if it was the snow, or the fact that it was a matinee, but we were privileged to see the understudy perform the role of Shelia. Jackie Burns is a dead ringer for that annoying chick from Glee, but nothing about this stellar voice is annoying. She belts out her numbers with all the conviction you'd expect from the young NYU activist. Great Job!!
Also in an understudy performance was Nicole Lewis as Dionne. This role has some of the most wailing numbers in the show, so I was a little worried (I've seen Sasha Allen in the role- perfection) but all fears were allayed as she competently handled "Aquarius" and "Walking in Space".
All in all a most enjoyable afternoon at the theater! Go see it. It's on TKTS every day.
Brian
Trying desperately to find out if, on the snowiest day of the year, a day that saw all city services canceled or shut down, your birthday matinee performance of your favorite show currently on Broadway is still going to happen.
Did you know that the direct box office phone lines for the Broadway theaters are listed nowhere!! The only number that's available anywhere is stupid Ticketmaster. So I spent most of the morning of my birthday trying to track down a source (computer and iPhone going simultaneously) that would tell me if the Broadway matinees were going ahead as planned. God bless the Broadway World iPhone app!! There it was at 11:00am. Yes, the show would go on!
Now, will any of the 7 friends I've invited to see Hair be able to brave the record snowfalls and get to the Al Hirschfeld theater on time? (I'm looking at you, lil Marc!) Yes! They all love me!!
Can I just say? If you haven't seen this production of the 60's tribal love musical, run-don't walk!! This was my second time seeing the show (Kevin's 4th, we'll talk about that crazy another time) and I am always amazed at the level of enthusiasm the cast brings to each performance. I firmly believe that they are having the time of their lives bringing each number to us.
Claude (Gavin Creel) is quite possibly the most talented young voice on the Broadway scene today! In his rendition of "I Got Life" he reaches down to his very toes (metaphorically) to wrench forth all the passion of youth that I have ever seen (told you I liked it!). We can talk about his abs at another time...
I have to give a big shout out to my favorite little Hippie, Kacie Shiek. She's a friend of a friend and I just love the performance she gives as Jeanie. So much fun!
I'm not sure if it was the snow, or the fact that it was a matinee, but we were privileged to see the understudy perform the role of Shelia. Jackie Burns is a dead ringer for that annoying chick from Glee, but nothing about this stellar voice is annoying. She belts out her numbers with all the conviction you'd expect from the young NYU activist. Great Job!!
Also in an understudy performance was Nicole Lewis as Dionne. This role has some of the most wailing numbers in the show, so I was a little worried (I've seen Sasha Allen in the role- perfection) but all fears were allayed as she competently handled "Aquarius" and "Walking in Space".
All in all a most enjoyable afternoon at the theater! Go see it. It's on TKTS every day.
Brian
Phantom of the Opera- 20 years later
Sometimes the offerings at the TKTS booth can be slim pickings, especially if you see as much theater as Kevin and I do. This was the case three weeks ago when I approached the booth at the South Street Seaport (insiders always go to this downtown booth. Never a line, and they open much earlier than the Times Square location.) I was dismayed to find that we had seen everything that was offered that day except Memphis (which we are saving for a really desperate week) and Fela! (which I'm not allowed to give any money to, due to an unfortunate feud with one of their hack dressers- yes, Broadway, I hold long grudges.)
So, we were either going to have to pay full price (something I rarely do) or see a show for the second time. Well, it had been two decades since I had seen The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and I do love a good spectacle, so there it was. We would be joining the hoards of Japanese tourists for tonight's 7:00 performance of Phantom.
Now, I was prepared to find it stale, unimpressive, and somewhat neglected. But surprisingly, it still stands up to current Broadway standards. Like I mentioned before, I hadn't seen the Broadway production since my first trip to NY with Doug and Julie, my freshman year at SMU (when we saw 7 shows in 5 days!), almost 20 years to the month. The first thing that struck me is how very little I remembered of the show; they'd start a song and I'd think, "oh yeah, I forgot that song was in this show."
Of course since we see our shows on Tuesday nights, the chances of catching an understudy's performance are greater. And wouldn't you know it, our title character was an understudy, Paul A Schaeffer. Great trained performance, if not somewhat young for the role. And he had all the ridiculous, cheesy phantom mannerisms down pat.
Christine was a bit of a disappointment. With a voice more suited to Belle from Beauty and the Beast and a milquetoast demeanor, I was left wanting more. Plus there were moments where I was unsure she knew the correct notes ("I remember there was mist/ swirling mist upon a dark something lake"). Yes it's part of the atonal bit of the show, but neatness counts.
Overall though, a satisfying night out, though not the best way to spend your money at the theater.
So, we were either going to have to pay full price (something I rarely do) or see a show for the second time. Well, it had been two decades since I had seen The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and I do love a good spectacle, so there it was. We would be joining the hoards of Japanese tourists for tonight's 7:00 performance of Phantom.
Now, I was prepared to find it stale, unimpressive, and somewhat neglected. But surprisingly, it still stands up to current Broadway standards. Like I mentioned before, I hadn't seen the Broadway production since my first trip to NY with Doug and Julie, my freshman year at SMU (when we saw 7 shows in 5 days!), almost 20 years to the month. The first thing that struck me is how very little I remembered of the show; they'd start a song and I'd think, "oh yeah, I forgot that song was in this show."
Of course since we see our shows on Tuesday nights, the chances of catching an understudy's performance are greater. And wouldn't you know it, our title character was an understudy, Paul A Schaeffer. Great trained performance, if not somewhat young for the role. And he had all the ridiculous, cheesy phantom mannerisms down pat.
Christine was a bit of a disappointment. With a voice more suited to Belle from Beauty and the Beast and a milquetoast demeanor, I was left wanting more. Plus there were moments where I was unsure she knew the correct notes ("I remember there was mist/ swirling mist upon a dark something lake"). Yes it's part of the atonal bit of the show, but neatness counts.
Overall though, a satisfying night out, though not the best way to spend your money at the theater.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Billy Elliot - That kid can dance
This was definitely one of the best things Kevin and I have seen in a long while.
Is the show perfect? No. There are problems with the book. (I think they expect you to have seen the movie first.) The music, while perfectly fitting in the moment, is forgettable. I don't think I could hum more that two bars of any song. And let me just say, I think the show at this current moment is suffering from "mid-life crisis", the point at which the remaining original cast members begin wishing they were somewhere else. Upon opening the Playbill, about a half dozen "at this performance" notices came spilling out. My friend Doug likened it to Mardi-Gras.
One such cover from the performance we saw was Donnie Kehr as the Dad. Donnie has been around the block in the Broadway world and it's nice to see a friend of a friend getting the opportunity to play a large role. (Interestingly enough, Gregory Jbarra- the original bway Dad- was in the audience. Just couldn't stay away, I guess.) Another cover from our performance was Merele Louise as the Grandma, whom we just saw this past fall performing the "Into the Woods" number with Bernadette Peters in her concert benefit. Nice job, Merele. Sorry the role is a bit one dimensional.
In the tradition of Oliver!, The King and I, Annie and others, Billy Elliot is a musical that summer stock, community theaters and regional productions are going to be reviving for many years. Why? Lots of children's parts. In the opening scenes I was shocked to see that there were, like, six kids on stage. Wow! I thought. That's a lot of kids! But wait; there's more. There are actually about fifteen children's roles, not counting the title character. Now that's a lot of kids. While I'm usually not a fan of the "many childed" musical (something held over from my days as a child star) this group of young performers, especially the extremely funny ballet girls, actually provided some of the high points of the show. The little cross dressing boy, Michael (played by Jake Schwencke at this performance) has a number that, although does nothing to further the story, is one of the best production numbers in the show (until the 8 foot tall surrealistic dresses appear to make you ask, "what show are we seeing, again?")
But let's face it, The show is really all about Billy. Now from what I hear, each of the "Billys" has their own particular strength dance wise. There is the "ballet" Billy, the tap Billy etc. Dayton Tavares, fresh from the two Australian companies, was our "Billy" and he definitely was not the ballet Billy. His ballet moments left something to be desired (It always feels so wrong to critique children, but, hey- them's the breaks) but he certainly is the tap Billy. When it comes to tap and gymnastics the kid was a natural born hoofer! And I really loved the way he chose to perform the songs, with a natural ease of phrasing and conversational style. No Broadway belter here.
Loved the sets, and their multi functional aspect. Costumes? Meh. They get the job done, although I'm living in fear I'll have nightmares of 8 foot tall dresses. Direction? Perhaps a bit over directed with a slant to appeal to the widest audience possible (Some of the "takes" were too mass appeal driven.) but good.
Overall, a great night at the theater and a very Broadway worthy show.
Billy Elliot has now started showing up on the boards at TKTS. We scored 9th row seats (house right) a mere 5 hours before curtain! Go see it!!
Brian
Is the show perfect? No. There are problems with the book. (I think they expect you to have seen the movie first.) The music, while perfectly fitting in the moment, is forgettable. I don't think I could hum more that two bars of any song. And let me just say, I think the show at this current moment is suffering from "mid-life crisis", the point at which the remaining original cast members begin wishing they were somewhere else. Upon opening the Playbill, about a half dozen "at this performance" notices came spilling out. My friend Doug likened it to Mardi-Gras.
One such cover from the performance we saw was Donnie Kehr as the Dad. Donnie has been around the block in the Broadway world and it's nice to see a friend of a friend getting the opportunity to play a large role. (Interestingly enough, Gregory Jbarra- the original bway Dad- was in the audience. Just couldn't stay away, I guess.) Another cover from our performance was Merele Louise as the Grandma, whom we just saw this past fall performing the "Into the Woods" number with Bernadette Peters in her concert benefit. Nice job, Merele. Sorry the role is a bit one dimensional.
In the tradition of Oliver!, The King and I, Annie and others, Billy Elliot is a musical that summer stock, community theaters and regional productions are going to be reviving for many years. Why? Lots of children's parts. In the opening scenes I was shocked to see that there were, like, six kids on stage. Wow! I thought. That's a lot of kids! But wait; there's more. There are actually about fifteen children's roles, not counting the title character. Now that's a lot of kids. While I'm usually not a fan of the "many childed" musical (something held over from my days as a child star) this group of young performers, especially the extremely funny ballet girls, actually provided some of the high points of the show. The little cross dressing boy, Michael (played by Jake Schwencke at this performance) has a number that, although does nothing to further the story, is one of the best production numbers in the show (until the 8 foot tall surrealistic dresses appear to make you ask, "what show are we seeing, again?")
But let's face it, The show is really all about Billy. Now from what I hear, each of the "Billys" has their own particular strength dance wise. There is the "ballet" Billy, the tap Billy etc. Dayton Tavares, fresh from the two Australian companies, was our "Billy" and he definitely was not the ballet Billy. His ballet moments left something to be desired (It always feels so wrong to critique children, but, hey- them's the breaks) but he certainly is the tap Billy. When it comes to tap and gymnastics the kid was a natural born hoofer! And I really loved the way he chose to perform the songs, with a natural ease of phrasing and conversational style. No Broadway belter here.
Loved the sets, and their multi functional aspect. Costumes? Meh. They get the job done, although I'm living in fear I'll have nightmares of 8 foot tall dresses. Direction? Perhaps a bit over directed with a slant to appeal to the widest audience possible (Some of the "takes" were too mass appeal driven.) but good.
Overall, a great night at the theater and a very Broadway worthy show.
Billy Elliot has now started showing up on the boards at TKTS. We scored 9th row seats (house right) a mere 5 hours before curtain! Go see it!!
Brian
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Finian's Rainbow -first show of 2010!!
First off, let's just get this out of the way...
Nobody fills out a pair of jeans like Cheyenne Jackson.
There. I've said it. 30 Rock's new co-star does a wonderful job playing Woody Mahoney, the do-gooder, patriarch of Rainbow Valley in the fabled state of Missituckey. His voice is just right and he's full of the charm and warmth needed for what is really an otherwise bland role. This fault in characterization is not the actor's fault, or even the writer's, but instead is a symptom of a story that just doesn't really resonate with modern audiences. The production is beautiful. The songs stick in your mind (yes, I left humming "Devil Moon"). Choreography, casting, music direction are all first rate, and yet I can't help wondering, "why bother?"
I'm sure the first audiences of this show felt like it was a groundbreaking bit of theater, with a theme that challenged the social norm of the day, but today they're just preaching to the choir.
Kate Baldwin and Jim Norton shine as the father and daughter McLonergans. Alina Faye dances her tootsies off as the mute Susan Mahoney. But once again in a "steal the show" role is Christopher Fitzgerald (Wicked, Young Frankenstein) as the high strung leprechaun, Og. Look for a Tony nod here.
Overall, I'm glad we saw it (thank you TKTS) before it closed. And I'm glad to now say I've seen a live production of Finian's Rainbow, but it's not going to go down in history as one of Broadway's best.
Brian
Nobody fills out a pair of jeans like Cheyenne Jackson.
There. I've said it. 30 Rock's new co-star does a wonderful job playing Woody Mahoney, the do-gooder, patriarch of Rainbow Valley in the fabled state of Missituckey. His voice is just right and he's full of the charm and warmth needed for what is really an otherwise bland role. This fault in characterization is not the actor's fault, or even the writer's, but instead is a symptom of a story that just doesn't really resonate with modern audiences. The production is beautiful. The songs stick in your mind (yes, I left humming "Devil Moon"). Choreography, casting, music direction are all first rate, and yet I can't help wondering, "why bother?"
I'm sure the first audiences of this show felt like it was a groundbreaking bit of theater, with a theme that challenged the social norm of the day, but today they're just preaching to the choir.
Kate Baldwin and Jim Norton shine as the father and daughter McLonergans. Alina Faye dances her tootsies off as the mute Susan Mahoney. But once again in a "steal the show" role is Christopher Fitzgerald (Wicked, Young Frankenstein) as the high strung leprechaun, Og. Look for a Tony nod here.
Overall, I'm glad we saw it (thank you TKTS) before it closed. And I'm glad to now say I've seen a live production of Finian's Rainbow, but it's not going to go down in history as one of Broadway's best.
Brian
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