Theatre Talk: In Our Own Little Corner

[SimoneS]

I found out it was ending on today so I went to see Children of a Lesser God yesterday. I enjoyed it, my friend who went with me absolutely loved it. After the play, we talked a lot about the challenges that hearing impaired encounter as well as Sarah and James' complicated relationship. I thought the second half was stronger than the first half. I was surprised by the amount of humor in the play, but appreciated it as it helped release some of the intense emotion at times.

I felt like Sarah was overshadowed at times, but Ridloff was able push her to the front front. I think that Lauren Ridloff is talented and lovely. I think she has the potential to have a solid career in tv, but don't think that there will be many roles in the theater. 

I think that Josh Jackson gave a solid performance as James, but I disliked how they had him interpreting her dialogue instead having him in responding to her in a way that tells us what she said, after all, they had the dialogue running about the stage. I felt that having to say his own dialogue as well as hers bogged Josh down and didn't give him the opportunity to focus on James. 

I was surprised to see Anthony Edwards. I didn't realize that he was in it and am thrilled that he is working after publicly sharing that his personal story.

One thing about the set, I liked it until they used the bench instead of a bed and I thought that they should have used a real table and cards when they were playing bridge. It was distracting.

ETA:  The audience had quite a few hearing-impaired individuals which was great. Also, after suffering in those tiny seats watching The Iceman Cometh in Bernard B Jacobs Theater, the Studio 54 seats are practically luxurious. :)

Edited May 27, 2018 by SimoneS

[unicorn23]

On 5/22/2018 at 11:45 PM, aradia22 said:

I was disappointed with Condola Rashad. I haven't seen any of her other roles so I'm just going to assume that she was better in those other parts given her multiple Tony nominations. She wasn't embarrassingly bad or anything. It was just... odd. She made odd choices. I'm not sure you could call it an accent so much as she's not exactly using her normal speaking voice and also "projecting" and also adopting a strange cadence. I feel like the best way to describe it is like music or rap.

I just got back from seeing the play this afternoon and Condola was the reason I went to see it (I really like her on Billions, haven't seen her in a theater setting before today). I have to agree with your comment about Condola, but only during the first few acts of the play. She blew me away during the acts after intermission and her last scene before the epilogue was magnificent? Yes, I thought the acting choices were a bit odd at first, but I got used to them. Same goes for her speaking voice.

I like this review of the play where the writer posits a theory about Condola's acting choices:

Quote

Rashad is exceptional as Joan. Initially I was a bit perplexed by her seemingly odd performance. She had a kind of glazed look about her that made her seem disconnected. But as I watched her, it became apparent that Rashad was offering the possibility to the audience that maybe Joan was crazy and delusional, which in the end was a courageous and strong acting choice.

The play was very good with a lot of strong performances, but I thought Act 4 could have been shorter. I found myself dozing off a few times.

Lastly, I waited at the stage door to see Condola and she didn't disappoint. The woman is absolutely stunning in person. The cherry on top was seeing her mom, Phylicia, come out at the stage door. That was so cool. Later on, a few feet away from the theater, I saw her walking her dog (it may have been Condola's dog) and it was just the most darling thing ever.

[aradia22]

@unicorn23 Who else came out of the stage door? I was thinking about going back as it was rainy the night I saw the show and after such a long play I just wanted to get home. 

[unicorn23]

19 minutes ago, aradia22 said:

@unicorn23 Who else came out of the stage door? I was thinking about going back as it was rainy the night I saw the show and after such a long play I just wanted to get home. 

Jack was the first one who came out. John Glover, Adam, and Mandi also came out. I left after Condola came out so I don't know if any other cast members came out.

[DisneyBoy]

Just watched a morning show performance from Mean Girls - "Apex Predator" - and realized the leading ladies from Heathers: The Musical and Bring It On The Musical are part of the MG cast. Smart move Fey and co. They're really talented and you're trying to reach the same audience as those shows...

[PRgal]

The Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto recently celebrated its 25th anniversary!  In attendance at their celebration included Ma-Anne Dionisio (as well as many of the cast members), who played Kim in Miss Saigon, the first show that premiered at the theatre.  As you can see from the video, one of the Tams was also at the event.  He's now in his late 20s!  

[aradia22]

Yay! Two more weeks to try and win the lottery.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/THE-BEAST-IN-THE-JUNGLE-Extends-Through-June-24-20180529

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Laura Osnes covered “Make You Feel My Love” with Straight No Chaser:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This month’s Hamildrop is Helpless by the Regrettes:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Norbert Leo Butz & Jordan Donica discuss My Fair Lady:

[JustaPerson]

I recently discovered Barbra Streisand's album of duets of famous Broadway tunes with famous people, Encore. Some are random (Jaime Foxx singing Climb Ev'ry Mountain) and others less so (Patrick Wilson singing Loving You). There's even a cute BTS video for each track on youtube. I'm not articulate enough to review every track (I'll leave that kind of thing to you guys haha!) but I am fond of At the Ballet with Daisy Ridley (!) and Anne Hathaway. 

Edited June 3, 2018 by JustaPerson

[unicorn23]

On 10/25/2017 at 6:26 PM, SimoneS said:

The Waitress was my favorite show. It was funny, well acted and choreographed. I liked the songs. I thought Charity Angél Dawson was the standout as Becky and that Sara was stellar as the lead. Her experience from community theater showed as her acting was as good as her voice. I was struck by how much better she sounded live than on her recordings. Her voice was strong and she had much more range than I expected. My favorite of her performances was to the end when Jenna was singing "She Used to Be Mine." I got the shivers.

 

Quoting old posts because I just discovered this thread!

Loved reading everyone's reactions to Waitress. I have seen the show a total of five times (twice for Jessie - including her last show) and three times for Sara (twice for her "last shows", haha). I would have watched Betsy's turn as Jenna, too, but I thought to myself that I have probably have given enough money to Sara already so five is enough. 

@SimoneS: agreed on Sara even better live. I've seen her in concert, too, and hearing her voice in person is indescribable. I have been a Sara fan for a while now and every time she opens her mouth to sing, it never fails to take my breath away. How does she do that? I was also so impressed by Sara's acting. She can act, no doubt about it. I wouldn't be surprised at all if she stars in another Broadway show after Waitress (maybe she'll be Alice in her next project - Alice In Wonderland?). 

I can't compare Jessie and Sara because that's like comparing apples and oranges. They were both fantastic as Jenna and brought their own special spin to the character and to their performances. It was pretty awesome to be in the audience for both of their last shows, though. I was so annoyed when Sara extended her run after I have already bought tickets to her "last show", hahaha, but in the end, it all worked out okay since I got to see her real last show. That is, unless she decides to go back again for a third try which I hope not because she needs to already work on that new album!

Edited June 4, 2018 by unicorn23
Corrected username whom I quoted

[SimoneS]

@unicorn23, very cool that you got to see Sara in concert as well as in the Waitress. Before seeing the Waitress, I thought it would be nice to see her on concert, after I decided that I have to see her in concert. I will be looking out for her next tour.

Edited June 4, 2018 by SimoneS

[unicorn23]

9 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

@unicorn23, very cool that you got to see Sara in concert as well as in the Waitress. Before seeing the Waitress, I thought it would be nice to see her on concert, after I decided that I have to see her in concert. I will be looking out for her next tour.

It will be worth every penny. Not only does she sound great live, she is also hilarious in concert. I went to this concert she did performing songs from Waitress and it was glorious.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Taylor Louderman discusses Mean Girls:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Kyle Jarrow discusses SpongBob SquarePants:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Condola Rashad, John Glover, and Patrick Page discuss Saint Joan:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ashley Park discusses Mean Girls:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Take a peek inside the Mean Girls dressing room with Teen Vogue (Ashley Park and Kate Rockwell talk about the design inspiration for their dressing room aka NO PINK)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Chukwudi Iwuji discusses Othello:

[SimoneS]

I went to see Once on This Island earlier today. I didn't know what to expect. I was pretty much blown away by the voices and the performances. I wanted to go see it before Lea Solonga left the production at the end of the month, but honestly, she was overshadowed by most of the other actors and their voices. The only slight negative was that there were a few moments when the music was too loud which reminded me of Wicked and not in a good way. I did have a huge problem with how the story ended. The poor dark skin black young woman dies of a broken heart after betrayed and abandoned by the rich light skin black man who marries another woman. Yet he and his children get to live happily ever after because her love is pure, thereby breaking the curse on his family. WTF?! However, I can appreciate the performances and not the actually story.

Phillip Boykin as the father. That voice, that baritone, made me weak in the knees. Where has he been all my life? If he sang to me, I would let him do anything to me that he wanted (I am only kidding a little). 

Kenita T Miller as the mother was wonderful. I love her voice and her portrayal of the character ranged from comedic to loving.

ETA: I forgot to mention Tamyra Gray as Papa Ge. I loved her voice. She gave me the shivers.

Aurelia Williams was Asaka in this performance and she was amazing.

Lea Solonga was good as she usually is. I did like her solo, but she just wasn't in the same league as the other voices.

Hailey Kigore was good as Tim Moune. She had a couple of strong moments, but at times, I thought she was just okay.

The weak link in the cast was Isaac Powell as Daniel. His voice was average at best and didn't come close to the others in the cast.

This is probably it for me and Broadway until fall. I do want to go see Jagged Little Pill which is playing in Cambridge, Mass, but we'll see how it goes.

Edited June 10, 2018 by SimoneS

[ElectricBoogaloo]

If you didn’t see Bandstand while it was on Broadway, you can see it in movie theaters on June 25 & 28.

1 hour ago, SimoneS said:

I do want to go see Jagged Little Pill which is playing in Cambridge, Mass, but we'll see how it goes.

My cousin is seeing it this weekend so I'm eagerly awaiting her review!

[Silver Raven]

10 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

If you didn’t see Bandstand while it was on Broadway, you can see it in movie theaters on June 25 & 28.

My cousin is seeing it this weekend so I'm eagerly awaiting her review!

And The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/nt-live-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time-encore?date=2018-06-12 00:00:00.000

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

And The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/nt-live-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time-encore?date=2018-06-12 00:00:00.000

Mr. EB and I saw the national tour last year so I asked him if he liked it enough to see it again at the movie theater but he said nah. I wonder if the awesome lights and sets will be as cool looking on a flat two dimensional screen.

I always love the Fathom events. I'm probably going to see the Bolshoi's Swan Lake in July. I'm pretty sure it's the same recording they showed when I saw it last year, but I don't care because it was so good!

[SimoneS]

6 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

My cousin is seeing it this weekend so I'm eagerly awaiting her review!

Please share her review of the show. I have read positive critic reviews, but it is always good to hear from someone who actually saw the show. 

Edited June 10, 2018 by SimoneS

[Spartan Girl]

12 hours ago, SimoneS said:

I went to see Once on This Island earlier today. I didn't know what to expect. I was pretty much blown away by the voices and the performances. I wanted to go see it before Lea Solonga left the production at the end of the month, but honestly, she was overshadowed by most of the other actors and their voices. The only slight negative was that there were a few moments when the music was too loud which reminded me of Wicked and not in a good way. I did have a huge problem with how the story ended. The poor dark skin black young woman dies of a broken heart after betrayed and abandoned by the rich light skin black man who marries another woman. Yet he and his children get to live happily ever after because her love is pure, thereby breaking the curse on his family. WTF?!

 

Ugh, yeah I hate that too. I know it's supposed to mirror the original Little Mermaid fairy tale but it still sucks. Daniel was a jerk. His whole stupid rich family could stay cursed after what they did to her.

Despite that, I would like to see the show someday.

Edited June 10, 2018 by Spartan Girl

[SimoneS]

12 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Ugh, yeah I hate that too. I know it's supposed to mirror the original Little Mermaid fairy tale but it still sucks. Daniel was a jerk. His whole stupid rich family could stay cursed after what they did to her.

Despite that, I would like to see the show someday.

While I knew the outline of the story, I didn't know the details about the ending and curse. If I had, I honestly wouldn't have gone to see it so I am glad I didn't because the show was so freaking good. The ending really took me by surprise. I wanted to punch that piece of shit Daniel in the face so I sat there with my mouth open when it was portrayed as if it was this gift that the curse broken by the power of love. The people I went with didn't understand my outrage at the ending. Despite this, the show was outstanding and I would highly recommend it based on the performances.

Edited June 10, 2018 by SimoneS

[aradia22]

Quote

The only slight negative was that there were a few moments when the music was too loud which reminded me of Wicked and not in a good way. I did have a huge problem with how the story ended. The poor dark skin black young woman dies of a broken heart after betrayed and abandoned by the rich light skin black man who marries another woman. Yet he and his children get to live happily ever after because her love is pure, thereby breaking the curse on his family. WTF?!

I'm surprised to hear that. I thought the sound was excellent. Maybe it was where you were sitting or maybe they changed something since I saw the show in the winter.

And yeah. It's problematic AF. It's Caribbean Little Mermaid (the original one) and based on a book so I don't blame Ahrens and Flaherty for that. One thing I tend to like about little mermaid characters in all the various adaptations is even though they're usually idiots (why are you chasing this guy you met one time?) is that they're usually very young and they're not shrinking violets. They capture what it's like to be young and full of naive hope and willful arrogance. tbh, Timoune is a bit of a jerk to her adoptive parents when she decides to go to the hotel to chase after Daniel. I agree that Daniel wasn't that great in this production (though, whatever he says about love he is CLEARLY a jerk from the rest of what's in the text. ("Some girls you learn from/Some you teach"? Fuck off) So it ends up making the story more about Timoune and Daniel seems very passive. Timoune is the one longing for adventure. She doesn't examine her wanting but lets it carry her through a journey to the hotel. With no claims of love or promises for the future, she just throws herself at Daniel because she took care of him when he was sick. That's not a foundation for a relationship. I mean, it's not exactly a love story... unless you're talking Harlequin romance. It's amazing he bothers to tell her he loves her. I haven't read the book but if it's based on HCA, I feel like the ending has a lot to do with Christianity. Forgiveness of those who have transgressed against you and the redemption of the soul (in HCA she's sea foam, here she becomes a tree). And in becoming a tree, she is once again active, breaking down... whatever (is it the gate or the hotel? I forget.) Again, not my favorite story but better than Miss Saigon. She didn't know about Andrea but Ti Moune makes most of the choices in the story. She doesn't sacrifice herself or get out of the way. She hangs around and forces people to acknowledge her (Daniel, the gods). There's also this larger hero's journey with her relationship with the gods. #DanielIsNotImportant

[SimoneS]

2 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Again, not my favorite story but better than Miss Saigon. She didn't know about Andrea but Ti Moune makes most of the choices in the story. She doesn't sacrifice herself or get out of the way. She hangs around and forces people to acknowledge her (Daniel, the gods). There's also this larger hero's journey with her relationship with the gods. #DanielIsNotImportant

I suppose this is something, but it doesn't make the story any better for me. I thought the gods were going to punish Daniel for his betrayal, but nope, instead Ti Moune's reward was to be taken into the sea and turned into a tree. RME. The least they could have done was have the gate fall on him when the tree's roots broke it.  

We waited around awhile after the show and Hailey Kilgore came out. I was surprised that she is the only cast member to get a Tony nomination. I thought she was good/serviceable, but she was frequently outshone by other cast members and her voice was just so so in several of her songs.

Edited June 10, 2018 by SimoneS

[Spartan Girl]

I did read the original book, My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy (yeah, the title is dumb), and the end is way more depressing: she just gets trampled to death by the crowd of wedding guests after Daniel snubs her, and the gods don't even turn her into a tree.

I know we rip on these female characters for falling so hard for guys they just met, but to be fair, it's usually a symptom of being cooped up and sheltered in one place for most of their lives and wanting to see the world, etc. besides, there are tons of other stories were male characters do the exact same thing.

[ratgirlagogo]

5 hours ago, aradia22 said:

One thing I tend to like about little mermaid characters in all the various adaptations is even though they're usually idiots (why are you chasing this guy you met one time?) is that they're usually very young and they're not shrinking violets. They capture what it's like to be young and full of naive hope and willful arrogance. 

I haven't seen the show, though I've heard the score.   But I have read Rosa Guy's My Love, My Love and Andersen's The Little Mermaid.  Calling My Love, My Love a version of The Little Mermaid has always annoyed me since it seems like a disservice to both Guy's novel and Andersen's story.  The big thing that contemporary audiences often don't get about HCA's Little Mermaid is that, historically,  mermaids in European folklore are evil malicious monsters that regard human beings as nothing more than prey animals.   He could just as easily done The Little Vampire.  It is IMO  this story that starts the modern idea of the mermaid as a romantic,  angelic, creature.   The spiritual ideas in the story are Christian of course, but quite heterodox ones, in some ways unique to HCA.

Rosa Guy's book only follows some of the elements of this story, obviously.   It's not just that Desiree and Daniel are both human, it's that Desiree is from the darker skinned underclass - and mermaids would not have represented the Danish underclass at all, the opposite if anything. The novel is an original story with many literary allusions - there are elements of Romeo and Juliet,  Madame Butterfly,  but with an even uglier kind of Greek tragedy ending:

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

the end is way more depressing: she just gets trampled to death by the crowd of wedding guests after Daniel snubs her, and the gods don't even turn her into a tree.

[aradia22]

Quote

I suppose this is something, but it doesn't make the story any better for me. I thought the gods were going to punish Daniel for his betrayal, but nope, instead Ti Moune's reward was to be taken into the sea and turned into a tree. RME. The least they could have done was have the gate fall on him when the tree's roots broke it.  

Lol. I mean, I wouldn't have been mad at that. But what did Daniel really do to betray her? He got into a car accident and he was entirely unconscious while she took of him. It's not like he asked for help or they were able to fall in love during that time. Then she comes to him at the hotel and he's like... cool, convenient mistress. He tells her he's in love with her which is not cool knowing he's going to marry someone else and thinking she'll be OK with it but I mean, what was he supposed to think at this time period with this girl throwing herself at him? She was naive to think they were going to get married and everything was going to work out. He doesn't really deviate and he doesn't really lead her on. And again, it's not my bag but I think there's a lot of Christian forgiveness/redemption going on. 

Quote

We waited around awhile after the show and Hailey Kilgore came out. I was surprised that she is the only cast member to get a Tony nomination. I thought she was good/serviceable, but she was frequently outshone by other cast members and her voice was just so so in several of her songs.

Agreed. She was a little shouty/pitchy when I saw the show and she was a perfectly fine ingenue but I've seen plenty of other actresses give similar ingenue performances. Her performance was also very... extra. Very shouty and wide-eyed and "dramatic" vs. subtle or deep. 

Quote

I know we rip on these female characters for falling so hard for guys they just met, but to be fair, it's usually a symptom of being cooped up and sheltered in one place for most of their lives and wanting to see the world, etc. besides, there are tons of other stories were male characters do the exact same thing.

Oh, definitely. In the romance novel world, we call it insta-love. I understand that with various forms of media (TV, movies, books, theater, etc.) sometimes it's necessary to take shortcuts and speed things up. But a successful story sells it. And here, I didn't really buy the romance and I'm not sure you're even supposed to buy into the romance. You can contrast it even with the Disney Little Mermaid where Ariel watches Eric interact with people on the ship before it sinks and then spends some time fantasizing about him with this statue. Ti Moune basically asked the gods for a guy and then one showed up and he happened to be young and handsome and that's about it. That's lust/attraction, not love. But I do agree that especially with Little Mermaid stories it's about being sheltered. The guy is just a vehicle for what she wants. In the Disney movie it's "I want to be where the people are." In Once On This Island she dreams of a "stranger in white IN A CAR." It's explicitly about a guy being the embodiment of the thing you want or being a way of getting you out of the place you're in. Of course a lot of princess/wish fulfillment stories do the same thing. I still think the whole justification for her chasing after him is a weak part (writing wise) of OOTI. 

[Spartan Girl]

Once on this Island won Best Revival at the Tonys!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Tony performances:

This year's nominated musicals:

Spoiler

The Band's Visit:

Carousel:

Frozen:

 

My Fair Lady:

Mean Girls:

Once on This Island:

Spongebob Squarepants:

Summer:

 

 

Other performances:

Spoiler

Josh Groban & Sara Bareilles opening song:

Josh & Sara - Eight Times a Week:

Josh & Sara - ALW & Chita Rivera lifetime achievement award medley:

 

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students sing Seasons of Love:

Bruce Springsteen:

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Tony acceptance speeches:

Spoiler

Best Play: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Best Direction of a Play: John Tiffany (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)

Best Revival of a Play: Angels in America

Best Actor in a Play: Andrew Garfield (Angels in America)

Best Leading Actress: Glenda Jackson (Three Tall Women)

Best Featured Actor in a Play: Nathan Lane

Best Featured Actress in a Play: Laurie Metcalf (Three Tall Women)

 

 

Best Revival of a Musical: Once on This Island:

Best Direction of a Musical: David Cromer (The Band's Visit)

Best Leading Actor in a Musical: Tony Shaloub (The Band's Visit)

 

Best Leading Actress in a Musical: Katrina Lenk (The Band's Visit)

Best Featured Actor In A Musical: Ari'el Stachel (The Band's Visit)

Best Featured Actress in a Musical: Lindsay Mendez

Lifetime Achievement Award: Chita Rivera:

Lifetime Achievement Award: Andrew Lloyd Webber

Best Book Of A Musical: Itamar Moses (The Band's Visit)

Special Tony Award: John Leguizamo

Special Tony Award: Bruce Springsteen:

Excellence In Theater Education Award: Melody Herzfeld

 

 

[bosawks]

I think the Carousel number was a mistake.  I understand that the choreography has been the focus of most of the interest and praise but I think there must have been a choice that you could have your dancing and Jesse or Renee or Lindsay or Alex or a Joshua who actually sings.

As an advertisement for the show I don't think it did much.  

And the camera work really didn't seem to do Mean Girls any favors.

[Rinaldo]

35 minutes ago, bosawks said:

I think the Carousel number was a mistake.  I understand that the choreography has been the focus of most of the interest and praise but I think there must have been a choice that you could have your dancing and Jesse or Renee or Lindsay or Alex or Joshua who actually sings.

It certainly must be the first time in history that "Blow High, Blow Low" has been chosen to epitomize Carousel. I am told that the Jigger is a giant in the world of ballet, but I know only what I experienced in the theater: he hasn't learned how to sing or speak onstage. For the ruthless villain of the piece, it made for a serious weakness. Your point is spot-on: In the group of 3 theater devotees with whom I FB chat for every Tonys show, we instantly agreed that an infinitely better choice would have been to have Renée Fleming sing one refrain of "June is Busting Out All Over" to lead into the dancers (all, not just the men) frolicking.

However, I doubt that it made any difference in Carousel's advance sales. The title is already well enough known that people will know if they loathe the story (justifiably) or adore the score (also justifiably) or some uneasy mixture of the two (like me).

[aradia22]

@Rinaldo Did you ever share your thoughts on this production of Carousel? If so, I must have missed it. I would love to hear what you thought. I'm planning to take my parents but I don't have high hopes given all the mixed to negative word of mouth on the directorial choices and how hideous I find the costumes. But there are brilliant performers in the cast so I'm sure there will be something to enjoy. 

[bosawks]

Has anyone had the chance to read this, Stephen Sondheim and the Reinvention of the American Musical, and if so is it worth adding to my collection?

Reviews seem to indicate yes but Amazon reviews have lead me astray before....

[aradia22]

Reporting back from off-Broadway. I saw Little Rock tonight at the Sheen Center. I do not expect this one to be moving forward in any way. I saw it for Brandon Gill who was announced to be in the show as late as April but I think maybe he got another gig and was replaced? https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/Cast-And-Creative-Team-Announced-For-LITTLE-ROCK-At-The-Sheen-Center-20180412 The actor who replaced him was fine and honestly, I'm kind of glad he wasn't tied down to this project. It's described as a play with music but it's more like a musical with poorly integrated songs. There's a lot of singing. That is unmotivated and comes out of nowhere. I mean, I appreciated the singing because this cast has amazing voices and while I don't think they're unamplified (I couldn't spy mics but they felt too loud to be unamplified) the sound feels very pure. But it was barely justified in the context of the "play." I assume that any time a historical figure was speaking, it was taken from primary source speeches (Martin Luther King Jr., Mike Wallace, the governor, etc.). Which meant that the only parts written by the playwright was the dialogue for the Little Rock 9 and the various hateful white people they encountered. Which were the worst parts of the show. The actors do the best they can. Sometimes they are even emotionally affecting. I cried, because I'm a softie and also because even if the play was bad, there's only so much you can see people in pain without being affected. There's one character who makes jokes and another boy crazy character (Minnie Jean played by Shanice Williams) who is written as mostly a joke but it's a lot of relentless pain. But the play itself is... really shallow. It's not like in this "debate" I was expecting to hear how the children were not that great and the horrible racists were somehow sympathetic. But there was no depth. The children weren't allowed to have humanity except in the most fleeting of moments (mostly painful ones) and the racists were just a barrage of insults and epithets that felt like they were being hurled at the audience as much as the characters. I mean, if there's anything to exemplify the lack of subtlety to the show, it's the volume. There was so much shouting. So much. I don't think this play had any argument or any deeper meaning to add to the story besides injecting religion. It makes sense that it ended up at the Sheen Center. I don't think any of the actors are bad. The characters are just so shallow there's only one way to play them. They're sometimes the most effective as historical figures because at least the historical figures talk like real people and not sitcom characters. There's also too much of actors playing multiple roles (it's a small cast) for you to lose yourself in the world of the play. It also really doesn't need to be 2 hours. One student's defining characteristic is she likes Shakespeare. The nice white boy she meets quotes Shakespeare to her. This is their entire interaction. Quoting Shakespeare back and forth. That's not a thing real people do and it didn't need to be in the play because it doesn't give her any more depth. All it proves is that the playwright is capable of looking up relevant passages of Shakespeare plays. I think you'd be better off reading a book about the subject unless you know someone in the cast or you're willing to sit through the book scenes just to hear the actors sing. It's disappointing because the subject matter deserves a better play. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I saw Patti LuPone tonight and, as expected, she was awesome. It's no secret that she's outspoken so she was very honest about her experiences with ALW in Evita and Sunset Boulevard, casting choices (she thought Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown would have been better if Sherie Rene Scott and Laura Benanti had swapped roles because Laura has the gravitas for Pepa and Sherie is a second banana, which she clarified is not a bad thing - the analogy she offered is who wants to play Sarah when you can play Adelaide?), her dislike of tv/movie actors who do Broadway shows without theater training (although she said sometimes they're great and named Chris Evans in Lobby Hero as an example), etc.

Later someone asked a question about Life Goes On (which I loved!) and she was very blunt about the fact that the writers and producers didn't always know what they were doing, particularly with Chris so they often gave him more to do than he was comfortable with which resulted in him having meltdowns on set. She said that she still sees Kellie and she had very sweet things to say about Chris.

[Rinaldo]

On 6/11/2018 at 3:17 PM, aradia22 said:

@Rinaldo Did you ever share your thoughts on this production of Carousel? If so, I must have missed it. I would love to hear what you thought. I'm planning to take my parents but I don't have high hopes given all the mixed to negative word of mouth on the directorial choices and how hideous I find the costumes. But there are brilliant performers in the cast so I'm sure there will be something to enjoy. 

I don't think I did share my thoughts, and I don't really think I want to after all this time (I saw it in March). It's also a very difficult show to make work now (I'm always surprised that anyone's still producing it, given its inherent problems). I have some issues with the production as well, though not the ones you named, so best to let it go.

I would like to take a moment to say how very much I enjoyed the production (they said "semi-staged concert," but it was a full production really) of How To Succeed in Business without Really Trying at the Kennedy Center last weekend, and I'm glad I made the trip to DC for it. It's the best cast I can imagine being assembled for it right now, certainly better than either of the Broadway revivals: Skylar Astin, Betsy Wolfe, John Michael Higgins, Becki Newton, Michael Urie, Michael McGrath. And Marc Bruni's good taste and good judgment kept it bubbling along nicely without becoming overly cartoony. It existed for only four days, but I'm glad I was there for one of them.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

4 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

Becki Newton, Michael Urie

Awwww, Ugly Betty reunion!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Antoinette Nwandu, Namir Smallwood, and Danya Taymor discuss Pass Over:

[Spartan Girl]

I didn't think I'd be able to say this, but after watching the clips from the Tonys and The View....I actually...kind of...want to see the Frozen musical.

Not NOW, I'm still a little too burned out by the hoopla, but by the time it'll tour to where I live, yeah. I mean the stuff I've seen looks pretty good:

She's not Idina, but she's still pretty good. And that dress! I kept rewinding the transformation over and over, it reminded me so much of the ones I saw in Aladdin.

[aradia22]

Just back from The Beast in the Jungle. I debated with myself but ultimately I decided to not read the novella first because I wanted to see their interpretation of the story. I think that's the right move. The story isn't difficult to understand at all and with the time change and the way certain elements are interpreted, I think it's probably better to not know the original. Though I am excited to dig into it now. I want to do a breakdown of the elements but I think my biggest issue with the show is it doesn't stick with you. I'm forgetting parts of it. For me, this is one of those "enjoy in the theater" vs. "remember for years or discuss afterwards" shows. I had a great time but it went in and out of my brain.

It's a strong creative team for this one but I don't think the pieces all fit perfectly. My favorite part of the production was the Susan Stroman choreography. There's a women's ensemble of dancers in addition to Tony Yazbeck and Irina Dvorovenko. One thing I appreciated was that she went for taller dancers. They were quite curvy or athletic Amazon types but there was a "realness" and a strength to their bodies. She didn't go for waifs. There's a moment where the dancers become statues in a garden and it feels so right because YES, goddesses. That said, there's a part where they are in Italy (Naples, Pompeii) and I don't think the dialect coach did a great job because oof, those accents. Anyway, there are some lovely moments with the women's dancing ensemble but in general their stuff was too fast-paced for me to fully absorb anything but how pretty it was. The time you get to really indulge in the dancing are Tony's and Irina's respective solos and when they dance together. All the ladies are graceful but Irina is something else. I'm sure this is not difficult given her ballet background but still, going en pointe that much 7 times a week cannot be easy. But like all good ballerinas she makes you forget that. When she first appears, she's like a doll from a music box come to life. She has the youthfulness of a character like Clara in Light in the Piazza. Part of the reason the dancing works so well is because she communicates so much through her body. I'm somewhat indifferent to her acting but you understand so much about the character in the way she moves. On her acting, I will say that she has that foreign elegance that Americans find appealing. Like Greta Garbo or Catherine Zeta-Jones, though I wasn't nearly as enamored with her as with them. But you get why John would find her so captivating after one day even over so many years. Tony gets to show off a lot of different styles of dancing. He's charming in a way that feels familiar (but without tap) with the women's ensemble. There's a sexiness in his dancing with Irina but not in a tawdry way. It's very ballet. It reminded me of An American in Paris. And then there's a modern edge when he confronts the Beast. I'm so bad at categorizing dance. It's not really Fosse and it's not Martha Graham but it feels semi-modern. Like, maybe 60's or 70's. It was a lot of athletic, sharp movements with energy.

The second strongest element was the music. I did not love the sound design in the theater. No shade to the small orchestra but there wasn't a great balance. I'd be curious to see this with the polish of a great little chamber orchestra. I know there's some murmurings about recording the music but there's absolutely no singing, it's just incidental music and dance music so I don't know if that will happen. For the most part, I think the music didn't make a huge impression until you were supposed to notice it. There are some poignant moments with strings... that sort of thing. There are also recurring motifs. But nothing that stuck in my head really. It was very pretty. Very waltz heavy. 

The weakest element for me was the book because I don't think it totally reconciled with the rest. The choreography and music don't feel like the era Henry James was writing in but they do have a musical theater sort of romantic sense of the past... or even a timelessness. The book on the other hand isn't dated but isn't contemporary either. They mention texting but it feels like this dialogue could be from a play written in the 70's - now. But it reminded me a little of Sylvia. Like, if you took out the texting, there was not a lot of specificity. What redeems the book is Peter Friedman's performance. There's a framing device between Friedman as the uncle (John) and Yazbeck as his nephew (who becomes his younger self in flashback). That dialogue is a bit awkward. But Friedman really goes for it at the end. I don't think the book is terrible. It just doesn't quite gel with the other elements and I don't know... It's not really a problem of irony or earnestness... it just felt a little hollow despite Friedman's excellent performance. I think part of the problem is the plot, or at least John's backstory/motivation is real dumb. Or, well, I wonder if you would respond better to it if you didn't read as many romance novels as I do. Romance novels thrive on male characters with secret pain or some parental issues that make them reject meaningful relationships or love until the heroine comes along. So I never felt like John's issues with that insurmountable or that deep. The message of the play doesn't feel that interesting and so it just became a vehicle for excellent dance numbers. One thing I did really appreciate about the book was the humor.

The set had a lot of moving parts. That is, it was very temporary so it didn't really register. There was a kitchen set for the uncle and nephew. There was a bedroom set. A terrace. A beach. A home displaying art. A garden. It wasn't John Doyle with chairs or anything but nothing was that grounded. The set seemed to exist for the story, and not to be something beautiful on its own. The costumes were fine. Generally unremarkable. I was struck by how much Irina and the female ensemble were costumed in sort of... dancer outfits. Form-fitting one pieces (like leotards but with leggings) and dresses that looked like ballet costumes. 

The Beast and some other elements are accomplished somewhat abstractly. Like, it's not a fully Julie Taymor puppet situation. But without spoiling anything, it had the same 60's-70's vibe that some of the dancing did. Things on sticks or carried by black-clad dancers. It wasn't quite theater magic where you wonder how they accomplished something and you suspend your disbelief as much as the kind of theater that acknowledges that what you're seeing is not really an ocean or whatever the case may be because you're in a theater. But there's still a cleverness and artistry. 

I was mildly concerned that I would not like this story about a man obsessing over the one that got away but I didn't have an issue with it. May did not feel like a muse or a manic pixie. She loved him but she lived her own life. She had her photography. She had a husband. She didn't sacrifice herself. His problem was his own problem. And even all the women didn't come across as misogynistic. They kept it very playful. 

tl;dr I had a very good time. I especially loved the choreography and if you like ballet or you like Tony Yazbeck or you enjoyed An American in Paris, I would definitely recommend this. I don't think any part of it was bad. It just didn't quite fit together for me and I ultimately did not find the story that compelling. But it's a good night at the theater and it's a small theater so all the seats are excellent. I was in the back and I had a great view. Also, it was nice to see a show for grown-ups.

Edited June 17, 2018 by aradia22

[aradia22]

Also, I don't know if it's because he's particularly fit for this role (there are a lot of lifts and fast catches that require a lot of strength) but Tony Yazbeck looks younger than the last time I saw him. Like he's aging backwards.

[Silver Raven]

Tonight was the first show of this season's Sacramento Music Circus (now called Broadway at Music Circus)

It was Singin' in the Rain

Starring Noah Racey as Don Lockwood.  My only problem with Racey is his age.  He's actually too old for the role, and by the middle of the second act, it was clear that he was running out of gas.  When he was on, he was great, though.

Kara Lindsay as Kathy Selden. Kara Lindsay originated the role of Katherine in Newsies on Broadway.  And although I don't really care for the role of Katherine (it's just pasted on to give Jack a love interest), she isn't a bad performer.  She has a nice voice and is a good dancer.

Matt Loehr as Cosmo Brown.  He's a great comedian, and was great in Nice Work if You Can Get It a couple of years ago.  He's a great tapper.

Jennifer Knox as Lina Lamont.  The role of Lina is unforgiving, the actress has to be able to sing and act badly, so it's hard to say that she does a good job when she's failing.  :)

Ron Wisniski as R F Simpson.  He's a great comedian, and has done a lot of great work at Music Circus in past seasons.

I need to single out Kristine Bendul from the ensemble, who was a fantastic dancer.  Since the show is set in the 20s, it's obvious that she has had back tattoos masked over, but that's besides the point.  She's strikingly beautiful and a beautiful dancer.

(I used "great" a lot) :D

Here's a clip of Kristine Bendul:

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Arielle Jacobs discusses her debut album and dealing with Bell's Palsy, and sings a cover of Sarah MacLachlan's Angel:

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New Hamildrop! Boom Goes the Cannon by Mobb Deep: