Profile for pboddy

Hope Something is not rotten to the press corps. Will one contender for best actor emerge or will the critics go bard hopping? Sorry, but I awakened from dream of greatest actress in funniest show: Ethel Mormon.

"The best parts of the show were the honesty of Cariani and Reinders's plotline and the tap battle between Borle and d'Arcy James. Forbidden Broadway, Mormon, Urinetown, and even Shrek have done musical parody better. I didn't find it very clever here, just lots of cheap shots like the Cats joke, Annie picture, Pippin vamp, and the Chess groaner (no one is going to get that one or think it's funny). Blickenstaff is sorely underused. Could they not have given her more than one song and a repri...

Some people may miss some jokes because the show moves so quickly - Annie is represented by a two second floor swipe - rather than because they refer to arcane Broadway lore. Rotten! only goes after the biggest game starting with The Lion King. Nearly every referenced show - Les Miserables, Phantom, Sound of Music, South Pacific, Chicago, and Cats has either run forever or appeared as a popular movie or both. Shakespeare from high school - Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Merchant of Venice - should...

I have enjoyed Rotten! from the orchestra, mezzanine, and the last row of the balcony. I prefer St. James balcony to the back of the rear mezzanine at the Majestic and at the Gershwin; and to balconies at the New Amsterdam and the Palace. With the price of orchestra at $79, I found the balcony worthwhile. When orchestra and front mezzanine price rises to $149, I will find it an excellent value.

The biggest change in Rotten! from the early previews is the final scene "Welcome to America." The scene is brighter and splashier and features a kick line. It gives a better sense of the triumph of the Bottom Brothers, the musical, and excess in the New World. I got the best of many laughs when producer Lord Clapham, played by Peter Bartlett, responds to Nick Bottom's musical focusing on the Black Death. "It's a terrible idea," Clapham said. "It will make me look ridiculous" as he made gestu...

Which would be more rotten: a world without shows about shows or a world without shows about everything else? Please list shows that inspire your answer. For me: Shows about shows: The Producers Gypsy Chicago Something Rotten! 42nd Street

Even for a theatergoer seeking something fresh, I recommend Something Rotten!. In the words of the newbie producer, Shylock, "I love it. I love it. I love it."

I sat in row C side front mezzanine on Tuesday; and last row balcony center on Wednesday and had great experiences both times. From the side mezzanine, I missed some lines. The sound design needs work. I got an infra red hearing device on Wednesday that solved the sound problem. The St. James Theater's balcony had been bad when the Producers played because stage lights mounted at the front of the balcony protruded enough that people in the front row had to lean forward, creating a cascade tha...

The 2000 Susan Strohman Music Man generated huge enthusiasm in previews with the audience giving standing ovations in the first act. A tepid review from the Times hindered the revival's becoming a big hit. I would be delighted to hear that again the Wells Fargo Wagon is a comin'.

After second preview, I found commonalities between Rotten and the Producers: St. James Theater Brad Oscar Similar unforgettably funny line: "Don't be stupid, be a smarty. Come and join the Nazi party." "Don't be a penis; Shakespeare's a genius." I loved the show despite failing to hear some lines. Can the show's sound design be easily fixed? Was my seat location, front Mezz D 22 part of the problem? I am returning to the show tonight with friends. Should I suggest they get infra red hearing ...