Profile for Sean2

Grand Hotel

Imelda Staunton, hands down. She would blow the roof off - great singing chops and a freaking brilliant sense of comedy timing.

Another idea for a theme would be characters in Disguise (Mystery of Edwin Drood - 'Writing on the Wall', Two Gentlemen of Verona, Into the Woods).

The theatre was so transformed that the original budget had to include something like $3m to restore the theatre to its original form. They had to change the load structure for the actual building. The set was EVERYWHERE. The entire theatre, all the way up the sides of the walls, out to the dress circle... I first saw it from one of the boxes, and I practically had a cat in my lap for most of the show. It was wild. Betty Buckley really did make you forget that the rest of the show was as sill...

Double-post

Back in the early '90s there was a fundraiser for an AIDS charity here in London and the whole second half was songs from a work-in-progress musical of 'Tales of the City'. Haydn Gwynn played Mary Ann Singleton -- I don't remember who the other actors were or the composer/lyricist-- but I can still remember some of the songs. The opening number was called 'Home' and it was so beautiful and uplifting that I remember crying and crying. (What a baby.) But I've always wished that that had gone fu...

I'm really surprised by its reviews in New York. I saw it here in London and I thought it was fairly uninteresting. I'd love to see how it fares under Bart Sher's helm. Anybody? :)

Oh, ye gods, I can't agree with you more. I've also found myself having a 'Julia Murney You Tube Concert' every so often. Her voice is just phenomenal. You've put it very well that she has a voice that is not only beautiful, but makes you listen. I think given a major part in ANYTHING, she would catapult to the top. Just my views.

At the risk of attracting someone's ire: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Oliver Starlight Express The Music Man Kiss Me, Kate These are the musicals that I now avoid like the plague.

Just to throw in an opinion -- saw this in Chichester on Thursday. I've seen eight productions of Sweeney over the years - including the original - but I can tell you that this is the best I've ever seen. Chilling doesn't even begin. Not only is Imelda Staunton utterly brilliant, Michael Ball is utterly terrifying. I sat shaking while I watched it, and Act Two was even moreso. I've never felt the build-up of tension so acutely. Scary as hell.

I'm with Jordan. It's a crime that 'Caroline, or Change' didn't win. One of the best musicals ever, in my opinion.

The font looks the same as used in the poster for the film, as well as the same placement. Maybe they're trying to get people to recognize/remember it immediately.

I'm with you as well, Best. Watching that clip on The View was utterly embarrassing for all the reasons mentioned here. It just comes off as only the gay newsboys of New York going on strike. I wish Disney Theatricals would approach their canon with a little more respect for the medium of theatre, even with the fluff that is Newsies! The Musical (why the exclamation mark?).

I have to agree with you on this, Whizzer. I saw it in London and have to say I was really quite underwhelmed. I didn't find it all that funny, nor all that surprising. But I was definitely in the minority. I was very eager to see it too, so it's odd that that was my reaction.

Proper Villain, I have to say that your artwork is exquisite. That 'Follies' poster is one of the most beautiful (and perfect) manifestations for that show I've ever seen, or could imagine. I love, love, love your design aesthetic. There are so many that I prefer to the original artwork!

It had some catchy tunes, but 'Newsies' was just one of the most butt-clenchingly embarrassing musicals ever made. I'm with bk, that the film's choreography was unbelievably awful. Then the shirtless orphan boys with perfectly manicured hair and not a trace of dirt? So much for verisimilitude. If that clip at Paper Mill Playhouse is anything to go by, they haven't done enough work. Not only that awful vocal yodel that so many younger singers do, but there is some SERIOUS heavy-duty schm-actin...

Thank you for the information, castle. Mazzie's rendition of 'Bewitched' is simply stellar. Just shows how the performer affects the song. I envy you seeing her in 'Next to Normal'. I've only seen her once, and guess where and when? When she played Cassie in 'A Chorus Line' at the Red Barn Theatre in Michigan. It must have been her first or second professional job. I think it was 1986 or so!

I just heard Marin Mazzie's version of 'Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered' (which is such a stunning version) from the PBS 'My Favourite Ladies'. It isn't on the album recording -- was it ever available? I'm shocked it was left off. Of course, I'm finding this out how long after it aired? I'm not fast. Obviously.

I'm not in NYC, being on the west coast at the moment, but please take care of yourselves guys. Make sure you have water. They have tracked waves at 30' high, and those, plus the winds, are going to be the most dangerous. It's most likely that the power will go. I don't even know anyone in NY, but I'm worried about you!

I've seen 'Oklahoma!' four times on stage. I found it quite schmaltzy and unsatisfying, albeit charming. I saw the National's production with Hugh Jackman in London, and I thought Susan Stroman's choreography and the new orchestrations were terrific. Most of all though was Shuler Hensley's performance as Jud. It transformed the piece entirely. Brilliant.