Profile for istoleatv

I went in with no expectations and didn't know much about the St. Ann's production other than there was an actress in a wheelchair. I also had zero interest in seeing Oklahoma! because I was in it in High School and studied it a lot in college. It's just not my favorite of the R&H catalogue. So having said all of that here are my thoughts. It's brilliant. It's so outside the box and fresh for Broadway. It's not perfect, but that's why I like it because the characters aren't perfect. At times ...

I had the pleasure of seeing Alice Ripley sing Norma live last weekend at 54 Below and she was amazing. Now mind you I'm biased because I also saw her Margaret White and she blew me away. Her performance in Carrie is one I will never forget and I still think she should teach a master class on dying. But I digress. Her version of "As if We Never Said Goodbye" was one of many highlights of the evening and one that garnered a standing O - not that those mean much anymore, but in a cabaret settin...

I think I saw a different show tonight based on everyone's reviews. I went in and knew nothing of the show, which was great because I really enjoyed the story. Of course Chita was the star of the evening and blew everyone away. I was not impressed with the ensemble, nor the direction. I felt like they were too over the top with their one liners and especially their makeup. Did they get a bunch of free stuff from Sephora tonight? It was very too much, at least from where I was sitting. I also ...

During "Evening Prayers" there is a cross that comes down from the ceiling, and one of the actors is dressed like Jesus and is flown in above the audience.

I saw the show last night on Friday the 13th, it's 1st public preview. I hesitate saying much about my critiques of the show because I really admire La Mirada for doing this musical in their space. Most of their audience base is subscribers, and I'd say it's safe to say most are over 60 years old. It was worth the price of admission just to watch the subscribers reaction to the show! Here goes - When you first get to the theatre, you get a wrist band, based on your seat section and ticket pri...

This show is NOT, I repeat NOT easy. You have to have a big cast, and your Ancestors have to be really good, because they sing "Written in Stone" several times, with different words each time. I directed it last summer and as a director, it was great to work on a JR. show where you can be creative. The show also includes CD tracks, like all Jr. Shows, but the instrumentation is AMAZING! They used real instruments, no synthesized stuff.

i thought it was great. i really didn't think it was bubble gum at all. it reminded me a lot of falsetto's. i hope it has a life other than LA so people can see it. i also loved what JRB wrote in the program. he basically said he didn't ever want to write a musical again and then he wrote the opening number and couldn't stop. i love his music and i loved this show.

Patti LuPone has spoken out on Evita, and Ethel sure did on Gypsy. The only difference, is that all the actresses who were snubbed by Hollywood, had other projects going on and moved on. I don't think Jennifer Holliday has had another Broadway show since, nor does she probably want one. I heard the interview she did with Wendy Williams, and she doesn't sound that upset - she just wants to keep working. She made a comment about "why can't Jennifer Hudson sing the song, and I sing the song" whi...

Let me explain my issues with Cadillac Car. It was more with Step into the Bad Side. They both kinda run together. Curtis starts singing the song in the alley (very rent) and then they jump in a puddle and start collecting money, with no mouths moving. I think they should have started the whole thing with the music playing, and them not singing. And then Curtis would speak certain lines and not sing them. It's a damn musical, sing the lines that were written. I had that problem with Rent too....

I really enjoyed it. Of course it's Jennifer Hudson's movie, but Beyonce didn't do so bad either. She totally channels Miss Ross. Eddie Murphy is really great. He knows how to have an arc of a character. SPOILER AHEAD:::::: I will say that I didn't really like how Jamie Foxx would sometimes sing, and then sometimes not sing. I hated Cadillac Car, he starts out singing, and then doesn't. It was bad movie musical making 101 for that number. BUT I was so happy to see Loretta Devine and Hilton Ba...

Bat Boy is amazing! I love the score, and the story of course. I was lucky to see if off Bdway, back in the day. They have a great message board on IMDB about it. http://imdb.com/title/tt0452748/

What do you do if a children's theatre group is doing shows like Hairspray and Wicked? It's horrible! You can't actually call MTI, because they are not liscened shows yet. I work for a company that always gets the rights, but my roommate works for the place that is has been doing Wicked for 3 years now. It makes me so mad, but at the same time I want my roommate to have a job (he's a choreographer) so what to do!?! Plus the kids that I work with are always asking why they can't do Wicked or H...

yes, she did sing " i am my own best friend" as well as "so what" from cabaret. she said she was just going to sing songs cut from movies. it was funny. my favorite numbers were " come in from the rain " and " what did i have " she sang those two especially well.

Just came back from seeing Liza at the Luxor, in Las Vegas. She was amazing! She took about 3 songs to get her voice warmed up, but once she did she sounded like the old Liza. She looked fabulous and mentioned that she recently lost 24lbs. doing Jenny Craig. She also wore a short sequined dress for the first half. I don't think she's shown off her legs in years, but she did last night. She also danced more than I thought she would. Basically she's still got it, and the audience loved her. GO ...

I have been a fan of the movie for about 8 years. I made a special trip to NYC to see it off Bway. The debate about 1st Act vs. 2nd Act is really interesting to me. Of course I loved the 2nd act because it's like the documentary, but the 1st Act is very fun. It is an amazing thing to watch Christine play both characters, and her voice and poise are amazing as Big Edie. I can't wait to see all the changes they have made!

i grew up in the 80s in the middle of corn fields. thank god that "hello dolly" was even made, because that's how i was introduced to the score. i watched it on tv and loved it! i didn't know anything about babs being too young or over produced sets, i just knew that i loved the music. recently i caught it on tv, and it still had that magic that i remembered as a child. sure it's not the best musical film, but then again what is? i think i can find fault in every movie musical ever made from ...

Sara talked about 'spanks' so that was kinda funny. Spanks are like girdles. Then Rosie said that Sara was her ideal size, size 12. Rosie also said Sara was the first Tony winner to co-host The View. You all need to be tivoing The View everyday, because you never know when Rosie will have Broadway people on!!!

Does anyone know why we don't get to hear Jennifer Hudson, Effie, singing in the beginning of the song? It is just Beyonce singing the whole song, slow to fast. I am happy that they put it up on itunes, but I really want to hear Jennifer Hudson!

there are so many wonderful songs on the cd! i have listened to it everyday since it arrived in the mail. I have so many favorites, but I love "The 5:15" and "The House We Live In" As well as all the ballads. It's just magical!

This post is really interesting. I saw Sara Gettelfinger play the role, and she was amazing! I thought she looked just like the REAL young Little Edie (based on the picture in the movie) Now, if they found a person who is even better, well that would be great too. But for the record, she was amazing. The scenes between her and Christine were brilliantly acted. Her work on the CD is great too. In my opinion, she WAS right for the part. If anyone wasn't right for the part of Jerry it's Matt Cav...