Profile for HugoP

I also really enjoyed this, and I don't think of myself as a fan boy (of Broadway musicals or of SMASH). I think the production is a lot of fun, with the great BOMBSHELL songs, the chaos of a production in trouble and the outsized personalities on the verge of nervous breakdowns. Brooks Ashmanskas is terrific (though he's pretty much replaying Barry from THE PROM, no complaints here), Robyn Hurder is wonderful, Krysta Rodriguez is reliably great. Loved Bella Coppola's work as the director's a...

Not sure if "everyone else hates" it, but I think GROUNDHOG DAY is just fantastic-- love the score and loved the Broadway production (saw it several times and each time it brought me to tears). I also liked THE PROM and TUCK EVERLASTING, two shows also mentioned on this thread. The only show being mentioned frequently below that I really did despise was AMERICAN PSYCHO.

Was there tonight. In the Grand Tier (front mezz), which is a perfect seat for this one (you are level with the musicians and get a great view of the performers on the stage).It was pretty stunning. The cast and the orchestra do a wonderful job with this very, very powerful score. The whole cast is outstanding, individually and collectively. I'll see it again.I had seen the original Broadway production-- in previews, drawn by my admiration for Maury Yeston. I thought the score was good but th...

thanks for addressing one of the major problems with the show (it was in your spoiler). This whole subplot was not in the show back in Atlanta, in a production that was much more streamlined and much more powerful. The Older Rabbi character was not in it at all, so it was not a memory play in any real sense. You were immersed in the story as it was happening, and there was no artificial raising the stakes (the stakes were high enough!). Anyway, I do like the show very much and hope it succeed...

maybe I should have pointed out that I know very well what it is to be Jewish. I've been one my whole life and raised a family of them. I am quite active in my Jewish community and am proud of my heritage. It has influenced me strongly but by no means is the only thing that shapes and defines me.By the way, I had no problem with non-Jews in key roles in the Broadway production of FUNNY GIRL. Nick Arnstein was indeed Jewish, and Karimloo was fantastic.

Yes, at least some of the most vehement posters were in final contention for the role. Fanny Brice was shaped by a lot more than her Jewish heritage. Her childhood on Henry Street (a melting pot immigrant neighborhood) was key. Her drive and ambition were fed by many factors. To reduce this to someone’s genetic background is ridiculous. I want to see an extremely talented young rising star play the role. I’ll absolutely be seeing this tour. She looks great.

"The actors are hired to perform the role, and yes, even be a team player is some regards. But not to sell tickets. That’s what the marketing team is for."Maybe the cast and company are not hired "to sell tickets"...but they aren't supposed to undermine the marketing team (and the production) with interviews like this. This whole controversy is going to hurt the show (and its Tony chances).I didn't like the production, and for some of the reasons Porkalob cites. I thought her "Molasses to Rum...

SPOILERS, sort of.Loved it, too. I've seen earlier productions and have always thought the score was outstanding but the book needed work. Here, they've added a central role that really changes the perspective of the show—it's now more of a memory play, centering a lot of heavy themes (survivor's guilt, for example) that give the show more weight. Honestly, I think these changes make the show more ponderous, and they add some needless narrative complexities (what's happening when? is that a m...

there were a few mid-performance standing ovations last night (the 18th). A number of people stood for LADIES WHO LUNCH and some stood for BEING ALIVE (which I didn't understand). the show has some wonderful things and a lot of head-scratchers, not the least of which is its refusal to commit to time and place in any meaningful way. And we're supposed to believe that Bobbie's drink of choice is bourbon and brand of choice is....Makers Mark (even inc a whole Makers Mark assembled piñata). I ass...

Just got back from the Tuesday night preview. I've seen about 10 productions of COMPANY over the years, including the Doyle version, the concert version that was shown in theaters, and numerous regional theatre productions. I love that score, appreciate the time and place of that book and setting, and look forward to seeing new interpretations of it. The gender/switch works fine....didn't bother me at all. What DID bother me in this production was the relentless mugging and smiling and over-d...

Only three? OK..... A CHORUS LINE, opening night, at The PublicHAMILTON, opening night, at The PublicFOLLIES, OBC, any night!

Went back tonight-- the show closes tomorrow. Audience response was tumultuous, and I understand why: even with the weaknesses (heavy-handedness, implausibility, similarity to other shows) this is a very very successful production, with great performances, inventive staging and a score that has a lot of wonderful moments. I had seen one of the early previews and loved it, but committed to going back before it closed...Jerry Mitchell seemed to have tightened it up a lot, restaged (I think!) so...

Saw it last Saturday night and loved it. Yes, it has some of the same themes as THE PROM, and it echoes BILLY ELLIOTT a lot, but it has a fantastic energy all its own. I really liked the score a lot (the songs called out by the other folks on this thread are all indeed strong-- lovely and funny), and the show is staged beautifully. The lead performers are wonderful (The young lead is particularly fantastic). I will go back before the end of the run. Was not at all familiar with the book it's ...

I just re-read some of the main LA reviews (LA Times and Variety) and, while they weren't raves, they were the kind of out-of-town reviews that would still encourage you to work on a show. Far from "so bad it's good". Reviewers liked the score a lot and felt there were lots of good things in the production. The book, though, really needed work (I agree-- and as much as I loved the version I saw in Atlanta, I admit the book needed much attention). Anyway, I hope it's gotten better and that the...

I saw the Atlanta production 5 or 6 years ago-- at the Alliance-- and loved it. The score was beautiful, the story was quite interesting (and true) and I would have sworn it was going to Broadway. I actually went back to see it several times during its run...I thought it was quite powerful. You can, indeed, hear several of the songs on Manilow's Scores album, and I'd recommend them, though they are immensely more meaningful in the context of the show. Over the last 5 years I've seen most of t...

I really enjoyed the show, and thought the Broadway leads were hilarious. Laughed throughout and went back to see it again.That said: the choreography felt overdone and the dancing was....strenuous. It's a talented group up there, but the relentless dance moves only seemed to point out that this 'backwards' Indiana high school evidently was very, very multicultural....and was seemingly populated with people in their mid-to-late 20s. I opted not to see MEAN GIRLS after seeing the Tony segment ...

will echo the sentiment that David Garrison's JOE was something special. I didn't love the production but I did find things inside it that i DID love: Garrison's JOE, Andrea Burn's brilliant IT'S AN ART, and the Burns/Munoz duet on the Miranda song A VERY GOOD DAY. The show is problematic for me-- too disjointed and lacking power except on a few of the choral numbers (and above-mentioned ones), and this staging didn't address my issues. That said, I like many of these songs and nearly all of ...

The MOST meta of all meta songs has to be THE SONG THAT GOES LIKE THIS from SPAMALOT.I would also include WITH ONE LOOK from SUNSET BLVDThere are entire shows that are built on a Meta foundation: SPAMALOT, BOOK OF MORMON and SOMETHING ROTTEN all constantly comment on themselves and the conventions of Broadway and actors. I happen to love MORMON, get a kick out of SPAMALOT...and, well, there's SOMETHING ROTTEN.

Wonderful. Can hardly wait. I scrolled down the responses expecting to see the usual mix of wariness and skepticism and dismissiveness and .... well, it mostly generated excitement and anticipation. They made a spot that even Fosse would have loved. I am very hopeful for this and will be ready and waiting this April!

I try to see every Alliance musical production and have been everything from thrilled (HARMONY) to deeply underwhelmed (BULL DURHAM, GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY and AIDA). There have been a bunch of crowdpleasers that I've just enjoyed (THE PROM, SISTER ACT) and a few that I was convinced could eventually become good -- but didn't (BRING IT ON). I'll be in the audience in a few weeks for EVER AFTER.But I saw RIDE THE CYCLONE Off-Broadway and I thought it was terrible. I was sorry to see...