Jaystarr's 10/10 Report on A CATERED AFFAIR (with stage door photos)

[jaystarr]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 3:08pm

Special Guest : aliciag



E37

A CATERED AFFAIR
New Musical
Walter Kerr Theater
4/26 2 pm matinee
90 mins.
Tix Price: $29.00


INTRO:

I was actually getting tired of posting lately. I did told some of my friends here, that I felt like my life is slipping away by posting too much..that's why I took a week off from posting here.

But also...I just can't let this go... I do feel like I have to post something about A CATERED AFFAIR...I actually said on an earlier threads that I think the show will be another disappointment. I am a person that when I said something wrong, I am not afraid to go back and correct it. So for that purpose I am posting this 10/10 Report on A CATERED AFFAIR~which I almost did not post.

I went to NYC this weekend to see this show and as usual.. I hung out again with my two BFFs here~Wanna Be A Foster & Without A Trace after the show..They are officially NOT A SPECIAL GUESTS anymore bec. they have been REGULARS to my 10/10 Reports lately. This time I met fellow poster- Alicia (aliciag) , who posted regularly on the IN THE HEIGHTS & PASSING STRANGE love threads. I am glad that I finally met her. I was supposed to met her on N2N for her b-day. After the show, we all stage doored and got some coffee at a nearby Starbucks to have a post-discussion about the show. Its really fun to meet fellow BWWers at the show and after the show.

Thing(s) I Like about the musical (out of 10)

1. Music by John Bucchino- I thought the music is beautiful. The beauty of it lies on its simplicity. This is a show that does not have any bombastic numbers. If you are looking for some "Mein Herr" with girls stomping their feet on the floor and "All That Jazz" sexy suave number.. you are definitely on the wrong show! I thought the music is very memorable. Up to now~I am still humming at "Partners". "One White Dress" , "Dont Ever Stop Saying I Love You" & Coney Island. I dont really know why some people are saying that the music is forgettable?

I would recommend to buy the OBCR as soon as it gets released, see if this is what kinda music youre into-before buying your ticket.

The beggining is even dialogues before the "Partners" song with just some sublte music like plucking of violin's string or a simple note from an oboe...well this is what the music is about...very simple, subtle but beautiful. Its not an all thru sung musical...there's plenty of dialogues (book) in between songs.

2. The Scenic Design- I love it. Again... its simple and minimalist but worked perfectly with the theme of the show.

Here's a link to the whole scenery by David Gallo:
https://www.davidgallo.com/DGA_WEB_PAGES/theater/dga_aca.htm



I actually like how the sets move to the center of the stage..its moves so gracefully...it does remind me of PASSION a lot. I would like to mention something. I was sitting on the balcony (where I can literally raise my hands and reach the ceiling of Walter Kerr) there's this scene with Faith Prince cooking a breakfast and I realized that It was a REAL egg that she was cooking and Tom Wopat ate the scrambled egg too.. I thought it was soo cute.


3-5. The Actors- No doubt that I specifically went to see the show bec. of the actors.. I have seen them all in separate musicals (LITTLE ME, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, LEGALLY BLONDE & HAIRSPRAY) and a fan of each of them.

a. Faith Prince- the thing I like about her is her QUIET moment in the musical.. I guess.. this is one thing that is a MUST to love to show... you need to learn how to appreciate TOTAL SILENCE in the theater and learn how to listen to it. Its nice to see her in a dramatic role. I do see my Aunt Ester in her Aggie. My Aunt was a nurse who works nightshift for 35 yrs...she used to live in the Bronx too. When my cousin got married...she worked a lot of overtime (like 18 hours shift) and worked for an agency during weekend to give her daughter A CATERED AFFAIR wedding. I do remember seeing my aunt the morning before the wedding...I can still remember the image that's frozen on my head to this day...her wrinkly hands washing her face...but she's soo happy...I can see all the hard work in her hands..all the 18 hours long work days she endured...I can really see my Aunt in Faith Prince. My point is... you dont need a green witch to feel the emotion of the show... a simple lady that you and I know can definitely make all the difference sometimes without getting over the top ala defying gravity!

Faith Prince


(BTW- My Aunt is retired now and lives in Jacksonville, FL)

b. Tom Wopat- he is great certainly this musical showcase his beautiful singing voice. A definite Tony contender for Lead Actor. He does remind of someone special in my life.

c. Leslie Kritzer- she has a beautiful voice and finally she was able to show it in a more meaty role than her previous show.

Note on Matt Cavenaugh- he was barely on stage like 20 secs.. lol.. just exaggerating...yeah but really he was barely there. I would mention that in the beginning he was in his undies w/ no shirt and yes he still have his URBAN COWBOY bod! so rest assured, my fellow inquiring minds!

6. The book- though its a bit serious, its very funny! I think Harvey Fierstein did an excellent job of adapting this... I saw the movie before it...and its a completely different take on the piece. I do feel though that somehow the characters are more REAL (like Ralph & Janey having pre-marital sex and some BS words in the dialogues) what I meant by that is..sometimes when you watch this old 50's movies you feel like you are watching Pleasantville that people in the black & white movie do not have sex nor curse...I feel more connected to the characters being more contemporary- like.. hey! I know that Janey character- she is my baby sister!

7. The Direction of John Doyle.

Things I DONT LIKE about the musical (out of 10)

1. The character of Uncle Winston as the EMCEE character:

First and foremost... I will say ... I LOVE HARVEY and I definitely adore him specially in HAIRSPRAY.

- this is just me, okay? I felt like from the beggining when you see his suit case on the stage.. you know.. oh.. it's harvey's show- till the end... when all of them are on that movable staircase...Harvey has to say the last goodbye and in the middle to exit the stage... I felt like he was ALWAYS there observing, lurking around like I AM THE CAMERA character. I know he was the librettist... I do wish that he his character more.

- I actually love that Winston is a "confirmed bachelor" in the show-it provides comic relief..its just Harvey was doing some sort of Cabaret's Emcee.

2. Harvey Fierstein's voice... Okay I am not bashing him...I love him... its just the music was soo beautiful and sweet (example: Coney Island's reprise when all the cast was singing) then sometimes he will sing...I think it worked beautifully in HAIRSPRAY... its just...its just....okay...dont get me wrong? he have a duck voice like the sound of QUACK and it was harsh (for me) to transition from beautiful ensemble's voice to his solo. I do wish that they cast someone as an Uncle and tone character a bit more..I felt like that's what the show is all about. well that's just my opinion! its nice to see him again and he was soo nice at the stage door, that's why I felt a "bit" guilty....but I really have to be honest regarding what I DONT LIKE about the show.

IN SUMMARY:

Overall- its a good show bec. its simple. Though I wont recommend the show to people looking for happy bombastic show stopping numbers..bec. you might get disappointed and I truly believe that~that's why some people did not like the show bec. they are expecting something..that its NOT!

I do will say something~not as a bad thing. It actually came across my mind as to why the show was musicalize? I would echo some of the posters' opinion here- that this show was actually better than some of the new musicals we had this year. I also think that this show was unfairly panned. But again...before you rush to Walter Kerr..make sure this is the kind of show you can appreciate? listen to the music first... and make sure you are capable of appreciating SILENCE in the theater bec.if NOT~ you will hear a lot of candies being unwrapped or worst fall asleep like the lady sitting next to me.

Thanks

J*

Score : 7/2- I LIKE IT!



Walter Kerr Theater












MERCHANDISE






Production Photos
(from Playbill)
https://www.playbill.com/multimedia/search/12667.html







The Playbill








Stage Door Photos

Me, Tom Wopat & aliciag


Faith Prince


Me with Faith Prince & Harvey Fierstein


Leslie Kritzer


Me, Leslie Kritzer & aliciag


Matt Cavenaugh


with Matt


My Autographed Playbill












Updated On: 5/14/08 at 03:08 PM

[aliciag]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 3:17pm

Glad you decided to share your thoughts. So glad I got the chance to meet you.

And I totally agree about your needing to appreciate silence to enjoy the show. I was sitting there watching and reminded of the current thread on longest silent moments in a musical. But Faith Price definitely knows how to handle it.

[musicalmaster703]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 3:18pm

nice, I didn't know what happened, I thought you were now on a different board well now i know...

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 3:28pm

Great review as always Jay. I guess I'll have to go see this after all. What ever happened to you seeing Cry-Baby?

[jaystarr]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 3:32pm

I skipped CRY-BABY & GYPSY (my number#2)

J* Updated On: 4/27/08 at 03:32 PM

[antiandrewx]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 3:34pm

Aw, how come, Jay?

Nice review, btw! I'm planning on seeing this next weekend.

[TomMonster]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 3:38pm

I'm so glad you liked this show Jay! I just think it's beautiful. Can't wait for the CD. I've been humming the score for weeks now!

Thanks for another great review.

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 3:54pm

I always look forward to your reviews and pics. Thank you for sharing. I hope to see this within the next few months.

Posted: 4/27/08 at 4:29pm

"My point is... you dont need a green witch to feel the emotion of the show... a simple lady that you and I know can definitely make all the difference"

i loved this part & the story about your aunt!

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 4:33pm

I was actually getting tired of posting lately. I did told some of my friends here, that I felt like my life is slipping away by posting too much..that's why I took a week off from posting here.

So it had NOTHING to do with the disgusting, foul things you were calling other posters? You know, the posts that were all deleted RIGHT BEFORE YOU decided to "take a week off?"
Right.

[SpellingBeeFan4Ever]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 4:37pm

^ Way to be a prick!

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 4:41pm

"Prick" is NOTHING compared to what he was calling other people.

[SpellingBeeFan4Ever]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 4:43pm

I can't really see Jay saying stuff worse. You sure it wasn't a sock pupept?

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 5:08pm

S.B.F.4.E: That is one WEIRD avatar, I must say. from RC in Austin, Texas

[antonijan]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 5:15pm

Thanks for sharing your experiences, review and pics.

It's always a treat to read it.

You should become a paid critic and get your own column then write a book about your previous experiences.

Also don't forget to make a coffee book of your stage door pics!!!

pls. Pm me if you wanna share your own blog or any other social networking site like LJ or MP :P

[SpellingBeeFan4Ever]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 5:16pm

Me and Lakezurich were talking about odd casting. I said to him "What about Avenue Q with Jay Leno as Mrs. Thistletwat, Donald Trump as Rod, and Patti Lupone as Trekkie?" Then another member made it for me.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 7:07pm

"I can't really see Jay saying stuff worse. You sure it wasn't a sock pupept?"

No, not a sock. I still have my FU PM from him.
The other stuff was like something out of the Exorcist.
It was really, really nasty. Trust me.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 7:11pm

awwwwwwwwwwww, J! You were supposed to give it a "so-so" 5/5 review!!

The pictures I took look amazing though! Great seeing you yesterday.

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 7:14pm

"I felt like he was ALWAYS there observing, lurking around like I AM THE CAMERA character."

That's the point though.

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 7:18pm

Go away!

JAY- great review and i agree with all you say. I love this show so much.

[jaystarr]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 7:18pm

WaT- Oh Trust me! I know we talked about it.. but while I was on the bus on my way home...the songs keep running thru my head...and I ask myself...Do I really like the show? and in a nutshell... I LIKE IT! It's only the "Harvey Part" that I really did not like..oops.. I said it! but overall... Its not a bad show.. it has a heart afterall!

We should make a pact (like what I did with Jordangirl) that whatever you dont like that I Like...well just IGNORE it and be still best buds! but you know...I love you! we went thru this with XANADU..hello!

J*

Updated On: 4/27/08 at 07:18 PM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 7:22pm

believe me Jay. we will always be best buds. i don't let shows come between me and my friends (just ask adamgreer: Spring Awakening fan forever).

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 7:26pm

Great read, my friend!
Lovely pictures, too - Glad you enjoyed it!

[jaystarr]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 7:40pm

we will always be best buds. i don't let shows come between me and my friends.

^^^^ I hear ya!

Shows will open and close and we will still be friends...


J*

BTW- Special Thanks to Wat for taking those nice photos!


Updated On: 4/27/08 at 07:40 PM

[Steve2]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 8:05pm

Thanks for the detailed review and pictures Jaystarr. I appreciate your opinions and honesty. I bought tickets for August before it was even in previews and was having second thoughts now.

I think a lot of us take a break from here once in a while but always come back. Hope you get to see Cry-Baby and look forward to that one.