Jay and Brandon have NOT gone on yet. Would love to hear Jay in the role.
Swing Joined: 4/3/11
i know i'm new on here and am probably gonna get reamed, but....
kerry butler vs autumn hurlbert...
WHY isn't SHE playing brenda in this show??? watch THIS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQYAnE90x7U
she can SANG. and she is a fabulous actress. that reality show was a blip in her career. i really think she is a STAR.
BTW, i think this is some benefit and it was years ago. she's even better now. and... she's beautiful.
Autum has to be a good 10-15 years younger too, which I think is more appropriate.
steven22----I agree! I want to see how Jay plays the role of Frank Abagnale vs. Aaron's performance.
Spider-Man has its fans, so did Good Vibrations, 9 to 5, Lestat, Bombay Dreams, and a whole slew of other bad to mediocre shows
And what makes their reactions less valid than yours, West Village?
And what makes your opinion more valid?
I must say that I have been very surprised about the negativity about this show. Count me as someone who LOVES it! As I stated on another thread, we saw 6 shows during our last New York visit (Priscilla, Championship Season, Book of Mormon, Spidey, How to Succeed, and Catch Me). Of the six, Catch Me was my favorite.
I don't think having Butler read a little older than Tveit is a problem at all, especially considering the big age reveal at the end of the play.
I had no problems accepting them as a couple.
We loved the show so much we plan on going back -only this time from the orch. We didn't see what happened in the aisle.
What a pleasure to hear the lead sing those two powerful songs that made us flashback to Next To Normal (NYC) this past Dec. It could be trimmed a bit but a good solid fun well done show. loved the style and it was fun.
Dennis-in-ct ----What seat were you in? You said aisle but aisle of orch or mezzanine and if so which row?
We sat rear mezz and there were actors performing in the aisles in the orch that we missed.
I think that the show took awhile to really get going, but it was very good once it did. I liked act two better because there was more of an emotional connection developed and I found myself more invested in the story. Although Act One had more production numbers, which were all very good (I liked the choreography and that chorus worked) it wasn't as interesting. There was the laying of the backstory that was not as engaging for me. Still I really enjoyed it.
I liked the sets and the lighting; it served the concept (which I found effective) and looked very classy.
All of the actors are doing great work. Bulter's role was not as small as it was made out to be, she was in a good amount of act two. Her performance was great. Tom Wopat's last scene was amazing, he was very good. Norbert was a real standout. He had a great character and stage presence. Aaron Tveit carries the show masterfully, he was so full of charm and did amazing. His voice is like butter. Like I said before the ensemble was great and had a lot of energy.
The music was good. There were a few stand-outs but it was overall very enjoyable. For me, "Fly Fly Away" and "Goodbye" were worth the price of admission (the songs and more importantly the performances by Kerry and Aaron were absolutely fantastic). I mean like DAMN.
I would see it again.
Updated On: 4/4/11 at 11:07 PM
Broadway Star Joined: 3/20/08
BwayTday, did you see the show tonight?
No, I saw it a few nights ago. Is there a monday night show? Updated On: 4/5/11 at 12:01 AM
It's my understanding that the show has been changing nightly with tweaks/fixes/changes, etc... Not sure when/if it's frozen now.. but there's a reason why there are disparate reports aside from normal differences in opinions
Stand-by Joined: 4/20/06
I saw the Saturday matinee and was pleasantly surprised. I could not really see how the film could be musicalized, but the end product is quite slick, energetic and polished. All of the choices and derivations from the film were improvements and a friend that saw the production in Seattle says that all of the changes made dramatically improve the show. I find it incomprehensible that anyone comments on being bored as I found the show filled with energy and pizzazz. After seeing a number of new Broadway shows with no memorable songs (The Addams Family jumps immediately to mind), it was great to find that several days later I could still vividly recall Life in Living Color, Fly Fly Away and Goodbye. I think the show moves quite nicely, although 5-10 minutes could be trimmed from Act II, although I cannot quite pinpoint exactly where (maybe the Mom's number?). The cast all around is great. I thought Kerry nailed Fly Fly Away, but people are correct that it is a slight role (but no slighter than was Amy Adams's role in the film). My only other complaint is that after a rousing Act I number, Norbert Leo Butz really does not have another GREAT number. I found Tom Wopat very touching as the dad, who comes off in this show as a lovable loser rather than the uber-weirdo that Chris Walken played him as in the film. This show is definitely Aaron Tveit's though. The role fits him like a glove - he sings it and dances it beautifully. It was puzzling to see him excluded from Tony noms when Next to Normal was riding high - if he is excluded this time around than the Tony voters need their heads examined. Unlike the Book of Mormon, whose profanity laden song book would make me hesitate to recommend to a number of people, I would recommend this show to anyone coming in to NYC without reservations.
It's odd that there are now so many positive reviews - back when the show began previews, I felt like I was in the minority. Either something has changed within the show, or the actors have gotten more comfortable as a unit, but I'm happy either way. I really do like Catch Me, and I want it to succeed.
Craig --- I thought someone previously posted on here that changes were frozen last Thursday? Not sure though....
It's theater. Of course there will be a wide variety of opinions. I stood in line the other day with someone talking about how "Amazing" he thought "Good Vibrations" was and didn't understand why it got bad reviews. To each their own. That's why Hamlet and Mamma Mia can run on Broadway at the same time. Gotta love it!
I didn't care for it, but that's primarily because I don't care for that presentational style of theater where the characters know what's going on. I didn't care for it in Ragtime, and I didn't care for it here, so oh well. Just not my cup of tea.
Just saw it last night. This is the best new musical in years. My favorite new score in years. The best musical-comedy in years. The best dance-musical in years. And the direction, choreography, design and performances are thrilling.
It doesn't get better than this.
And Norbert's "Don't Break the Rules" is musical-theater legend happening in front of you.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/10/04
best new comedy in YEARS?!?!? ha ha ha.
as much as i love Silent Butler, i would return to see Autumn's season in that role. And Yr Pal if that's hyperbole well done; if you're a shill wise up; and if you're sincere, will u share the meds.
I am sincere, and my medication is Musical Comedy.
I've been taking it since my parents brought me to see Van Johnson in The Music Man.
I haven't enjoyed a new musical this much in years. Maybe decades.
Broadway Star Joined: 5/23/06
I got the left box for rush today. How obstructed and/or bad is that seat? Thanks! :)
Yr Pal, next time whilst in NYC i want to take you two places my treat:
Joe Allen's at the bar for cocktails and upstairs for dinner at the restaurant with no sign;
and to the current Disney Theatricals offices in what was once the Rooftop Garden Nightclub (or whatever it was called) above 42nd Street.
HEAVEN. And we can share memories of your meds.
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