Kiss of the Spider Woman- Page 2

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 8:45pm

MEF, I agree with you about Vanessa Williams. How many times have we seen people on this board slamming her for not being Bernadette Peters in Into the Woods?

Yikes, I hope people didn't want Williams to have given Peters' misguided Witch performance! (I love Peters, but her Witch was somewhat schticky.)

[Tesse]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 10:32pm

DreamingChaseR-- No, I don't think Spider Woman has very much in common with Wicked or WWRY. It's not a pop musical; the score is more along the lines of Cabaret or Chicago than anything by Schwartz or... um, Queen.

If Cabaret or Chicago don't do much for you, this probably won't, either.

But if you'd like to try something new, it really is a great score.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 3/10/05 at 4:16am

re: other Kander & Ebb

I would rank KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN as one of the great theatre scores of the 1990s (after RAGTIME and PASSION.)

Someone suggested WOMAN OF THE YEAR. It is long out-of-print but worth a hunt. It is a much lighter score than KISS but the show made an enjoyable evening in the theatre (as long as Lauren Bacall stayed with it. R.Welch mugged too much and stepped out of character to play to the audience!)The OCR is a mostly delightful 52 minutes. "the Grass is Always Greener" was the big 2nd act showstopper, but "Sometimes a Day Goes By" is an achingly beautiful song; and the ensemble numbo "It Isn't working" was staged with great pizzazz which comes thru on the record.

Also check out STEEL PIER. It actually opened to better reviews (5 favourable) than either THE LIFE of TITANIC but after winning no Tonys it closed. The book could have used some fixing, but the score is quite good and the recording captures the theatricality of the performance. And it marked Kristen Chenoweth's Broadway debut.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/10/05 at 6:30am

I second STEEL PIER. It is a wonderful, underrated score.

[WISHIHADATONY]

Posted: 3/10/05 at 10:54am

Bluewizard, your comments about Bernadette's witch are one hundred percent correct. She was beyond schticky. She DID NOT get Tony nominated because her performance was pretty bad. Her singing was enthralling. But her acting was awful..she simply had no idea what to do. Often, it seemed like she was acting in a sketch from The Carol Burnett Show. I love Bernadette to pieces, but her witch was dreadful.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 3/10/05 at 1:02pm

I got a copy of Vanessa's KISS through half.com recently, because I kept losing my old copies. So check there!

Chita and Vanessa's KISS version both have great aspects. It's probably Stokes'worst performance (god help me that accent), but the Vanessa and McGillan give wonderful performances equally worthy of Chita and Brent. Getting both is a great idea as well because you get to also hear new arrangements, and it's cool to hear a show sound change midway through a run.

I love Vanessa anyway, but I love Bernadette. Bernadette's ITW performance was good, but really no better or worse than Vanessa's, and certainly not worthy of such godlike worshipping. It's so nice to not be the only one to think so!

[sipos]

Posted: 3/10/05 at 1:15pm

Wow. I never thought people felt that way about Bernadette's Witch. She was the best Witch to me, hilarious and moving. I wish she had the Tony that year.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/10/05 at 1:41pm

Vanessa Williams is the best Spider Woman...no doubt...i cant believe how people prefer that old hag that can't sing,just because she opened the show,it doesn't mean she is better.Go Vanessa!!! Vanessa Williams is a very well known star outside of Bway.She brought a lot of attention to the show.The tickets sales went up a 20% when Vanessa took the leading role.And director Harold Prince was amazed by her.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/10/05 at 1:46pm

"i cant believe how people prefer that old hag that can't sing,just because she opened the show,it doesn't mean she is better."

Chita's dancing was magnificent. Williams may have a better voice, but her dancing was clumsy.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/10/05 at 1:53pm

Vanessa Williams is a trained dancer...What are you talking about Gotham??? She is a great dancer...otherwise check the movie "Dance With Me" where she does all the dancing scenes herself. And by the way...Vanessa's version is available at any record store.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/10/05 at 1:57pm

When i saw Chita...i was afraid she was gonna die in the middle of the show...i mean...she is very old and i admire her for trying but...come on!!!! she got a Tony out of pity.

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 3/10/05 at 2:01pm

I think it's funny to think of any old person kicking up their legs!

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 3/10/05 at 6:48pm

I wish she had the Tony that year.

What?? And deny Joanna Gleason her very well-deserved Tony for a definitive star turn as the Baker's Wife?

From what I've heard, Vanessa Williams' Aurora/Spider Woman was actually very good. My issue is that the second cast recording doesn't have the charisma of the original OBCR. I understand it encapsulates more of the show, but it doesn't flow as well as the original recording and feels dull.

[sipos]

Posted: 3/11/05 at 9:59pm

Didn't know they were both up for it. I would have been happy to know either won. Joanna was awesome in it, yes. I think this threade is dead now, but I'll stop threadjacking it now.

:)

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 3/12/05 at 2:27am

LOL, one more reply.

Bernadette Peters was never Tony-nominated for her performance in INTO THE WOODS, so they both weren't really "up for it," just Gleason was. Since Peters had left the show by the Tonys were gearing up, the producers thought it was better to submit only Gleason's name for consideration. Another reason for this decision was probably because Peters' performance wasn't well-received, as can be attested by several members here; most have found her take on the Witch to be misguided and underwhelming. I love Bernadette Peters, but this certainly wasn't one of her better performances.

But back to KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN -- I would have loved to have seen the original production, which I've heard was quite innovative in its staging. Can anyone share their memories of the show?

[Tesse]

Posted: 3/12/05 at 2:55am

Ah, yes. Memories of Spider Woman. There's a can of worms. Let's see...

I remember the audience bursting into applause when Chita appeared on the spiderweb made completely of light on an otherwise empty stage. I remember the simultaneous pain and wistful joy in Brent Carver's voice as he sang "She's A Woman." I remember Anthony Crivello crying by the end of "The Day After That," as Valentin's emotional defenses came down for the first time. I remember Jeff Hyslop, who took over the role of Molina from Mr. Carver, doing a whole tightrope act on the "line" down the middle of the cell, and finding lots of places for clownish comedy that felt perfectly in place. I remember Brian Mitchell, before he was Stokes, and his utter weariness as the constantly beaten Valentin, a very different take on the role from Crivello's strength. I remember the second time I saw the show, and how I started crying at "Dear One," thinking of a teacher at my school who had been murdered for being Gay. (I also remember how, when I told Stokes about that, how he hugged me and asked if I was okay. The man is too sweet.)

I remember the intensity of the show, and how emotionally draining it is when it's done right. By the middle of act two, it's hard not to feel compassion for these characters who were rather obnoxious in act one. I mostly remember the moment when I realised how desperately I wanted this story to end happily, and how much I cared about these two men. There are few musicals that get me so involved with the characters, and it's a real treat to find one so well written.
Kiss of the Spider Woman: Over The Wall

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 3/12/05 at 3:02am

But back to KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN -- I would have loved to have seen the original production, which I've heard was quite innovative in its staging. Can anyone share their memories of the show?

I can! I was at the Toronto openng in June 1992.

The historic performance was Brent Carver's and we knew then he would win the Tony award. Chita's role was peripheral (and they never quite licked that problem) but she had the star quality the production needed. Her first number was "Don't Even Think About it" (later replaced by "Where You Are.") I did an interview with Hal Prince and with Kander and Ebb. John Kander's favourite song was "dear one" whiel Fredd Ebb liked "Dressing Them up." Hal Prince commented that whenever he does a show and people wonder "How in hell are you gonna make a musical out of that?" he knows it will be an excitng show.

Despite all the ads and promotion the show was not selling out the Bluma Appel theatre and cut the run short by 2 weeks. It moved to London where it again got good reviews but did weak business. Then it moved to New York where it promptly won the Tony and settled in for a 2 year run that still lost money, though that may have had more to do with Garth Drabinsky's "creative book-keeping" that saw much of the box office take slipped into his private bank accounts.

I was supposed to see Vanessa do it in New York but Livent's press people screwed up and when I got to the theatre there were no tickets waiting for me. Oh well. She does sound fine on the CD.

I think we will see future productions, perhaps on a smaller more intimate scale. I think the first act would play better if it were about 15-20 minutes shorter.

[sipos]

Posted: 3/12/05 at 3:14am

KISS was my first NY show. I was mesmerized, of course, and had great seats. Brent made me cry. "Mama It's Me" was especially intense. Being a mama's boy too ...
The male chorus moved so well. So sensual. A very sensual show (My brother saw it later with Vanessa, and being the biggest jock, he was equally impressed with the show's worth).
Chita was the definitive Aurora in my opinion, though. I never thought her age was wrong or inappropriate for the role. She had to be an other-worldly intelligent goddess brought to life from Molina's head. I saw that, and I was equally drawn in to her spell and somewhat scared by her popping [movements], physically. Me, not being a dancer, so I drop the 'pop' term so if anyone can understand that description. I loved Chita for every moment she commanded the stage. A legend, indeed, and I'm so proud to have seen her do Aurora (also on tour and in her one woman show: w/gay boy back up)

KISS moved me. I was straight out of high school and certainly impressionable by all the 3-D projections. But I knew I was seeing a unique theatrical experience. I remember the sound and lighting being above par. Howard Binkley. Talented. Left the theatre satisfied and entertained.


BlueWizard -It has been a while since I knew these facts about the Tonys. I really did know that, once upon a time. S'been a while. Thanks for clearing it up about Bernadette.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 3/12/05 at 3:44am

Incidently I'm listening to KISS' original cast recording right now (Brent Carver's "She's a Woman" and "Anything For Him" are utterly heartbreaking), and a friend of mine recently gave me the show's opening night programme at the Bluma Appel Theatre. What a souvenir! I didn't know Susan Gilmour was in the show.

Updated On: 3/12/05 at 03:44 AM

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/12/05 at 8:01am

Memories of KISS:
Chita getting three solid minutes (ball park figure) of entrance applause.
Breaking down during Brent Carver's "She's A Woman" and during the final 20 minutes of the show.
When Aurora and Molina tangoed, Aurora turning around to reveal that the back of her stunning dress was a spiderweb. Gorgeous!

W/Second Cast:
Being astounded at Vanessa's stage presence, which was amazing for a beginner.
Marvelling at the wonder that is Howard McGillin.
Remarking that Brian Mitchell (now Brian Stokes Mitchell) was going to be the biggest star on Broadway very soon.