Usher in Chicago- Page 2

[Color and Light]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 4:52pm

Wow - if I had known so many BWW members were at Sweeney last night, I would have made a sign!

How about that Rolls Royce by the stage door?

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 7:14pm

I saw the show this afternoon. We tried to get tickets to Drowsy Chaperone on TKTS but when we got to the window they had one left, so we got Chicago tickets. Usher was fantastic. His voice is phenomenal (sp?), as is his dancing, but his acting needs a little bit of work. The rest of the cast was great. I enjoyed Bianca more than Charlotte whom I've seen twice. Brenda was great as usual. I hadn't seen Lillias in the part yet, but I loved her.

Before the show, we saw Usher walking into the theater and the only reason I knew he was there was from the screaming from the box office that I heard and I looked across the street and there he was.

The audience went NUTTSSSSSSS when Usher came out for All I Care About. The girl next to me in particular. When they start making the announcement that goes like, "And now entering the room, the blah blah blah," the girl started hyperventilating and crying and was at the edge of her seat. And then the song starts and the girls are going, "We want Billy..." the girl was like, "OH YES WE DO!!! I WANT HIM!!" And then at "he's our kind of a guy," she goes, "Definately my type, mmmhhmmmm!" And then finally when they go, "And here he is," I almost went deaf from the high pitched screaming in my ear.

The girl just kept on screaming and crying and collapsing in her seat, as were many other girls probably, but the one that everyone around me noticed was this girl. For the rest of the show, she started to pant whenever he got onstage.

So I heard a lot of people talking about where they came from to see the show, and the girl next to me flew in from California for the show. And I even saw a mom and daughter who came from Hawaii just to see Usher.

The stage door scene is HIGHLY unorganized. If you have your heart set on getting Usher's autograph, that is the ONLY reason you should stick around, you probably won't get to even get a clear view of his face unless you are against the barricades, and he wasnt taking any pictures. I was one of the first people out of the theater and I didnt even get a good spot at the barricades. This is because they didnt have the barricades set up before people came out. They had everyone keep moving backwards as more people showed up so we ended up being towards the back but I was able to squeeze forward and get his autograph and then just ran away.

I don't think I am going back.

[JerseyScoundrel]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 9:44pm

I was there too. What a madhouse! Did you hear that cell phone go off? I definitley agree with you about the new Roxie (sorry, just don't want to get the name wrong). She actually did a much better job than that of Usher. He seemed alright. Sometimes being original can be a huge risk only because it can make the performance look medeocire. He was able to do a good job. However, if I were the AD on the show, I would tell him to be a little more real and less commercial. Is this the Julia Robert's epidemic?

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 10:00pm

I'm going tomorrow night, and I'm scared. Not because of Usher (because I'm glad that it's not the trainwreck I expected), but because I'm going to be surrounding by impolite Usher fans not realizing it's a Broadway show, and acting like it's a concert...

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 10:27pm

Did he sign for everyone like Denzel, or the first 10 like Julia?

[CJR]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 10:30pm

Bianca Marroquin was Roxie. She's a Chicago vet.... Originated the role in Mexico City, was brought to the Broadway company (when the show was still at the Shubert) and made her Broadway debut. I forget how long she played during that initial run, but she is, to date, the youngest actress to play Roxie (she was 26 when she came to Broadway).

She spent well over a year on tour and has been back and forth with the Broadway company since. Bianca will go back out on tour with Chicago for 6 weeks in October.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 10:34pm

I am glad I saw the show a few days ago with Obba and Michelle DeJean.

I loved Obba so was glad I got to see him.

And Lillias White is absolutely hysterical. I could do without some of the riffing, but the Emeril mocking was purely divine.

I saw the video clip on the news and didn't see DeJean. I really enjoyed it.

Did they take the cartwheel out of the show for good?

P.S. I forgot how much I love this show. I did standing room and was NEVER bored. I need to go back and do SRO again (I prefer that to the Rush seats).

[CJR]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 10:55pm

The cartwheel is not gone for good. Michelle had hip surgery either last year or the year before (I can't remember how long it's been) so naturally, she can't do the cartwheel.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 10:58pm

Ah, OK. Hope she gets better, I thought she was very funny. Better than Charlotte, in the acting and singing department, which saddened me.


I need to again express my love for Michelle Robinson - who I saw a year ago as Liz. Glad she didn't leave! She is simply fantastic. Updated On: 8/23/06 at 10:58 PM

[CJR]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 11:56pm

Michelle is fully healed, she just can't do a cartwheel.

Yeah, MMR is great. I <3 her. She's old school from back in the day when I was constantly excited to see the show. I miss those days

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 11:59pm

I think Usher signed as much as he can. He was signing for pretty much anyone who could get near him. He went back and forth from one side of the barricades to the next, and once I got my autograph, I ran out of there. I wanted to wait for Bianca, Brenda, Lillias and others but it was too damn crazy.

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 12:02am

And Bianca cart-wheeled.

[CJR]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 12:03am

Yes, Bibi does.... she has not had hip surgery lol

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 12:06am

HAHAHA.

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 12:20am

When she was doing the cartwheels, I couldn't help but think, did Rita Wilson do them? I can't imagine her cartwheeling for some reason lol

[IveGottaBeME]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 12:38am

on mtv.new, usher talks about the cell phoen ringing. he thought it was clive davis!

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 12:51am

BSo, I don't know how it is now with Usher, but I got side front mezz seats when I rushed again after we saw it, and those were definitely better than all the way on the side in the orch. I dunno, I definitely would prefer those to standing room.

Once again Zeppie, it was so great running into you...having such a long convo, introducing me to Johnny apparently is who you were with, being incredibly sociable :-P You suck.

I saw you at the stage door Yoda Saw Penguin at intermission at Sweeney, and did he tell you I saw you guys at the concert and was screaming but you didn't see me, even though he was looking in my direction?

Maybe that's why the Sweeney stage door was so crowded, all the BWWers. I rarely see it that crowded, but if I'm there I'm not hanging in the back with my cousins I guess. I left with them pretty early, sounds like I missed some fun?

Oh umm Usher in Chicago...good to hear he's good. But you're wrong about that being the craziest stage door. I was at opening night of 3 days of Rain. I could not move when I walked out of the theatre even when I wanted to. This seems to be close, but not comparable to that.

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 12:57am

Well on a daily basis, I think this will definately be one of the craziest stage doors ever. When I went to 3 Days, it was pretty calm, even if there were lots of people. Here, there were a lot of people, many who were basically having heart attacks from being near Usher and everyone was jumping and pushing to get closer. The 3 Days crowd was a much older crowd and were definitely more well-mannered than the teenagers at Chicago.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 1:07am

Well as we've been discussing Dave, there were loads of police around 45th Street.

[JerseyScoundrel]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 1:20am

It was crazy today! Its difficult to get his fanbase to be so calm that they start such a scene at the stage door and during the show. Chicago is now USHER: LIVE ON BROADWAY.

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 1:24am

Agreed, Scoundrel. It seemed like an Usher concert that had a story tied around it and all the actors were his backup dancers.

[JerseyScoundrel]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 1:36am

Ha! Good sense of humor Dave. I will be laughing about the fact that I won't have to see the show again with his fanbase around.

[GClef2]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 3:30am

LOL, LUCKYDAVE!!!

I love girls like that!

That's Hysterical...

[Born2cthelightsofbway]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 3:08pm

Yeah, I saw Sweeney yesterday too at the matinee, and when I got out, I looked across the street and it was CRAZY!!! People were standing in the streets, and standing on those telephone pole things, it was nuts!!!

[corsairstw]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 3:19pm

Wow... Well, at least he's not half bad. I auditioned for Billy Flynn at my school yesterday and I have a callback tonight along with the dance audition! I guess I just have a hard time seeing celebrities in Broadway roles when they're engraved in my head as a hip-hop performer or music video actor.