Usher in Chicago- Page 3

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/24/06 at 3:26pm

It must be really ironic when Usher's Billy dismisses Mama Matron by calling her "Butch."

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 8/25/06 at 1:44am

Saw Chicago tonight. Usher didn't suck.

Dancing, of course, he can do well. Singing was fine. Acting distractingly monotone and stilted. It's interesting that Usher has been working with Ben Vereen, because it almost seems like Usher is trying to do Ben doing Billy at times - his delivery, his physicality, feel VERY Ben Vereen.

Didn't care for his riffing on Razzle Dazzle, but I thought he sang quite fine in his other songs. Razzle Dazzle, while I did enjoy the restaging to include more dancing in general, it sucks that the number became all about Usher in the larger sense, because it's really the only ensemble number in the second act, and they become secondary here.

Acting was tough to bear at times. Very strange delivery. Some words dropped, most of the time very slow-speaking. Some absolutely dreadful pauses. He starts off strong, but by the time we get to the courtroom scenes, it's extremely hit-and-miss.

The curtain call. OY, the curtain call. Usher has a big bow sequence with some dancing, throwing his own rose, some more schtick. It was extremely bizarre. The only good thing about it was it jazzed up everyone for Bianca and Brenda (who were just spectacular in their own right).

[JerseyScoundrel]

Posted: 8/25/06 at 1:49pm

I felt like he was doing a commercial when I saw him act.