I love that the ad brags about THE BIGGEST ORCHESTRA ON BROADWAY!"
If you're in New York this Saturday, go see Fancy Free. If you go Saturday evening, you'll see Marcelo Gomes and Herman Cornejo, who are gorgeous dancers and sizzlingly hot men.
But what I was really struck by was the innocence: neither lenny and Jerry had any idea when they wrote and choreographed this that it would be such a success as a ballet or that they would be asked to turn it into a Broadway musical or that their careers would skyrocket in multiple artistic arenas. They were just two ambitious creative driven kids who wanted to create something beautiful out of a simple contemporary story like three sailors on leave.
And because it was their first, if it had just premiered and worked--just held together, just been dramatic and comedic in the right places--and then been forgotten, it probably would have been enough for them to hug each other and say, "We did it!"
But what they didn't yet know was that each of them was a genius.
Saw the show tonight. Usually not a fan of classic musicals, loved this one. What a talented cast. All of them. The orchestra sounds incredible as well.
On a side note, really wish Jay Armstrong Johnson got a chance to go on as Frank in Catch Me. He's great in On the Town.
I saw OTT this afternoon. I have seen other productions of the show. I saw the last one in Central Park which I thought was awful. It has a very weak book. This is a wonderful production of a very flawed and dated piece. The casting is great. The dance is wonderful. The orchestra is a real TREAT! The projections are ok but they don't seem to make NYC look great or even make the era look great. The theatre is huge. I can't imagine it running there for too long. I was in orchestra and it wasn't full by any means.
Adored this show today. The dancing is superb and I loved the orchestra. The time flew by and I simply did not want it to end. Such a gorgeous theater too! I highly recommend this.
Hey CurtainsUpat8--I think we exchanged pleasantries during intermission. I was in T12.
Some lovely dude or dudette has uploaded a full - and surprisingly high quality unofficial vid of "New York, New York". I was already jealous of everyone who got to see this production, but seeing this number takes that jealousy to a whole other level. It's so perfect. My GOD does that orchestra sound spectacular - I feel like Bernstein would've been so proud. Our three sailors are sensational, the choreography a perfect balance of elegance and athleticism. And, unlike a certain Rebel Heart, they make it all look so effortless. What a dream. Man I hope this show lasts. I don't have a prayer of catching it until the summer at the earliest.
(BTW, that same YT user has a short excerpt of Kelli & Ken doing "Shall We Dance" and, no surprise, Kelli sounds exquisite)
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
Caught a number of shows in NYC last week and OTT was the first show I caught upon arriving. It ended up being one of my two favorites. Dated story, yes. But who cares? It was absolutely great. I loved Tony Yazbeck. He has such an old-fashioned (and I mean that in a good way), classic sounding voice, and it works so well in this show. Loved his performance. And the entire show.
First rate show on every level. I saw three times. First two with Megan Fairchild (sister of AAIP star Robbie Fairchild) and the third time it starred Tiler Peck (wife of AAIP star Robbie Fairchild). I feel very close to this show on musical grounds and being a massive ballet fan have had many, many chances to see all of those named above in Balanchine, Wheeldon, Robbins and so many other serious modern dance works. I do believe this show will play through the summer and lets all hope the BO picks up. Love this show.