The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Excitement Level?- Page 6

[dave1606]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 10:06am

They were selling magnets too. I bouught one.

[newintown]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 10:08am

Well, Ripped, the show is less about the actual "story" than the way they tell it. If the entire cast doesn't seem like they're having an absolute ball doing something (music hall melodrama by way of Broadway) they do expertly and effortlessly, and working the audience to the nth degree, then they aren't really doing Drood.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 12:25pm

No, I know. I get that. I just didn't find all the "take aways" all that hilarious.

The only time I really enjoyed it was when Stephanie J. Block had her dive fit in Act 2. But other than that it was just "eh."

[newintown]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 12:31pm

My fear (seeing it next week) is that Norton won't have the low-brow showmanship needed to set the tone at the beginning. He's a fine legitimate actor, as we've all seen, but he doesn't seem to have those vaudeville-work-the-audience chops that the Chairman requires and which George Rose had in spades. Someone like Jim Dale would have been a much better choice.

Glad to hear Block entertained you, but she certainly isn't an adept comic actress, nor does she have any kind of special eccentricity everyone in this show should naturally have. She's always so... normal.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 12:44pm

Wishful Drinking was another transfer... Roundabout simply provided a venue. It was developed elsewhere.

And Don't Dress for Dinner was the most poorly-received Broadway production of the last season. Spencer Kayden's kooky-brilliant (and rightfully award-nominated) performance couldn't save that otherwise disappointing wreck.

Generally, as I said, Roundabout has had a severely lacking recent history of in-house Broadway productions. Anything Goes and Assassins are the most notable exceptions.

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 1:39pm

If the show extends or transfers and gets a longer life, Dale would be a divine replacement- but I would really prefer Tim Curry.

[marknyc]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 1:48pm

Saw it last night (cold - I knew little about it other than the voting), and loved it. Great cast that totally gets the show's conceit. Jim is great, Will is great, Rita is great - really, everyone is great. I wish the score were stronger, but I couldn't find fault with anything in this production. I think it will do well.

[After Eight]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 1:50pm

So embarrassing to see a cotton candy stalwart flailing angrily at having been shown to be a mere posturer.

Pity is actually what I feel for him, poor fellow.

Don't Dress for Dinner was a fun show, disliked, not unexpectedly, by assorted sour apples and snots.

"Generally, as I said, Roundabout has had a severely lacking recent history of in-house Broadway productions."

Ha ha. That's a hell of a lot of qualifiers you've got there.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 1:58pm

Don't Dress for Dinner was a fun show, disliked, not unexpectedly, by assorted sour apples and snots.

That's pretty much how you yourself are generally described, you know: a snotty sour apple.

Sometimes I'm not sure that you're aware of this.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 2:24pm

"My fear (seeing it next week) is that Norton won't have the low-brow showmanship needed to set the tone at the beginning. He's a fine legitimate actor, as we've all seen, but he doesn't seem to have those vaudeville-work-the-audience chops that the Chairman requires and which George Rose had in spades. Someone like Jim Dale would have been a much better choice. "

Norton surely isn't George Rose, but he is excellent in the role, and I think he will only get better. Jim Dale, I agree, would have been an fantastic choice, and if anyone thinks Tim Curry can't do Music Hall, here's
The Zucchini Song.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 2:41pm

"Rita is great"

Can't believe I actually get to say this, but her name is Chita and not Rita.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 2:47pm

Has anyone done the general rush yet? Long lines?

[Idiot]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 2:55pm

Okay -- my sporadic dyslexia just told me that the heading of this thread was about Drood's 'Excrement Level'. You just know I had to click.

[Bialyhoos22]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 3:36pm

Jim Norton does indeed more than hold his own in the shadow of the great George Rose. While they're very different performers, I was delightfully surprised at the great ease Norton had in commanding the proceedings. Though I do miss Rose's bark (and bite) and larger-than-life exuberance, I think Norton's performance will only continue to loosen and grow in size. One thing I feel Norton needs work on is his Mayor Sapsea shtick...he's adopted a different vocal choice/physicality but it's lacking the buffoonery and bluster required to really put it over. Rose's Sapsea almost felt like an extension of his Major General persona...twitches and all! (which fit remarkably well)

I do agree with the above posters, however, that Tim Curry would have been a BRILLIANT Chairman. (Perhaps closer in energy and approach to Rose?)

One thing that I'm surprised no one has mentioned is The Name of Love/Moonfall Reprise being lowered by at least a step. While I understand the technical reasons for such a move, it didn't seem to pack quite the same punch it does on the cast recording (or it did live in the theatre), despite Chase sounding a great deal like McGillin throughout. It might also have to do with the pacing of it...it seemed rushed at the performance I saw which could also affect it (in addition to the lower key).

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 10/25/12 at 11:59pm

If we're talking key changes, Writing on the Wall was lowered a whole step from Betty's key. And of course, many keys were changed to accommodate Chita.

[Bialyhoos22]

Posted: 10/26/12 at 12:45am

HeyMrMusic - totally forgot to mention that as well...although I didn't find that key change as troubling as The Name of Love/Moonfall...Block still managed to thrill with the final note, tho having seen her do it effortlessly in Buckley's key with Seth Rudetsky, I wonder why they dropped it down a step.

I love the fact that Chita is still treading the boards at almost 80, and while her stage presence is undeniable at this point, her Puffer is still very much finding her sea legs. She's really struggling with the cockney accent and seems very tentative. Don't get me wrong, the Wages of Sin still went over like gangbusters at the performance I sat thru (despite her being very unsure of things) but it's the first time I've seen Chita on stage where I'm nervous for her. I'm really hoping she'll find her way and ease in the role.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 10/26/12 at 12:49am

"The Writing On The Wall" is indeed lowered a whole step, which I thought was odd. Block can certainly sing it as written, and considering how little singing she does prior to that, I don't see the need for it to be altered? She also quite literally speaks the first two thirds of the song, and I hope that's one thing that improves during previews, because the words and phrases she chooses to emphasize in the lyrics are very random and bizarre throughout. Happily, she hits the last note with aplomb, but she needs to do a lot of work on building up everything that leads to that moment. More musical and less lyrical.

Bialyhoos, in that video with Seth Rudetsky, Block is actually lip-synching to a recording of Buckley for the big note. That was the joke. Seth was pretended to be so knocked out by her that he fell off his chair when, in reality, she wasn't actually singing it

Updated On: 10/26/12 at 12:49 AM

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 10/26/12 at 1:21am

Saw the show last night. Thought it was an absolute delight. Didn't realize "The Writing On The Wall" was lowered, but boy did that big note thrill. Block sounded wonderful. And I felt her performance of that song was very much in line with the way Buckley performs it on the cast album- with the first half being more of less spoken.

The show is in excellent shape as many have noted. The first half is lengthy and though I personally did find the "...Drood" situations, story, and characters interesting, the real joy of the show is in the performances and general atmosphere of the giddy music hall actors doing their thing for us. The REAL story is about them, about these music hall performers putting on "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" and their story I felt was extremely engaging.

The performances are excellent all-around. Will Chase is doing stellar work. Funny, compelling, inventive, and wonderfully sung. Edelman is also a highlight, superb character work, only wish he got to sing more. Block is absolutely killer as Drood, thrilling vocals and such and ease and confidence in her performance as a male impersonator- best acting I've seen from her yet. Norton steers the whole evening with an ease and charm. He's wonderful.

Wolfe's best work is as her music hall character, rather than Rosa. She also really shined when (at my performance and with my vote!) she was chosen as the murderer and really let loose with her confession. She's lovely throughout and sings beautifully, but I just couldn't get the thrilling Patti Cohenaur vocals i know so well from the cast album out of my head.

Karl, Meuller, and Creighton are all very good and have their moments. Benson is VERY funny.

Chita has moments, but I agree with the Bialyhoos22 that she hasn't quite found her footing yet. None of her songs had the comedic or dramatic impact I hoped they would, though she was very funny when she ended up being one of the lovers with Edelman. Still very exciting to finally see her onstage though and the audience loved her.

I thought the set and costumes were fabulous, and the lighting effective. There weren't any sound issues, I had no trouble hearing the lyrics from the upper mezzanine (even the newer ones I didn't know). I missed some of the older orchestrations I'm obsessed with from the album, some things weren't as lush or as exciting as I wanted them to be, but some were.

The lovely and charming score doesn't land as well as it does on the album, but the best moments do. The finale is absolutely thrilling and the cast sounds fabulous as a whole. The harmonies during the Moonfall Quartet were particularly beautiful.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and thought the show really is a unique experience that works best with a creative team and cast that really commit to the music hall style, sensibility, and energy and I thought that was wonderfully executed. It really is a joyful night and the cast seems to be having a blast. The feeling was mutual.

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/26/12 at 1:34am

Saw it tonight (technically last night. Thurs.) Had a good time. Laughed a lot and I agree the show is more about how they tell the story. The cast seemed to be having a good time. If it hasn't been mentioned here, the dog in the show is actually Ms. Block's. I met him/her at the stage door.

I would really like to see it again when they pick other people as the murderer. Ours was Helena.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 10/26/12 at 1:46am

Thoroughly enjoyed the show tonight. It was genuinely fun and thrilling to see how the play would resolve. I'll be sure to be visiting again (and again) in the future!

I did miss lyrics here and there. The lyrics are very quick and tempos bright, so the sound needs to be crystal clear to understand the lyrics. I don't think I got a single lyric in "There You Are." For me, it was adjusting to the sound of an orchestra of (mostly) acoustic instruments coming from opposite sides of the stage. It threw me off a bit and then I couldn't focus on the lyrics. But the number was so joyously performed it nearly didn't matter. I'm sure it's still getting tweaked.

For a show this early in previews, it's pretty great. You'd think they'd been running for months already. Very smooth and slick.

[Bialyhoos22]

Posted: 10/26/12 at 2:10am

SomethingWicked - you're totally right! Had a bit of a mindfart there...but now I definitely recall it actually being a 'bit'. Still, I agree Block could easily be hitting Buckley's notes if she so desired.

Sing_dance_love - It's funny, as I've been reflecting on the show, I think more than anything, the thing I missed most were the original Broadway orchestrations for 'There You Are'. There was something really 'oomp-pah-y' and buoyant about the original arrangement - especially with the percussion. It seems Rupert has gone in and toned down the jaunty bass line and galloping snare substantially. I first noticed this on the OLC recording...the number seemed more subdued. It's wonderfully staged here, but goddammit I miss those heralding trumpets blaring a good 8 measures before Cartwright is revealed. I really hope they build the top of the number just a bit more.

[AAO26]

Posted: 10/26/12 at 2:16am

saw it last night-never seen a production of the show before.
enjoyed it very much, a fun night at the theater!- but this is the type of show that you will either love or hate due to its unusual format.
was able to follow the story and the music.
chita was amazing as always- she never disappoints! she delivered her lines and songs with her usual panache..she is one of the show's biggest assets.
overall, a great production, all around great performances that will only get better by opening night.
to me, the weakest link (at this point) is SJB-she has an amazing voice but lacks an edge-much needed for this type of show. the choreography could also use some attention - a bit lack-luster at this point-not sure if done on purpose...



Updated On: 10/26/12 at 02:16 AM

[bestfreakinshoes]

Posted: 10/28/12 at 12:29am

Awhile ago on this thread, someone asked about the lyric change for Neville in "No Good Can Come from Bad".

The original is this and was changed for obvious reasons:

Sir I don't much like your tone, that supercilious sneer you wear!
Clear, you wear a finer cut than mine,
Ah but a waistcoat worn can soon be torn,
And faggots, too, 'til maggots feed on you!

Now, I believe the last line is changed to (vagueness ahead): Something something weed, I don't bleed as blue as you

[goldenboy]

Posted: 10/28/12 at 10:49am

Regarding Don't Dress for Dinner. I really enjoyed it and found it hilarious.
People tend to have not liked it because Boeing Boeing was reportedly better.
Not having seen Boeing Boeing, I thought Don't Dress for Dinner was great fun.
More than the much touted One Man Two Governors.

[get-it-right]

Posted: 10/28/12 at 2:09pm

Chita is out this afternoon.