So, I finally saw Pippin today and I was thrilled to see that Patina Miller was out and Gabrielle Mc Clinton was in as the Leading Player today. I had seen clips of Patina in Pippin and I got to see her in Sister Act, and her voice and style of acting didn't work for me. So I was happy to see she was out. Now I wanted to see if the show lives up to the hype. And to be honest, it sure did. Gabrielle was perfect in every way I could have imagined, she is such a perfectionist, her acting, her dancing, her movements, her amazing athletic body, everything about her was simply perfect. She is a 10 out of 10. Hopefully she will take over the role once Miss Miller leaves the show.
I particularly enjoyed the number of the cage, I thought it was so well done. I was afraid of not enjoying the show, because I am not a big "cirque de soleil" fan, and this show looked a bit too circusy for me.
Charlotte d'Ambroise's dancing number was an absolute delight. Tovah Feldshuh was great, Matthew James Thomas was also very enjoyable, Terrence Mann delivered his funny lines very well and Rachel Bay Jones...well, she is very talented, I just disliked her character and the show went downhill once she joined in my opinion. I didn't really like the ending, but the show was so great until then, I feel overall it was a great show.
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one".
-Felicia Finley-
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one".
-Felicia Finley-
I don't get the impression Patina is out much, though she was out for a couple of shows a few weeks ago -- which, unfortunately, happened to be when I was visiting New York and saw the show with my mom.
I have to disagree with the OP's assessment. Compared to the videos I've seen of Patina, McClinton's Leading Player didn't have the same style and spark. McClinton's voice is not the same caliber, but the real difference is in the dancing. Unless something has changed in the past two weeks, McClinton doesn't have the same ease of movement, particularly in the hips, that Patina does. You can see it a bit in the video with Eric Altemus; he is much more fluid a dancer than McClinton.
I'm not saying McClinton was bad; she just was not at the same level as I've seen in the videos. After the show, I showed my mom some of the YouTube videos from the Tony's and talk shows of Patina doing Pippin. My mom said, almost immediately, that McClinton was "good," but Patina "is a star."
According to her twitter, she had a scheduled vacation the last week of October, which she announced a few times a while back. She missed a week to film Mockingjay earlier this month (I believe the week of the 7th) in Atlanta then she had another day she had to fly down (all according to her twitter) to re-do a scene I believe. I was nervous I would miss her when I went October 16 but luckily, she returned to the show the 15th. I think she is doing her best to balance the two (Pippin & Mockingjay) --she flew down to Atlanta & back and still did the show; I think that shows she has amazing work ethic.
^This past week (10/22-27), as others said, was her scheduled vacation. I believe she's through shooting until after the new year.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
I must disagree with your assessment of Gabrielle McClinton. I have seen both her and Patina. Miller is a star. We definitely agree on that. McClinton will be a star. They both bring a different style to playing the character. Patina is more dark and foreboding, whereas Gabrielle is not quite as dark and a little more playful and definitely a whole lot more sexy. Bottom line they are both excellent. McClinton is more than a suitable replacement and her vocals are on par with Miller. I enjoyed them both and it would be tough to chose. Glad I don't have to. As a side, I saw McClinton in Los Angeles as Whatshername in the National Tour of American Idiot. That girl clearly has it, which is why she is Patina's understudy. The show loses very little. Whether Miller or McClinton, the show is equally enjoyable.
I've only seen McClinton in the Youtube clip and perhaps she's improved and settled into the role after doing it 10+ times but based just on the clip, I don't even think she's as strong as Stephanie Pope. Comparing her to Patina? Well, there's really no comparison to be made. She doesn't have her fluid moves, she doesn't have her voice and she doesn't even come close to having the level of stage presence and charisma as Patina. She will make a capable understudy but I think the chances of her succeeding Patina are slim and none.
Fisherman Bob, give me a break. Way too judgmental with nothing to judge. Comparing the clip on Youtube of Broadway on the Hudson performed outside to a taped track to the actual Pippin theatre performance is not even comparing apples to oranges. This is why I normally don't read the blogs. Spend the money and see the performance. If I understand the playbill correctly Gabrielle is only 2 years out of college, has 10 Broadway performances (which is quite an achievement), whereas Patina is a old pro with over 200 performances under her belt, not including Sister Act. Give me a break. Absolutely agree Patina is great. She is absolutely a star. But Gabrielle clearly has the chops to be a star. And her performance as understudy is clearly Broadway caliber, that I am sure Patina would agree. Its unfair to even try to compare the two. They are both accomplished actors in their own right, once experienced, the other not so much, but getting there. But, since you haven't seen the show, you really have nothing to compare. Again, spend the money, see the show and then try not to be so biased. Enjoy.
JonasKnight- I'll be happy to give you a break... which bone would you like it done to?
Seriously, for starters, my comments were general and not a direct response to you so don't be so defensive. I said Gabrielle would make a capable understudy and may have some potential. I didn't say she stinks. I agree due to the differing levels of experience it's unfair to expect her to be as good as Patina though charisma is not a trait gained by experience. However, your comment "Its unfair to even try to compare the two." is absurd because you spent your whole original post doing just that. Reread it. You spent the whole thing saying Patina does the role this way and Gabrielle does it that way but they're both this and they're both that. I guess it's OK when you compare them and find them just about equal and "tough to chose. Glad I don't have to." but not OK when someone else compares them and disagrees.
For your first 2 posts, you're not off to a very good start. Don't be so defensive and think every comment is directed at you. And when you see your sister/cousin/girlfriend/classmate from drama school, tell Gabrielle we all said Hi!
I saw the show, enjoyed it a lot, and watched this video which reinforced my belief that Chet Walker is an awful choreographer. The majority of the steps in this production were lifted right out of the original and he seems to have just made up steps to this number with no meaning behind them at all..it's a poor man's Fosse...watch the video of the original if you wanna see what this number should be. The circus choreography is thrilling. Bravo to Gypsy Snider, who made the show work in this context. Gabby- ok in the clip but without the dynamics of costumes, sets, lights, in a theater, it's hard to tell. Chet deserved to get shunned for a Tony.
FishermanBob, Wrong on all accounts. Don't attack the messenger because they disagree with you. Actually I agreed with half your post if you read it. Again, buy a ticket and see the show.
JonasKnight, I'm attacking you? You're a clown, dude. I bought a ticket and saw the show already, with the woman who won the Tony for the role. Why would I buy a ticket again to see an understudy? Seriously, I hope your future posts if any, are done with more intelligence and common sense and a lot less defensiveness than your first few. And make sure you tell sis Hi!
What FishermanBob's noticed about McClinton from the video is exactly what I noticed about her after seeing her in the role two weeks ago, so I don't get why his observations are unfair. (My original comments about McClinton were posted in the Pippin understudies thread and I had not see the video.) Her lack of fluidity compared to Eric Altemus is pretty evident in the video, and it was noticeable on stage, particularly in the Manson Trio, where McClinton was outdanced by the other dancers. Maybe McClinton had improved a lot in the past two weeks, but that would be an extremely dramatic improvement.
For what it's worth, I must have seen McClinton in American Idiot in LA also, but have utterly no recollection of her in the rule. I don't know what that says about her "star" quality.
You guys are awesome. Thanks for confirming Patina's return date. When I called Telecharge, they couldn't tell me. Or at least the operator I spoke with couldn't. Luckily, I'm seeing Pippin Wed or Thurs so I'm good. Phew! Any seats/sections to avoid? Unfortunately, I can't do rush because I'm going with others and rush is limited to 1 ticket/person. So, will be using TKTS instead.
If you're using TKTS, you basically have to take what they offer as the "best available seat". You don't really get a choice. But I used TKTS when I went. My seat was last row Orchestra right in the middle of the row. It's such a small theater and the sight lines are so good, even there I felt I had a great view. Can't speak to the extreme sides or the balcony but from what others have said most seats have a great sightline.
I don't think so, it's selling pretty well that they only need to send over to the booth whatever tix are left over.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
Indeed Patina is on vacation, and I saw Gabrielle last week.
She's a wonderful performer, though her performance played like an understudy giving someone else's performances - which is exactly what it was and what she is supposed to do. But I would be interested to see what she would bring to the part when was allowed to add her own color to it. As it was last week, but jokes feel completely flat and her characterization was a little forced, but simply because it seemed to be another actor's choices and inorganic to her.