The Visit Previews- Page 4
The Visit Previews
#75The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/27/15 at 1:36pmExactly, mister Matt. And that One Legged Tango number has been rightfully cut.
BroadwayBaby2012
Chorus Member Joined: 10/23/12
#76The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/27/15 at 1:45pm
I agree that dance is not necessary for the show. But is has traditionally been her strength over her vocals and her acting. So without any strong suit, I found her to be posing a lot and delivering her lines face out without much texture. I adore her and she imbues an incredible energy. But I am trying to be constructive through the hype of those who are throwing roses at her feet for the performance. And I did not find anything salient about her work. Just the fact of her being. Which are not the same thing.
And for my money - SPOILER - she look 100 times more beautiful at the end of the show than she does under the wig, hat, and make up for the majority of the show.
I guess I am just saying that in the end she could have been better served and so could the audience.
Glitter
Understudy Joined: 4/27/07
#77The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/27/15 at 2:20pm
"And for my money - SPOILER - she look 100 times more beautiful at the end of the show than she does under the wig, hat, and make up for the majority of the show."
That's the entire point.
Chita's brilliance in the show is one of subtlety. In any other actor's hands, Claire would be a fire-breathing dragon lady, hellbent on revenge. Good on paper, but no room for growth or journey. It's a far, far better choice that she shows a woman who after all these years is focused on love.
Updated On: 3/27/15 at 02:20 PM
pacificnorthwest
Leading Actor Joined: 5/29/03
#78The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/27/15 at 2:54pm
RE: Facebook
Are people leaving comments on a page specifically for this play, or are there other worthy FB pages on which people regularly post about theater? Any links would be appreciated. Thanks!
#80The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/27/15 at 4:20pm^ You nailed it. I share very similar sentiments. So glad to see that you loved it.
Mattbrain
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/23/05
#81The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/27/15 at 4:33pmWell as much as I hemmed and hawed at Whizzer's less-than-glowing review of Finding Neverland, I'm happy to hear that he enjoyed The Visit.
Butters, go buy World of Warcraft, install it on your computer, and join the online sensation before we all murder you.
--Cartman: South Park
ATTENTION FANS: I will be played by James Barbour in the upcoming musical, "BroadwayWorld: The Musical."
#82The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/27/15 at 6:05pm
I do agree that the wig they made for her for this production is not the most flattering. The final look is better.
At WTF and the other versions of the show they gave her more flattering wigs.
Then again- not the most important aspect of the show 
But hey if anyone is listening, get her a more flattering wig!
#83The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/27/15 at 8:58pm
I know it's been posted but the changes they have made to the artwork are great!
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
#84The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/28/15 at 1:54amWhat is it about Chita's performance that makes her one of the favorites to win the Tony?
Borstalboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/9/04
#85The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/28/15 at 12:10pm
I saw it last night and was disappointed to find it very much the shrug that critics initially charged it as. The thing that could have sent it over the top is a great score and it's really one of Kander and Ebb's weakest (the fact that it bore a distracting semblance to the music from CHARLIE'S ANGELS Season 2, Episode 12 "Angels In The Wings"--Guest star: Shani Wallis--didn't help matters). Kander came up with some fine melodies but Ebb's lyrics barely rose above serviceable.
Good direction from Doyle (although I would have cut those distracting young lovers), terrific cast, Chita in excellent form, and a stunning--maybe too stunning--set. I wasn't as taken by Rees as the rest of the posters. He's on his way, but last night he seemed blinky and disconnected from whoever he was acting with.
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
~ Muhammad Ali
#86The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/28/15 at 12:36pmI realize I am asking for a spoiler with this question, but what are the significance of the yellow shoes?
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
#87The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/28/15 at 12:37pm
*SPOILERS*
I think Rees appearing disconnected is somewhat of a character choice, as he does have a line about being "the only party involved." And remember that the entire town turns against him, including his final ally, the Schoolmaster.
I totally understand the score not being easily enjoyable on the first listen. It doesn't scream Kander and Ebb until the powerful Yellow Shoes. But similar to many Sondheim shows, repeated listenings may be needed for enjoyment.
cantstandbrody
Understudy Joined: 5/28/08
#88The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/28/15 at 9:12pmI went in not knowing much about the show. It is dark but i really enjoyed it . The set is stunning . Chita was great . Glad i had a chance to see her .
cantstandbrody
Understudy Joined: 5/28/08
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#90The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/28/15 at 10:46pmCaught this at today's matinee and really loved it. More thiughts will follow after a good night's sleep.
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.
#92The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/28/15 at 11:42pm
Just saw the commercial with the new voiceover on ABC. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkCJHrptN6A
Updated On: 3/28/15 at 11:42 PM
VotePeron
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/2/13
#93The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/28/15 at 11:49pm
Saw the show tonight and really loved it.
I rushed at 6pm and got D11, 4th row, all the way to the left. I missed everything that happened on top of the second tier, but other than that, i surprisingly saw everything!
Chita is unbelievable. Such grace and poise. I really enjoyed the style of the show, and it felt really well constructed and put together. The ending was a little too-strange for me, with it's staging. That Doyle style worked flawlessly IMO throughout the show, but at the end it just got weird.
The smile on Chita's face during the curtain call was remarkable. For being 82, and doing a 100 minute show where she is on stage for 95% of it, she was beaming ear to ear.
I think this will definitely be a Big Alison vs. Chita Rivera race at the Tony's!
#94The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/28/15 at 11:52pmCan anyone describe Chita's entrance?
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
VotePeron
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/2/13
#95The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/28/15 at 11:54pmChita enters from upstage left under the bridge. She then crosses under the bridge to center stage, before turning down. She does this entrance and exit a lot.
#96The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/29/15 at 12:00amI missed it on Thursday, but her entrance music and the sound of the shrieking train is what makes her entrance so exciting, I also think I remember some smoke at Williamstown.
#97The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/29/15 at 12:21am
What is it about Chita's performance that makers her a front runner? Granted, I haven't seen it yet on Broadway, but did see it at WTF and a milion moons ago at Goodman. Chita is playing the role with every inch of herself. To me, her performance wasn't someone playing Claire, she had taken the script and music and reinvented her self as Claire for 100 minutes. She's playing the drama, but not getting bogged down by it. She's working wth a character that has a lot of beauty, but just as much ugly and bitterness.
Sentment for Chita will surely be on the minds of nominators, but her nomination will come from her doing an outstanding job in a show that's just good. It's not outstanding or a perfect show, but it's good. Chita is amazing. I'd feel the same way about her performance if she was 60 and said she planned on retiring in 25 years; it's not just because we're unsure how much we'll see of her in the future.
#98The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/29/15 at 12:47amAgree with VotePeron- Love the show/ direction and performances- especially chitas'. the score is beautiful. But agree that the ending could be staged differently. Seen all iterations- and something about the ending has never worked for me. And its simply how it' staged. There is something Fellinesque about the ending /as spiderwoman but not quite there... interestingly is the one part of the show that is always staged in the same manner. IMO a bit more theatrical magic/drama should be used at the end. i.e - *spoiler : chita, entourage and coffin- disappear from the stage via elevator-smoke-- while the final verses of love and alone are sung. just my two cents.
#99The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/29/15 at 1:08am
I saw the show this afternoon and absolutely loved it. I think I'll definitely have to see it again in order to fully evaluate it just because I was so wrapped up in it that I lost my critical theater brain, which is rare and so enjoyable. I thought Doyle's direction was astounding, and I hope this will finally silence the naysayers who think he's a one-trick pony. It's an incredibly strong concept and the actors work together seamlessly (which is amazing for a 3rd preview). It felt almost more like a play with music to me than anything else...the songs seemed to organically arise from the book scenes and I honestly can't separate the two things in my mind.
They're definitely going to have an uphill climb as far as selling the show. It's quite strange and dark and it's definitely not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but the strangeness of it is what makes it fascinating. Not that I wish Chita ill, but I'm very curious to see what Donna McKechnie's take on the role will be and I hope she gets to go on at some point.
#100The Visit Previews
Posted: 3/29/15 at 1:10am
For those who saw it today. Is Doyle still using the applause break at the end of YELLOW SHOES? There wasn't one in Williamstown, and the number certainly calls for applause, but it felt a little awkward at the first preview.
Updated On: 3/29/15 at 01:10 AM
