first preview of Lestat..any news?

[broadwaygiant19122]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 1:25am

im sure there have been other posts set up for this type of thing but im dying(no pun intended) to hear about anything..anything at all.

[Gingersnap]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 1:46am

It probably hasn't ended just yet.

Some friends and I have been having a crazy little "vigil" on AIM.

And cursing the time zones.

[DG]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 1:47am

I'm kind of waiting myself - and I'm IN that time zone

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 3:03am

Anyone? Its 2 o'clock here? C'mon...did you all go to sleep?

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 3:07am

Oy, I'm on pins & needles just waiting for *anything* about this show.

[jimmirae]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 3:13am

all quiet on the vampire circut tonight.....

[justme2]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 3:14am

Sorry guys...I didn't see it yet...I'll probably see it after Christmas...I've heard nothing here yet, either, and I know of two people at work who were going tonight! No report from them yet.

[codyjo88]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 3:23am

Some reviews are popping up here: http://forum.lestatmusical.com/index.php?getforum=32
Lestat Musical Preview Reviews

[jimmirae]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 4:07am

Well, This sounds great - obviously nothing that cannot be looked at and fixed up to be PERFECT. There is an awful lot riding on this to be a hit and I am sure they will tweak it till it opens in NY, then it will tweak every audience it plays to in return. Thanks for the links!

[EugLoven]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 5:55am

THIS IS A SHORT REVIEW FROM ONE OF MY FRIENDS:

I just got back from going to the premiere of the new Elton John musical Lestat. Honestly I went in to the show with low expectation but hoping for the best, I mean a vampire musical it doesn’t seem to mesh well. Saying that my, expectations were amazingly exceeded. We got in and sat down (first row of rear balcony) finding that our seat although high up and on the far left by the wall had a very good view. The screen was down with the logo image of the man floating wearing a black cape.

Before the show started the director came out saying he was glad everyone was here and made a few comments about being glad to be in such an intimate theatre although the backstage area was small, so forgive them if there were any pauses in set change. He also laughingly made a comment about Lestat being set in mostly the 1700s and 1800s and they didn’t have cell phones so everyone should turn theirs off.

The acting was great and singing was great, Hugh Panaro has such a wonderful voice. Carolee Carmello played a wonderful Gabrielle although I was a little freaked out with her and Lestat’s relationship. Jack Noseworthy was great as Armand. Allison Fisher did a wonderful job as Claudia, her song “I Want More” was hilarious and “I’ll Never Have that Chance” was heart wrenching. Jim Stanek played a good Louis and Roderick Hill and Michael Genet both did wonderful jobs playing Nicolas and Marius respectively. I was surprised by the small cast it seems liked the other shows I have seen had more people with the ensembles the total came to fifteen.

If one thing could be said about the music it would be “Eltonian”. You could definitely tell who the composer was, which isn’t a bad thing. Like all shows it has songs you could love and songs you could live with out. “Welcome to the New World” was one of my favorite, sung when Lestat enter New Orleans for the first time. The two major flaws in the music would have to be both the last song of the first act (The Thirst Reprise) and the finale (From the Dead). They seemed a bit anticlimactic to me especially the final which reminded me of “The Gods of Nubia” from John’s Aida. Another low point in the music for me was “To Kill Your Kind” sung by Armand and the vampires of the Theatre of Vampires, the repeated line “To kill your crime is the greatest crime” got a tad cheesy but in a way I kind of liked it. Another flaw of the show in general was the plot, I don’t know how to describe it but it was almost like the should have done more even though they did a lot and the end.

The staging was interesting a lot of the background was projected on too screens much like I am guessing Woman in White is done. Another awesome affect was when the vampires would drink blood you would get a visual of the person life on one of the background screens.

Unfortunate they only got one box of programs because the rest got held up in shipping so it looks like another trip to the city for me. I also would like to go back and go to the stage door the show was done by 11:10 so we could only stay a little bit because we had to catch BART back, but we did get to meet Alison Fischer who played Claudia, it was cute she seemed surprised that people wanted her to sign their programs and playbills, and she tried to personalize all of them. Hopefully if…I mean when I go back I will get pictures with the cast!

Overall it was very good and I am sure will only get better as it is improved upon during this trial run.

FROM THE BOX OFFICE TICKET SELLER:
Very visually stunning and incredible technical aspects.

FROM ANOTHER FRIEND:
He loved it. Hugh was good at singing but had some *eh* acting moments. Loved Carolee. Unfortunately, he messed up and didn't bring home what he planned to.

I'M GOING DECEMBER 28

[dancinfan]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 11:24am

Thanks for the link to the Lestat forum. Updated On: 12/18/05 at 11:24 AM

[codyjo88]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 11:35am

That's better, you're welcome.

Updated On: 12/18/05 at 11:35 AM

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 1:17pm

Thanks for the reviews...It's just the first preview...Sometimes it takes a few days to get into their groove...

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 1:32pm

oh are they selling programs?

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 1:46pm

Oh GOOD, they're using projections. GREAT.

*sigh*

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 1:56pm

popcultureboy,

You might want to get used to it. It becoming a growing trend in theatre design now. There was a whole issue of Entertainment Design magazine last year that debated the issue, and its ramifications (Artistic, Job description-wise, union-wise, etc.)

I do agree with you that there is a certain intimacy and craftsmenship to real, solid sets. But if projections better tell that specific story, then so be it.

Akiva

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 1:58pm

Glad Carolee is getting praise (as always).

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 2:35pm

Oh GOOD, they're using projections. GREAT.

*sigh*

This has been known for a while, I think.

[codyjo88]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 3:13pm

Oh and I have read that despite the use of projections there are still plenty of solid sets in Lestat.

[CaTheatreGirl]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 4:36pm

I saw the first preview performance last night. The director spoke before it started and warned us that they were still working out set and costume changes. There didn't seem to be any big problems.

Unfortunately, I haven't read Ann Rice nor seen the movies based on her books, but the show was interesting and there were some incredible voices. Carolee Carmello got the biggest ovation after Crimson Kiss. The young girl who plays Claudie is quite impressive. Hugh Panaro -- great! Sets, and especially the projections were wonderful.

I'm sure there's much work to do since the show wasn't over until after 11 p.m. and parts seemed to drag. I wish it well and am looking forward to reading what others thought of the show as I'm not the most detailed reviewer.
Updated On: 12/18/05 at 04:36 PM

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 4:39pm

How big is Carolee's part. Does she just have that one big song?

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 4:39pm

How big is Carolee's part. Does she just have that one big song?

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 4:42pm

"Loved Carolee. Unfortunately, he messed up and didn't bring home what he planned to."

What does that mean?

[jarretSF]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 5:46pm

going to the show tonight in a few hours , can't wait!

[dancinfan]

Posted: 12/18/05 at 6:11pm

I believe Carolee Carmello has three songs in Act One and does not appear in Act Two at all till Curtain Call.