BROOKLYN in St. Paul...

[WilliamT]

Posted: 6/11/06 at 6:55pm

Hey there,
I just got back from the first performance of Brooklyn at the Ordway in St. Paul. I've been very curious to see this one for a long time and see Ms. Diana Degarmo perform live. A quick run down of my experience...

First off, it seems odd that they started with a matinee... on a Sunday.

Before the show started a VERY NERVOUS man from the Ordway got up and introduced the show and talked about it's beginnings. I repeat, he seemed VERY nervous. His lack luster intro was pointless, it brought myself and a lot of the people there down. There was no reason for the intro and I hope they don't continue having him get up.

Anyway, he finally left and the show began. I knew very little about the show so I had a hard time trying to figure out which one was Diana. From far away she looked just like Julie Reiber, who plays Faith,etc. The house was rather small. The main floor seemed to be full, so that's good.

I know there are many people on here who love the show, and many who don't and I have to admit I fall in the "unimpressed" group. I thought that the cast was amazing! Everyone sounds great, but I just didn't care about any of the characters. Everyone seemed solid in what they were doing, except Ms. Moore (but I see her flying high when she settles into it). Diana sings the role with ease and it all sounds great. I could sit and listen to Once Upon a Time for 95 minutes, but mixed with the other songs, I grow cold.

Clevant, Lee & Julie were great! Lee had that Taylor Hicks/ Michael McDonald thing going, which made my boyfriend say, in a rather loud voice at a very quiet moment, "Is that Taylor Hicks?".

Oh and the set seemed rather actor intensive. It was almost like they spent most of the time in rehearsal coming up with ways to create effects with pieces of garbage, instead of working on the emotional thru line or music. I liked most what they were able to come up with, and my favorite was the spot light effect with the piece of cloth when Brooklyn sings at the Met or Carnagie Hall or wherever!

If you haven't seen it, I say make sure you check it out, it just might be your piece... might not. Worst case, you saw Diana and Ms Moore live and saw a former piece of Broadway. Sure glad, it's not on Broadway anymore , though.

Just my 2 cents.

[Marie2]

Posted: 6/11/06 at 7:24pm

What did the crowd seem to think of the show? I'm expecting similar reviews to yours -loved Diana and the cast but didn't like the story.
What was the overall reaction to Diana? I'm curious to see if, like you, she was the primary draw.

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 6/11/06 at 7:28pm

I heard the show went great today! The crowd really seemed to love it. Pics will probably be posted on the fans site later today.
http://www.BrooklynTheMusical.info

Updated On: 6/11/06 at 07:28 PM

[nannerz60]

Posted: 6/11/06 at 7:47pm

Very glad that the show went well. I will be seeing it next Saturday, so I'm glad it's off to a good start! How'd Diana look as a brunette?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/11/06 at 7:50pm

Can't wait to see it. How long did it last? Is there a show curtain for this show?

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 6/11/06 at 7:54pm

Brooklyn is performed without a curtain, unless they use the theater's curtain.

Updated On: 6/11/06 at 07:54 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/11/06 at 8:14pm

Cool. Just wondering. I love the sets for this show.

[AJ--Law]

Posted: 6/11/06 at 11:15pm

Saw the show tonight at 7:30pm. The Ordway is pretty big, and most of the floor was full. The show was ok, I thought Diana did a good job. Melba missed her cue on Superlover, needed prompting to begin the first line and stumbled thru a lot of lines. The people around me seemed to really enjoy it and they did get a standing ovation. Diana did talk after the show saying thanks and that they were honored to be in MN for the opening.

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 6/11/06 at 11:21pm

Wait, did Diana dye her hair for the role?

Either way I'm glad the cast did a great job even if Moore needs a little improvement. I really hope the 2nd tour also has a great cast and that it comes somewhere near me this time!

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 6/11/06 at 11:25pm

---Wait, did Diana dye her hair for the role?

yes she did! :)

Updated On: 6/11/06 at 11:25 PM

[Zachary Goldfarb]

Posted: 6/11/06 at 11:56pm

Tiny, check your PMs...

[Marie2]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 1:39am

I've read a couple other reviews tonight on other forums and both said Diana DeGarmo did a great job as Brooklyn, hitting it out of the park vocally on "Once Upon a Time." Seems like the cast is going to save this show as the crowd gave them a standing ovation.

[WilliamT]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 8:19am

The afternoon show yesterday got a standing ovation also, but MN audiences are a little slap happy when it comes to standing O's. There seems to be this unwritten law that if a show comes to one of the big touring houses here, everyone must stand at the end. IMHO, I feel that Standing O's should be utilized just for shows that are amazing overall. Brooklyn is not amazing overall. Diana is amazing, aspects of the set are amazing. The cast is great! The show, the story and the music, are not amazing. Thus undeserving of a standing ovation. Sorry, that's my little rant on "Standing Oahs" in Mn. Are other markets like this?? The best part is that you can see that the audience is tentative. Most people who stand don't really feel it's due. BUT they rise, most likely, because they can't see from the over enthused fans in front of them.

Nope, no show curtain. I'd be interested to see how the set has changed for the tour. Is there a picture online of the Bway set?

[Marie2]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 11:02am

Looks like the cast has proven itself to the fans who attended. Here's to hoping that the critics also separate the show from the cast and review it fairly. I'd hate to see DeGarmo lose any momentum in the theatre community that she gained from Hairspray be lost due to this show. It sounds like she's rising above the material so that's good (and the sign of a great actress). How harsh are the Twin Cities theatre critics? Anybody know?

[WilliamT]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 11:29am

The critics here can be harsh but more over are right on the money. We'll see what they have to say. I predict the Pioneer Press won't like it.

Here's an article that ran yesterday in the Star Tribune about the show:



'Brooklyn' comes to Ordway
An "American Idol" singing style, along with a girl's search for her father, fuel "Brooklyn the Musical."
Rohan Preston, Star Tribune

Brooklyn has been many things to many people -- gritty immigrant crucible where dozens of languages are spoken; cradle of cultural forms that include hip-hop; forlorn home of the forever-hexed Dodgers, and ancestral ground for one in seven Americans who trace their family history through the New York City borough.
In October 2004, it landed on Broadway as an improbable, caterwauling musical, which became a hit despite the howls of New York's major critics. (Said Clive Barnes of the New York Post: "When you walk out of a musical humming the costumes, you know that show's in trouble.")

Despite that acid reception from the press, the musical persevered, spending 10 months onstage. It attracted youthful audiences through its melismatic delivery of songs that range from the soulful to the operatic and that are showcased in the style popularized on "American Idol."

Some audience members also might have been attracted by its story about a French-born girl who comes to the United States to seek fame as a singer and to find her long-lost American father. The only clue that she has to find him is a lullaby to which only he knows the words.

Today, "Brooklyn the Musical" launches a national tour at St. Paul's Ordway Center, a production that features some powerful voices, including Tony Award-winning Broadway star and R&B song stylist Melba Moore and "American Idol" finalist Diana DeGarmo.

It may have been dismissed once, like the borough sometimes is, but it has moxie and a little something else.

"This is a show that is a real winner," said director Jeff Calhoun. "The gatekeepers criticize it for being so populist, saying that it is too much like 'American Idol,' but that's not something to shy away from. They meant it as an insult, but I'm proud to say that it is the first 'American Idol' musical."

Singing competition

In "Brooklyn," as the young title character (played by DeGarmo) begins to realize her dreams, she wins a chance to face off against an aging diva, Paradice (Moore), in Madison Square Garden. They have a sing-off at which the audience decides on the victor.

"Brooklyn's a great character," said DeGarmo, 18. She feels uniquely qualified to play the role because of her own upbringing with her single mother. "I'm able to pull from my own personal experiences, my own feelings, to make Brooklyn really feel, to make her earnest and sincere."

For her part, Moore, 62, has had a topsy-turvy career trajectory. She has had bad relationships and unwise managers, but still has been able to succeed on Broadway, where she won a Tony in 1970 for best supporting actress in "Purlie," and in the recorded music realm, where her hits include "This Is It,"The Greatest Feeling" and "A Little Bit More." The "Idol"-style singing competition in "Brooklyn" is right up her alley -- she held a note for 35 seconds on her recording of "Lean on Me."

"Theater audiences and music audiences don't mix a lot, but there's so much there for both of them to enjoy," said Moore, who lives in New Jersey. "If I could have written this role, this is what I would have written. She sings the songs of life."

Moore's life has been marked by triumphs and embarrassment. Her personal life was in the tabloids over a decade ago when her daughter, from whom she was estranged, moved in with family friends Bill and Camille Cosby. Moore was so broke around that time that she applied for government assistance.

"The pitiful part, the lack of confidence, the broken part -- I can do that without acting because I'm petite, my natural look is weak, which would be great if I had to do Edith Piaf," said Moore. "But I had to really study to find Paradice's strength, that fight."

A sidewalk accident

"Brooklyn" began by accident six years ago when composer and lyricist Mark Schoenfeld was down on his luck. He was busking on a street corner in Brooklyn, telling stories with a boombox. An old friend, Barri McPherson, happened by one day and was shocked to see him essentially homeless.

"She took him home to her husband and kids and they composed the songs over six months," said Calhoun, who has been with the project since its inception. "He slept on her couch for all that time. Barri's marriage survived and her kids did not go crazy and they made some great music."

Audiences in New York seemed to think so. Now it's up to Twin Cities area theatergoers to decide.


Brooklyn The Musical

Who: Book, music and lyrics by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson. Directed by Jeff Calhoun.

When: 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sun., 8 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sat. Ends Sat.

Where: Ordway Center, 345 Washington St., St. Paul.

Tickets: $34.50-$65.50. 651-224-4222.


Rohan Preston • 612-673-4390


'Brooklyn' comes to Ordway - Star Trib Article

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 11:49am

Can't wait to see it.

[dutch46mill2]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 1:36pm

I heard some nice things the show is a little weak but the cast is fabulous. Diana Degarmo just blew everyone away especially with her "Once upon a time". What a pro and only 18

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 1:41pm

I'm seeing the matinee in Hartford on June 24th...looking forward to seeing Diana on stage again. She was excellent in Hairspray.

[MenzelManiac]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 1:41pm

I'm dying to hear Diana sing "Once Upon A Time". Anyone have any help?

[BroadwayGirl3]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 1:56pm

This was on her fans website. It's a commercial for the Hartford stop. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV3YGfSx38I I hope it's ok to post stuff like this. lol

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 1:58pm

Isn't that Eden Espinosa on the radio promo?

[BroadwayGirl3]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 2:16pm

I thought it was Diana because it was on her fan site. Sorry for the confusion. They do kind of sound alot alike.

[Mateo2]

Posted: 6/13/06 at 12:26am

'Brooklyn' singers carry the show
THEATER REVIEW "Brooklyn the Musical" opened a national tour at the Ordway Center, boasting strong singing but hampered by weak material.
Rohan Preston, Star Tribune
Last update: June 12, 2006 – 9:24

Some weeds grow in "Brooklyn."
"Brooklyn the Musical," the gritty urban show that launched its national tour at St Paul's Ordway Center on Sunday, boasts a quintet of gifted singers known in the show as the City Weeds. These street-corner buskers include Tony Award winners Cleavant Derricks and Melba Moore as well as "American Idol" finalist Diana DeGarmo.

All of this is related by the five players, who are still trying to find their way in this essentially hackneyed, earnest musical. The show has a weak book populated not by people but by glyphs. And it is propelled by trite pop-ish music and banal lyrics co-written by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson. The not-too-memorable songs include "Once Upon a Time,"Superlover," and the derivative "Magic Man."

If the production has a saving grace, it is the voices of these performers, who are adept vocal acrobats. Derricks, who plays a narrator, is a gorgeous singer with a delivery rooted in a sort of down-home truthfulness. DeGarmo can sing melismatic stars around anyone's head, her voice powerful enough to crack whatever she focuses on.

Moore, too, was vocally impressive on opening night, holding notes for long spells even if she had a few miscues. Still, you have to acknowledge her courage. Here she is at 62 looking fairly good in fishnet stockings and a short skirt, though her toddling around the stage raised questions about her knees. And whether this tour will have any legs.

The entire review can be found here: http://www.startribune.com/121/story/489019.html

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/13/06 at 1:30am

she's 62?

[emo_geek]

Posted: 6/13/06 at 1:37am

Yep, she looks amazing