re: The Official Manoel Felciano Love Thread (PART 3!)- Page 19

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 7/12/06 at 12:02pm

Please let us know how Ben E is as the Beadle, you guys

[xoxRogue]

Posted: 7/12/06 at 12:07pm

Em, is you mom excited? (Isn't it your mom who thinks Manoel's name is pretty? Or I might be making that up...)

iheart, I'm seeing it tomorrow as well!

Will do wickedrentq!

[Mandi Moo]

Posted: 7/12/06 at 12:09pm

I'm seeing it...never?

Have fun guys.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/12/06 at 12:18pm

My mom thinks Mano's... face is pretty. She saw it once, didn't love it, but kind of wants to give it another chance since I like, rave about Doyle, and since she saw (and liked) Company. My brother and I already have tickets, so I'm going to get her a rush ticket.

[xoxRogue]

Posted: 7/12/06 at 12:44pm

I hope your mom enjoys it...this time.

Mandi, I love your avatar. I used to watch that movie all the time.

[Mandi Moo]

Posted: 7/12/06 at 12:50pm

Thanks. It's one of my favorite movies ever.

[Bohemian1232]

Posted: 7/12/06 at 1:13pm

I hope that they both enjoy it Emcee!

Updated On: 7/12/06 at 01:13 PM

[Peter0487]

Posted: 7/12/06 at 1:31pm

Seeing him tonight!!

[xoxRogue]

Posted: 7/12/06 at 1:33pm

Welcome to the boards Peter!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 11:29am

Oh my God.

So. Good.

People tell me that I (arguably) have a way with words. And yet, coming out of Sweeney last night, I asked my mom and brother what they thought, and then was just (giddy) like "AHHH SO GOOD." Totally inarticulate, totally taken by the experience. I don't know how to explain it, and I feel like anything I come up with will be cliché and overused. I am, quite honestly, at a virtual loss for justifiable words. I'm thrilled that I got to see it from up close. It's just... so unusual to see a show and feel that way once. It's even more unusual to feel that same rush of emotion each time you see it if there are subsequent viewings. I am continously in awe of Doyle's truly genius vision, of the performances, and even of the show itself. This is the first Sondheim show I have really loved, probably for its heavy catharsis. It's a little morbid that I respond best to that kind of work, but what can I say?

The mezzanine was only half full, but the audience was great anyway. They loved it; they laughed a lot, yet not at inappropriate times. They were on their feet almost immediately at curtain call. I was afraid my brother wasn't enjoying it when I asked him what he thought and he just sort of shuffled nervously at intermission, but by the end, he blurted out "that was really good!!!". My mom was absolutely raving about how much better she liked it the second time. Her experience was fairly similar to mine in that her first time, she just didn't know where to look or what to watch, so she had a hard time really loving the show. She said she'd absolutely recommend that people see it twice, because she liked it so much better this time. I was so happy to hear that. My brother thought Mano was really cool, and chill and all of those nice things in teenaged boy vocabulary, and my mom keeps going on about what a delight he was.

Ben as the Beadle... I didn't love him, didn't hate him. He was fine. I didn't notice any drastic differences from Alex, other than that he was a little bit more obviously ominous. I think he puts a little more emphasis on being creepy. He played clarinet where Alex would have played trumpet, for all of you who complain about understudy instrumentation. It works musically since the two are in the same key; it did look a little asymetrical at some points, like when the Beadle and the Judge are at the table and both typically play trumpet, but I don't think that at all would have bothered someone who had never seen the show before, so I can't say it was a big deal.

Updated On: 7/14/06 at 11:29 AM

[xoxRogue]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 11:35am

Okay, I'm giddy now after reading it, because I know exactly how you feel.

With any other show, I'm usually silent after it and I only tell how I feel if someone asks, but with this...It's like, I have to say how terrific it was, but I can't find the words. I just erupt with...well, smiles and giggles.

I'm really glad that your brother and mom enjoyed it.

Actually, I'm taking my cousin (whose...a year younger than me, I think) to see it tonight. It will be the 2nd time I take someone who has never been to a Broadway show before. Actually, I think this might be his first show ever. *is excited*

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 11:44am

I never posted after I saw it with my mom last Friday, probably because the thread was practically dead at that point. My mother really enjoyed it, regardless of her very understandable confusion. I think she experienced what Em was saying (which was the case for me when I first saw it as well). It was just a bit overwhelming. I tried to explain the synopsis to her beforehand, but I think I perhaps told her too many things to look out for, which caused her to not know where to look. I kept telling her about all the nuances in Mano's performance, so I think she was trying to watch him and subsequently missed other things. Regardless, she really enjoyed it for the sake of the talent, even though she was confused by the plot. She liked it enough that she wants to go back for a second viewing, so I guess that's a good sign.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 11:49am

I think it's just... because it's so rare to find something so well-nuanced and so... smart, that when you love theatre and you see it, it just thrills you that way. It makes me happy to see great theatre.

I still cannot get over a the depth of Mano's performance. He literally cried through the majority of the second act; it's absolutely devastating. There was one point where his face was all distorted, like when little kids are sobbing because they're so upset, and he literally wiped his nose on his sleeve. I remember my brother asking at intermission why Toby was crazy; if he was nuts before all of this, or what. I told him just to watch, and he didn't ask again, so I guess he got it. But telling him to watch, I guess, made me very aware of it again. If you watch Mano enough, you can really see the exact progression of how badly watching all of this murder messes Toby up. There's this one moment where just before Lovett dies, there's a refrain of an earlier musical theme, and they begin to dance; Toby smiles, and starts to sway and hop in his chair... like it's all going to be okay. There are just so many things that I am in constant awe of, and it's so refreshing to see a performance that is not one bit lazy, and so well-thought out and creative, even still in a group of such perfect performances.

On another note, my mom just IMed me, STILL going on about Mano. heh.

Updated On: 7/13/06 at 11:49 AM

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 11:56am

It's one thing to hear Mano talk about the nuances in his performance or to hear other people talk about them, but it's completely different to see them for yourself. They just make the performance that much better. I'm continually impressed by how well thought out everything is, and just...how smart it is. The fact that Mano came up with most of those parallels himself makes me in complete awe of the fact that he has totally absorbed himself with Toby and his world.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 11:58am

I heart smart actors.

[xoxRogue]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 12:04pm

There are just so many things that I am in constant awe of, and it's so refreshing to see a performance that is not one bit lazy, and so well-thought out and creative, even still in a group of such perfect performances.

Yes! Exactly.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 12:11pm

hahaha, my mom just called. She's kind of scaring me, the way she's talking about him! She keeps saying how adorable and nice he was, over and over. My mom has something mean to say about almost everyone.

[xoxRogue]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 12:16pm

Oh my! Haha

Well, that's...good.

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 12:18pm

Mano scores points with the mothers

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 1:04pm

This is all making me slightly jealous that I had rear mezz seats the only time that I saw Sweeney, but I'm glad that everyone's been enjoying it. It's cool that your brother liked it, Em.

[Mandi Moo]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 1:15pm

I'm so glad that I was sitting colse when I saw it, so that I could see all of the little things that everyone did.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 1:25pm

I think rear mezz is really good for getting the full picture, though. And there's something to be said for seeing Doyle's work where you can look down from a bird's eye view, so to speak, because you can see everything that way.

[xoxRogue]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 1:30pm

And it's a small theatre, so it's not as if you're too far away.

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 4:02pm

I just got this message from Donna Lynne Champlin. LMAO.

Thank you so much for your lovely email--
you're so sweet.

Yeah, Mano and i get to the point where we're so tied up in that exercise from warm up that we end up slapping each other around sometimes, it's kinda funny. we have (offstage) a very sibling sort of relationship so there's a lot of hair pulling and pants-ing going on sadly. yes the second night of the 'don't quit your night job' i'm actually going to be doing the sweeney benefit that michael's putting together august 21st ish or something?

oy.
so many things going on, insane.

but yeah they're trying to rotate people in and out of that comedy thing so everyone gets a shot to play on one of the nights.

but thanks again for getting in touch and i hope you have fun when you come see the show again.

xoxo
dl

[Gypsy2]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 5:17pm

That's actually really, really funny.