12 Short reviews by bare_nakedlady

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 7:32pm

I had the pleasure of seeing 12 shows during my stay last week. Due to the fact that they have all been reviewed to death here on the boards, I have only written a brief summation of my experience and feelings of each in the order of my preference from GREAT to GOOD or borderline coma, in my opinion. These in no way are meant to offend. Feel free to ask questions or comment.

**Take precautions however, some may contain spoilers.

THE COLOR PURPLE
This was the most moving show I saw this year. Yes, I bawled. Three understudies that evening, Celie, Shug, and Celie’s Dad. All were excellent. I know many people have their problems with this show, but something should be said for a show that pulls in so many people that 1hr and 30mins prior to curtain you can’t stand anywhere close to the theatre. I truly felt for all the characters and by the end, before they could even finish the last song, the entire audience was on their feet. What a wonderful experience.

TARZAN
As exciting a spectacle (yes that’s what its all about) as it’s counterparts on Broadway. A wonderful addition to the Disney Theatricals family, what I found most enthralling is that while all of Disney’s shows are based on spectacle, all use a different form of it. I was glad to see all of the little future theatre-goers in attendance. I had heard going in to this that this show was a “mess”, “the worst show on Broadway”, “Another crap Disney production”. But friends I couldn’t help but be transported to Africa on the Journey that is Tarzan. All of Bob Crowley’s designs are magnificent, and Natasha Katz deserved the Tony for Lighting Design but alas… I saw the understudy for Shuler Hensley. He was wonderful and actually sounded better than Shuler on the CD. “Who better than me” is my new favorite song.

THE WEDDING SINGER
Possibly, the hardest working ensemble on Broadway. This show should have won best Choreography, if nothing else. I saw Tina as Julia and Cara as Holly. Both were wonderful. Tina is so radiant as Julia that you warm right up to her in a way that makes you fall head over heels for her just as Robbie does. During “Not that kind of thing” her shoe flew about 8 rows into the audience and the audience roared. She had to play the rest of the scene shoeless and you couldn’t hear anything because everyone was making jokes about it that the audience all had shed tears of laughter. She eventually took her other shoe off and but it in her shopping bag. This gave the lucky audience member a good time to put the shoe in the bag for her. It was an amazing night of live theatre. At the end of the show when they throw the garter Tina took her shoe off and threatened to throw it in the audience. Can’t wait to go back for another ‘Saturday night in the citaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay’

THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE
This year’s Tony award winning Best Play in my book or the little show that could. I love Martin McDonagh’s writing style. I haven’t enjoyed a play this much since The Pillowman. (I know that was last season, and also by McDonagh, do you see where I’m going here?) Everyone should see this and definitely wait it out through the ending. Even if it’s not your cup of tea. I think this is a fantastic statement about how wars get started over the stupidest things. While being a Dark Comedy it certainly comments on the state of the world today.

HAIRSPRAY
Despite the popcorn they sell you to eat, rest assured this is not a circus. A wonderful evening out was had by my whole party of 5 at Hairspray. Haylie Duff was well, Haylie Duff. (whatever that means to you) but she wasn’t terrible. Tevin Cambell made me want to ‘Run and Tell That’. I was extremely impressed with him. Stephen DeRosa and Blake Hammond are an exquisite pair. Stephen actually made Blake lose it in ‘You’re timeless to me’ and Blake had to put his head down on Stephen’s shoulder. After trying three times to start singing again Blake turned to Stephen and said “STOP IT!” To which everyone lost it. Audience and all. But Blake had his revenge later in the song, during the “are you really Jewish” section and Stephen turned as red as a beet. But the Belle of the ball had to be Shannon Durig. That girl has some moves let me tell you. This show is still in fine shape. My favorite quote of the trip is from the stage door when Blake signed a little girls playbill and she asked ‘who did you play?’ To which he answered ‘I play a fat girl’. The girl’s expression was priceless.

ALTAR BOYZ
I have to say that this was extremely fun. Not too deep, but coming from a devout Catholic a very funny poke at boy bands and religion. Wow, Mark got me to admit that I’m a Catholic. I took my Mother to this one and we had a blast. The boyz certainly have the charisma to get the crowd going and keep the party moving.

JERSEY BOYS
This year’s Best Musical left me wanting something more. I am a HUGE fan of the Four seasons, and when this show first announced that it was coming to Broadway I could hardly wait. However, to me it felt like nothing more than if someone hit seek on my Four Seasons Anthology CD. I Saw JLY’s Understudy who was phenomenal, but there was just something missing in the show. Perhaps, it was that it felt too much like a concert with monologues, or a play with music. Not really a Jukebox musical or a Musical revue per se. There are probably only 4 songs that are sung through to their entirety all the others are only snippets giving little opportunity or reason to erupt in thunderous applause. Also, the songs rarely further the plot. Overall a was a little dissatisfied. Also, the lighting on the trussing was fun, but it pulls focus from the actors.

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
YAWN… did someone say Drowsy? I almost fell asleep three times in this lackluster salute to musical theatre. With a running time of 1hr and 45min looking at your watch 5 times before a half hour has passed would probably be a bad thing right? Perhaps it would be better in a smaller venue, because it just doesn’t reach to the mezzanine. Bob martin is excellent but only truly funny when he dances or mimics the characters as they speak. I wonder if working in theatre makes this show actually less funny, being that all the jokes are tired and I’ve heard them a thousand times. Also, as the show progressed I wondered why do all the songs sound the same? It all became frighteningly clear in the finale when all were sung in counterpoint. Maybe this was to mock the beautiful shows from the past, but no one was laughing, and it only got maybe a half of a standing ovation.

JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL…
One of my favorite shows, I was very pleased by the current revival, and I do hope they get a recording. The overall fell and ambience is all top notch. Gay Marshall is wonderfully enchanting and Rob C. (his name escapes me) does a wonderful rendition of ‘Amsterdam’. Where this show is lacking is in the sensibilities of Drew Sarich. He doesn’t seem to mesh with the rest of the cast. While everyone is very ‘European’ with their brandies and such, Drew starts to sing and sounds like he should be a hog caller at the Iowa State fair. He is probably a wonderful actor, but I just feel he is not quite the perfect fit for the show.

FAITH HEALER
I love Brian Friel, and was so excited about seeing this production. Unfortunately, I was the only one in my group of five and most of the audience to stay awake. I promise if you stay awake it is worth it. I think people have troubles imagining and being a responsible audience member who goes to a show to be engaged in the world of the play rather than sitting idly by while everything is spoon-fed to you. In the days of the ‘Fireside Chats’ I have now doubt that audiences would have been able to understand this wonderful show. I adored the smooth scene changes and Kudos to Ian’s Teddy, which is by far the best performance on Broadway this summer.

THE HISTORY BOYS
OK I really wanted to love this show, but I just can’t. After all the dust had settled from the Tonys I finally got to see this monster of a show. The video’s were fun, but not engaging enough to be worth the trouble of putting monitors under the balcony for those people who are sitting there. The lighting design was horrible with tons of gaping dark spots. Scenic design was interesting, but do they use the same classroom for everything in the UK? Overall, the cast was wonderful, but I just couldn’t get past the fact that this play doesn’t have anything that resembles Focus. Mostly I dislike shows where the writer just tries to pontificate and expound because they feel that they are a wonderful writer. There are many monologues in this show that come out of nowhere, specifically the Female teacher’s speech in act two during the interviews. Completely unprovoked and unnecessary if you ask my opinion. This show was my biggest let down. Then at the end when you just don’t care any more about the frivolity… Richard Griffiths comes out to beat you over the head with the moral “Pass it on” he says twelve(small exaggeration) times “Pass it on”. So Mr. Griffiths I am going to. What a waste of time and money.

SWEENEY TODD
Speaking of wastes of time and money, why would anyone do such an injustice as to revive a show as a concert version and then pass it off as a new wave of the future. Mr. Doyle needs to decide if he wants to be literal or stylized. You can’t have it both ways. Why do we have some stylized scenes like the opening with Antony, Sweeney, and the Beggar woman looking forward not interacting, and then jump to ‘Worst Pies in London’ where we have an actual scene. I kid you not this is what I heard at this show right at the opening… “There’s no place like Lon *SNORRRRRE” I couldn’t believe it. I had to subtly wake up the man next to me. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the show but not this production. Kudos to the actors for learning to play the score, but sometimes it gets in the way of the acting and clarity of the singing. I had two people with me who were unfamiliar with the show and at intermission they told me they understood it all amazingly, but they wanted to know why everyone was dressed like they were in an institution? Why did he kill that first person? and What does he want revenge for? I guess they didn’t really get it. Judy Kaye was fabulous, and Michael needs to sing with the beautiful voice he has and not from the back of his throat, I could hardly make out the words and I know them by heart. A highly overrated production with mediocre staging at its best moments. Just buy the DVD of George Hearn and Angela Lansbury or even the concert DVD. I will definitely not be able to stomach a Doyle helmed production of Company. (even if Raul is in it.)


Overall, a very exciting trip and I am definitely glad I got to see all of the shows. I look forward to another trip.

[jasonf]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 7:46pm

Interesting reviews...

Prepare for the flames on the Sweeney one :)

[SweMozArt]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 7:50pm

Do you think that the color purple will be longlived? Im not wishing its death in any way but im planning to go to New York to see the musical that will succed it on the same theater wich is Kristina by Benny Andersson et al.

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 7:59pm

You liked Tarzan and The Wedding Singer, but didn't like Sweeney Todd OR The Drowsy Chaperone?

*shakes head*

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 7:59pm

"THE WEDDING SINGER
Possibly, the hardest working ensemble on Broadway. "

TWS cast has missed so many show's and possibly has the worst cast attendance on Broadway. Most of Sweeney's cast has missed no show's at all and play the instrument's,act, and sing.
Updated On: 7/31/06 at 07:59 PM

[gustof777]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 8:06pm

Thank you Becoz although I do love my Wedding Singer cast

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 8:19pm

Sure TWS cast is talented but, is incomparable to Sweeney's cast.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 8:48pm

How did they not know why Sweeney Killed Pirelli? They say exactly why Sweeney killed him.

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 9:14pm

pans for Sweeney AND The History Boys?

oy vey.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 9:15pm

Wow, you certainly made the rounds. Sounds like you had a great time overall and I agree that Inishmore should have captured best play! Brilliant piece of writing.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 9:23pm

Ohhh, here we go again with the "____ is better than ___," "how can you say such a thing?," etc.

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 9:26pm

yay for quelling personal opinions! They're not allowed!

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 9:35pm

Oh, come off it. That's not what I meant. I meant the snobbery of people who feel the need to comment when people liked the shows that they don't consider "good theatre."

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 9:38pm

No no no!! I didn't mean it like that, i meant it as a jest to MYSELF

[Katurian2]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 11:03pm

Wow- I pretty much disagree with everything you said. Especially in the cases of Sweeney Todd, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Tarzan. Who could give a glowing to review to that Disney slock while discrediting 3 of the best shows on Broadway?

[C is for Company]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 11:39pm

"You liked Tarzan and The Wedding Singer, but didn't like Sweeney Todd OR The Drowsy Chaperone?

*shakes head*"
Wow, you've been on this board how long and you still don't understand that people have different opinions than you might have?

Glad you liked what you liked, as for what you didn't like, I'm sorry to say I don't agree with you. I guess it is just a matter of different tastes, but you certainly spread you selections out to various kinds of shows, kudos.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/1/06 at 12:20am

Glad you liked the Color Purple and The Wedding Singer. I really like them both, I hope to see LaChanze in the Color Purple one of these days. I'm suprised to hear you liked Tarzan. I might have to give it a shot.

[Parks]

Posted: 8/1/06 at 12:31am

Laura and Amy are known for missing shows, right? Stephen hasn't missed a single Broadway performance yet, has he?

[gustof777]

Posted: 8/1/06 at 12:32am

Nope! Gotta love Stephen!

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 8/1/06 at 2:42pm

Stephen was fantastic. Unfortunately, while we had excellent seats, (K center)sometimes it felt like the cast wasn't mic'd. Especially in the numbers when Robbie is writing his own songs. It was a very bad night for sound.

"How did they not know why Sweeney Killed Pirelli? They say exactly why Sweeney killed him."

I'm with you, I told them that, but the just didn't understand what was being sung. This happened a lot when Michael sang.

Again, these are just my opinions and reactions. It seems to me that the shows I was looking forward to are the ones that let me down, and the ones that I was indifferent to ended up surprising me. An interesting turn of events. But I felt that I got a good well-rounded dose of theatre.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 8/1/06 at 2:50pm

Thanks for the reviews bare_nakedlady, very interesting reads!

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 8/1/06 at 3:46pm

Wow- I pretty much disagree with everything you said. Especially in the cases of Sweeney Todd, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Tarzan. Who could give a glowing to review to that Disney slock while discrediting 3 of the best shows on Broadway?

OHHHH NO! Not those different opinions again! STOP IT! THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED!

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 8/1/06 at 4:01pm

gawd, I thought we discussed. Free thinking is NOT allowed!

One more time and i'll send the thought police in!

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/1/06 at 4:52pm

I understand w/ Sweeney. I had no clue what was going on except at a few key moments.