2011 Theatrical Confessions- Page 2

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/30/11 at 12:32pm

Priscilla bored me completely.

In a Forest Dark and Deep in the West End was so intolerable, I left from the center orchestra 30 minutes into the show and as I passed Neil LaBute taking notes at the end of the row (it was still in previews), I told him I thought it was a piece of sh*t. True story.

I enjoyed Memphis so much more than I thought I would.

I liked White Noise in Chicago and I believe it shows great potential.

I thought Zimmerman's Candide was underwhelming.

A small regional production of Tesori's Violet in Chicago was one of the best shows of the year and I saw it 3 times.

[AMH]

Posted: 12/30/11 at 1:42pm

I didn't enjoy ANYTHING GOES as much as I thought I would. Sutton's singing voice kind of got on my nerves, but I did like her acting. I thought Joel Grey was fantastic, however.

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 12/30/11 at 4:43pm

2011 was the year we tried like hell to see a satisfying production of FOLLIES. Perplexed by poor direction and multiple miscastings in DC (Linda Lavin, Elaine Paige, and god-help-me Bernadette). Hated the uniformly bitter quartet of leads in Chicago. Settled for the somewhat improved balance of the Broadway show, but still unconvinced that this show can ever truly work onstage, despite the pure delights of watching Terry White, Jan Maxwell and Danny Burstein hit personal home runs.

MOSTLY LOVED:
The Normal Heart (including one of the year's best set designs)
Sleep No More
Bonnie and Clyde
Billy Elliott (1st time seeing the Broadway production)

HAD A BETTER TIME THAN EXPECTED AT:
Spider-Man...

HAD A MUCH WORSE TIME THAN EXPECTED AT:
Jerusalem
God of Carnage (LA production)
The Book of Morons

Here's to more home runs in 2012.






Updated On: 12/30/11 at 04:43 PM

[Ejm105989]

Posted: 12/30/11 at 5:17pm

Loved Book of Mormon and will see it multiple times.
I thought Follies was good but it did bore me in the end.
I want my money back for Wonderland.
Lysistrata is forgettable at best.
Minus the cool effects Spiderman was not worth my time.
Mountaintop was great.
I liked Stephanie J. Block in Anything Goes,

[Pauly3]

Posted: 12/30/11 at 5:27pm

Saw Billy Elliot for the first time....most excellent. The sound of this show is top notch.

Spiderman was too silly in parts (if there is such a thing for a comic book story), but it was very entertaining overall. Saw an understudy (don't recall the name) but thought he was a better singer than the videos indicate Reeve Carney is.

Bonnie & Clyde was outstanding, save for a bit of slowness. Loved the performances and the score. Looking forward to the cast album.

Posted: 12/30/11 at 5:42pm

Hated Jeffrey Tambor in La Cage, loved Lili Whiteass but wished she'd have had different material more frequently for those who saw the show multiple times.

LOVED Normal Heart, wish it had been videoed with its current cast and it absolutely deserved every nod it got from anyone ever.

Big fan of Memphis now that Adam Pascal is in it, one of few current or recent shows I'd see more than once and recommend to others.

Loved having Hair here for the summer, loved the cast at that time as well.

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 12/30/11 at 6:55pm

I thought the Chicago production of Follies was absolutely stunning and the best thing I saw all year.

Jessie Mueller made a great Mary in Merrily We Roll Along, and she should be considered if the Broadway revival ends up happening.

I still don't like Sutton Foster. In the tap break in "Anything Goes," she is completely shown up by the twenty dancers behind her.

The new version of Working was great and could be successfully produced as a Roundabout limited engagement.

The West Side Story tour was a dreadful production. I would urge anyone who is considering seeing it to stay far away. Updated On: 12/30/11 at 06:55 PM

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 12/30/11 at 7:20pm

I am indecisive whether the book or score for 'Spiderman' is the worst in theater history, at least the flying captivated me for 2 minutes.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 12/30/11 at 7:20pm

I am indecisive whether the book or score for 'Spiderman' is the worst in theater history, at least the flying captivated me for 2 minutes.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 12/30/11 at 10:43pm

I loved The People in the Picture.

Elaine Paige is currently butchering I'm Still Here eight times a week at the Marquis.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/30/11 at 10:45pm

I kind of dug Bonnie and Clyde. Imperfect? Yes. Close-in-six-weeks bad? No.

I'm not sure if I really like Follies. The Chicago Shakes production was beautiful, but I'm just not sure if i like the show itself.

Now that I've seen him live, I think Harry Connick, Jr. is kind of dull. I hope it's just On A Clear Day.

I had the best time at How to Succeed. I know it's dated and I know Rob Ashford's work is ridiculous, but I don't care. I loved it.

I am now a person who has seen Memphis four times. And while I was once indifferent, I have genuinely come to adore it.

[zepka102]

Posted: 12/30/11 at 11:31pm

Gee Em, what caused the repeat attendance at Memphis ?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/30/11 at 11:37pm

As predictable as it was, I wept at the end of WAR HORSE.

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 12/30/11 at 11:42pm

I took in both "Bonnie and Clyde" and "On a Clear Day" today and had a very enjoyable time at both. I thought both were worthwhile ways to spend two and a half hours and I'm sad that neither is doing particularly well (and that B&C just closed).

Sutton Foster annoyed me quite a bit in "Anything Goes" as much as I usually like her. I was happiest whenever Colin Donnell and Laura Osnes were on stage. I also strongly preferred Stephanie J. Block's performance as Reno.

I may have shed a few tears when Susan Stroman didn't win a Tony for Best Direction of a Musical this year.

I would have given all of the Featured Actor in a Musical nominations to members of "The Scottsboro Boys," namely Colman Domingo, Forrest McLendon, John Cullum, James T. Lane, Christian Dante White, and Jeremy Gumbs. I would have chosen James T. Lane as the winner. I also would have nominated Sharon Washington for Featured Actress in a Musical, though she spoke about 12 words in "The Scottsboro Boys."

I'm afraid for the future of a Broadway where "Baby, It's You" can run far longer than "The Scottsboro Boys."

[Rage and Love]

Posted: 12/31/11 at 2:01am

Enjoyed: American Idiot, The Addams Family, Spider-man, Hair, Rent, Rock of Ages, Phantom, Memphis, Seminar
Indifferent of: Jerusalem, Sister Act, Chicago
Hated: Lysistrata Jones

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 12/31/11 at 10:25am

I don't get the hype around Jeremy Jordan. I've seen him in both WEST SIDE STORY and BONNIE & CLYDE and found him to be extremely bland and forgettable in both.

I hate this production of HOW TO SUCCEED, which is a shame because I think it's one of the best-written musicals around. Everyone in the cast was either irritating or boring, Daniel Radcliffe was a complete let-down, and Rob Ashford's choreography was ridiculously over-the-top.

I still love Sutton Foster and thought she was great in ANYTHING GOES. But it still wasn't one of the best revivals I've come across.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/31/11 at 11:02am

I thought LYSISTRATA JONES was the biggest piece of sh*t I've ever seen.

The cast of LJ can't sing on pitch and it drove me crazy.

ARCADIA was the dullest three hours of my life.

I loved HIGH.

I think SISTER ACT was the best musical of the year.

I loved BONNIE & CLYDE.

[Overkill]

Posted: 12/31/11 at 12:55pm

Pesky double posts...

Updated On: 12/31/11 at 12:55 PM

[Overkill]

Posted: 12/31/11 at 12:55pm

I'm with you on that one, BroadwayGuy. I HATE this production of How to Succeed and it's one of my favorite musicals. The casting, choreography and uninspired direction just made it a slap in the face to the original and the far superior '95 revival. When Darren Criss and Nick Jonas have me WANTING Daniel Radcliffe as Finch, there has to be something wrong. Daniel actually did an alright job, but the reason for this revival was very clear. $$$

I love Catch Me If You Can, I just think it was executed wrong in both Seattle and on Broadway. I just think the whole "Hey, welcome to my TV show!" approach didn't work at all. The cast was amazing, though. There's no taking that away from it. Norbert Leo Butz (who won his well deserved second Tony), Aaron Tveit, Tom Wopat, Kerry Butler.. It deserved a longer life, at least.

I actually really enjoyed Wonderland. I didn't have to pay anything for it, so that says something, but I really enjoyed it. Not the WHOLE score, but the scenic design and performances were great. The book was the WORST, but not the worst thing I've ever had to endure. I saw Tarzan...

I didn't see The People in the Picture but from what I did see of it, Donna Murphy was just incredible and I think she is incredibly underused and deserves so much more in her career. Nicole Parker is a personal favorite, and I really hope she's back on Broadway soon in a role really worthy of her. Also, ANY show with Chip Zien in it, I'll check out. :)

Jeffrey Tambor dropping from LA CAGE was such a huge disappointment for me. A lot of people were just "meh" about it, but I'm a really big fan of Tambor and it thrilled me that he was making his musical debut. All that being said, I think that Chris Sieber was an excellent Georges and now he's an excellent Albin. There's almost nothing that man can't do. But anyway, Tambor needs to find a musical more suited to him, that's all.

Speaking of people who need to find a good new musical...Nathan Lane, I believe in you. You'll get it right again someday.

[IBelieve17]

Posted: 12/31/11 at 1:28pm

I saw How to Succeed instead of Follies, and I'll never forgive myself.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/31/11 at 1:56pm

I'll never forgive you either.

[Rotel1026]

Posted: 12/31/11 at 3:53pm

Bengal Tiger, kick myself for not having gone to see something else instead.

Book of Morman, yes it was good and I thought it was funny, but I didn't laugh anywhere near as hard, as long or as often as everyone else in the theater did.

Warhorse, once you got over the puppetry, there wasn't much substance there. It was way too long and not much interesting happened in the second act.

Did enjoy Sister Act, surprised it's not more popular. Was surprised by how much I enjoyed Bonnie and Clyde. Don't think Lysistrata Jones amounted to much, didn't think it was terrible but wasn't very memorable overall.

Loved Private Lives, shame it's not going to stick around longer.

[singtopher]

Posted: 12/31/11 at 4:15pm

Loved Lyssie Jones (saw it Off-Broadway)

Saw FOLLIES twice and while I think it's a good production, I just don't care for the show. Peters, who I am a huge fan of, annoyed the crap out of me the whole show. She started "Losing My Mind" already distraught and wasn't able to go anywhere from there.

My other confession is that I've not seen a whole lot. Fortunately, I've been quite busy.

Speaking of which:

As far as being an actor, I finally got a crack at my dream role and could not wait for the run to be over.

I forgot a line and an entrance in the same performance. And I was on-book. (Don't tell equity about that one)

[Kad]

Posted: 12/31/11 at 4:37pm

Saw Book of Mormon five times. I will not apologize.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 12/31/11 at 4:45pm

I loved TPitP and WotV.
I saw Addams Family twice and loved every second.
I loved Follies, but was annoyed that I had to wake up my mother every few minutes, who proceeded to call it a "crappy show" in public lol.
I thought the puppets in War Horse were brilliantly executed. I thought the most effective moment was (spoiler alert) when Topthorne died and the puppeteers rolled out.
I wish I could have seen Bonnie & Clyde.
Wonderland was fun.
I laughed so hard during Anything Goes, I nearly cried (even having done this version of the show myself)!
I teared up multiple times during Memphis, and I thought Chad Kimball was phenomenal.
I liked Jerusalem, but I didn't really get it.
Tyne Daly gave a master class in acting in Master Class.
I enjoyed La Cage, but ALNM was far superior in every way.
Marin Mazzie was incredible in N2N.
Other Desert Cities is an extremely well-written play that is only enhanced by the wonderful actors. I thought Judith Light stole the show.
Working as a merch seller for a few different shows has assured me that I would NOT be bored doing the same show 8 times a week.



Updated On: 12/31/11 at 04:45 PM