2011 Theatrical Confessions — Page 2

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.

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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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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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

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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.

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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.

I'll never forgive you either.

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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)

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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