#1
Posted: 10/9/05 at 4:51pm
Just short thoughts. I can expand if anyone wants me to do so on something specific.
Ill start with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. It was my first time seeing the show and I definitely was entertained, I laughed alot. Norbert certainly deserved his Tony award. While I kindve knew the spin, from the Tony opening song, it still played out differently than I expected. I do love a show that can laugh at itself for being a show, so comments to the effect of being of use in the second act were certainly amusing but the usher joining in on a song was less effective and took me out of the story. Lithgow's character seemed like a lot of the other characters he portrays, hes got it down to a science but Id like to see him do a role less predictably him. Sherie played dim and endearing very well. Greg had a wonderful accent, he was probably my favorite character. Joanna didnt impress me quite as much as the other performers but it could just be the character has less room for playing. Sets were fun, costumes were perfect. A very good show.
Great American Trailer Park Musical I saw this show twice because I was not feeling my best the first time. The whole cast was wonderful. The songs are catchy and just stick with you as you leave. The set did a whole lot more than I expected it to when I first sat down. The little dream sequences were just hysterical. Definitely one of my favorites of recent theater going experiences. I saw it with broadwayguy2 and I think he enjoyed it even more than I did.
Sweeny Todd I couldnt believe I was watching people play so many instruments and sing and act at the same time. I appreciated the artfulness of the staging but did think it had weaknesses. As others have said, it can be difficult to know what room youre in with only upstairs and downstairs references to help. The blood buckets were somewhat in effective on me, I wouldve loved to have seen blood spilling on a grander level, maybe with the set piece. The red lighting tho repetetive was much more effective. I have never seen a production of Sweeny before so I knew little about the story and staging- nothing to compare it to. At first I wasnt sure if the guy in the insane asylum to start the story was Sweeny at another time in his life or what. I also wasnt sure why Sweeny was holding a small coffin for the better part of act 2? Did he finally consider his daughter dead? The instruments were only distracting when someone had to bring it to them or they walked off clearly to pick it up, but I think that this could easily be worked out in previews for more natural transitions.
Once Around The Sun A cute rock show, with a lot of cliches and not much by way of unexpected turns but the music was so good and the video projections were a nice touch. Asa is perfect as the lead and the man who played his guardian (forgot his name, think I saw an understudy) was also spot on. Some of the other characters were less developed but the performances were still quite good. I was front row on the right so very close to the orchestra who were kindve chatty and I was too close to see alot of the action on the second level on that side. Still very glad I went and saw it before it closed.
Absurd Person Singular I attended the dress rehearsal so clearly things were not perfect yet. From the reviews I read here, I may be in the minority but I felt like Mirelle Enos was the real star of the show and the second act the most successful - I couldnt stop laughing at the ridiculousness of the scene! The show is really well cast and they all seemed every bit their character but Mirelle's character was just so out there, it let her shine. The set was gorgeous, I couldnt believe the transformations between the households. Definitely a fun night.
Sweet Charity Ive never been the biggest fan of dance heavy shows so I did think some of the dance breaks were largely unnecessary. Christina did a good job, I was expecting her to be much worse considering some of the things I read. She won me over as sweet. Denis O'Hare has made a living out of playing this one guy over and over. Hes so good at it, but again it makes me wonder if he can do anything else. Not a bad show, not a great show. Glad I saw it.
A Naked Girl on the Appian Way Im sure we've all been waiting to hear what I think of this one. The show is very funny and very witty- the conversation sometimes intellectual. I personally dont really warm up to the parents who seem very foreign to me- guess Im just not that familiar with the Connecticut types or perhaps Id sympathize more if I were a parent myself. I wanted the rest of the cast to come in sooner. The supporting cast are really who I love in this show. The daughter sassy and quick witted. One son, smart and bitter. The other, dim and forever happy. The neighbor a high strung mellow dramatic and her mother-in-law the crazy old lady. Its the supporting cast who really drive the action and the story is more about how the parents deal with it all. There isnt a lot to say about the set or lighting because the set doesnt really do anything while it is a pretty house interior and the lights for the most part simply come up and stay on except for a water reflection effect in the background. There is a 'prop' that comes off as less than realistic in the way that its held and sounds but its forgivable. Every character comes off as embellished which to me, made me want the performances to be even more exaggerated but then the reviews wanted them more human. Matt fans will love watching him jumping around so excited and acting like a big dummy. The role seems so perfect for him to me.
I also saw ASU again before it closed and Lennon, let me know if anyone wants thoughts on those.
Ill start with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. It was my first time seeing the show and I definitely was entertained, I laughed alot. Norbert certainly deserved his Tony award. While I kindve knew the spin, from the Tony opening song, it still played out differently than I expected. I do love a show that can laugh at itself for being a show, so comments to the effect of being of use in the second act were certainly amusing but the usher joining in on a song was less effective and took me out of the story. Lithgow's character seemed like a lot of the other characters he portrays, hes got it down to a science but Id like to see him do a role less predictably him. Sherie played dim and endearing very well. Greg had a wonderful accent, he was probably my favorite character. Joanna didnt impress me quite as much as the other performers but it could just be the character has less room for playing. Sets were fun, costumes were perfect. A very good show.
Great American Trailer Park Musical I saw this show twice because I was not feeling my best the first time. The whole cast was wonderful. The songs are catchy and just stick with you as you leave. The set did a whole lot more than I expected it to when I first sat down. The little dream sequences were just hysterical. Definitely one of my favorites of recent theater going experiences. I saw it with broadwayguy2 and I think he enjoyed it even more than I did.
Sweeny Todd I couldnt believe I was watching people play so many instruments and sing and act at the same time. I appreciated the artfulness of the staging but did think it had weaknesses. As others have said, it can be difficult to know what room youre in with only upstairs and downstairs references to help. The blood buckets were somewhat in effective on me, I wouldve loved to have seen blood spilling on a grander level, maybe with the set piece. The red lighting tho repetetive was much more effective. I have never seen a production of Sweeny before so I knew little about the story and staging- nothing to compare it to. At first I wasnt sure if the guy in the insane asylum to start the story was Sweeny at another time in his life or what. I also wasnt sure why Sweeny was holding a small coffin for the better part of act 2? Did he finally consider his daughter dead? The instruments were only distracting when someone had to bring it to them or they walked off clearly to pick it up, but I think that this could easily be worked out in previews for more natural transitions.
Once Around The Sun A cute rock show, with a lot of cliches and not much by way of unexpected turns but the music was so good and the video projections were a nice touch. Asa is perfect as the lead and the man who played his guardian (forgot his name, think I saw an understudy) was also spot on. Some of the other characters were less developed but the performances were still quite good. I was front row on the right so very close to the orchestra who were kindve chatty and I was too close to see alot of the action on the second level on that side. Still very glad I went and saw it before it closed.
Absurd Person Singular I attended the dress rehearsal so clearly things were not perfect yet. From the reviews I read here, I may be in the minority but I felt like Mirelle Enos was the real star of the show and the second act the most successful - I couldnt stop laughing at the ridiculousness of the scene! The show is really well cast and they all seemed every bit their character but Mirelle's character was just so out there, it let her shine. The set was gorgeous, I couldnt believe the transformations between the households. Definitely a fun night.
Sweet Charity Ive never been the biggest fan of dance heavy shows so I did think some of the dance breaks were largely unnecessary. Christina did a good job, I was expecting her to be much worse considering some of the things I read. She won me over as sweet. Denis O'Hare has made a living out of playing this one guy over and over. Hes so good at it, but again it makes me wonder if he can do anything else. Not a bad show, not a great show. Glad I saw it.
A Naked Girl on the Appian Way Im sure we've all been waiting to hear what I think of this one. The show is very funny and very witty- the conversation sometimes intellectual. I personally dont really warm up to the parents who seem very foreign to me- guess Im just not that familiar with the Connecticut types or perhaps Id sympathize more if I were a parent myself. I wanted the rest of the cast to come in sooner. The supporting cast are really who I love in this show. The daughter sassy and quick witted. One son, smart and bitter. The other, dim and forever happy. The neighbor a high strung mellow dramatic and her mother-in-law the crazy old lady. Its the supporting cast who really drive the action and the story is more about how the parents deal with it all. There isnt a lot to say about the set or lighting because the set doesnt really do anything while it is a pretty house interior and the lights for the most part simply come up and stay on except for a water reflection effect in the background. There is a 'prop' that comes off as less than realistic in the way that its held and sounds but its forgivable. Every character comes off as embellished which to me, made me want the performances to be even more exaggerated but then the reviews wanted them more human. Matt fans will love watching him jumping around so excited and acting like a big dummy. The role seems so perfect for him to me.
I also saw ASU again before it closed and Lennon, let me know if anyone wants thoughts on those.
Updated On: 10/9/05 at 04:51 PM
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