#1
Posted: 1/20/11 at 5:07am
It kicked off here tonight. Dolly was here! Our fair governor announced her before the curtain went up, declaring, due to it also being her birthday, that today was "Dolly Parton Day" and he presented her with a certificate. She was adorable, funny, and looked great! The crowd spontaneously sang "Happy Birthday" to her, which she seemed genuinely touched by. She didn't say how old she is. :)
As for the show, it's cute and fun. After the opener and the second song ("Around Here," with busy and precise blocking), the next few after that were kind of forgettable, actually. But then it picked up energy and the cast got into a groove, and some chemistry finally developed between the cast and the audience.
I'm not sure what to think about Diana DeGarmo's overt imitation of Dolly's natural way of enunciating; part of it bugged me, but part of me figures she was probably directed to play it like that. That said, she did do a great job with it and has become much more of a genuine performer than some "16-year-old runner-up kid on American Idol," like she was when...she was the 16-year-old runner-up kid on American Idol. Walking in those 4-inch heels every night with that kitten-tush-walk thing she does in the name of character was probably worth her salary right there. :) Poor thing was a bit congested, but she still got the accent and the nasal drawl down pretty well, and ultimately, didn't miss a note and was able to sing out, so I give her credit. (It's dang cold here in Chicago, these days!)
Mamie Parris got the best applause of the night, late in Act II, for "Get Out and Stay Out," which was phenomenal. Dee Hoty is a dead-ringer for Allison Janney, and had the comic timing down from her first line in the opening number. She was great. It says in the Playbill that she has previously played Donna Sheridan in "Mamma Mia," which somehow I can't see, but ok. She was spotless in this. My friend liked the "horny old lady" slapstick number by Kristine Zbornik, who plays Franklin Hart's devoted (obsessed?) executive assistant, the best.
Some of the sexist jokes didn't land so well, but given the difference in the time in which the show is set (1979), compared to how society has changed by now, that makes sense. Thank goodness there were some pick-up funny lines immediately following the few off-color lines, to restore the awkward energy in the room that resulted in those few seconds in between. Did it happen like this in NY?
When I heard this show was coming to Broadway, I frankly didn't think it would last, and am kind of surprised it lasted long enough to get a tour! It's cute and fun, but there's something "eh" about it that I can't put my finger on. It's got Dolly's mark all over it (considering she wrote the music and lyrics), with some sappy melodies that weren't-quite-pop-but-not-quite-for-musicals, but also including Dolly's trademark rhyme-y wit. I love Dolly! But since some of the songs were so under-whelming, well, maybe that's part of my uncertainty about it. Some of the tunes, you'd think could have been better-written.
The cast were pros and smiled and danced and slapstick'd their butts off, though. There's a lot of unusual movement and body language in this show, and that takes a special kind of actor to a) be willing to do, and b) who can pull it off. They all did. (Especially Jane Blass, who plays Margaret, the "atta-girl" drunk, who is a dead-ringer for the actress who played her in the original movie! She was hilarious and got the most laughs with probably the fewest lines, and the aforementioned wacky body language.) Didn't care for the guy who played Hart, much. And kudos to the wig and costume designers, too. I think everyone in the cast had a wig (or more than one, in some cases).
I haven't followed this show religiously, though, so...which of these actors, if any, are direct from the Broadway production thus far? Just DeGarmo?
Dolly came out again at the end and the cast presented her with a birthday cake after the curtain call...and they formally sang her "Happy Birthday" again. So, the crowd basically sang to her twice. What was one to do: it was unusual, but spontaneous, and Dolly vamped her way through it til the lights came up. "Cute and fun" is my final answer.
As for the show, it's cute and fun. After the opener and the second song ("Around Here," with busy and precise blocking), the next few after that were kind of forgettable, actually. But then it picked up energy and the cast got into a groove, and some chemistry finally developed between the cast and the audience.
I'm not sure what to think about Diana DeGarmo's overt imitation of Dolly's natural way of enunciating; part of it bugged me, but part of me figures she was probably directed to play it like that. That said, she did do a great job with it and has become much more of a genuine performer than some "16-year-old runner-up kid on American Idol," like she was when...she was the 16-year-old runner-up kid on American Idol. Walking in those 4-inch heels every night with that kitten-tush-walk thing she does in the name of character was probably worth her salary right there. :) Poor thing was a bit congested, but she still got the accent and the nasal drawl down pretty well, and ultimately, didn't miss a note and was able to sing out, so I give her credit. (It's dang cold here in Chicago, these days!)
Mamie Parris got the best applause of the night, late in Act II, for "Get Out and Stay Out," which was phenomenal. Dee Hoty is a dead-ringer for Allison Janney, and had the comic timing down from her first line in the opening number. She was great. It says in the Playbill that she has previously played Donna Sheridan in "Mamma Mia," which somehow I can't see, but ok. She was spotless in this. My friend liked the "horny old lady" slapstick number by Kristine Zbornik, who plays Franklin Hart's devoted (obsessed?) executive assistant, the best.
Some of the sexist jokes didn't land so well, but given the difference in the time in which the show is set (1979), compared to how society has changed by now, that makes sense. Thank goodness there were some pick-up funny lines immediately following the few off-color lines, to restore the awkward energy in the room that resulted in those few seconds in between. Did it happen like this in NY?
When I heard this show was coming to Broadway, I frankly didn't think it would last, and am kind of surprised it lasted long enough to get a tour! It's cute and fun, but there's something "eh" about it that I can't put my finger on. It's got Dolly's mark all over it (considering she wrote the music and lyrics), with some sappy melodies that weren't-quite-pop-but-not-quite-for-musicals, but also including Dolly's trademark rhyme-y wit. I love Dolly! But since some of the songs were so under-whelming, well, maybe that's part of my uncertainty about it. Some of the tunes, you'd think could have been better-written.
The cast were pros and smiled and danced and slapstick'd their butts off, though. There's a lot of unusual movement and body language in this show, and that takes a special kind of actor to a) be willing to do, and b) who can pull it off. They all did. (Especially Jane Blass, who plays Margaret, the "atta-girl" drunk, who is a dead-ringer for the actress who played her in the original movie! She was hilarious and got the most laughs with probably the fewest lines, and the aforementioned wacky body language.) Didn't care for the guy who played Hart, much. And kudos to the wig and costume designers, too. I think everyone in the cast had a wig (or more than one, in some cases).
I haven't followed this show religiously, though, so...which of these actors, if any, are direct from the Broadway production thus far? Just DeGarmo?
Dolly came out again at the end and the cast presented her with a birthday cake after the curtain call...and they formally sang her "Happy Birthday" again. So, the crowd basically sang to her twice. What was one to do: it was unusual, but spontaneous, and Dolly vamped her way through it til the lights came up. "Cute and fun" is my final answer.
"There is no use trying," said Alice; "one can't believe impossible things." "I dare say you haven't had the practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." --Alice in Wonderland
