A Catered Affair: What went Wrong? — Page 2

I fell asleep so many times during this show.

For me, the biggest thing that went wrong was Harvey; he totally stood in his own way as an actor, and in the way of the beautiful direction we would have seen if he hadn't been so busy reminding us how fabulous he is. He should never have been acting in the show if he wrote it. That doesn't go as a general rule, but in this case, he totally went against the grain of the show. I wanted to love this so much, and I was so sad that I didn't.

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I can't believe Harvey rewrote Cheyefsky like that - as a huge fan I can tell you Paddy would NOT have been pleased, particularly with Harvey's ham-fisted additions. MARTY is something I look forward to, too (John C. Reilly and Carolee? I'm there!).

Buccchino writes such glorious, emotive, sonoros songs... but his theatrical scores always seem so inert. Interestingly, I think the best score of the three he has written (LAVENDER GIRL, ACA) was for JOSEPH: KING OF DREAMS, the sequel to the PRINCE OF EGYPT. "Better Than I" is a FANTASTIC song and better than "Defying Gravity" (to use a song of John's best friend) as far as those types of songs are concerned. Check it out... it's in the 1.99 bin at Wal-Marts right now.

"A Restaurant By The Sea" may be one of the most heartbreaking songs I have ever heard. I LOVE GRATEFUL and IT'S ONLY LIFE and his solo album is great too (despite the early 90s arrangements).

P

It was not an uplifting musical, true, but it was genuine and touching and I personally loved it. It was quiet and small and emotional and I guess that doesn't have an audience on Broadway.

I do agree that Faith's performance at the Tony Awards was the last chance to breathe some life into the show, but she didn't pull it off. Beautiful song but not when performed out of context. Too bad, I've seen so many worse shows that had a longer life on Broadway.

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What went wrong?

Harvey was miscast in a role tht should have gone to a singer.

^^^^ But why do you think it didn't succeed?

Add me to the chorus of complaints about Harvey. His contributions sunk the show. His out-of-place chactacter seemed more a refugee from LA CAGE, complete with an "I Am What I Am" anthem ("Immediate Family"). I don't object to the character being gay - but ho much more interesting and moving would it have been if the uncle had been soft-spoken and closeted instead of acting like...well, Harvey Fierstein?

And while he's a brassy advocate of living his life the way he wants, he doesn't take the kids side in having the marriage THEY want. Instead he jumps gleefully into making lavish wedding preparations with the florist and the caterer.

There is no getting around that his singing was (and is) painful. "Coney Island" should be a lovely moment (It's a beautiful song) but as soon as Harvey wrapped his strangled-duck vocals around it I couldn't wait for the song to end.

There is a lovely show in there, but it would have to be extensively re-written to erase Harvey's contributions for one to find it.

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Updated On: 7/24/09 at 02:53 AM