A Chorus Line Tour Review- Page 2

[Anakela]

Posted: 9/12/08 at 5:56pm

Hope you have a great time Joe! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Aryn007- I was at Tempe Sunday evening too! I missed the "No!" bit, but I agree about the orch, I didn't so much notice that the Gammage has 'sucky' sound, but rather that the tempo of the orch just sounded off at times. I think Natalie Elise Hall is brilliant, but her Val really does seem to be the most you either love it or hate it interpretation, based on reviews... Oh- and I did enjoy the audience's cheer at Mark being from Tempe, hee. :)

[joe5]

Posted: 9/13/08 at 6:39pm

Anakela, I had a great time last night. And plan on seeing it again. Before it leaves Boston in October. The standouts in the cast were Nikki Snelson, Natalie Elise Hall and Kevin Santos. Playing the roles of Val, Cassie and Paul. A great night at the theatre. And encourage every to go see it. While it makes it stop here. joe

[verynewyorkcurious]

Posted: 9/13/08 at 9:06pm

I saw the show last night too. I'm gonna try to keep it short.

The show is in great shape. Most of the cast is wonderful - 110% energy from everyone. I agree with Joe5 about the standouts, and I'd also like to add/share my opinion on a couple of others.

Stephanie Gibson as Judy Turner, who was far superior to Heather Parcells. She was very funny. Stephanie and a couple of others are exceptions though. For the most part, the Broadway cast was superior, but not by far.

Natalie Elise Hall is a wonderful Val. Her timing is very good, and Dance 10 Looks 3 was extremely enjoyable. Jessica Lee Goldyn is the perfect Val for me, but Natalie Elise Hall is seriously the next best thing. She did her own thing, and it was fantastic.

I saw Michael Gruber as Zach on Broadway once, and I didn't care for him. I saw 3 Zachs on Broadway, and he was my least favorite. I actually like him now. He's a very "nice" Zach, which wouldn't normally work, but I liked it.

I was very impressed with Nikki Snelson. Her Music and the Mirror was a little D'Amboise to me, but she did it better. I thought she sounded very good last night, and she got the singing and dancing down.

[timote316]

Posted: 9/13/08 at 9:19pm

I saw the show last night in Boston... and it was enjoyable. The cast dance fabulously, no real weak links in that aspect, but I can't say I share some of the thoughts shared in this thread. The absolute highlights were Nikki Snelson and Jay Armstrong Johnson as Mark. Emily Fletcher worked as Sheila, but I didn't find her to be anything special in the role. And I somewhat disagree about Natalie Elise Hall... I understand that Val is supposed to be fake, but I found most everything she did with the role to be incredibly forced, just begging for laughs. I also disagree with the reviews of Kevin Santos - I found him to be particularly melodramatic.

All that said, though, I found the show very enjoyable. Such a fantastic musical (obviously).

[Anakela]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 3:41am

oh yay, thanks for all of the Boston reviews! I'm hoping to catch it once in Boston (random aside: are there any discount codes out yet that expire after 9/21?), figure that'll be my last chance to see Snelson again before she leaves the tour in Toronto...

[My Oh My]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 3:55am

Hmmm, I didn't think Santos was overly melodramatic at all the 4 times I saw him in L.A. His dancing was strong and his monologue made me cry (which is rare, lol.) I thought Fletcher's Sheila was perfect--not too forced, yet hit all the comedic moments right on.

The dancing in the touring cast was definitely much stronger than the original revival cast's was (with the exception of Snelson's Cassie).

[joe5]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 5:49am

Anakela, Your best bet for a discount is Bostix. They sell half-price tickets on day of show. They are located in Copley Sq and Quincy Market. The Opera House is a huge venue. So most likely there will be tickets. joe

[canmark]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 9:35am

Thanks for the reviews. ACL is coming to Toronto soon and I'm thinking about going. It's not really one of my favorite shows, but having just seen "Every Little Step", the documentary about the show and the 2006 Broadway revival, has renewed my interest. I would definitely recommend that film to Broadway fans. It's really very good.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0977648/

[jennamajig]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 9:39am

If you are a student in Boston, they also do rush. 1 hour before show at the box office, $25. 1 ticket per ID. Usually they sell best available. Most of the times I've rushed at the Opera House, I've ended up in/near the front row, on the left side. Pretty good view for most shows; I can't say I've missed much on the stage from those seats. I'm hoping to rush either this week or next week so I can see it.

But the Boxtix booth is the best way to get 1/2 price tickets day of. They have released 1/2 price tickets on Bostix advanced online for 9/16 and 9/17 and I expect they may release more, but sometimes they wait until closer to the date.

Updated On: 9/16/08 at 09:39 AM

[canmark]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 1:04pm

Every Little Step trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jn9qQATNRs

I was at the world premiere screening at the Toronto Film Festival, which somebody filmed and posted on YouTube. The likes of Donna McKechnie, Baayork Lee, and Charlotte D'Amboise take the stage for the Q&A after the screening (which I missed, as I had to go to another screening). Thanks to whoever posted this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgmguSezs6o

[Anakela]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 5:42pm

Thanks for the Bostix info joe and jenna!! I've seen the advance tix for sale on the artsboston.org website, but I didn't realize that Bostix was an actual booth too, will completely check that out if I can't find online discounts ahead of time...

canmark- that's so cool that you got to see the docu at Toronto. (Any thoughts on the criticisms that it's too heavy on the female stories, not enough with the following of the men who were auditioning?) I'm hoping that it finds a buyer, really want to see it. Thanks for the link to the q&a!

[joe5]

Posted: 9/17/08 at 8:28am

https://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/arts_culture/view.bg?articleid=1119619


I payed another visit to the ACL tour in Boston. And hear is what the Boston papers are saying this morning. There is a great picture of the cast, attached to the Boston.Com review. joe


Updated On: 9/17/08 at 08:28 AM

[joe5]

Posted: 9/17/08 at 8:38am

http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2008/09/17/chorus_line_still_gets_kick_from_group_dynamic/

[Anakela]

Posted: 9/17/08 at 10:52am

While I love that she called her the "engaging Nikki Snelson," am I the only one who found that Boston Herald piece just not fun to read? Thoughts of Sarah Palin when the chorus sings “Who am I anyway? Am I my resume?”- really?

Anyway... ACL tour u/s info up on broadwayunderstudies:

Rebecca Riker will be playing Bebe in the national tour of A CHORUS LINE for both the 2pm and 8pm performances on September 21. Stephanie Martignetti will be playing Kristine for both the 2pm and 8pm performances on October 4th, and Sterling Masters will play the role of Kristine for the 2pm performance on October 5th.

I've heard Rebecca Riker's Cassie and am slightly obsessed with her voice, would be very curious to hear her At the Ballet... and Sterling Masters has one of the best names ever.
broadwayunderstudies.com

[jennamajig]

Posted: 9/17/08 at 11:40am

The Boston Herald piece feels like it is trying to cram a lot of contemporary references into the writing. I tend to agree with Louis Kennedy of the Globe a lot (and her review was mostly positive), so we'll see. I am hoping to do rush for this evening's performance.

[jennamajig]

Posted: 9/18/08 at 9:58am

Review - Boston 9/17/08 7:30 pm performance

I rushed the show last night and ended with wonderful seats. Those familiar with the gigantic Opera House, I was in Row H of the left orchestra, perfect distance from stage. I couldn't have asked for better seats.

Overall, I thought the show was good, but not great. This was my first seeing the show on the stage and I was expecting a little more spark, perhaps. The cast had great chemistry with each other, making all the group scenes a pleasure to watch. But when left to the device of a solo (with a couple of exceptions), I was less engaged. The dancing was fantastic, however, and the last One number was wonderful to see on the stage.

I'm not so sure I was sold on the no-intermission choice, though. I got out of theatre at 9:43 (show started a little late at about 7:40). The Opera House seats do not offer the most legroom and aren't the most comfortable, so I found myself squirming a bit at the end just to stretch my legs out. I understand, artistically, I suppose the choice, but think 2 hours may be stretching it to go without one.

Stand-out performers for me were:

Natalie Elise Hall (Val): Yes, her Val had a fakeness about it, but I really thought it worked well for the character. Dance 10, Looks 3 was incredibly entertaining (you could tell she was having fun with it) and damn that girl knows how to stick those boobs out!

Emily Fletcher (Sheila): I found myself looking at her every time she was on stage (tall gal!). Her Sheila was perfect for me and her expressions even when the spotlight wasn't on her, were great.

Gabrielle Ruiz (Diana): I really liked the tone of her voice and thought she played Diana well, as I can easily see where the character can become over-the-top (though this could said for the entire show, really), but she walked the line well.

Kevin Santos (Paul): I hated the injury scene, but his monologue was great! I really felt for him in it.

Many people really enjoyed Nikki Snelson as Cassie, but I left thinking she merely did a good, but not great job. There wasn't anything I disliked about her performance, but there wasn't anything I really loved either. She is a fantastic dancer, but I enjoyed her performance in Legally Blonde more when I saw her in July 07. I also wasn't too impressed with Michael Gruber's Zach. I found him more awkward in places than I though appropriate and when he comes on stage to comfort Paul, it felt disconnect and not genuine.

Overall, though, I recommend catching the show if you are in Boston area. It's been at the BosTix booth daily (50%) off and students have the rush option (details are up above in another post of mine).

[Lookatme321]

Posted: 12/3/08 at 12:40pm

I TOTALLY disagree about Kevin Santos. I think that his acting was not nearly as strong as some of the others. I don't know if it was a different cast, but I saw it in Baltimore. I thought that there were some good, simple, honest performances like Val or Bobby, but Santos was very "musical theatre." Although he connected in the end, I feel like I would have liked the monologue to be done WAY simpler, and I didn't feel a lot of his pain until, of course, he starts crying. The interpretation was very off to me and the acting was over-the-top and not nearly strong enough for the role. And his character is 28, so I think he could have taken into account that his character should have much more weight being that he is older than almost everyone else (instead of an over-enthusiastic little boy...he's been through so much). His dancing was great, but his acting was not up to par, and I was greatly disappointed with it.

[hmpeterson]

Posted: 12/3/08 at 3:10pm

Does anyone know if Nikki Snelson is still with the cast? I am seeing the show in Philly in 2 weeks and was hoping to see her. Thanks!

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 12/3/08 at 3:22pm

Nope she left awhile ago.

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 12/3/08 at 3:50pm

yeah, i think her last performance was in canada?
not sure
But i was lucky enough to see it with her in San Fran... OMG!
she was SO TALENTED and she excelled more than her role in LB would ever let her
she was SO GOOOOOOD and def stole the show after Music and the Mirrors
over all, the cast I saw, was VERY good, i loved Emily Fletcher as Sheila... GENIUS!

[Bwaybb2]

Posted: 12/4/08 at 7:01pm

Anybody know how the new cast was reviewed in Baltimore? Tons of people said that the original tour cast was the best company in a long time. PS...Love Nikki Snelson!

[dg22894]

Posted: 12/4/08 at 9:02pm

I saw Emily in NY the day before she went on tour she said at the Stage Door that she was leaving the next morning. I really liked her she was AMAZING.

[Anakela]

Posted: 12/5/08 at 10:27am

Anybody know how the new cast was reviewed in Baltimore?

The Baltimore Sun didn't love Robyn Hurder ("At one point, Cassie tells Zach that when she went to California seeking her big break, she learned that she can dance but not act. Perhaps Hurder possesses both talents - but they're not on display in this production."- ouch) or Kevin Santos (which I personally disagree with- I loved his Paul) but yet liked the show-
'A Chorus Line' remains vibrant after 33 years

[manaboutown]

Posted: 12/5/08 at 12:36pm

I saw the show on Opening night Baltimore. The new cast is extremely strong and in my opinion the acting is much more natural and believable. I agree that Kevin Santos is too young to understand the story his character tells. I really liked Robyn Hurder-I am surprised at the review...she was a beautiful dancer, excellent singer and really made you feel for Cassie. I loved Shannon Lewis as Sheila. Funny, smart, beautiful and in the end has a heart of gold. Loved Sebastian LaCause as Zach. So nice to see a Zach that can really dance! His acting is wonderful and adds a whole new element and depth to the show. The tour really got a shot in the arm from the new cast, and I look forward to seeing it again over Christmas in Philly.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 12/5/08 at 2:14pm

Can't wait to see this in Philly. I'm hoping to go Jan. 2.