A Chorus Line reviews- Page 2

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 9:14pm

I'm not going out tonight until I read the NY Times review...

That's really frightening. My love for ACL has officially taken over my life.

[Luvinbroadway]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 9:29pm

Slightly OT.
I LOVE Margo..who doesn't?...you know that game..."name the 5 people you would invite to a dinner party"?
Who does NOT have Margo on their list!
Thanks for all your tidbits, history, and knowledge!

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 10:11pm

Everybody loves Margo... and rightfully so.

[Smartful Dodger]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 10:23pm

It will be very interesting to see where the reviews land. I saw the first preview here in New York and just returned home from the opening. Everyone -- and I mean EVERYONE -- was ON tonight. The stuff that seemed jerry-rigged to fit the new cast earlier, now works wonderfully. I was actually surprised. And, as someone who has "this show imprinted on his DNA" having seen it during the original run (I think it was Margo, who tagged us), I was astonished that I saw so many new things tonight. Truly, 'twas wonderful -- no matter how cynical I get about what commerce has done to art.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 10:28pm

Watching my tape of Martha from today, and they just showed an ad for the 11pm news just to tell us they're reviewing ACL tonight. Keep an eye out!

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 10:35pm

I love me some Michael Paternostro....

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 10:38pm

Thank you for these Even if they are up and down...

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 10:39pm

What time is the Times review going to be available?

[Smartful Dodger]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 10:40pm

Brantley's review should appear sometime between 11:00 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. EDT.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 10:44pm

Thanks!

[Smaxie]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 10:45pm

The Times has been up for a little while. He calls it "pedestrian," I'm afraid.
New York Times - A Chorus Line

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 10:52pm

Ouch

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 11:05pm

I really don't understand Brantley. The beginning of his review calls it "otherwise pedestrian," but then he's pretty positive, especially as Brantley goes. And I understand that the rave parts of the review consist of Brantley's raving of the material, but if the material is so fab and this production is so close to the original, what gives? He's probably justified to say that it feels "recycled," as he does because of course some of the spark is going to be missing, but this is one of those cases in which I wonder if it's impossible for him to say anything nice without a counteracting jab. It's almost like he's made a conscious decision that he cannot truly like anything and feels he must hold to that.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 11:07pm

YIKES!! Did have a few positives though.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 11:13pm

No one will miss Brantley when he retires. I'm sure that's why he's such a ****in his reviews.

And I owe this year to Margo!

[addisonmill]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 11:18pm

I didn't appreciate his treatment of D'Amboise... I thought she acted the part perfectly.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 11:20pm

I'm not sure he could have been any clearer about what was wondrous, those first five minutes. Nor could he have been any clearer in illustrating while the rest of it doesn't achieve that high-water mark. I mean he lays it out clearly.

This line resonated for me as somebody who loved the original and was looking forward to the revival until that press introduction a few months ago: "It doesn’t feel fair to the cast members to have them stand in the same poses and the same clothes as their predecessors, on whom the roles were custom-fitted."

As soon as I saw that stupid ascot and that ugly-ass reproduction of the Zach sweater, I thought, "uh-oh."

[NYadgal]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 11:20pm

Jeffrey Lyons just gave it a good review on the NYC 11pm news.

"Theatre magic. A show for the ages."

He gave Charlotte kudos.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 11:20pm

Honestly, I don't find Brantley's review that bad. I just saw the show tonight, and it was AMAZING. I didn't see the original production, so for me this was a new experience. The only things Brantley didn't seem to like were things that he compares to the original. But, we don't necessarily have to assume that just because the staging is the same that the actors all have to take the same take on their characters as the original cast members did. I thought, with this version as a stand alone performance, Diedre was awesome as Sheila (not necessarily vocally). If comparing her to Kelly Bishop, then I can see why people would disagree, but this is a revival afterall. When Sweeney was revived, did anyone complain that Patti was bad because she didn't play the exact same Mrs. Lovett as Angela Lansbury? No. So overall, I think Brantley is saying the performance was good, but compared to the original, it had some weak spots. But that's ok, since many people didn't have the chance to see the original.
-BJH

EDIT: And P.S., Brantley's treatment of Charlotte was totally fair. She was the only weak thing about the show (her acting fine, her dancing slightly unenergized, her singing pretty bad. Updated On: 10/5/06 at 11:20 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 11:23pm

"When Sweeney was revived, did anyone complain that Patti was bad because she didn't play the exact same Mrs. Lovett as Angela Lansbury?"

Ah, but they might have had they put her in Lansbury's costume, on the exact same set, with the exact same movements and not any deviation from them.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 11:25pm

But they're two different kinds of revivals. Sweeney was an artistic adaptation type revival, whereas Chorus Line is simply being revived to bring a hit musical to a new generation. So they didn't want to change anything about the set and costumes. That doesn't mean that the actors don't have individual artistic freedom.

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 11:31pm

Do you guys think this show is too "old school" to appeal to a family who is more accustomed and into the "wicked" generation of musicals?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 11:33pm

But you're proving my point. You can't complain that people compare the present to the past of something that is "simply being revived" and then say that people didn't do the same thing over a recent "artistic adaptation type revival."

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 11:35pm

I agree with brantley on his comments on D'Amboise.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 10/5/06 at 11:36pm

I am not the biggest fan of Brantley (who is) but, I thought this review was very well written and he got his point across very well. He really took care in explaining why this production does not take off, for him. I thought this was one of his best and he had very little indulgences in this review.
Updated On: 10/5/06 at 11:36 PM