A Little Night Music. My Review.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 2:40am

I just came back from the show.
I'm not usually a fan of Sondheim's musicals, but I enjoyed this one.
I highly doubt this musical piece would be selling out nightly w/o Catherine Zeta Jones as the headliner. But the good news is that CZJ doesn't dissappoint. She sang the songs beautifully, and her acting was top notch. She was a goddess onstage, a lot like her Velma Kelly on screen at times. I couldn't take my eyes off of her, even though I'm not a fan of her film work(except for Chicago).
Angela Lansbury was also terrific in the show, although her singing was more talking than singing. She was the only person in the cast who couldn't really sing, but I certainly enjoyed her performance nevertheless.
Alexander Hanson was simply fabulous.
The show was filled with beautiful voices, simple sets and grat acting and orchestrations. Erin Davie, Hunter Hedlika, Leigh Ann Larkin and Ramona Mallory were terrific!!!
Glad I got to see this. It was quite magical.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 9:34am

Angela was the only person in the cast who couldn't really sing,

Oh boy.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 9:41am

I was about to post LITERALLY the same thing, adamgreer. "Oh boy" was the only thing that came to mind...

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 10:06am

I am both horrified and speechless after reading this "review." Ridiculous.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 10:10am

Angela would NEVER make it on American Idol.

Or Britain's Got Talent ---- she's not even as good as Susan Boyle!

Updated On: 1/6/10 at 10:10 AM

[SweetOscar]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 10:15am

You're horrified and speechless?

Well that's why it's not YOUR review.

It's the opinion of someone else.

The only thing that is 'ridiculous' is your response...bashing someone else.

MUSCLE23: Thanks for the review....it was refreshing to hear.

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 10:21am

I stopped caring after, "I'm not usually a fan of Sondheim's musicals."

So...you don't think Angela Lansbury can sing and you thought Hunter Ryan Herdlicka was terrific?

Hmmm...

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 10:22am

To say that Angela Lansbury was the only person in the cast who couldn't really sing is such an insult to the 5-time Tony Award winner - especially since four of those Tony Awards were from musicals.

Thanks for your review, muscle. It was truly refreshing to hear and a joy to read. I can't wait to read your reviews of HAIR and IN THE HEIGHTS and TIME STANDS STILL. What would BroadwayWorld do without you??

[artscallion]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 10:35am

"What would BroadwayWorld do without you??"

We'd finally have room for some good looking German couples!

[ElizabethAngela]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 10:53am

Angela can sing. It just depends on what she is singing. She was dubbed in her earlier years, I heard in an interview with her, because her voice was too high-pitched for what they were looking for in a dance hall girl in "The Harvey Girls." But I love her own singing voice in "Til the Clouds Roll By" - "How'd You Like To Spoon With Me?" As for "Liaisons," I heard the full recording, and I love it. I think "Liaisons" is supposed to be more spoken than sung anyhow, isn't it?

[AngusN]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 10:59am

Although I disagree with the statement that Angela 'can't sing' because, unless you're mute, everyone can sing. I do agree with the idea; I've never doubted her acting ability, but think her singing ability leaves a lot to be desired. Her tone is quite unpleasant, and her range is limited.

[artscallion]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 11:12am

I wish we had more singers like Angela. We've moved away from the "character" singers who made shows of the past interesting to listen to. As Sondheim says, people who can act on key as opposed to just impressively singing. Today's singers all sound the same...generic. That's why they can all replace Elphaba, one after the other, without any one even noticing.

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 11:18am

Who cares if someone can't necessarily sing...if they're acting their face off and you believe every word that comes out of their mouth then it shouldn't matter!

I'd rather see someone acting the song than just simply singing it any day. That's the difference between talented and untalented IMO (as far as musical theatre is concerned).

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 11:25am

Angela's "Liaisons" is the best I've ever heard. It is perfectly acted and very well sung. Criticizing her singing voice on "Liaisons" makes no sense to me at all.

Now if she tried to sing "Green Finch and Linnet Bird," maybe we'd have a real case here...

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 12:02pm

I actually was raving about Lansbury's performance. Her character doesn't require a "singer", so she was perfect for it.
Her acting was great.
But if we compare her singing to some of the tenors of the show, or the magnificent soprano or Ramona's or Erin's, or the contraalto sound of CZJ, I don't care how many Tonys she has, but her singing is not comparable, it was more of a talking-singing (a la Rue Mc Lanahan).
The same thing was said about Glenn Close when she won a Tony for SUNSET, she wasn't the best singer, but she acted the part of Norma like no one else. Anyways, I don't want to bring up old subjects back or expect everyone to agree with what I thought, but there is a lack of respect on this board to whoever thinks differently, maybe some of you should take a chill pill. Take it easy boys. I don't mind if you have a different opinion. It's still OK!

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 12:08pm

Oh, I forgot to mention that Lucie Arnaz and Candice Bergen were both in the audience.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 12:16pm

Muscle--I'm not sure you realize that saying "I'm not usually a fan of Sondheim's musicals" around here is like saying "I hate Jesus" or "I hate the flag" or "I hate puppies."

I think you might have meant something else by it, but it comes off as a snub to everyone who respects his writing.

It's like saying, "I'm not usually a fan of Shakespeare..." or "I'm not usually a fan of Mozart..." or "I'm not usually a fan of Michelangelo..."

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 12:20pm

I thought he was just stating a bias and then went on to explain how he overcame it for this production.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 12:41pm

Comparing an 82 year old's voice to those of 20-40 year olds is what is ridiculous, not to mention getting upset when you are criticized for your critique.

I'd check out her vocals in Mame, Gypsy, Prettybelle, Dear World and Sweeney Todd...and the title song to Beauty and the Beast soundtrack (she was in her sixties!)

"Anyways" is STILL not a word, and Miss Jones is not a contralto.

Updated On: 1/6/10 at 12:41 PM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 12:48pm

I think you might have meant something else by it, but it comes off as a snub to everyone who respects his writing.

Oh, come on.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 12:51pm

I'm glad you enjoyed it muscle, and I wish I could say the same for myself. I pretty much hated the entire production-Lansbury included.

And as PJ said, hating Sondheim or Lansbury is basically saying "I think homosexuality is a sin" on these boards. But I do love Sondheim, I especially love Night Music as I think it joins Guys and Dolls and other classics as a pretty much fool-proof show, as evident from the shows reaction when I saw it.

Lansbury and Erin Davie received generous laughter because what they were saying was funny (Hugh Wheeler's book is filled with brilliant one liners), but HOW they said it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. Davie was indeed playing the part sad and hysterical, which is not her fault as that was how the actress in London played it as well. Nunn wanted Charlotte to have her heart on her sleeve, and to me, that just didn't work. There were brief, fleeting moments of line delivery when Davie had Charlotte nailed, and I assume this was something she added in after Nunn left, as they really are brief moments and Davie really just sneaks them in there, rather than incorporate them into her portrayal.

Everyone in the cast can sing, Lansbury included, although at 84, you can't expect her to sing "Soon" or "The Miller's Son" like the actresses in this production are. The voices are indeed better than in London. MUCH BETTER. But no one, and I mean no one, seems to understand the light, elegant, frothiness of the piece. And if they do, then perhaps it's Nunn's strong grip on the entire production that masks it, as every action, every line reading, and every lyric is done with the elegance and frothiness of a clumsy elephant: tripping and stomping all over.

This is extremely true of Ramona Mallory, Hunter Herdlicka, and Catherine Zeta Jones. Ms. Mallory is quite beautiful with a voice that equals her looks, and she is obviously quite talented. But she plays Anne on the brink of a retard. I know that sounds vulgar, but then again, so is this production. The performance is more in the right direction than the London counterpart, who played Anne similar to Charlotte: always crying and DEEPLY emotional, as if it were a Lifetime movie and not a comedy. It's as if Sondheim gave the tiniest note to Nunn "Um, anne should be a little more...fluttery" and Nunn took it and pushed it to the extreme, and poor Ms. Mallory has to endeavor this on stage.

Herdlicka has a pleasant enough voice and he's handsome, but his Henrik is all over the place. Mugging for laughs at one moment and dead-panning "Later" the next. Speaking of his "Later", Nunn should be hit with a stick for having him walk all over the place. And without purpose, I might add. It's literally just wandering, and when he goes back to the cello, it's completely ridiculous, too. He just stands there, blankly, and randomly walks back like a robot. Herdlicka's Act 2 is better, as is Mallory's but both are just so incredibly misdirected. And whoever told Herdlicka to belt the high note in "Later" should be punished somehow.

Ms. Jones, while beautiful, and not at all nervous on the stage plays Desiree with the elegance and grace of Velma Kelly. I know that joke has been made beofre but it's really true. She belts all of her lyrics ("The Glamorous Life", "You Must Meet My Wife" and yes, even "Send in the Clowns"), and basically looks out at the audience or up to the ceiling during all of her line deliveries. She never connects with anyone on stage, even Fredrika played well enough by Keaton Whittaker, and it makes you not care for her Desiree AT ALL. I recall during "Send in the Clowns" I was wondering to myself, "Why should I care? You've been recklessly destroying one marriage and trying to ruin another." Her Desiree had no heart, no style, and no grace. What made Hannah Waddingham a very likable Desiree, was that she had those three elements in spades.

Alexander Hanson pretty much walks through the part of Frederik until the last scene. This may be a director and actor choice, trying to portray how Frederik has been unhappy all this time and is finally woken up from his dull life, but it didn't work for me. It was not just his scenes he was walking through but his songs. Of course, the incredibly slow tempos helped not one bit. In London they were rushed too much and the scenes dragged too long. Now the songs are dragged out too long as well. Making the show clock in at just under 3 hours. Trevor Nunn's ideal running time.

Leigh Ann Larkin sang well enough but her performance was very...selfish. That sounds odd but it really was. Every scene she was in she was trying to steal focus. You could hear the eagerness in her line readings to maintain the audiences attention. Milking laughs from doing odd vocal inflections on her lines and lyrics, especially during "The Miller's Son", which Brantley was actually right on when he said it played more like an audition for a strip club. There was also an odd moment when Larkin had a moment with Davie after, pulling up a bench for her and offering her the bottle of alcohol. It was very forced and just...odd.

Now Lansbury. She's a legend and Broadway's sweetheart, and for good reason. At 84 she's still got the stamina of an ox and good for her for that. But I did not like her performance at all. Blasphemy, I know, and every vulcher on here will swoop in and pick me apart but I don't care. Lansbury played Armfeldt the same way she played Madame Arcati: batty, daffy, buggy eyed and twitchy. It did not vibe well with me at all. It also didn't gel with Armfeldt's lines, saying how wise she is and acting as if she were holding on to her last two marbles. Lansbury's Armfeldt was the typical grandmother. As opposed to Regina Resnik or Maureen Lipman, who played her as the unconventional grandmother. Of course, there was a great deal of love between Lansbury and Whittaker, which was needed since Whittaker wasn't getting any love from Zeta-Jones.

Yes, I took this opportunity to post my thoughts, and they're very very negative, which doesn't go over very well with people on these boards. But alas, that's my opinion. The night wasn't entirely painful because, as I said, I think that Night Music is pretty much fool proof. It's gorgeous music with wonderful lyrics that are very funny at times and a hysterical book with one-liners that are guaranteed to get laughter simply because they're THAT good. The good news is that Night Music is back on Broadway for people to appreciate. The bad news is that THIS is the production we're given. What this production needs is Michael Blakemore's comedic timing, Bartlett Sher's style and NONE of Trevor Nunn's "elegance."

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 12:53pm

Ugh. WHAT ABOUT THE GOOD LOOKING GERMAN COUPLE??? How they doin?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 1:00pm

How is Barbara Cook's voice holding up?

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 1:02pm

wickedfan, thanks for such an in depth review. And although I don't agree with all you say, it's refreshing to hear such a unique, different opionion.
I did connect with CZJ though, and in the beginning I also thought I was watching Velma Kelly, but then I forgot about Velma and started to see her as Desiree.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 1:06pm

"Ugh. WHAT ABOUT THE GOOD LOOKING GERMAN COUPLE??? How they doin?"

He will come over to your place tonight, I gave him your address and told him you needed to get some. You've been quite bitchy lately. LMAO!