I saw this tonight. Davies was out, Alison Cusano was on, and I was disappointed at first, but boy what a performance Cusano gave. It is a true, honest to goodness, exhaustingly powerhouse performance and if Davies is even half as good, she deserves all the raves in the world. Her voice is towering, her stage presence is completely magnetic, and her energy is seemingly inexhaustible. There were three full standing ovations, mid-show tonight, and two of them were for Cusano. The other was for the "I Shall Be Released" medley. (Random side note...there was a slip in the Playbill saying the roles usually played by Natasha Yvette Williams would be played by Allison Blackwell. But Williams isn't even in the Playbill. Did I miss something...?)
The level of talent on the stage is simply astounding, in every sense of the word. The other four women in the show are just fantastic. It's also nicely-mounted, particularly the suitably bold lighting design. Now, as a piece of theater, this is no great shakes. The book starts off as a rote, linear biography, and by time the second act rolls around, we've lost all sense of time and place and we're basically just watching a concert. The latter approach works much better with this piece, as I left knowing no more and no less about Joplin than I did walking in. But as a piece of
entertainment, you certainly get quite the show. There are moments here, particularly "Piece of My Heart" and "Ball & Chain," where I got goosebumps and truly felt electrified by what I was watching and hearing. Cusano is an absolute knockout and delivers the songs better than one could imagine. Oh, and the band is phenomenal.
The songs sang by "other characters" are basically just an excuse to give Janis a break, which is understandable. That's not to say they aren't entertaining or exciting to listen to, because they are, but they're also shoe-horned into the show. This could have, and should have, been a 100-minute "concert," instead of being a full two hour and twenty minutes long. But for all of the show's shortcomings, it's got a sensational cast, great music, and it's a really good time overall.
Side-note: If I'm not mistaken, this is being considered in the "play" categories at the Tonys, correct? How is that possible...? There are more songs in the show than most musicals on Broadway now. It definitely is stretching the definition of a "play" to pretty extreme lengths.
And if anyone is wondering, I rushed the show. I got there around 6ish and was seated in Row E of the Orchestra, on the extreme side (partial view). I missed a bit of the stuff on the second tier, as well as some of Janis' moments that took place far stage left, but 80% of the show is staged front and center, so it wasn't anything detrimental.
Updated On: 10/1/13 at 12:14 AM
