#1
Posted: 6/13/07 at 11:23am
What were they thinking?
Hunter Foster has a great voice, but they might have wanted to audition him for the role as he could not sing this show. Not to mention he had none of the lovable loser charm needed to pull off the role.
Sally Struthers was great as Jeanette. I was not fond of her Dolly last year, but this one was a good role for her.
Nick Dalton as Ethan was excellent. So much so it felt like he was in another show. The guy playing Malcolm was good too. Beautiful voice.
I have seen Milton Craig Neely play Horse in a few other productions and be GREAT, but it just did not land here.. though ‘Big Black Man’ was a hit... he was utterly forgettable and detached in the rest of the show.
Dave and Harold were just OK. Other than Jeanette and Ethan, the performances were utterly lackluster.
The director/choreographer has staged the national tour (I assume the non equity one), and it was 3rd generation O’Brien. Nothing new at all attempted here. The choreography was sorely unexciting. The set was OK but the staff was clueless at how to move it seamlessly. The stage hands were visible in scenes, did not bother to wear blacks, nor were some changes attempted in the dark.
The crappy sound, noise, unmonitored levels and missed cues and broken mikes was just abysmal. It defeated any moment in the show that was bordering on being good. It is really inexcusable.
The completely armature technical aspects of the show is reminiscent of when community theatre rents professional sets. OP just can not handle shows like this and it makes me wonder how thy will manage the upcoming CRAZY FOR YOU, LA CAGE, KING AND I and HAIRSPRAY.
Fortunately the Playhouse got the audience tanked before the show so they were a rowdy crowd, but the show still only got ¼ the laughs it usually gets.
Unfortunately the playhouse got its audience tanked before the show, so there were more bathroom breakers, people on cell phones, and others trying to have full on conversations with Sally from the audience.
I would have left at intermission, but the Playhouse is smart enough to park the cars in a big block, god forbid someone have an emergency and have to go.
The lights went down at 8:20 for the show to begin, but we were then treated to a rambling curtain speech from the Artistic Director. We learned it is the 75th season, their biggest and longest yet, including a 3rd return of MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL and a second Run of FULL MONTY (how fortunate). We also learned that Lorenzo Lamas would be The King in THE KING AND I, Rue McClanahan will be MOTHER in CRAZY FOR YOU along with the geriatric Beverly Ward as Polly, and Hairspray will star Eddie Mecca as Wilbur and Ryan Landry as Edna. Ryan Landry? He is such a bitter boring drag act in Boston. He was so awful in last year’s Cinderella! He needs to learn to be funny.. no just rely on people thinking a man in a dress is funny.. because this is not Vadeville! He will make Travolta’s film performance seem layered, nuanced and real. I guess Bucks County is being reborn in Ogunquit!
Hunter Foster has a great voice, but they might have wanted to audition him for the role as he could not sing this show. Not to mention he had none of the lovable loser charm needed to pull off the role.
Sally Struthers was great as Jeanette. I was not fond of her Dolly last year, but this one was a good role for her.
Nick Dalton as Ethan was excellent. So much so it felt like he was in another show. The guy playing Malcolm was good too. Beautiful voice.
I have seen Milton Craig Neely play Horse in a few other productions and be GREAT, but it just did not land here.. though ‘Big Black Man’ was a hit... he was utterly forgettable and detached in the rest of the show.
Dave and Harold were just OK. Other than Jeanette and Ethan, the performances were utterly lackluster.
The director/choreographer has staged the national tour (I assume the non equity one), and it was 3rd generation O’Brien. Nothing new at all attempted here. The choreography was sorely unexciting. The set was OK but the staff was clueless at how to move it seamlessly. The stage hands were visible in scenes, did not bother to wear blacks, nor were some changes attempted in the dark.
The crappy sound, noise, unmonitored levels and missed cues and broken mikes was just abysmal. It defeated any moment in the show that was bordering on being good. It is really inexcusable.
The completely armature technical aspects of the show is reminiscent of when community theatre rents professional sets. OP just can not handle shows like this and it makes me wonder how thy will manage the upcoming CRAZY FOR YOU, LA CAGE, KING AND I and HAIRSPRAY.
Fortunately the Playhouse got the audience tanked before the show so they were a rowdy crowd, but the show still only got ¼ the laughs it usually gets.
Unfortunately the playhouse got its audience tanked before the show, so there were more bathroom breakers, people on cell phones, and others trying to have full on conversations with Sally from the audience.
I would have left at intermission, but the Playhouse is smart enough to park the cars in a big block, god forbid someone have an emergency and have to go.
The lights went down at 8:20 for the show to begin, but we were then treated to a rambling curtain speech from the Artistic Director. We learned it is the 75th season, their biggest and longest yet, including a 3rd return of MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL and a second Run of FULL MONTY (how fortunate). We also learned that Lorenzo Lamas would be The King in THE KING AND I, Rue McClanahan will be MOTHER in CRAZY FOR YOU along with the geriatric Beverly Ward as Polly, and Hairspray will star Eddie Mecca as Wilbur and Ryan Landry as Edna. Ryan Landry? He is such a bitter boring drag act in Boston. He was so awful in last year’s Cinderella! He needs to learn to be funny.. no just rely on people thinking a man in a dress is funny.. because this is not Vadeville! He will make Travolta’s film performance seem layered, nuanced and real. I guess Bucks County is being reborn in Ogunquit!
Updated On: 6/13/07 at 11:23 AM
