okay, I'm gonna kind of skip over all the Tina!Julia talk for a minute haha
I personally could not agree LESS with some of the statements made in the podcast. Stephen and Laura were my two MAIN reasons for loving the show as much as I DID! Well, them and Amy Spanger because she is a godess :P But seriously,
especially Stephen. I'm sorry but there is simply NO ONE funnier or more loveable or more perfect for that role than Stephen Lynch. Yes, I'm biased because I have been obsessed with him since like 7 years ago when his comedy central special first aired, but really. Even looking at it from as unbiased a viewpoint as I possibly can, I STILL think he was just plain brilliant. He's just the master at that kind of humor- more so than even Adam Sandler himself imo! Adam Sandler annoys me. Stephen does not at all.
Now Laura I can understand why some people might not have felt she quite fit the role. I, however, ADORED her. Disregarding the fact that her voice is just ridiculously gorgeous and pleasant to listen to, 1)she and Stephen had some of THE best, most adorable chemistry I've ever seen and 2)Laura is a true actress. She made the part SO much more interesting than it ever even should have been. Whether or not she really made sense in the role didn't matter in the end, because she was a good enough actress that she
determined what Julia's quirks were and what her personality was like. She made the role fit her; she didn't have to make herself fit the role. Tina was adorable- and a SWEETIE at the stagedoor, but that's besides the point- but she was adorable simply because she's a very cute person with a naturally bubbly personality. Laura was adorable and likeable because she MADE the role adorable and likeable.
Lastly, I'm not quite sure what he meant by "not enough heart was put into it", but if he meant into the performances, once again I couldn't disagree more. I thought that was one of the shows absolute greatest strengths- that the cast DID have SO much heart. I never felt happier leaving a theater than I did after seeing that show, and that's because happyness and heart completely exuded off that stage at all times- from
everyone.
If the show failed, I think that's more simply because of the way theater and entertainment in general has become today. Broadway has gotten to the point where it costs so much to run a production that unless you're just one of the lucky shows who becomes "the next great thing", you're NOT going to be around very long. I mean think about it- what are the long running shows right now? Wicked, RENT, we can assume Spring Awakening; not all of them huge spectacles, but they all are progressive or huge in some way and so have been dubbed "the thing to see". Yes, Hairspray did very well probably because- I could be mistaken on this, but I think- it was one of the first jukebox musicals so it was new and fresh and people loved it. Jersey Boys was successful because, once again, for whatever reason it was chosen as "the thing to see". Not to say they ARENT great shows or don't deserve the credit they've been given, it's just when you really think about it, it's all pure luck. There are lots of AMAZING shows and only a select few get chosen for automatic success. And unfortunately with the industry the way it is the other great ones that dont get chosen just don't have the means to continue running. Wedding Singer was probably the most FUN show I've personally ever seen, but it wasn't edgy or progressive and it wasn't exactly a NEW style of show. So it just didn't garner the
attention it needed to succeed. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but I just feel that that's a lot more the reason for it closing than the performances or the heart. Because I felt that the performances and heart that went on that stage every night was what made me wish it HAD been able to succeed so very much.
WOW, I apologize for the waaaaaay super long ramble!
I don't need a life that's normal. That's way too far away. But something next to normal would be okay. Something next to normal is what I'd like to try. Close enough to normal to get by.
