Clumsy's review from 2-21-07:
I had a pretty open mind going in last night, having seen the Broadway production twice and adoring it. I got there and it was nice to see the curtain was the same. Bought a program book, which features a collage about the Broadway production, it was nice to see a nod to them. A nice picture of Cheyenne and Jenn was in that collage.
The show itself was pretty great. It was different as everyone has said. The opening being Jailhouse Rock was pretty well-received; it was a much more jumping start than the original opening of the Broadway production. The scene between Lorranie, Dennis and Natalie before Heartbreak Hotel was great. I liked that Lorranie finds outs that Dennis likes Natalie, it was very cute.
Performances were pretty fantastic. Jenny Fellner was such a fantastic Natalie/ED, her "One Night with You" and "Fools Fall in Love" was so great: Her voice is so fantastic. Jenn was adorable, spunky and amazing, and Jenny was those things as well. Her change into Ed on stage was different, but okay with me.
Joe Mandragona was hysterical as Chad, he acted alittle different than Cheyenne did in the original production: Cheyenne was very suave and cool, as was Joe, but Cheyenne seemed to have more vibrato than Joe. Joe sang the role great. His attitude was great, and his suaveness was great. Very good performance.
Jannie Jones was no Sharon Wilkins, but she had a pretty great voice. She did the role well, but I missed Sharon’s loudness and attitude. Sharon’s “There’s Always Me.” brought down the house, Jannie’s was pretty good, and got the audience to its feet, but nothing like Sharon.
Brian Sears was a pretty great Dean, he was goofy and charming, goofier than Curtis, but he sang the role very well. His “Son, you’re a black man” reaction was hysterical. He was very good. He had the chance to be in the original cast for like a week.
Dennis Moench was a great Dennis, he didn’t seem as high-pitched or loud as Mark Price, but he was pretty funny. He was taller than Joe, so every time Joe would say “Little man.” I would laugh because Joe was shorter than Dennis. “It Hurts Me” was great! He has such a great voice. Mark Price was just so hysterical, this guy had Dennis down.
Valisia Lekae Little was a pretty good Lorranie; she had a deeper voice than Nikki, which made her seem older than she appeared. Nikki was cute and a powerhouse, Valisia was a great singer, but I liked Nikki’s acting of Lorranie better. “That’s’ All Right” was pretty fantastic, she has a great voice. Good performance none the less.
Susan Anton is a freaking giant. She towered over Joe. Susan was pretty good, but I missed Leah and even Jenny Lynn’s snooty-yet sexy-yet upscale. Susan’s “Let Yourself Go” was very good, but Leah will always be Miss Sandra. Her height kind of was distracting.
Wally Dunn was a good Jim Haller, I loved when he came out “Chad-ified”, it was hilarious. I think he was good, but again, Jonathan Hadary had that balance between the comedy and the seriousness, as did Wally, but it just seemed more authentic when Jonathan did it.
Beth Glover sounded like Judy Garland on crack, it was hysterical. She was a complete 180 from the campy shrillness of Alix Korey. The changes to “Devil In Disguise” were pretty funny, but not sure it was needed, but was very hysterical. She had a very nice voice as well, and was hysterical during the reveal about Dean’s father.
The ensemble lacked the personality of the Broadway cast; no standouts like Michelle Kittrell, Anika Larsen, Justin Patterson, Brad Anderson, Trisha Jefferys, Karen Murphy and Cara Cooper were on Broadway. They could dance very well, but they lacked the personality [I attribute that to the elimination of the lines of some of the ensemble.] My favorite moment for them was during the reveal about Dean, when Matlida says “Son, You’re a black man.”. One ensemble member did the brother sign
Overall, it was a nice night. Some good performances and the music is still amazing. I met Jenny, Brian, Susan, and Joe. They were very nice, and one crew guy recognized me for my All Shook Up love on here. It was pretty awesome. I may get some of my friends together and go back. With all the changes, some things are a miss from the Broadway production, the heart of the show has changed, but it is a pretty good show none the less. Its just I missed the Broadway production and it was a difficult to see the changes or a scene lacking the magic from Broadway.
"Anybody that goes to the theater, I think we’re all misfits, so we ended up on stage or in the audience.” --- Patti LuPone.
