Altar Boyz: Understudy talk!!! (reviews +) — Page 2

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#26

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Posted: 6/2/05 at 6:43pm

okay so i wasn't originally going to respond to this though it is my own thread. i thought that it would not be helpful for the show if one of their biggest fans on bww started spouting off erratic expletives thus possibly landing herself in h-e-double hockey sticks. i have finally calmed down and i must put in my two cents.

having said that, i find i could not resist commenting on just how vehemently i disagree with Flame's account of Kevin Kern and Daniel Torres's performance on Tuesday. i wrote a play by play review of the show which is lurking somewhere on this board but i just have to restate that having seen the show frequently, i honestly thought at times that the understudies out-danced some of the regular cast members.

it has taken me 3 months to pick a favorite Altar Boy from the regular cast and so in my eyes, it is damned difficult to top David Josefsberg. on Tuesday night, without a shadow of doubt in my mind, Daniel Torres stepped up to the plate and shined in the role of Abraham. this being his first time on as Abe is inconsequential in the light of his outstanding performance. i hate to take a moment and break from the gravity of my rhetoric but look at me in that copycat Abraham sweatshirt! i know i probably look 'chunky' in it too (my friends and i implored David to strip countless times to no avail) but believe me, like Daniel Torres, my body's SMOKIN'!!

speaking of smokin' people, Kevin Kern played the role of "Matthew--the hunk" flawlessly. his comedic timing did not deviate in the slightest from Scott Porter's usual delivery and he added riffs to Matthew's lines that were both refreshingly delightful and side-splittingly hilarious. i always make an effort to be conscious of the audience's reactions during the show and like Carymetorent, i heard none of this "snickering" you speak of, Flame. Get the HELL out! LOL

also, i believe Daniel's bow at the end was just a friendly push by Kevin in the spur of the moment and it has no grand underlying meaning of which i think Flame was seeking. i am also bewildered but not about the performances of these two gentlemen but about how anyone could be so disappointed in such a fantastic night at Altar Boyz. it's not that i am trying to disrespect another's opinion but i'm just baffled that our opinions could be so polar...

now that i've gotten that off my chest, time for some random eye candy:

Updated On: 6/2/05 at 06:43 PM

#27

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Posted: 6/3/05 at 12:37am

Just wanted to say that a.) that picture of Daniel and Kevin is hands down the cutest thing I've ever seen in my entire life, and b.) while I've yet to have the pleasure of seeing Daniel perform, I have seen Kevin go on as Matthew, and he was absolutely *wonderful.* He's got a phenominal singing voice, and took what is, in my eyes, a really flat and boring role and put some get new energy into it. He had a great delivery, and managed to get laughs out of lines I never expected to be funny. I really, really enjoyed him as Matthew.

#28

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Posted: 6/3/05 at 2:12am

Damn I didn't know he cut off all that beautiful hair he had....

"I am ready to disclaim my opinion, even of yesterday, even of 10 minutes ago, because all opinions are relative. One lives in a field of influences, one is influenced by everyone one meets, everything is an exchange of influences, all opinions are derivative. Once you deal a new deck of cards, you've got a new deck of cards." — Peter Brook

#29

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Posted: 6/3/05 at 2:15am

lol awww Goldie Locks...

#30

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Posted: 6/4/05 at 10:09pm

Hey, it's ColorOfFlame again to try and explain why I was so disappointed in the Altar Boyz understudies. Thanks for at least trying not to be too angry at me, Juliet, haha - I know how it is when you love a show. Please keep this in mind as you read the following: I'M NOT TRYING TO ARGUE. I just was deeply disappointed in Altar Boyz and I want very much to know whether it was the performance or the show.

I only thought it was necessary to mention that Abraham looked a little chunky because I had noted in the Playbill that he was the dance captain, and I was astonished at his stocky build - that's why I was asking the board whether he was indeed a dancer and whether anyone knew why he was the dance captain (yeah, I actually had a reason for posting - I didn't post in order to trash the show at all). Dance captains are usually dancers. Whenever I could take my eyes off of Tyler's proficient moves, I was trying not to notice Daniel's fumbling, bumbling legs.

Also, it wasn't his upper half that seemed a little stocky to me - and Juliet, your Abraham-esque sweatshirt is wonderful - it was actually his legs, which were encased in floppy, linen-like pants which added to this stocky, lazy appearance and seemed incongruent with the rest of the boys' costumes (which consisted of more appropriately tight jeans and cords). Daniel's acting was so "musical theatre", do you know what I mean? I guess I just usually expect a higher caliber from a graduate of CCM. He was constantly spreading his hands in a caricature of musical theatre acting - it was almost Guffman-ish.

As for Kevin Kern . . . during "The Call" - is that what "Jesus Called Me On My Cellphone" is called? - during the first verse, I was shocked at how little the actor was making it his own. In between lines of the first verse, as Kevin sat there on the stool, his face was blank in a way I didn't find humorous because it seemed all too much like a flailing actor. (Clearly I know you disagree with me, but perhaps you could try to at least imagine what I'm talking about. Does Scott Porter do anything funny, or is he similarly blank?) Of course I could find no fault with the boys' voices - they were all wonderful, albeit with Daniel's being a little bit more musical-theatre-vibrato than pop.

I think I just expected more unexpected laughs, more subversive humor, more deadpan, hilarious delivery, and less boring mugging at the audience from Juan (was the pointing at people in the audience really funny the 6th time he did it?).

The only person who COMPLETELY surprised me - and what is better than surprising theatre, where you don't see the joke coming from 400 miles away? - was Tyler. You probably will remember me as the boy sitting in the center of the audience and laughing in absolute hysterics at the blue hat Tyler donned right before his "Epiphany." (As for those embarrassed snickers, they were emanating mostly from directly in front of us, from a group who seemed to be on the same wavelength as my friend and I.)

Most of all, I expected SOMETHING - ANYTHING! - from Matthew, the paradoxically sexiest and most innocent Altar Boy. It's a character with awesome comic potential. I expected him to exhibit cool, smooth charm, or for his religious lyrics to be at odds with his sexual core . . . I expected not to know what to expect. I guess I was just expecting too much.

Thanks for listening. :)

"I am the sound of distant thunder, the color of flame." CARRIE the Musical

#31

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Posted: 6/5/05 at 12:08am

haha Flame, i'm still trying not to be too angry. you have certainly given my willpower a workout tonight. you said you wanted to know if it was the performance or the show, so this was your first time?

i have seen the show 9 to 10 times now and so when i went to see Daniel and Kevin, i basically concentrated on them. i did not however, see Daniel "fumbling" as you put it even though i watched him when someone else was in the spotlight and he was doing back-up dancing. if you go back to see the regular cast, you will also notice that Abraham's outfit makes David Josefsberg look stocky. (but really, his body is sooooo hot. LOL!! ) i agree with you in that it is quite noticably different from the costuming for the rest of the cast but it has nothing to do with Daniel or David but how the character was conceptualized. even us loyal fans wonder why Abe has to be wearing so much clothing! i guess it makes him look "different and out of place" and also pretty conservative. as for the pants though, David usually has loose, patched, and frayed green pants and the costume people gave Daniel different pants which were tighter and fitted that day. i don't know where you could have gotten the term "lazy" from but is it not due to the sweatshirt? seriously though, i know you keep saying pants this and legs that, but a sweatshirt makes anyone look lazy. that's what they're made for, lounging and whatnot.

here is where i'm not sure i know what you mean because i don't know what "musical theatre" hand gestures are compared to "pop" hand gestures. all i know is Abraham does a lot of "spreading out" hands gesturing because Juan keeps mentioning "jew" inadvertently.

as for Kevin's Matthew, i'm trying really hard to see through your eyes and i will try to address it the best way i can. by the way, "The Calling (Jesus called me on my cell phone)" did not have stools. the stools were broken out in Everybody Fits, Something about You (Baby), and Epiphany. i believe you are refering to Something About You so i will talk about that number. Scott Porter does indeed look blankly up at the audience like Kevin did when he performs this one. here are some pictures:

the reason he does this is because "Matthew" is supposed to be too innocent for his own good. he is not supposed to be "at odds" with his sexual core or at least not blatantly so. when i read your comment on this i laughed because that would indeed be a hilarious extention of the sweet little ingenue but it is not how the character is done here. Matthew's sexuality is supposed to be so removed from his own awareness that he is honest to God, confused about his Levi's. he is only charming as far as his sexiness and his overall "goodness" goes but Matt has a lot of dorky awkwardness in him as exhibited by the "fake acting" in Genesis of the Altar Boyz and explaining the soul particles in the Soul Sensor DX12. Matthew as a character, does not have the sexual prowess of Juan and he does not choose to sing about abstinence as a wink to the audience. he really IS that clueless which adds to the overall humor of the storyline. after all of this i'm trying to say that Kevin portrayed Matthew excellently and i really believe your expectations had more to do with what you thought "Matthew should have been" rather than "Kevin did a bad job," you know what i mean?

speaking of Juan, his points to the audience were getting a little old until he discovered where his parents were and pointed randomly at a guy in the audience and went, "we still have many souls to save....especially his!' LOL!!

come on, that one was gooood. haha! Juan's just a sucker for the ladies, especially the one sitting around seat D 103. don't be picking on him because he didn't mack on you! LOL i'm just kidding...

i'm glad you enjoyed Tyler and have so much praise for him as he deserves every bit of it and more. since this reply has gone on forever, i won't take the time to join you in the praise as there will be countless opportunities for me to do so in the future.

as far as expectations go, i'm sorry i can't place myself in your shoes as i went to see the show in previews and never heard a thing about it before i got to experience it for myself. the humor in it made me laugh for the longest time since i can remember and that's why i think it deserves all the energy i put into it as a fan. i would suggest you go back to see the show and see how you like the full regular cast. though personally, i still stick by everything i said about the understudies and how they kicked it with the freaky R-H-Y-T-H-M and tore it up on the dance floor Tuesday night!

just because i feel badly for pointing out Scott's dorkiness, here's a totally scorching picture of him:

Updated On: 6/5/05 at 12:08 AM

#32

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Posted: 6/5/05 at 12:24am

:) You're great, thanks.

"I am the sound of distant thunder, the color of flame." CARRIE the Musical

Updated On: 6/5/05 at 12:24 AM

#33

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Posted: 6/5/05 at 2:13am

First I want to say that I love the show and have seen it with both understudies in as multiple roles. I recently reviewed Kevin as Mark and after reading "Flames" comments I was embarrassed by what I had previously written. Thank you "Flame" for showing me what a true Ass I had made out of myself.
I did infact see Kevin as Matthew and thought he was amazing. I think he is an awesome actor and brings a lot to the role. I couldn't disagree with your assesment of his "Matthew" any more. Thats just my humble opinion.
As far as I know, there are two standby's and both cover all 5 roles. I think they take turns playing these roles which one would assume is decided upon the Stage Manager. It is impossible for one guy to fit all 5 of these characters perfectly. Just thinking about it gives me a headache! The sheer fact that they found these two outrageously talented men to do this difficult task is a major Kudos to the show.
As for comment's about Daniel...I have seen him go on as Mark and he was most impressive. His dancing was great, his singing was phenomenal and he was "side splittingly" funny. Ummm this is coming from Tyler Maynard's biggest fan. ha ha! I am sure there are a lot of us out there! But seriously, Tyler is so skinny and yet I didn't notice ANY problem with Daniel's size when he went on for Mark (much tighter shirt and brown cords) TOO CUTE!
To clarify any questions about the bows...it is KNOWN that when an understudy is making his debut in a role they usually get their own bow. When I saw Kevin go on as Matthew they did the exact same thing. To answer your question obviously it was his first time playing Abe and the rest of the cast wanted to acknowledge the accomplishment.
To me... you come across as a hungry dance captain who needs to finish there plate before seeing a show. Sorry that just makes me chuckle. I am truly sorry you didn't enjoy Altar Boyz. In my humble opinion I don't think you would have enjoyed it had you seen all 5 original actors. The fact that you could only say good things about Tyler points that out. But people have even said bad things about TYLER believe it or not. People are going to have there favorites and everyone is entitled to there own opinion. Again thank you for setting me straight. Better luck on your next audition for Altar Boyz.

This post has been edited. I should have done like the girl before and waited before I wrote. Some times my tongue can get away from me.

Updated On: 6/5/05 at 02:13 AM

#34

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Posted: 6/5/05 at 10:08am

oh my god bwdreams you changed your opinion too! i actually forgot what you had previously said before you edited all your posts because Flame was more criticizing so i kinda picked on him (sorry!). believe it or not, i wrote that second long ass comment immediately after seeing Flame's comment so it probably doesn't hold as much punch as my usual retorts and my mouth 'was getting away from me' too. lol!! in all seriousness, i'm so thrilled these understudies are getting the props they deserve.

flame: i disagree with bwdreams in one aspect. please go see the show again, maybe rush it for cheap, and see the full cast go on. again, i love the understudies and i go JUST for them sometimes but as an overall lover of the show, i really recommend a second viewing for you. oh and i also don't share bwdreams's attitude about you being bitter. you loved Tyler because no one could help themselves but feel that way about his performance when they see the show. he is such an award-winning talent, literally, and if the promos do their jobs, soon the whole city will know it! please give it another chance, i think you'll be an altarholic yet! peace out! (never gets old lol

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Updated On: 6/5/05 at 10:08 AM

#35

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Posted: 6/5/05 at 12:02pm

i love daniel torres and kevin kern. they are amazing people and I hope i can see one of them perform really soon!

"But I relish every brillant inspired moment. This is who I'm determined to be- an actor/singer/dancer-no, I take that back, this is who I am. These people are my tribe, my destiny. I know it. -How I Paid for College; A story of sex, theft, friendship and musical theater.

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