Annie Preview Thread- Page 3
Annie Preview Thread
#50Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 1:51pmThat picture is very cool-looking...I can't wait to hear first preview reports tonight. I've never seen Annie onstage before and I'm particularly excited to see what Katie Finneran does with Hannigan.
morosco
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
#51Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 2:12pmThat looks more like a painted drop or scrim? (or, dare I say it, the show curtain?)
#52Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 2:21pm^I believe that's what was meant by "pre-show set up."
#53Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 5:12pm
The merchandise display is horrendous. 
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
AGermano
Stand-by Joined: 6/27/11
CurtainPullDowner
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
#56Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:25pm
You mean the performance? No.
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"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#57Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:28pmLilla Crawford is a real find!! And Anthony Warlow was outstanding too. Left the show with a huge smile on my face...and I am still smiling right now. It was pretty great (except for one flaw named Katie Finneran).
#58Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:29pmHow was J. Elaine Marcos? I read elsewhere that Lily St. Regis was reduced to an Asian stereotype.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
#59Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:36pm
I'm getting home from the show tonight and it's a mixed bag, but the good far outweighs the bad; most of what I took issue was fairly minor except for one performance.
Unfortunately the show starts out with a complaint- they have cut the overture! Reinstate the overture! Do it now! Instead they open the show with a stupid newsreel telling us about the depression and explaining the historical political and social landscape. Cut the damn newsreel and play the overture!
Lilla Crawford is nothing short of brilliant as Annie. She is funny, tough, delightful and very, very winning. Many people focus on stunt-casting Hannigan, but the show sinks or floats by the titular character, and as long as Crawford is manning the ship it will stay afloat. Her belt gave me chills in "Maybe" and "Tomorrow." She has remarkable chemistry with Anthony Warlow, and the two of them together are giving the best performances in musicals (so far) this season.
The one gripe I had with Annie and all the orphans is they have been directed to talk like the Newsies. At any moment I was worried one of them would start trying to sell "papes." I appreciate that these orphans are ragtag street kids, but the accents are SO thick that it's a bit overkill. Maybe give Pepper the worst accent and have the others pull back a bit.
The group of orphans though are fantastic. "It's a Hard Knock Life" is cute and "Never Fully Dressed" was a highlight. They should start shopping that number around on the morning talk shows.
Like I mentioned above Warlow is awesome. I mean what has taken this guy so long to come to Broadway?! Complete love for this actor, and "I Don't Need Anything But You" had me grinning from ear to ear.
Brynn O'Malley sounds good, but her hair is weird and wears goofy glasses. I thought she looked like Mia Farrow in Zelig ha. She wasn't exactly nebbish, but a little nerdy?
The set is sometimes sparse, especially during "NYC." The stage needs up looking a little empty and the choreography isn't big enough to fill the space. "NYC" just needed to be a bigger show stopper.
Warbucks' mansion has a cute idea in which the rooms open up like a storybook as Annie walks through the walls that servants keep pushing past her. The problem is the "pages" look a tad cheap and ready to fall apart! It's bad to have the rich character have a house that's crumbling. The place does spruce up nicely for Christmas though.
Now for the bad: Katie Finneran. Sometimes a really good actor can give a really bad performance, or at least appear to be at sea with what performance to give. This one was all over the place. Right now it's half Marge MacDougall, half Varla Jean Merman. "Little Girls" was all over the map vocally. Sometimes whispered, sometimes shrieked- it was probably the low point of the evening for me. "Easy Street" landed with a thud, and was oddly undercut with the orphans dressed up as french maids in Hannigan's easy street fantasy. The three of them didn't even seem to be doing synchronized choreography at that point.
Look, I know it's the first preview, and Finneran is a pro and will find ways to start making this work, but tonight was a bumpy start.
Act Two was much better than Act One, and really whenever Hannigan wasn't on stage it was in great shape. Something should be said about how well-crafted Annie is. The book is zippy and funny and the score is well-integrated with the plot.
To illustrate the strength of this show, my favorite scene of the night was the Cabinet meeting. If this was a scene in say, Chaplin, it would be campy and a point of derision. Here watching politicians sing about optimism is poignant and down right heartwarming.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
Updated On: 10/3/12 at 11:36 PM
#61Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:42pmThey cut the overture?!?! That overture is classic. How was the orphanage set? It looked pretty intricate on that video that had David Korins talking about it.
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
#62Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:43pm
I'd tried to avoid reading about the show since I'm going next week, but thank you very much, Whizzer!
And is it true about J. Elaine as Lily? I hope not.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#63Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:44pm
ljay- I know we see a lot of stupid petitions started here, but really we need to create one for the return of the Annie overture.
givesmevoice- Lily is reduced to an Asian stereotype. I mean, Marcos is Asian, but she is Christmas Eve-ing it. The thing is the shtick didn't get too many laughs, but it's not like I was offended by it either. Instead of the typical bleach blonde ditz, she's now an Asian with poor English.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
Wynbish
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/27/12
#64Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:45pmWhizzer, how long is the newsreel? Could it work after an overture, like how Spamalot had the overture followed by the historian?
#65Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:47pm
No they really need to put that overture back in.
Okay, I get where they're going with the Lily characterization, but it's a fine line.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
#66Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:50pmIs the news reel projected on all the hanging clothes?
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
SondheimFan5
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/10
#67Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:50pm
Wow. Get that overture back in! I heard somewhere there are new orchestrations...how are they, and how big is the orchestra?
Also - any noticeable differences in terms of script/score/keys from the original?
#68Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:51pm
The newsreel isn't like 5 minutes or anything, but I think it's too long too play the overture and run the reel. Honestly we get it- you don't need to show us people in line to buy an apple in the newsreel. We will see it soon enough in the show.
The orphanage set is nice, and honestly it looks more stable than the Warbucks mansion! The kids all sleep in one bed, except Molly who sleeps in a drawer. There's a staircase that moves over when it turns from the bedroom into Hannigan's office.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
#69Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:52pmRe: Lily, I'm making a face, but I guess I'll see for myself in due time. Bleh. Thanks.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#70Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:54pmAre you kidding me with the Asian stereotype? Elaine Just finished one show at the palace where she was playing an Asian stereotype. This is really offensive to her talent.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
#71Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:57pm
I'm bad with being able to tell if keys were changed, I definitely don't think they changed any of Crawford's songs. I don't notice a few different orchestrations here and there, but they mostly felt like what is on the OBCR. The orchestra sounded of decent size. Not Follies/South Pacific, but not a Roundabout orchestra either.
The script has been trimmed for sure. Thankfully it hasn't fallen victim to the trend of adding facebook and twitter jokes. I know it's a period piece, but truly you never know. Luckily Pepper never updates her status or anything. They know the best way to play this show is honestly.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
degrassifan
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/23/08
#72Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/3/12 at 11:58pmI've always wondered why people say "EVERYBODY has seen Annie." Honestly, I've only seen the two films. Didn't even know the stage version had additional songs until recently.
#73Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/4/12 at 12:05amdegrassifan- I don't mean this in a snarky way at all, but how old are you? The reason I ask is because I feel for many people of a certain generation they grew up playing the Annie OBCR ad nauseam. Andrea McArdle owned those songs it was just one of those records that every kid knew inside and out. Maybe that's not the case anymore?
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
degrassifan
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/23/08
#74Annie Preview Thread
Posted: 10/4/12 at 12:11am
Oh no, I understand what you're saying. It's a show that everyone pretty much know the basic story, but not every single detail. So, I get annoyed when people say "Ugh, Annie! Again? Everyone knows Annie. Why do we need this again? Ugh, this show!"
But thanks for your review!! I do hope this show does well!
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