Anyone going to see Wonderland this week?- Page 14

[philly03]

Posted: 5/1/11 at 12:40pm

Thanks for posting... Love her last note.

I would love to hear her sing the old versions of "Worst Day," it's perfect for her voice!

[minicko88]

Posted: 5/1/11 at 12:42pm

Is it sad that I like her better than Janet? haha... She is not only gorgeous, but she can sing. I hope she is somehow on when I see the show in late May!

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/1/11 at 6:21pm

You guys, it's happening!

http://twitter.com/morganajames/status/64797348609523714
I'm going on as Alice in "Wonderland" May 13, 14 and 15th!! Come check it out!

And, ps: it's about time they started doing some 'boy band' merch and stuff, and they are having so much fun with it, I am loving it. First there's the web page for The White Knightz (yes, the band name is with a 'z', still laughing) and now there's a shirt and a poster for sale...
Pre-Order the Official 2011 Tour poster of the of the White Knightz. Available May 20th. 18" x 24", the perfect size to hang over your bed and protect you.
Dying.
Knightz poster

[philly03]

Posted: 5/1/11 at 6:26pm

Agreed - seems people love to talk about the boyband number and that's where the positive word of mouth is coming from (well, a chunk of it).

To be honest, I'm surprised people like Marguerite Derrecks (choreography), Susan Hilferty (costumes) and Frank Wildhorn are being snubbed this season. I mean Frank's a given, but this is quite a diverse score!

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 5/1/11 at 6:36pm

I really do hope Hilferty and Wildhorn get a nomination at least. I still think this show was a target for critics. Is it gold? No...but its better then some crap that people tend to praise.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/1/11 at 7:30pm

^ I agree.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 5/1/11 at 7:32pm

Going back Thurs nite, and will DEFINITELY be going to see Morgan James !!! Her "Finding Wonderland" is incredible, and cant wait to see her play Alice !!

[DeCyberac]

Posted: 5/1/11 at 9:47pm

Yeah, I saw her do ALICE in Tampa. Giant voice. Stellar acting.

The Morgan is going to be at Birdland on May 9th, 7pm. Her shows at Le Poisson Rouge and Dominion were sick. Unbelievable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SlphbjXhyI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEpV5B5pScg
Morgan James at Birdland

[wdwfreak]

Posted: 5/1/11 at 10:13pm

I saw the show on Saturday during the matinee and enjoyed it for what it was. There is obviously a lot of corny things going on, but I found them entertaining. The only thing I didn't like was Act 2. It was good, but I felt like it jumps around from one thing to another rapidly, without a prior explanation of what it was. Besides that, it was an enjoyable day.

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 3:42pm

Heather Parcells is going on as The Mad Hatter tonight!

(And tomorrow matinee too, I guess, with Shindle back in the show tomorrow night.)

[DeCyberac]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 4:46pm

Morgan James is going on May 13, 14 (mat and eve) and 15th.
Morgan Singing Wonderland

[Testing1232]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 6:37pm

April Berry on as Chloe

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 6:54pm

I wonder how that will work... considering she's quite a few years over 11!

[Testing1232]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 7:06pm

Mallauri Esquibel is the other Chloe U/S, and she is older as well--- should be interesting

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 8:09pm

I saw Mallauri go on as Chloe in Tampa. I remember for some reason thinking that she resembled Janet more than Julie Brooks did, so I wasn't too bothered by having a 'tweenage' Chloe on stage.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 9:23pm

Wife said April very good...

[dramadude]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 10:57pm

I just came back from the show tonight and as mentioned, April Berry was on for Chloe. It only kind of half worked because her voice was good for a child, but she definitely read older. There was something off with the cast. Jose, Darren and the guys were all really playing it up and Janet was in tears towards the end of the show. Kate was definitely channeling some demons tonight because she looked more crazy and angry than usual as well as some ticks/shaking.

I'm not sure who invited the Wildhorn Fan Club, but they were there in full force screaming throughout. It was definitely a better show with a full(er) house and more receptive audience. It still has its flaws, but I thoroughly enjoyed it again. The performances were elevated to the point where I thought Janet was going to stop at the curtain call and give a closing night speech... it was weird!

I don't want to forget to mention that in attendance tonight were Scott Alan and Max Crumm. Updated On: 5/4/11 at 10:57 PM

[Testing1232]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 11:07pm

Wife said April was very good, but inch shorter than Janet--that had to look weird !!

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 11:13pm

I just listened to Morgan singing "Wonderland" and I'm sorry...but I did not like her. I'm gonna wait till I see her tho (if I see her that is)

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 11:28pm

^ I really didn't care for her either. I think Janet Dacal sounds a lot better.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 11:30pm

Yea it seemed like her voice was constantly on the verge of cracking and her voice sounded extremely wobbly :/

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 11:38pm

Janet's voice is very powerful, and I love that she is so clear in her singing. I can understand every word she says.

[DeCyberac]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 11:52pm

I thought she sounded pretty good considering it was a Saturday morning outside at 11:30am. I would never be able to sing a song like that that early in the morning. This after a full week. Anyway.. ;D

[philly03]

Posted: 5/5/11 at 4:36am

April was much better than Malluari who I, like Anakela, ironically saw the same performance in Tampa (wow!) 2 years ago! April's voice was much better than Mallauri's for sure (but she seemed much older - though the audience didn't seem to think so). April's a good 2-3 inches shorter than Janet, atleast in Janet's costume.

I still have a lot of problems with this version, but the on-fire audience tonight helped make the show seem great, and I agree with the above - I felt like I was at a closing night performance. Darren Ritchie was the best I'd ever seen tonight, only wish he had more to do (Yes, I'm still missing "Love Begins"!).

Kate had a tweaked ending to "I Will Prevail" thanks to vocal rest! Janet Dacal got mid-song applause during her big "Through the Looking GLass" solo! Crowd seem heavy on international tourist who ate it up!

Tonight made me realize just how horrible Janet Dacal's Alice's role is... She did her absolute best with it and still couldn't make it work - she had tears in her eyes from "The Final RIddle" scene through the finale - touching! What a performance - this made me want the show to close so I could go to the closing now! Lol .. that will be a performance to see!

[cfm3]

Posted: 5/5/11 at 8:48am

I agree with a lot of Philly's past assessments. I saw yesterday's matinee, and the book is a hot mess. As an admirer of Wildhorn, it pains me to say this is the weakest of his shows to hit Broadway -- and it's not his fault in this case. The music is the only redeeming quality. I'm unsure where the $15 million was spent?!

I'm not going to get into a lengthy review, but the character development, story, and some of the dialogue are cringe-worthy. Janet, IMO, has a weak stage presence, though she was in pretty good voice yesterday. Heather Parcells was in for Kate, and trust me, she was lackluster at best - sad performance. Karen Mason, however, was a joy to watch in her few limited scenes.

Overall, Boyd and Murphy should never be allowed to write another book for another show -- nor should the Broadway doctors get paid. Some of Murphy's lyrics are serviceable, but I've never been enamored with his work. So, go to the show, close your eyes, ignore the dialogue, and enjoy the music – or just buy the cd.
Updated On: 5/5/11 at 08:48 AM