" 'that quick break to look upstage and be appropriately out of breath in character'
I don't even know what that means."
Meaning that it isn't off- putting at all for Reno to have a brief "whew" moment after all the dancing and before belting her final statements.
I don't see the point in saying that Rivera also played the role, except that I must surmise that triple-threat Rivera did an exit and re-entry (At what age?) I simply said triple threat stars are rare, and it is only they who can do what Sutton did. And, of the two other Broadway Renos, Merman and Lupone, and even Eileen Rodgers of the major 1962, off-broadway revival, Foster would be considered to be the triple-threat of the group.
Your statement that you aren't so sure it is ever worth dancing down surmises that it is not worth it here and that it definitely has occurred. I really don't think it did and others flat-out say it didn't. And, as said by others too, Sutton took an optional note on a morning performance after performing the night before. And, optional note or not, she is still blowing the roof off with the ending anyway despite dancing through.
I previously stated my reasons for mentioning all the criticisms that have been cited of the Lupone performance in the past, that included the stand-behind-the-chorus thing that you ran with. Again, I mentioned all those criticism of the Lupone performance because it was immediately held up by the second poster as the way it is to be done, as opposed to Foster. And, in Lupone's case an exit for the dancing was more of a necessity. I would like Foster's singing of the number better than Lupone's even if Foster had not done all the dancing she did. So, in my opinion it isn't just the dancing that I think is better.
I am not against star exits and the reasons you give are valid as a general guide. I just think there are valid reasons that not exiting and dancing here instead works better and takes advantage of Sutton Foster's talents. And, I don't think we are even seeing dumbed-down dancing and we are still getting a powerful ending. You seem to be making a case for a hard-and-fast rule that a star exit and reentry should always be used and is better. I think Sutton's singing and staying on for the dancing is indeed a big musical comedy adrenaline rush here, beyond what may have been with an exit and reentry.
What we do profoundly agree on is that Sutton is the real thing. And, that is the important fact to recognize that is emerging from this production.
Updated On: 3/25/11 at 05:15 PM
