Apple Tree 1/10/07 disappointing

[singingshowgirl]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 12:43am

i'll start this off saying that i'm a huge kristin fan and saw her in wicked and her debut at carnegie hall...i think she's great even if she's always playing the same parts

but apple tree was a major disappointment as a show....she did a great job considering what she was given, but ugh the show is SOOOO boring and uninteresting!

we actually got to the theater around 7:00 just in case she hadn't already gone in through the stage door. we figured she probably had since there was a matinee and she probably went back immediately unless she had fancy dinner plans haha....the guard told us she had indeed already gone in.

so yeah, the show was very ehh....kristin did a good job with what she had, but she is soooo much better than the show and they should have picked a better show to showcase her abilities. brian and marc also were good, but their parts were so much blahher and ehhher.....the show lacked any emotional connection and wasn't funny enough to get away with it (i don't need emotion in a show....i LOVED spamalot and that had no emotion, but it was non-stop laughter, so that was fine)....the cast all had good energy, but the show really is ughhhh..there were hardly any really funny lines...

we did wait at the stage door in the freezing weather for kristin. after a looooong wait, she and the other guys came out. we were informed ahead of time that she would not pose for pics, but that we could take pics and she would sign our programs. in the 2 secs i talked to her, she was very nice. i told her i was a yankees fan, but still loved her (she was wearing a mets hat and laughed and was like "ooops i should take this hat off!")

but all in all, very disappointing. she's better than that. she should go back to wicked or something amazing like that.

[liotte]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 12:51am

I was at the show tonight and thought it was cute. I enjoyed the first part the best of the 3 skits.

[Sab6888]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 12:56am

i was at the matinee today and it exceeded my expectations for sure from what i had heard! i knew kristin would be great and she was definitely to my liking! but i actually enjoyed the three stories, i thought they were nice and lighthearted enough to still enjoy while obtaining a message from them! the music was beautiful as anything! all in all, a wonderful piece of theatre well worth the 26.25 rush seat i bought!

[C is for Company]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 1:04am

hahaha "she should go back to Wicked or something amazing like that"?

Umm, maybe with her really glorious voice she can find an opera or better work to do that may be leagues above anything Wicked is capable of.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 1:06am

I agree, liotte.

I mean, I thought it basically sucked, but I actually felt something after Act One, and Kristin's final song was beautifully touching. A depth the show never reached again.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 1:07am

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the show. I, for one, LOVED it and am going back with my family next Saturday evening. Can't wait!

[Gelfling]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 4:35am

a question of taste, I imagine. I was pleasantly surprised by the show. Sure it's a little outdated and the three acts are unequal in strength to say the least but it's a wonderful showcase for Kristin. She gets to show her range as a singer, from soft to full out belt and high operetta, with warmth and emotion, her famous comic timing AND her less known dramatic abilities and she even gets not to be terminally cute as Eve and Barbera!

I really don't see how this compares to Wicked. i'm glad she's moving on and frankly I don't know what you were expecting but the show for all its weaknesses is the ultimate vehicle for her IMO.

[Pinky]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 4:59am

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the show. I saw it a week ago & thought it was AMAHZING!!!! Loved Apple Tree when I saw the concert...but this show blew me away. I had a blast (especially since I'm totally in love with Brian d'Arcy James!) I'm glad your stage door experience was better for ya!!!

[Glebb]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 5:41am

Loved Kristin and love the show.

[DryMartini]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 7:33am

Why wouldn't she pose for pictures?

[kasim]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 9:29am

she posed for a picture with me :)

I do agree, the show was a BIT disappointingly considering i think Kudich (sp) and Kristin are awesome performers. But i think it was still a good show, just one of those items you just expected more given who was in it.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 9:46am

"but all in all, very disappointing. she's better than that. she should go back to wicked or something amazing like that"

Um...Kristin gets to play three roles in this musical. Something that doesn't happen to often nowadays. I think what she is being able to do is much better than Wicked.

[singingshowgirl]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 10:17am

i think she wouldn't pose for pics because it was late, cold, and she does have a life...i don't begrudge her for that at all. that's why i was hoping when i got there at 7 that she wouldn't have gone in yet because then i probably could have gotten a picture with her.

i don't mean i actually think she should go back to wicked....while it was perfect for her, she can do even more than what that show gave her as well....and it is true that she has such a gorgeous vocal range that she needs something amazing to showcase her, but i personally didn't the apple tree was it....i honestly was trying to think of a musical that's already out there that i would put her in where she could have the vocal range that she has.....i'm not sure if i can think of anything, so they should write a new incredible musical for her! haha....

[billynj]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 10:37am

I am starting the rumour right here she is going to star in the revival of THE BLUE ROOM ...now that would be a nice showcase for her

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 11:56am

This sounds to me like this is a show for Kristin fans, and if you're not really one, then the weaknessess of the quirky and dated material really shine through. After all, how much depth can you mine out of four stock characters with each having about a third as much stage time as stock characters in other musicals, especially when the music isn't always that strong, or connected to character?

Like, I'm sure Kristin knocks "What Makes Me Love Him?" and "Gorgeous" out of the park, but as for the rest of the music (and really, the rest of the show) anyone's just as likely to have a negative opinion as a positive one because it's so...i dunno...odd? I think I said quirky before, and I think that fits the show best.

However, if you really like Chenoweth, she gets to run around the stage putting her unique little comic touches on everything, and people who adore her will adore that.

THE BLUE ROOM? oooo....

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 2:28pm

I,too, found THE APPLE TREE somewhat disappointing, not because of the acting but because of the poor production values with regard to the 2nd rate sets and staging. I went to the original show back in the 1960's because I loved Barbara Harris and she was memorable in a production that was more in keeping with 1st rate Broadway. Actually I went to this production because I had never seen Kristin Chenoweth and had read so many wonderful things about her on this Board. I liked her and Brian d'Arcy James but the creaky book, especially in "The Lady or the Tiger?" was too much for even those players.

"Passionella" was based on a cartoon short story by Jules Feiffer who was a widely read cartoonist for the Village Voice in the 1960's, and Barbara Harris had a field day with the title character in an outrageous performance that Kristin Chenoweth didn't quite bring off. But I think that the director can be partly blamed for that.

Updated On: 1/11/07 at 02:28 PM

[thepopularone]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 5:06pm

It really is Kristin who makes the show worth going too.

My favorite part is her coming out through the stage door. I think its so sweet of her to come out. Last time I went it was my birthday so she was talking to me about how old I was turning, where I was from, my birthday plans, wishing me a happy birthday and she did a good job of really connecting with all her fans, which ofcourse makes me love her even more,haha

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 7:39pm

This is totally a vehicle for Kristin. I agree that the first act is much better than the other two skits. Would I enjoy the show w/o Kristin? I think so. They don't write shows like this anymore. It was amazingly fun and the songs were enjoyable.In my opinion, Even Drowsy is more... I don't know...risque? deeper? And that is a homage to theatre of the old days ( I know the 30's not the 60's, but still). I do believe that the set and lighting design were completely underwhelming. I definitely believe that most people who will really enjoy this show are probably female, but if you are expecting a deep, thoughtful production you'll be disappointed I bought tickets to see Kristin, and I was pleasantly surprised that I loved the cast and the script.