BABY IT'S YOU like

I saw this last night expecting it to be totally awful. It wasn't...I had a real fun filled evening, with a pretty much filled house that was well into it and gave a standing O at the end.

Why the hatred for this show, when I thought it was just as enjoyable as Rock of Ages.

The costumes were great (Tony nom for sure) and Beth Leavel was fabulous.

I didn't particularly care for Rock of Ages, either, but at least it had a clear book and scenes that actually ended so the audience could applaud.

And I actually like some jukebox musicals, too. All Shook Up was charming, even if it was way too small for the theater it wound up in. Mamma Mia isn't without its charms and Jersey Boys does the Behind the Music thing Baby, It's You tries to do without forgetting it's a stage musical. I didn't even mind Million Dollar Quartet because at least the set design wasn't so distracting that I couldn't just sit back and enjoy the music.

If you enjoyed the show, I'm glad. Baby, It's You is definitely splitting audiences if the "that was so much fun" crowd hanging out after the show was to be believed. Me? I was in the "oh, good, they're doing a megamix. Quickly, to the exit!" group talking in hushed whispers about how awful it was.

I must admit, Baby It's You! was certainly enjoyable enough, but the only strong elements of the show were the technical aspects (the costumes by Lizz Wolf are GREAT) and the music, orchestrated by Don Sebesky. The cast was okay, especially those Shirelles ladies. It could've been MUCH better if they brought in a script doctor.

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Updated On: 5/7/11 at 05:28 PM