BROADWAY SECRETS: Wherein we confess our controversial opinions — Page 11

As much as I adore Stephanie J. Block, I don't think she would have been the right pick to originate the role. Idina, while sometimes inconsistent, did bring a lot to the role (one such example is taking the entire first half of the flying part ("So if you care to find me-everyone deserves the chance to fly!") up an entire octave). I also think she deserved the Tony she won.

I love almost all of Sondheim's shows, but I detest most of his "loyal" fans who claim he is pretty much the second coming of Jesus.
Same can be said for most WICKED fans. I love WICKED, I consider it my favorite musical, but I kind of hate the rabid fanbase it has gained.
I think "Spider-man" was a piece of crap and I'm glad to see it close.
"Porgy and Bess" should have a run on Broadway at some point with the original music and staging. I did adore the revival though.
"Gypsy" is a remarkable piece of theater, but it needs to NOT be revived for a long time.
I like "Death of a Salesman" but I can't sit through an entire performance of it unless the cast is absolutely top notch.

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I feel that the giant staircase at the end of Carrie was a brilliantly clever way to end the show.

-Linda Lavin's performance as Madame Rose wasn't /that/ bad.

-Grace Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter) can't act. Stop shoving her down our throats.

-Ragtime The Musical should be made into a film.

-Barbra Streisand should have never turned her back on theatre. She would be held in higher regard today if she didn't and all the movies she made besides Funny Girl, suck.

-Carrie flopped for a reason. It's bad. Stop trying to make it work.

-The revival of Sunday in the Park with George, sucked.

-Are we /really/ going to see the SAME version of Cabaret Sam Mendes staged with Alan Cumming? Shame on you Roundabout.

-I hated A Funny Thing Happened… and The Producers.

-The revival of A Chorus Line was terrible and the show hasn't aged well at all.

-ALW's version of The Wizard of Oz on the West End was actually pretty spectacular.

GavestonPS, totally agree about the Houston Grand Opera PORGY AND BESS. Went to Philadelphia to see it, as it was not scheduled to come in to New York, and was blown away. Same production at the (then Uris, now Gershwin) equally amazing. Sadly, the later attempt to do it at Radio City Music Hall did not work. But that original production could not have been better.

Kristin Bell is fantastic. I thought she was the best part of Frozen.

I wish the would have found a better singer for Elsa. Willemijn Verkaik sounds so much better than Idina. Because Idina can't sing and is ruining little girls voices

I love Audra McDonald's acting but I secretly dislike her voice in the majority of things that she has been in.

I'm in love with Cheno and LuPone's singing/howling/talking voices.

I obviously have a weird taste when it comes to voices!

The Disney-fication of Broadway is utter bulls*it.

Steven Pasquale deserved the Tony for Bridges Of Madison County.

Frozen was horrible and completely uninspiring.

I thought bringing Holler if Ya Hear Me to Broadway was awesome and bold as hell.

Off Broadway has better, more thought provoking shows nowadays.

I had the most fun watching MEMPHIS. The book didn't really wrap things up the way I wanted, but overall it was a truly enjoyable night of theatre for me. And LOVE NEVER DIES was one of the most beautiful shows I've ever seen- set-wise. I couldn't hum a single note of it now, but the Australian production (the one they broadcast in movie theaters) made my jaw drop at how gorgeous it all was.

"Side Show's not the problem. Tourists just want Disney crap"

That's just the eggnog talking. You'll be embarrassed tomorrow when you sober up and realize what you've said. Side Show is the problem.

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-I find the character of Glinda to be irritating and cloying and I sometimes feel that if you're playing Glinda, you may fit the description.
-I think that despite it's failure, bringing in Holler If Ya Here Me this year will be looked back on and studied for good reasons. Also, it wasn't a train wreck. It just wasn't right.
-I think we--actors, writers, directors, producers, fans, everyone really--need to look back to where modern theater originated from and respect that, from the shows themselves to the etiquette associated with (I'm 30 and know many young people who feel similar).
-Bernadette Peters as Mrs. Lovett needs to never happen. Just...no.
-I think anything that draws people to the theater is positive. If just one family saw Peter Pan Live! and then decided to buy tickets to a show in thei town, it's job was done correctly.
-I have no problem with celebrities in shows (and true stunt casting) if it brings people into the theaters. Awareness goes far.
-I feel Sierra Boggess has a beautiful voice, but is a one-dimensional actress.
-I perferred Christina DeCiccio and Caroline Bowman as Evita far, far more then Elena Roger.
-I don't think anything is lock until it opens. Sorry Kelli O'Hara, K&I revival, and Matthew Morrison.
-I thought On the Town was the best thing since sliced bread at BSC. I was let down by the Broadway production.
-Jonathan Groff and John Gallagher Jr. are far better theater actors then they are screen actors and should accept that.
-I think Michael C. Hall's Wicked Little Town reprise is totally stunning and rivals JCM.
-I think the revival of Hair in '09 was one of the best revivals in the past 20 years
-I thought Love Musik was superb.

Updated On: 12/20/14 at 11:37 PM

I really liked Bring it On for some reason

I also loved the tour of Mary Poppins, and thought that the way they rewrote the show was the best way to do it to prevent the show from being too similar to the movie

Martin Guerre was the best thing that B&S wrote

I really dislike LaChiusa aside from The Wild Party

Sondheim started out great, but became worse with every show he wrote (Merrily excepting)

Merrily We Roll Along works as a piece of drama as well as an exhibition for a great score, despite a horribly written book.

I enjoyed Sister Act

I also liked Bernadette in Follies

I didn't like Pippin

I like Carol Channing's singing voice

I can't stand Norbert Leo Butz or Brian Stoke Mitchell

Ragtime is a hot mess with an astounding opening number (I only realized recently that this is a controversial opinion)

Updated On: 12/21/14 at 03:00 AM

Maybe some people need the definition of CONTROVERSIAL.

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I think Samuel Hunter is today's most overrated playwright. Off the top of my head, I could think of at least a dozen young playwrights more deserving of the genius grant that he received this year. And I think Katori Hall is our most underrated playwright.

I also can't stand anything by Annie Baker. Or any other playwright with a similar disdain for plot and insistence on writing plays in which nothing happens. And I actually really enjoy Theresa Rebeck's works, for the most part, if only because her melodrama is the antithesis of Annie Baker's Chekhovian style.

I think A Minister's Wife is a truly fantastic piece, and Joshua Schmidt is one of the Great musical theatre composers.

I prefer the theatre scene in Chicago over that in New York. This wasn't always the case, but the dominance of the nonprofit theatre creates a really great artistic atmosphere in which more risks are taken, and the sense of community and ensemble is stronger. The past few years, I think Chicago's theatre scene has been gaining credibility what with the Broadway transfers from Steppenwolf and Jessie Mueller's rise to Broadway stardom, and I couldn't be happier about that.

I thought Jessica Chastain was truly dreadful in The Heiress. She ranked among the worst performances I have ever seen in a professional production.

I don't know how controversial or accepted this last point will be, but I think we are living in a golden age of new plays. Just look at playwrights who have emerged in recent years: Stephen Karam, Amy Herzog, Katori Hall, Tarrell Alvin McCraney, Andrew Bovell, Nina Raine, Quiara Alegria Hudes, Ayad Akhtar, Lisa D'Amour, Sarah Ruhl, and so many more. And we're still getting great plays from the likes of Tracy Letts, Bruce Norris, Donald Margulies, Jon Robin Baitz, Conor McPherson, Tony Kushner, John Patrick Shanley, Rebecca Gilman, John Logan, and other established playwrights. Even Caryl Churchill and Edward Albee are still cranking out plays in their old age. The musical may have seen much finer days, but there are so many great playwrights writing fantastic plays. It's truly a shame that most of our young playwrights aren't being produced on Broadway.