BROADWAY SECRETS: Wherein we confess our controversial opinions- Page 24

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 12/26/15 at 4:41am

My recently developed controversial opinion is that, although Katie Travis (Christine in the POTO tour) is one of the best Christines I've seen, and surpasses a few of the icons, most of the recent leads in national tours are not up there with their Broadway counterparts. The supporting performers, however, are often superb. A notable exception to substandard leads is the Wicked tour. If/Then is also an exception, for obvious reasons.

 

Audrey Liebross

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 12/26/15 at 5:29am

One of my main arguments for a one act BOM is that most of the songs are TOO LONG! They were funny at the start but by the end of many numbers I felt the joke had been spread way too thin.

 

I actually do love the act one finale however, so it's not a perfect hypothetical.

[Bell0708]

Posted: 12/26/15 at 10:48am

Kinky Boots was just boring.  Seeing a musical about shoes is not my cup of tea.

[steven22]

Posted: 12/26/15 at 11:36am

I don't understand the hype for Kinky Boots. 

 

Invisible Thread SHOULD have a life after Second Stage. Such an important piece of theater! 

[itis2l84u]

Posted: 12/26/15 at 2:45pm

-I find Fun Home hard to sit through.

-Lesli Margherita's singing sounds like screeching. She is rude, obnoxious, and full of her self. Her fans are annoying as anything. I would enjoy if she just disappeared from Broadway.

-13 the Musical should have lasted longer.

-The overhyping of Hamilton and School of Rock is getting really old.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/26/15 at 2:57pm

Aren't you a special snowflake?

[c0113g3b0y]

Posted: 12/26/15 at 8:11pm

Ditto about Lesli's singing/screeching although she seems like a very nice lady

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 12/26/15 at 10:21pm

Mr. Nowack said: "One of my main arguments for a one act BOM is that most of the songs are TOO LONG! They were funny at the start but by the end of many numbers I felt the joke had been spread way too thin."

 

Wouldn't that be all the more justification for cutting it down -- the ability to reduce the diminishing comic returns by cutting within the songs to help reduce the show to a one-act?

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 12/26/15 at 11:07pm

g.d.e.l.g.i., precisely what I meant!

 

It's an argument for shortening the show, in response to Audrey's proposition that reducing it to a one act would involve cutting songs out. I think that all the songs could be kept in shortened form to make a streamlined and slicker show (except maybe the counterpoint act finale which I would actually be sad to see go).

[VonTrappFamilySinger]

Posted: 12/26/15 at 11:17pm

AHLiebross I definitely agree with you about Hedwig. I saw Darren and I thought he was incredible. The music is also great. But the show itself seemed to drag and both my friend and I found the story hard to follow. I left the theatre feeling very confused as to if I actually enjoyed myself or not.

[Crateful]

Posted: 12/26/15 at 11:36pm

I liked Lena Hall until I started following her on Instagram.

I hated Something Rotten.  HATED.  The only reason I stayed past intermission was to hear Christian Borle sing It's Hard To Be The Bard.

I have watched Legally Blonde on YouTube like twenty times.

[Crateful]

Posted: 12/26/15 at 11:36pm

I liked Lena Hall until I started following her on Instagram.

I hated Something Rotten.  HATED.  The only reason I stayed past intermission was to hear Christian Borle sing It's Hard To Be The Bard.

I have watched Legally Blonde on YouTube like twenty times.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 12/27/15 at 12:44am

Here goes

i thought Bonnie and Clyde was the best musical of that season and both leads were outstanding. Can't help thinking if it was not a a Wildhorn show that the critics would have been far more positive.

 

i really enjoyed the London musical Desperately Seeking Susan and thought the Blondie songs fitted the narrative far more than most jukebox musicals (thought the production was ugly)

 

I think a fun jukebox musical exists in Good Vibrations but they messed it up, my company is trying to get permission to rewrite the entire show. 

 

Broadway has become far too snobby to fun light musicals such as Legally Blonde, a show I thought was a modern day musical comedy classic (the London production was better). I also think The Wedding Singer was great.

 

Im the personal responsible for finding the RSC video of Carrie the Musical (I may have stolen it from the archives at the RSC, copied it and sent it back about 14 years ago) so if you don't like that Carrie has lived on then blame me.

 

I thought Madonna was great in Evita.

 

I hate phantom, Wicked, Les Mis, Annie and Cats. I also think Starlight Express is one of the most embarrassing shows in theatre history.

 

As a brit Im supposed to prefer the UK version of Taboo but I don't, the orchestrations and new songs for Broadway were better and whilst Charles Busch book wasn't perfect it was better than the UK book. I also think Taboo was the best new musical of that season (above Wicked, Ave Q and the hugely overrated Caroline or Change)

Patti LuPone is terrible an overrated and loves her own hype.

 

Betty was the far superior Norma Desmond. Also I adored Sunset.

 

i think people's obsession with bashing Leah Michelle and Ryan Murphy on here says more about them than who they are bashing. 

 

I believe that a stage Version of Elm Street could work if it was stripper back and explored fears and nightmares. 

 

Chicago go is a great score wrapped in a cheap production.

 

I enjoyed the flawed Rent Movie and thought that Rent Remixed in the UK was one of the funniest shows I've ever seen.

 

I don't get why so many want Zorro to go to a Broadway, watched it here in the UK and it was dull and cheap (though Leslie was great as was Emma Williams)

 

Hate Sunday in the Park, boring and self indulgent.

 

Really enjoyed Ghost and thought it mixed movie visuals and live theatre together perfectly. 

 

[hork]

Posted: 12/27/15 at 1:11am

As much as I love musicals, I don't think the Great American (or British) Musical has been written yet. Even my favorites are flawed or lacking in some way, which prevents me from choosing one as the best.

[Hamilfan2]

Posted: 12/28/15 at 10:05pm

I hated Phantom of the Opera, like a lot.  I found it horribly repetitive and thought the story was lame.  Some of the songs are good in isolation but together they are a snoozefest.  

I also hated A Little Night Music.  I know many people hail it as "Sondheim's masterpiece" but I thought it poorly written, boring and didn't know what it wanted to be.

Betsy Wolfe is the most underrated actresses in the business and I continue to wait for her to get her big break.  For me she is the definitive Cathy and she was the only good part of Bullets Over Broadway.

[Ranger Tom]

Posted: 12/28/15 at 10:32pm

Nathan Lane is full of himself and it comes out in everything he does - seems to be a belief that we are graced with his presence.  Spring Awakening would have been interesting if written/produced in the 1970s. Now, it's just a bunch of juvenilia.  Fair Lady is the great American/British musical.  

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 12:17am

Carly Rae Jepsen was fantastic in "Cinderella", and if she had originated the role she also would have been Tony nominated, just as Laura's amazing performance was. I can't wait to see her make a return to Broadway.

[Mr. Dolly Levi]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 5:47pm

I appreciate the fact that those who have not seen Carol Channing on the stage, but instead have only seen her on "Love Boat," might not understand her appeal.  She is one of the few performers who can walk onto the stage and literally hold the audience in the palm of her hand. Voice was unique, and got more "unique" as she aged. Not the greatest dancer.  Perhaps didn't have the greatest range of acting skills.  But, to paraphrase an old Broadway reviewer, she was like an intoxicating drug to a live audience and could do no wrong.  There will never be another like her.  

[Ranger Tom]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 6:32pm

RE: Carol Channing - Would have gone to see her on stage/concert instead of Lupone, any day.

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 6:57pm

I thought Bullets Over Broadway was a really good musical.

Sunset Boulevard was also highly entertaining.  This and Joseph are my favorites by ALW.  I also thought Glenn Close was fantastic and just as good as the others.  Just different.

Urinetown was awful.  The only musical I've ever walked out on at intermission.  

Jekyll & Hyde.  Beautiful performances by Cuccioli and Eder and some beautiful music.  But still a weak story with characters I really couldn't muster any feelings or empathy for.  No connection.

Kristin Chenoweth should have taken the Tony over KO.  After hearing "Never" again on Sirius XM/On Broadway yesterday. KO is an amazing talent and does a great job with the role in a beautiful show. But nothing compares to what KC had to do with that role she was playing in OTTC. 

Finding Neverland was a good musical.  Not the best I've seen, but certainly not deserving of the adversity it has received.  None of us walked out of it thinking, 'What the hell was that?'  We actually thought quite favorably of it.

 

[mc1227]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 11:25pm

I confess that I went to see Hamilton prepared to rip it apart but left speechless and admit that it was the best live theater performance I have ever seen.  So no controversy there except with my "traditional" theater inner self.  

 

 

[serene_embers]

Posted: 12/30/15 at 12:07pm

I always feel like this opinion might get me killed.

I prefer Barbara Streisand to Carol Channing as Dolly Levi.  I know there's the "Barbara was too young" opinion but vocally, for me, Streisand is who I prefer.

[nightnic001]

Posted: 12/30/15 at 12:19pm

School of Rock is the most fun show I have seen in a very long time.

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 12/30/15 at 12:39pm

When my parents were having nasty fights, hiding in my bedroom and listening to Carol Channing on the Hello Dolly OBCR made me laugh. Thank you, Carol.

 

I hate Oklahoma. I don't care who's starring in it, I won't see it again, ever. Meredith Willson was pure genius for The Music Man. Now THAT'S a great American musical.

 

I thought Urinetown was original, funny, and robbed of a Tony for Best Musical. I listen to the OBCR during my commute.

 

Hedwig was a waste of my hard-earned money. Couldn't understand the song lyrics because they were screeched. When John Cameron Mitchell wasn't singing, he was great.

 

I don't read my playbills until after a show because the theaters are too dark for me to enjoy the reading. In the current production of Fiddler on the Roof I loved the portrayal of Lazar Wolf. The performer was sprightly, funny, and so good in To Life/L'chaim. Checking the playbill later, I was gobsmacked to see that Lazar was performed by Adam Dannheiser, who I last saw as Dennis in Rock of Ages. Did not recognize him as Lazar Wolf! Kudos to the make up crew and to Dannheiser's acting.

[Alex M]

Posted: 12/30/15 at 4:24pm

If A view from the bridge had an intermission i would have left...sorry.