#176
Posted: 9/12/09 at 5:32pm
My thoughts on the first preview:
The design: I really liked the sets. I liked that they were very simple and geometric with bright colors. I also enjoyed the costumes. Especially the Sweet Apple families, each with their own respective color. I think that the treadmill worked well. As for the projections, I think that the falling rose petals in ?Rosie? was a little corny, but other than that they added to the design.
The choreography: I really enjoyed the choreo. For ?The Telephone Hour? and ?A Lot of Living to Do.? However for me, ?Happy Face? was boring and the worst part of the show. I was actually waiting for it to end. Even if John Stamos isn?t much of an dancer, the six girls are, have them tap or do something that ?wows? the audience.
And now the actors:
Gina Gershon: Miscast. A great actress who is just plain bad in this role. She acted the part okay, but her singing and lack of dancing made a Rose a boring character, which she shouldn?t be at all. Her best part was ?What did I ever See in Him,? which still didn?t reach it?s full potential.
John Stamos: Overall, he was okay. He wasn?t bad, but he needs to improve, which I think he will. He needs to do some character work, but his singing was fine.
Jayne Houdyshell: One of the best parts of the show. She was hilarious. A few jokes didn?t land as well as they should have, but given some time in front of an audience, she?ll be amazing.
Bill Irwin: Definitely not what I was expecting in Harry, but he was great. Absolutely hysterical.
Dee Hoty: Not a large part, but she played it very well. She got a few laughs, and really worked well with Bill Irwin?s Harry.
Allie Trimm: She also was very good. She sounded great, and as time goes by I?m sure she will find more laughs.
Matt Doyle: He was great. He has a great voice, adding him into ?One Boy? was a great choice. However, I felt very awkward watching him kiss Allie.
Nolan Funke: I thought he was fine, he has a good voice, no he didn?t stand out much, but he is not as bad as everyone is making him out to be. I also think that Birdie is only in the show to show how he affects the people around him. Feel free to disagree, but I think that he is supposed to blend in during ?Honestly Sincere? and let the girls and the hysteria have the attention.
The Kids: I thought they were great, and did not see them as too young.
The Sound: bad, bad, bad. I was in the front row center mezz and it seemed like they were whispering. I think if everything was a bit louder, the energy level would have been a little better. I also thought the orchestra was a little thin, but this could have been the fault of the sound design.
Overall the show has potential, but a lot of work needs to be done. The pacing of the show needs to be a little faster, and the cast needs much more energy. I really like this show, and hope that this production can reach its full potential.
The design: I really liked the sets. I liked that they were very simple and geometric with bright colors. I also enjoyed the costumes. Especially the Sweet Apple families, each with their own respective color. I think that the treadmill worked well. As for the projections, I think that the falling rose petals in ?Rosie? was a little corny, but other than that they added to the design.
The choreography: I really enjoyed the choreo. For ?The Telephone Hour? and ?A Lot of Living to Do.? However for me, ?Happy Face? was boring and the worst part of the show. I was actually waiting for it to end. Even if John Stamos isn?t much of an dancer, the six girls are, have them tap or do something that ?wows? the audience.
And now the actors:
Gina Gershon: Miscast. A great actress who is just plain bad in this role. She acted the part okay, but her singing and lack of dancing made a Rose a boring character, which she shouldn?t be at all. Her best part was ?What did I ever See in Him,? which still didn?t reach it?s full potential.
John Stamos: Overall, he was okay. He wasn?t bad, but he needs to improve, which I think he will. He needs to do some character work, but his singing was fine.
Jayne Houdyshell: One of the best parts of the show. She was hilarious. A few jokes didn?t land as well as they should have, but given some time in front of an audience, she?ll be amazing.
Bill Irwin: Definitely not what I was expecting in Harry, but he was great. Absolutely hysterical.
Dee Hoty: Not a large part, but she played it very well. She got a few laughs, and really worked well with Bill Irwin?s Harry.
Allie Trimm: She also was very good. She sounded great, and as time goes by I?m sure she will find more laughs.
Matt Doyle: He was great. He has a great voice, adding him into ?One Boy? was a great choice. However, I felt very awkward watching him kiss Allie.
Nolan Funke: I thought he was fine, he has a good voice, no he didn?t stand out much, but he is not as bad as everyone is making him out to be. I also think that Birdie is only in the show to show how he affects the people around him. Feel free to disagree, but I think that he is supposed to blend in during ?Honestly Sincere? and let the girls and the hysteria have the attention.
The Kids: I thought they were great, and did not see them as too young.
The Sound: bad, bad, bad. I was in the front row center mezz and it seemed like they were whispering. I think if everything was a bit louder, the energy level would have been a little better. I also thought the orchestra was a little thin, but this could have been the fault of the sound design.
Overall the show has potential, but a lot of work needs to be done. The pacing of the show needs to be a little faster, and the cast needs much more energy. I really like this show, and hope that this production can reach its full potential.
