#1
Posted: 11/1/08 at 12:58am
Saw the new cast tonight, and am pleased to report that the show hasn't missed a beat. It's still a hilarious, laugh out loud, farce that is incredibly entertaining.
The two holdovers, Rylance and Baranski remain comic perfection. Baranski seems to be still discovering little bits of her character, and her performance remains as fresh as ever. I noticed a lot of little things added to her performance that were not there the last time I saw the show. Rylance is still magnificent, giving a comedic bravura performance. Enough said.
As for the newbies, Greg Germann is a much less neurotic Bernard than Bradley Whitford was. He's more panicky, but it still works really well for him. He and Rylance don't have quite the same chemistry that Rylance and Whitford had, but that's to be expected considering they probably didn't get extensive rehearsals together.
Missi Pyle as Gretchen was even more over the top and ridiculous than the fabulous Mary McCormack. I loved every minute of Pyle's performance. Like McCormack, she just goes at it with reckless abandon.
I liked Paige Davis' giddier Gloria more than Kathryn Hahn (who I really liked as well). Paige mad her even more flirtatious.
Rebecca Gayheart was a fine Gabriella, though I did find myself missing Gina Gershon.
This cast has gelled extremely well together and they all play off of each other very nicely. The show remains tight, and the laughs are still plentiful. Definitely worth a return visit to see the "new flight crew."
Rylance delivered a hilarious BC/EFA speech, as if he were the captain on a plane giving instructions to the passengers.
To answer the inevitable...my TDF ticket was in orchestra E1. The orchestra was about 85% full, the mezz was half full, and the balcony was closed. The usher said they expected this on Halloween night and actually expected it to be more empty.
The two holdovers, Rylance and Baranski remain comic perfection. Baranski seems to be still discovering little bits of her character, and her performance remains as fresh as ever. I noticed a lot of little things added to her performance that were not there the last time I saw the show. Rylance is still magnificent, giving a comedic bravura performance. Enough said.
As for the newbies, Greg Germann is a much less neurotic Bernard than Bradley Whitford was. He's more panicky, but it still works really well for him. He and Rylance don't have quite the same chemistry that Rylance and Whitford had, but that's to be expected considering they probably didn't get extensive rehearsals together.
Missi Pyle as Gretchen was even more over the top and ridiculous than the fabulous Mary McCormack. I loved every minute of Pyle's performance. Like McCormack, she just goes at it with reckless abandon.
I liked Paige Davis' giddier Gloria more than Kathryn Hahn (who I really liked as well). Paige mad her even more flirtatious.
Rebecca Gayheart was a fine Gabriella, though I did find myself missing Gina Gershon.
This cast has gelled extremely well together and they all play off of each other very nicely. The show remains tight, and the laughs are still plentiful. Definitely worth a return visit to see the "new flight crew."
Rylance delivered a hilarious BC/EFA speech, as if he were the captain on a plane giving instructions to the passengers.
To answer the inevitable...my TDF ticket was in orchestra E1. The orchestra was about 85% full, the mezz was half full, and the balcony was closed. The usher said they expected this on Halloween night and actually expected it to be more empty.
