Brendon Urie in KINKY BOOTS - Reports- Page 2

[thealtoslament]

Posted: 5/28/17 at 6:45pm

Babe_Williams said: "thealtoslament said: "I mean honestly, considering how rabid the P!ATD fandom is (as in, Brendon and his wife Sarah had to sell their house and move because their address leaked online and fans started turning up at their door) I'm surprised no one was trampled and seriously injured at the stage door. 

 

"

This makes me feel old. I had no idea that Panic had such a devoted following. I thought they were yesterday's news. 

 

"

They're definitely less of a big deal than they were ten years ago but the fandom is absolutely insane. A shame, because I definitely think they are a good band. I'm in my early twenties, so I remember the mid-2000s emo fever and P!ATD was my favorite of the contingent that was big at the time (them, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, etc.) I consider them kind of a guilty-pleasure band but I still do actively listen to and enjoy their music-- the early albums hold up very well for what they are, and their latest album is excellent IMO.

All of that being said, I avoid the fan base like the plague. So much infighting and elitism and people with superiority complexes. Most of them are teenagers and a few early-twenties women with Tumblr accounts learning about obsession.

[loveinnewyorkcity]

Posted: 5/28/17 at 8:41pm

Okay. I splurged today and bought premium seats for the matinee and WOW. Brendon really brought such a fun, youthful vibe to the show. His vocals were incredible, I just wish he was able to show off his falsetto. The songs didn't highlight his vocal range as much as a hoped they would. One of the only shows I've been to wanting a character to have more songs. His acting was also very good for someone who has never done live theater/acting before, besides in his music videos I suppose.

I saw this show weeks after its initial opening and can definitely say the current cast is by far superior to the OBC. The actor playing Lola....FANTASTIC. There was so much energy in the performance, way more than during the days of the OBC. 

As for the Panic! At the Disco fans....

Most of them seemed to behave. The screaming and clapping during Brendon's entrance and after his songs didn't bother me since it's a typical occurrence with a star in a leading role. 

One thing I have to say impressed me about the 'fandom' was their supportiveness of the ENTIRE CAST. I remember seeing Nick Jonas and Darren Criss in H2$ a few years back and was put-off by the negative attitudes toward the rest of the cast during the performance, curtain call, and stage door. Thunderous applause after a J. Pierrepont number but just a few lingering claps after Rosemary's songs. Jealously maybe? Anyway, during Kinky Boots, which had to be 90% Panic! At the Disco fans today, there were equal cheers after each number and an immediate standing ovation. The audience in general also seemed way more engaged with the performance today than in past performances I've seen. I thought the 'fandom' also brought a great energy to such a fun show. The cast really seemed to feed off of that.

I was very impressed.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 5/28/17 at 9:01pm

Any word on the Urie merch? Any windowcards or anything aside from the t-shirt? 

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 5/28/17 at 9:33pm

Do they sell limited edition t-shirts?

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Posted: 5/28/17 at 11:38pm

I've only seen the show clips and I appreciate the spin he puts on the music. For my money, Aaron C. Finley as the best sung Charlie I have heard. 

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 5/29/17 at 2:08am

Copied from the other thread: 

Just an update as my previous post in the other thread was about standing room price - standing room is $30 not $99 and I definitely received bad information on that. I went to the box office and the box office lady was shocked when I said that and wanted to know where I heard such wrong information. 

Anyway, back on the topic at hand, I saw the show tonight and Brendon was absolutely incredible. His acting and accent were lovely, and that voice is just undeniable. Some of the riffs he included here and there were just fantastic and I absolutely loved him.

It was also lovely to see the clearly there for Urie fans take to J Harrison as Lola and Taylor Louderman as Lauren, who were both wonderful. It was so nice (as someone else mentioned in this thread) to see the fans of Brendon's take to the entire company. The energy was very high, and the fans were very respectful (and did react loudly to his entrance and the end of Soul of A Man). The stage door was an absolute zoo, but that's not shocking. 

It was so good to be back after having not seen the show in awhile and see so much love filling the room for the show. 

[ZellMorrowsPledge]

Posted: 5/29/17 at 2:09am

A few production pics of Brendon in the show: http://sot.ag/6jc74

[Clyde15]

Posted: 5/29/17 at 3:34am

 

"

This makes me feel old. I had no idea that Panic had such a devoted following. I thought t

"

They're definitely less of a big deal than they were ten years ago but the fandom is absolutely insane. A shame, because I definitely think they are a good band. I'm in my early twenties, so I remember the mid-2000s emo fever and P!ATD was my favorite of the contingent that was big at the time (them, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, etc.) I consider them kind of a guilty-pleasure band but I still do actively listen to and enjoy their music-- the early albums hold up very well for what they are, and their latest album is excellent IMO.

All of that being said, I avoid the fan base like the plague. So much infighting and elitism and people with superiority complexes. Most of them are teenagers and a few early-twenties women with Tumblr accounts learning about obsession.

 

"

They went on a huge arena tour this last year, first time in almost 10 years they have. Their following in growing huge again as they move into a new pop sound. Sold out almost every date on the tour

[ren598]

Posted: 5/29/17 at 5:10am

The limited edition Kinky Boots x Brendon Urie t-shirts were selling for $55.  It was only available on the second level of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.  Not sure why it wasn't available on the first level.  As of Sunday evening's performance, they were already out of some of the sizes.  

[wicked4l]

Posted: 5/29/17 at 10:20am

The line for these shirts was ridiculously long, they only have 100 per performance FYI

[ACL2006]

Posted: 5/29/17 at 12:30pm

Urie is definitely helping KINKY BOOTS pack them in for his 10 weeks. I wonder if the show will hover around the $1 million mark while he's in the show.

[ren598]

Posted: 5/29/17 at 1:50pm

You can call it stunt casting, but I agree that Brendon Urie is probably the best thing to happen for Kinky Boots at this time in it's run.  He is packing them in.  Whether that is sustainable remains to be seen, but at least he's bringing people to the theater who normally wouldn't have come to the show otherwise.  And that can't be a bad thing.  Besides, he is surprisingly good.  I knew he could sing the part and his Soul of a Man is a definite highlight.  I just didn't think he could act the part being a first time lead.  His accent was decent and his chemistry with J. Harrison Ghee's Lola was particularly good. 

The curtain call after the first two show day:

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=y-_5--rbWZ4

The mob scene at the stage door.  I give him credit for trying to sign and take photos with as many people as possible.  Looked like half the theatre stuck around for him to come out.

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=VfqDeh1eUe4

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Conte

Updated On: 5/29/17 at 01:50 PM

[dshnookie]

Posted: 5/29/17 at 11:51pm

The Brendon Urie tshirt:

https://instagram.com/p/BUj32e8ACp4/

 

[ForB4]

Posted: 5/29/17 at 11:54pm

dshnookie said: "The Brendon Urie tshirt:

https://instagram.com/p/BUj32e8ACp4/

 

 

"

Ugh I want it

 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/30/17 at 5:57am

I mean young female fans at the stage door is not a new thing but I can't remember the last time I saw a crowd that was exclusively that young and female... even at Waitress. Maybe Tuck Everlasting.

[DAME]

Posted: 6/3/17 at 2:03pm

I found myself at this show last night.  I have never liked it and haven't been back in a long time.  I just want to say that the current company is far superior in every way to the original broadway cast.  Kudos to all.  In particular Lola. In my opinion I always felt Billy Porter had a disconnect with the role that I always attributed to the material. And I never liked his vocals.  I am  glad I went back and saw a good Lola.   BTW I had also seen the tour early on and don't remember much of it.  The show is still a generic mish mash...  But if you have not seen the show now is a good time.   The audience was young and pumped to have a good time.  But very respectful.  Oh and that Brendon Urie is a cutie,

Updated On: 6/3/17 at 02:03 PM

[loveinnewyorkcity]

Posted: 6/3/17 at 2:10pm

DAME said: "I found myself at this show last night.  I have never liked it and haven't been back in a long time.  I just want to say that the current company is far superior in every way to the original broadway cast.  Kudos to all.  In particular Lola. In my opinion I always felt Billy Porter had a disconnect with the role that I always attributed to the material. And I never liked his vocals.  I am  glad I went back and saw a good Lola.   BTW I had also seen the tour early on and don't remember much of it.  The show is still a generic mish mash...  But if you have not seen the show now is a good time.   The audience was young and pumped to have a good time.  But very respectful.  Oh and that Brendon Urie is a cutie,

 

"

I feel the same way as you. I didn't care much for the show when I saw it with the OBC. Billy Porter felt a little too....old? Having a Lola closer in age to Charlie had more impact on the story overall and just made more sense. The rest of the cast is so much more energetic than the originals especially Taylor Louderman who plays Lauren.

[rg7759]

Posted: 6/3/17 at 7:02pm

Got a standing ticket at 6:40 tonight, no sooner. $30

[rg7759]

Posted: 6/3/17 at 9:24pm

I can't believe the show I'm watching -feels completely electric. the original cast felt like an out-of-town tryout no offense to Billy. Brandon is perfect at the accent and everything he says, the other Charlies were forgettable.

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 6/4/17 at 11:36am

Caught this last night from SR (picked up the last pair of tickets at around 7:10pm). The show is really solid shape and, as a poster pointed out earlier, it's wonderful to see the audience's enthusiasm for Brendan Urie extends to J. Harrison Ghee and the rest of the cast. As an actor, Urie is charming and funny; the accent is a little hit or miss but that's not a problem exclusive to him. His voice is clear, effortless, full, unique and I found myself wishing Charlie had more to sing. When he lets loose on the rockier sections of "Charlie's Soliloquy" and "Soul of a Man," it's truly thrilling. I think he could have further successes on Broadway should he chose to pursue them. 

I still find the show a little uneven, with the conflict in the second act feeling forced and its resolution rushed. However, the overall package of the show is performed and executed with such joyful gusto, the flaws in the book or score are covertly camouflaged. 

[BroadwayBeebe]

Posted: 6/4/17 at 11:53am

rg7759 said: "I can't believe the show I'm watching -feels completely electric. the original cast felt like an out-of-town tryout no offense to Billy. Brandon is perfect at the accent and everything he says, the other Charlies were forgettable."

I completely agree about the recent casting being much better than the OBC, but I couldn't call Killian Donnelly forgettable as Charlie. I saw him opposite both Todrick Hall and J Harrison Ghee and thought he has fantastic. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 6/4/17 at 12:37pm

I've seen the show three times. Once with the OBC and loved it. Second time I had the misfortune of seeing Timothy Ware as Lola. Overall energy was down in the cast, bunch of swings on as well. Third time was with Wayne Brady & John Jeffrey Martin on as Charlie and fell in love with the show again. Brady wasn't strong vocally, but you really felt for his Lola, almost more than Billy's. Stark Sands as Charlie seems irreplaceable. I enjoyed JJM's Charlie, but compared to Sands' there just doesn't seem like anyone could live up to Stark's Charlie. But hearing the raves for Urie & Ghee might make me want to visit the show again. I've heard SRO has been offered for almost every show since Urie joined. That's great news for the show and I'm sure the producers are currently trying to talk him into extending, even just for a week or two.

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 6/6/17 at 7:24pm

I know the stage door has been insane with the amount of people since Brendon Urie started. Do you think it will remain this way for his entire run of the show or will it eventually decrease? I am going in a month and was hoping it wouldn't be as crowded then. If it is, I don't think I will attempt waiting in that big of a crowd. 

What does everyone think?

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 6/6/17 at 7:36pm

I would imagine it'll only get worse with schools getting out.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 6/8/17 at 10:52pm

Well, I need Tylenol after tonight's performance of Kinky Boots. The audience at the Al Hirschfeld tonight was one of the worst audiences I have ever been a part of. They acted like they were at a rock concert or sporting event. Screaming and shouting, taking pictures, talking, getting up and down as they pleased. It did not help that the ushers were not very attentive at all. However, that being said, the show is in even better shape than it was when it first opened. Brendon Urie is fantastic, and his voice is absolutely perfect for the character of Charlie. Everyone else in the cast was all on their A game. It's great to see a long running show that holds up and still feels polished. It's just a shame that the audience is freaking zoo.