#1
Posted: 9/7/03 at 5:09pm
If I'm posting a duplicate thread, I apologize 
So, Daisy and I got up bright and early to go to Broadway on Broadway, and I'm sorry to say, but it didn't help our situation any. We were in Times Square by 8:30, and instead of getting a spot up close, we ended up getting shunted to the back somewhere while people who arrived later than us got better spots. *sigh* Oh, well. I guess I've just learned my lesson: it doesn't really matter what time you get there (unless it's at the crack of dawn), you're really going to end up standing in the same place.
In spite of that, it was a lovely show, as I'm sure the photos documented. The patter between Nathan Lane, Jane Krakowski, and the disembodied voice was fabulous. Nathan and Jane were great together--can we get a vehicle for them in the future?
I was in a particularly loud section, and we really had a blast. We cheered loudly for most everything. The overture if the event, which was none other than the famous Gypsy overture, shot the whole place with electricity, and everyone gave a long round of applause when the last note was played.
Chicago then came out and performed We Both Reached For the Gun. Melanie was...boring. All of us who saw the understudy, Michelle Potterf, rehearse, wished she was playing Roxie--she was just hysterical. Brent Barrett got a huge hand as Billy Flynn, and all the girls were screaming "WE LOVE YOU, BRENT!!!!!" as he held his big note.
Mamma Mia was up next with Money Money Money. Louise Pitre is really a force, and it's astounding how such a big, rich voice comes out of such a teeny lady. Everyone was bopping around and singing along.
Then came all the Gypsy kids to perform Baby June and her Newsboys. I must say, the costumes Heather Tepe wears in the show don't do much justice to her dancing in this number. They're great for the turns, but you don't see half of her extension, which is insane. Older people were yelling, "YOU'RE AMAZING!"
I believe this is where the program went out of order, and Rebecca Luker came on to perform Unusual Way, following a tumultuously applauded short introduction from Mr. Hottie Guido Antonio Banderas. Now...I've been so excited to hear and see Rebecca as Claudia, and she didn't disappoint with this performance. Y'all know what a huge Laura Benanti fan I am (I co-run her website, for feck's sake!), but Rebecca was just incredible and had me in tears. She wasn't looking so much for the stylistic elements of the song, as Laura did. Instead, her rendition was so simple, yet so filled with emotion. And how about the lower range, eh? I can't WAIT to see her now.
I don't remember the order of the rest of the program, so I'll just type what I remember from each performance:
--Millie performed Forget About the Boy. What the hell happened to Sutton? She seemed like she was on autopilot and totally didn't want to be there. The song wasn't nearly as effective as it usually is, and Anne L. Nathan got more applause than anyone else. (We [heart] Anne!)
--Phantom...Hugh Panaro. Holy feck! Did anyone know he could sing like that? I mean, where did that come from? Such a rich voice, and he went from the low to the high notes so fluidly. What kind of a vehicle was Side Show for him, huh?
--Avenue Q. I must see this show now. They performed If You Were Gay, and the entire place was in stitches.
--The Producers performed I Wanna Be a Producer. Same old, same old, except it was great to see Don Stephenson as Leo Bloom. Love him.
--Cabaret. Okay, what the hell was that rendition of I Don't Care Much. It was horrible.
--Hairspray. Kathy Brier is incredible. What a voice on her--she didn't scratch, she wasn't hoarse. She was just singing her heart out and having a good time.
--Big River. Michael McElroy and Dan Jenkins are great, and Ty Giordano is adorable with such an expressive face. The integration of the sign language is really innovative.
--Rent. Seasons of Love. Blah blah blah.
And the new stuff:
--Taboo didn't thrill me. It seemed like a bad immitation of Hedwig, though Euan Morton was pretty good.
--Never Gonna Dance was adorable. Noah Racey is fabulous as the Fred Astaire character. Nancy Lemenager is a better dancer than singer. They do have the Fred/Ginger partnering down pat, though.
--Little Shop did Suddenly Seymour. Hunter was so cute and dorky. Kerry was belting her butt off, as usual. I enjoyed her, but I didn't get a feel of her portrayal of the character, so I guess I've gotta see the show.
--Wicked did The Wizard and I. Idina was incredible. You can tell this is the perfect vehicle for her. She just ripped the song up, and the audience was screaming by the end.
And the Give My Regards to Broadway finale is always amazing. Nothing like having pounds of confetti dumped on you in Times Square
Flea Market's in two weeks!
So, Daisy and I got up bright and early to go to Broadway on Broadway, and I'm sorry to say, but it didn't help our situation any. We were in Times Square by 8:30, and instead of getting a spot up close, we ended up getting shunted to the back somewhere while people who arrived later than us got better spots. *sigh* Oh, well. I guess I've just learned my lesson: it doesn't really matter what time you get there (unless it's at the crack of dawn), you're really going to end up standing in the same place.
In spite of that, it was a lovely show, as I'm sure the photos documented. The patter between Nathan Lane, Jane Krakowski, and the disembodied voice was fabulous. Nathan and Jane were great together--can we get a vehicle for them in the future?
I was in a particularly loud section, and we really had a blast. We cheered loudly for most everything. The overture if the event, which was none other than the famous Gypsy overture, shot the whole place with electricity, and everyone gave a long round of applause when the last note was played.
Chicago then came out and performed We Both Reached For the Gun. Melanie was...boring. All of us who saw the understudy, Michelle Potterf, rehearse, wished she was playing Roxie--she was just hysterical. Brent Barrett got a huge hand as Billy Flynn, and all the girls were screaming "WE LOVE YOU, BRENT!!!!!" as he held his big note.
Mamma Mia was up next with Money Money Money. Louise Pitre is really a force, and it's astounding how such a big, rich voice comes out of such a teeny lady. Everyone was bopping around and singing along.
Then came all the Gypsy kids to perform Baby June and her Newsboys. I must say, the costumes Heather Tepe wears in the show don't do much justice to her dancing in this number. They're great for the turns, but you don't see half of her extension, which is insane. Older people were yelling, "YOU'RE AMAZING!"
I believe this is where the program went out of order, and Rebecca Luker came on to perform Unusual Way, following a tumultuously applauded short introduction from Mr. Hottie Guido Antonio Banderas. Now...I've been so excited to hear and see Rebecca as Claudia, and she didn't disappoint with this performance. Y'all know what a huge Laura Benanti fan I am (I co-run her website, for feck's sake!), but Rebecca was just incredible and had me in tears. She wasn't looking so much for the stylistic elements of the song, as Laura did. Instead, her rendition was so simple, yet so filled with emotion. And how about the lower range, eh? I can't WAIT to see her now.
I don't remember the order of the rest of the program, so I'll just type what I remember from each performance:
--Millie performed Forget About the Boy. What the hell happened to Sutton? She seemed like she was on autopilot and totally didn't want to be there. The song wasn't nearly as effective as it usually is, and Anne L. Nathan got more applause than anyone else. (We [heart] Anne!)
--Phantom...Hugh Panaro. Holy feck! Did anyone know he could sing like that? I mean, where did that come from? Such a rich voice, and he went from the low to the high notes so fluidly. What kind of a vehicle was Side Show for him, huh?
--Avenue Q. I must see this show now. They performed If You Were Gay, and the entire place was in stitches.
--The Producers performed I Wanna Be a Producer. Same old, same old, except it was great to see Don Stephenson as Leo Bloom. Love him.
--Cabaret. Okay, what the hell was that rendition of I Don't Care Much. It was horrible.
--Hairspray. Kathy Brier is incredible. What a voice on her--she didn't scratch, she wasn't hoarse. She was just singing her heart out and having a good time.
--Big River. Michael McElroy and Dan Jenkins are great, and Ty Giordano is adorable with such an expressive face. The integration of the sign language is really innovative.
--Rent. Seasons of Love. Blah blah blah.
And the new stuff:
--Taboo didn't thrill me. It seemed like a bad immitation of Hedwig, though Euan Morton was pretty good.
--Never Gonna Dance was adorable. Noah Racey is fabulous as the Fred Astaire character. Nancy Lemenager is a better dancer than singer. They do have the Fred/Ginger partnering down pat, though.
--Little Shop did Suddenly Seymour. Hunter was so cute and dorky. Kerry was belting her butt off, as usual. I enjoyed her, but I didn't get a feel of her portrayal of the character, so I guess I've gotta see the show.
--Wicked did The Wizard and I. Idina was incredible. You can tell this is the perfect vehicle for her. She just ripped the song up, and the audience was screaming by the end.
And the Give My Regards to Broadway finale is always amazing. Nothing like having pounds of confetti dumped on you in Times Square
Flea Market's in two weeks!
"Peace! The charm's wound up."
--Macbeth
Updated On: 9/7/03 at 05:09 PM
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