Brooklyn (St. Paul) 6/17/06 Matinee (SPOILERS)

[nannerz60]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 3:23am

I tried to remember as much as I could, but the quotes are not 100% accurate, and I might've gotten a few things in the wrong order. It's also slightly Diana-centric. Read on, if you dare:

Heart Behind These Hands:
This song works so well for the opening of the show. It really shows the bond between The City Weeds. Loved how Lee Morgan/Taylor was hanging on a bar on the set - as if it was a monkey bar - very playful and cute.

It also set up the differences between Diana as a City Weed (a homeless street performer telling the fairy tale) and Brooklyn. Diana as a City Weed was very street smart and bordered a little on trashy at times. She was also very outgoing and witty. (Throughout the play, the cast thanks various passerbys as they drop change into the open guitar case - at one point, Diana/City Weed said, "Thank you! ...He was cute!") (She wears the pink newsboy cap most of the time as a City Weed with a short skirt, magenta '80s leg warmers and turquoise heels.) At one point, early on, when Diana was doing a set change of some sort, she had to jump a little to reach one of the ropes - thought that was cute.)

Little Brooklyn (baby; ages 5-7) was one of my favorite portions of the whole show. (Diana sports high pigtails during this portion of the play.) Diana/City Weed sits off to the side while Brooklyn's parents hold the bundle of blankets that is Brooklyn as a baby. Diana then does a very convincing (if a little plaintive) "Waaaaah!" She then introduces herself in a kid's voice, "I'm Brooklyn... Don't worry, I grow up in a few minutes!" I also loved when she said, "Look, it's snowing!"

Julie Reiber/Faith:
I felt bad that Julie Reiber didn't get much of a showcase for her voice - no real power notes. But her scene with 5-year-old Brooklyn was adorable.

Little Brooklyn: Are you crying? Don't cry...
Faith: (holding a red rose) Sometimes with our tears, we can water roses...
Little Brooklyn: Huh?! :)

Christmas Makes Me Cry:
Really the only good showcase of Julie. She did a very nice job.

Not A Sound:
This was really sad, as it's the scene where Faith commits suicide by hanging herself during one of her dance numbers. It's the first time we get to see a little drama from Diana, screaming, "Mommy!" It's also where Diana/Little Brooklyn is sitting amidst a bunch of white fabric, crying. She sings very quietly here with some beautiful runs.

Brooklyn Grew Up:
Diana/Little Brooklyn gets mad here, because her "daddy don't know that she was ever born." She rips off her little-girl plaid skirt and belts out "Daddy! Daddy!" (Very moving.) The first real glimspe of her voice.

Once Upon A Time, Part 1:
Where Diana/Little Brooklyn (age 7) lives in the orphanage. She writes with chalk all over her bedroom walls and sings The Unfinished Lullaby. Faith comes to her as an angel and tells her to find her father, and the two of them duet a very soft version of Once Upon A Time - Diana on melody, Julie harmony.

Once Upon A Time, Part 2 - Diana's big solo:
This? Well, there are really no words for hearing this live. Wow. Her voice is soooo strong - definitely didn't need that microphone for this number. You could tell her voice was perhaps a little tired in places - no bum notes, just a touch of rasp. Just amazing. Lots and lots of applause (and some whistles?) for her after this!

Melba Moore/Paradice:
I loved Melba. She had one or two noticeable line slip-ups - one in the very beginning of the show, where I believe it was Lee who actually fed her line back to her quite creatively (very nice of him!). Her knee looks like it's still bothering her. She limped through most of the show, and I was happy to see a little part in there where Paradice got to wear a robe and slippers! The woman can sing like nobody's business, and got a lot of laughs. My favorite line of the show was when Brooklyn and Paradice were going to compete for money. Brooklyn said she was going to give the money she won to the homeless, and Paradice scoffs at her and insists that when she wins, she is going to keep "every laaaaaaaaaaaaaaast diiiiiiiiiiiiiime!" (Diana/Brooklyn says, "Every laaaaaaaaaast diiiiiiiiiiiime!" also, at one point, making fun of Paradice, which made me laugh a lot too.) Paradice also says, "Did I stutter?" with a lot of attitude - a very fun line.

Superlover:
Awesome show of Melba's voice! I remember this number most because of Diana, Julie and Lee dancing behind sheets on a clothesline, holding them against themselves like dresses! (And boooy, did Lee look cute!)

Cleavant Derricks/Streetsinger:
I was very excited to hear Cleavant sing after hearing just that little snippet from the run-through rehearsal, and he did not disappoint! His relationship with Diana/Brooklyn really made the show for me! He really was the "fairy godmother" character, and he played it well!

Magic Man:
The man can blow. What can I say? Very much enjoyed it. Brooklyn drops a little change into the guitar case for Streetsinger, and then she offers him her scarf and says, "Merry Christmas." Very poignant. This is where Cleavant/Streetsinger takes Brooklyn to where her dad is - homeless, and singing The Unfinished Lullaby.

Lee Morgan/Taylor Collins:
Did a very good transformation of himself - aging 20 years even just in voice and posture - in only a matter of minutes. The man did a very good job at making himself unlikeable, because it was hard for me to warm up to him. Really liked him being a City Weed, though - very playful.

Love Was A Song:
This song was a little hard to get into. Lee sang in a very raspy voice, and the song was kind of a downer, if I'm remembering right.

Brooklyn meets Taylor here:
Brooklyn: Do you know who I am?
Taylor: I know who you are. But I'm not your father. Your father was an old war buddy of mine, and he sang the song to me.

He then tells her that her father is dead. Diana/Brooklyn gets emotional then, and the Southern accent comes pouring out of the little Parisian/Brooklyn songstress, particularly on: "When?! Tell me anything!" :) She ends up leaving and curling into a little pathetic ball on the right side of the stage. She ends up finding out that he really is her father.

I Never Knew His Name:
Another beautiful solo by Diana. Very soft and emotional.

I never knew his name,
But I imagined what he looked like, imagined how he'd smile.
A hug tight, a kiss goodnight, the way a father holds his child.

I never knew his name.
But I imagined him a hero, a bright and shining knight.
And daddy's eyes would stop my cries and make everything alright.

Oh, daddy's eyes would stop my cries, and make everything alright.
I never knew, I never knew his name

The Truth:
Good stuff here, too. Diana gets to whip out Ms. Thang and tell off Taylor. The song also tells the backstory of what actually happened when Taylor was in Vietnam - that Faith's father intercepted all his letters to her, and that he was the only one in his troop to survive an attack - and ends up killing an innocent family and (presumably?) a baby. He felt unworthy to go back to Paris, and turned to drugs and alcohol instead.

Taylor: I'm a monster
Brooklyn: (crying) You're my daddy! ...You're my daddy! (She lays down and puts her head in his lap.)

Raven:
This song is like Melba's Once Upon A Time! Everybody needs to buckle up for this one! Melba actually makes me feel for Paradice here. Beautiful job. And she got to sing in her robe and slippers, which was a load off my mind! (Hers, too, I'm sure - her poor leg...) There is an absolutely jaw-dropping high note near the end that even had Diana/City Weed applauding! The whole place clapped for a good 5 seconds while she held it - w.o.w. - and then she finally finished up. (Okay, so my memory is failing me...it was either this song or Love Me Where I Live where Melba hit the glory note of doom, but I can't remember.)

Paradice gets upset then, that Brooklyn has the upper-hand in the competition having found her father. The newspapers claim Paradice a has-been, basically, and Brooklyn is planning on singing The Unfinished Lullaby with her dad for the show, so Paradice intervenes. She gives him some drugs - to "calm him down" before the show, and says it'll be too much pressure for him.

Sometimes:
Don't recall much of this song. It was Lee's. It might have been this song where Diana was a couple stories up on a ladder shining a flashlight on Lee, and I was understandably preoccupied for her safety.

This is where Taylor decides to take the drugs and not sing with Brooklyn, leaving her in the lurch as far as her performance. Streetsinger tells Brooklyn that Taylor's not coming, and she says in this little, sad voice, "Where did he go?"

Love Me Where I Live:
One of the most awesome songs - and outfits - of the show! (The trash bag/duct tape/Caution tape dress with a bubble wrap shawl. Paradice calls it, "Salvation Armani." Melba worked out these lyrics! I was very proud - a really fun number! Diana/City Weed got to boogey down during this number, doing some back-up dancing.

Love Fell Like Rain:
Yay - The I <3 NY dress! The pictures really don't do it justice. It's awesome. Brooklyn tries to compete anyway, singing this song about how her parents met, but ends up too emotional to continue, with her back to the audience, crying quietly. (Diana has to sing the word "singer" and totally ends up pronouncing the g, another Southernism. :) )

Paradice then thinks she's won. (And she has.) She talks to Streetsinger and Brooklyn, and Brooklyn ends up giving Paradice attitude, all, "Did I stutter?" Too funny!

Streetsinger:
An amazing duet with Diana and Cleavant! Diana got her groove on, totally brought out the gospel sound! Such a great song! Felt like I was at a church revival! The girl can sang! (Did some "Yeah-yeah-yeahs" too, and they were awesome. I was pretty much in shock of the hugeness of their voices and the loveliness of it all.) She totally held her own against Cleavant, a seasoned and loud partner!

At the end, Taylor approaches Brooklyn, and he apologizes for standing her up. He says he couldn't pretend to finish The Unfinished Lullaby during the competition, because to him, it would always be incomplete. Brooklyn is upset. She has her suitcase, and she's ready to leave. He tries to approach her, but she has her back to him, and holds up a hand to make him stop. He does, and leaves a red rose (the same flower he gave her mother) on the suitcase. She turns and notices it, and tells him, "Sometimes, with our tears, we can water roses." And they hug, and it's beautiful...

Heart Behind These Hands (Reprise):
The song was awesome this time around, too. It is revealed that the Streetsinger is the real Taylor, which is the "little bit of truth" in this fairytale. Cleavant also cups Diana's face and plants a kiss on the top of her little pink newsboy cap, which was just adorable.

At the end of the show, Diana said a few words. She thanked us for coming and said they all loved St. Paul (and Minneapolis, haha) and thanked us for being so welcoming to them. She also told us to have a good night (at 4 in the afternoon) and "Drive safe!" Hahaha! Gotta love her!

Diana/Brooklyn:
And even though I've got Diana sprinkled throughout this review, here's my general take on her. :) Loooooved the little-kid voice - she was too cute. I also loved when she wore some sort of glove on one of her hands, and then had to go be Brooklyn (and not a City Weed), so she shoved it down the front of her shirt. (She took it out later and put it back on, haha!) Brooklyn oftentimes ended up sounding a lot like Diana herself - especially during emotional moments when the Southernisms found their way out! In general, though, her speaking voice was more calm and lower than, say, Interview Diana. (Could be due to fatigue, too.) There is absolutely nothing like seeing this young lady live! This was an amazing show!

I also got to meet Diana after the show for literally, like, a minute. She was very sweet and accomodating.
Updated On: 6/18/06 at 03:23 AM

[nannerz60]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 9:57am

[bump]

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 10:40am

I love Lee and Cleavant, they were Streetsinger and Taylor when I saw the show on Broadway. They were amazing. I love how Diana is just so amazing, I wish the show was coming to Philadelphia. I love her, and I will be there when she returns to Hairspray in Septemeber- I hope.

Nice review, btw. Lots of detail and that quote:

Little Brooklyn: Are you crying? Don't cry...
Faith: (holding a red rose) Sometimes with our tears, we can water roses...
Little Brooklyn: Huh?! :)

HYSTERICAL!

[AshleyBrownFan123]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 10:50am

I wish it was coming to LA on the second tour with the same ast!!! But Diana has Hairspray.

[AshleyBrownFan123]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 11:00am

Diana has a bad black Eden wig! Couldn't she cut her hair and highlight it!

[ABoyLikeThat]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 11:42am

LMAO. That IS her real hair dyed and cut.

Thanks for the detailed review, nannerz.

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 12:01pm

Glad you loved the show! Next Stop - Hartford, CT!

[nannerz60]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 2:34pm

Glad you all liked the review - and yes, that's Diana's real hair!

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 6:46pm

I want to see this (simply to see Diana).

[broadway_show_fan]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 7:17pm

I can't wait to see this... I'm going to the show Sunday the 25th at 1 in hartford!

[nannerz60]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 9:38am

^ Make sure you review for us! :)

[Zachary Goldfarb]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 10:11am

how full was it? is it selling well? also are they selling the posters for the tour with everyone's picture or just the broadway window card?

[nannerz60]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 6:40pm

Eh, it wasn't that full. The main floor was nearly full. They'd been selling half-price tickets and discounted tickets. I thought it was worth $55, though. (After Diana sang Once Upon A Time at the evening show on 6/17, a woman in the audience said, "THAT was worth my $65 ticket!") So, the cast is winning people over, even though it isn't selling terribly well...

I believe they were selling small posters like that. Also, candles, mugs, a couple styles of BKLYN t-shirts, a BKLYN baseball cap, Diana DeGarmo t-shirts in two different colors, the OBC Brooklyn Live CD, and Diana's CD, Blue Skies.
Updated On: 6/19/06 at 06:40 PM