I ended up going to Brooklyn tonight (8/1). I saw the show in NY, and I must say that the powerful vocals completely held that show together on Broadway. I remember having chills for the majority of the night because of the beautiful vocals.
Diana - I went into the show wanting to dislike Diana. I actually enjoyed her on idol, but I just loved Eden as Brooklyn; I didn’t think anyone could replace her. Diana wasn’t Eden, but she most definitely held her own. In fact, she was one of the strongest singers in the show. And her voice FIT the show. It wasn't a pop singer trying to sing a score that they didn't have the voice to sing. It was very pleasant and pure, and it was lovely to listen to. Chill worthy in spots even!
I enjoyed her singing a great deal more than her acting. I missed the feistiness that Eden brought to the role. And I have to say that Little Brooklyn won't ever allow for a Tony winning performance!
Diana had a great belt, but it seemed that her voice became stronger/louder throughout the show. In particular, the Brooklyn/Street Singer duet was her best number. She really let it all go.
Clevant Derricks was AMAZING, and I was so happy to see him as the street singer again. His role is small, but in a way I feel it is the heart of the show. That man’s voice is incredible; I certainly wished he had a larger/deeper role. There are certain voices that just hit you in the gut, and he has one of those voices!
Melba Moore- Well, I heard that she was pretty weak through various reviews. I personally thought that she brought an interesting twist to Paradice. The “faded diva” really worked for her, and I think it was a softer Paradice from what I saw on Broadway. Ramona Keller really took an angry/jaded approach to this character, but there is a lot of comedy written for this part. Melba seemed to balance the aspects of this role well. Not too many problems with the lines tonight, and the comedy played very well with tonight's audience. Now, I do think that Ramona has a stronger voice over all, and to be honest while Melba was a very good singer, her songs were a tad boring compared to what I saw in NY.
Lee Morgan- Someone else said that Lee Morgan reminded him of Taylor Hicks from AI. I completely agree with this assessment, and once again, the character changed a bit from what I saw on Broadway. He is supposed to be a Vietnam vet, and I completely bought into that. He was raw and rough. His voice and portrayal of “Taylor” was very layered and believable. I also like that he brought a different style of singing to the table. It was a nice variety of voices/genres of singing.
There were some changes from the Broadway production – “Brooklyn in the Blood” is one of my favorite numbers. It was cut. The show did drag without an intermission, but there were plenty of other songs that could have been cut. I don’t think it helps the show to cut an upbeat energetic number. There were several slow numbers that brought the show to a crawl.
The “preachy” dialogue was slimmed down and spread out throughout the show. This really helped the flow of the show in my opinion, and it gave it the feel of a sidewalk fairy tale instead of a sermon.
The costumes seemed a bit less extravagant. I really loved the costumes on Broadway. It was really a neat aspect of the show. The general ideas for the costumes were still there, they were definitely made on a slim budget. That or they took remnants from the Broadway production.
The plot seemed to be edited for content and length, and personally, I think the majority of choices were well thought out. I’ve always thought that the plot was the weakest part of the show, but, like Bret said, the story has a great frame.
The biggest change from Broadway is that this show is playing in a much bigger venue. I think this really hurts the show overall. I would love to see this edited version of the show in a smaller theatre; I think it would be stronger than what was playing on Broadway.
Edited to add: The sound crew deserves a round of applause. I've had constant problems with hearing shows in this venue since the new sound system was installed. I could hear the majority of the show perfectly. No problems with mics or volume at all.
So, that was the Drowsy Chaperone. Oh, I love it so much. I know it's not a perfect show...but it does what a musical is supposed to do. It takes you to another world, and it gives you a little tune to carry with you in your head for when you're feeling blue. Ya know?
Updated On: 8/2/06 at 01:47 AM
. That's why I'm dating her.
