Brooklyn Tour - 7/27/06

[willact4food]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 12:44am

Hmm...where should I start? This show has more flaws in it than when I saw it in NYC, which I didn't think was possible. I suppose it was worth the $20 I spent on a ticket, but sheesh. I guess I'll just go over each actor individually.

Diana DeGarmo - The ONLY good thing about this show. Her singing is incredible. It's hard to believe she's only 18. She's gonna have a huge future ahead of her, if not in the recording industry then in the theatre world. She's the only thing I liked about this show.

Cleavant Derricks - He's too good for this show. Literally. His talents could be used on a much more meaningful show. His "Magic Man" is good. I don't understand why he would continue to do a piece of crap show, though. First in NYC and now here.

Melba Moore - Absolutely horrific. Her "Raven" made me want to shoot myself. What was that pathetic high note she tried to hold for a long time at the end? I wasn't expecting a Ramona Keller, but damn. I was at least expecting a little bit of talent. Her singing was atrocious, and her acting is not even worth mentioning.

Lee Morgan - Nice lower register, but when he tries to hit the higher notes, he doesn't quite make it. He has a nice presence on stage though. And a very sweet guy.

Julie Reiber - Her part is so terribly written that she doesn't even get to show off what she can really do. Not Julie's fault.

This show needs to get off the road NOW and stop boring audiences. Everyone around me was trying to figure out what the hell they were watching. The theatre wasn't even halfway full. It was pathetic.

Don't waste your time and money on this show like I did. Save yourself.

[Parks]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 12:57am

Ooh...harsh.

I personally really enjoyed it. I warned you yesterday that Melba's last note in Raven was impressive but annoying. I didn't think her acting was horrible.

Perhaps you just got an incredibly off night...if the audience was less than half full, that probably didn't encourage the actors to do their best. Hope they're a lot better tomorrow night.

[Zachary Goldfarb]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 1:26am

She's 19. And you're an idiot.

[Marie2]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 1:35am

I think it was a mistake for them to book Dallas for two weeks. It seems attendance was better in the cities they visited for one week.
It does seem like most of the reviews mention that the show itself is very flawed but the performances are great.
Despite the disappointment, did you stage door it and meet anyone?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 2:53am

Finally, someone got it right. This show sucks.

[Parks]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 3:54am

Oh yeah...she is 19. I read it in the paper yesterday in the review.

The touring cast is great--I don't know how they compare to the Broadway cast, but I personally really enjoyed the show. Sure, it has its flaws, but everyone made it out to be so much worse than it really was, I thought.

[willact4food]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 12:08pm

It's good to know we have intellectual people on here like Zachary. That's reassuring.

She just turned 19 (June 17th I believe, as I just looked it up).

I stage doored and met everybody.

Oh! And here's a little tid bit for you guys. According to the stage door attendant, at the stage door the night before last, somebody pushed Melba down causing her to have a limp. I noticed it during the show, but wasn't sure if it really was that bad. But it is. I didn't know people in Dallas were so vicious.

[Parks]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 12:11pm

AHH! BITCHES! If that happens when I go to the stagedoor, I will push that person right back. and when they get up, AGAIN!

so excited! Going tonight!

[willact4food]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 12:13pm

Have fun Parks. Maybe Melba will be out tonight?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 12:13pm

That may be true, but she had a limp in Atlanta too. Unless she just gets pushed at every stage door she goes to?

[willact4food]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 12:24pm

Hmmm...maybe the stage door guy just assummed it was because of the fall?

The guy was also saying that he's been doing the stage door for 19 years, and has never had to put up barricades before. However, Melba's management insisted upon them.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 12:52pm

Weird. I thought she had knee surgury or something, but I may just be pulling that out of nowhere. Maybe the push only made it worse?

[hawkeyemania]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 2:51pm

Here knees were bad in Minneapolis too. It has to be a persistent medical thing. And in MN we didn't have barricades at the stage door, so that is new.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 3:04pm

despite what anyone may think about the actual material, the Calhoun staging is terrific. Five people on a unit set with almost no dancing at all, but constantly interesting to look at. With better material (like he had in BIG RIVER), you get even more impressive results. Worth seeing for that and the singing in general (as long as you like pop singing).

[Parks]

Posted: 7/29/06 at 12:15am

Saw it tonight--everyone was in. Great show. Went to the stagedoor--got pictures with Melba, Julie and Diana...my friend's hair got in the way of Diana's and my face. Melba and Diana seemed to be in a hurry to get out. I'm glad I finally got to meet Diana. I want to go back and bring her something--she really is amazing.

[DWalk]

Posted: 7/29/06 at 12:21am

I just returned from seeing the show here in Dallas. I have to admit I went into it really wanting to like the show...I guess because of the underdog status it seems to have.

Overall, I thought the cast did a good job but I can't really put my finger on why I didn't like the show. For starters, the sound was bad but it always is at Music Hall.

Anyway, the show just didn't keep me interested or entertained.

[Marie2]

Posted: 7/29/06 at 1:08am

[Quote]I'm glad I finally got to meet Diana. I want to go back and bring her something--she really is amazing.[/Quote].


Awww, Parks. You sound like you've got a crush.
Just teasing -I'm glad you got to meet Diana and she met your expectations.

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 7/29/06 at 1:45am

DWalk - I'm so with you on the sound. It's hideous and they just paid all that money to re-do the sound. It disgusts me that the majority of tours have to put up with the sound in that venue. The only sound that was decent was Wicked, but I was front row. The actual voices probably carried from the stage. I was a Smirnoff's for Kelly Clarkson's concert tonight, and I could hear perfectly on the lawn. There is no excuse for why an outdoor venue should have better sound than an indoor venue!

Does Brooklyn have an intermission? I know it didn't when it was on Broadway, but I'm just curious.

[Parks]

Posted: 7/29/06 at 3:01am

no intermission. I was wondering what concert was going on at Smirnoff. I figured it was Kelly Clarkson after I got home. Should have hung around and listened...I thought somebody was just blasting music from their car at first.

And yes, I have a HUGE crush on Diana :-P

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 7/29/06 at 3:11am

Thanks for the info on intermission (or lack there of). I'll be going to see it on Wednesday. I'm prepared for the worst, but I hope I like Diana. Eden was just the epitome of awesome in that show, so it will be a hard act to follow. I had no idea that Cleavant Derricks is in the tour cast. He was great on Broadway. I'm so glad I'll get to see him again!

Yep two "American Idols" in town on the same day.
Completely off topic, but Kelly was amazing. Her "sets" and staging was great, too.

Updated On: 7/29/06 at 03:11 AM

[Marie2]

Posted: 7/29/06 at 3:14am

Awww Parks, she's going to be in Dallas for another week. You've got time to make your move.
If she was in a rush at the stage door (which is unusual for her) I wonder if she was heading out to catch the last part of the Kelly Clarkson concert? It would make sense that two American Idol alum might want to meet up.

[emo_geek]

Posted: 7/29/06 at 6:30am

I can't wait to see the tour in San Jose!!! The reason why Cleavant is still doing the show is...because he actually likes it. Hard to believe right? /sarcasm

[Parks]

Posted: 7/29/06 at 12:24pm

Hm, that would make sense, Marie.

and I really want to bring flowers. Now...do I put my phone number on the card?

[nannerz60]

Posted: 7/29/06 at 12:38pm

If you go back, Parks, you should ask her if she caught any of Kelly's concert!

[Bret]

Posted: 7/31/06 at 12:48am

Saw the show tonight. I think that the biggest problem facing the production is the material itself. "Once Upon a Time" really stood out to me, as it was the strongest number in the score. The basic story is good, and I really liked the framing device used, by having the "city weeds" tell the story. However, when they randomly stopped the show to thank someone for giving money, I felt as though the show just...stopped. The set really impressed me, as did the creative costumes. While not the best I've seen in my life, they served their purposes very well. I particularly liked Paradice's hat of chip bags!
As for the cast, DeGarmo was the star. Her vocals were stunning, and her acting was great. Clevant Derricks was very talented, but I don't feel this was the role for his abilities. I'd love to see him in something else where he can shine even more. Melba more was alright. While she did the comedy very well, her vocals were just alright. Her "Raven" was very iffy. While some passages were wonderful, others were not pleasant to hear. Julie Reiber was excellent, despite her small role. I don't have much of an opinion on Lee Morgan. I had a tricky time hearing him(and everyone else, for that matter), partly due to poor diction, and partly due to the Music Hall's horrible acoustics.
I'm glad I got to see it, but will not be rushing back to this borough any time soon.