pair-o-dice said: "I loved the original production and saw it a few times. This is a different take but certainly on track to be just as thrilling, powerful and beautiful. I went in wanting to judge and compare, but ultimately it just made me love the show even more. The last twenty minutes are truly brilliant with every line and "moment" hitting you like a ton of bricks. Some beautiful and poignant staging in the last moments as well.
I'd say the early standouts are Sharon (obviously), the Bus, and Dottie. But everyone is stellar. The kid playing Noah was perfection. The Radio is sensational. The moon is fabulous. Everyone is great. Sharon is a bit more sad, where Tonya was mad (if I had to try to explain it) and both takes work. The direction is a bit more "showy" but just as powerful and at times more clear than the original. I miss some of the more "simple" moments and felt a few of the actors were showing me as opposed to genuinely connecting, but give them a few shows under their belt. They all have so much potential. And it's hard to compare a first preview to the original which I saw towards the end of their run.
I loved, in this production, the interaction between the inanimate objects and the people. For example, In Act Two when Rose and Caroline have their confrontation the Radio and Washing Machine are pleading with Rose for Caroline to keep her job. And, I feel like when they reference the moon she genuinely interacts and connects with them more than in the original. Its a nice touch and I think made the abstract-ness of them more "real" and powerful.
The set it fine - the original wasn't the most incredible set I'd ever seen either - I think this was just as serviceable as the original. And there are some simple/cool "spectacular" moments that I don't want to ruin.
As a fan of the original, who was nervous this wouldn't live up,this production did not disappoint. Plus, it is (sadly) even more relevant today it feels.
I'm excited to return in a few weeks to see how its grown!
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This is exactly me and how I felt in a nutshell, though I only saw the original once. Can’t wait to go back and see this again in a few weeks
-There's the muddle in the middle. There's the puddle where the poodle did the piddle."