CHORUS LINE OPENS IN SF- Page 3

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 2:45pm

How was "Sing!" and the chemistry between the Al & Kristine?

[gcal]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 2:46pm

"...and how this plays out in the revival with an Asian actor is beyond me. They should have adapted these lines, if they wanted to use this actor."

maybe you should SEE the revival before criticizing all the casting decisions?

[gcal]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 2:47pm

as for "sing"- the chemistry between the two was great. Kristine didn't screech her way through the song the way others have...her "singing" was much more gutteral- she payed "dumb" very well.

Posted: 8/3/06 at 2:48pm

I thought Kritsine, i think her name was Chrissy, was the best actress on the line. "Sing" was hilarious! Al was forgetable. Kristine was adorable, beautiful legs as well.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 2:52pm

I'm not reading much "positive buzz" on Charlotte.
We know she is a great dancer, but this role needs a lot more than that.

[HOUFlip04]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 2:52pm

"Al was forgetable."

Excuse me?!?!?!?!?

Posted: 8/3/06 at 3:05pm

yeah. FORGETABLE. meaning, wasn't that good, I've seen better, easily forgtten. Glad I could clarify for you

[Jovie24]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 3:13pm

When Cassie says "We had an Earthquake" there were a few giggles...I don;t think she even new there was one at the time...kind of funny..

JDO

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 3:21pm

gcal --- You're right. That was bitchy. Okay, so I'm ASKING the question now...

...How does this play out with an Asian actor in the role of Paul? Did they change the lines (about him not looking Puerto Rican, so he adopted an Italian last name instead to help him widen his casting possibilities), or did they just leave it as written and ignore the fact that he is an Asian actor?

Updated On: 8/3/06 at 03:21 PM

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 3:26pm

I've always wondered how they handled Paul with Sammy Williams in the original script. He doesnt look italian or puerto rican or asian, for that matter.

[Jovie24]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 3:28pm

Seeing the show last night ,they kept the lines the same. Did not make a differnce to me, since you knew he was Asian but somehow it worked, he had this ethnicity to him that he could easily be mixed race so it worked fine and you could not really tell he was Asain from the house that much, even his headshot could go either way.

JDO

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 3:38pm

Sammy looked pretty Italian in the original show, especially with all that tan makeup they used on him. But he definitely didn't look Puerto Rican, which was the reason for the lines.

This character is based on Nicholas Dante (who also changed his last name to an Italian one, when he was concentrating on working as an actor).


EDIT: I'm glad you didn't think it made much of a difference on stage!

Updated On: 8/3/06 at 03:38 PM

[CASuperboy]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 3:42pm

Updated On: 3/9/08 at 03:42 PM

[Jovie24]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 3:42pm

Also, I did a prodcution of A CHORUS LINE with Jenn Colella about 5 years ago and she played Val. She brough the house down every night with her version of "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three" known as Tit's and Ass. Jenn will be the only (beisdes the original) who can sing that number in my eyes.

JDO

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 3:42pm

Thanks, kitten...I knew you'd know...I'm surprised you didnt reveal Sammy's inseam.

He looks so good these days, btw.

[HOUFlip04]

Posted: 8/3/06 at 3:53pm

what IS Sammy Williams ethnicity?

[Katie2]

Posted: 8/4/06 at 3:28am

I was at the show tonight (Aug 3rd) and I have a few comments to make.

I also thought Jessica Lee Goldyn lacked power on "Dance Ten; Looks Three" and was disappointed because when I saw the show July 23rd, she was much better. I talked to her at the stage door though, and she mentioned that she was worried she sounded weak because she's been sick the past few days. So that's why... she should definitely sound better soon.

Deidre Goodwin brought down the house on multiple occasions - her Sheila is fabulous. However, I wasn't that impressed with her voice in "At the Ballet."

Loved Alisan Porter's Bebe and Mara Davi's Maggie. Both of them have strong belts and really pulled together "At the Ballet."

I really like how Chryssie Whitehead is playing Kristine and I think her less-exaggerated attempts at singing in "Sing" are much more effective and realistic. She played Kristine in a lovely spastic way - greatly enjoyed her. I also enjoyed Tony Yazbeck's Al, although I agree that he didn't particularly stand out. He has a beautiful voice though.

Someone asked about Ken Alan... he didn't stand out to me either time I've seen the show.

As for Natalie Cortez as Diana, I personally loved her (but I may be a little biased). I agree that she is lacking vocally on "Nothing" and I'm hoping she'll improve... her belt doesn't carry to her upper range and sounds strained. I think she sounds beautiful in "What I Did For Love," though. (I know I'm mostly commenting on the vocals, but as a singer, that's what I look for most)

Charlotte d'Amboise's big number hasn't impressed me either time I've seen the show. Her vowels are so spread when she belts (except for the words "proud" and "dance" which sounded clean) and it ends up just sounding very forced and brittle. Her dance number was fine and she performed well, got a lot of applause at the end, but I just wasn't a fan.

Love Michael Berresse as Zach. He's just perfect in every way. Does anyone know where he is during the show (when he's not onstage, obviously)? I've been in the rear balcony both times (all I can afford), so I can't see where he goes.

Anyhow, overall, I'm very impressed and content with the dancing, and while I agree that the vocals/acting could use improvement, I love what they're doing with the show and I'll be going back to see it on more occasions before it moves to Broadway.

[codyjo88]

Posted: 8/4/06 at 4:05am

We saw the show tonight. I have never seen the show before and unlike most in this thread don't know the back story or history. I went into it very excited because of the build up that I have noticed on all the bway boards I frequent.

I have to say that I left a bit dissapointed and just underwhelmed with the whole show. But since this is such an accurate recreation (as I am told) I guess that has nothing to do with the revival.

Just some notes on the cast that I remember...I though Deidre Goodwin was great comic relief but her vocals were just not there. It was strange to have a character with such an aggressive/dominant personality and yet such a timid and strained singing voice. Charlotte is wonderful and a great dancer and her singing was fine but she felt out of place to me, the whole show. I'm not sure how much of that is her character or what but something didn't fit.

Maybe I will share more later after I process it all.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 8/14/06 at 7:56pm

I saw it on Sunday, and loved it.

I thought that Diedre Goodwin was great, except for her singing - which was just OK. Her lines steal the show - and she got the most applause other than Charlotte - I just thought her voice was not as strong as her personality. I loved her presence on stage.

I thought Natalie Cortez was perfect - in both Nothing and What I Did for Love.

I thought Tony Yazback's voice was beautiful, and that his chemistry with Chryssie Whitehead in "Sing was just about perfect.

Charlotte - good, but not amazing. Her voice was actually better than what I expected, since I had not seen her live. The only issue with the dancing was that it did not appeared to be something spontaneous in Music and the Mirror - my friend commented that it did not seem suited to her body and motion - that it was not an extension of her. I think that is probably a fair assessment - it was good, but not amazing. This may be a weakness of relying so much on the original choreography without modification for the strengths and weaknesses of the current cast.

The man playing Paul - I really liked him. I thought his monologue was well done. He was convincing for me.

I can say that Mara Davi's Maggie stole parts of the show when she sang. She has an amazing voice. The audience stopped in the middle of the song and applauded during the number after her portion of "At the Ballet". My friends, who were not familiar with the show, were most impressed by her voice as well as Natalie Cortez's.

We also all really liked Michael Pasternostro - his stage presence was great. Along with his boots!

I would have gladly paid another 90 dollars to see it again the next night if possible.

And, it was an absolute zoo Sunday afternoon. There had to be 75 people in the cancellation line trying to get tickets.

The only odd thing was that the audience did not realize that the end of the show when all came in the gold outfits was in fact the curtain call - they were waiting to stand up until the show was "over" not realizing that since they were only part of the chorus line, this was all they were going to get.

I hope the above makes sense. I don't do reviews very often.

[morosco]

Posted: 8/14/06 at 8:08pm

"Love Michael Berresse as Zach. He's just perfect in every way. Does anyone know where he is during the show (when he's not onstage, obviously)?"

He's seated at the rear of the orchestra section.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/14/06 at 8:41pm

"And, it was an absolute zoo Sunday afternoon. There had to be 75 people in the cancellation line trying to get tickets."

Have to imagine it'll be the same if not longer on Broadway. Yeah, this will definitly be a hit on Broadway!

[Katie2]

Posted: 8/14/06 at 8:42pm

I was there Sunday too. It was INSANE, I think the theatre was pretty much sold out - there were no empty seats in my section.

I agree with everything you said... I'm glad you liked Natalie! Her and Mara Davi do have the most impressive voices in the show, I think.

I also have to agree with your comment about Charlotte in particular. Her voice really irritates me and I don't think she has the star quality presence on stage that Cassie should have. She gets the longest applause after "The Music and the Mirror" but I don't know why. She hasn't impressed me and I've seen the show 4 times so far in SF.

[hortonhearsasam]

Posted: 8/14/06 at 9:07pm

I was there on Saturday night and I absolutely loved it. All these comments about people being weak when it opened should no longer be heeded, because everyone seems to have grown into their roles and I didn't think anything about this show was weak (save Charlotte's singing during "music and the mirror"--it sounded like she was having a very hard time getting through the song, but once she got to the dancing it was amazing). I loved it so much I'm going back this Wednesday (I got the $45 box seats) with a friend.

By the way, Natalie Cortez and Jason Tam were definitely my stand-out favorites. Natalie Cortez' voice was AMAZING on both her songs!

[morosco]

Posted: 8/14/06 at 9:14pm

"I didn't think anything about this show was weak (save Charlotte's singing during "music and the mirror"--it sounded like she was having a very hard time getting through the song, but once she got to the dancing it was amazing)."

Tough number for ANYone to getting through. Tough number! Surely her stamina will build.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 8/14/06 at 9:44pm

To add to my earlier comments, the "Dance 10 Looks 3" number was good, but not great. It was surprisingly not a highlight for me.

You lucky folks who get to see this a few times!