#1
Posted: 3/15/08 at 11:58pm
Well, as all of you on this board know, I am a flopaholic, and since all of the musicals that opened this season are still running, we have had no flops this season so far, and that has upset me. Well, tonight, I got my wish. CRY-BABY is the flop of the season I have been waiting for. The show was painful from start to finish and frankly, I will be surprised if it lasts long on Broadway.
The sets were bland. The lighting was completely forgettable. The score was absolutely dreadful. The choreography was probably the best part of the show, especially the Act 2 Jailyard Jubilee tap dance number. The actors, for the most part, were forgettable...I will elaborate.
First of all, the male ensemble is hot...just had to say that. I feel horrible for Harriet Harris. She is a Tony winning actress that is stuck in this mess of a show. She has laughable lines that she has to try and deliver with a straight face, and you have to give her credit for that. Her song in Act 2 "I Did Something Wrong Once," doesn't even seem to have a melody. It needs to be re-written. Plus, she is not old enough to be believable as Elizabeth Stanley's grandmother.
Carly Jibson was out. She was injured at last night's invited dress and took the evening off, but should be back in the show for the next performance. Her understudy, Tory Ross, went on with no rehearsal time, and was fine. Lacey Kohl and Courtney Balan were the other two "bad girls" and were fine, I guess. But when Lacey Kohl came out in a hot pink nun's outfit in the end of Act 2, I nearly died. Awful.
Chester Gregory was completely wasted in his role...he is a talented actor and had practically nothing to do.
After seeing Alli Mauzey in this show, I could tell she is a great actress. Too bad her material was so bad. The audience did seem to like her the best out of the entire cast though. At least she got some genuine laughs.
Whoever said on last night's thread that Christopher Hanke would be nominated for a Tony for his performance must have been on crack. He was not funny, overacted and was painful to watch.
Elizabeth Stanley was fantastic in COMPANY...what happened??? Her songs seemed to be completely out of her range and her acting was amateurish. I felt bad for her. I think she is much better than this show makes her out to be.
James Snyder. Well, what can I say. Doesn't have much of a voice. Can't really act. Had no chemistry with Elizabeth Stanley.
I hate to say it, but I think Ben Brantley will crucify this show in the Times unless they make major changes (like rewritting the entire score). I feel bad for the cast, but the best thing for them would be to forget about this flop and move on to the next show. Good job, Rob Ashford though, for allowing the dancers to show off how good they really are.
I did stage door (not because I enjoyed the show, but because I stage door every musical...except PASSING STRANGE) and the cast was all so nice and happy to sign for everyone. Surprisingly, there was a huge crowd waiting for autographs.
I will end this review by stating two things. One: My friend Walter who I went with turned to me in the middle of Act 1 and said "Some of this dialogue is as bad as the lines in GOT TU GO DISCO." Two: To quote Harriet Harris in the show, "Yes, it is a free country, but this is not a free country club!" LOLOL.
Go see it while you can...
The sets were bland. The lighting was completely forgettable. The score was absolutely dreadful. The choreography was probably the best part of the show, especially the Act 2 Jailyard Jubilee tap dance number. The actors, for the most part, were forgettable...I will elaborate.
First of all, the male ensemble is hot...just had to say that. I feel horrible for Harriet Harris. She is a Tony winning actress that is stuck in this mess of a show. She has laughable lines that she has to try and deliver with a straight face, and you have to give her credit for that. Her song in Act 2 "I Did Something Wrong Once," doesn't even seem to have a melody. It needs to be re-written. Plus, she is not old enough to be believable as Elizabeth Stanley's grandmother.
Carly Jibson was out. She was injured at last night's invited dress and took the evening off, but should be back in the show for the next performance. Her understudy, Tory Ross, went on with no rehearsal time, and was fine. Lacey Kohl and Courtney Balan were the other two "bad girls" and were fine, I guess. But when Lacey Kohl came out in a hot pink nun's outfit in the end of Act 2, I nearly died. Awful.
Chester Gregory was completely wasted in his role...he is a talented actor and had practically nothing to do.
After seeing Alli Mauzey in this show, I could tell she is a great actress. Too bad her material was so bad. The audience did seem to like her the best out of the entire cast though. At least she got some genuine laughs.
Whoever said on last night's thread that Christopher Hanke would be nominated for a Tony for his performance must have been on crack. He was not funny, overacted and was painful to watch.
Elizabeth Stanley was fantastic in COMPANY...what happened??? Her songs seemed to be completely out of her range and her acting was amateurish. I felt bad for her. I think she is much better than this show makes her out to be.
James Snyder. Well, what can I say. Doesn't have much of a voice. Can't really act. Had no chemistry with Elizabeth Stanley.
I hate to say it, but I think Ben Brantley will crucify this show in the Times unless they make major changes (like rewritting the entire score). I feel bad for the cast, but the best thing for them would be to forget about this flop and move on to the next show. Good job, Rob Ashford though, for allowing the dancers to show off how good they really are.
I did stage door (not because I enjoyed the show, but because I stage door every musical...except PASSING STRANGE) and the cast was all so nice and happy to sign for everyone. Surprisingly, there was a huge crowd waiting for autographs.
I will end this review by stating two things. One: My friend Walter who I went with turned to me in the middle of Act 1 and said "Some of this dialogue is as bad as the lines in GOT TU GO DISCO." Two: To quote Harriet Harris in the show, "Yes, it is a free country, but this is not a free country club!" LOLOL.
Go see it while you can...
Updated On: 3/25/08 at 11:58 PM
