uncageg said: "The only downfall in the Broadway revival for me was Mario Cantone. I have never been a fan. But as a whole, it was incredible.
Something just broke sent chills down my spine and that Zapruder film was chilling."
I didn’t mind Cantone, but I can understand not liking him. He was very over the top, and he can’t sing at all. But that stuff didn’t get on my nerves cause Byck is a very hammy role, and I thought he never went too far, and because he has no major solos, his talk singing worked fine for me, even though it makes his solos stand out as much weaker to the rest of the cast (although Becky Ann Baker was also clearly there for her acting rather than her vocals). I’m happy to have Andy Grotelueschen playing the part in this production. I loved him in Tootsie. His comedic timing is wonderful and he’s got a pleasant voice. I know that Byck was apparently a much more cold and reserved figure than he’s portrayed as by the likes of Cantone and Lee Wilkof, so I’d be interested to see a more deadpan and less shouty turn in the part. Given Grotelueschen is very talented when it comes to dry humor, I could see him playing the role in a different way, so I’d be very interested to see that.
Mentioning singers in this show, as I’ve said before in this forum, this group of performers excites me, cause in addition to them being talented actors, I don’t think there’s one bad voice in this ensemble. Both the original and Broadway casts have some actors who were clearly actors first and singers second. This has the potential to be the best that the show’s ever sounded. And while I said I was unfamiliar with Cooper, afterwards I looked into him, and I realized I did know him, as he played Audrey II opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, and he did it excellently. He’s a fantastic choice for his role.
And yes, the Broadway production had no shortage of chilling moments. They weren’t afraid to offend, going all the way with the darker aspects.