Cat On a Hot Tin Roof and Gypsy

[jarred03]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:10pm

So this past weekend me and my girlfriend came to the city for a couple days and saw Cat and Gypsy. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with both of them. Cat because most people on here bashed it, and Gypsy because its an old lady musical.

However, I ended up loving them both. Cat was pretty damn good, it got a little slow in the middle when it was just James and Terrence on stage but they picked it up halfway throught that scene. I thought Anika Noni Rose was freakin amazing as Maggie, she knows how the ignite the stage and capture the audience with out being over the top. And her coyness, flirtiness, desperation, bitchiness, anger, sorrow, pettiness, and so much more made her a convincing Maggie who was hard to take your eyes off of. She definitly should of got a Tony nom.

James Earl Jones I thought was a little over the top at times but he has some great moments of realness too, he also was quite funny when he was over the top so it was forgiveable.

Phylicia Rashad was the biggest shock of the night because as much as i hate to admit it I was going to see Claire Huxtable but was happy that I did not see Claire Huxtable or Phylicia Rashad but in fact saw Big Mama. She was the one who was able to shed themself and past characters the most. Her Big Mama was also over the top but she was the character her expressions, voice, and emotions were nothing like her or Claire. So good for her.

And now for Terrence, I really enjoyed him. However he was very understated throught the whole thing which is great for film but not that great for theatre especially when the rest of the stage is filled with veterans of the broadway. I do think that if this is turned into a movie, as was rumored, then he will shine in this role.

As for the show overall, it was great, the set was cool, the lighting was good, and the cast was all good.




So I went into Gypsy bummed because I wanted to see In The Heights but their were no tickets available. However Gypsy turned out to be really good. I definitly think that their are some boring parts inthe first act and I hate how they never show anything of June again, but the second act really wraps up the show nicely and gives Patti a great chance to shine the way we know she can with the end number. I also really loved the old strippers, they were hilarious especially the red head with the lights.

Laura Benenti was great, at first through the whole thing she was just ok and I was confused why everybody loved her but the way she transforms from meek Louise to vampy Gypsy was amazing and she really wowed me.

I also really liked Leighann Larkin and Tony Yazbeck's solo number was great. Boyd Gaines was good but nothing special. And do I really need to say anything about Patti she was great as always.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:12pm

Glad you enjoyed both shows. Excellent picks by the way.

Anika Noni Rose was freakin amazing as Maggie, she knows how the ignite the stage and capture the audience with out being over the top. And her coyness, flirtiness, desperation, bitchiness, anger, sorrow, pettiness, and so much more made her a convincing Maggie who was hard to take your eyes off of. She definitly should of got a Tony nom.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Excellent assessment of an excellent performance.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:16pm

Phylicia Rashad was the biggest shock of the night because as much as i hate to admit it I was going to see Claire Huxtable but was happy that I did not see Claire Huxtable or Phylicia Rashad but in fact saw Big Mama. She was the one who was able to shed themself and past characters the most. Her Big Mama was also over the top but she was the character her expressions, voice, and emotions were nothing like her or Claire. So good for her.

Obviously you've never seen ANY of her stage work before, because she is playing the exact same role that she has played since she returned to Broadway with RAISIN IN THE SUN. She gives the same characterization here that she gave in RAISIN, GEM OF THE OCEAN, BERNARDA ALBA, A WONDERFUL LIFE, and CYMBELINE.

NOTHING NEW.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:20pm

Boyd Ganes gives one of the most devastating performances of his career.

And I agree that Rashad plays the same role since RAISIN...but I did find CYMBELINE totally different: more over the top. But everything about CYMBELINE was over the top, so I don't think that counts.

[kel62286]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:25pm

I agree about June. I went into gypsy knowing nothing about it and felt that I wanted more closure with june.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:31pm

What closure do you need? She ran away and got married, and created an act with Tulsa.

[jarred03]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:33pm

This is my first time seeing her on broadway but big mama is not the same as the Raisin in the Sun movie. And the clips i've seen of Gem, she seemed much more understated.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:34pm

You get closure with June. She runs off with Tulsa, never to be heard from again. She disowned Rose, Louise, and Herbie from her life and, presumably, never spoke to them again. Like in life.

June became June Havoc the actress, Louise became Gypsy Rose Lee the ecdesiast, and Rose ran a lesbian boarding house and shot (presumably) her lover out the window.

[mikem]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:37pm

jarred03, glad to hear Terrence Howard is back with the show -- he was out the previous week, and I had heard he might not be coming back. Did you stage door the show afterwards? If so, who came out and who didn't?

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:38pm

I don't think you need more "closure" with June. The show is not about her, it's more about Louise, and June serves to sort of contrast June and Louise. What June does to her sister, running away with Tulsa, is one of the most perfect moments in the show (dramatically speaking) because if she hadn't, then Louise would have never become the lead of the act, and Rose would have never made her do the striptease, which in turn leads Louise to become Gypsy Rose Lee.

[kel62286]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:39pm

I guess closure was the wrong word. I loved the character and wanted to see her on stage again. I loved the show though!

[jarred03]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:48pm

yeah closure was not really the right word for me either, I wanted them to run into June and Tulsa somewhere down the road. Especially since Louise and Tulsa have their moment right before he runs off with June. I was just curious about what happens to them. I would've liked to see rose confront june and louise confront tulsa.


To Mike M:
Terrence, Anika, Lisa, Giancarlo, and Lou Myers came out to meet and greet people. Also Donald Faison(turk of Scrubs) and Jaleel White aka Steve Urkell were there to see the show and they went in and out the stage door to visit the cast. Anika was the nicest, and she left her driver and pushed through the massive crowd just to reach a lady in a wheelchair and sign her playbill and take pictures. Terrence was very cocky, but he always is. Lisa and Giancarlo were very nice.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:52pm

Louise had nothing to confront Tulsa about. It's not like they slept together or made plans, "All I Need Is the Girl" is just a fantasy. Louise imagined herself as the girl, Tulsa was imagining June all the time. There wasn't much to it. And what could Rose confront June about? June was unhappy, Rose drove her away, that's all. All Rose has to say to June she says it in "Rose's Turn" and it's in her head.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/2/08 at 8:59pm

Agreed. Louise may have had a crush on Tulsa - at least, that's the impression I always get from the "All I Need is the Girl" sequence - but it's not like they had anything more than a friendship.