Catch me if you Can Preview Thread

[suttonfoster]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 5:47pm

Please post about tonight if you're going! A curtain picture would be appreciated!

[April Saul]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 6:22pm

If anybody does go tonight, please ask about rush or lotto...and have fun!

[steveshack]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 7:11pm

Saw the dress rehearsal.

This is TERRIFIC. The score is jazzy/hot, and does NOT feel derivative at all; each song propels the plot with clever, clear lyrics. Aaron and Norbert are nothing short of electrifying in the lead roles. Aaron lifts the show from the opening number with his clear, amazing voice. And Norbert is a great character man, really bringing comedy and pathos to his FBI character.

LOTS and lots of dancing, well choreographed with lots of wit, once again, telling the story through dance.

Second act maybe needs a tiny bit of trimming, but, they have time for adjustments. With Book of Mormon, this season is off to a smashing start and these two shows are going to be neck and neck for Tonys.

[Patti4President]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 8:01pm

For the time being they will be doing rush tickets for the front row. I don't know the price. If the demand is too high they will consider a lotto system.

That was probably the cleanest, most high energy gypsy run I have ever been to. This show is going to kick some Tony ass. I agree Act II needs some trimming but they are in FANTASTIC shape for previews.

Sadly Kerry Butler is the weak link. Too old for the role and her acting leaves A LOT to be desired.

[dragonlp86]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 8:18pm

According to my friend, the curtain is a projection of clouds.

[steven22]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 8:41pm

I bought front row tickets for april..so there is def no front row lotto/rush

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 8:54pm

A curtain picture would be greatly appreciated. Also if someone could describe the set. I've heard they're changing it from the original.

[batchels]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 10:36pm

What was the running time? I am seeing this on Saturday.

Posted: 3/11/11 at 11:16pm

I can't help but wonder, and I say this with complete and total respect and curiosity, but why does anyone care what the damn curtain looks like?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 11:20pm

Posting from my iPhone so bare with me.

The show was fabulous. Fun, jazzy score with a couple of real showstoppers. Great dancing and briskly directed. Everything just moves. It's just a whole lot of fun.

Tveit is giving a star-making performance. He's never sounded better- Goodbye is the show's vocal highlight. He's charming, funny, and just exudes charisma and star quality. Butz is also wonderful and really very funny. Together the two of them have great chemistry already.

Everything that's wrong with the show can be summed up in two words: Kerry Butler. Her role is a glorified cameo but she still manages to give exactly the same performance she did in Xanadu. She whines her way through Fly Fly Away. Fortunately the role is so small it doesn't matter.

Overall it's in great shape and will only get tighter. I can't wait to go back!!

Housekeeping- show was 2 hours and 40 minutes. Curtain was moving clouds.

More when I get home.
Updated On: 3/12/11 at 11:20 PM

[maxximumvolume]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 11:28pm

I adored it. It was classy, elegant and retro, at times beautiful and at times extremely funny. Aaron is a true star, a burst of energy and a classic song and dance man. His vocals are incredibly pure and fill the house. Norbert gives a terrific character performance, much like he did in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Nuanced, quirky, and very funny. Tom Wopat is great too; his voice is wonderful and he has great warmth. His final scene is stunning. Kerry didn't bother me at all, and her Fly Fly Away was really powerful to me. Still, the real vocal show stopper is Goodbye, which is saying something in a score that's this good. Shaiman and Wittman are incredibly talented and really knocked this out of the park.

I think there's some room to trim the show down a bit, but I'm not sure where. The dance numbers are great, and so are the smaller character numbers and I loved the relationships. The show smartly cuts down on the specifics of Frank's conning and how he did it and focuses more on his relationships and how they affected his young life. The framing device works extremely well and the set, albeit extremely simple, is also very, and I admittedly hate to use this word again, classy. The orchestra is all decked out in white tuxedos and sounded great.

The biggest issue I had was some of the sound mixing during the opening number. It was difficult to hear some of the dialogue over the orchestra.

It's a really wonderful evening at the theatre, though, and is right up there with Scottsboro Boys and Book of Mormon from this season. All 3 are unique beasts and I'm not sure I could even begin to compare.

The show ended at 10:40. 10:30 would have been better.

In terms of merch they had: a ladies shirt and a men's shirt, the original autobiography, a magnet, a pin (in the shape of wings like you get on an airplane), and a few other things I can't remember. There's no window card yet, nor obviously a program or a cast recording though their likely will be.

The curtain, as mentioned before, is a scrim that features floating clouds. Other than that the show has no projections whatsoever.

[steven22]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 11:29pm

I'm shock about Kerry Butler. I do think she is a little old to be playing this role however, her voice is usually top notch. Anyone audio tonight?

[BWayFanatic]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 11:44pm

Just got back myself. While the production as a whole is very well executed, my problem with the show was with the inconsistent score. (More on that in a second)

Aaron Tveit is perfect. His crystal clear voice and charm make him ridiculously likeable. He carries the show and makes it look effortless. Norbert Leo Butz was kind of a disappointment in my eyes. I know he was feeling sick (I heard vocal nodes), but nothing in the scores lets his signature voice shine through at all. Kerry Butler marches in at the tail end, sings a good song, that's about it. Tom Wopat was really wonderful, I thought. Not only was his voice in prime shape, his character is extremely complex and he really brings Frank Sr. full circle by the end of the show.

The set worked well for the production, very "big band"-esque with the full band on stage. Costumes served their purpose, lighting was very well executed. The choreography was wonderful, Jerry Mitchell has created some great stuff here, and even though some of the ensemble members have some polishing up to do (but its only the first preview), I would say the choreography will be a front-runner come Tony-time.

On to the score. I was disappointed with how inconsistent these songs were. Every now and then a song would come along (Live in Living Color, Fly Fly Away, Goodbye) that was very memorable and fun to listen to. There were also many that I can't even remember what the title was, because nothing about them kept my attention. Looking back at Hairspray, almost every song was brilliant and memorable, and that just wasn't the case here. The songs might have moved the plot along (for the most part), but most of the score left me wanting something more.

Overall, it was a really fun night of theater. While I enjoyed my time, I firmly think Mormon was a better show. To me, there's no race between these two for the Tony, but something tells me the Tony voters will be pretty nicely split.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 11:47pm

I can't help but wonder, and I say this with complete and total respect and curiosity, but why does anyone care what the damn curtain looks like?

This is a fair enough question to ask considering quite a few of us always ask for curtain pictures:). I personally am interested in show curtains because they are the first part of the show and set that you see. I have always been fascinated by show curtains. Other than that, I really don't know why :).

[steven22]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 11:50pm

Is the song "You Gotta Pay for Love" still in it? and who are the official u/s? I know about Jay as the s/b Frank.

[Drunk Chita Rivera]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 11:52pm

For the past month the Box Office has been saying they are going to have a rush or lotto and that it will be front row. As of earlier this week they didn't have anything planned and when i spoke to them today they had nothing. Anyone want to confirm?


Edit: Sorry just saw that there was another thread for this!


Anyways sad to hear Kerry isn't great. She was what I was most looking forward to. I LOVE Fly Fly Away and have been listening to it obsessively for months now. Updated On: 3/11/11 at 11:52 PM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 11:54pm

SO glad to hear great things about this show! Is the set fairly sparse since the band is onstage or are there still other set pieces?

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 3/11/11 at 11:57pm

steven22, "You Gotta Pay For Love" has been cut.

[AlfieByrne]

Posted: 3/12/11 at 12:47am

There aren't that many set pieces except tables, chairs, beds, neon signs, etc. The band takes up such a large chunk of the stage. Sometimes the entire band setup moves up/downstage. I'm not sure if I liked it. It seemed like an overproduced staged concert performance. The lighting was fantastic, however.

I loved Aaron Tveit. He was truly the star. I couldn't help but to compare him with Daniel Radcliffe. Daniel Radcliffe has the charm (as Daniel Radcliffe, not mainly due to his acting, in my opinion...) to allow the audience to love him. Aaron Tveit, however, really knew how to take the stage. I honestly wasn't too fond of the expository style. The score definitely wasn't as memorable as Hairspray's, but it was still fun and upbeat for the most part. And as always, Jerry Mitchell's choreography was fantastic.

Norbert was okay. His performance exactly wasn't a star-quality. The rest of the cast was okay and adequate, but nothing to rave about.

[steven22]

Posted: 3/12/11 at 12:50am

Who are the officially understudies?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/12/11 at 12:56am

A few more things...

-The projections and giant movie screen are both mercifully gone. The set is still sparse, but it actually works really well.

-A good number of the action in the first and last scene is staged in the aisles. Really well executed.

-The second act runs a little long, and would benefit from about 5-10 minutes worth of cutting. I'd start by shortening the number at the bar between Hanratty and Frank Sr. It's a good number, but goes on too long.

I just can't say enough positive things about Tveit's performance. He was just sensational and makes it all look so effortless. And he's absolutely made himself the front-runner for the Tony at this point.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/12/11 at 1:01am

Who are the officially understudies?

Standby for Frank Abagnale Jr.: Jay Armstrong Johnson
For Frank Abagnale Jr.: Brandon Wardell
For Carl Hanratty: Joe Cassidy, Will Erat
For Frank Abagnale Sr.: Bob Gaynor, Michael X. Martin
For Paula Abagnale: Rachelle Rak, Angie Schworer
For Brenda Strong: Alex Ellis, Katie Webber
For Carol Strong: Jennifer Frankel, Lisa Gajda
For Roger Strong: Will Erat, Michael X. Martin

[alliez92092]

Posted: 3/12/11 at 1:03am

This is wonderful to hear. I'm (hopefully) making a trip in May to see this and Book of Mormom so I am even more excited. I'm especially excited for Aaron Tveit, who truly deserves this start turn. Hopefully he will receive a Tony nomination, if not just to make up for his unjust snub in 2009, but also because it sounds like he's doing a fantastic job.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/12/11 at 1:08am

I don't think there's any question he'll be nominated at this point.

Like I said, he's going to be a frontrunner to win the award.

[steven22]

Posted: 3/12/11 at 1:09am

Thanks adamgreer