Chicago the Musical Appreciation Thread- Page 42

[petewk87]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 5:35pm

Thank you! 'very' partial view doesn't sound too promising. Would it be better to go for $50 rear mezz seats? I assume they don't sell standing room tickets these days...

[KanderEbb]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 9:30pm

petewk87 said: "Thank you! 'very' partial view doesn't sound too promising. Would it be better to go for $50 rear mezz seats? I assume they don't sell standing room tickets these days..."

 

I do think rear mezzanine has better view than rush ticket seats, but for Chicago, the closer the better. 

Standing room tickets have the best value, in my opinion. Sometimes box office sells them despite that the show isn't sold out, while sometimes box office really sticks to rules. Never hurt to ask, though.

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 9:53pm

Just saw CHICAGO for the 23rd time (and have tickets again for tomorow) this week and the show was terrific as usual. The audience was the most enthusiastic and receptive that I've ever seen. People were cheering all through All That Jazz. They were "awwww-ing" over Amos so much I thought people might get on stage and demand the other characters treat him better. Even the actress who comes out at the beginning was clearly startled by the enthusiasm because she tripped over a couple of her short lines and stopped twice when people cheered. It was fun to see a show I love received so warmly by an audience. 

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 10:22pm

Were you referring to Go-To-Hell-Kitty (Chryssie Whitehead)?   "Ladies and gentlemen....."

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 7/31/16 at 7:56am

Yes!  But it was more like "Welcome, la-oh my wow ladies and gentle-haha ladies and gentlemen"

[JBradshaw]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 9:32pm

FYI a new Velma starts soon - Lana Gordon

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 11:35pm

JBradshaw said: "FYI a new Velma starts soon - Lana Gordon

 

"

thank goodness. Hopefully it's for a long run.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 12:11am

ACL2006 said: "JBradshaw said: "FYI a new Velma starts soon - Lana Gordon

 

"Who? "

 

 

"

 

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 8:27am

Here is a link to her Facebook Fan Page.  Apparently, she's done the show before, sometime  in 2005. I hope she gets a decent contract and stays with the show for a good number of weeks.   https://www.facebook.com/LanaJeanGordon/     P.S.  According to Telecharge, she'll be Velma from Aug. 15-Sept. 4th.   Awesome...but such a short contract.  After Sept. 4th, well, we know what happens after that.  Grrrrrr.    On a different note, Ryan Lowe gets a contract extension till March 2017!
Bianca Marroquin as Roxie (thru 8/21)
Amra-Faye Wright as Velma Kelly (thru 8/14)
Lana Gordon as Velma Kelly (8/15 - 9/4)
Tom Hewitt as Billy Flynn (thru 8/23)
Jason Danieley as Billy Flynn (8/25 - 9/18)
Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart (thru 10/30)
Roz Ryan as Matron "Mama" Morton (thru 9/4)
R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine (thru 3/26)

Updated On: 8/5/16 at 08:27 AM

[Javi]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 4:54pm

I saw Chicago on Sunday's matinee and I was pleasantly surprised that it was in really good shape. Firstly, I wanted to say that the ensemble was fantastic. Just great. I've read previously about how the ensemble looked tired, but this wasn't my experience. They really made the show come to life. Last time I saw Chicago was when Brooke Shields was on. I found Bianca's take on Roxie to be a lot of fun. My sister saw it with me and didn't like Bianca. I loved that she was going for a lot of the comedy in Roxie that a lot of Roxies don't even strive for. I thought Jaime was a good Billy Flynn with a good singing voice. Perhaps he suffered a bit in the book scenes, I thought. His accent was quite heavy and his lines didn't get the response from the audience that they would usually get. He was almost trying to get through saying his lines but perhaps not acting them as well.

A couple of questions... At the end of Mr Cellophane, the actor got a lot of applause and he left the stage without saying the "Hope I didn't take too much of your time" line or whatever it is. Probably because of the applause, he decided to skip it. Is this normal? Are performers allowed to drop lines? 

Also a question on actors ad libbing or adding to the regular performance. How much of this is allowed or don't they care at this point? I know that Chicago changes choreography depending on the performer's skills, but say Bianca's performance of the 'Roxie' song seemed REALLY long. Like she was adding a lot of choreography and extra actions that I haven't seen other Roxies do. As much as I enjoyed her overall performance, I think the 'Roxie' number suffered because someone didn't edit her. I think she even ad libbed in Spanish at one point (the audience members, many Spanish speaking, cheered). For me, it took me out of the Roxie character. Roz Ryan also seemed to ad lib a lot. I guess she's been doing it for ages and is just having fun up there. Anyway, just interested in people's thoughts about this. 

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 5:00pm

I've never seen "Chicago" where Amos fails to say...literally his last line of the show.  By the way, what did you think of Mary Sunshine?  Dylan Ratell is filling in for Ryan Lowe (vacationing in Hawaii) for a short spell.

[NYCtheater]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 5:18pm

I've been to a performance of Chicago where Amos also didn't say "Hope I didn't take up too much of your time" because there was so much applause. I think it's only been one time it happened when I've gone.

[Javi]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 6:54pm

Pretty sure we had R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine and the performance was great. I was in the front row and really enjoying that show all over again.

And interesting that someone else had seen a show where Amos didn't say that line.

And I want to take Michael Scirrotto home with me. :)

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 8:09pm

really, only 3 weeks?? That's depressing. Seems like AFW is simply taking a vacation.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 10:22pm

ACL...how many "years" have we've noticed this pattern?  Honestly, at some point "Chicago" will need to innovate in order to remain competitive.  One first start would be to secure and train "future"/NEW Velma Kellys. (Or just anyone other than AFW.)   Lana Gordon is a good start, but give her more time for Pete's sake.  

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 8/7/16 at 1:02pm

Oh, the memories of $25 rush tickets located in the first row Orchestra Center while the show was at the Shubert Theatre.  You arrived between 6-7am, get your wristband, wait till 10am for box office to open, get your tickets then leave to enjoy your day.  You didn't waste your day standing in line for hours.  

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 8/15/16 at 11:43am

Hooray!

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Lana-Gordon-Joins-Broadways-CHICAGO-as-Velma-Kelly-Tonight-20160815

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 8/15/16 at 12:45pm

Ooh, a new Velma and a Billy I haven't seen yet? (Danieley. who I love?) I'm sooo making a return trip!

(By the way, Hewitt is really great as Billy, I saw him years ago do it on Broadway.)

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/17/16 at 8:13pm

I had never heard of Lana Gordon.  These video clips showcase her talents.  Her rendition of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" was lovely.  If someone sees her as Velma Kelly, please share your thoughts. http://www.broadwaybox.com/daily-scoop/chicagos-new-star-lana-gordon-can-do-it-all-alone/

[JBradshaw]

Posted: 8/17/16 at 8:37pm

If you just do a simple search there's video footage of her Velma online 

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/17/16 at 11:55pm

Oh, I did forget about that one.  She does have an amazing voice.  I'm surprised there haven't been any photos of her current run as Velma.  

[Dallas Theatre Fan]

Posted: 8/18/16 at 11:47am

I have a super random question, what happens if both the actor and the standby for Mary Sunshine aren't able to perform?  Mary Sunshine is a niche role that requires the actor to reach some pretty high notes that I don't think anybody in the male ensemble can reach.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/18/16 at 11:49am

the show's been running for 20 years and I don't think it's ever happened. Plus I'm sure there's other former Mary Sunshines in the NYC area that could jump into the role if need be.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/18/16 at 1:27pm

Very recently, Ryan Lowe was returning from his annual vacation.  His original plans were to arrive on time to make it for the 8 p.m. show.  The plane was delayed somewhere along the way and didn't make the show.  I imagine his understudy performed that evening.  But if that standby/understudy  could not make that show, then someone like Chris Newcomer (who lives in the NYC area) could jump in at a moment's notice.  There are others I'm sure. He's a very talented Mary Sunshine.  I've seen him on tour.  Dylan Ratell filled in for Ryan Lowe for several days. 

Updated On: 8/18/16 at 01:27 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/18/16 at 1:57pm

well, Jeff Loeffelholz has been the Mary Sunshine standby since the beginning(20 years). Outside of any scheduled vacations or other projects, I'd say he's very reliable.