Chorus Line 8/25 2pm OUCH- Page 2

[Zeitoujo]

Posted: 8/25/07 at 11:07pm

i hate michael gruber.

jessica lee goldyn was out when i saw it a few weeks ago too.. i dont know why! she and natalie cortez imo are the strongest members of the cast.
without them the show just isn't the same.


i dont like katherine tokraz at all. ugh her voice is so annoying... i miss chryssie =[

[GMBecks]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 1:16am

Just throwing in my two cents about the newbies.

I really loved Katherine Tokraz's Christine. It was nothing like Chryssie Whitehead's (which I also loved), but still delightful.

As for Melissa Lone, I had heard good and bad about her... but I loved her. Her singing was great, too... my friend and I especially liked her "Dance for Grandma!!!"

J. Elaine Marcos was really cute as Connie, but managed to sound a bit less cartoonish, for those of you who had issues with the way Yuka sounded (which I didn't mind, though it admittedly cartoonish).

As for the rest of the newbies, I think "competent" is a good way to describe them. They were by no means bad, they just also weren't spectacular.

Bryan Knowlton definitely took his time (to good effect) with the monologue, but dancing-wise... Jason Tam is sorely missed. His dancing wasn't bad at all, he blended in perfectly... which I think is a problem.

Will Taylor got laughs, but I missed Ken Alan's much drier delivery.

Michael Gruber didn't stand out as being as bad as everyone else seems to think, I just forgot he was onstage for most of the show.
Updated On: 8/26/07 at 01:16 AM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 1:43am

Melissa Lone really nailed that ATB note both times I saw it. She got applause after the note both times as well. And I also got goosebumps both times. I thought she was very good.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 10:38pm

"Will Taylor, in my opinion, misses the ball. He misses almost all his jokes, and have seen him three times now and I think he skips a lot of lines (IE he forgot astroturf on the furniture today).'

Also, has anyone noticed a few changes? I like how the cast has played around with some lines. For example, in the opening Don goes into formation too early and Zach screams "Don!"...

Also, in the tap combination when Larry is calling the dancers into groups he calls "Mark" but means Mike. Mike responds with annoyed "It's Mike!"

The cast has nothing to do with the changes. Will hasn't forgotten any lines - they've been cut. And the astroturf never had anything to do with furniture (astroturf on furniture?). The "furniture" line has to do with Bobby breaking into people's houses..."Oh, I didn't steal anything. I just re-arranged their furniture". The astroturf line has been cut.

Zach doesn't scream "Don!", Al does, and that was in the '75 version of the show - they've just re-instated it, along with the new cast. And, as someone else said, the Mark/Mike bit has been in since day one.

Honestly, if you're going to post on these things, especially if you're being critical, at least have your facts straight.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 10:49pm

I also noticed the Mark/Mike line missing. I saw the show a week or so before the "original" cast left and Tyler Hanes said the line. When I saw it about a week or so after the new cast took over, the line was no longer there.

Maybe it was just forgotten...

After seeing it again I realized just how much the production will lose once Natalie Cortez is gone. Updated On: 8/26/07 at 10:49 PM

[Zeitoujo]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 10:51pm

agreed bsobw.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 10:54pm

"J. Elaine Marcos was really cute as Connie, but managed to sound a bit less cartoonish, for those of you who had issues with the way Yuka sounded (which I didn't mind, though it admittedly cartoonish)."

When she said the line about wishing to have at least one of Val's tits, it didn't get as much laughs as when Yuka said it.

I agree about Natalie and Jessica (Diane and Val) being the strongest points of the show.

[MyLife]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:04pm

My apologies about "astroturf on the furniture," i meant "patio." I have seen Will Taylor 4 times, and this is the only time the astroturf line has been cut. I know other lines have been cut, but this seemed off. Sorry if my criticism personally rubs you the wrong way, ghostlight. And I never heard the "Don" line the 8 times I saw the original revival cast, so excuse me for not knowing the "straight facts".

And even if I am wrong, Will Taylor still does not get as positive a reaction from the crowd as Ken Alan, and that was my main point. Flubbing a line isn't a big deal, it happens to anyone. His character development matters, and in my opinion he is not up to par.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:16pm

I'm not offended, MyLife, at all. Let me clarify...the "Don!" line was in the original('75) show - it did not show up in the revival until the new replacements came in, a few weeks ago.

However, the astro turf line was cut within Will's first week. Perhaps you misremember.

And I have never not heard the Mark/Mike line, but it's a throwaway line anyway. I supposed it could have been dropped a time or two.

And you are entirely entitled to your opinion of Will Taylor. I merely corrected your saying he was skipping lines, when that was, in fact, the director's choice.

[MyLife]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:22pm

do you know why they would cut his lines? Bobby has few to begin with, and the lines they cut of his were some of the best that exhibited his dry character best

[curly120]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:35pm

I was also at this performance (my first time seeing the show). The small audience was very sad, especially because you could see the empty mezz. from the orchestra because of the mirrors on stage.

The best part for me was definately Bryan Knowlton's monologue. Mostly because there were several strangers sitting around me that got very very emotional. It's so wonderful when writers/actors have such an affect on people.

My main question...why does Charlotte d'Amboise have so many days off? When I read the playbill before the show started, I figured that she must have this huge demanding role that just breaks a person down. But then I saw the show. She has a tiny part, or at least equal to that of several other actors. It just seems kind of weird. Why not hire an actress who's willing to put in as much work as her fellow actors? I don't mean to be rude at all here. I apologize if it comes across that way. I'm just a bit confused.

[Zeitoujo]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 11:42pm

curly:
cassie is the female lead as is diana. it's not a small role... you imagine being up there singing and dancing for two hours straight with no breaks... then you can complain about ms. d'amboise and why she only does a six show week. i bet you couldnt do what she does once a month- its a very demanding show/ role.

[curly120]

Posted: 8/27/07 at 12:36am

Again, I'm sorry if I came off as rude. I was really just curious. I couldn't do what she does for even two seconds. To be an actor on Broadway (or anywhere for that matter) is incredibly hard I'm sure!!! I just haven't heard of too many actors who have a schedule like hers.

See to me, what I loved about the show was that it was really an equal playing field. Again, this was my first time seeing the show. When I walked out of the show, I didn't even realize that there were leads. I loved that almost everyone had a lot of time to shine. I actually made a mental note during the show that everyone was up on stage almost the entire time which I'm sure is incredibly tough.

[Trish2]

Posted: 8/27/07 at 7:43am

No need to apologize Curly. That is why it's called A Chorus Line, as they are ALL chorus dancers. Some may have more to say than others, but ideally the message is the same. You left the theatre with the same feeling i had when seeing the OBC : wonderful moments, dancing, music and presentation.

[ohjohnny]

Posted: 8/27/07 at 9:10am

Not to thread hijack, but on the subject of d'Amboise and her days off, I did have sympathy for her, but I just saw Legally Blonde for the first time and it seems that Laura Bell Bundy has to dance her ass off for two and a half hours and she manages 8 shows a week. Maybe it's a travesty to compare the two, especially since I'm not a dancer and maybe don't recognize that d'Amboise has more complex choreography or something, but when I was watching Bundy (a day after I saw ACL again) it made me think she puts d'Amboise to shame energywise. Am I missing something?

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 8/27/07 at 11:40am

Well, to be fair, Bundy is almost half the age of d'Amboise (give or take some years).

I believe it was best12bars who said it - it's not just the choreography of Music and the Mirror that's killer. It's standing around for all that time before it.

Posted: 8/27/07 at 11:46am

I think it has to do with the LENGTH of "The Music And The Mirror," it is a feat of stamina to perform even once. I haven't seen Legally Blonde, but a lot of shows that are dance intensive still have the dances arranged in a way that allows the dancers ample to time to rest and recouperate between numbers as well as in the middle of numbers before they have to go for one final push of exertion. And rarely are there dance SOLOS like this anymore, where it's ALL ONE PERSON who has to keep the number going from start to finish. "The Music And The Mirror" is all Cassie, and it's all stamina.

This makes me wonder, did all previous Cassie's maintain the 8-show week schedule? How often were they out? I don't know how you can do a 2-show day with that number added on to all the chorus dancing.

[ohjohnny]

Posted: 8/27/07 at 1:18pm

That makes sense. I think LBB did have more breaks. And an intermission too.

[Zeitoujo]

Posted: 8/27/07 at 1:32pm

exactly ohmyjohnny

[WestVillage]

Posted: 8/27/07 at 1:36pm

"This makes me wonder, did all previous Cassie's maintain the 8-show week schedule? How often were they out?"

In the original 15 year run of ACL, all Cassies performed 8 shows a week. None of them were on a 6 performance schedule. They also did not miss nearly as many performances as Charlotte does. I, too, am plerplexed as to why Charlotte is only doing 6 shows ... yes, its a difficult role, but all her predecessors were able to handle 8 shows; why can't she?

[b0b3rt831]

Posted: 8/27/07 at 3:27pm

I saw ACL twice, once with the OBC (minus Connie and Ritchie) and then the replacements (minus Ritchie and Cassie)

I really LOVE the new Maggie and the new Kristin, but that's really about it. Nick Adams is a gorgeous dancer (and person! haha) but does anyone feel that he's too precise, if that is possible? Sure Will Taylor is very good to look at and has a gorgeous voice, but he doesn't have the presence to be Bobby...

I saw E. Clayton as Ritchie both times I've seen ACL and I thought he was VERY good...

Nadine as Val? I know she did the tour a few years back as Val, but she's a beanpole, do they stuff her or something?

[Missy37]

Posted: 8/27/07 at 4:07pm

Has anyone seen Nadine go on as Cassie? I was wondering how she is. I didn't like the other understudy.