I wouldn’t say Sutton was perfection, but I would say she was very good. She’s best when the character is nimble and goofy, so Fred is perfect for her, but she’s missing the belt. She needs to shout it from the rooftops that she’s SHY! I do think Nikki Renee Daniels was perfection. Her Larkin was a sassy, smart and sweet, and that voice of hers is crystal clear. I enjoyed Urie (and his sweet chemistry with Foster) and Harris because they milked every piece of movement and dialogue, but their voices aren’t great. Jackson’s voice was great, but his Harry wasn’t egotistical or dumb enough for me. He was Cheyenne Jackson in spurs. Obviously Ghee was out (still annoyed that this wasn’t publicized when they knew it was happening), but his understudy was good. Same person who understudied them in SLIH. Didn’t love the Wizard. Wanted more from him. I did like King Sextimus.
The show itself isn’t great, and even though it was only 2hrs and 10 minutes, it felt long. The sets were obviously minimal, but I agree with the person who said they didn’t like the gray. For the most part, I liked the costumes.
Today’s matinee was Encore’s first “family friendly” performance, so there were many kids in the audience. I don’t know if things were toned down because of that, but it felt oddly sexless in a show about people desperate to have sex. This was like a junior version of Once Upon a Mattress where they just all want their drab prince to find a wife, so he can live happily ever after. No focus on anyone wanting to be “thoroughly satisfied.”
Overall, liked but didn’t love.