Cleared to take off to Broadway!!! — Page 2

Welcome Guest. Please Login or Register.

#26

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/24/09 at 11:42pm

Well, you saw Keean, correct? He is a Michael understudy and is usually the Tall Boy. But, Frank Dolce (one of the original Michaels) left the show on Sunday to do a TV in Los Angeles. Keean isn't actually a new Michael, he's just sharing the role with David Bologna until Trevor Braun (currently on of the Flounders in The Little Mermaid) joins the show as one of the principle Michaels in July.

But what did you think of Keean and David as performers?

2008: Feb. 18- Rent, Feb. 19- Curtains, April 18- Xanadu, April 22- Wicked, April 26- Legally Blonde, May 31- Wicked, June 13- The Little Mermaid, June 28- Wicked and Young Frankenstein, July 2- The Little Mermaid, July 6- A Chorus Line and Legally Blonde, August 16- Xanadu, September 13- Legally Blonde and 13, September 28- Xanadu and Spring Awakening, Oct. 12-GYPSY and [title of show], Oct. 19- Hairspray & Legally Blonde, Nov. 9- Wicked and 13, Dec. 14-13, Dec. 26- Billy Elliot, 2009: Jan 1- Shrek, Jan 2- 13 and Wicked, Jan 4- 13, Feb 17- In The Heights, Feb 19- Billy Elliot, Feb 22- Sweeney Todd (tour), March 28- Mary Poppins, April 4- Mamma Mia!, April 15- Jersey Boys (on tour), April 25- next to normal & 9 to 5 May 1- Billy Elliot, May 3- Spelling Bee (tour), May 8- Chicago, May 21- Wicked, June 6- Everyday Rapture, June 23- The Wiz, June 25- Hair July 15- Shrek, August 9- Wicked, September 7- Rock of Ages, October 11- Next To Normal, October 23- The Marvelous Wonderettes, November 7- Ragtime November 29- Dreamgirls, December 25- Billy Elliot, December 30- Finian's Rainbow, 2010: January 9- Bye Bye Birdie, January 16- Memphis February 17- The Phantom of The Opera, February 18- God of Carnage, March 7- Billy Elliot, March 31- American Idiot

#27

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/24/09 at 11:46pm

Yeah, I would love to hear your thoughts on the cast.

#28

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/25/09 at 11:01am

Not sure if you're seeing it but Jennifer Damiano is going to be out of next to normal tonight.

#29

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/25/09 at 12:11pm

Here are my thoughts as requested of the cast.

David Alvarez, very very good at movement, not so good vocally, not the best Billy I have seen.

Haydn Gwynne, she was sensational as the chain smoking Mrs Wilkinson, any other year she would of got the Tony, but seems Angela Ripley has moved the bar very high, I will be seeing Angela on Sunday, so best to judge then.

Gregory Jbara, took me a little while to get into him, but proved very competent when I settled on him, good acting.

Santino Fontano, very dissapointing, did not remind me of a pitman, be good when he moves onto his next project, biggest let down of the evening.

Carole Shelley, excellent, what a dancer.

Keean, was great, David steals the cross dressing scene and makes it his, he is brilliant.

Be seeing Billy again on Saturday matinee.

#30

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/25/09 at 12:20pm

LOL, you mean Angela Lansbury?

David stole the cross dressing scene from Keean?... that not good, he stole Michael's time to shine (no pun intended).

Not sure if you're seeing Hair tonight by any chance (I happen to be though) and Will Swenson will not be in tonight, just a heads up.

#31

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/25/09 at 2:21pm

Great stuff PoL - thank you.

I thought Micheal Heseltine would have been dumped, but I'm more surprised and disappointed about Santa and his elf at the start of Act II.

The punch up in the cafe sounds really interesting.

Interesting to read about Santino because I thought he really looked the part.

PS PoL always makes deliberate mistakes with names. They're all over his posts - you've just got to get used to them.

#32

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/25/09 at 5:34pm

Glad you loved Billy, Phantom. Hopefully when you see it again on Saturday, you'll get to see Kiril. That's who I saw back in May and he was fantastic. Not just his brilliant dancing but he was excellent vocally and his acting was incredible - and his is the best version of Electricity I've ever seen/heard.

I agree with you about Haydn Gwynne - terrific performance (even better I think than when she did it in London). But she actually lost out to Karen Olivo for the Tony as Best Featured Actress in a musical (Best Leading Actress in a musical was just about the only category Billy did not get a nomination for - quite rightly, as I don't think Mrs. Wilkinson is a leading role.) And I assume you're referring to ALICE Ripley, who won for Best Leading Actress in a musical. Glad you decided to book for NTN. Apart from it being a phenomenal show, Alice's performance is not just the best of 2009 but one of the best performances I have EVER seen.

Also glad you enjoyed Shrek. Unfortunately I did not. lol Sutton was fabulous but I found the show itself to be a combination of incredibly irritating and incredibly boring. lol

THEATRE 2020: CURTAINS**** LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE GIRLS***** WICKED***** KEITH RAMSAY TAKING NOTES WITH EDWARD SECKERSON***** KAYLEIGH MCKNIGHT CONCERT***** RAGS***** ON MCQUILLAN'S HILL** DEAR EVAN HANSEN***** THE JURY***

Updated On: 6/25/09 at 05:34 PM

#33

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/26/09 at 10:43am

How's Broadway taking the death of the child molester! SORRY!, I mean, the great pop legend, Michael Jackson???

#34

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/26/09 at 11:53am

I was just arriving into Penn Station as the news of his death was getting out and you heard people on their phones... "What, are you serious? Is this a joke? No, he didn't" then people on the street..."I heard, I think that's what they were saying, I'm not sure."

I finally turned to people, "Who Michael Jackson? Yes, he died." Of course, I said it somewhat sympathetically as it is sad but it took a complete stranger telling them to get it through.

Also, the cast of 'Hair' performed a tribute to him on Good Morning America this morning.

#35

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/26/09 at 12:25pm

Having a good time, spent yesterday in Coney Islans in the sea and went to the aquarium.

Hair*

Sad as people are right great show and acting excellent, good songs too, sad though as I could not connect to the piece, think this happens to everyone who likes theatre time to time.

#36

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/26/09 at 12:40pm

ah, you were at Hair last night too?

#37

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/27/09 at 12:48am

Spent the afternoon in the Met after a very lazy morning!

South Pacific*****

What a great venue the Vivian Beaumont Theatre is?

What a great revival, very enjoyable, think the 40 year wait for New York was worth it, deserved every Tony it won and more, Laura Osnes as Nelie and Paulo Szot as Emile are a brilliant pairing, was Keli O,hara the original Nellie? All the other cast are great too?

I understand there are not plans to bring this production to London, which would be a real shame, even though London had The National Theatre production in the last decade, which most say was disapointing, this would go down well and sell.

#38

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/27/09 at 4:27pm

It was actually a worthy 60 year wait! :) I'm so glad you enjoyed the show!

How to properly use its/it's: Its is the possessive. It's is the contraction for it is...

#39

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/27/09 at 7:18pm

Saw Billy Elliot again, in a very muggy New York.

Billy Elliot*****

First disappointment was that David Alvarez was on again, I thought I be cunning and by booking 2 matinées I could see 2 diffrent Billy's, backfired!

I missed the start on Wednesday, so missed the film, where the London production is done full scale on a screen that fulls to the floor the New York one is one that goes into the ceiling. The film is diffrent the New York one is smaller and clips of Maggie Thatcher and Arthur Scargill (remember that bastard comb over?), by this time it is in colour!

9-5 tonight.

#40

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/28/09 at 4:01am

I think I shall prefer the older film as this gives the show a wider historical context, rather than making it just about the 1980s miners' strike.

#41

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/28/09 at 9:44am

Have fun at 9 to 5!

I had the same Billy experience as you, same Billy(David), Michael, Small Boy and just about the whole cast (except Santino was out) as the first time I went, I was disappointed when I walked in but David blew me away, again. It took me three times to see Kiril and even then the rest of the cast was the same.

#42

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/28/09 at 3:42pm

I hope you enjoyed 9 to 5. The first 4 times that I saw Billy I had the same Billy/Michael/small boy pairing, so you are not only one. I have yet to see David A.

#43

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/28/09 at 4:43pm

#44

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/28/09 at 5:30pm

I saw David Alvarez as Billy last year and thought he was an excellent dancer but he didn't really convince me he was Billy Elliot (based on my knowledge of the film, not having seen the show before). Likewise, I didn't find Greg Jbara totally convincing in his role, though I loved him in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

In fact BE was one of my biggest disappointments on Broadway - I expected to be blown away by it but I feel I should probably have seen the London version.

Interested to hear your views on 9-5 too - I loved it when I saw it, mainly because of Allison Janney, but I'm not sure how well it will hold up in the long run...

Seen some shows in my time....

#45

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/28/09 at 11:09pm

Back up to the Met this morning.

9-5**
Stephanie J Block and Allison Janney were both brilliant, so were the set, should of got the Tony for this, a handful of good songs, story so disappointing, lacked any substance.

Rock of Ages**
I loved that era of rock music, I had the long hair and leather jacket, so why did I find this disappointing? Never really got going, cheesy story lines, great songs, should of been a motley Harley Davidson of a show, but really was a scooter with L plates.

Next to Normal*****
What is a superlative for next to brilliants? Show about bi-polar and you would be mad to miss it. not a show that lifts your spirits, but has a knockout of a story, Alice Ripley was brilliant so were the rest of the cast, not sure crowd pleaser, so probably will not be around as long as it should do, deserved its Tony's.

Popping down to Washington tomorrow!

#46

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/29/09 at 12:05am

Happy you enjoyed the shows, did you like Megan as well?

Have fun in Washington! Aren't you going to Boston, too?

#47

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/29/09 at 8:32am

Getting a train back to New York tomorrow, see a show Tuesday night and seeing West Side Story Wednesday matinee, I should of just booked a load of tickets for Billy Elliot, I enjoyed it that much. love angry dance on Broadway and wish they would bring it to the Victoria Palace.

#48

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/29/09 at 1:20pm

Thanks for the message Phantom!

I think that you should def. get another ticket for Billy Elliot. If you want to be sure of seeing a different Billy, maybe you can try rush on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, or you can try for the cancellation line. The board may be up if you try cancellation or rush. Also check to see when David goes on, and then get a ticket for the next performance.

Alot of the Brits I have spoken to really dislike the Broadway angry dance. I personally prefer it to the London version.

I am so glad that you liked Next to Normal!!

#49

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 6/30/09 at 5:51pm

I loved the angry dance, better than London, the Maggie Thatcher speech put it into context, the people who liked it were probably Tories, as for me I hated the old witch!

Back from Washington, in New York now, been sitting outside the Hilton, listening to Pirate Queen grieving!!!!!

Might just check out the Billy Elliot box office, if not it be The Little Mermaid.

#50

re: Cleared to take off to Broadway!!!

Posted: 7/1/09 at 5:14am

See Mermaid as you wont see it in London!
You'll hate but at least you'll have seen it.

I hated from within the first few minutes when I saw it in Denver for its try out.
What a wasted opportunity AND they could have fiixed it before Broadway but chose not to.

← Back to Message Board

View all Videos

Tickets From $58

Tickets From $80

Tickets From $67

Tickets From $59