Company Previews Thread — Page 19

I was at tonight’s show. Katrina Lenk is magnificent. I saw it last year and thought she was very good, but there was room for improvement. Any doubts I had about Lena’s performance have vanished. Her acting and vocals are now impeccable.

Patti is spectacular as always. Her performance is a master class. Jennifer Simard and Christopher Fitzgerald steal every scene they’re in, and Manu Narayan is a great addition to the cast.

Saw this tonight...Company is one of my absolute favorite musicals, and I really enjoyed most of this production, but I'm honesly dumbfounded by the casting of Katrina Lenk. She was just...bad. I'm not really certain it's her fault because she's just so unbelievably miscast in this role. Vocally, she couldn't handle it at all, and the acting was perhaps even worse. She was stiff, ice cold, lacked any humor, and had zero character arc. I'm honestly shocked they'd rest a role like this on her shoulders. The show became deflated every time she had any sort of solo and I was squirming in my seat. I really hope it continues after she leaves and they cast someone more capable because it's otherwise a really compelling and beautiful production.

After the Yassification of Broadway it's apparently expected that every actress will have a Stephanie J Blockesque screlt regardless of if it fits the role or not.

Updated On: 11/17/21 at 01:03 AM

Georgeanddot2 said: "After the Yassification of Broadway it's apparently expected that every actress will have a Stephanie J Blockesque screlt regardless of if it fits the role or not."

I love plenty of actors who aren’t great singers and act their way through roles. To me, Lenk’s voice was weak and she seemed too uncomfortable with singing the songs to really be present and tell any kind of story within them. Like watching someone try to carry something very unwieldy. The role doesn’t exactly require any particularly difficult or big, belty moments. But her voice had no presence —sonically or emotionally. She seems more suited to quiet, folky, breathy music.

BroadwayGirl107 said: "ljay889 said: "Georgeanddot2 said: "After the Yassification of Broadway it's apparently expected that every actress will have a Stephanie J Blockesque screlt regardless of if it fits the role or not."

Yep. I said this in 2020 in this very thread: the role was never "belted" until Raul. Dean Jones, Larry Kert, Boyd Gaines, Adrian Lester, Neil Patrick Harris were/are all actors first. None of those men were expected to sing the score like pop belters, and we shouldn't that from a female. It's Sondheim, it's not Wicked. Out of the previous male Bobbys, Lenk reminds me the most of Adrian Lester in the London revival, an extraordinary actor with a quirky singing voice."



I’d say all of those men sound better than Lenk does, except for maybe Adrian Lester, who, from the clips I’ve seen, had way more emotional presence and gravitas. This isn’t some weird gendered thing or an opinion coming from someone who likes belters (literally most of the music I love is breathy introspective singers). But Lenk just seemed uncomfortable.

"

I totally respect your opinion. My post was aimed at those who kept saying the role needed a belter back in 2020. In my opinion, Lenk has improved her vocals, and I think she'll get more and more comfortable as the production runs.

Auggie27 said: "Did "Another Hundred People" land any better on stage than it did in the video posted on NPR? I thought the actor struggled mightily with the rangy melody. And it's one Sondheim song that demands an effortless approach, established by the definitive Myers take. I don't want to hear it (only) "acted," when its power is in the breathless shifting of its melodic gears as the ruminations soar. I hope he's better live."



He struggled a tiny bit in some of the quick flips from lower to higher registers, but it didn’t bother me TOO much because he didn’t break the moment or musicality of the song and didn’t seemed phased by it, if that makes sense.

binau said: "What I like about Lenk is there is a genuine interesting timbre to her voice that is adding a lot of colour to her songs - or at least to ‘Someone is Waiting’ - as performed on NPR. I am happy with how she is singing that song and would prefer it to a vocally stronger but more generic interpretation. (I do think in New York City it’s often possible to find both but no matter the decision was made at the time with probably good reasons).


Hopefully seeing this in a few weeks so am greatly looking forward to seeing how it fares now vs back when it was in London."

That was only song she could carry decently for me.

It’s kind of frustrating to hear that Lenk is still struggling with the music. It’s been 2 years. They can’t lower the keys or find a key that better suits her? I don’t think think we need a big belter or anything, but my point is it’s 2021 and it a major NYC revival, we can find someone with both. She does have a certain charm and I think she reads very cool hip NYC, but other than that her acting and singing weren’t there for me back in March 2020. Her “Being Alive” was a massive let down after “Ladies Who Lunch.” And all of her solos were just there. Nothing exciting. The acting didn’t save it. But still an excellent production and I’d see it again.

StylishCynic said: "
I spotted Adam Lambert near me in the audience and possibly Joanna Gleason (in a Company-red column dress). Did anyone notice any celebrities in the house?”

I had the pleasure of chatting with Joanna Gleason outside in line before we went in. She was all pumped up and excited to see it and said it would be a special performance. Then she added “get out your cameras!” And I SO wanted to say “but you know what Patti does with cell phones, right??!” Lol

I kept trying to look for Stephen Colbert and Christine Baranski but never saw them. Maybe they will go to Opening Night instead?

Auggie27 said: "Did "Another Hundred People" land any better on stage than it did in the video posted on NPR? I thought the actor struggled mightily with the rangy melody. And it's one Sondheim song that demands an effortless approach, established by the definitive Myers take. I don't want to hear it (only) "acted," when its power is in the breathless shifting of its melodic gears as the ruminations soar. I hope he's better live."

Exhibit V in how viewers can have very different responses. I loved what Conte was doing with that song on the video.

AMWB said: "StylishCynic said: "
I spotted Adam Lambert near me in the audience and possibly Joanna Gleason (in a Company-red column dress). Did anyone notice any celebrities in the house?”

I had the pleasure of chatting with Joanna Gleason outside in line before we went in. She was all pumped up and excited to see it and said it would be a special performance. Then she added “get out your cameras!” And I SO wanted to say “but you know what Patti does with cell phones, right??!” Lol

I kept trying to look for Stephen Colbert and Christine Baranski but never saw them. Maybe they will go to Opening Night instead?

"

Didn't LuPone said in her memoir that Gleason looked like the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz when she lost the Tony to her? 🤣

Has anyone sat in the partial view seats in the front orchestra, on the extreme sides?