DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?- Page 2
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#25
Posted: 1/25/10 at 3:20pm
Mister Matt, when are you going to see it?
Joe, this is all that gets devoted to L'il Magic -
Effie: I'm so happy, Deena. I have a child who loves me, and that love pulls me through. Oh, I'm so happy, I'm happy, are you?
Deena: You have a baby?
Effie: Well, she's not exactly a baby anymore. She's seven. I wanted to tell you, Deena. At the time I really wanted to tell you.
Curtis (entering): Our lawyers meet at the beginning of the week.
Effie: Deena, he doesn't know.
Joined: 12/31/69
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#26
Posted: 1/25/10 at 3:56pm
Yes, I guess that's why we never had the audience yelling out "Enough about the damn baby, what about your lawyers!?"
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#27
Posted: 1/25/10 at 5:20pmI'm seeing the show tomorrow night. We've got season tickets in the nosebleed seats, but there will probably be enough empties on a Tuesday night that we can move down.
Joined: 12/31/69
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#28
Posted: 1/25/10 at 6:30pmI doubt it Matt- I was looking for seats to take my In-laws and it looks like it's all but full. We were way way way up in the second-to-the-last row of the balcony but I loved our seats. There are a lot of HUGE projections and I think it's better to get the perspective.
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#29
Posted: 1/25/10 at 6:54pmWe had seats in the balcony as well. And they were pretty good. The only thing you couldn't see too well were the faces. But, at the end of the show as the actors walked on they projected pictures of them on the screens. My friend and I were both like: "Oh, so that's what they look like." I thought it was a good idea.
"Leave Walt Disney Theatricals new sparkling production of The Little Mermaid on Broadway alone!!!"
lakezurich will be played by Paul Groves in the BWW musical
Joined: 12/31/69
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#30
Posted: 1/25/10 at 10:19pmI really can't believe they didn't take this show to Broadway. I think it could have played at least 6 weeks here in Chicago and a goodly Broadway run.
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#31
Posted: 1/25/10 at 10:21pmIsn't that the ultimate goal for the show? And I REALLY wish it was staying here longer.
"Leave Walt Disney Theatricals new sparkling production of The Little Mermaid on Broadway alone!!!"
lakezurich will be played by Paul Groves in the BWW musical
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#32
Posted: 1/25/10 at 10:28pm
Considering this season the director helmed one of the worst reviewed revivals in Broadway history, the choreographer is up on charges of raping a minor and the show was generally dismissed by critics probably has something to do with it not being on Broadway right now. But, please, take this opportunity to attack me and not the production or the facts surrounding and informing it.
P
Updated On: 1/25/10 at 10:28 PM
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#33
Posted: 1/25/10 at 10:47pmI didn't hear anything about the rape... where have I been?
"Leave Walt Disney Theatricals new sparkling production of The Little Mermaid on Broadway alone!!!"
lakezurich will be played by Paul Groves in the BWW musical
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#34
Posted: 1/27/10 at 11:30am
Ok, I saw the show last night and the balcony was fine for the production. You lose some facial expressions, but that's a given. I did prefer being upstairs for the visual effect of the video panels. Overall, I thought it was quite an impressive production, mostly ready for Broadway.
The cast is quite strong. Moya is a strong Effie, though she pushes a little to hard in the first act and her vocal exhaustion started coming through in act 2. She struggled to maintain pitch in I Am Changing and Listen, which was forgivable, given the beast of the role, but painfully noticeable. She could stand to dial it down a bit when full-on shaking-the-rafters belting simply isn't necessary (We Are a Family springs immediately to mind). Chester appropriately steals his scenes as Jimmy and was an immediate crowd-pleaser. His vocals were quite impressive. I wish I could say the same for Chaz Lamar as Curtis, who I felt was the one weak link in the cast. His acting was a bit contrived and I didn't care for his vocals at all. His voice was just too thin and reedy and the liberties he took with the melody in When I First Saw You distorted the song to distraction. Adrienne brought a memorable stamp to the almost thankless role of Lorell, earning a well-deserved ovation for her work in the second act. And Syesha delivered a complex portrayal of Deena Jones, bringing some depth to the role that could easily be overlooked.
For the most part, the direction was quite strong, though there were a couple of missed opportunities. The more comedic moments could use some tightening, such as Lorell's "I am a woman" scene and the television sequence is a bit muddy, especially at the beginning. I was really looking forward to Ain't No Party, which was sung flawlessly, but it was lacking the sarcastic sass that defines Lorell as a new woman taking control. It was all pain that fueled the anger and she came off more as a victim reaching her epiphany in the moment. The epiphany needs to come before so that it fuels the scene and she is fully in the driver's seat when the song takes off. Then the transformation is more defined and the entire scene through the end of Jimmy's Rap becomes more fun and thrilling to watch.
The video screens are incredibly effective and appropriate. I loved the effect used for Stepping to the Bad Side and the background reveal for Dreamgirls in the firs act. The rest of the set is as expected, though I don't really get the used of clear furniture, which looks a bit out of place for the period. The only time I felt the set really got in the way of the production was in the second half of One Night Only. It appeared they were trying too hard to recreate the scene from the film and the girls were mostly lost in front of the huge drop of lighting equipment (not helped by Long's one major misstep in costuming which provided little-to-no silhouette against an insanely busy backdrop, otherwise the costuming was divine). The effect gave little room for choreography, so the only thing to look at was pretty much the set piece, which just brought down the momentum a bit. As it is, the scene is ok, but it was the one moment that really felt quite inferior to the original, even with all its high-tech gadgetry.
And speaking of choreography, Shane Sparks needs to pull it WAY back. The choreography was artistically the weakest part of the whole production. He has some very clever moments, such as the second half of Stepping to the Bad Side, but on the whole, there is just way too much going on in practically every moment and at times, it's just too modern. His experience in music videos and film is way too evident. The constant aerobic quality of his choreography is fine when you can use crisp rapid editing and tight shots to create an exciting visual atmosphere, but when you're looking at the whole picture for the duration of any given number, it comes off as a bit half-time dance team-y. Movement for the sake of movement because music is playing is fine for music videos, but not in a musical, where every move needs to have definition, purpose and direction, even in the concert sequences. This is where Michael Bennett truly displayed his finesse and understanding of theatrical movement. The movement did not have to be big to be seen, understood or effective. It just had to be honest and appropriate. If Shane can pull it back and simplify the majority of the choreography (especially for the small singing groups), then every scene will be much more sharply focused.
By the way, was it me, or did the final scene (Hard to Say Goodbye/Dreamgirls) use the original costumes and choreography? But honestly, I'm picking at the show with a fine-toothed comb because I had been spoiled with seeing a dynamite production previously (Jennifer Holliday's tour in the 90s, recreating the original staging) and even those who cherish the original will still be impressed with this tour. And those who are new to the show on stage will probably love it. My parents were absolutely THRILLED with the show and walked out lamenting its loss of the Best Musical Tony award, like the show queens they are.
Joined: 12/31/69
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#35
Posted: 1/27/10 at 1:53pm
Pretty spot on review, Matt. I wasn't that impressed with Moya and Lamar, either but thought the rest of that cast was excellent. And the costumes were wonderful- especially when you get into outrageous 70's clothes in act 2. The set and projections were stunning. Their use in "Steppin to the Bad Side" MADE that number work.
What were the reviews like in New York? Here in Chicago they were absolute raves?
Joined: 12/31/69
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#36
Posted: 1/27/10 at 2:05pm
Wow, did Brantley see the same show I did?
Well it looks like the show is booked for all of 2010 and is heading to Japan after that, so Broadway is probably out anyway. If I were a producer, I'd invest in a transfer- it would be a lock for Sets, lights & costume Tonys most years and a Chester Gregory Tony almost any year.
http://criticometer.blogspot.com/2009/11/dreamgirls.html
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#37
Posted: 1/27/10 at 2:28pm
...and the show was generally dismissed by critics...
I don't think it was generally dismissed by the critics.
Critic-O-Meter
Joined: 12/31/69
DREAMGIRLS tour cuts/additions?#38
Posted: 1/27/10 at 3:11pm
Oh, pay no attention to him. He's crazy!
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