DRG's Reviews: GARDENS, 110, POPPINS, XANADU, DEUCE, & SPAMALOT!

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 7/5/07 at 11:21pm

Alright,well this is just a thread for my reviews and stuff about the 4 shows I'm seeing this weekend. They may not be tooo in depth while im here in New York, but I'll elaborate when I get home on Sunday.

First off, GREY GARDENS which I saw tonight. I got to the box office around 5 this afternoon since my flight didn't get in till about 3:45 or so. So I got to the box office, and they were out of rush. So I "splurged" on front row balcony seats. As I said, I'd go into more detail later, but I loved the show even more this time than the 2nd time I saw it. I actually preferred the balcony to the mezzanine, believe it or not (but nothing beats the first row for this show, haha). But I actually preferred the 1st Act to the 2nd tonight. I don't know, but tonight, Erin was the real star for me, she was spot on. Really, in the 3 times I've seen the show (the other times in December and February), she has grown the most into her role, and I don't know, she just blew me away yet again. Loved her so much. Christine Ebersole was very good, it was kind of funny- her voice was kind of off during the 1st Act, but very strong in the 2nd. Thats what it seemed like to me at least. A few times she kind of...phoned in, but during the bigger and more emotional scenes, she got really into. But some of the scenes in between it seemed like she was just walking thru. Mary Louise did a wonderful job today, as was the rest of the cast. Oh, and the show was pretty much sold out today- a few empty seats in the balcony, but very full house. The audience, for the most part, seemed to love it, and I am so upset this is closing at the end of the month. I feel, oddly enough, thats its kind of run its course, and that the closing isnt an absolute tragedy. It had a fairly successful run, and I'll always remember the 3 INCREDIBLE times I've had at this show, and it'll always stand as pretty much, my favorite show I've seen.
I'll elaborate a little more later, but I've got to go to bed- heading to the Today Show tomorrow, so got to get up early!
And next up- 110 IN THE SHADE.

:)

Night everyone!


EDIT: more thoughts on GREY GARDENS
Let me get back with Christine's voice. As I said earlier, it seemed stronger in the 1st act than in the 2nd. I noticed the most strain in her voice probably in "Wil You" or "Hominy Grits". With both of those, it just didnt sound too good, especially when she went into the high registers. But then in the 2nd act, I think her voice sounded much stronger, especially in "Revolutionary Costume for Today". Her voice was also better than I've heard it during "Around the World", but not as deeply-acted as the other 2 times I've seen it. Oh and might I mention Bob Stillman probably has the best voice of...everyone? Haha, wow, his voice just fills the theatre, I wish everyone sounded like that. Mary Louise was especially good tonight- I think probably the best I've seen her in the 3 times I've seen the show. Or actually, the 2nd best- her very first scene at the beginning of the show was kind of rushed, but hey, its only 1 scene that I didn't think she was the best in. But the rest of the time, she was awesome, I am just so glad she won that Tony. I think the saddest scene is definitely the scene between Big and Little Edie right before "Choose to Be Happy". So sad, like, most of the time, for me at least, I'm rooting for Little Edie, but during this scene, I was unsure of who I agreed with more. Its just such a sad story- and theres 2 sides to it, which just makes it so emotional. A mother didn't want to lose her daughter, but her daughter wanted other things in life. I dont know, I just find it really sad. The girls who played Jackie and Lee werent as annoying tonight as they usually seem to be, haha, and I actually enjoyed "Marry Well". And how did Christian Borle frikkin get a Tony nomination over Matt Cavenaugh? He does such a great job as Joe, but especially as Jerry. He's so funny, and I like during "Jerry Likes My Corn" when he randomly starts coughing from eating the corn too fast. Alright, and please forgive me, I'm rambling so much, but finally- Erin Davie frikkin owns the show. Christine and Mary Louise are amazing, but the best really is Erin, I mean...as I said before, over the 3 times I've seen it, she's grown the most, and just has seemed to really embrace her character and try new things with it. And she is gorgeous! Her voice may not be the strongest, but her acting makes up for it. That scene after "Daddy's Girl" with Christine and her must be one of my favorites in the show- very very intense. And Erin just seemed so in the moment, and I just love her. I love that image of her running down the steps with the scarf on her head in the white dress- so beautiful and sad.
Anyways, this better be filmed for television, because I love this show. But even if it wasn't...I guess I wouldn't mind, because it is such a lovely live experience,it just wouldn't be the same on camera (of course). And as I said before, I think this show had a nice run- but its time for it to go. I think its pretty much found the majority of the audience its going to get, I feel Christine and Mary Louise seem to want (and need) a break, and they are so amazing it would be hard to replace them. Itll be nice to see the show go out with its original cast.
And wow, I really wish I could just go back tomorrow night and see it all over again.
For those of you who havent seen GREY GARDENS yet, see it, but most of you have.
Anyways, I love GREY GARDENS. 3 of the best nights I've had in the theatre were at the Walter Kerr seeing that... :)

Updated On: 7/8/07 at 11:21 PM

[gustof777]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 12:21am

have a great time at 110! I hope you enjoy Audra's performance.

[courtnyj]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 12:41am

I was there tonight too. My third time a well. I totally agree about Erin, she was fabulous! I coud see the future little Edie in her even more this time. Sadly Ebersole's performance did seem to lack energy or something...There we moments when she was spot on though. Still a wonderful evening of theatre. I'd love to have it preserved on film, but I'll just be glad I was able to see it several times.

ETA: Mary Louise Wilson flubbed a line in "The Cake I Had" and it was funny watching the conductor mouth the words to her.

Updated On: 7/6/07 at 12:41 AM

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 12:52am

By the way, added many more thoughts

And thanks, gustof, I'm really excited for 110 :)

And courtnyj, thats awesome you were there tonight too! Yeah, I noticed that part during "The Cake I Had", she kind of rushed over a line because of the flub. Haha, fnny stuff. And go Erin- her accent has also improven much over this past year. Kudos to her! And I still love Ebersole- she just seemed kind of tired and bored a few times, but mostly during the 1st Act. Thats understandable, though, its a taxing show. Another reason why I feel that the closing at the end of the month is for the better

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 6:30am

alrighty, well i may attempt HAIRSPRAY lotto or JERSEY BOYS standing room today
just need to check my schedule for the day (which i dont think includes much)
if anyone has any info on like...either one of those, itd be appreciated, but i pretty much know HAIRSPRAY lotto is supposed to be easy (so i hear) and i dont know about JERSEY BOYS standing room. hard to get?
anyways, so ill update you guys if i see either show.

by the way, showed up at the Today Show at 5, and the line was already around the whole block, so my sister and i decided we wouldnt be able to get in by the looks of it, so yeah, i cant fall back asleep...

have a good day everyone

EDTI: due to the rest of my family wanting to shop and stuff, i cant go see a matinee this afternoon. yeah, so ill just be sitting around until tonight. not too fun

Updated On: 7/6/07 at 06:30 AM

[unckristen]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 10:45am

Great review and glad you enjoyed your return visit. It's good to see Erin get more attention -- she really is great in the show and, while understandably overshadowed by Christine and Mary Louise, she deserves a lot of praise in her own right. As many have pointed out, she doesn't have the benefit of the documentary to aid in her performance.

[gustof777]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 10:52am

it's friday...I don't think there are any matinee's today

[jordangirl]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 10:56am

If you get there before 11:30, you can do the Hairspray "extra" matinee lotto. And it may be kind of quiet...I'm not sure how many people know about it. (Gustof ~ Hairspray has a matinee today since they were dark on Wednesday.)

Updated On: 7/6/07 at 10:56 AM

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 12:14pm

yeah, HAISPRAY, JERSEY BOYS, and CURTAINS all have matinees today

but instead, my family wants to see the movie SICKO instead of a Broadway show...tsk tsk, haha

[lawyerman]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 12:17pm

i just wanted to echo the Erin Davie love. i thought Ebersole was brilliant (thought very very dulled when i saw it) and MLW was divine but Davie stood out- great voice and very convincing performance. your heart started to break for her early on in Act 1. just great.

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 12:18pm

oh yeah, and cool little tidbit

Yesterday afternoon I saw them loading what I believe to be Sandy's bedroom set or something into the Brooks Atkinson. I also saw them loading in more things this morning, but they were in crates.

I'll post pictures as soon as I can :)

[jordangirl]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 12:36pm

Awww. That sucks. Thankfully my family is cool with splitting up and doing our own thing.

Hope the rest of the trip is good!

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 12:45pm

Yeah, I'd definitely see a show if I could, but they dont want me to go to a show alone, and I'm just like "Well, its not like we talk during the show, why does it matter if I'm with somebody?" haha anyways
The rest of the trip should be good, I'm just having a really strong urge to see DEUCE...why, I do not know

But I'm just really excited for 110 tonight! :)

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 12:53pm

some GREASE pictures :)





sorry, kind of small

[jordangirl]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 12:58pm

Enjoy 110!!!!! It's AWESOME!!!!!

[SirLiir]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 12:59pm

Hey, I was up in the balcony last night as well! First time seeing the show too and I loved it. Where were you seating?

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 1:05pm

I was on the right side of the balcony in the first row :) How about you?

[SirLiir]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 1:30pm

I was on the left side I believe (A 9). What a view I must say!

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 1:38pm

yeah, I actually loved sitting up there. the theatre is so small so youre really not all that high up, and you got a good view of the whole stage, which was nice. and it was also nice to have the ledge to lean on/over :)

but wow, that set must take a lot to move. i dont know, the show itself isnt too big, but im sure moving like more than 1/2 at the stage back and forth must add some money to the weekly running cost...

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 7/7/07 at 12:36am

alright, i AM going to bed in just a few minutes, so unlike last night, ill be waiting to write full details about the show until tomorrow

anyways, so tonight i saw 110 IN THE SHADE. let me just say it was good. did i like it? yes. would i see it again? no, and besides, its closing soon. i thought the basic story was good- a little slow at times, but there was stuff going on, haha. and i liked about 1/2 the music- the other 1/2 of the songs were just kind of boring and sort of sounded alike. the set design and lighting were INCREDIBLE, i especially loved the set design of File's office with the Coca-Cola sign all battered up. the ensemble was really very talented, and as others have said, one of the most talented on Broadway now. I didn't care much for Christopher Innvar as File...just lacked real energy. Bobby Steggart did a very nice job, and had great chemistry with Carla Duren (my favorite person in the show! so cute)...they both liked to chase each other a lot, haha. Steve Kazee has an UNBELIEVABLE voice, wow, it just filled the theatre, I wish I could hear more of it. And Audra- wonderful performance. Her acting was REALLY emotional and touching, especially towards the end of the 1st act, I was like...wow. And though I couldn't understand her sometimes, she has a beautiful voice as well. But she acted the part so well, and was quite funny. I definitely would say, though, that Audra was awesome, but still not as good as Christine Ebersole in GREY GARDENS. But I liked the show overall- the message was really touching and wow, one of the first shows I've actually walked away with something from. I'll get into more detail later- im going to bed! :)

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 7/7/07 at 11:46pm

Well well well, everyone I am back after a busy day. I hope youre all doing well, because I am right now
First let me start off with the matinee I saw- MARY POPPINS.

Let me just say this show lived up to my expectations- which were very low in the first place. And yeah, I am kind of nervous about the state of Disney Theatricals, I mean, I thought maybe TARZAN was just 1 poor show by Disney, but then they make MARY POPPINS, which I liked even less than TARZAN, believe it or not. MARY POPPINS just lacked magic and creativity, simple as that. I know they wanted to make the show darker like the book and thats fine- but when the supposed "magical and joyful moments" are statues coming to life or Mary pretty much using the force to get rid of Ms Andrews...it just sucks. I just did not feel happy or anything watching that stuff happen because it was so unoriginal and lackluster. I must admit, though, the sets were amazing, as were the special effects (like the objects coming out of the carpet bag and Mary flying over the audience). With the exception of "Anything Can Happen", all of the new songs written for the show were bland, and all the old songs were kind of made into these odd and long production numbers ("Supercali..." was just soooo drawn-out and over the top). I felt the new sequence of the songs in the story didnt work well either. The children were quite annoying, especially Jane, what a little b*tch. Mrs. Brill or whatever was so over the top it was hard to understand her. Mr. Banks (played by Sean McCourt at this performance) was pretty psycho and yeah...abusive dad. And poor Rebecca Luker- stuck in this show. She did fairly well with the material she had, but sometimes, it was hard for even her to rise above it. Gavin Lee did a nice job, and certainly earned his Tony nomination. He didnt do a whole lot, but it was great watching him. Cass Morgan as the Bird Woman was pretty forced, and I didn't care for her much in her very small role. Ashley Brown...very very talented, but I dont think shes right for this show. Her British accent was pretty off and on, and I think the role of Mary is written too operatic. Just a pretty bland performance by her- added nothing new to the character, but wasnt horrible. It was funny how she walked about the stairs, though. Its very obvious what others have said about her- shes easily replacable.
It mightve sounded like I hated this show, but I did not. I just disliked it. It had some good moments, but overall, just not an enchanting show like it should be. Disney almost tried too hard to make it unlike the movie, and they succeeded, but not well. The audience seemed to kind of enjoy it- it was annoying how they were always clapping along with songs. I am really glad I saw this show, but yeah, just lacks that Disney magic.

coming up, my XANADU review :)

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 12:04am

Now, after the disappointment of MARY POPPINS, I went and saw XANADU onstage with my sister and girlfriend. Sadly, since we got there late, we couldnt all sit together, so REMEMBER TO GET THERE EARLY IF YOURE WITH A GROUP, haha. But I loved the stage and the set design- it was so cool sitting onstage seeing the props and set pieces being moved on and such. Sadly, the speaker in the "onstage pew" I was in was out, so I had trouble hearing some stuff. But I got a general idea of what was going on. Pretty much, I loved this show! So much fun- just pure camp, I loved it. The audience frikkin ATE THIS UP- the house was almost full, and they were all laughing a ton. But I mean, the story was just so cheesy, and all the lines they said were so obvious and overexaggerated, it was hilarious. There were so many great one-liners, I cant remember like any of them, but yeah, most of them for me were delivered by Ms Kerry Butler herself who was AWESOME.She is my new crush- her voice is perfect, just flawless. She is so f*cking cute, I couldnt stand her amazing looks. Just watching her skate around that stage was lovely, and wow, she has perfect line delivery (and Australian accent, haha). I loved when shed say "My name is Kira", hahaha, sorry, but she said it in the same seductive tone every time. Jackie and Mary were great- Jackie was especially funny, and had incredible facial expressions. And her as Aphrodite (I believe) was priceless. Cheyenne did a nice job as Sonny- he had the whole "cheesy guy-next-door" thing down, and it was great. His first time on the skates was really funny. The ensemble dancers did an amazing job, and poor Kenita, I saw her offstage with a brace on. But yeah, she wasnt on. The only guy I didnt really care for was Tony Roberts...kind of blaaah. And the numbers he was in were kind of weak. Like, I loved most of the numbers, but didnt care for like...3 or 4, haha. Some were just kind of boring like the tap-dance song and the one where Sonny is showing what kind of music he wants at the roller disco, but I didnt mind, I loved how theyd just randomly break into song at the cheesiest moments. Ah, I had fun, I loved the finale so much- the glowsticks looked awesome in the dark reflecting on the disco balls. So pretty much, I got a major crush on Kerry, I liked the show, MIGHT see it again, wouldn't count on it though, and I really hope it does well after the summer. It was a great experience in the theatre, and I my favorite "new" show I've seen so far this trip. Good luck on Tuesday's opening, XANADU!

[little_sally]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 12:08am

So you didn't like Curtis' tap number?

[little_sally]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 12:08am

So you didn't like Curtis' tap number?

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 12:10am

"Her voice may not be the strongest"

Compared to whom? She's got one of the best, strongest, glorious, controlled voices on any stage anywhere.