DRS- Not Impressed- Page 2
DRS- Not Impressed
LaVieBoheme2
Stand-by Joined: 2/25/05
#25re: DRS- Not Impressed
Posted: 9/5/05 at 3:42pmI loved DRS, it's not my favorite show ever, but I really enjoyed it. I thought all of the cast was amazing (well, John Lithgow was on vacation when I saw it, but his understudy was great) and the whole thing was hilareous. It has it weak spots, sure, but don't all shows? I can see why some people wouldn't like it though, and I probably wouldn't have if it hadn't been for Norbert, Sherie, Greg, and Joanna, they really made it for me (especially Norbert).
Elyse. No day but Today.
My avatar: me talking to Norbert Leo Butz.
#26re: DRS- Not Impressed
Posted: 9/6/05 at 10:19am
I guess DRS is just one of those mixed shows (it divides the theatre folk), but it really was one of the first times I was not impressed with a show on Broadway.
But I think it was a great showcase and a well deserved role for Norbert Leo Butz- he earned this show after all his "stepping stone" performances ie Fiyero and such. Would anyone have ever have guessed how funny he is?
He was my favorite part about the show. I could have seen the other roles done as well as the Broadway performers by community theatre actors (besides Gettlefinger). To me, Lithgow and Scott didnt prove to be worthy of their Tony award nominations.
I really hate how Scott plays everything the same. Yeah, she is given the same "type" roles, but dont you think she can change it up a little? She always sticks to that rambling thing she does in a high pitch girly voice. Its cute and all and I thought it was a good character choice when she did it for Amneris, but now its old. I dont know. I love Scott in TL5Y and thats it.
"They hear drums. We hear music."
#27re: DRS- Not Impressed
Posted: 9/6/05 at 10:59am
I'm not a huge fan of slapstick comedy, so Butz would occasionally make me smile, but not laugh out loud. I can understand why fans of that kind of humor would like his performance, but it didn't do too much for me. I felt the score was uneven. Mostly good melodies, but often inane lyrics. Great Big Stuff was like a laundry list of tepid jokes that required more effort from Butz to try and make them funny than they actually are.
"My own personal Zamboni!" meh
"Lots of unnecessary surgery!" too long and forced to be funny
"I can finally afford tickets to a Broadway show!" I bought my tickets at TKTS that night.
The self-referential humor wasn't set up well in this show and was rarely used, so it really seemed out of place in the moments where it happened. The moments seemed dropped in as a an effort to try and yank a few more laughs out of the audience, since the script didn't seem to be working.
But the bottom line is the story. The movie featured a thin plot in order to showcase the comedic talents of Martin and Caine. While the film was humorous featured amazing performances and tight direction, it was a weak plot and not especially well-written. Without the extraneous added characters in the musical, it would have flopped miserably because there simply wasn't enough plot or variety to sustain an evening. I think the show will do very well in regional productions, but it's a rather lukewarm production on Broadway. If Butz did not ham it up as much as he did, I think the audience would be easily bored. I did not see Lithgow, which was a relief, having seen him in Sweet Smell of Success (how id he win that Tony?) and I missed Sherie, though I thought her understudy was probably more believable in the role. I'm familiar with Sherie's deliberate innocence enough, so I probably would have had a hard time buying her character for the majority of the show. I loved her in Tommy, Rent and Aida (the only thing I liked about Aida), but I just could not see this as a good fit for her.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#28re: DRS- Not Impressed
Posted: 9/6/05 at 11:39ami enjoyed the show while i was there but looking back, like you said none of the songs were that lasting. norbert was amazing and i think he deserved the tony. and i can see where you are coming from about sherie and the rest of the cast.
"At the opening night party, they had clowns on stilts, jugglers, a chocolate fountain, popcorn, hot dogs. [My son] looked at me like I had been holding back. Like, 'This is what you do?' I had to tell him, 'No, no, darling. Opening nights don't usually look like this.' It's usually a dark bar with a bottle of vodka." ?Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's Jan Maxwell
plus i proudly share the title of the shortest member over the age of 10 with wickedrentq!
wickedrentq
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/6/04
#29re: DRS- Not Impressed
Posted: 9/6/05 at 11:52amMister Matt, just curious, who did you see go on for Sherie?
"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli
#30re: DRS- Not Impressed
Posted: 9/6/05 at 12:16pm
I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. I love DRS and the songs are catchy as hell. GBS and Here I Am, especially, are in my head all the time.
Sherie was the only disappointment to me. She wasn't terrible, but she seemed distracted or uninterested when she wasn't actually speaking. I think it may have been a character choice (Christine being a bit flighty...) but it was a turn off.
Otherwise, I had a great time at the show.
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