#1
Posted: 2/10/05 at 12:24am
I went to this evening's dress rehearsal, and to a seminar at City Center's rehearsal studios before.
The seminar was a discussion with someone who wrote a biography of Dorothy Fields, the lyricist for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It was basically a lot about theatre history, but it was very interesting, and I enjoyed it a lot. I didn't really know very much of what they spoke about well, but this is all information that I need to learn, and I've got t begin somewhere. Oh, small sidenote - Karen Ziemba was there!!
I liked the show a lot. The score is beautiful, and it's a very sweet story. But I think that in seeing such an "old fashioned" type of musical right after a discussion that included a bit about the trouble with reviving shows like this, I realized a lot more about why they don't work well anymore. It's a shame, really, but even though the story is nice, it's not something that people are going to care about anymore I guess, even if they do take it as a period piece and don't expect universal relevance. Since the shows at Encores! are presented to highlight the music, it made me very sad to see a show with such a stunning score that can't get its feet off the ground again. It was that light, fun, jazzy kind of music that you just don't get anymore, except in revivals.
I'll keep this short...
I was kind of underwhelmed with Emily Skinner, I'm disappointed to say. It seemed like her attempts to portray the annoying nature of Cissy, to make her sound obnoxious and kind of shrill, and to use that over-the-top Brooklyn accent overshadowed the amazing voice she's got. She's very funny, though, and has wonderful stage presence. I did like her acting a lot, but she didn't sound all that great.
The rest of the cast was great, too. It was nice to see a few Wonderful Town alum (Jennifer Hope Wills, James Clow and Nancy Anderson), since the show kind of reminded me of WT, though I liked the actual material of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn better.
Jason Daniely played Johnny Nolan. I found him really impressive, and his name sounds familiar, but I can't figure where from, if at all. I'll look him up on IBDb later. Also nice to see John Ellison Conlee - he's a funny guy.
So, yeah. I guess that's it. If anybody else goes, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts as well.
A work of art is an invitation to love.
The seminar was a discussion with someone who wrote a biography of Dorothy Fields, the lyricist for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It was basically a lot about theatre history, but it was very interesting, and I enjoyed it a lot. I didn't really know very much of what they spoke about well, but this is all information that I need to learn, and I've got t begin somewhere. Oh, small sidenote - Karen Ziemba was there!!
I liked the show a lot. The score is beautiful, and it's a very sweet story. But I think that in seeing such an "old fashioned" type of musical right after a discussion that included a bit about the trouble with reviving shows like this, I realized a lot more about why they don't work well anymore. It's a shame, really, but even though the story is nice, it's not something that people are going to care about anymore I guess, even if they do take it as a period piece and don't expect universal relevance. Since the shows at Encores! are presented to highlight the music, it made me very sad to see a show with such a stunning score that can't get its feet off the ground again. It was that light, fun, jazzy kind of music that you just don't get anymore, except in revivals.
I'll keep this short...
I was kind of underwhelmed with Emily Skinner, I'm disappointed to say. It seemed like her attempts to portray the annoying nature of Cissy, to make her sound obnoxious and kind of shrill, and to use that over-the-top Brooklyn accent overshadowed the amazing voice she's got. She's very funny, though, and has wonderful stage presence. I did like her acting a lot, but she didn't sound all that great.
The rest of the cast was great, too. It was nice to see a few Wonderful Town alum (Jennifer Hope Wills, James Clow and Nancy Anderson), since the show kind of reminded me of WT, though I liked the actual material of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn better.
Jason Daniely played Johnny Nolan. I found him really impressive, and his name sounds familiar, but I can't figure where from, if at all. I'll look him up on IBDb later. Also nice to see John Ellison Conlee - he's a funny guy.
So, yeah. I guess that's it. If anybody else goes, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts as well.
Updated On: 2/10/05 at 12:24 AM
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