#1
Posted: 8/17/05 at 11:29pm
This is kind of hard... because you know what? I liked it. Really, I did. And it's hard to say that, because I know it's not good theatre - but I had a good time. Would I see it again? Totally. Especially for twenty-six bucks.
My mom and I snagged front row, dead center seats, and it's definitely a fun show to sit so close up for.
I have a really hard time putting this show at the level I put things like Mamma Mia! Because it's not a crappy story. It's truth (surely altered) but it's a real story. It's the story of an incredibly influencial artist; and a tribute to a very important person. I found that that gave the show so, so much heart and resonance. In the scene where they portray Lennon's death, people were sobbing - probably die hard Lennon fans. It was so silly, but I thought of the people who are, to me, like John Lennon was to them, and how that must be... if anything ever were to happen to one of them. It shattered my heart.
One thing that I love about the jukebox-type shows across the board is their musical arragements, though; they don't fail to be full, and often sound better than the original arrangments ever did. For that, and for the sake of the vocal prowess of this cast, I hope they get a recording.
The show has so, so many book and cohesion issues. It's pretty obvious that it's sort of become "The Yoko Ono Story." I think it's fine that they've chosen to focus on Lennon's life after The Beatles, rather than on his life as a Beatle, but it seems like it's shown in a light that makes it more about what he and Yoko did together; well, it doesn't seem that way, it is. And I suppose if this is the brainchild of her money, that's the way it has to be. It feels like the first marriage just gets dropped; how it ended is almost completely unaddressed. It's obvious after some time, but I felt that was definitely missing. Overall, though, the show's "plot" feels like it expects that you know a lot, which, generationally, I don't. And obviously, in order to theatricalize (that's not a word, I don't care) a story like this, things need to be condensed, etc - but they're not condensed in a way that doesn't feel totally contrived; parts of it play out like a bit of a fairytale. But the biggest thing that takes away from any theatricality that it has IS the fact that it's truth; there's no wondering what'll happen next - or not much, anyway... I wondered of details, as I was unfamiliar - because you know how it ends.
I guess the political resonance is something I should touch on - considering that some of the reviews seemed to find it a cheap trick against Bush, if I remember properly. I was thinking about it today, and I was wondering if a revival of something like Hair would be considered a similar cheap trick; old politics being put into play for a current statement. With Lennon, it was very obvious that the politics of Lennon's time were being transplanted and translated to be impactful to a current audience in this political climate, but to be perfectly honest, I thought "Give Peace a Chance" was very, very powerful. I had chills.
Now, this cast. Oh, this cast.
You all know what it's like - that rush, when you finally see in person (and meet - woo!) someone who you've been waiting so, so long to see. JULIA. MURNEY. It's such a pity that she doesn't do more; and Beautiful Boy isn't even, while it's beautiful, the song for her. I was completely captivated by every moment she has in the spotlight; she's beautiful, adorable, fierce, and moves incredibly well, but I kept itching to hear her just belt her brains out, simply because she can. I got my wish at the encore, standing just inches from her - she let out some unearthly note, wailing away with the rest of the cast.
Of the two men who play Lennon himself most consistently - Chad Kimball and Will Chase - I found a huge difference. I found Will to be far more enjoyable; he's got much more presence and charisma that Chad does, and totally outshined him. Chad is fine, but Will's voice is far stronger, as well. I found myself wishing I'd given him a chance as Radames, because he's quite talented - and, he's extremely attractive. He sat right in front of me during that scene where he and the other male actors sit on the edge of the stage. I probably looked totally mystified; he's beautiful.
Julie Danao-Salkin - being the only cast member to have one part truly to herself - gets to show off more acting chops than the rest of the cast, which is probably a bit to her benefit, since vocally, she can't match the rest of them, and certainly can't touch the huge belting abilities of Mandy, Marcy (WHOA!) and Julia. It doesn't totally work to her advantage, though - she seems like she's overacting quite a bit - almost like the idea of trying to portray Yoko as this superbly strong woman went too far, and just feels corny.
And the rest of the cast - while absolute vocal brilliance - well, it's just hard to say much more for them, because of the type of material they're working with. I will give props, though, to the comedic chops on Mandy (in the Buddist (?) scene, when they carried her in), Terrance (all across the boards), Chuck (Ed Sullivan) and Marcy (Elton John).
I guess I'll wrap up there. Thanks for reading, etc, etc. And honestly - do give this show a chance. Is it good theatre? Maybe not. Is it enjoyable? Yes. Is it good music? HELL yes. It has a ton of heart, and deserves better recepetion than it's gotten so far.
Best of luck, Lennon.
A work of art is an invitation to love.
My mom and I snagged front row, dead center seats, and it's definitely a fun show to sit so close up for.
I have a really hard time putting this show at the level I put things like Mamma Mia! Because it's not a crappy story. It's truth (surely altered) but it's a real story. It's the story of an incredibly influencial artist; and a tribute to a very important person. I found that that gave the show so, so much heart and resonance. In the scene where they portray Lennon's death, people were sobbing - probably die hard Lennon fans. It was so silly, but I thought of the people who are, to me, like John Lennon was to them, and how that must be... if anything ever were to happen to one of them. It shattered my heart.
One thing that I love about the jukebox-type shows across the board is their musical arragements, though; they don't fail to be full, and often sound better than the original arrangments ever did. For that, and for the sake of the vocal prowess of this cast, I hope they get a recording.
The show has so, so many book and cohesion issues. It's pretty obvious that it's sort of become "The Yoko Ono Story." I think it's fine that they've chosen to focus on Lennon's life after The Beatles, rather than on his life as a Beatle, but it seems like it's shown in a light that makes it more about what he and Yoko did together; well, it doesn't seem that way, it is. And I suppose if this is the brainchild of her money, that's the way it has to be. It feels like the first marriage just gets dropped; how it ended is almost completely unaddressed. It's obvious after some time, but I felt that was definitely missing. Overall, though, the show's "plot" feels like it expects that you know a lot, which, generationally, I don't. And obviously, in order to theatricalize (that's not a word, I don't care) a story like this, things need to be condensed, etc - but they're not condensed in a way that doesn't feel totally contrived; parts of it play out like a bit of a fairytale. But the biggest thing that takes away from any theatricality that it has IS the fact that it's truth; there's no wondering what'll happen next - or not much, anyway... I wondered of details, as I was unfamiliar - because you know how it ends.
I guess the political resonance is something I should touch on - considering that some of the reviews seemed to find it a cheap trick against Bush, if I remember properly. I was thinking about it today, and I was wondering if a revival of something like Hair would be considered a similar cheap trick; old politics being put into play for a current statement. With Lennon, it was very obvious that the politics of Lennon's time were being transplanted and translated to be impactful to a current audience in this political climate, but to be perfectly honest, I thought "Give Peace a Chance" was very, very powerful. I had chills.
Now, this cast. Oh, this cast.
You all know what it's like - that rush, when you finally see in person (and meet - woo!) someone who you've been waiting so, so long to see. JULIA. MURNEY. It's such a pity that she doesn't do more; and Beautiful Boy isn't even, while it's beautiful, the song for her. I was completely captivated by every moment she has in the spotlight; she's beautiful, adorable, fierce, and moves incredibly well, but I kept itching to hear her just belt her brains out, simply because she can. I got my wish at the encore, standing just inches from her - she let out some unearthly note, wailing away with the rest of the cast.
Of the two men who play Lennon himself most consistently - Chad Kimball and Will Chase - I found a huge difference. I found Will to be far more enjoyable; he's got much more presence and charisma that Chad does, and totally outshined him. Chad is fine, but Will's voice is far stronger, as well. I found myself wishing I'd given him a chance as Radames, because he's quite talented - and, he's extremely attractive. He sat right in front of me during that scene where he and the other male actors sit on the edge of the stage. I probably looked totally mystified; he's beautiful.
Julie Danao-Salkin - being the only cast member to have one part truly to herself - gets to show off more acting chops than the rest of the cast, which is probably a bit to her benefit, since vocally, she can't match the rest of them, and certainly can't touch the huge belting abilities of Mandy, Marcy (WHOA!) and Julia. It doesn't totally work to her advantage, though - she seems like she's overacting quite a bit - almost like the idea of trying to portray Yoko as this superbly strong woman went too far, and just feels corny.
And the rest of the cast - while absolute vocal brilliance - well, it's just hard to say much more for them, because of the type of material they're working with. I will give props, though, to the comedic chops on Mandy (in the Buddist (?) scene, when they carried her in), Terrance (all across the boards), Chuck (Ed Sullivan) and Marcy (Elton John).
I guess I'll wrap up there. Thanks for reading, etc, etc. And honestly - do give this show a chance. Is it good theatre? Maybe not. Is it enjoyable? Yes. Is it good music? HELL yes. It has a ton of heart, and deserves better recepetion than it's gotten so far.
Best of luck, Lennon.
Updated On: 8/18/05 at 11:29 PM
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