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End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre — Page 2

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#26

End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre

Posted: 4/20/13 at 6:40pm

This play was disgusting,and an insult to the late great Judy Garland. If I were Liza, I would sue! If I were in the Mickey Dean estate I would sue. it's this kind of trash masquerading as middlebrow entertainment that will be the ruination of Broadway. Tracy Bennett should be ashamed of herself. She and all involved with this play are nothing less than ghouls.



Updated On: 4/20/13 at 06:40 PM

#27

End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre

Posted: 4/20/13 at 6:45pm

Yes, you said that, love, but you might want to check our laws for slander and libel. The law gives one quite a bit of leeway in portraying public figures.

Was there something in the play you didn't already know?

I admit I didn't have a clear picture of Judy Garland performing on speed, so that was educational, but it in no way diminished my opinion of her talent or skill.

The lady was rather famous for such problems, and yet she was so talented and could be so genuine on stage that she was beloved nonetheless. I think the play makes that abundantly clear. High praise, don't you think?

If that's too much realism for you, the films of THE WIZARD OF OZ and MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS still exist...
#28

End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre

Posted: 4/20/13 at 7:19pm

Lovebwy, it took several posts but you've exposed yourself as a vocal member of the "this play disgraces the idyllic legacy of my beloved Judy" camp. I don't even think you actually saw the play or if you did, you certainly knew exactly what the show portrayed and went anyway. For whatever reason, the day before it closes in L.A., you're feeling the need to dredge up the same overemotional and highly biased criticisms that were more than fully voiced when the show ran in New York. Not sure what you hope to accomplish really.
#29

End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre

Posted: 4/20/13 at 7:54pm

I didn't mean to say that Bennett over-acting certain scenes was a bad thing. It was obviously a choice the actor and director made over one of impersonation. They had actually said they tried to sing certain songs as Judy would have sung them and they just didn't have the same impact in the context of the show. What they did was right for the play. And having seen the play again recently, Bennett was even better than the last time I saw her (in which she was already marvelous). The friend I went with was such a big Judy fan that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to get through the show without comparing Tracie to Judy. He ended up loving the performance and the show and was quite moved by it. Yes, he asked me the same question many had asked... How could she not have won the Tony?
#30

End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre

Posted: 4/21/13 at 3:50am

Listen Fisherman Bob, I went to see the show on Friday night at the Ahmanson. I got $20 hot tix and then sneaked down to the mezz. And I came here to review it when I got back early Saturday morning. Am I not ALLOWED to give my opinion?

The play was SHAMEFUL and all those involved show be ashamed. Lying around in the muck and filth when there is SO much to celebrate about the wonderful Judy Garland. She was a UNIQUE entertainer who deserved much better than this treatment she got at the hands of the demented portrayal by Tracy Bennett. She had Judy crawaling around on the floor pretending to be a dog urinating. Disgusting and vulgar. These grave robbers should be run out of Los Angeles on a rail. I long for the days of Louis B. Mayer, who would've crushed a production like this with a single phone call.

Updated On: 4/21/13 at 03:50 AM

#31

End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre

Posted: 4/21/13 at 5:15am

If you want to give an opinion, then do so. But what you are doing is throwing a tantrum. "Ghouls", "demented", "run out of town on rails", "grave robbers"... aren't we being just a wee bit overly dramatic? You know she had lots of issues. People don't die at 47 of old age. What did you expect?

It's just a show, dude. If you didn't like it, you didn't like it. Get over yourself and next time stick to Disney productions where everything is WONDERFUL!!!
#32

End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre

Posted: 4/21/13 at 6:48am

FishermanBob is right. This isn't a play celebrating the life of Judy, it's a portrayal (albeit sensationalist) of the last days of her life; the clue is in the title. I think in a world which is obsessed with celebrity status and celebrities are being driven to bizarre and outrageous behaviour (Britney, Beiber, Whitney etc) this play is all the more poignant.
#33

End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre

Posted: 4/21/13 at 7:10am

Fishherman Bob is not right, and neither are you.

The play is a terribly thought-out idea, originally conceived not to be about Garland specifically, but to be about a composite celebrity. The re-write to make it be about Garland was handled badly, and the best scenes supposedly were not even written by the playwright himself but by a third party.

It is, however, performed by a talented woman, for whom I pray daily to have a vehicle that befits her talents instead of this overblown piece of crap.
#34

End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre

Posted: 4/21/13 at 9:57am

Fisherman- Listen, honey child, I went into the play thinking it would be good. I'm a Judy fan, I was looking forward to it.

I did NOT get what I was expecting. Not by a long shot. The real life Judy had a wonderful sense of humor, even in her darkest hours, and always exuded a warmth. There is a Dick Cavett appearance of hers on YouTube where she seems to be barely keeping it together but still, her humor and warmth shine though. This play showed none of this. This play was a middle aged broad stomping around chewing scenery for two and a half looooooooong hours.
#36

End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre

Posted: 4/21/13 at 2:14pm

Guess what PalJoey, I AM right...and so are you because these are our opinions. Nowhere in my comments did I say I thought the play was the finest piece of theater I'd ever seen. I recognize its flaws and yet I still enjoyed it. You thought it was a piece of crap. So be it. What however I think most reasonable, rational adults do agree on is Tracie gave a great performance. She was both Tony and Olivier nominated and many felt she should have won.

The point I was making was that people understood the play portrayed the last few months of her life, drugs, alcohol and all. Some thought that was captured well and others didn't. But to throw a fit that it wasn't Disney sanitized and didn't just show how wonderful she was with nothing negative is just plain ridiculous. I do hope Tracie appreciates that you pray for her every day End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre








Updated On: 4/21/13 at 02:14 PM

#37

End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre

Posted: 4/21/13 at 6:09pm

Just to be technically accurate, Bob, the play takes place around New Year's Day of 1968 and Garland didn't die until June of 1969. And she's clean and sober until the end of Act I or beginning of Act II.

So the play takes place about 18 months before Garland died and the portrayal isn't anywhere near the train wreck that lovebwy wants to make it.

As for Garland imitating a dog, she was a lifelong clown. Does anyone really doubt she would do a very funny imitation of a dog if asked?

As she herself said so many times, Judy Garland was not Dorothy Gale or Esther Smith or Vicki Lester.

I basically agree with Pal Joey about the quality (or lack thereof) of the play. But it's a bad play because it lacks action, plot and character, not because it fails to portray Judy Garland as a saint!
#38

End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre

Posted: 4/21/13 at 6:27pm

Gaveston, not to belabor the point but I'm pretty sure the Talk of the Town engagement was in early 1969 (Jan/Feb) and the play commences with her arrival in London right before New Years 1969. She marries Mickey in London in March, 1969 and dies there in June. So it would have covered the period 4-6 months before her death.
#39

End Of The Rainbow at The Ahmanson Theatre

Posted: 4/21/13 at 6:33pm

No belaboring about it, Bob. I appreciate the correction. Apparently, I got my years confused when they were discussing the date on stage; that often happens to me around New Year's Day.

So if the play takes place only six months before Garland died, I have to wonder if she still sounded as well as Tracie Bennett? I was very pleasantly surprised that the evening of the play wasn't two hours of "bad Garland". But I wonder...

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