Eslgr8 bids farewell to New York with a return visit to D.R. Soundrels!- Page 2

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 2:01pm

Yay! I'm glad to hear a positive review of Rue! Nice reviews.

The Charity CD has been at the Theater for almost 2 weeks now, and is now becoming avaiable around the city - it's at Tower, Virgin, and Footlight.

Just a note to people buying the Charity CR : Seeing Christina before buying the CD might be a good idea. Because once you've seen her performance live, you will understand her on the CD better. Plus I think her vocals are much better live then on this CD.

[BoxFive]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 2:17pm

What a wonderful journey you've been on, I was excited to read such positive thoughts, thank you so very much! Come back soon!

[eslgr8]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 10:46pm

I can certainly see why this show is a hit! It's a definite crowd pleaser, full of laughs (and suprise laughs for me, as I've only seen the movie once many years ago) and clever catchy songs. Luckily for me, I did get to see Sara Ramirez tonight. I know she's missed a lot of performances, and people have complained about her replacement, so I was glad to see the real thing. Do I think she should have won the Tony over Kelli O'Hara. No. But truly the two performances are apples and bananas (Sara being the banana I guess). Sara has a dazzling voice and comic range, and perhaps no one could do the part like she does. On the other hand, Kelli has a role which requires not only a superb voice, but a depth of acting that the Lady of the Lake doesn't need. I almost feel they should be in two separate categories, but had I to choose, my vote would go to Kelli O'Hara.
Christopher Sieber was out, which disappointed me, but his standby John Bolton did just fine, and of course Hank Azaria is out for six months, replaced by the funny and talented Alan Tudyk. Tim Curry and David Hyde Pierce are wonderful, as expected...
If I sound less than 100% enthusiastic, despite the high esteem I hold the show in, it's just that Spamalot isn't exactly my kind of musical. Charity, All Shook Up, Piazza, and Wicked all have one ingredient lacking from Spamalot: heart. I guess I prefer my musicals with heart. This is the first show I've seen here that didn't make my eyes water.
But...
I did love the Lancelot/dance-alot number and the Lancelot love story (for obvious reasons). And it was fun to see the songs performed, after only hearing them on CD, and I did laugh a lot.
I'm glad that I got to see the #1 show in NY!!!
Tomorrow is Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Cynical as it is (I saw it last September in San Diego), it does have its warm moments, if I recall, and the delicious performances of Norbert and John and Sheri and Joanna and Greg and Sara, as well as the clever lyrics and catchy melodies of David Yazbek and Jeffrey Lane's funnier than Spamalot book. I don't expect to notice the (I suppose numerous) changes which have been made since I saw it 9 months ago. I'm just looking forward to FINALLY being able to see it a second time, after being the FIRST to rave about it at Broadwayworld.com.
Then back to L.A.
But Sunday I'm seeing I Am My Own Wife, and Tuesday traveling down to San Diego to see Palm Beach: The Screwball Musical and BWW's Erika Amato in 42nd Street, so my post NY withdrawal will be lessened by that!
I've enjoyed this trip so much, and enjoyed sharing it with all of you. I won't be able to post about DRS till after I get home, but I'll let you know about the trip finale once I've recovered from jet lag.
Talk to y'all later!
And thanks to those who've made this trip so special.
Steven

[noahrp3]

Posted: 6/25/05 at 1:39am

I did a show with Erika Amato a few years ago. I didn;t know she was on this board. Where is 42nd Street playing?

[eslgr8]

Posted: 6/25/05 at 1:06pm

Erika's screen name is erikaamaato, and her 42nd Street is playing at the Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido (San Diego area). Check the link below (Musicals Coming to Los Angeles) for more info!

[eslgr8]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 5:22am

I'm back in LA, it's 5 am New York time, and jet lag is sure to be on the horizon. I'll post about my last show, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, after (hopefully) a good night's sleep.

[eslgr8]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 2:08pm

First of all, here's the very first review of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels posted on this board 9 months ago, by me, on September 24th, 2004.

MY ORIGINAL REVIEW:
You’ve read the Variety review of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels posted on this site. Here’s my very different take on this sensational new musical.
First of all, it is HILARIOUS! I have seen hundreds of musicals, and I can’t remember ever laughing this much. And the laughs come as often from David Yazbek’s clever inventive lyrics as from Jeffrey Lane’s equally delightful and occasionally risqué book. And what music! Yazbek’s tunes are melodious and catchy. I only wish I didn’t have to wait until next year for the cast album.
The costumes and sets are colorful and imaginative, and I cannot recall having seen a revolving stage used this effectively.
Finally, the performances! They are all award-worthy. John Lithgow a slick delight, Norbert Leo Butz dazzlingly adorable in a star-making role, Sheri Rene Scott quite delectable and charming, Joanna Gleason and Paul Jbara their usual brilliant selves, and Sara Gettelfinger the kind of scene-stealer that wins awards.
Most of the songs provoked loud cheers along with thunderous applause, and the penultimate duet sung by Lithgow and Butz was followed by the kind of long ovation usually reserved for curtain calls. When the cast did emerge for curtain calls, the audience was on its feet cheering as loudly as did those at the end of Avenue Q and Wicked, Broadway’s two biggest hits.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is magical and dirty and delightful and not the slightest bit rotten!
If it weren’t two hours away, I’d see it again during the run in an instant.

FAST FORWARD TO JUNE 25, 2005

Nine months and one day after seeing the show in San Diego (I went the night after it opened for the critics), I got to see DRS again! In the interim, I've been able to listen to and appreciate the OBC recording, which I got a couple of months ago. And yesterday I saw it again, 8th row, house left, almost the same seat I'd had in San Diego.
All that was missing for me this second time was the freshness of that first viewing, which did make a difference for me. The first time I saw DRS, I had only the memory of the film, but no idea how it would be staged, what the music would be like, how the performances would be, etc. So when I sat at the Globe, I was truly overwhelmed by its excellence in all respects, as you can tell from my first review.
The show is still excellent, one of the best on Broadway. I think it's better and more deserving of the Tony than Spamalot, if only because it's a real musical, with a very well written book and linear storyline, rather than just a series of very clever sketches.
The performances were already as good as they could be when I sawa it in San Diego; the stage is still filled with some of the best musical theater acting/singing you can find on Broadway. Lithgow now wears a wig (appropriate for the character) which I don't recall from San Diego. Otherwise, whatever improvement the phenomenal cast (Lithgow, Butz, Scott, Gleason, Jbara, Gettelfinger) has made is simply in fine-tuning their performances.
I'm sure I laughed much harder in San Diego because every hilarious line was so unexpected. But I still laughed a lot yesterday, and the audience was clearly bowled over by the show's racy and witty dialog.
There did seem to be some changes in the staging. In my initial review I commented on how well the revolving stage was used. It seems to me that scene changes are now being made more with drops rather than with the revolving stage as I recall from San Diego. My memory is not clear on this, but yesterday I didn't notice the revolving stage so much that I would have commented on it as I did in the first review.
The show is still the same running length, but two songs were cut from act two (Above the Waist, and The Soap) and a reprise of Great Big Stuff has been added. I have the feeling that Gregory Jbara's and Joanna Gleason's parts were beefed up a bit, to the play's improvement.
Other remarks: The show is still one of the two most gorgeous to look at (the other being Piazza). The Art Deco sets and the vibrant colors of the costumes and lighting, and the glamorous ensemble make DRS an esthetic joy to watch.
Norbert Leo Butz is now a true Broadway star, eminently deserving of his Tony, Sheri Rene Scott is as adorable and magnentic a perfmorer imaginable, with a uniquely beautiful voice (buy her solo CD!), Sara Getelfinger has maybe the best cameo role on Broadway (lucky her!), and Yazbek's lyrics are the funniest on Broadway, funnier and cleverer than those of Spamalot.

So I'm back home in LA, and luckily this evening I get to see Tony winning Jefferson Mays in I Am My Own Wife!!! So my trip to "Broadway" is not yet over.

Thanks to all of you who replied and PMed me about my trip. Thanks to all the BWW people I got to meet (one especially, and you know who you are).
And thanks to you all who make this site so amazing and so welcoming to us all!
Loveya'll,
Steven :)
Updated On: 6/26/05 at 02:08 PM

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 2:13pm

Glad you had a great time!

[Em-LEE]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 5:06pm

Those were great reviews. Thanks for sharing them. I'm glad you had a good time!

[sanda]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 7:17pm

Steven, thank you for the wonderful reviews.

Wish you have a nice trip.