Posted: 4/19/15 at 11:12am
I thought this show was so beautiful, so magical. A wonderful Broadway evening, can't wait to see it again.
Posted: 4/20/15 at 2:14pm
I am so thrilled that Vicky Clark was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.
One of the greatest joys I've ever experienced in the theatre is listening to Ms. Clark's glorious rendition of "Say A Prayer For Me Tonight".
She sends me home with tears in my eyes, every single time.
We are all so lucky to see her play this role. And she was signing playbills as I left the theatre Sunday night. Wow.
Updated On: 4/21/15 at 02:14 PM
Posted: 4/20/15 at 6:01pm
"I thought this show was so beautiful, so magical"
Yes, indeed, it is a beautiful show, and magical too. How can one not be charmed and enchanted by Gigi?
But then, that's precisely why the critics trashed it. They hate beauty, hate magic, hate charm, hate enchantment, hate lovely music, hate anything that will make an audience happy.
All they want is for us to suffer the drivel of foul-mouthed imbeciles or paeans in song to someone's "ass in Levi's." That, they love. That, they go bonkers for.
Thank heaven for musicals like Gigi, for musicals like Gigi get scarcer every day.
Posted: 4/20/15 at 6:35pm
Agree the critics had the knives out for this. Why? Who knows.
No idea why it was revived but having said that the finished product was entertaining and did not deserve the brickbats it got. Than again, you could say that about many shows. By the same token , some shows are praised to the skies and I have no idea why.
Posted: 4/21/15 at 12:50am
you're totally right, as usual.
"I thought this show was so beautiful, so magical"
Yes, indeed, it is a beautiful show, and magical too. How can one not be charmed and enchanted by Gigi?
But then, that's precisely why the critics trashed it. They hate beauty, hate magic, hate charm, hate enchantment, hate lovely music, hate anything that will make an audience happy.
All they want is for us to suffer the drivel of foul-mouthed imbeciles or paeans in song to someone's "ass in Levi's." That, they love. That, they go bonkers for.
Thank heaven for musicals like Gigi, for musicals like Gigi get scarcer every day."
Posted: 4/21/15 at 12:52am
I hope they get some nominations...one can only hope.
Posted: 4/21/15 at 12:48pm
It's definitely the best musical about child prostitution I've ever seen.
Posted: 4/21/15 at 2:39pm
It's the exact opposite of child prostitution. You should see it again. She is in love with him and she doesn't want anything from him. Maybe her family has different intentions, which are a the end of the day, in Gigi's best interest. That's the only way her grandmother feels like she can take good care of her, since she won't be around forever.
Posted: 4/21/15 at 2:59pm
The only difference between a Gigi-style courtesan and a wife is a marriage certificate. Gigi's contract even grants her alimony, when and if Gaston were to separate from her.
Of course, if you think a wife was essentially a prostitute as well at that time and place, then maybe you're on to something.
Posted: 4/22/15 at 12:43am
Indeed. If there's a classy lady on Broadway, that's Gigi! How sophisticated is Vanessa's accent by the way? She's just perfect in this show.
Posted: 4/22/15 at 7:49am
I think the critics can only love one continental period piece per season. They opted for An American in Paris and so, by definition if Gigi is not as good, it must be bad. This town isn't big enough for the both of them, it would seem.
Posted: 4/22/15 at 8:04am
"They hate beauty, hate magic, hate charm, hate enchantment, hate lovely music, hate anything that will make an audience happy."
Yeah, right, that's why this GIGI is problematic. Hold onto that.
Posted: 4/22/15 at 11:41am
"How sophisticated is Vanessa's accent by the way?"
Don't get carried away, now. All I said is that there's a difference between a prostitute and a courtesan.
Personally, I found Hudgens to be about as sophisticated as Honey Boo Boo.
Posted: 4/24/15 at 2:05pm
I saw Gigi this week and had a mostly positive time.
I found Vanessa's Gigi serviceable, and even endearing in the moments where she could just be playful and free instead of having to intonate her new-found love for Gaston. Victoria Clark is always a joy to watch. In my opinion, the real standout of the show is Howard McGillin, doing his best to walk that razor's edge between smarm and lechery, though the sanitized script does help him considerably in that regard.
All in all, this show is charming, but not much else. I'm not sure if it's a product of the production or of the revamped script, but the stakes felt particularly low. There was no forward momentum driving the show. Charm can be an garnish, but not the full meal. And so I left charmed, but still hungry.
The sets and costumes are gorgeous, however. Perhaps a Tony nom or two will come of it.
Updated On: 4/24/15 at 02:05 PM
Posted: 4/25/15 at 6:52pm
Who cares what we think now that the show has long since been reviewed and is expected to not last much past the Tony awards? Still, having just seen today's matinee, I feel compelled to weigh in.
Strange show, this particular GIGI. We seem to have a modern love story struggling to break free from an old 1920's operetta about rich suitors, greedy aunts, toadying lawyers and vaudevillian caricatures of the upper crust. Just when I felt some sense of true romance in a scene, I realized it was because the line or bit of business that touched me was lifted directly from the infinitely superior MY FAIR LADY.
"I Remember It Well" and "Gigi" are 2 of the loveliest songs Lerner and Loewe ever wrote, and they are sweetly performed here. But as for the rest, frankly, I think Alan Jay Lerner, that craftsman who was obsessed with sound construction in a musical score, would turn over in his grave to see what a shambles they've made of his songs. Why must every number be split between 2 or more characters now so that no-one ever gets a simple clear personally specific idea across? "It's a Bore" has now got the words "It's NO Bore" jammed into the mouth of Gaston just so that --what?-- we can understand that different generations feel differently about events in the social calendar? Mamita and Aunt Alicia now have dueling takes on whether we should thank heaven for little girls or little boys. Oh, please.
Worst of all for the fastidious Lerner, we now have not 1 or 2, but eight charm songs in a row in Act I before we get to "I Remember It Well." Then in Act II we get the lovely ballad "Gigi", followed by the abominable parody of "Gigi" in "The Contract" (for which Lerner does deserve blame), followed by 1 charm song, then another ballad "The Letter" and then yet another ballad "Say a Prayer for Me Tonight" (which has yet again been dragged out of Gigi's mouth where it made sense, and handed to Mamita for whom it doesn't), and then a fourth ballad "In This Wide Wide World"! Arggggh! Who in the world would consider that the right way to structure a show? Certainly not Lerner.
Performance levels vary. Victoria Clark can do no wrong, period. Dee Hoty and Howard McGillin are acting up a storm to tiring effect. Vanessa Hudgens can sing and dance nicely but can't really act except on the most basic level (a shame-- I really enjoyed her Mimi in RENT at the Hollywood Bowl). Corey Cott can sing, dance, and act superbly, but seems like a popinjay from the Student Prince saddled with those knee-high riding boots and duster coat that Catherine Zuber has outfitted him with for most of the show. The subplot about his fascination with flying machines is beyond irrelevant to the story.
Zuber has indeed created some lovely and some questionable gowns throughout. Mamita is so impoverished she shows up repeatedly in the same striped number in Act I, but by Act II she sports a parade of fabulous new hats and gowns. Why? Gigi herself gets the strangest black and white lace getup for her first appearance as "a woman". She gets the full-on MGM treatment for the big Eliza-at-the-Ball look, complete with white marabou boa!?!?! But if you're looking forward to that black 1950's gown from the Gigi posters, you'll have to wait all the way until the curtain calls for that anachronism to appear.
I loved Derek MacLane's basic unit set, loved the metaphor of a bird in a cage, loved the Bois du Boulogne trees of stained glass, loved the Maxim's set torqued to fit into the art nouveau staircase that the real Maxim's lacks. Sadly those 3 sets do not a full meal make, but that's pretty much all you get except for an odd doorway or drapery or striped cabana for the rest. What wouldn't I have given for one big new full-stage set-change for all of Act II? Surely Gigi deserved just a little more.
Posted: 4/26/15 at 8:18am
I also found this production to be beautiful work of art. I noticed there were lots of kids and they all thankfully seemed to be quiet during the show.
Posted: 5/18/15 at 1:21pm
I re-visited the show and it was in great shape and everyone should see it.
Posted: 5/18/15 at 1:22pm
Vanessa will be with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens on Wednesday May 20th @ 11pm
Posted: 5/18/15 at 4:26pm
Re-visited...why?
no thank you.
Posted: 5/18/15 at 4:38pm
Not only "why revisit it?" but also why would anyone say that "everyone should see" this cheap bore?
Posted: 5/18/15 at 4:49pm
Because I went to see it with 2 friends last Saturday, both non BWW-users and one said to me via text: "it was magical, it had a romantic vibe that was uplifting, thanks so much for suggesting this show", the other one texted me that: "the costumes and sets were absolutely amazing, and Cory Cott should have been nominated to a Tony, I loved the show so much"-
Updated On: 5/18/15 at 04:49 PM
