I have pretty much opposite feelings about it. Overdone, arch and not a nice vocal sound to my ears. And that spin back to the piano? Enjoy it if you go, and I’m glad some folks love what they’ve seen, but this clip has made the decision for me to skip it.
kdogg36 said: "She's definitely putting a whole lot of "character touches" into her singing. For some roles this would be distracting, but I think it'll work for this kind of melodrama (not intended as a derogatory term).
I see it on 2/5 and will be sure to report back."
That late in the run hopefully they'll be firing on all cylinders. Will look forward to hearing your take
Sunset was my first Broadway show. I don’t know, when they first announced this I felt Stephanie was wrong for the role. I feel like she’s conducting a loud seance in that clip. I’m rooting for her though
Did he totally butcher the last note or did the clip time run out on TikTok?
Another case of contemporary physicality and random gestures in a period piece. A guy in the late 1940s wouldn’t do half the stuff Derek did. If he hasn’t watched any movies from that time, he maybe should.
Edit to add: Found the full song on his tagged Instagram. Last note was flat as a pancake with a weird bottoming-out yelp at the end, followed by an “aw shucks” kick of the leg. How is this a leading man of musical theatre. Alfred Drake is spinning in his grave.
BorisTomashevsky said: "I have pretty much opposite feelings about it. Overdone, arch and not a nice vocal sound to my ears. And that spin back to the piano? Enjoy it if you go, and I’m glad some folks love what they’ve seen, but this clip has made the decision for me to skip it."
Same... and those aren't the notes. Wow. Love Sunset. Like SJB (and Klena), but...
I have an extra ticket for the 2/4 8pm performance. Looking to get face value back ($109) Row O seat 6. It's a physical ticket so we'd have to meet to do that handoff.
The song is fantastic, the issue is they always just plug in some pretty guy to the part of Joe instead of giving us an actor. The character is brilliant and the relationships are so interesting and I think it's ALW's best score. The probably is with the casting. Give me a Josh Henry in the part.
I wish they had waited a bit to record/release these. These are clearly early rehearsal videos where they're just focusing on learning the music, and here everyone is judging the entire performance based on it.
(Knowing that these are early rehearsal videos, I'm still quite excited for this cast.)
All due respect to Ms. Block--who is surely talented and seems like an incredibly lovely person!--I have never been the biggest fan of her over-stylized pronunciations, almost like an SNL caricature of a Bway stahhhh. And this clip was ROUGH on that score. Yikes.
Ironically, while I didnt see the Cher Show, I thought that role was perfect for her because its so exaggerated/over the top. (And I did think she was lovely in the clips I saw from Into the Woods). But this seems irredeemably off the rails.
PipingHotPiccolo said: "All due respect to Ms. Block--who is surely talented and seems like an incredibly lovely person!--I have never been the biggest fan of her over-stylized pronunciations, almost like an SNL caricature of a Bway stahhhh. And this clip was ROUGH on that score. Yikes.
Ironically, while I didnt see the Cher Show, I thought that role was perfect for her because its so exaggerated/over the top. (And I did think she was lovely in the clips I saw from Into the Woods). But this seems irredeemably off the rails."
@JanMaxwell- haha, bingo. And I'm not trying to beat up on Block here! But there is a Dahling, Watch Me Peform! element to the way she sings, and always has been since her Elphaba-- and that is predictably and apparently a very toxic mix with Norma Desmond!
I’m glad I had waited on getting tickets. Derek’s casting already gave me pause, but these videos did nothing to sweeten the pot, IMO - and I’m a massive fan of SJB.
It’s such a misstep to broadcast these rehearsals and press events. Especially on these short runs where the actors are just getting started.
I adore SJB but that was not good. She’s clipping money notes and gesticulating wildly. It’s like a parody. Silent film actors were economical in movement. She’s a great comedian and Cher was in her wheelhouse due to it being larger than life. Norma is a different animal.
And Derek, well. Not a fan of his choices at all. No idea what he’s going for. I also hope he changes that hair. He never does regardless of period.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
Block is honestly kind of hit and miss for me. I feel like she’s often trying to do too much, and that’s the case in this video. But at least it feels like she’s doing something, unlike Klena. He’s got the look, he’s got the voice, but I just don’t find him interesting at all as an actor.
Just relistening to the London cast recording and it strikes me that Kevin Anderson is still the most compelling Joe Gillis, at least on record. I saw Alan Campbell live with Close and was very underwhelmed. A waste of a truly great character.