Gigi Previews — Page 3

^Whizzer, exactly. In D.C., I thought the changes to "It's a Bore" really messed it up. Sorry to hear they haven't fixed that. (It was meant to show that Gaston, with all the scientific interests they've given him, is impressed only by feats of engineering, but I didn't think it worked.)

But I'm glad the show's doing well and getting good responses so far. Funny, I seem to remember that most of us Washingtonians were especially struck by Hoty, while so far the New Yorkers are more partial to Clark! But they're both great.

Updated On: 3/20/15 at 11:12 AM

MC, Yeah I got what they were trying for with his scientific interests, but really as you say, it didn't work.

Best, Louis Jourdan is my favorite thing about the film and I think Cott is the only one who can't quite come out of the shadow of his film counterpart. Jourdan instinctively knew what to do with the role, and on the OBCR Massey seems to have followed suit. It's not that I think Cott needs to imitate him (McGillin and Clark hardly imitate Chevalier/Drake or Gingold/Karnilova), but he needs to find something equally as appealing as what Jourdan came up with to really lock in with the role. I think he was basically there by act two, but It's a Bore started him off on shaky ground, IMO.

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^ Exactly!

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I decided to see this show based on the recommendations of this board so I have my fingers crossed thats it's something I enjoy. I saw a very nice production of this at the Stratford festival about 5 years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed that so here's hoping lighting strikes twice for me.

I read somewhere that in the film, Gigi and her family are meant to be living in genteel poverty, which would further add to the plausibilty of the limited options and pressures Gigi is facing. Having seen the film before reading that, their living conditions looked pretty opulent to my eyes. Maybe 1900s-era genteel poverty as portrayed via big-budget set design doesn't translate to modern eyes.

In my estimation, Gigi in the film is living with her grandmama and opera-singer-mother (unseen but often heard) in a middle-class apartment, a bohemian environment. Her aunt is/was a former courtesan, who has a much better address and (now past her prime) is cut off from the world, having been "set up for life" and only knows what she reads in the society column. I get the impression that Granmama (Mamita) was also a mistress of sorts, but didn't "cash in" as well as her sister Alicia. Mamita has one daughter, Gigi's mother, who is a stage performer. (We don't know anything about Gigi's father.)

Gigi's one shot at a "free pass" like her aunt is to become a courtesan herself. At least that's what her aunt and grandmama believe (mama is too busy warming up her voice for the stage to be bothered).

The only other options to Gigi echo the sentiments that Sondheim wrote about in A Little Night Music ... marrying the businessman, with five fat babies and lots of security. Or she could be a shop girl if she's lucky. Or get a pushcart license and sell something in the marketplace.

Women in that era couldn't vote, couldn't own property outright, and couldn't work beyond a pushcart or "retail" environment. Or as a typewriter (the precursor to a female secretary or stenographer). They could go into the theatre, like Gigi's mother, but that was almost as disreputable as being a courtesan, perhaps even worse.

Gigi's one shot a genuine financial independence was to sleep with the right gentlemen who would then set her up for life. The trade-off was her reputation, which would be ruined for a "respectable" marriage.

So it says a lot about choices and trade-offs and the "right" thing to do.

Fortunately, Gigi AND Gaston are both unconventional in thoughts and beliefs, and this is why the story (for me) works so well.

They say "no" to the social system.

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"The Earth, and Other Minor Things" was a beautiful song from the last Broadway outing. Looks like it's gone...

McGillin didnt sign during the first preview

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I'm curious about that too.

It sounds to me like they've reduced his role and presence in the story to minimize the "creepy" factor of a "leering grandpa" admiring underage girls as they come of age.

A lot of people today can't watch any more the film after the first song because of that. It freaks them out.

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Honore is decidedly a featured role, and featured far less than Mamita and Alicia. (Though he and Mamita share a duet). I think it's a smart move- he doesn't really contribute to the plot and the evening doesn't need an emcee.

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I was there tonight with 2 friends who also LOVED the show and I also noticed that the theatre was completely full. The show was absolutely delightful and it the best show I have seen on Broadway in a long time. I only can think of "On The Town" as something I enjoyed nearly as much. Vanessa Hudgens is a revelation, an irresistible leading lady. Corey Cott, Dee Hoty, Victoria Clark, Howard Mc Gillin and Steffanie Leigh are all first class. Excellent in every possible way.

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(staging spoiler) In "The Letter" at the end of the second act, Gigi sings the whole thing at her writing desk while the desk slides slowly across the stage from one side to the other over the course of the song. What did you guys think about this effect? For some reason I found it very distracting.