Posted: 6/12/15 at 11:58am
Do I see Gigi before it closes or catch On the Town? Not sure when I'll be back in NYC next. What is recommended?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
Posted: 6/12/15 at 12:00pm
On The Town!!!! I thought Gigi was worse than watching paint dry.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 12:04pm
On the Town if you want to see a great show with stellar performances and incredible choreography. Gigi if you want to see a boring show with nothing really great to offer other than some great Lerner/Lowe songs gone wrong with a lead actress who learned how to sing and act through the Disney Channel School of Acting.
Updated On: 6/12/15 at 12:04 PM
Posted: 6/12/15 at 12:04pm
OTT but differ re Gigi
The original Gigi was better but this was mildly entertaining
Posted: 6/12/15 at 12:38pm
On the Town for sure!
Posted: 6/12/15 at 12:46pm
Tony Yazbeck's performance is not to be missed. Just one of many reasons I'd recommend On the Town.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 1:39pm
Neither, but if I had to, On The Town. Unless you like sets and costumes, in which case, Gigi, because OTT has neither.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 1:56pm
Last time I heard, people do not go to shows for sets & costumes. It is hard to hum either one.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 2:08pm
Think of it like this:
You will probably never see another "big/professional" production of Gigi anytime soon.
On the Town is going on tour, and it will not stop getting revived in years to come.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 2:46pm
No question...On the Town!
Posted: 6/12/15 at 2:47pm
If they keep on losing money on OTT revivals, they may not be as often as you might expect
Your statement on Gigi is true however so it is really a crapshoot. Why they even attempted Gigi again is a mystery.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 4:10pm
I loved them both, but I prefer Gigi. Also, it's closing, On the Town you can see later on. The best 2 shows on Broadway right now though.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 4:27pm
"I loved them both, but I prefer Gigi. Also, it's closing, On the Town you can see later on. The best 2 shows on Broadway right now though."
Is this supposed to be a joke or did you accidentally cut off the last part of the post where you completed "The best 2 shows on Broadway right not though are _______________"?
Surely you don't think Gigi is better than things like An American in Paris, The King and I, Fun Home, and at least a half dozen others!
Posted: 6/12/15 at 4:42pm
"Surely you don't think Gigi is better than things like An American in Paris, The King and I, Fun Home, and at least a half dozen others!"
If you've read his last 75 posts on the subject, you'd know that's exactly what he thinks. And don't call him Shirley.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 4:43pm
Last time I checked, theatre was subjective.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 4:52pm
I feel like if I connect with a show and then I'm entertained on top of that, the show is good. Gigi kept me engaged every single minute of the show. I was connected with that little girl who goes from not understanding the meaning of love, to a sophisticated Parisian woman who falls in love in the most innocent possible way.
When I saw American, although I found it a beautiful show overall, I didn't connect with the show and I was bored most of the time. But I also had bad seats. The fast numbers I especially enjoyed the most.
The King and I, I loved, but I don't think it is better or worse than Gigi.
Something Rotten! I also loved.
Fun Home is too slow for me and I didn't even enjoy it much, I couldn't connect with it. Then again I only spent 10 or 15 dollars at the Public. No desire to see it on B'way. I really wanted to see Judy Kuhn mostly, and I enjoyed her performance much more in Passion recently.
So yes, I think Gigi is the best show of the season and On The Town is my 2nd favorite show of the season. I think they're both superior to Fun Home, American, etc.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 5:49pm
I would take that ON THE TOWN tour announcement with a giant grain of salt. It was made at Tony nominations time and, as others have said here, may have been a somewhat premature announcement intended to court Tony voters. Even if the show does tour, it seems unlikely that they'd tour with a full 28-piece orchestra. Or, even if they did commit to such a large orchestra, it would likely be a core group of 10-15 touring musicians with the rest hired locally and under-rehearsed. That might not be a big deal to you, but the gorgeous, lush, dynamic sound of Bernstein's music is one of the greatest appeals of this production and that pit orchestra plays with such color, passion and brassy precision. Also, as great as Yabeck is, the casting with all of the leads ands supporting actors - especially the ladies - is just perfect. I doubt all of them would go on the road. You'd miss out on Alysha Umphress' insanely gorgeous voice, appropriately brassy characterization and surprising tenderness or Elizabeth Stanley's scene-stealing kookiness and stunning moonbeam of a soprano or Megan Fairchild's sweet girl next door demeanor and captivating dancing that was so beautiful that it made me - and many people around me - literally gasp out loud. Will ON THE TOWN be revived some day? Yes, perhaps, but I highly doubt it will be on this scale or cast this well.
Or, you know, you can go see GIGI with that Disney girl.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 7:18pm
On The Town is the better show.
Although I will say that I did not notice that much a difference in the sound of OTT's full 28 piece orchestra than in other shows with slightly smaller orchestras. I went in expecting that the orchestra would sound better than average (since everyone talked about how it was a "full" orchestra), but I did not think it had any greater or more lush sound than any other show I've attended. I think the orchestra sounded much better at Something Rotten!, which I saw the next night.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 7:38pm
But tickets for OTT. WATCH Gigi on Netflix. The movie is better than the revival by a country mile.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 7:38pm
But tickets for OTT. WATCH Gigi on Netflix. The movie is better than the revival by a country mile.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 7:45pm
Scotty – my bad. OTT definitely has costumes and sets – it's not a bare stage (at least about 50% of the time) and the actors aren't naked. However, it pales in comparison to what Gigi has in terms of costume and a eye-arresting set.
That doesn't automatically make Gigi the better show, but if you're all about the sets and costumes, then perhaps skip OTT for now. Some theatergoers definitely prefer the "spectacle" of it all rather than tunes, etc.
In terms of plot I have to say both are pretty dismal (sailors running around a city in 24 hours trying to bang as many women as they can vs. a young french girl being whored out to older men... sorta.)
Posted: 6/12/15 at 8:01pm
I love this revival of Gigi! Go and see it if you can I suppose.
Posted: 6/12/15 at 8:08pm
"On The Town is the better show.
Although I will say that I did not notice that much a difference in the sound of OTT's full 28 piece orchestra than in other shows with slightly smaller orchestras. I went in expecting that the orchestra would sound better than average (since everyone talked about how it was a "full" orchestra), but I did not think it had any greater or more lush sound than any other show I've attended. I think the orchestra sounded much better at Something Rotten!, which I saw the next night."
Here you go, RaiseYouUp:
