Perhaps it is cheating, but I got to watch the clips online with work colleagues who had not seen any of the shows and got to gauge their reactions as well on what they would have an interest in based on the numbers.
How to Succeed: A
It was the best number in the show and I felt the highlight of the ones presented. Radcliffe ably demonstrated for viewing audiences why it was a crime that he was snubbed yet again and the number showed how all that was wrong with the woeful Matthew Broderick revival was rectified. Plus it is fun to watch my work colleague's reactions to Radcliffe with their "OMG! Harry Potter is REALLY good!" Definitely something that seemed to perk up interest for them - a couple of them actually looked up to see how long his run with the show is.
Catch Me If You Can: A
I could have done with more from Live in Living Color, but Norbert's rousing Don't Break the Rules was probably the way to go. It is a great number that shows off the Tony winner at his best. People seemed to really respond favorably to it.
Anything Goes: B+
I always love to see Sutton and company tap their hearts out, but the editing the number received was inexcusable, particularly given the coverage doled out to non-nominees like Memphis, Spiderman and Priscilla. Some people here thought it was rousing, others thought it was quaint. I have a hunch they would have responded higher to the unabridged number.
Scottsboro Boys: B
I had never heard of this show except through this board. The number started off great and I thought I had really missed something, then segued into a different number that was far less compelling. A really uneven choice. No one else here seemed especially bowled over after the strong opening.
Sister Act: B
Patina Miller was in great voice, but I am not really impressed with this number like I should be. It seems very generic to me. Some people here really enjoyed it (and were surprised there was such a thing as a Sister Act musical), others passed on the song itself but thought the show sounded "cute".
Book of Mormon: C+
There were far better songs to pick from in that show and this was fairly underwhelming to me. Andrew Rannells certainly threw himself into it, but it is not especially hilarious or particularly rousing. A couple of people in the office have tickets to go see it later in the summer and their reaction perfectly captured the number's impact - "I hope there are better songs and that isn't as good as it gets!"
Priscilla: C+
Had a mild interest in seeing this one, but this hodge-podge number doesn't really compel me at this point. As one co-worker put it, the number comes off like "a drag queen's fever dream".
Memphis: D+
Just simply...Why? Why was time that could have been donated to other shows granted to a recap of last year's winner? They could have run the Anything Goes number unedited in place of this. Really inexcusable and I don't care how many exuberant kids stormed the audience.
Spiderman: D+
Really? Was this it? I have not seen the production and was sorely tempted, but this selection is enough to put me (and others) off. Granted they went a low-key route with a love ballad, but it just seemed so ho-hum. Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano definitely have chemistry, but this was such a tedious selection. Are there better numbers in the show or is this the cream of the crop? Most of the people here disliked the song, but enjoyed the performers.
Company: D
Can anyone say MEH? Not remotely impressed by this at all and I actually lost a few of the co-workers watching the clips on our lunch at this point. Spiderman may not have been the greatest, but this was the only one to literally bore people out of the room. I have just saved myself a few dollars from watching this on the screen.
Updated On: 6/13/11 at 05:04 PM
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