I saw this 2/14 at the matinee and thought it was fun and enjoyable. I agree with everything Bialyhoos and others have written. Kate Jennings Grant was WONDERFUL. She was great throughout but esp. in the Havana number. Bierko was very good and I really liked his voice. Burgess was ok but did shine in Rocking the Boat. Mary Testa just exploded up there esp. during that number. The audience LOVED that number and gave a very long and loud applause afterwards. I also liked Steve Rosen as Benny. The dance ensemble was very good. Platt was just flat. His funny lines weren't. For me, the biggest disappointment was Graham as Adelaide. She was much better in Act II but I felt that Adelaide's Lament was just wasted. The audience also had an underwhelmed response to it. It just wasn't as funny as it should have been, the characterization was nothing very special. Really a shame on an absolute jewel of a number, potentially. Even my 12 year old daughter said "It doesn't even sound like she has a cold!". I also heard others remarking similar thoughts at intermission.
Yes, Nicely is still in a fat suit and Runyon is still walking around. Didn't bother me too much though. I was sitting in the second to last row of the theater on the right aisle. I could see pretty well except for the very opening number when those columns did obstruct my view of the projection screen where Runyon was typing. But after that the view was fine. There are so many lights and big signs around the set that I think it is an advantage to sit further back to get the full picture. What WAS distracting was that I could hear every car horn blare and siren wail from outside on the street. Oh well. I had mixed feelings about the projection screen - sometimes I liked it but sometimes it seemed distracting.
The audience received the show warmly. It was fun after the show to see the director and the creative team discussing and reviewing the show in the orch. section. I stayed for a few minutes to watch them and see if I could overhear anything they were saying! Overall, I enjoyed it and I think the production is worth seeing just as it is. Good - sometimes very good- but not great due to the Platt-Graham issues. I am looking forward to seeing Kate Jennings Grant again in future productions.
For the ladies- one of the nicest ladies rooms I've been in! Not because it's pretty but because it is big enough and the line moved so efficiently and quickly and the attendent was actually helping everybody get in and out!
Updated On: 2/15/09 at 10:06 AM
