Guys and Dolls vs Bye Bye Birdie - which was worse? - Page 2
Guys and Dolls vs Bye Bye Birdie - which was worse?
#25re: Guys and Dolls vs Bye Bye Birdie - which was worse?
Posted: 11/29/09 at 12:14pmMaybe I'm just letting my personal views on Guys and Dolls get in the way then. I think the score is traditional and has beautiful moments but the plot overall is ludicrous and the production I saw lacked any chemistry between any of the characters. And the staging was ridiculous. I just hated it, so I'm probably not the right person to ask about a revival because I'd say never again :)
#26re: Guys and Dolls vs Bye Bye Birdie - which was worse?
Posted: 11/29/09 at 11:00pm
No!! SJB can do SO much better than Bye Bye Birdie. I haven't seen BBB nor would I after seeing some of the videos.
Really? Can she? She's been in two flops, had a supporting role in a Hugh Jackman vehicle, and was something like the 7th replacement in a hit show.
#27re: Guys and Dolls vs Bye Bye Birdie - which was worse?
Posted: 11/29/09 at 11:15pmTouche. But she's a great performer and I'd hate to see her sink into a mediocre work. I mean, you take whatever work you can get but it's like the people who just stay in the Wicked circuit forever: you know they can do better but they don't.
#28re: Guys and Dolls vs Bye Bye Birdie - which was worse?
Posted: 11/30/09 at 10:12am
I haven't seen Birdie, and probably won't. I did, however, like Guys & Dolls, with the glaring exception of Platt. I saw it late in its run, so maybe Graham had settled into the role by then. But she nailed her scenes, and got the biggest response from the audience.
As for SJB, I think her musical range is very limited, and I think she'd do better with a non-musical.
"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
-- Thomas Jefferson
#29re: Guys and Dolls vs Bye Bye Birdie - which was worse?
Posted: 11/30/09 at 11:02amI actually enjoyed both of these revivals, but I have a bit of a soft spot for Guys and Dolls. Lauren Graham was clearly uncomfortable in the beginning of the run, I think, but by the end I thought she was doing a really nice job and was landing a lot more of the jokes, etc. I also thought Kate Jennings Grant and Craig Bierko gave really strong performances as Sarah and Sky. I think overall Birdie is the weaker production, as none of the performances were really "standouts", with the exception of a few of the actors in minor roles (Brynn Williams and Matt Doyle in particular).
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#30re: Guys and Dolls vs Bye Bye Birdie - which was worse?
Posted: 11/30/09 at 11:25amBIRDIE is far better than GUYS AND DOLLS was.
Videos