Hairspray at the Bowl - Reviews

[dramageek1211]

Posted: 8/6/11 at 1:52pm

I'm kind of surprised I'm the first to say anything about the production since the opening last night but I guess I'll start the discussions. (If there is another thread and I'm missing it, my apologies)

I got to the Bowl around 7pm and it was my first time there so I wasn't totally sure what to expect. There were tons of people outside hanging out already and a bunch of people inside sitting in their seats, eating and drinking. It was a cool environment, nice weather - an easy going Friday night crowd for the most part (until the stagedoor, but that's later). As people said in the Dress Rehearsal thread, the set is pretty basic. It is pretty much just the street view of a few Baltimore shops (like in Good Morning Baltimore/Welcome to the 60's on Broadway) but much more colorful and in the center is The Hefty Hideaway. I'll post a picture that I took from my phone in a little while. I need to upload it to my computer still.

I was sitting in section K1 which is in line with the first sections of bench seats behind the terrace boxes. The view wasn't too bad. It was definitely far from the stage but there were a bunch of tv's that followed the action pretty well and I was able to watch for the most part from there.

The show started pretty promptly at 8:30pm I believe. The Nicest Kids came out and did a "Hairspray-ed" version of the National Anthem just before the show that was fun and then it began. The way they did the bedroom was pretty cute in my opinion. There was a sheet center stage that some ensemble members picked up and hid behind and some other members wore lamp shades on the backs of their heads and turned around so you could only see the shades. I don't know if I'm describing it well but it was a good way to try to make up for the lack of actual set pieces.

I think the way I'll go through the actual show is just by character/actor rather than go through the entire show because it will be simpler.

Marissa Jaret Winokur was great as usual. She obviously knows the part well and doesn't tire of it. It didn't really bother me that she is much too old for the role now, but one of my friends did mention the obvious weirdness watching her making out with Nick Jonas, which I hadn't thought about but to each his own I suppose. I've loved her for years and was pleased to finally see her live.

Harvey Fierstein is another who obviously loves doing this role and has a great time out there and everyone loves to watch him. He always does a fab job with it.

Nick Jonas was fine. I was never absolutely blown away by him but thousands of other screaming teenaged girls seemed to think he was God's gift to the world. He literally could not move without almost the entire back of the arena screaming. But that's not his fault so I won't judge him based on that. He did a better job than I expected him to, but was nothing to phone home about for me. He pulled out a high falsetto for a bit in It Takes Two which I actually thought sounded kind of strange and didn't care for but maybe that's just me. He got the job done..

John Stamos was kind of laughable. I wonder why he would do a role like this when he is clearly not a dancer. It surprised me how much rhythm it seemed like he lacked. He looked totally awkward dancing during Nicest Kids in Town. His voice was decent though and it was still just the beginning of the show and opening night so maybe he'll ease into it for the remaining performances. His part is pretty small though anyway and he didn't have to dance much after that, but it was still a bit awkward.

Susan Anton as Velma was good. Some of the humor of the character was definitely lost on an audience and arena of this size and I was extremely disappointed that Baltimore Crabs was cut. The entire scene after I Can Hear The Bells was so rushed and didn't flow well at all. And I didn't really feel that the show was SO long or anything that it needed cuts but whatever. Susan was pretty good. I'm bummed she didn't have more to do.

Corbin Bleu was pretty great. I saw him as Usnavi last summer and he exceeded my expectations then and definitely brought it tonight. He has an awesome voice and is a great dancer. He was definitely a standout.

Drew Carey has to have been my least favorite of the night. He didn't seem to care at all or maybe he did but just wasn't a good actor. His voice was fine but I just didn't believe anything he did. Would have preferred anyone else in this role.

Diana DeGarmo was fantastic! LOVED her. Was so excited to get to see her after hearing how wonderful she was on Broadway. She absolutely embraces the part and really becomes Penny. It was such a pleasure to see her.

Mo Gaffney did well with the part she was given. In the "additional thoughts" below you will see a comment about her in relation to the sound issues. She was funny though and I enjoyed her.

Darlene Love was absolutely wonderful! Such a powerhouse performer. I Know Where I've Been was the best I've heard. She hit some beautiful notes. I don't always love that song but she made me consider it a favorite of the night! Great performance.

Tara Macri was good as Amber. They cut Cooties as well (which totally throws off Tracy doing her dance during You Can't Stop the Beat but I digress) , which is one of her only songs so there wasn't a lot to love about her. Also, they made her wear a heinous wig for the Miss Teenage Hairspray Contest scene. It was like a blonde white-girl-afro. I personally didn't care for it.

Additional thoughts:
- I was most disappointed by the cuts they made to the show. Just seemed unnecessary to me. The scenes with cuts felt either rushed or didn't make sense. Would have liked to see the full show.
- The sound was messing up all through the night. It was worse than the past few broadcasts of the Tony Awards. It was like every funny one-liner that was spoken was inaudible or only audible for half the line. Which is why I feel bad for Susan Anton and Mo Gaffney who gave great performances, but you only would laugh at some of their lines if you already knew what they were. Hopefully this gets fixed tonight!
- During the bail scene, one of the cops absolutely uses John Travolta's accent from the movie, which was probably just a character choice to use a Baltimore accent but I definitely heard it and it stood out to me. Funny.
- During You're Timeless to Me there were some fun ad-libs. I'm not sure if I'll remember them totally correctly but in the reprise after Carey says "Shabbat Shalom" Harvey said "You don't look Jewish", Drew said something like "You can never tell" and then Harvey put his hand on Drew's leg/thigh and said "Yes you can." And after that I think Harvey also said something like "You can have all this if the price is right!" Cute ad libs. Everyone ate the song up.
- The stagedoor afterward was absolutely INSANE. People on the list to get backstage could barely get through. When Nick Jonas came out, I was literally almost trampled, I got separated from my friend and my friend said a camera kept hitting her in the head. Talk about crazy! I know for sure Nick Jonas, John Stamos and Drew Carey came out and signed. Darlene Love came out but not many people recognized her or cared. I saw her chatting with some fans away from the stagedoor. After John came out, the guards said that was it so I'm not sure if Marissa or Harvey came out later and the guards just figured it was the end since the heartthrobs left or what the deal was. I'm going back on Sunday night so I'm gonna try and see if I can catch them then.

I know I said a bunch of negative stuff here but I surprised myself because I actually thoroughly enjoyed the performance and had a fun night. For $45 seats, I didn't mind the parts I didn't absolutely love and the show made for a good night out. Don't go in expecting a performance in a Broadway venue because it had much less rehearsal time and is up for a much shorter run. Expect to have fun and see an enjoyable show and I think you'll have a good time. Let me know if you have questions and sorry about the amazingly long post!

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 8/6/11 at 3:12pm

"I was most disappointed by the cuts they made to the show. Just seemed unnecessary to me."

The cuts were due to the Bowls performance time restrictions. All perfomenaces must be completed by a certian time with a 20 minute intermisssion, which is why the show started right at 8:30, so they could do as much of it as possible.

[Wicked Fanatic]

Posted: 8/6/11 at 3:27pm

Thanks for the review. I've seen Fierstein and Winkour on Broadway and decided to pass on seeing this since I knew it would never compare to what I saw. Sounds like the Jonas' fans were just as obnoxious as I expected they would be. Did they scream non stop when he was singing?

There was another thread but glad you started one that people could hear the truth about the show. The other one's name got changed today to Poppins:OCPAC. :?

[Marie2]

Posted: 8/6/11 at 8:47pm

I sat in section J last night in the "Super Seat" section dead center. I had to rely on the screens if I wanted to see facial expressions but otherwise they were pretty good seats. Dead center of the stage.



My disappointments were the raging feedback and mic problems that the original poster mentioned. One of those problems really threw off the scene of Prudy finding Seaweed and Penny together. I also found Drew Carey, John Stamos and, yes, Nick Jonas a bit flat. Drew wasn't animated enough, John messed up lines, and Nick seemed to have one facial expression and one tone of voice. Not that his fans noticed. They shrieked every time he blinked, sometimes for so long that they stepped on the lines of other performers. Oh well, such is teen idoldom. The young lady who played Little Inez was underwhelming but seemed to also have mic problems.







Diana and Corbin were great and stole the show a bit with some PG-13 naughtiness during "Without Love." It might have been the only time the crowd paid no attention at all to Nick.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 4:26am

I'm starting to think theatrenut is the guy running the sound.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 6:07am

Just got home from the Bowl.

I waited ten years to see this show and was not disappointed, Harvey was outstanding. Ti
meless to Me has gone onto one of my all time favorite stage moments.

Marissa lit the stage up, I was grinning ear to ear when she started Good Morning and her delivery on the reprise was one of the highlights of the night.

Diana just seemed to being having the time of her life along with Harvey and Marissa.

Drew was ok, John was John.

If thats a Jonas brother, than I have never really missed much.

Has a great seat dead centre of the stage in the super seats.My first time ever at the Bowl and if I did not have to be on a flight to Sydney on Sunday night, I would be going again.

Loved it Loved it Loved it

[MattDean]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 7:32am

The dancer at the back clearly loved it!

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 8:03am

From the footage ive seen of this and Jonas in it he seems fine and seems like hes having a blast.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 8:12am

The clips look like the performers were all having a blast, but good grief, with all the HAIRSPRAY sets out there for rental, this was the best they could do?

[allofmylife]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 12:52pm

John Stamos (on the clip on this site) does not seem to merit the bad reviews he got on this thread. And the audio really does suck.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 1:09pm

*In best Charlie Brown* Oh, good grief.

That "excited dancer" is Fender - here played by Daniel LeClaire. the joke at that moment being that both Tammy and Fender stuff themselves to look more impressive on camera. It's a tube sock.

Sean Martin, I'm not sure that I understand your point. There aren't very many Hairspray rental sets out there to begin with and this is a CONCERT staging.. in an outdoor space of incredible size, no fly space, no wing space and minimal tech time..


And no "concert staging" of anything ever does the FULL show.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 1:13pm

I agree Allmylife, Stamos seems fine, they all do, im sure people on here just like to trash any 'celeb' whos in a show, its kinda boring and predictable

[zamedy]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 2:17pm

The clips look great. Everyone is ON! I wish there was a clip of the second half of "You Can't Stop the Beat" and "I Know Where I've Been." In due time, I'm sure.

A few questions or observations..
-Did Darlene go for the high note when she sang the final "where I've BEEN!"? I saw her final performance on Broadway (4.20.0. She got a standing o after that song. It will stand as one of the best performances ever.

-In the clip from "Nicest Kids..." there was a long pause after Edna told Prudy "that will be three dollars hun." Almost appeared as if Prudy forgot her next line (which would be comical in itself considering it's her SECOND line and it starts with 'thee dollars.")

-Did Tracy enter down the center aisle for her entrance to "YCSTB"? I'm assuming no. Did Prudy make her entrance through the front row? (I miss Susan Mosher!)
Updated On: 8/7/11 at 02:17 PM

[seaweedjstubbs]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 2:31pm

zamedy, here's I Know Where I've Been. Darlene rocks it as usual!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxqMXDm-Eho&feature=related

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 2:46pm

From the clips I think Nick does an admirable job for what little rehearsal time he probably had. He misses a few steps in "You Can't Stop the Beat," but he gets back on track pretty quickly. He doesn't seem as confident as other Links during "It Takes Two," but it's not terrible.

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 3:18pm

Saw Saturday night's show, having never seen the Broadway production but only the (surprisingly terrific) Las Vegas mounting-- Mostly raves from us, kids.

Harvey and Marissa shared MVP status for the night-- both performers happily ignored the scale of the venue and packed each moment with heartfelt honesty and surprisingly nuanced line readings. This was a lesson sadly lost on Diana DiGarmo's Penny or Susan Anton's Velma. Their scenes were mostly insufferable caricature from start to finish.

Adored Corbin Bleu throughout-- bursting with charisma and the best dancer onstage apart from the ensemble. And Darlene Love sang the hell out of her 2 numbers, but is honestly too svelte and well-mannered to embody the hurricane that should be Motormouth Maybelle.

Poor John Stamos and Drew Carey-- totally outclassed by the Broadway pros and left in the dust by folks who can really own the stage, whatever its size.

Biggest surprise? We old fogies were totally won over by Nick Jonas and his puppydog eagerness to please. He put over every song with charm if not stage-smarts, and could really match the ensemble dance step for dance step. His atrocious performance in the 25th Anniversary Les Mis is hereby forgiven. And here's the thing about his screaming fanbase in the peanut gallery-- the idea of helpless Bobbysoxers cheering on his every move is absolutely period perfect for the show and actually nailed the point of Link's character without Nick having to lift a finger. Loved the effect, however accidental.

So bravo to the Bowl for scoring another smash, following last year's heartbreakingly great performance of Rent. Can't wait till their treatment next year of .... what should it be? I vote for Wicked.... or Ragtime. Rent the Broadway costumes and either show could be dynamite in that space.

[JP2]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 5:02pm

Through the glory of modern technology I've seen most of the show online... except for Welcome To The 60's. Can't seem to find that anywhere.

[suttonfoster]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 5:10pm

Nick does sound good but I'm sorry, is it really hard to mess up the character of Link Larkin?

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 5:13pm

>> Sean Martin, I'm not sure that I understand your point. There aren't very many Hairspray rental sets out there to begin with

I can think of six right offhand, one easily large enough to accomodate the Bowl.

And yes, I know, it's a CONCERT staging, but that doesnt excuse using sets made of cardboard and duct tape. I mean, please, would you guys accept second- or third string performers just because it's a CONCERT staging? I kinda doubt it. So kindly allow me to cavel about the physical production. Thank you.

[dramageek1211]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 6:39pm

"-In the clip from "Nicest Kids..." there was a long pause after Edna told Prudy "that will be three dollars hun." Almost appeared as if Prudy forgot her next line (which would be comical in itself considering it's her SECOND line and it starts with 'thee dollars.")"
I do recall a pause there and sensing that she had forgotten her line. I'm not sure if that is what happened or if there was another interference of some kind, but I figured she had forgotten her line.

"-Did Tracy enter down the center aisle for her entrance to "YCSTB"? I'm assuming no."
Nope

"Did Prudy make her entrance through the front row? (I miss Susan Mosher!)"
I don't think so. I was pretty far back but it seemed like it was from the pit area I think.

[hairspraydude1962]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 7:00pm

Living on the east coast and being a broke college student sure does suck this weekend... LOL

However, I got to see the clips, and I think the cast (overall) is great!

I have to say that Marissa is doing an incredible job! I saw her on Broadway, during the show's final week, and I didn't enjoy her performance as much as I did watching these clips. She's definitely still got it!

Harvey, of course, is hysterical, as always. He completely throws himself into the role every single time.

John Stamos seems to be good as Corny. I don't really understand why some don't like him. He obviously is having trouble with some of his lines, but his singing is good, and from what I can tell, he's perfectly goofy in the role... or should I say "corny"?

It's great to see Diana in the role again. Throughout the show, she's always hysterical, and she just POPS at the end, the way Penny should.

With the cutting of the Von Tussles' songs, Tara and Susan seem like they don't have much to do (especially Susan). Corbin is a helluva dancer and has some great vocals, too!

It's incredible to see Darlene back in the role. She adds such an uplifting vibe to "I Know Where I've Been" that sends chills down my spine, every time I hear it.

Nick clearly is not a natural dancer and seems to have trouble tackling the "heartthrob" persona. That's just my opinion, though.

Michael McDonald's Spritzer voice is a riot, and the "cartwheel" he did at the end had me nearly falling out of my chair. Mo Gaffney, despite the mic problems, seems to be a wonderful FAF. Very funny! I especially loved the bit she did as Prudy, where she couldn't get onto the stage. I did not care for Drew Carey's Wilbur much.

As for the sets, I think they're fine. Like BroadwayGuy2 said, there's not any fly space or wing space at the Bowl. There wasn't much else they could do. I thought it looked just fine.

I was also excited to see so many great ensemble members returning. I was most excited, however, to see Katie Leonard playing Lou Ann again.

Also, I loved Hairspray-ized version of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Jessica Keenan Wynn's voice is flawless.

Updated On: 8/9/11 at 07:00 PM

[amoni2]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 8:22pm

Said it from the beginning, Diana Degarmo should be "Funny Girl".

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 8:30pm

>> There wasn't much else they could do.

You'd be surprised. Seriously. It's the hallmark of a good designer to be able to look at that and say, "Okay, let's make it work." It's quite another to just crank out sets that look okay for a concert.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 10:37pm

While it isn't that *I* think they should have designed, I think it it serviceable and recalls elements of Rockwell's original. I can also easily assume that the designer was under VERY close reign with money for that set, so let me say that all things considered, I find it serviceable. I also was not being snarky toward, I genuinely would like to know how you feel that they should have approached it with no fly space, no wing space, no automation, little storage area and accommodating a cast of 32 and with a limited budget. Believe me I have enough things floating around in MY head.

What six sets? I know of the Networks set (with the Paper Mill modifications) and the Music Theatre of Wichita set, both of which are regularly booked...

[hairspraydude1962]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 10:49pm

Also, there's NO way the NETworks or Music Theatre of Wichita set would fit in that gigantic space. Those sets are designed for indoor theaters with a more intimate space, not for an outdoor arena with 18,000 seats. The people in the back row wouldn't be able to see ANYTHING with a set that small.