#1
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!
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!
. She got a standing o after that song. It will stand as one of the best performances ever. 
