#1
Posted: 2/26/06 at 12:50am
"Hairspray" Tour Review, Miami 02/25/06
OUT: Caissie Levy (Penny Lou Pingleton,) Alan Mingo Jr (Seaweed J. Stubbs)
IN: Hayley Podschun (Penny Lou Pingleton,) Dashuan Young (Seaweed J. Stubbs)
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE: Keala Settle was in as Tracy Turnblad for Act 1 of tonight's performance. Her standby, Christine M. Danelson, was in as Tracy Turnblad for Act 2. [Intermission went ten minutes over what it was supposed to, so I had a feeling something was wrong. Sure enough, the lights went down, and an announcement came over saying "For the continuation of tonight's performance, the role of Tracy will be played by Christine M. Danelson." I was really suprised, because Keala sounded so good, that I couldn't possibly fathom how she could be sick. But the show had to go on, and it did....]
SEATS: Center Pit Row D, Seat 106 (First Row)
WHERE: Jackie Gleason Center for the Peroming Arts
Keala Settle (Tracy Turnblad, Act 1:) What an infectious performer! From the minute she took the stage, you couldn't help but root for Keala's Tracy. I felt she was far superior vocally to the role's originator, Marisa Jaret Winokur. Boy can Keala belt and riff! She just sang the HELL out of the score. And her facial expressions and reactions to the things going on around her were priceless. She was just a big ball of energy, and went nuts! Her vocals reminded me ALOT of Shoshana Bean's when she went on as Tracy She looked like she was having a ton of fun, and her dancing was also really impressive.
* Christine M. Danelson (Tracy Turnblad, Act 2:) Christine was very very very good. Like Keala, she is a very strong singer, and I also felt that her vocals were superior to Marissa's. Her acting was also good, even though her Tracy wasn't as bold and out going as Keala's. The only thing that I noticed that would let on that she was a Standby was her facial expressions... she seemed to really only alternate between two different expressions. It didn't hinder her performance too much, since, like I said, her acting and singing were both excellent, but it was noticeable. Other than that, I really liked her alot.
J.P. Dougherty (Edna Turnblad:) What a hoot! J.P. was just hysterical as Edna. I am not at all suprised that he stood by for Harvery for 2 1/2 years. He is such a pro! And unlike both Harvey and Bruce Vilanch, he actually has a really nice voice when he sings in a normal pitch. The only fault I had with his Edna was that he kind of gave the character a southern accent... whether that was intentional or not I don't know, but I did pick up on it.
Jim J. Bullock (Wilbur Turnblad:) One of the MVP's of the night. I have seen (*coughs bootlegs coughs*) the show before, and never really cared about Wilbur, even when Dick Latessa played it, but for the first time, I really rallied for him. Jim did a great job of making him the perfect combo of touching and humorous, and I really enjoyed his performance.
Aaron Tveit (Link Larkin:) He was just alright for me. I liked Aaron's acting, and he deffinetly had the charm and charisma needed for Link, but he didn't even attempt the high notes Matt sang. he just sang them much lower, and that kind of bothered me. Otehr than, he was just... okay.
Susan Henley (Velma Von Tussle:) Susan had a really nice voice. Very powerful. She was funny, but not over the top, and her "Miss Baltimore Crabs" was really good. Overall, I liked her.
Tara Macri (Amber Von Tussle:) Another performance that just left me going... eh. Tara was infectious and bubbly and dumb blonde-esque, but I didn't feel like she nailed that mean, bitchy side to Amber. It was kind of like she was just saying things and acting them out without thinking of what she was actually doing. She did have a nice voice and nice stage presence though.
Charlotte Crossley (Motormouth Maybelle:) What a VOICE. My god. When she sang "I Know Where I've Been," it literally brought the house down. She was really heartfelt and hysterical, and had a set of pipes to rival most actresses today. Big props to Charlotte.
* Dashuan Robinson (Seaweed J. Stubbs:) Daushan was really good. He didnt hit some of the notes that Corey does on the cast recording, but for an understudy, I was very very happy with his portrayal.
Hayley Podschun (Penny Lou Pingleton:) What a little fire cracker! Hayley was just terrific. She sounded and acted EXACTLY like Kerry Butler. She was quirky and cute, and had very good comedic timing. I have never seen Caissie Levy as Penny, but I doubt her performance could be much better than Hayley's.
Naturi Naughton (Lil' Inez:) I liked Naturi alot. She had a voice better than most Inez's, and I remebered her from 3LW lol.
Paul McQuillian (Corny Collins:) He was good.. not much to say, other than that he was suitable for the part, and did well with what he had.
John Salvatore (Mr. Pinky/ Male Authority Figure/ Harriman F. Spritzer/ Principal:) Also not much to say here but he was good.
Jane Blass (Prudy Pingleton/ Gym Teacher/ Female Authority Figure/ Matron:) Yet another scene stealer. Literally, her facial expressions and deadpan comedic timing just had you rolling in the aisles. Jane took what could have been a forgettable role and made it utterly memorable. THAT is true talent.
* Denotes Understudy and/or Standby
Overall, I had a great time seeing the show live for the first time, and I lef the theater quite satisfied with what I'de seen!
OUT: Caissie Levy (Penny Lou Pingleton,) Alan Mingo Jr (Seaweed J. Stubbs)
IN: Hayley Podschun (Penny Lou Pingleton,) Dashuan Young (Seaweed J. Stubbs)
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE: Keala Settle was in as Tracy Turnblad for Act 1 of tonight's performance. Her standby, Christine M. Danelson, was in as Tracy Turnblad for Act 2. [Intermission went ten minutes over what it was supposed to, so I had a feeling something was wrong. Sure enough, the lights went down, and an announcement came over saying "For the continuation of tonight's performance, the role of Tracy will be played by Christine M. Danelson." I was really suprised, because Keala sounded so good, that I couldn't possibly fathom how she could be sick. But the show had to go on, and it did....]
SEATS: Center Pit Row D, Seat 106 (First Row)
WHERE: Jackie Gleason Center for the Peroming Arts
Keala Settle (Tracy Turnblad, Act 1:) What an infectious performer! From the minute she took the stage, you couldn't help but root for Keala's Tracy. I felt she was far superior vocally to the role's originator, Marisa Jaret Winokur. Boy can Keala belt and riff! She just sang the HELL out of the score. And her facial expressions and reactions to the things going on around her were priceless. She was just a big ball of energy, and went nuts! Her vocals reminded me ALOT of Shoshana Bean's when she went on as Tracy She looked like she was having a ton of fun, and her dancing was also really impressive.
* Christine M. Danelson (Tracy Turnblad, Act 2:) Christine was very very very good. Like Keala, she is a very strong singer, and I also felt that her vocals were superior to Marissa's. Her acting was also good, even though her Tracy wasn't as bold and out going as Keala's. The only thing that I noticed that would let on that she was a Standby was her facial expressions... she seemed to really only alternate between two different expressions. It didn't hinder her performance too much, since, like I said, her acting and singing were both excellent, but it was noticeable. Other than that, I really liked her alot.
J.P. Dougherty (Edna Turnblad:) What a hoot! J.P. was just hysterical as Edna. I am not at all suprised that he stood by for Harvery for 2 1/2 years. He is such a pro! And unlike both Harvey and Bruce Vilanch, he actually has a really nice voice when he sings in a normal pitch. The only fault I had with his Edna was that he kind of gave the character a southern accent... whether that was intentional or not I don't know, but I did pick up on it.
Jim J. Bullock (Wilbur Turnblad:) One of the MVP's of the night. I have seen (*coughs bootlegs coughs*) the show before, and never really cared about Wilbur, even when Dick Latessa played it, but for the first time, I really rallied for him. Jim did a great job of making him the perfect combo of touching and humorous, and I really enjoyed his performance.
Aaron Tveit (Link Larkin:) He was just alright for me. I liked Aaron's acting, and he deffinetly had the charm and charisma needed for Link, but he didn't even attempt the high notes Matt sang. he just sang them much lower, and that kind of bothered me. Otehr than, he was just... okay.
Susan Henley (Velma Von Tussle:) Susan had a really nice voice. Very powerful. She was funny, but not over the top, and her "Miss Baltimore Crabs" was really good. Overall, I liked her.
Tara Macri (Amber Von Tussle:) Another performance that just left me going... eh. Tara was infectious and bubbly and dumb blonde-esque, but I didn't feel like she nailed that mean, bitchy side to Amber. It was kind of like she was just saying things and acting them out without thinking of what she was actually doing. She did have a nice voice and nice stage presence though.
Charlotte Crossley (Motormouth Maybelle:) What a VOICE. My god. When she sang "I Know Where I've Been," it literally brought the house down. She was really heartfelt and hysterical, and had a set of pipes to rival most actresses today. Big props to Charlotte.
* Dashuan Robinson (Seaweed J. Stubbs:) Daushan was really good. He didnt hit some of the notes that Corey does on the cast recording, but for an understudy, I was very very happy with his portrayal.
Hayley Podschun (Penny Lou Pingleton:) What a little fire cracker! Hayley was just terrific. She sounded and acted EXACTLY like Kerry Butler. She was quirky and cute, and had very good comedic timing. I have never seen Caissie Levy as Penny, but I doubt her performance could be much better than Hayley's.
Naturi Naughton (Lil' Inez:) I liked Naturi alot. She had a voice better than most Inez's, and I remebered her from 3LW lol.
Paul McQuillian (Corny Collins:) He was good.. not much to say, other than that he was suitable for the part, and did well with what he had.
John Salvatore (Mr. Pinky/ Male Authority Figure/ Harriman F. Spritzer/ Principal:) Also not much to say here but he was good.
Jane Blass (Prudy Pingleton/ Gym Teacher/ Female Authority Figure/ Matron:) Yet another scene stealer. Literally, her facial expressions and deadpan comedic timing just had you rolling in the aisles. Jane took what could have been a forgettable role and made it utterly memorable. THAT is true talent.
* Denotes Understudy and/or Standby
Overall, I had a great time seeing the show live for the first time, and I lef the theater quite satisfied with what I'de seen!
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Updated On: 2/26/06 at 12:50 AM
