#1
Posted: 8/17/06 at 12:47pm
I had posted a thread a few weeks ago asking what shape HAIRSPRAY was in currently and the reaction was very mixed. So the other night I decided to just go and check it out for myself and for the most part, I enjoyed it. The last time I saw the show I thought it had lost every bit of magic that it once had so it made the night drag on and on. That was a while ago so I'm glad to say that things (in my own opinion at least) are running a little better now.
I'll start with the positive -
Shannon Durig is brilliant as Tracy. Her voice is spectacular and she's just hilarious. Her reaction at the end of "It Takes Two" had me laughing harder than I'd laughed in days. I've seen some pretty awful girls step into this role and besides Marisa, Shannon hands down is the best I've seen so I hope she stays around for a while. A friend of mine told me that when I see Caissie Levy I'd forget all about Kerry Butler and boy was he was right! She's one very gifted comedienne and delivers those lines brilliantly and has a fantastic voice to top it off. If you see the show for one reason see her before she leaves. As for Haylie Duff, she was quite good. She fit the role very nicely, has a good voice and seemed to know all her lines so there was really nothing I could fault her for.
Now for the not so good.
Blake Hammond as Edna might just be the most grating, annoying person I've ever seen on stage. I can describe his performance as this - Have you ever seen somebody do an AWFUL impression of someone and just not stop because they think they're being funny? It was like he was trying to do a Fierstein impression for almost 3 hours that didn't even come close and since nobody's ever told him he's awful at it, he just refused to stop. That's a tough role to play anyways and sadly I don't think he really understood the character. Some of the funniest lines were just lost on him so inturn, they were lost to the audience as well. Watching him on that stage I simply could not understand how he was cast in this show. Surely there are others out there who can sing and act and are actually GOOD. I don't have enough words to say how much we disliked him. And pairing him with Stephen DeRosa's equally annoying Wilbur was another bad choice because the two together ruin some perfectly wonderful scenes, especially the funny and very touching "Timeless to Me". They ham it up and when the audience doesn't laugh they keep on going until they finally hear a chuckle or two to validate their "performances". That number is no longer funny nor touching, it's not just schtick. And I'll be perfectly honest with you. That pisses me off. :)
But I would definately suggest checking out Durig and Levy because they alone make HAIRSPRAY worth seeing currently.
I'll start with the positive -
Shannon Durig is brilliant as Tracy. Her voice is spectacular and she's just hilarious. Her reaction at the end of "It Takes Two" had me laughing harder than I'd laughed in days. I've seen some pretty awful girls step into this role and besides Marisa, Shannon hands down is the best I've seen so I hope she stays around for a while. A friend of mine told me that when I see Caissie Levy I'd forget all about Kerry Butler and boy was he was right! She's one very gifted comedienne and delivers those lines brilliantly and has a fantastic voice to top it off. If you see the show for one reason see her before she leaves. As for Haylie Duff, she was quite good. She fit the role very nicely, has a good voice and seemed to know all her lines so there was really nothing I could fault her for.
Now for the not so good.
Blake Hammond as Edna might just be the most grating, annoying person I've ever seen on stage. I can describe his performance as this - Have you ever seen somebody do an AWFUL impression of someone and just not stop because they think they're being funny? It was like he was trying to do a Fierstein impression for almost 3 hours that didn't even come close and since nobody's ever told him he's awful at it, he just refused to stop. That's a tough role to play anyways and sadly I don't think he really understood the character. Some of the funniest lines were just lost on him so inturn, they were lost to the audience as well. Watching him on that stage I simply could not understand how he was cast in this show. Surely there are others out there who can sing and act and are actually GOOD. I don't have enough words to say how much we disliked him. And pairing him with Stephen DeRosa's equally annoying Wilbur was another bad choice because the two together ruin some perfectly wonderful scenes, especially the funny and very touching "Timeless to Me". They ham it up and when the audience doesn't laugh they keep on going until they finally hear a chuckle or two to validate their "performances". That number is no longer funny nor touching, it's not just schtick. And I'll be perfectly honest with you. That pisses me off. :)
But I would definately suggest checking out Durig and Levy because they alone make HAIRSPRAY worth seeing currently.
..and I also enjoyed Stephen's and Blake's performances. 
