I saw Guys & Dolls, Death of a Salesman., & The Producers last week

[HorseTears]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 5:17am

I had a brief excursion to the UK last week. I managed to take in a few West End shows. Kind of ironic that I was in the UK and seeing three distinctly American works. My thoughts...

GUYS & DOLLS

The good:
Douglas Hodge (Nathan). His Nathan was funny and charming. You wouldn't think it from his credits, but he was perfectly cast.

Jenna Russell (Sarah). Absolutely dynamite. A revelation. Ewan and Jane's names may be above the title, but this woman owned the show. Flawless American accent, gorgeous and natural soprano, brilliant physical comedian. Her talent for physical comedy was on full display during the stunning Cuba scene. What a talent.

Martyn Ellis (Nicely Nicely). Great comic performance. Knocked 'em dead in Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat.

The ensemble. Strong, perfectly balanced voices, athletic and beautiful dancing. Especially in 'Havana' and 'Luck Be a Lady'

The orchestra. Only 17 musicians, but what a full, brassy and swinging sound that band gave! They just roared out of the pit. The score sounded so vital and fresh in the expert hands of this orchestra. A good deal of the audience stayed in their seats during the exit music and applauded enthusiastically for the musicians.

The not so good:
Ewan McGreggor (Sky). Pretty much everything you've heard is true, he's got a sketchy New York accent, his performance is...adequate. But, yikes, that singing was just plain awful. Imagine, oh, I don't know...Kermit the Frog with a ham sandwich stuck in his throat. Not very charming, nor very commanding.

Jane Krakowski (Miss Adelaide). I love Jane Krakowski. I think she's a talented actress, has an appealing voice and looks uncommonly beautiful on stage, but this role just isn't suited to her. Firstly, the woman needs to learn to cheat out. This isn't a film. We need to see more than your profile when you're speaking to another character. Her performance felt awkward and tentative. I felt like I was watching a rehearsal performance. Her Adelaide speaking voice felt very 'put on' and in her portrayal she was veering between sex kitten, kewpie doll, dumb blonde and a tween girl of 2005. The performance was haphazard and it felt like she was performing in a different "style" than that of the other actors. This role is just not for her. That being said, her 'Take Back Your Mink' was...how can I put this tastefully?...breathtaking. What a gorgeous woman. She looks nice on screen, but she looks truly luminous on stage.


DEATH OF A SALESMAN

A transfer of the Broadway revival.

Brian Dennehy (Willy) was a powerhouse. Unfortunately, I think he may have been performing this role too long as at times it felt a bit phoned in. However, when he truly connected with words he was absolutely explosive. It's a pity he couldn't maintain this commitment throughout the evening.

Clare Higgins (Linda). Well, I can see why this actress has won three Olivier Awards. While the ensemble of actors was strong, Ms. Higgins was the clear stand out. She gave a flawless, raw, and gut wrenching performance. I'm not an easy crier, but she had me in tears a couple of times.

Douglas Henshall (Biff). Fantastic performance. He got the 'walking wounded' aspect down perfectly. He was especially moving in the last few scenes of Act II. Unfortunately, his accent was overdone and at times went from Boston to 'New Yawk'.

Mark Bazely (Happy). Iffy on the accent. Quite decent on the overall performance.

Wonderfully fluid production design, evocative lighting and effective, moody music.


THE PRODUCERS. (my first time)

Fred Applegate (Bialystock) 3rd rate Nathan Lane. He sounded so much like Nathan at times, it was quite odd. His performance was stiff and not terribly funny. I could almost see his blocking mapped out on the stage.

John Gordon Sinclair (Leo). A very funny and sometimes touching performance. Would truly soar in the part with a better Bialystock.

Nicolas Colicos (Franz Liebkind), Conleth Hill (Roger), Kenneth Avery-Clark (Carmen - understudy) were all perfectly cast and provided thigh slapping, teary eyed belly laughs from all.

Had a great time, doubt I'd ever go back to see it, though. It really is kind of a one note show, isn't it?




Updated On: 8/10/05 at 05:17 AM

[Ulla-la]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 5:27am

thanks for the reviews, I'm seeing both Guys and Dolls and The Producers in a couple of weeks. I'm anxious to see if the Producers has transfered well being a HUGE fan. I was excited when Ewan was announced for Guys... now i'm not so sure but glad to hear the rest of the cast is good!

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 10:36am

::shrugs:: I thought Ewan did well


Totally agree with everything else though

Updated On: 8/10/05 at 10:36 AM

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 10:41am

Is Douglas Henshall related to Ruthie?

[BoxFive]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 10:52am

I'll never understand how the charmless and tone deaf Fred Applegate won the role of Bialystock in the first place. What were the creative staff thinking..and smoking?!?!

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 11:26am

Thanks a lot for the review, glad you enjoyed it.

[ruthiefan_felix]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 1:52pm

I will never forget u Horsetears for not even mentioning Leigh Zimmerman in The Producers! She's THE star of the show now imo!
I thought Jane was fabulous! And the role is supposed to have that squeezy sneezy voice!
I hoped you'd have seen Les Mis too as it is in a GREAT shape and never better! Strongest cast!

[HorseTears]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 2:22pm

ruthiefan_felix:
You're right, I did forget to mention Leigh Zimmerman. Add her to the list of actors who "were all perfectly cast and provided thigh slapping, teary eyed belly laughs from all." She was just priceless and those legs of hers seemed to go forever. Yowzers!

Also, I'm well aware that Adelaide is supposed to have a squeeky, nasally sound. I just didn't feel that Krakowski was connecting with the material at all. Almost as though she were reading the lines, not speaking them.

Updated On: 8/10/05 at 02:22 PM

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 3:52pm

HorseTears- The thing you just said about Jane...do you mean when she's singing "Adelaide's Lament" or just in general?

[Shawk]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 4:04pm

Mark Bazeley! I saw him a few years ago in MacBeth with Sean Bean and thought he was very good. Glad to see he's still around.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 4:04pm

Thanks for the DEATH OF A SALESMAN review! Question: was the theatre packed? I'd like to know whether I should buy my tickets now or try for the TKTS booth in Leicester Square.

Sad to hear that Brian Dennehy isn't up to his usual standard, but he's still worth watching, right?

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 5:04pm

Is there going to be a cast recording of the London Guys and Dolls?

Cheers,

The Balladeer

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 7:51pm

There has to be. Everyone knows that Sally Browns are the gift of God therefore what I say goes.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 3:17am

Sally, I am referring to her entire performance. Who knows, perhaps she was having an off night, but I've heard from others who saw the show weeks ago who felt the same way.


"HorseTears- The thing you just said about Jane...do you mean when she's singing "Adelaide's Lament" or just in general?" -Sally Brown

[ruthiefan_felix]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 5:56am

I REALLY REALLY hope that they have a Ldn recording of G&D!!!! Not the BEST cast, but I think its time they shud have a new cast recording of the show! and they DEFINTIELY should have 'Havana' in that CD too!
FELIX

[Lois]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 8:52am

I saw Death of a Salesman last night, and strongly disagree on Brian Dennehy's performance. I saw him, and the Broadway cast with Ron Eldard as Biff, and thought that Dennehy was still as superb as he was 6 years ago, not phoning anything in at all, though I did catch the show a different night. I did prefer Eldard as Biff, and Douglas Henshall's accent bothered me too. Clare Higgins was on par with the wonderful Elizabeth Franz both excellent, and the Charlie from Broadway was the other cast member to transferm he did a great job. A very powerful and emotional evening with a standing ovation at the end. The stalls looked very full, though I believe there were seats open way in the back, where you would miss a lot of the details of the performance. The show was at TKTS today, but I recommend sitting as close as possible, although not in the very front row, which I think is sold the day of the show, as the stage is too high there. Second row stalls, where I sat, was good.

I'm seeing Guys & Dolls tonight, Billy Elliot was excellent.