JERRY SPRINGER - Quite good, actually

As I seemed to be the only person in the industry who hadn't seen Jerry Springer - The Opera yet, I made myself go tonight. And after having heard VERY mixed opinions, I was pleasantly surprised. The first act was a one-joke thing, and I was quite disappointed. (Is it really that funny if people say "f**k" or "c**t" on stage nowadays?!!??) But they turned it around in the second act, and it was much more entertaining. The book might not be the brightest, but musically it was a very rich score, and something completely different and innovative. And the cast (last night of the original tonight) was absolutely exciting - just a wonderful change to your usual trained, boring musical voices. Really not sure how it's going to do in the States though.

Updated On: 7/10/04 at 06:54 PM

I think it makes more sense if you actually see it. The first act is basically excerpts from the show, and the set is a replica of the tv studio. The second act gets more exciting as it's set in hell (All the reviews mentioned this anyway, so I hope I didn't give anything away). Maybe see the show before you buy the CD.