Jessie Mueller in "Nice Work"- Page 2

[Kelly2]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 7:51pm

Patash, I agree with your assessment of the role and I don't actually think Broderick is miscast. But I'm sorry, this is Broadway, he shouldn't be noticeably a few beats behind on all his dance numbers, his voice shouldn't be strained on half his songs, and "dull rich playboy" is quite different from "actor who is barely paying attention to the fact that he's onstage". I want to believe that I can tell the difference and I'm reasonably sure I can.

I'd LOVE to see Will Chase based on the praise on this thread though, maybe he'll take over for Broderick when he leaves in June.

[Patash]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 7:58pm

OK, Kelly2, I want to believe I can tell the difference too, and I'm reasonably sure I can do so as well, so either one of us is wrong or it is strictly a matter of opinion. I choose the latter.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 8:01pm

Fair enough. Maybe he was better earlier in the run too. It's not like he'd be the first person to lose steam over the course of a long run in a show. Admittedly, Friday night was my first time seeing the show and thus, the only time I've seen him in the role.

[sowren1020]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 9:41pm

Kelly2, I saw the show early on and Broderick was just as uninspiring then as he is now. I don't know a single woman who has seen the show and thought he is a suitable leading man in this. But he' s a celebrity so the producers think that makes up for lack of ability.

[Blockhead24]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 9:44pm

Will Chase is definitely the only thing that'd get me back to the show. He was wonderful. Shame he probably won't be replacing him.

Updated On: 3/31/13 at 09:44 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 9:51pm

I'm so very glad that we say NICE WORK when Will Chase was in the show. Can anyone bring him back?

[mc1227]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 10:00pm

Just a quick question to everyone who dislikes Broderick so much in this role. What was the audience reaction to him after S'Wonderful and at curtain call when you were there?

[Kelly2]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 11:11pm

I mean, he got a moderate amount of applause on Friday. Nothing raucous. Mueller got as much applause as he did at the curtain call. The only really insane applause for him I noticed was his entrance.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 11:19pm

For what it's worth, I thought he was great when I saw the show in December. But then again, I also feel he's been playing every character the same way forever, so it was his usual schtick that I like.

[mc1227]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 12:38am

With respect to Jessie, if she got the same amount of applause as Broderick, it was because the audience was filled with friends and family that night since it was her first performance and the rest of the audience knew it was her first performance. I have seen this show several times and regardless of what many on this board have posted about Broderick, he always has gotten the most applause at curtain call with many cheers. I know Jessie is very talented, but so is Kelli O'Hara and she never got as much applause as Broderick in the several shows I've seen.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 12:40am

Oh I never said it wasn't because of that. I'm sure that had to do with it. I was just responding to your question, the only really exuberant applause Matthew received was for his entrance. His other numbers received relatively the same level of applause as any of the others. Actually, I think one of the loudest applause moments was after "Looking for a Boy".

[Kelly2]

Posted: 4/2/13 at 12:07pm

Bump! Does anyone know when Judy Kaye will be back in the show? She was still out as of Sunday and I'd really like to make a return visit and catch her performance, her having won the Tony for it and all. Jennifer Smith is hilarious though, I can't say I felt she was lacking in any way.

Also, can anyone who has seen both Kelli and Jessie comment on the differences between them? A friend of mine who is a huge O'Hara fan saw both and said in her mind that Kelli didn't play the comedy of it as well as Jessie, but I was curious if there were any significant differences in their performances.

[Bodes08]

Posted: 4/10/13 at 12:45pm

I saw the 4/6/13 matinee and Judy Kaye was still out of the show. I was bummed when I found that out. I was really looking forward to seeing her Tony-winning performance.
That being said, Jennifer Smith was wonderful and hilarious. Her 'Looking For a Boy' was one of the highlights of the show, and the audience loved it.
Matthew Broderick was just ok. It was a thrill to watch him sing and dance live, and I suppose his performance did reflect the demeanor of his character, but it just seemed to fall a little flat.
I thought Jessie Mueller was wonderful. Now, I'm a big Kelli O'Hara fan, and I was slightly disappointed that she left the show just days before I saw it, but Jessie really held her own. I actually preferred a lot of her renditions of the songs over Kelli's on the OCR. There's just a tone and quality to her voice that is so lovely and captivating. She made you stop and listen when she sang the ballads, but she also shined in the comedic songs.
She's definitely a Broadway star on the rise and one to keep your eye on.
I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the show.
(Special shout out to Jennifer Laura Thompson, who was hysterical.)

[delongpre]

Posted: 4/13/13 at 4:06pm

Saw the show Thursday night. Sat close to the front and from my position the audience seemed very quiet, even though it was a pretty full house....with lots of kids. Applause was moderate. Jessie, however, was great. Voice is perfect with the songs, timing is wonderful. After seeing and loving her in Drood, it was nice to see her doing something quite different. She is multi-talented, adorable and versatile. Broderick, on the other hand, seems tired and bored, as someone else had said. I really wanted to like him, and I understand the character is supposed to be bland, but he took it to the bank. Maybe I expected too much from him, remembering his energy in other roles. And I don't know, but I wondered if Jessie was toning down her performance to meet Matthew's energy level. The audience gave the biggest response to Duke and Jeannie Muldoon's number, and at the end. The show is sweet and fun, and predictable, but great to look at with eye-pleasing costumes and scenery. Having loved Drood, I would go see this show again if Will Chase were to return! I could imagine his energy with Jessie in this to be amazing.

[mc1227]

Posted: 4/13/13 at 6:30pm

I saw the matinee today and have some comments about the new cast. I have seen this show several times with various cast members since it first previewed. I wanted to love Jessie in this role, but was disappointed in her version of Billie. Someone had asked on a previous posting about the comparison between Kelli & Jessie and my answer after today is there is no comparison. Kelli sings with such passion and truly performed the Gershwin songs the way they should be sung. She handled the singing and at the same time, performed the comedy and brought a bit of softness to it at key moments. Jessie seems to be more focused on playing the role as a tomboy and didn't present the heart of these songs. She actually didn't even seem to sing all of the words to "Treat Me Rough" instead concentrating on the physical comedy more than the song itself. Obviously as a replacement, she did not have the opportunity to create the character or develop the initial chemistry with other characters, so I'm sure she will improve. Broderick was actually prominent with the singing on their duets together, something that never happened with Kelli and his voice seemed stronger than in previous performances I have seen. Maybe he is sensing that Jessie isn't quite there yet. His energy is always the same when I've seen this show, quite consistent with the character's demeanor. He lets loose occasionally and got a great response from the audience.

What was a noticeable difference is that there wasn't the playfulness on stage that I've seen before. Perhaps because there were 4 new cast members today and they are still getting used to each other. The most impressive part of this show for me is seeing the incredible consistency of all original cast members, particularly Jennifer Laura Thompson and Robyn Hurder. The orchestra also knocks it out of the park and is a major player in this show.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 4/13/13 at 7:18pm

I'm surprised to hear your review since everyone I know who saw both either loved them both or preferred Mueller, sorry to hear you didn't enjoy her! Different strokes. I have to second your comments about how impressed I was with Jennifer Laura Thompson and Robyn Hurder though, I was surprised that this far into the run they both gave so much energy and humor to their roles. I hope to see Robyn Hurder especially work more frequently and in roles like this that really show her off, she's hilarious and I find her voice very pleasant to listen to, even if it isn't necessarily the strongest.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 4/13/13 at 8:24pm

My friend also saw this show and he had nothing but raves for Broderick and Blythe Danner, but was dissappointed with Jessie's performance.
He also didn't like the show, which I do like a lot.

I haven't seen Jessie, but I did get to see Kelly O'Hara and Cameron Adams and they were great.
I have no interest in seeing Jessie in the role to be honest, so I'm probably not going to return to see the show unless they cast a new Billie.

I agree about Robyn Hurder though, she was amazing. Jennifer Laura, I think her role is annoying and she annoyed me to be honest, my friend also told me that Blythe now knows her lines, which she didn't after weeks of being in the show.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 4/13/13 at 9:28pm

I was surprised that Blythe was so on point when I saw it after reading the reviews on here honestly. I mean, to be fair, I have no idea what the lines actually are since it was my first time seeing it, but she didn't seem to flub anything noticeably and I thought she was pretty funny.

I was a bit thrown though that everyone calls Broderick's character "Jimmy" for the entire show and Blythe calls him Jamie? Is that intentional? If so, then okay, it just caught my attention.

I don't imagine they will be casting a new Billie though, Mueller is signed for a year unless she takes an out for a new show, and I can't imagine the show being open this time next year given Broderick's departure.

[mc1227]

Posted: 4/14/13 at 1:08am

Actually, I forgot to mention Blythe in my previous post who seems to have improved greatly from the last time I saw her. It was also great to see John Shuck in the role of Jimmy's father.

I had seen the shows with Cam Adams and Steph Martingetti as understudy for Kelli when she was out and were impressed with both of their performances as Billie. I know Jessie will get more comfortable in the role as she goes on, she is a wonderful talent.

[BroadwayFan12]

Posted: 4/14/13 at 5:14am

Is Judy Kaye back?

[Kelly2]

Posted: 4/14/13 at 11:23am

Judy Kaye is not back and I have heard she won't be for awhile longer.

[mc1227]

Posted: 4/14/13 at 11:35am

Judy did not perform yesterday. I had heard that she hurt her knee

[Kelly2]

Posted: 4/14/13 at 11:53am

Idea: what if they change the marquee to read BUELLER & MUELLER in NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT.

Anybody?

Anybody?

Bueller?

[mc1227]

Posted: 4/14/13 at 1:16pm

I like it Kelly2! It's catchy! What I didn't like outside the theater yesterday is that they had Jessie's name on the marquee and next to Broderick's above the entrance to the theater but everything else had Kelli's picture. They probably figured since Broderick is leaving in June, they are not going to redo all the photos outside the theater?

[broadwaybabe1234]

Posted: 4/14/13 at 11:48pm

i just got back from seeing the show! Note: i love the show and i love how bad Matthew Broderick is. i saw it twice last year with Kelli and because i love Jessie so much i decided to see it again. I though jessie's acting was so clear, so well matched the character and her voice was gorgeous in the score. That being said she's different, not better than Kelli. I thought she was going to be so much better but they are just so different in the role that it is hard to compare them.
Judy is still not back in and the balcony and was mostly empty...