Jones out of ALNM tonight, Paterson in!

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 4/1/10 at 10:14am

I just got my SRO spot! I got there at exactly 10 and was the only person there, so they might still have some tickets left!

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/1/10 at 10:22am

Paterson is on all week, and she is FANTASTIC as Desiree. Everyone, see her if you can.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/1/10 at 10:25am

I have a TDF ticket for this evening's performance.

[wickedfan11]

Posted: 4/1/10 at 10:39am

Is Angela coming out the stage door this week?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 12:11am

Very nice production. Too long. A bit boring. Lansbury is wonderful. Paterson is a fine Desiree, but just fine. Sings well, I can't imagine the role acted any better, but no star quality. Hansen is quite good.

Supporting cast is scatter shot - Erin Davie and Aaron Lazar, yay, Hunter Herdlicka and Ramona Mallory, nay.

Had no problems with the set or orchestrations.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 12:53am

I really, really loved it! I honestly have not enjoyed a show this much since the last time I saw Kiss Me, Kate in 2001! Everything about it was so incredibly amazing, though I'll agree with Yankee on Paterson's lack of star quality. More tomorrow when I'm not so wound up

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 10:51am

Ok, some more...
Cast;
Paterson- her singing was excellent, her acting was stunning, and she looked the part, but she simply did not have the it factor that I'm sure Jones has.
Lansbury- simply phenomenal. Everything about her performance was perfect. Hand her another Tony!
Hansen- I can't imagine anyone being better in the part. His voice may not be as trained-sounding as previous Fredericks, but it was wonderful and worked for his interpretation of the character.
Lazar- having previously only seen him as Fabrizio, I was not expecting him to produce such a deep, mature tone, but he did and sounded great. His acting was fantastic, too, and he landed every joke.
Davie- pretty much the same as I said for Lazar, except replace Fabrizio with Edie. There have been complaints that she was too emotional, but I didn't find that to be true at all- she was sarcastic and witty as can be when she was required to.
Herdlicka- his acting was excellent and he has a great voice, but he was occasionally too contemporary for the style of the show, particularly on his high notes. If he sang the whole thing legit (including the high Bs), he would have been much better. I also thought he was a bit too tall (I noticed he replaced the "short" lyric in Later with something else) and good-looking for the part, but that's just my bias. I really liked him, though, and can't imagine how anyone can say his performance sucks.
Mallory- her voice is glorious and I hate to say it, but I prefer her vocals to her mom's. She gave a very different interpretation of the role than I would expect most Annes to give, and I thought it worked wonderfully. I can understand why some people would think she was overacting/mugging and thus not like her, but I found her portrayal to be quite realistic, actually.
Whitacre- she was adorable and clearly a product of her on-stage mom and grandma. Possibly the best acting I've seen from a child actress, and her singing was good, too.
Larkin- her acting and singing were wonderful. She didn't blow me away like she did in Gypsy, but she did her part very well. "Miller's Son" almost seemed too easy for her.
Dean- very funny, and definitely made the most of his thankless role.
Liebeslieder singers- they really set the tone for the production from the very beginning and their singing was simply stunning. I liked how they served various purposes throughout the performance and always carried an aura of mystery with them.

Set: I liked it. The minimalism did not bother me at all, and I thought the way it changed was very clever.
Lighting: like the set, very simplistic but pretty and practical. The only time the lights were used in a nonrealistic way was during "Glamorous Life" when the lights came up and down during the "bring up the curtains" section. There were different puddles of light representing different locations, and some onstage light sources, though not much of an effort was made to make the light look like it was being emitted from the sources.
Costumes- very pretty and period- appropriate.
Sound: perfect!
Orchestra: I liked the new orchestrations a lot more than I was expecting to and did not once long for a bigger orchestra- this orchestra suited this production very well.

General: I had very high expectations, and they were more than surpassed. This was my first time seeing ALNM live, but I've been obsessed with the OBCR for a couple years- the book is spectacular and works perfectly with what is perhaps the best score ever written. The audience was wonderful and clearly loved the show. As much as I loved Ragtime and Finian's, I think this show absolutely deserves the best revival Tony. This is seriously the best show I've seen in almost a decade. If you have any interest in seeing this show and haven't seen it yet, run to the box office now!

[chenothegood]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 11:17am

You got to the box office at 10 and were the only person there for SRO? Wow haha! how was SRO I have never done it before but am considering it for this show at the end of April.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 11:35am

Yep! The security guard actually had to unlock the doors to let me in lol. Standing room was fine- it's a small theatre, so the view was perfect, and I was able to move to a seat for the second act. Just be aware that if the show is totally sold out, you'll have to stand for three hours. It goes by very quickly, though.

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 11:40am

When CZJ is out, it's very easy to get standing room. A friend of mine bought SRO tickets at 1:30 for a 2:00 matinee during her first vacation and was able to move to prime orchestra seats after the first act.

[jeffmiele]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 2:08pm

i have TDF seats for tonight.. does anyone know where the TDF seats were when Catherine was out in February?

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 2:10pm

I had Row A center mezz in February through TDF. Amazing!

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 2:18pm

I had Row F but was able to move.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 3:00pm

Row H of the mezz last night. Not another seat to be had.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 7:53pm

Completely agree with the lack of star quality in Jayne Patterson's performance. I had to catch some of her after loving her as Mrs. Wilkinson in Billy Elliot and I thought she was good. She's a lot more warm and accessible than CZJ plays it. I was not blown away but not disappointed either.

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 7:55pm

I liked her, but I also agree she lacks the star quality that Zeta-Jones has no shortage of.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 10:10pm

I thought she was perfectly fine (though she oversang Send in the Clowns), but giving the quality of performance you would expect from a Papermill Playhouse production of the show. Perfectly adequate, but lacking any sort of star quality.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 4/2/10 at 10:18pm

^ I thought Catherine Zeta-Jones oversang Send in the Clowns, so maybe that's a directorial problem.