Judy in Sweeney Reviews- Page 2

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 1:08am

Just wanted to put my two cents in about Judy. Saw her tonight and thought she was fantastic. This was only my second time seeing her on the stage (the first was in Ragtime) and I was blown away. Her voice was perfect for this role. She has incredible diction and I could hear and understand every word of the complicated score. The audience LOVED her and she got tons of laughs. It is truly remarkable that she learned all of that blocking (and how to play the tuba!) in such a short amount of time. She is completely comfortable in the role, with this cast in this production. A true professional and a delight to see on stage. I would highly recommend seeing Judy Kaye in this role if you can. Totally worth it.

Oh and after seeing this show again, I seriously can't believe that Michael Cerveris didn't win the Tony...he is perfect in this role.

Standing ovation for Judy Kaye as soon as she came out for her bow...and well deserved. Glad I got to see her in this role!


Updated On: 6/23/06 at 01:08 AM

[C is for Company]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 1:25am

Good to hear! I'm waiting till she becomes fully developed and perfectly acquainted in the role in August. Glad to hear she has already fit in well with the cast.
And Michael, I saw him my 5th time about 3 weeks ago the week before the Tonys. He was in such top form, he never gave me chills until that time, he was just in perfect shape with the role. His Epiphany was just purely what I always wanted to hear from him, such power and the intensity was just remarkable. Until that time, I really wasn't keen on how he would fare with the awards. After that show I left totally wishing to see him take it

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 1:41am

The other day when I saw it, some sweet kid told him he was robbed of the Tony. He was himself, and greatfully excepted the praise, yet shyed away at the same time. He looked and sounded fabulous. I've seen this show quite a bit...but Michael is just so near perfection in this role. I'm so proud of what he's done. When everyone heard the news, people were skeptical. But of course his talent, poise, kindness and grace has won over many hearts.

Anyone know exactly what was going on at Sardi's Wednesday afternoon? I commented on his very sharp grey suit, and he sort of grunted how he was off to Sardis for some reason. Oh yes, poor Michael. He has to dress up and hang out with Broadway's elite at Sardis...

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 3:05am

Scooter, I'm guessing that Kitzarina was referring to the first edition of the Bloom and Vlastnik Greatest Musicals book, in which they list Judy Kuhn as the original Carlotta in the Broadway POTO. In later editions, this was fixed.

I've always kind of wanted to put together a cabaret evening called The Four Judys, with Kaye, Kuhn, Blazer, and McLane.

Btw, people who are thinking of going to see Judy as Lovett, I suggest you go this week if you can. I do wonder if the show will still be playing when the August dates come around. I hope it will be, but I do wonder.

Judy has played Mrs. Lovett three times before so she certainly knows the role. In fact, she's now the only person to have played Lovett opposite Cariou, Hearn, and Cerveris.

Clearly, she's had to make some adjustments for this production, but it sounds like she has them under control. Anyway, I fear that if you wait till August, you may not get to see her. I hope that my fears are unfounded, but given the show's recent grosses I do think it may close before then.

I think I'll be going on Saturday.
Updated On: 6/23/06 at 03:05 AM

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 3:47am

Chrys, if you're gonna tell the whole story, might as well mention making Michael put on his sunglasses for you

Oh I loved Judy too. She made the role slightly more comedic, which worked great and she had a gorgeous voice. I'm really glad to see her, and I give her lots of credit for learning tuba!

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 4:05am

VERY glad to hear she is great in the role and is being well received!

My old voice teacher/show choir director went to school with her.

LOVED her as Carlotta in POTO and she deserved that Tony.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 4:44am

I don't know what you are talking about. He came out of the stage door wearing the sunglasses on his own accord.

Posted: 6/23/06 at 10:41am

WithoutATrace, I was also there last night and it was also my second time seeing Judy Kaye perform, but my first time was at Souvenir on New Year's Eve.

What a great voice! And so comfortable with the banter, as in "A Little Priest."

Did you happen to notice whether she was wearing a mic? I didn't see one, and I was in the second row. And while at times I sort of heard her voice through the amps, it could have been from the stage mics picking her up. Then again, you could hide a lunch in that big wig she was wearing.

P.S. She also played triangles and xylophone. Does Patti also?

[yodamarie78]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 10:57am

I was there last night as well. I agree with most of the reviews posted so far and just wanted to add how impressed I was with how well she fit into the cast. I saw Lauren Molina's understudy last week and thought that, while she was good, she stuck out a bit and didn't quite seem to fit. Judy KuhnKaye blended in perfectly.

Broadway Local, yes Patti normally plays percussion in addition to the tuba.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 12:14pm

yes, Judy was miked

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 3:22pm

Riiight Chrys. I must have totally imagined you asking him to put on his sunglasses for you...

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 3:23pm

When did Kaye play this role opposite Cariou?
Updated On: 6/23/06 at 03:23 PM

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 3:26pm

I was wondering that too, ljay.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 3:37pm

She did it in 2000....the 20th anniversary of Sweeney concert in London.

[OasisBroadway]

Posted: 6/26/06 at 10:37am

I saw this on Saturday and I think Judy was good in the role. She is definitely an incredible actor and sings beautifully. I just felt that she didn't project her voice the way Patti does, particularly during the ending of "A Little Priest."

On a side note, this is my 3rd viewing and I am even more convinced than ever that Manoel deserved the Tony.

I was there on Saturday night and the audience was only about half full. However, we did give the cast a good 5 minute standing ovation. I am just worried about what those numbers on a Saturday night are going to mean for its gross numbers this week.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 6/26/06 at 12:15pm

The show definitely received an extremely strong and long ovation Saturday night. It went on for two and a half minutes, though, not five.

[OasisBroadway]

Posted: 6/26/06 at 12:44pm

"It went on for two and a half minutes, though, not five."

two and a half. . . five. . .whatever. I didn't exactly keep time and was giving my general impression. My point remains the same.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 6/26/06 at 12:54pm

Oh, I know I was being pedantic and annoying. But I have gotten a little tired of reading those kinds of exaggerations, like "Bernadette got a five-minute standing ovation for 'Rose's Turn.' "

It's just a pet peeve of mine. I know that there are far worse problems in the world.

[Luvinbroadway]

Posted: 6/26/06 at 1:04pm

I agree, Judy did a superb job...it is mind boggling that ANYone can learn what these actors are doing night after night.
I love Judy's voive (her Diva by Diva CD is a must have)...however I did prefer Patti's more sinister and sexy take on the part...Patti has some sort of star dust that is not tangible. When I saw the show in the winter I found myself watching her even when in the background...for me it was master class in musical theatre.
But..Cheers to Judy! She must be proud!

[OasisBroadway]

Posted: 6/26/06 at 1:06pm

"It's just a pet peeve of mine."

No problem. We all have them. I just generally assume someone is saying that it was a longer than usual standing ovation if someone says it was "5 minutes." Next time I will bring my stop watch!

[broadwayguy4]

Posted: 6/26/06 at 1:29pm

Judy definitely sounds amazing in the role, which doesn't surprise me at all. I loved her take on the role. The one thing I missed, but didn't really expect to see, was the sexual chemistry that Cerveris had with Patti. They were very electric with one another. I didn't see that chemistry at all with Judy.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/26/06 at 3:12pm

The thing that I liked most about Judy was the lack of sexual chemistry. She played the role like a frumpy matron - a scary matron. There was no sex there....just blood lust.

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 7/29/06 at 8:32pm

I saw the show on Thursday night and completely agree with most of what was said here. I thought Kaye was absolutely wonderful. It was very different from Patti's interpretation of the role, but just as enjoyable. Kaye was much more maternal and as Yankeefan said, she played the role (especially during A Little Priest) way less sexually. Her enunciation was so clear; you couldn't miss a thing. She was also HILARIOUS. Her dance moves, especially, are a sight to be seen.

I definitely recommend checking her out. It's so worth it.