Just back from END OF THE RAINBOW — Page 3

Do they sell "End of the Rainbow" pill boxes?

I just noticed this article on broadway.com written by the play's author... seems insightful and worth reading considering most of the conversation in this post so far...

http://www.broadway.com/shows/end-rainbow/buzz/160629/end-of-the-rainbow-playwright-peter-quilter-on-the-danger-joy-and-electricity-of-judy-garland/

Matt2...Paul Gems' "Piaf."

Not sure when Pam became Paul!

I saw the show in the UK on tour..and loved Bennett's performance more than the play. But if it wasn't for the play and the context it would be just another (albeit extraordinary) Judy impersonation (although I'm searching for a better word than that)

I'm glad Whizzer pointed out the distinction here between a performance by an actor playing a character in a play verses impersonation.

I've seen what I consider to be the greatest Judy illusionist ever in the form of Jim Bailey and it was extraordinary and eerie to witness him conjuring the Garland magic, but thats not what Tracie Bennett is doing here. She has created her own unique depiction (much in the way Michelle Williams did in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN) that both honors the essence of Garland while also functioning as the leading character in a semi-biographical play.

Those pointing out that say Bennett's voice sounds more like "Hepburn" than "Judy" or are going into this expecting an impersonation are going in with the wrong perspective....

I felt so, though I don't believe Garland's legacy should be canonized like some on this thread.

I have to say that while I tend to love a good blog post, I am suprised at how mean and snarky many of these comments are. As a fellow theatre lover, I am thrilled when a new show opens and tries to communicate something new and fresh. I myself am not an avid Garland fan, nor do I have a lengthy frame of reference for many of the comments that have been posted here about other portrayals of her over the years, but that said, I was in the audience on the 2nd preview and found that while I may agree with some of the comments about wishing there were a deeper book in this script - I found the work being done in this lovely ensemble stunning. I can only imagine the sheer terror of what it must be to play an icon -- especially the darker more brooding sections towards the end on her life, and I think that End of the Rainbow is a brave exploration of some deeply troubling moments in the legacy that was Judy. I found certain scenes to be deeply moving, a few of the songs literally heartbreaking, and this remarkable cast should be applauded for their work. Bennett is remarkable - whether you think her flamboyant flair for Judy to be a bit over the top aside -- she delivers a gut-punch 2nd Act that had me holding my breath. The delicious Tom Pelphrey has one of the harder roles as Deans -- because he is painted as the villain -- but I found his performance to be very layered and quite intense, in a wonderful way. The band is fantastic, and many of the musical moments transported me to another time -- which alone was worth the price of admission. In what I think promises to be a lackluster year on Broadway, I can only say I am thrilled to have found a space at the End of the Rainbow that was both thought provoking and soulful. Congrats to a wonderful creative team for delving into the darker parts of the story which are so often overlooked and replaced by shiny distractions and fluff. I recommend seeing the show, if only to participate in what is sure to be a lively discussion at the bar afterwards. Enjoy!

I was there this evening.

(For those who care: I got a rush ticket for $30 at about 4pm. Front row balcony. Beautiful seat. You see everything, and you get to see the glorious Belasco. I loved sitting up there, but most people moved down at intermission.)

Just a preface: I'm not a Garland fan. I know her work like most people would know her work - Wizard of Oz, some musicals, etc. I'm a "new age Gay" so she is not an Idol to me or someone I've done research on. I don't know if this show is accurate, etc....

The show is interesting. I found it to be both the best acting and the worst acting I've seen in awhile.

Believe what you hear about Tracie Bennett. She is amazing, stunning, etc. I found myself watching her at every moment. Her voice didn't bother me at all. I actually found her best moments to be the ones where she isn't speaking. Watching her walk across the stage in the background while the other two men are speaking and fixing her hose was just hilarious. She really has just thrown caution to the win and gone for it. If she doesn't win the TONY I would be really surprised.

The pianist guy - I don't remember his name off the top of my head - was fine. Good solid acting, nice character, and he has a great little moment at the end of the play with Judy which I did not see coming not knowing her history.

The man playing Mickey is just plain awful. That is some terrible acting. I've never been more aware of someone's blocking than while watching him. I would think to myself "Wow, that was a long cross" or "Wow, that was an awkward way to reach for the telephone." Nothing felt natural. I understand it's hard to compete with Bennett who is seriously living that character, but he made no choices. It was either talking loudly in a monotone or talking higher to convey anger. Just awful. He needs a kick in the ass or something before the press comes. I've never been so outraged as to witnessing his terrible acting.

But, the show is worth it to see Bennett and people were eating it and loving it. The play itself is a little weird at times. I always find "Epilogue" type things to be rather cheesy in a play. Most people know what happens to Judy, and I think they could have easily worked that bit into dialogue instead of having someone stand and deliver it. I thought the ending was strange. One would think it would end on the button of her song, but it has these awkward, weird extra couple of beats.

GO SEE IT. I think it might become a bit of a hot ticket.

Yeah, it felt like they just gave him the script like two days ago. I know the director is an actor's director because he's pulled some great performances from people in the past, and obviously helped shape Bennett. Maybe he's just focused on Bennett and not the American actors.

I was so surprised to see Sarah Uriarte Berry the standby for Garland! She's very talented, but I dont see her as Garland at all.

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Has this show announced a rush policy? If so, what is it? It doesn't seem to be listed on playbill.

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I took the dog scene to be displaying Judy's great sense of humour, which is said to have been fantastic; plus she was tipsy in that scene having come back from the clubs.
I don't think I'd like my offspring to watch a play about the 'other' side of me, after all, we don't usually let our children know about that....what goes on behind the scenes.

Updated On: 3/23/12 at 02:28 AM

Looks like Audra and Jan have some competition.

Tracie isn't up against Audra or Jan, because End of the Rainbow is a play with music, not a musical, thus she'd be in the Leading Actress in A Play category while Ms. McDonald and Ms. Maxwell would be Leading Actress in A Musical.

I love Judy, and while I'm not as utterly obsessed as some, I'm very interested in seeing the show.

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