#1
Posted: 4/14/04 at 11:24am
BOY FROM OZ: Managed to get back row rush tickets to this for $30.. good price, you saw everything, no obstructions. As a musical, it's OK, but nothing special. I must admit, I didn't know a single Peter Allen song - it went entirely over my head.. the only ones I can remember now are I Go to Rio and Still Call.. Home. With a very weak, bitty book I will be very surprised if this show gets a lot of Tony nods, but there's no denying this is The Hugh Jackman Show. The audience participation was really funny, a real show ground for Jackman to showcase his talents. The kid was great too!
WICKED: Sat in the $55 obstructed view seats, but it wasn't too bad, you saw about 65% of the stage but most of the blocking is at the front, so it's fine. Kristin Chenoweth? That Tony should be hers. (more on that later..) She was absolutely electric, from beginning to end. When she came on stage, everyone sat up. Idina Menzel actually has the better songs though, so I think they both deserve Tony recognition. Disappointment here was Norbert Leo Butz - but he was simply miscast, and also had the dull song Dancing Through Life.
Joel Grey - agreed, boring. Does not deserve Tony supporting, but he will get a nomination I'm sure. The sets and staging are so brilliant, so expensive, it was very Disney - eg, very polished. However, I think a clever book made this show (book script, not book novel). The CD doesn't stand up on its own, but in context the songs are used well.. I just didn't want Popular to end.
AVENUE Q: Didn't win the lottery so got $46 rear mezz and then she upgraded my ticket to a $91 seat! Great view. The show is very American.. having not grown up on Sesame Street and loathed the Muppets a lot of that humour was lost on me I think - though the 'one night stand' thing was genius! The songs are cute, the whole show is very 'cute'. The lead guy (John Targatlia.. sp??) was very good - I'd like to see him get a Tony nomination, but I'm not sure if the woman will get one, she was good too but in a different way.. not in the 'Tony' way, if you get me.
CAROLINE, OR CHANGE: Got $56 discount code, slap bang in the middle of the orchestra, six rows from the front. I felt the audience was VERY snotty though, it was first preview and they all totally looked down at me, didn't even say thank you when I moved for them to get to their seats. Not a pleasant audience.
But the show? I'm 50/50 on it I guess. It's very new, very original - but I couldn't help but think 'I wish this was a play'. The songs, although beautiful - and certainly beautifully performed - weren't memorable, and for me, that's what a musical should be. As a play, this has so much more dramatic potential - *in my opinion*. But - it WAS good, and I did enjoy it. The idea was very interesting. I loved the staging and direction. The supporting actress, Vivanne something (sorry Playbill is packed) HAS to get the Tony - she was brilliant. The kids were all fantastic, their act one finale was a highlight.
TONY: OK, so Tony thoughts on Best Actress. It's going to be between Tonya Pinkins and Kristin Chenoweth I think. All through Caroline I kept thinking 'geez, who is better?', but couldn't put my finger on it. Chenoweth is so much more a character, she OWNS the stage when she's on it, she glitters, she is watched the entire time. Tonya Pinkins is glum all the way through (well, hell, that's her character!), there's less of a range of emotions presented.. but her emotion (despair, grief, failure, etc) is perfect. Absolutely spot-on, and she had a show stopping number too. They're both brilliant in very different ways, but really I'd like to see Kristin Chenoweth get it - for me, she owned the show.
And, for Best Musical, definitely Wicked. Avenue Q is nice, but not 'best'. I actually think it will lose out on a lot of awards, I can't see anything immediately it will win for, which is a shame cos it deserves recognition.
Anyway I have to dash to 'The Ladykillers'..
Jake.
WICKED: Sat in the $55 obstructed view seats, but it wasn't too bad, you saw about 65% of the stage but most of the blocking is at the front, so it's fine. Kristin Chenoweth? That Tony should be hers. (more on that later..) She was absolutely electric, from beginning to end. When she came on stage, everyone sat up. Idina Menzel actually has the better songs though, so I think they both deserve Tony recognition. Disappointment here was Norbert Leo Butz - but he was simply miscast, and also had the dull song Dancing Through Life.
Joel Grey - agreed, boring. Does not deserve Tony supporting, but he will get a nomination I'm sure. The sets and staging are so brilliant, so expensive, it was very Disney - eg, very polished. However, I think a clever book made this show (book script, not book novel). The CD doesn't stand up on its own, but in context the songs are used well.. I just didn't want Popular to end.
AVENUE Q: Didn't win the lottery so got $46 rear mezz and then she upgraded my ticket to a $91 seat! Great view. The show is very American.. having not grown up on Sesame Street and loathed the Muppets a lot of that humour was lost on me I think - though the 'one night stand' thing was genius! The songs are cute, the whole show is very 'cute'. The lead guy (John Targatlia.. sp??) was very good - I'd like to see him get a Tony nomination, but I'm not sure if the woman will get one, she was good too but in a different way.. not in the 'Tony' way, if you get me.
CAROLINE, OR CHANGE: Got $56 discount code, slap bang in the middle of the orchestra, six rows from the front. I felt the audience was VERY snotty though, it was first preview and they all totally looked down at me, didn't even say thank you when I moved for them to get to their seats. Not a pleasant audience.
But the show? I'm 50/50 on it I guess. It's very new, very original - but I couldn't help but think 'I wish this was a play'. The songs, although beautiful - and certainly beautifully performed - weren't memorable, and for me, that's what a musical should be. As a play, this has so much more dramatic potential - *in my opinion*. But - it WAS good, and I did enjoy it. The idea was very interesting. I loved the staging and direction. The supporting actress, Vivanne something (sorry Playbill is packed) HAS to get the Tony - she was brilliant. The kids were all fantastic, their act one finale was a highlight.
TONY: OK, so Tony thoughts on Best Actress. It's going to be between Tonya Pinkins and Kristin Chenoweth I think. All through Caroline I kept thinking 'geez, who is better?', but couldn't put my finger on it. Chenoweth is so much more a character, she OWNS the stage when she's on it, she glitters, she is watched the entire time. Tonya Pinkins is glum all the way through (well, hell, that's her character!), there's less of a range of emotions presented.. but her emotion (despair, grief, failure, etc) is perfect. Absolutely spot-on, and she had a show stopping number too. They're both brilliant in very different ways, but really I'd like to see Kristin Chenoweth get it - for me, she owned the show.
And, for Best Musical, definitely Wicked. Avenue Q is nice, but not 'best'. I actually think it will lose out on a lot of awards, I can't see anything immediately it will win for, which is a shame cos it deserves recognition.
Anyway I have to dash to 'The Ladykillers'..
Jake.
