I caught this production yesterday. What a wonderful evening of theater. Porter's score is glorious within the book that is still charming and fresh, even for being written in the late 40's. Though dated, it did not feel like a museum piece. It's wonderfully entertaining.
Spoilers:
The design was as expected as there aren't many scenes outside of the dressing rooms and on stage. Both had nice details throughout. I loved the multi-tiered set serving as the backstage space, utilizing the stairways on either side for various dance numbers and scenes. The costumes were the standard period designs and so very rich in color. I loved the velvet's used in the Shrew numbers. The colors of the painted flats for Padua were simple but effective. That combined with the costumes created a lovely picturesque image.
As mentioned by previous members, Too Darn Hot, In My Fashion, and Tom, Dick or Harry were standouts that got the audience cheering. The choreography by Carlyle was exciting and spunky as proved by Will Burton, Rick Faugno, and Bleu - - they were a great trio around Styles.
What can I say about Corbin Bleu that hasn't already been praised? It's a pleasure to have him on the stage and he is quite the hoofer. His tap numbers are thrilling (the ensemble too) and like Holiday Inn -- he is a throwback to the golden age. Love him! Styles owns the stage for her Always True to You number as her voice is just as exciting as her flirtatious character. She made the song her own with creative intonation and pacing. The concept with the wooden plank / ladder made it all the more entertaining to observe.
Will Chase - I think this role fits him like a glove. While still in early in previews -- he is already giving us a nuanced and layered performance. Grounded in his resonating emotions and wonderfully humorous when called for -- it's a great performance. Like his Shakespeare in Rotten -- he commands the stage. His voice is glorious. His chemistry/ timing with O' Hara is on-point and delightful - greatly due to Chase himself.
O'Hara. The woman has a voice of an Angel. She colored the score and brought various moments to thrilling heights. I am eagerly awaiting a cast recording --this entire cast needs to be preserved.
Now, I have thought about this all morning -- and this is not to upset any O'Hara fans ...but I thought her book scenes were the weakest link of the show. Yes, she kept her pacing which allowed others to play off of her. Yes, she made her own choices as Lilli Vanessi (as there is no reason to imitate any previous actress). Yet there was literally ZERO transition from her offstage Vanessi (which was subdued to say-the-least) to her Shrew. I didn't think she hated men or her ex-husband at various points. I just thought she just didn't care much. What was limp about her acting had then completely died from that moment on...
She wasn't angry nor smug. She wasn't contemptuous or vociferous. Even as the situation escalated (being forced on stage by the Gangsters, etc). She had no sense of urgency. She hit her marks and played up the bruised/aching factor (with an actual limp) but that was it. I feel Ellis has done great work on this production but I'm going to place the blame on him, for example, the I Hate Men number.
No, she doesn't need to sit on the bench or bang the mug on the table as staged previously (or kick everything in anger). From my perspective, they presented the song as a true monologue...having her move around addressing the audience (as usually presented) - adding in two moments with the male ensemble which were comedic. If O'Hara had played as if she wasn't in a tech rehearsal -- I would have actually enjoyed the staging.
Again, she sang it beautifully and her singing salvaged her performance (to an extent). This is just my opinion -- I look forward to other works of her in the future. There is a reason she is so successful. This was not it.
More Spoilers:
As for the "changes" that were implemented for our current audience of 2019; I won't go into great detail but the entire show was not re-worked dramatically. Just several smaller moments.
That's it for now. Please excuse any grammatical errors, etc.
Updated On: 2/21/19 at 02:51 PM
