#1
Posted: 3/17/13 at 10:26pm
What a disappointment!
I don’t know where the pre-show enthusiasm of the audience came from, but they are certainly prepared to have a good time well before the curtain goes up. What transpires over the next 2 + hours is some very talented folks trying their best to elevate a sweet, yet very trite story. Craftsmanship abounds as is evidenced by the sets, costumes and shoes, but Director Jerry Mitchell has bitten off more than he can chew. He’s not quite the director this show desperately needs given its clichéd book and some overly long songs. His choreography (what put him on the map in the first place) suffers dearly and we’re left with several sloppy musical numbers, and “Cagelles”, excuse me, "Angels", who while talented, aren’t given anything inventive to work with.
Aside from a few clever one-liners and some sentimental moments, the book by Harvey Fierstein takes a good part of the first Act to take off, but regains momentum (sans boxing match) in Act Two. Cyndi Lauper has a few winners in her score, “The Sex is in the Heel” , “Raise You Up” and “Everybody Says Yeah”, but the shows ballads need some serious editing.
It’s unfortunate that Billy Porter was not in good voice on Friday night, as his vocals weren’t as powerful as they could’ve been. He’s terrific (if being only one note) as Lola and is certainly more comfy in in heels versus oxfords. It’s a winning performance, and he certainly helps to elevate the show whenever he’s on stage. Annaleigh Ashford injects some quirky humor and puts her song across like a pro, though I wish she had more to do. Which brings me to Stark Sands. I first saw him in Journey’s End where I thought he was terrific. Here he just seems out of his league as the lead performer in a Broadway musical. While he can sing the songs, I didn’t find any magnetism or star quality needed to carry the show. He’s a certainly a good enough actor, but it was sort of like watching Clark Kent being unable to rip off his shirt and tie. I just don’t think he fits the bill here.
I wanted so much to enjoy this more, and while I certainly had a smile on my face during several of the musical numbers (the cast is wonderful), I couldn’t help leaving with the Been There, Seen That, Done That feeling.
I don’t know where the pre-show enthusiasm of the audience came from, but they are certainly prepared to have a good time well before the curtain goes up. What transpires over the next 2 + hours is some very talented folks trying their best to elevate a sweet, yet very trite story. Craftsmanship abounds as is evidenced by the sets, costumes and shoes, but Director Jerry Mitchell has bitten off more than he can chew. He’s not quite the director this show desperately needs given its clichéd book and some overly long songs. His choreography (what put him on the map in the first place) suffers dearly and we’re left with several sloppy musical numbers, and “Cagelles”, excuse me, "Angels", who while talented, aren’t given anything inventive to work with.
Aside from a few clever one-liners and some sentimental moments, the book by Harvey Fierstein takes a good part of the first Act to take off, but regains momentum (sans boxing match) in Act Two. Cyndi Lauper has a few winners in her score, “The Sex is in the Heel” , “Raise You Up” and “Everybody Says Yeah”, but the shows ballads need some serious editing.
It’s unfortunate that Billy Porter was not in good voice on Friday night, as his vocals weren’t as powerful as they could’ve been. He’s terrific (if being only one note) as Lola and is certainly more comfy in in heels versus oxfords. It’s a winning performance, and he certainly helps to elevate the show whenever he’s on stage. Annaleigh Ashford injects some quirky humor and puts her song across like a pro, though I wish she had more to do. Which brings me to Stark Sands. I first saw him in Journey’s End where I thought he was terrific. Here he just seems out of his league as the lead performer in a Broadway musical. While he can sing the songs, I didn’t find any magnetism or star quality needed to carry the show. He’s a certainly a good enough actor, but it was sort of like watching Clark Kent being unable to rip off his shirt and tie. I just don’t think he fits the bill here.
I wanted so much to enjoy this more, and while I certainly had a smile on my face during several of the musical numbers (the cast is wonderful), I couldn’t help leaving with the Been There, Seen That, Done That feeling.
