Kiss Of The Spiderwoman Revival?- Page 2

[Owen22]

Posted: 5/7/20 at 10:37pm

ljay889 said: "HeyMrMusic said: "I’d love to see an all-Latino production."

Me too! Karen Olivo would be fabulous, but she's more of a "mover" than a dancer. Moulin Rouge did an excellent job of concealing her limitations and highlighting what she is capable of dance wise. Acting and singing wise, she'd be perfect."

Didn't she win a Tony for playing the " female dance LEAD" in West Side Story?

[Tag]

Posted: 5/7/20 at 11:11pm

^Yes, but everyone knew she couldn't dance it.

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 5/7/20 at 11:22pm

Didn't she win a Tony for playing the " female dance LEAD" in West Side Story?

Yes, but her dancing was often pointed out as being weaker than her predecessors. Her acting and singing were so strong that it didn’t really matter to most people, but Chita she is not.

 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/7/20 at 11:46pm

It seemed like the choreography was modified for her. Don’t know if it was actually watered down or if that’s how she performed it, but the dance was not what her Anita was remembered for. Her long hair probably helped sell the physicality more.

[StephieElise]

Posted: 5/8/20 at 7:52am

Broadway is welcome to borrow Ainsley Melham again to play Molina. His performance in Melbourne last year was honestly one of the best I have ever seen from any actor in any medium.

[ChildofEarth]

Posted: 5/8/20 at 7:59am

Valentina3 said: "My current dream cast for this would be starring Amber Gray, with Ben Winshaw as Molina and Raúl Esparza as Valentin.

(sorry about that gasp you just uttered)."

The amount of air that just exited my lungs. Holy.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/8/20 at 8:02am

HeyMrMusic said: "It seemed like the choreography was modified for her. Don’t know if it was actually watered down or if that’s how she performed it, but the dance was not what her Anita was remembered for. Her long hair probably helped sell the physicality more."

It was indeed modified by Joey McKneely. At the time, PalJoey and others named all of the changes. The most famous modification was the ending of “America,” unfortunately I don’t know what that particular dance move is called, but many weren’t happy that it was changed. 

Now in 2020, WSS has been completely changed, lol. 

Updated On: 5/8/20 at 08:02 AM

[pmensky]

Posted: 5/8/20 at 12:26pm

I saw both Chita and Vanessa Williams in the original production. Chita was wonderful, but Vanessa was thrilling in the title role. Vanessa is also currently a few years younger than Chita was when she did it.  She would be an ideal pick for the revival. Other than Karen Olivo, I can’t think of a bigger name in the Broadway community who could successfully headline a revival at this time.

[bryan2]

Posted: 5/8/20 at 12:52pm

hav

ing seen Chita in this 4x and i also saw MCAlonzo…i have a hard time picturing Audra McDonald....I also never liked the Vanessa recording it seemed they slowed down the music and it lost its energy when she sang..her voice was great just seemed dull to me...I think Vanessa live was very different because of her youth 

[Steve C.]

Posted: 5/8/20 at 1:47pm

The new show on CW Katy Keane did a pretty good job of interpreting Kiss just a few weeks back. All the characters in the story got to perform songs from the show, as the main story line is that one character is actually performing in his off Broadway debut. They even put the cast album out on iTunes/mp3's.You should give it a listen or see if you can DVR the episode.

[Owen22]

Posted: 5/8/20 at 2:01pm

StephieElise said: "Broadway is welcome to borrow Ainsley Melham again to play Molina. His performance in Melbourne last year was honestly one of the best I have ever seen from any actor in any medium."

He really wasn't that great. Adequate. But far from definitive. We have a dozen or so Molina's that would easily outdo him.

 

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 5/8/20 at 6:40pm

A revival would very likely have new choreographies, so it's impossible to say how dance-heavy the role of Aurora is going to be. It's not like simplifying Robbins' original choreography for Olivo in WSS, she would be dancing a new choreo built entirely around her. That said, what made the role so thrilling was to see great dancers and triple threats like Chita or Bene Neuwirth fully showcasing their talent(s): a non-dancer Aurora like Audra or Donna would take away a lot of the excitement of the part.

Updated On: 5/8/20 at 06:40 PM

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 5/8/20 at 7:24pm

StephieElise said: "Broadway is welcome to borrow Ainsley Melham again to play Molina. His performance in Melbourne last year was honestly one of the best I have ever seen from any actor in any medium. "


That Melbourne production was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen done by MTC. Dean Bryant should never be allowed to direct a musical ever again. Poor Caroline O’Connor who came out looking like a washed up drag queen who has seen better days. Nothing about that production worked. 
 

One is thankful that Covid19 stopped Bryant destroying Fun Home this year

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 5/8/20 at 10:14pm

'you tell 'em darl'....................I agree.

[binau]

Posted: 5/9/20 at 5:54am

Caroline certainly played the role very camp..but in some ways isn't the point of her scenes that they are trying to escape the horrible situation and get lost in the 'song and dance'? (at the very least, she sounded great!). I can see it maybe being a little bit more interesting and rewarding if they toned down the Camp and made her seem more mysterious and glamorous though.

Updated On: 5/9/20 at 05:54 AM

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 5/9/20 at 10:56am

I'm finding this show to be SUPER topical right now.....2 men trapped in a cell and using their imagination/desperation to conjure up a fantasy to help them 'escape'. Very relatable lately.

Updated On: 5/9/20 at 10:56 AM

[Owen22]

Posted: 5/9/20 at 11:54am

rosscoe(au) said: "StephieElise said: "Broadway is welcome to borrow Ainsley Melham again to play Molina. His performance in Melbourne last year was honestly one of the best I have ever seen from any actor in any medium. "


That Melbourne production was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen done by MTC. Dean Bryant should never be allowed to direct a musical ever again. Poor Caroline O’Connor who came out looking like a washed up drag queen who has seen better days. Nothing about that production worked.


One is thankful that Covid19 stopped Bryant destroying Fun Home this year"

This, this and this.

[Owen22]

Posted: 5/9/20 at 12:00pm

qolbinau said: "Caroline certainly played the role very camp..but in some ways isn't the point of her scenes that they are trying to escape the horrible situation and get lost in the 'song and dance'? (at the very least, she sounded great!). I can see it maybe being a little bit more interesting and rewarding if they toned down the Camp and made her seem more mysterious and glamorous though."

I LOVE Caroline O'Connor. One of the reasons for my Oz trip was to see her in this. But she was just SOOOO wrong for the role.   Now, she could dance and sing it.   And a few years ago,  somehow, she was able to overcome her miscasting as Phyllis in Chicago Shake's "Follies".--it was wonderful to see a full triple threat Phyllis.  But.  Aurora is a 40's screen vamp, statuesque, mysterious.  Caroline, as I'm sure I've said on these boards previously, came off a bit like a cartoon.