LEAP OF FAITH Previews — Page 2

I was there. It is definitely not the worst show ever. I was listening to some people talking after the show and there were people that loved it and people that thought it needed improvement, but no one said it was bad. I have to say THE MOST AMAZING ENDING EVER! Kendra was top notch, there is alot to do with that role and she did everything right. Brooke is not the best singer ever, but she improved as the show went on. She got an entrance applause. Raul was absolutely phenomenal. He has a fabulous voice and he is a terrific actor. There were almost no problems except Kendra's mike (sp?) going out, but it just went on. The costumes are good, and I really liked the sets but they weren't "big." There was a song with Kendra, called Are You on or Off that IMO was the best in the show. The sets where a bit under done, they could have been bigger, but I did really like them.

Updated On: 9/13/10 at 07:11 PM

He has a fabulous voice and he is a terrific actress.

I loled.

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Orangeskittles do you not agree with that statement? He has an INCREDIBLE voice. Go look up being alive raul esparza on youtube it is truly incredible IMO

humbugfoto: "(I can't be the only BWW person in LA who went last night - anybody else care to weigh in??)"

LOL. I guess that would be me. I'm the other BWW person who went last night. I wasn't planning to write a full review (yet) only because I'd like to see what they will eventually consider a "finished product" once the show officially opens in October and compare it with this first preview.

My initial thoughts though... I'm pretty much in agreement with most of the consensus in that the show definitely needs a LOT of work, mostly editing and transitions. However, I thought it was still quite an enjoyable musical (I'm a sucker for gospel music, and Alan Menken's songs here -- which included non-gospel numbers too -- were actually quite good). I appreciated the ballet transitions (in the opening, it was actually quite riveting), but after the 2nd and 3rd one, they almost felt unnecessary and a little, um, well, disruptive. Sets were minimal, but I wasn't looking for that to be too extravagant anyway.

I can corroborate all of the audio/mic problems as well, which made it difficult to understand A LOT of the lyrics (and I sat up in the box seat below a speaker).

Raúl was excellent. Wow, what a great singer and actor...and to see his face up close as he acted... very, very impressive. Singing wise, loved Kendra K., Kecia L-E., Leslie Odom Jr. and WOW... Krystal Joy Brown! I mean, that choir sounded so FULL, as if I was listening to the entire Broadway Inspirational Voices troupe. I also thought the kid actor (Nicholas Barasch) was great (yes, he got me teary-eyed at the end). And it was nice to see Bryce Ryness in the cast too.

Ok. So Ms. Shields. When she first came out at the opening ballet, my friend and I thought, wow, GORGEOUS. She certainly has a presence and I actually LOVED her acting performance throughout. But as for her singing... well, it's just not up to par with the rest of the cast, unfortunately. Perhaps she was nervous, but she was extremely pitchy (admittedly, I can't compare her other stage musicals because this is my first time seeing her on the stage).

My friend swore to me that he thinks the audio guys actually turned her mic volume down in her duet with Kendra. Hmmm...

I do plan to see it again after it opens so I'm crossing my fingers...

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Updated On: 9/12/10 at 07:53 PM

I was there last night as well and thoroughly enjoyed it! I thought that the first act was a bit long but that the second act really picked up, with showstopper after showstopper! The score is very strong. Brooke Sheilds was simply adequate, not amazing, not horrible. But everyone else were amazing, especially in the "Bus" song, resulting into thunderous applause. The effect in the end was truly breathtaking. Yes it does need some work but with some tweaking, this could be great. I also talked with the New York producers at the stage door and they both said that they are shooting for a Broadway opening this season!

I was actually really hard to notice unless you were really watching. At one point Brooke was sitting on a bench and Raul got on the bench in a squat position on his feet haha.

You should really use a spoiler warning for the ending. As of now that sounds like a rip-off of 110 in the Shade's ending.

The entire show sounds like an amalgamation of 110 IN THE SHADE, ELMER GANTRY and THE MUSIC MAN. I mean, Jonas and Marva sing a duet called "I Can Read You." Doesn't that just reek of "You're Not Fooling Me"?

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Well, the show follows a lot of the tried-and-true musical theater formulas (and more to the point, so did the original movie, without being a musical), but I don't think that's a reason to criticize it. Lots of things do; it's about how you use those formulas and executive the material that fills them in.

I still really think the height difference should be the least of anyone's concerns. I don't understand the need to focus on it. It's not like it's going to hurt the show. That's the kind of thing that's going to be made a big deal by people looking for it.

Does anyone know who is covering Raul? I think Bryce Ryness would make an excellent Jonas.

"He has a fabulous voice and he is a terrific actress.

I loled."

Me too.

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Updated On: 9/12/10 at 11:07 PM

AWESOME. He'll be great. Totally different, but great.

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Luv, believe me. I wasn't dwelling on the height difference. However it was the only item we'd talked about prior to the show that was alluded to here but not specifically expanded upon.

I do love getting more of a glimpse into bits of the show. :)

I was there last night and would echo was others have already said. I was quite impressed. Raul Esparza is simply phenomenal in a part seemingly tailor made for him. Really enjoyed most of the score, especially the numbers in the traveling preacher show, which are tour de force numbers for Esparza. Brooke Shields is better than I expected, and her acting is quite good. Her singing voice is merely passable, and she seemed to veer off pitch often, but expect she'll grow into the role.

The rest of the cast is very good. I'd agree that some of the Agnes DeMille-esque town folk choreography could be tightened (though the dancing is very enjoyable, it seems to cover scene changes w/o much motivation).

Highly recommended -- can't wait to see how it evolves in the coming weeks. Definitely going back!

There are a couple of promo videos on this site, which give you a rough idea of the set. Frankly, however, I don't think the videos really do the show justice. The sets work well and are evocative of the place. The dances provide a transition between scenes, and are enjoyable but not yet it suited for weary townsfolk, hoping for rain.

I was there Saturday night as well. Wasn't the worst show ever. Music is very generic, I can't remember a single melody. Raul was great, he should rethink the shaggy hair and beard though. It doesn't really fit the character that well. Brooke is fine with the acting, but her singing is awful!!! It got to the point where people around us (we were in the orchestra, row K)were visibly squirming everytime she opened up to sing. They can not take her to Broadway. She is THAT bad. The songs were written for someone with a far stronger voice. They do not need a star in that role. This is clearly a vehicle for Raul (or rather the Jonas character is the star). Don't really see this with much of a life on Broadway, but would do well regionally.