LEAP OF FAITH Previews- Page 2

[broadwayboy987]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 7:11pm

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

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 7:14pm

^ 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.
Updated On: 9/12/10 at 07:14 PM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 7:36pm

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

I loled.

[wonkit]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 7:37pm

I am thrilled that everyone who knows this score finds a favorite song, and they're all different! Personally I find "Straight into the Sunset" irresistible.

[broadwayboy987]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 7:46pm

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

[ObiHave]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 7:52pm

I think the laughing reference was to the word "actress." I almost choked on that myself.

[cre8ivemlq]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 7:53pm

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...

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

[broadwayboy987]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 8:03pm

Oh haha my mistake.

[seussical93]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 8:55pm

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!

[Hest882]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 8:55pm

Thanks for the reviews everyone. Sooo...how did they offset the height difference b/t Raul and Brooke Shields? Did they just not have them stand closely together unless absolutely necessary?

[seussical93]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 9:04pm

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.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 9:44pm

"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 would love to see an opening this season! It sounds like with some tweaking the show could be very good. I am disappointed to hear about the minimalistic sets though. Robin Wagner's work is usually pretty amazing, but having not seen the show I don't know.

[AC126748]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 10:45pm

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"?

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 10:46pm

I thought they handled the height difference rather well. Aside from the obvious (flats for Brooke and boots with heels for Raul) they used different levels of the various sets. Raul is very physical in the role, always moving, all over the place. A lot of the time there was no need for Marva and Jonas to be close together. But the rest of the time they used different positions on different levels of the sets to their advantage. For example, in the diner scene, Raul roamed between a pair of chairs he sprawled across, one of the stools, and the countertop. At Marva's house, the set was just a suggestion of a front porch, with a bench. But there was a railing and he perched on that, and then he sat on the bench while Brook was on the stage floor, and when she came to the bench, he perched on the arm of the bench. And when they leaned in for the kiss, he leaned forward from his perch on the arm which put him higher than Brooke, so it worked. It was a bit awkward, but it did work.

The only time they had to kiss standing face to face was in the final scene, and when the time came, well, Brooke crouched. Just a little, but it was enough to level them out. (However, Raul couldn't seem to let her go and kept on kissing and kissing her and her expression started to a little wild like she was thinking "enough already! I'm getting a cramp!" But it was very cute).

It was all rather cleverly done, I thought.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 11:07pm

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.

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

[AC126748]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 11:09pm

Bryce Ryness is covering Raul.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 11:11pm

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

[AC126748]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 11:14pm

I agree. I'd love to see him in the role.

[Hest882]

Posted: 9/12/10 at 11:53pm

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. :)

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 12:18am

Fair enough, though I do find a dissertation on the specifics to be a bit excessive.

I'd love to hear more from others about the overall look of the show, and how it moves, etc. I know the score, but I'd love to have some visual ideas to go with that, and I really want to know what kind of shape it's in, perhaps from objective eyes.

[decotodd]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 12:56am

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!

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 1:15am

I am also interested in the overall look of the show. I know the set in very minimalistic, but does it work well with the show? And does the dancing during the scene changes help with smoother transitions? I can't wait to see the production photos when they come out.

[decotodd]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 1:27am

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.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 1:48am

There are suddenly little dancing Rauls all over BWW.

How is the chemistry between Raul and Brooke? I know they'll grow into it more, but hopefully they're off to a good start.

[LALALand]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 12:48pm

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.