Ladies and Gentleman....Taye Diggs is your next Hedwig- Page 12

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 6:24am

By the way, there were no hurt locker playbills near me last night. Did anyone see who replaced Taye?  

[timrobb1414]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 7:00am

I have tickets for 8/1 and 8/12.  It will be interesting to see the difference.  I am looking forward to seeing it. 

[dfrillsnedit]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 7:26am

I was also there last night, all the way in Row E of the Balcony. After sleeping on it, here are some thoughts:

In my mind, Taye has the potential to be one of the best Hedwigs to ever set on stage. But let me emphasize the word potential, because last night was a huge example of how much work he has to still do to get to that point.

The most obvious highlight of this incarnation of the show, like many have said, is the soulful quality of his singing/the songs, making them almost sound brand new. Particularly his Wicked Little Town and Origin of Love were among my favorites. Taye also has this beautiful aura of confidence (in some aspects) of the role that are truly a joy to watch, particularly when he speaks his new lines of dialog, my favorite being references to his career and an awesome joke about the Jeffersons.

As many have also mentioned, he is also the saddest of Hedwig's, and I can't wait to see him evolve those aspects of his role as his run continues. It was so touching, especially when he is playing Hansel's mother and saying her lines before Angry Inch.

As for things to work on, I actually was a bit disappointed with his approach to Tommy. Maybe it's because I was so surprised and shocked by Darren's version, that this was automatically gonna be a let down, but I'd like to see him try and differiate that character more as he continues.

I hope that the make up/wardrobe department helps him figure out the sweating/make up issue, since (especially during the car/Wig in a Box malfunction) that was definitely getting in the way of his performance. 

Overall, I will definitely be returning to the Belasco to see his evolution as Hedwig in about a month or so, and already have tickets to see him near the end of his run in Oct. He definitely is a candidate for being in my top 3 favorites, if he keeps working at it! Go Taye, go! 

 

 

 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 7:55am

"By the way, there were no hurt locker playbills near me last night. Did anyone see who replaced Taye?  "

I have one and Taye's in it. I can't find my old Hurt Locker playbill to compare, though.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 9:39am

A couple of things that always make me laugh while browsing my copies of HURT LOCKER: THE MUSICAL are the silly names of the understudies listed and the disclaimer: "RUNNING TIME FOR HURT LOCKER IS 6 HOURS AND 4 MINUTES. THERE WILL BE THREE 15 MINUTE INTERMISSIONS". LOL! Can you imagine?!!

 

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 09:39 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 9:42am

To think, it was Taye Diggs who caused the breakup of me and CarlosAlberto.  Talk about your lockers of hurt.

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 9:57am

Well, I've never been attracted to a man in a skirt, but WOW...Taye Diggs looks stunning. I for sure will be getting around to see this at some point. From the reports on here, it sounds like Taye has the potential to be the best Hedwig yet.

[SDV]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:07am

I would definitely wait a few weeks. I saw him last night and his voice sounds great (I always forget that he is actually a beautiful singer) and he does seem to understand the soul of the character, but he is simply not ready. He seems barely off book and is reaching for almost every line. I think with time it will come, but that time is not now.

I'll be back to see him in in August-ish.

[skies]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:56am

All this talk of a more sad and melancholy Hedwig sounds interesting.   They obviously had to adjust the arrangements for his range, but so far from accounts he fits the bill of a fresh take on the character.

 

 

[karen24]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 12:26pm

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful reports. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this again when I'm back in the city in late August.

I've only seen Hedwig twice, both times with Darren Criss, and both times I sat near the front of the mezz. From my admittedly limited experience, it did seem as if the mezz crowd was a LOT more subdued than the folks down in the orchestra. People seemed to be enjoying it overall (although four people near me got up and left for good just before "Wicked Little Town" when I saw it last Friday night, which I just can't understand ), but no one raised their hands during "Midnight Radio," for example, and the response after each song was basically appreciative clapping, but nothing else.

I can see now that you get a really different experience sitting in the orchestra and I'm going to try to do that next time.

By the way, how was TD's interaction with the audience in "Sugar Daddy"?

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:16pm

"By the way, how was TD's interaction with the audience in "Sugar Daddy"?"

Hard to tell from my vantage point because it was behind me, but he seemed generally to be a little bitchier to the audience as part of his character.

 

he did all the standard moves. He doesn't get as low during the car wash. I think this is due to him not being as flexible. The lucky recipient was to the house left of the house left aisle in the first row.  

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 4:37pm

Wait, dfrillsnedit, what was the malfunction during Wig in a Box? 

[skies]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 5:08pm

To me Taye exudes masculinity and I was wondering with those who already went to the show if that works per his character study of Hedwig?

ETA: Apparently tonights show is  nearly sold out which bodes well for a good opening week box office take.

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 05:08 PM

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 9:16pm

"To me Taye exudes masculinity and I was wondering with those who already went to the show if that works per his character study of Hedwig?
ETA: Apparently tonights show is  nearly sold out which bodes well for a good opening week box office take."

 It did for me. I thought it was an interesting contrast. Almost like someone who beefed up and became outwardly strong to cover inner weakness. Really excited to see this once they get the kinks worked out. 

 

 

I hope others report this week whether any of the issues have been sorted. Sadly I probably won't be back in New York until September. (Although I didn't know I'd be there yesterday until a few days ago. :))

[dfrillsnedit]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 9:57pm

"Wait, dfrillsnedit, what was the malfunction during Wig in a Box? "

Right before he got into "Wig in a Box" and Yitzhak is going through the timeline bit, Taye slid really hard off the car and couldn't stay still. It got so bad that his wig was turned sideways, and Rebecca had to keep trying to fix his wig. 

But Taye, being the improve pro he is, made it work super well, in that when he picked up the rear window prop, he looked in it and said something like, "Who am I?" And the audience lost it! He clearly made lemonade out of the situation like a boss. Interested to hear if tonight ends up better.

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 09:57 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:01pm

Ah yes. That was fun! I thought you meant something happened while he was changing, and I remembered being impressed at how smoothly that part all went.

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:38pm

That improv worked so well I thought maybe it was intentional. 

[Phan2]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:41pm

I'm so glad to hear he's quite good in terms of improv.  His Hedwig sounds like it has so much potential to really move people.  I hope we get an audio recording from a sneaky fan soon of a few songs.

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 11:41 PM

[veronicamae]

Posted: 7/24/15 at 12:01am

Saw it tonight.

1) Couldn't find a Hurt Locker Playbill, but I saw a girl in front of me with one. *shakes fist*

2) Had great seats in the 2nd from last row of the mezz, center.

3) There's an usher there that really needs to take it down a few notches with her intensity.

4) Taye was...okay (IMO). I found him funny, but a bit stiff, maybe not comfortable in the role yet. He didn't do the bit with the keyboard player's unpronounceable name. I liked the added jokes. He kissed a guy in the front row. Gave the Love Theme sheet music and "shroud" to a couple enthusiastic girls in the front row.

5) At the stage door, he ran around haphazardly, signed for 30ish random people, and disappeared.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 7/24/15 at 12:36am

Saw it tonight as well! Taye used a facecloth for pretty much the first three-quarters of the show now, and he used it...pretty frequently. He plays it off relatively well with hilarious "melted chocolate" lines, etc., but I really hope he can settle into the physicality of the role quickly. I was infinitely more cognizant of how demanding the role is than I was with previous Hedwigs. 

I was slightly disappointed in how he dropped the ball with some of the book. I found him frequently repeating the final words of a sentence (as if struggling to remember what comes next in the show), and he mangled a few of of the script's perfect one-liners. There were also a few lyrical fumbles, particularly in "The Origin of Love" and the "long story short" section of "Angry Inch."

That said, though, his voice...DANG. He is, vocally, perhaps the most beautiful Hedwig I've heard. He and Rebecca have excellent chemistry, too. There was a butterfly fluttering throughout the theater for the first half of the show, and when it finally hit Taye's line of vision, he just watched it fly off into stage right. I've never heard audience laughter so thunderous. 

Anyway, I'm glad to have a ticket for later in his run, because I see SO much potential for him to grow into his shell. It's not so much a matter of getting into a comfort zone for him, though—it's a matter of just knowing every little thing inside and out. 

(Also, I'm a long-time reader of the board, and I finally felt motivated to set up an account and start writing! Hi, y'all!) 

[ChildofEarth]

Posted: 7/24/15 at 3:42pm

So I have been following Broadway World for quite a few years, and last night I was finally pushed over the edge to make an account - and I know that first time posters aren't always taken seriously. As a long time Hedhead who has been with the show through ups and downs, I'm appalled.

I cannot believe that the Hedwig team allowed Taye to go on with how unprepared he is. I almost asked for a refund when the show was over.

It went way over time because he repeated lines several times, he got confused in the story, the dancing was stiff, and he nearly knocked Rebecca over several times, which interfered with the way she holds Yitzhak.

To be honest, it seemed more like a high school production than a Broadway show.

It may have been such a let down because I set the bar so high in my mind, but I truly think he needed another 2-3 weeks of rehearsals. Surely they could have asked John to step in for those two weeks (a HUGE boost in sales) or they could have kept Darren for a few more weeks, as his sales were getting better when his fanbase didn't have school. Or they could have gone dark for a week - it would have been better than what I saw.

I will say though, Taye is obviously bringing in money hand over fist with two sold out shows - I just hope they know what they are seeing IS NOT Hedwig. And I truly hope the team doesn't sell out and think this good and keep hiring people who bring in money but not the delivery.

In any case, he sounds good in most of the songs. Not really like Hedwig, but he sounds good. And the sweating stuff was hilarious and he played it off pretty well.

Updated On: 7/24/15 at 03:42 PM

[karen24]

Posted: 7/24/15 at 4:25pm

I know Darren is now in Italy to start working on a film, so most likely it wouldn't have been possible for him to extend.

I doubt the producers would have entertained the thought of going dark for a week, knowing that people would come to see Taye even if he were under-rehearsed - I think a lot of people will go just because of his celebrity, not because they knew anything about the show. Wouldn't producers lose a lot more by going dark than by staying open? It's not like Taye was going to be reviewed.

I have been very curious as to how Taye's portrayal of Hedwig will be. I'll be interested to read more reports of his acting from people who've seen many actors in the role. Right now I just can't envision him as Hedwig, but I'm obviously refraining from judgement until I actually see him perform (hopefully next month.)

 

[ChildofEarth]

Posted: 7/24/15 at 5:07pm

I've seen every Hedwig at least once, and have seen a few of them more than once. I saw John probably too many times to deem sane. As a note, I don't go along with the more passionate Hedheads on who I liked best - wasn't a fan of Neil or Andrew, ADORED Michael, John is God, and I really, really enjoyed Darren during the week (not on the weekends...god wouldn't go NEAR the Belasco on a weekend.)

The problem is that I couldn't see his acting through the fumbles. The accent was ODD and kept going in and out and the emotion didn't feel "earned" to me.

Taye is a fantastic actor, but I'm not sure stage is where he belongs. His Hedwig is angry, but that's it. She lacks some of the sadness and comfort that John brought, the downtown humor of Andrew, the rage that Michael brought from his soul, and those beautiful moments of joy that Darren found.

I think if I had to point out a strength, it would be his relationship with Yitzhak. Since Rebecca didn't go on all that much with  John, I'm only really comparing it to Darren. Rebecca and Darren had HOT chemistry on certain nights, but other nights it was cold. As I've only seen one show with Taye, I can say that there seems to be respect between Taye and Rebecca that shines through into Yitzhak and Hedwig - respect but maybe not lust or love like I've seen with others.

Knowing now that Darren up and left right after it was over (is he the first to do that, I thought they typically stuck around to help?) I wish he had worked with Taye on his Tommy. Darren's Tommy was really the only time one of the actors made me like and understand him, and Taye's needs some development.

Going dark isn't a realistic suggestion..but I still think it would have been the suggestion with integrity.

Updated On: 7/24/15 at 05:07 PM

[HedwigInch]

Posted: 7/24/15 at 5:24pm

Darren apparently started the movie this week and was at some film festival today so he couldn't stay around really. Not sure if he got to help Taye before his own run ended? 

I think like every Hedwig Taye will grow more into the role. I trust JCM and co to cast capable actors. Of course not ever actor is everyone's cup of tea but so far every Hedwig seems to have been liked by a lot of people, not necessarily the same people but you know.

[SDV]

Posted: 7/24/15 at 6:51pm

Why in God's name would Taye need Darren to stay around and "help" him when JCM is here?