Posted: 8/5/15 at 11:47pm
Michael was profiled, including part-review of his Hedwig, by the theater critic of the Toronto Star, Richard Ouzounian. He was impressed.
Updated On: 8/5/15 at 11:47 PM
Posted: 8/5/15 at 11:50pm
""About.com isn't quite a legit theatre review, though JCM got some for his Hedwig, including NYT review."
John's run is an anomaly - thought I think About is more legit than anything the other three got, right? Especially MCH and DC."
Michael C Hall got these reviews.
http://britishtheatre.com/review-hedwig-and-the-angry-inch-michael-c-hall-belasco-theatre-5stars/
http://jkstheatrescene.blogspot.com/2014/11/review-hedwig-and-angry-inch-michael-c.html
Posted: 8/6/15 at 12:01am
" I'm probably gonna get yelled at but I honestly feel like she's better with Taye? She seems like she's more comfortable with both Taye's Hedwig and Taye than she ever was with Darren. I think she had more chemistry with Darren (I was there the night they got vertical on the car) but she has more fun with Taye?
I have no information on this other than personal opinion of what I witnessed at stage door and in interviews but I think Taye and Rebecca click on a whole different level than Rebecca and Darren did - something was missing from the latter two off stage."
That's all slightly confusing but very interesting none the less. You mean 1) she had more chemistry onstage with Darren but 2) has more fun onstage with Taye while 3) something is missing off stage with them but 4) at the same time she's more comfortable with him?
Are there specific changes other than general feel? From the first time I saw her, about a month or so in, to the last, three and a half in at Darren's final performance, she really got a lot more comfortable in her Yitzhak. He ended up becoming so smug in the audiences love for him and in turn becoming even more nervous/skittish/eager to please with Hedwig while also more openly going against what he knew she wanted of him.
Updated On: 8/6/15 at 12:01 AM
Posted: 8/6/15 at 12:28am
I think she had more sexual chemistry and raw emotion with Darren on stage while off stage (at least when she talked about him at stage door) I sensed some coldness or disconnect.
With Taye I feel like there's more of a "this show belongs to both of us" feeling. I can't explain it but to me it felt a lot more like the Crate shows with Shannon? Shannon would look at John with so much love (who wouldn't?) that it was heartbreaking. There was more love between RNJ and Taye. instead of the antagonistic side she showed with Darren. I think she gets that from a real, genuine friendship she seems to have developed with Taye.
Updated On: 8/6/15 at 12:28 AM
Posted: 8/6/15 at 12:49am
I don't think any of us can (or should) comment on what people's relationships are like off-stage or who has developed real, genuine friendships... but fair enough to say that you like her better when she's opposite Taye. Either way, though, she's definitely a gem, no doubt about that.
Updated On: 8/6/15 at 12:49 AM
Posted: 8/6/15 at 4:09am
Thanks for the comments from those who saw Taye.
Hamilton22, it’s nice to see a positive review. I love that you loved Taye! So glad that Taye was confident and sassy as Hedwig. A sorrowful Hedwig sounds wonderful.
In terms of which Hedwig actor really connects with any one of us, I agree with others that it comes down to the life experiences of each individual, and also of course, their own personal preferences/tastes. I wish I could see Taye live (as well as the previous Hedwigs), but the only thing I have to go on is that one Taye audio bootleg that was taken three days after his opening night, which is a poor substitute for a live performance, especially later in his run. I really liked Taye’s version of Wig In A Box. But then again, I also loved Neil’s version, which for me, did not feel too soft. I also loved Darren’s version in his bootleg. And his version, to me, seemed full of emotion. And most of all, I loved John’s version (I saw the bootleg that was taken in April). To me, it was beautifully emotional and the slight change in melody just accentuated the impact of the lyrics. So I can definitely see how one person may feel a particular actor’s performance of a song may lack something, whereas another person may feel that same performance by the same actor fulfills all of his/her expectations.
As for that review, the person writing the review has written very positively about Hedwig before (both about Neil, and also about the film and the musical, including how JCM created the character Hedwig and also the score by Stephen). Yet, I always feel a little cautious when so much emphasis is placed on an actor’s appearance. I never bought the complaints voiced by some about how Taye doesn’t look like a “slip of a girly boy.” I do respect that the writer felt that Taye never made the role his own. But then again, I also respect the views of Hamilton22, who seemed to feel that Taye did in fact make the role his own, as a more sorrowful Hedwig.
I don't know too much about how Rebecca was with Darren or Taye at stage door. I heard that the stage door after Darren's performances was pretty hectic. I haven't heard about what the stage door was like after Taye's performances. It seems that based on some of the interviews posted by HedwigOnBway's page, she seemed to get along well with both Darren and Taye. She is so cute and wacky. She made me laugh once in an interview when she said Darren appreciates her fart jokes. As for chemistry on stage, I think whether two co-stars have chemistry on stage also seems to be pretty subjective, according to the particular viewer.
Updated On: 8/6/15 at 04:09 AM
Posted: 8/6/15 at 4:25am
"I wasn't basing his performance solely on the wig... Even thought it was a faux-hawk with braids! Really, that should be enough... But I watched video of his performance on youtube. Go watch. Tell us what you think. Maybe he'll be your favorite"
I have watched the opening number and some of the monologue that follows it before, and I was totally fine with his performance. I just have a low tolerance for grainy VHS bootlegs. Well, that isn't true... I have a low tolerance for watching any bootlegs, and I would certainly never add someone I only saw on a bootleg to my rankings, since I wouldn't count that as seeing him. So, Anthony will never be my favorite Hedwig until he performs the role again someday.
You still seem to be judging the wig moreso than the performance. I don't see any reason the Hedwig hairstyle can't be drastically changed, though. But unless Anthony was also in charge of wigs and costumes in Pittsburgh, I wouldn't blame either on him, if I didn't like them.
Posted: 8/6/15 at 4:27am
"Yet, I always feel a little cautious when so much emphasis is placed on an actor’s appearance. I never bought the complaints voiced by some about how Taye doesn’t look like a “slip of a girly boy.”"
That seems more like a misunderstanding of the book than a valid complaint.
Posted: 8/6/15 at 4:33am
Yes, I agree, haterobics.
Posted: 8/6/15 at 7:44am
What does it matter who is better friends off stage as long as the chemistry and dynamic on stage works? Of course being good friends off stage can help with the performance but Darren/Rebecca on stage worked for most people I have seen so what does it matter if she is closer with Taye?
This just feels a bit like some petty competition to be honest.
Posted: 8/6/15 at 8:32am
"What does it matter who is better friends off stage as long as the chemistry and dynamic on stage works? Of course being good friends off stage can help with the performance but Darren/Rebecca on stage worked for most people I have seen so what does it matter if she is closer with Taye?
This just feels a bit like some petty competition to be honest."
I didn't mean it that way in the slightest - but I did say that you could definitely see the love between Rebecca and Taye on stage a lot more. I don't think Rebecca and Darren hated each other a la Idina and Cheno, I just think they had a more working relationship.
Then again, Taye's Hedwig is vastly different than Darren's so maybe that's where the difference comes and I'm projecting my feelings. Who wouldn't want to be friends with Taye Diggs?
Posted: 8/6/15 at 10:04am
Are the side seats in the very front row too close/to the side?
Posted: 8/6/15 at 10:07am
All the front row seats are fantastic.
Posted: 8/6/15 at 10:09am
"Are the side seats in the very front row too close/to the side? "
You'll probably miss a band member in either corner in those, but Hedwig doesn't go into those corners much. I'd go with the odd numbered side, though, if you have a choice since that gets you the band leader, and the door at the back of the stage in better view. And you may not see the drummer well/at all.
Posted: 8/6/15 at 10:50am
I'm seeing the show from front row center tonight. I only saw it once before from the balcony. Is the stage very high?
Posted: 8/6/15 at 1:06pm
We had the Hedboard. Sigh.
Omg... I'm having flashbacks. There was a poster who always trolled the board saying Kiki (of Kiki and herb fame) was so much better than Hedwig. Wtf? I like Kiki (Justin bond) but that's apples and oranges. They are/were doing two completely different things,
Jane, this is ridiculous... But there was a poster that wrote a 'twas the night before hedwig poem based on 'twas the night before Xmas... I remember thinking it was super cute.
In the late 90s I was obsessed with Hedwig. Obsessed.
I remember Hot Wanda... Did you know her? And every time I saw Hedwig, there was a woman in the front row, seat to the left. She was there every time I went. Every. Time. I wonder if she's seen the Broadway show. Do you know who I mean?
Posted: 8/6/15 at 4:30pm
"I'm seeing the show from front row center tonight. I only saw it once before from the balcony. Is the stage very high? "
If it were any higher I'd consider it "very high" but as is I'd just go with high if that makes any sense. I've never sat closer than third row and personally I don't think I'd want to because I'm only just over 5', but friends who've sat front row have all enjoyed it with the only criticism being they wish they had seen it from further back first.
Posted: 8/6/15 at 4:59pm
I remember Hot Wanda... Did you know her?
Oh my gosh. So funny. I totally remember trading bootlegs with Hot Wanda!
Posted: 8/6/15 at 5:10pm
Cool. Thanks for that info!
Posted: 8/6/15 at 5:20pm
I'm FB friends with Hot Wanda and of course I remember her! Loved her. She was background in the film. Maybe even featured, it's been a while since I watched it.
Posted: 8/8/15 at 11:44am
I had the extreme misfortunate of seeing Taye Diggs as Hedwig last night. I honestly couldn't say one positive thing about the show. His accent was all over the place ranging from Jamaican to African to Asian. There really wasn't one song I thought he sang well. I never once felt like he was anything but an actor playing a role. Everything felt so forced and scripted. All of the new black Hedwig jokes were so obvious and unfunny. Not to mention that the show was SO LONG with him in it running almost two hours.
To make matters worse when I got to the theatre there was the dreaded understudy slip informing me that Rebecca Naomi Jones was out. She was my main reason for going back and one of my favorite actresses ever. Her understudy was complete garbage. She sounded like Mary Poppins singing "When Love Explodes." "I Will Always Love You" is definitely not a song she should ever sing because it made me cringe. And honestly I thought she looked better in the Yitzhak drag than when she came out at the end.
It's not that I think Hedwig can't be black but Taye was certainly not the right choice. Hopefully he hasn't completely ruined the box office and we will get a good Hedwig in to (presumably) close the show. I'm praying Rebecca will stay because it's been awhile since I've missed her on stage.
Posted: 8/8/15 at 12:42pm
You could've seen Rebecca if you follower her on social media as she said she is out of the show august 1, 7 and 22nd
Posted: 8/8/15 at 12:51pm
"You could've seen Rebecca if you follower her on social media as she said she is out of the show august 1, 7 and 22nd"
The tickets were given to me last minute so I didn't really have a choice in the matter.
Posted: 8/8/15 at 2:18pm
Really? You must have seen Shannon on an off night because I absolutely adore her - I had the fortune of seeing her with JCM and Darren, and she was great with both. Rebecca was obviously more comfortable with the actors and the material, but still.
Rebecca is a revelation in the role - she's definitely my favorite and I wish she had more time with JCM.
Go back and see her if you can - but maybe not with Taye. I've been putting off going back.
Posted: 8/8/15 at 5:04pm
Friends of mine are seeing Hedwig for the very first time this weekend. I'm so nervous. Everyone knows Hedwig is kind of my thing. I want them to have a good experience. I was hoping Taye would have improved by now, but it doesn't sound that way. Ugh. I wish they were seeing it with someone else.
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