Leap Of Faith Previews — Page 2

One. Stunning. Curtain. Don't miss this curtain live.

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Very good. Sexy, appealing, stands up to Raul with good chemistry between the two of them. She needs a new wig though.

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Ok, so it's kind of undeniable that this was a big mess, but I have to admit I liked it for some weird reason. Maybe it's the affection I have for all the "Not Since Carrie" shows out there, and this one would fit right in.

You know when you wrap your headphones around your iPod and then put it in your bag only to pull it out an hour later and find the once neatly wrapped cord in horrible knots? That's what this show is like. There might be a good show in here, but they are going to have to do A LOT of work over the preview period to straighten it out.

Raul is excellent, but then again when isn't he perfection? Unfortunately his character doesn't leave him much to work with; it's really a wonder he is able to create as many shades as he does.

Jessica Phillips has less of a role. They've made her the sheriff in this incarnation, which is a good move, but she's a little stiff and has a nice deadpan delivery, but it's hard to warm up to.

Kendra Kassebaum plays the Debra Winger role, and it's the weakest written of the three leads. She does get a nice duet with Phillips in act two, but really she should get a nice number in act one to introduce her to the audience.

The score is middle of the road. The lyrics sometimes induce a cringe (Phillips sings to Raul that even Helen Keller could see through him!). The tunes are fine though and I think on a second or third listen will really stick in my mind. Each big number is undercut by dialogue or a weak ending. Right when you're getting into it the audience is deprived of a big finish to really clap.

The book isn't embarrassing or anything, but it doesn't really tell much story in act one and is merely pedestrian in act two. As others have noted we don't care about these characters. The story is basically the same as The Music Man, with a dash of 110 in the Shade thrown in. Raul (Harold Hill) comes to town promising to change the lives of the town people. He plans on swindling them of what little money they have left. Phillips (Marion) doesn't buy it, but has fallen for him. Her son (Winthrop) is wheelchair bound and has faith Raul can make him walk again. There is also a drought and the townspeople desperately need it to rain. We all see where this is going right?

I'll absolutely be going back, and hope they untangle some of this mess, but really have to wonder what they've been doing after this had an out of town tryout and several workshops.

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How is the set? I'm guessing/hoping they have added more to it and/or re-envisioned it from the pretty much barren stage in LA...

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Yes RippedMan- lots and lots of running through the audience. They want you to feel like you're in the tent with the choir.

The ensemble was very good. They are working hard and sound great. Really none of the cast members are to blame for the problems. It's going to be to the creative team to fix structure, etc. The issues definitely don't stem from the performances.

Jane- I loved Raul's 11 o'clock number too, but because of his performance, not so much the actual song. IMO it didn't come close to touching Being Alive though. I mean that's one of the greatest songs written for a male in the whole canon.

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The set is big and somewhat ugly on purpose. I mean they are supposed to be in a poor, small town in Kansas. The revival tent is large and spins around, but the material is appropriately faded and worn. The costumes are beautiful.

ljay- Raul is looking hotter than ever (and that says a lot). Phillips resists him in the first scene and it's totally unbelievable. Unless her character is a lesbian she would not be able to resist him.

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Whizzer-it's true that Being Alive is a better song, but what I really meant was the way Raul performed it, as you said. His vocals were the strongest I've ever heard from him and I felt that in performing that song, Raul must have lost 5 lbs!

And I never saw him looking so buff! He's looking absolutely great. He looks younger than he is and in fine shape!

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I disagree that Raul was in good voice. I thought he sounded tired and hoarse on a lot of the high belting. Understandable, since it seemed like the majority of his songs had to be sung in a high belt. His voice is going to take a beating doing that 8x/week.

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For those that enjoy collecting these little first preview mishaps...


SPOILER

The onstage rainstorm at the end of the play clogged Raul's mic and it was for a moment scary that he was going to be zapped.

I thought he sounded great in his low to middle register, and did ok with some of the high belting. But I heard a number of high notes that he couldn't sustain, which he covered by growling the note.

Not a weakness on his part. Jonas' songs are killer, compounded by the testifying during the revival scenes.

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I don't know what show some of you guys were watching, but I had a great time. I wasn't bored once which unfortunately has been a problem with many of the shows I have seen lately.

Raul is unbefrickinglievable. Just electric. Can I give a hallelujah amen to that tweet?! And Kendra and he work so well together as brother and sister (as do he and Jessica- fantastic chemistry!). I really don't understand how someone wouldn't care about these characters. Not gonna lie, I got a little weepy at the end, especially the way Raul interacted with the kid. It was really well written and got to me.

I think that some of the songs run too long and could/should be cut down, but I really like the music overall. Granted unlike Newsies I hadn't heard the music before (beyond what was shown in the online videos), so I wasn't able to run out humming a song the way I did with Carrying the Banner. However, I think this is some of Menken and Slater's best work. That last revival number is damn sexy! And Magic, the song with Raul and the boy, is beautiful.

Don't get me started on the 11 o'clock number. There are no words. Oh Raul.

I was there tonight as well, and I'll say I was pretty underwhelmed.

Raul is very charismatic and hugely entertaining, but his voice is really sounding tired. His big 11 o'clock number is very bizarre and really unwarranted. The emotions didn't hit for me.

Phillips is fine but certainly needs some character work. She plays it way too young in the first scene and then never really succeeds in establishing herself as a woman of any power throughout the show. I want to see more of a mother. That's where the real conflict of this show should be coming from. This man has this mother in an extremely, extremely difficult position.

Kassebaum is really great in a sadly written role. She does what she can and succeeds.

The set is clunky, and the costumes look like they were purchased at Wal-Mart. The choir robes during the 3rd revival are laughably awkward.

The biggest problem here is really the score. Just not a memorable tune. The lyrics (of what I heard... I was in the 2nd row and the sound was really messy from there) were laughable as well, just some really pedestrian jokes. I really love this team's work on "Sister Act" and they didn't get to that level with this one. Not even close.

The book is fine but very problematic. Things are never really explained, and the audience's compassion for Esparza's character is really unwarranted. Everything ties up neatly much too easily, and there's just not really much to grab onto.

I can't see this one catching on with audiences/ getting very solid reviews. I'd say Raul's got a fine chance at a Tony nom, that is hoping his voice improves.

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