#1
Posted: 1/24/07 at 2:38am
Just got in from the first preview, possible spoilers abound, going off the top of my head...
Overall good show, needs some song rewrites and some tightening but I would say it's easily fixed and has the potential for great box office success. As expected it is very positive and uplifting and full of humour. You can tell early on that they know they cannot take themselves too seriously and the audience is in on this.
The material they were working with was not that compelling to begin with so I can understand how it would be difficult to base a touching story off of it but the book isn't bad and I think the story flows well. It's not anything that is gonna tug at your heart strings or change your life but it's a fun night out.
There is such great diversity in the musical numbers which is very refreshing. There are some pretty strong numbers and some very weak ones which need to be removed or seriously tweaked.
The first of those troubling numbers comes toward the middle of the first act, Michael Rupert (Professor Callahan) has a number in his classroom called "Blood in the Water" where he is telling his students about how cutthroat this business of being a lawyer is. This song is bad and needs to be replaced. Overall I was disappointed in what Michael Rupert had to work with and it made him look weak. There was a noticeable calm during curtain call when he came forward.
The second number that stands out, in a bad way, is "Chip on My Shoulder" it starts as an exchange between Elle and Emmett and never seems to go away. It comes and goes in bits and pieces, intertwined with dialogue for about 15 to 20 minutes. It's hard to put a finger on exactly what it is I didn't like about the song but it just seems poorly written, dull, repetitive and ineffective. It serves as a good transition and connection device so something needs to be there I'm just hoping this one can get reworked.
The last song on my mind is at the open of the second act. Titled "Whipped Into Shape" it serves as an introduction to the Brook Wyndham character who is a fitness instructor and will be the legal team's client for the second act. It is a mostly upbeat number with some great jump rope tricks and choreography. It too seemed a bit dragged out and it could use some tightening. Of the 3 I mentioned it is probably in the best shape but it wasn't the best number to open the act with.
Numbers that stand out as winners are the opening number "Omigod You Guys", "Ireland" (although I'll talk about that when I get to Orfeh) and "Take It Like a Man".
The choreography which was very good. I guess that was to be expected with a director/choreographer but I was really impressed here with the variety and abilities of the cast.
Laura Bell Bundy was amazing, her voice was in great form and she really had the moves down.
Orfeh is really a standout and one of her numbers "Ireland" needs tweaking to show her strengths. It ends on a joke just when I was hoping they would give her room to blow us away. This happens several times with her numbers, I'm not sure why they feel like they can't let her fly. That said she has plenty of stage time.
Christian Borle was great, he is such a likeable guy with an amazing voice, perfect casting.
Both Richard Blake and Kate Shindle have rather small roles, especially Kate. Watching Richard sometimes made me feel like I was watching Nick Lachey on stage and maybe that is good for this role. He has one song, "Serious", early on but just pops in and out through the rest of the show.
Kate Shindle, I didn't like much at first, she just didn't sell it for me. I thought her acting was stiff, mannequin-like, but then I warmed to her some as the show went on. Again, like Richard it's hard to tell if this is the character or just weakness on her part. I feel bad to say it but you could have replaced her with someone else and I wouldn't notice.
Adding to what I said earlier Michael Rupert just didn't connect with the character for me. Another role where you could have swapped someone else in and I probably wouldn't notice. It was like watching an average Billy Flynn.
The 3 main sorority sisters Leslie Kritzer, Annaleigh Ashford, and DeQuinna Moore (love her) are great. They each have their own distinct personality and it's fun to have them join in throughout the show.
The scenery and lighting were great. There are sooo many set pieces but they all work well together. Technically all went well except for some obvious sound/mic issues which will be easily fixed. I was a little surprised and disappointed, honestly, that no one from the production came on stage to welcome/invite as they usually do in first previews.
That's pretty much all I have in my head for now, maybe more later. I am excited to see it develop here in SF and I'm looking forward to see what changes we see come opening night. I will be revisiting the show a week from today and then again the following Tuesday which is opening night.
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=356387
Overall good show, needs some song rewrites and some tightening but I would say it's easily fixed and has the potential for great box office success. As expected it is very positive and uplifting and full of humour. You can tell early on that they know they cannot take themselves too seriously and the audience is in on this.
The material they were working with was not that compelling to begin with so I can understand how it would be difficult to base a touching story off of it but the book isn't bad and I think the story flows well. It's not anything that is gonna tug at your heart strings or change your life but it's a fun night out.
There is such great diversity in the musical numbers which is very refreshing. There are some pretty strong numbers and some very weak ones which need to be removed or seriously tweaked.
The first of those troubling numbers comes toward the middle of the first act, Michael Rupert (Professor Callahan) has a number in his classroom called "Blood in the Water" where he is telling his students about how cutthroat this business of being a lawyer is. This song is bad and needs to be replaced. Overall I was disappointed in what Michael Rupert had to work with and it made him look weak. There was a noticeable calm during curtain call when he came forward.
The second number that stands out, in a bad way, is "Chip on My Shoulder" it starts as an exchange between Elle and Emmett and never seems to go away. It comes and goes in bits and pieces, intertwined with dialogue for about 15 to 20 minutes. It's hard to put a finger on exactly what it is I didn't like about the song but it just seems poorly written, dull, repetitive and ineffective. It serves as a good transition and connection device so something needs to be there I'm just hoping this one can get reworked.
The last song on my mind is at the open of the second act. Titled "Whipped Into Shape" it serves as an introduction to the Brook Wyndham character who is a fitness instructor and will be the legal team's client for the second act. It is a mostly upbeat number with some great jump rope tricks and choreography. It too seemed a bit dragged out and it could use some tightening. Of the 3 I mentioned it is probably in the best shape but it wasn't the best number to open the act with.
Numbers that stand out as winners are the opening number "Omigod You Guys", "Ireland" (although I'll talk about that when I get to Orfeh) and "Take It Like a Man".
The choreography which was very good. I guess that was to be expected with a director/choreographer but I was really impressed here with the variety and abilities of the cast.
Laura Bell Bundy was amazing, her voice was in great form and she really had the moves down.
Orfeh is really a standout and one of her numbers "Ireland" needs tweaking to show her strengths. It ends on a joke just when I was hoping they would give her room to blow us away. This happens several times with her numbers, I'm not sure why they feel like they can't let her fly. That said she has plenty of stage time.
Christian Borle was great, he is such a likeable guy with an amazing voice, perfect casting.
Both Richard Blake and Kate Shindle have rather small roles, especially Kate. Watching Richard sometimes made me feel like I was watching Nick Lachey on stage and maybe that is good for this role. He has one song, "Serious", early on but just pops in and out through the rest of the show.
Kate Shindle, I didn't like much at first, she just didn't sell it for me. I thought her acting was stiff, mannequin-like, but then I warmed to her some as the show went on. Again, like Richard it's hard to tell if this is the character or just weakness on her part. I feel bad to say it but you could have replaced her with someone else and I wouldn't notice.
Adding to what I said earlier Michael Rupert just didn't connect with the character for me. Another role where you could have swapped someone else in and I probably wouldn't notice. It was like watching an average Billy Flynn.
The 3 main sorority sisters Leslie Kritzer, Annaleigh Ashford, and DeQuinna Moore (love her) are great. They each have their own distinct personality and it's fun to have them join in throughout the show.
The scenery and lighting were great. There are sooo many set pieces but they all work well together. Technically all went well except for some obvious sound/mic issues which will be easily fixed. I was a little surprised and disappointed, honestly, that no one from the production came on stage to welcome/invite as they usually do in first previews.
That's pretty much all I have in my head for now, maybe more later. I am excited to see it develop here in SF and I'm looking forward to see what changes we see come opening night. I will be revisiting the show a week from today and then again the following Tuesday which is opening night.
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=356387
Updated On: 1/24/07 at 02:38 AM
