"Jason Gillman is hysterical as Dewey. He plays it very over the top and very smooth.
I had no idea he understudied Norbert in DRS....I knew he was in the ensemble, but didn't know he understudies such a major role...anyone ever see him go on? "
I may have...once or twice...or...hmm...at least 5 times I would imagine, considering all the times he went on with Norbert had the vocal problems.
Yeah, he started out as the 2nd understudy behind Joe Cassidy, who went on the whole time of Norbert's first vacation, then when Norbert's nodes started, Jason went on more than Joe, which I didn't realize at the time was because Joe was leaving, and when he left, Jason became the first understudy, and went on quite a bit.
I first saw him Jan. 8 (I remember because it was supposed to be Lithgow's initial last performance). Here's what I had to say (love skimming through my old DRS posts:) " Ooh, so Jason was on, and he was fabulous as well! My sister was disappointed she didn't see Norbert but thought Jason was great, and even me who could be very nit-picky and say Norbert rolls 2 more times, and I really enjoyed him too. I kinda feel like w/ the end of DRN that overall his range seems to be a bit lower, but he totally hit the "hand" note. Very impressed w/ him. I adore the DRS ensemble."
After seeing him in late Feb: "Jason was once again great! My mom was disappointed that she couldn't see Norbert (fortunately she saw him in March so she wasn't that upset) but she thought Jason was wonderful. He definitely was. He had good chemistry with everyone, and a great deal of energy.
There was thunderous applause after Great Big Stuff; with audiences not being as great as they've been in the past, it was great to hear that. And I was really happy for Jason"
June: "Jason's really coming into his own as Freddy. He does some of his own dancing, and phrasing and stuff. I'm proud; he's even better than the last time I saw him. (and he put more effort into that beef jerky rolling-on-the-floor-thing than I've ever seen!)
So I saw him at least 3 times, if not more. Sorry, I get a little rambly whenever anyone (especially me, oops) brings up Dirty rotten Scoundrels. But yeah, he was really great, so I was very much looking forward to him going on some roles in Blonde, so glad I could be there this past Wednesday and got such a lovely surprise.
"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli