Lestat 4/3/06: The Crimson Kiss of Death- Page 3

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/4/06 at 5:06pm

Jim, are you Jack Noseworthy.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 4/4/06 at 5:31pm

LOL! Jack was smart enough to get out of this debacle. I stayed for the whole performance.

[jarretSF]

Posted: 4/4/06 at 5:36pm

Elton really needs to redeem himself from this one. Can't wait to see Billy Elliott come stateside. That one I like what I've heard. Lestat on the other hand, I know many people, not just from the boards, that hated what they saw.

[DG]

Posted: 4/4/06 at 6:00pm

On the way out of the theatre, I was behind Max Von Essen who was on his phone saying, "Thank God I didn't get involved in this crap!"

[jarretSF]

Posted: 4/4/06 at 7:42pm

DG - that's a great quote - better than the bitchy queens (my partner included) I heard complaining in the mens room at intermssion here in SF.

[ThePinballWizard]

Posted: 4/4/06 at 7:56pm

I saw it in San Francisco and from what I see in New York:

It didn't change then and it hasn't changed now.

Someone cut it's throat, let it bleed and then die....

knowing vampires though they don't die that way, according to Lestat-The Musical you can kill them with the following (not in any order):
1. Paper Mache
2. A group of grey vampires trying to look slum-like performing a Thriller-like number.
3. Strap them to a chair and let them die a virtual death through fire behind a curtain.

What is this world coming to?

[Shawk]

Posted: 4/4/06 at 8:35pm

#3 assumes that the curtain actually comes down correctly...

Although from descriptions, it sounds like this "effect" nay have changed since SF.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 4/4/06 at 8:38pm

I saw it on april 1rst. I loved it. Besides being a total bias that Hugh is the best, I think the whole show was amazing. And I think Allison Fischer was awsome. I can't belive the pipes she had for someone that young on broadway. I want more = amazing song.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/4/06 at 8:52pm

On the way out of the theatre, I was behind Max Von Essen who was on his phone saying, "Thank God I didn't get involved in this crap!"

Bwahaha!!!

Wasn't he Armand or Louis in the workshop?

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 4/4/06 at 10:19pm

as much as i loved it thoguht to cut down on time i think the morality play should be cut it saves time and was creepy.

[pdm6288]

Posted: 4/4/06 at 10:30pm

I saw the play the night before on 3/31, and 4/1's audience must have been stacked with friends and family because no one stood at the end of the play on 3/31--there was only polite clapping and the shortest curtain call I have ever witnessed. I have seen 14 plays in the last 12 months, but never saw an audience so confused. The audience seemed to be in shock and laughing from the first song. No one seemed to know what to think or how to respond. People were leaving halfway through Act II. A woman behind me kept saying "I can't believe how horrible this is!" I invited my sister because my daughter who wanted the tickets had a conflict. I kept apologizing to her and offered to go for drinks after Act I. I have never seen anything so awful, and I really wanted to like the play and was truly looking forward to it. Love Anne Rice, Elton, Bernie (never heard such amateurish lyrics), enjoy Hugh (who was totally miscast and kept spitting all over the place), thought Allison Fischer had an amazing voice, do not care for Carolee (hated her performance in Mama Mia especially after seeing Louise Pitre as Donna Sheridan), Jim Stanek & Drew Sarich were great given the crap they had to work with. Paid $100/seat in October for Row B center orch. Couldn't even see the wolf at Lestat's feet in the opening scene--didn't know what he was doing until the song moved along. I guess the stage is tilted upward. Could see into the wings and was distracted by activity back there at times. I thought "Woman in White" was the worst play I had ever seen--I was wrong. This was an incredibly ambitious undertaking due to the amount of story which needed to be squeezed into a small amount of time. It has failed miserably, and I don't think anything can save it. The ending was bizarre--I am the vampire Lestat---(stop the bleeding, please!)

[rock00]

Posted: 4/4/06 at 11:02pm

I can't believe there are people online talking about how "great" and "wonderful" this show is. This scares me. Theater is only as awful as the people who allow it to continue and the fact that anyone enjoyed this show just encourages more people to put more crap on the boards.

However, since according to Walt you're not allowed an opinion without some sort of fact to back it up, let me try to go through what's wrong with the show point by point:

1. Hugh Panaro, the actor. I love Hugh and he's one of the dearest people you'll ever meet, but his acting (or lack thereof) is God awful. Some people are meant to look and sound pretty. Hugh's one of them. Leave the heavy lifting for somebody else, 'kay?

2. Bernie Taupin's lyrics. Ooph. I've written songs for over 15 years. If you're reading this, odds are good you've never heard any of them. Why? Because most of them aren't really that good. Having said that, I'm pretty confident I could've written better lyrics than "I'm tired. I'm torn. This cruel wretched storm churns like a gale through my bones." We get the sailor motif Bernie, now how's about a little something that advances the plot or provides more than the most general insight into the character who's singing.

3. The opening of the show. Starting this show in the middle of the woods with a dead stuffed animal at Lestat's feet is NOT a good idea. Since the lyrics don't actually provide you with any plot advancement, the audience is left trying to figure out what's going on and why we should care. Okay, Lestat killed some wolves. Why is this important? Why's he singing about "the dead"? I thought he was a vampire, not a werewolf. Okay, now we're home and his dad's pretty pissed at him. Why? Were they his wolves? Why is their relationship so troubled...oh, wait. He's gone. Gabrielle tells him to go to Paris (I guess we're in France) because something out there "changed him". Is he already a vampire? Wait, that's still 10 minutes away...you get the idea.

4. The closing of the show. Actually, I think this is the most offensive part of the show. Lestat's got a couple of broken legs and the mythical Marius (who we're supposed to care about because...?) tells him to get up and then lets him feed while they rise on a platform. Judging by the deep sleep my ass is in, we must be at the end of the show. Okay, how about a big finale song to send us out? Wait. The lights are out. Is the show over? Should I be clapping? Oh, here's Lestat. He's in jeans and a red shirt (ooh, symbolism). What's he saying? He is the vampire Lestat. Right, kind of got that already. Oh, he's going to live forever. Well, good for him. I wonder if he's going to sing about living for-- oh, people are bowing.

For the love of God, please go back to the SF opening/closing of the show. From what I understand, Lestat at a laptop was pretty funny (unintentionally, of course), but it can't be any funnier than what they've changed it to. At least starting the show in modern times with Lestat announcing he's going to tell his story and finishing with him singing about how everything that's happened is what's going to give him the strength to go on provided some semblance of a story.

5. Songs that don't belong. At first, I thought Elton John's score was on the weak side, but out-of-context I find that it's actually sticking with me. Which says to me that these are songs that are good outside of the show they're in. The biggest offender here is "Sail Me Away". The song is beautiful (and Hugh sings the **** out of it), but it just doesn't fit the show and actually brings whatever momentum they actually had to a complete halt.

6. The "effects". As mentioned before, the fire in front of a performer on a platform thing is pretty easy to spot, as is the cirque du soleil that is Marius' entrance. They're just pretty cheesy, all in all.

Anyway, those are the things off the top of my head. Sorry for the length, but I didn't want to be accused of simply hating the show without anything to back it up (other than a credit card bill for two tickets that I'm sad I have to pay for).

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/5/06 at 2:09am

Hey, question for someone who has their NY program still.

Is Drew still listed as a Lestat understudy? Hugh Panaro Online has it listed that he is (along with Will Swenson). Just curious because we may get the chance to hear him rock that role as well.

[DG]

Posted: 4/5/06 at 2:23am

"rock that role"

You know, I've been around for pretty much all of Elton's career. And for the most part, I wouldn't have ever thought I'd question a statement like that.

BUT, if you think playing LESTAT as written would be 'rocking out', then you need to get out more.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/5/06 at 2:30am

By "rock that role" I meant that he was be awesome in the role. That's all.

[pdm6288]

Posted: 4/5/06 at 10:04am

I have a Playbill from 3/31 and only Will Swenson is listed as u/s for Lestat. He is also u/s for Armand along with Sean MacLaughlin. Drew Sarich is not listed as a u/s for any role.

[WaltSummersPI]

Posted: 4/5/06 at 10:06am

Drew took over the role late in the run in SF, if I remember correctly, so the NY playbills should be right, since they had three months to write them :)

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/5/06 at 1:31pm

cool, thanks for replying back.


And DG, I do get out a lot. I took your Mom out yesterday.

[jarretSF]

Posted: 4/5/06 at 2:02pm

I apologize if this has been posted before, but I just laughed out loud at work when I saw this quote on the lestat forum.

"It's like Andrew Lloyd Webber had a bowel movement while reading Anne Rice."

[Kalimba]

Posted: 4/5/06 at 3:48pm

Was in NYC on Monday and got a balcony seat. I went in with an open mind and actually kind of liked it.

[ThePinballWizard]

Posted: 4/5/06 at 3:55pm

Rock,
You took the words right out of my mouth.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 4/5/06 at 4:02pm

The second act (which bears a distinct resemblance to an "undead" Huck Finn in the first 15 minutes or so.)

Hahaha that made me happy!

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/5/06 at 4:13pm

Drew took over the role late in the run in SF, if I remember correctly, so the NY playbills should be right, since they had three months to write them :)

No, he didn't. Jack Noseworthy left during the first week of performances. For the remainder of the SF run, there were inserts with Drew's new bio.