Light in the Piazza dims Sweet Charity

[mikewood]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 11:54am

I returned to the Great White Way after several months of financial re-prioritizing and finally caught the show, and it was wonderful. Easily the best show I've seen this year....of course, given the competition from some of my OTHER trips this year: Little Women, Steel Magnolias, Mamma Mia and the bitterly disappointing experience of A Streetcar Named Desire..... Up until this point, my only favorable experience was the surprising Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

So, I saw Light in the Piazza at 2:00 and then Sweet Charity at 8:00. Interestingly enough, while I found Ms. Applegate to be suitably charming and the show to visually spectactular....I found myself BORED.

I left Sweet Charity at intermission. Not a judgment of Christina or the show...just the wrong show at the wrong time. It just didn't capture me. I found Light in the Piazza to be such a COMPLETE experience that Sweet Charity just didn't do it for me. Ah well...I know I'm preaching to the choir in regards to Light in the Piazza.

If I were to quibble about the show, did anyone else feel it overused the conceit of "speaking out" directly to the audience. My only complaint is thought is disrupted the flow a little over much. I don't know, maybe the fact that I am currently directly a show using this device I'm a little sensitized.

My only other very minor, minor complaint about Light in the Piazza was the sound system. (How petty is that?) Kelli O'Hara, when she was belting it out, especially on stage right where I was sitting, mike had a tingy, annoying echo effect going on. I got used to it, but damn.....!

I usually spend a good part of the time I spend at a show studying the scenery, checking out thelighting array and what not. This show, I was so caught up in the story and the characters I barely noticed major scene changes such as the "stone" pillars moving back and forth.

Theater the way it should be.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 11:56am

Hard to enjoy an ounce of that crappy revival after sitting through the amazing Piazza.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 2:12pm

you didn't like Little Women?

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 2:14pm

I wouldn't recomend leaving any show at Intermission, but Sweet Charity has a lot more character stuff that makes you feel the heart of the character in ACT TWO. Such as "I'm a Brass Band" and "Where Am I Going?"

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 2:15pm

For me it was the other way around, i found Piazza drag after seeing Charity for the 7th time.....

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 3:20pm

First off. Charity & Piazza on the same day is a big mistake.

Oh well, I never understand why people enjoy wasting their money.

[PJ]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 4:25pm

I think leaving a show during intermission is ridiculous. You paid all that money see the show, you might as well stick around for the rest of the show. But, I suppose some people don't care about completely wasting money.

But what really bothers me is the fact that you disliked Streetcar.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 4:27pm

what if you got in for free? I was given a free ticket to Urban Cowboy and I couldn't WAIT to get out of the theatre - it was such awful dreck.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 4:32pm

Redhot-

If you get comps, it's rude to leave. You're given free tickets in exchange for filling a seat. In a sense, you're doing a job.

[lamentingenvelope]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 4:34pm

You left Charity at intermission? It's the second act that I really adore (besides the godawful Rhythm of Life number...)

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 4:35pm

oh I don't agree - filling a seat doesn't further my experience in the theatre - especially when it's at one of the worst theatrical (if you can call it that) experiences of my life. I feel sorry for the talent that was wasted in that show.

[mikewood]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 4:36pm

you didn't like Little Women? >>>>

Well, parts of it I loved...Sutton, Megan and Maureen for instance...but the Operatic Tragedies were putrid, and then there was Amy McAlexander.........but I really don't want to open that can of worms.

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 4:45pm

I hear ya, mikewood. I saw The Producers the day after I saw The Light in the Piazza and wanted to claw out my eyes. That being said, I would have stayed through Charity, because Act II does have a lot of redeeming qualities. Oh well, to each his own.

[mikewood]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 4:48pm

But what really bothers me is the fact that you disliked Streetcar. >

Well, sorry.....!

I do have posts somewhere on the boards about why I didn't like Streetcar. If you really care here's of couple of the threads I was involved with:

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardname=bway&thread=852232

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardname=bway&thread=850750

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 6:38pm

But you didn't even like Charity's score?

It's one of Broadway's best, and from one of Broadway's best - the amazing and legendary Cy Coleman. And I don't make this stuff up, a Broadway critic and a real Broadway follower who have seen shows decade after decade - will agree Charity's score goes down in history. Cy = genius.

Posted: 9/14/05 at 9:08pm

Another eLightist! I am so happy you enjoyed Piazza, in all honestly... I wouldn't have even spent the money in your situation to watch Charity. Anyway, I don't want to start an argument, but I'm glad to see the only complaint was the sound system... I loved the entire cast, and I'm glad to see you did the same.
--korenglish

[mikewood]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 11:31pm

But you didn't even like Charity's score? >>>

Actually, I bought the soundtrack....mostly because I want to use the elevator song for a skit in my afterschool program job.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 11:40pm

People have every right to leave when ever they want to leave. And generally most people don't "enjoy" spending money on a show they don't like, but there have certainly been times when I have thought, "My time is more valuable than the cash I blew on this suck ass show, I'd rather spend the next hour and ten minutes in an 8th Avenue peep show than sit here getting more miserable than I already am." And off I go and it's win-win.

[JaredBway]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 8:47am

now I'm not one to be rude about actors, but AMEN to the Amy McAlexander mention in your post.

"and then there was Amy McAlexander.........but I really don't want to open that can of worms."

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 1:18pm

I found Piazza amazing and Charity bored me as well.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 1:24pm

Haven't seen Charity (and won't unless someone gives me a ticket) so I can't comment on comparing the two (though, seriously, how can you compare the two? The only thing they have in common is that they are both pieces of musical theatre).
I'll just stick with listening to my Piazza CD, and hope that someday I will be able to afford to see it again.

[Princeton78]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 3:05pm

I may not be popular for this remark, but I don't think one can judge a show that one has not stayed for the remainder of.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 3:12pm

No - all you can judge is the part you saw. Thats true.

[mikewood]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 6:29pm

I may not be popular for this remark, but I don't think one can judge a show that one has not stayed for the remainder of. >>>>

Perhaps that's why I said in my original post....."I left Sweet Charity at intermission. Not a judgment of Christina or the show...just the wrong show at the wrong time. "

Just a thought.

[Unmasked05]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 10:02pm

Either way I'm glad you enjoyed Light In The Piazza..its a GREAT show...but whether I liked a show or not I wouldn't walk-out cause personally I don't have that type of money...for me to be walking out saying ....."I left Sweet Charity at intermission. Not a judgment of Christina or the show...just the wrong show at the wrong time. " ...not jumping on you or anything cause you have the right to have your own opinions ...but when people do that on here it sounds really arrogant..cause to me it's like...you should be so lucky to even get to go to New York and see a expensive show..that half of the people here might never see unless a tour roles through town or community show pops up.

You should be so luck.