Little Women/San Diego, My review

[Elphaba]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 12:54am

Just got home, and all I can say is WOW

THE PRODUCTION:

Kate Fisher as Jo was AMAZING........I kept thinking of June Allyson (1949 version of the movie when she played Jo). She was totally convincing as Jo, sang well......was great, and for an odd moment, I had a vision of her green playing Elphaba....was very weird).

Maureen McGovern as Marmie was, of course, outstanding......

Renee Brna and Autumn Hurlbert were enchanting as Meg and Beth.

Louisa Flaningam was a crowd favorite as Aunt March, her one liners caused constant laughs.

Reprising his Broadway role as Mr. Stattel was Robert Stattel, a crowd pleaser, and Stephen Patterson as Laurie was as good as any I have seen.

I was not thrilled with Gewn Hollander as Amy. She just didn't seem spoiled enough, as the three film versions and book made her out to be. Perhaps it was a directorial choice, but I didn't like her.

THE THEATER:

San Diego is a world class city, and DESERVES a world class theater, which sadly the San Diego Civic Theater is NOT. The floor is concrete, the seats are some sort of dark red/maroon velour and are ripped, and noisy/squeaky, so much that you can hear people moving all through the show.
The do not seem to have the rules other theaters do.......such as, after the first number they allowed latecomers in, some 30 of them which really pissed me off. Secondly they allow ANY kind of food in (see below in audience). The stage is small, the theater is huge, and there is no aisle running from front to back, so that each row of seats is easily 30-40 seats, ridiculous.
Also, at intermission, ALL doors are opened, including three on each side of the theater that go to the outside...people stand there and smoke, so the smoke wafts back into the theater....UGH.

The Audience:

I have never experienced a more rude audience in my life. Everyone was eating, they allowed anything in.....the two women next to us came backl from intermission with hot dogs, fritos, and coke. I asked if they thought they were at a football game. All you could smell was mustard. One guy came back with a beer...many, MANY people had food sold to them in hard plastic containers, so whenever opened they made noise, or candy , which they had to rip to get open. As there are food vendors outside the theater, everything is sold.....and no one stops people coming back in.
One idiot in the second to the last number started opening one, and it could be heard all over the orchestra area.
The people behind us were stunned that Little Women was a musical.......morons didn't know they were coming to a musical...ARRGH.

Sadly I will not go down to another theatrical event there due to the lack of theater savvy of the audience, and the theater itself.......but next time will go to Orange County or LA.

San Diego needs to mature theatrically, and get itself a damn REAL theater venue.

We did LOVE the production itself.

Updated On: 9/5/05 at 12:54 AM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:03am

Thanks for the review! I'm looking forward to seeing it in 2 weeks. It should be interesting for me to compare the Broadway and touring casts. :)

~Rosalynn

[Elphaba]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:07am

let me make one thing clear......I will continue to go down to San Diego for productions at the Old Globe, Starlight Opera, or LaJolla Playhouse.......but NOT the SD Civic Theater.

Rosalynn I didn't see the OBC, so I'll be interested in your review.....

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 3:33am

elphaba... i agree with you 100%.... i simply HATE the Civic Theatre... did you know that it's nickname is called The Barn?? i didn't know that until a few years ago... it's called that because of it's shape... the acoustics in the theater are HORRIBLE, especially if you're in the balcony... i hate the continental seating because it's like 50 seats and the latecomers always seem to be in the middle...argh... i actually had a conversation with the management once because when i saw miss saigon there in 1998, they let in latecomers at the weirdest breaks and people were getting up to leave every 10 minutes in the show... the ushers have no clue how to help you out... i can go on and on... and i will concur... the Old Globe has spectacula productions as does the La Jolla PLayhouse... the Starlight Opera (is that the theater in Balboa Park or a completely different one) is OK but the flying airplanes gets old REALLY fast... there are some traditions that NEED to be changed and that one is certainly it!

[eslgr8]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 4:08am

Thank goodness I'm seeing it in Costa Mesa, not in San Diego. September 13th! Good to know the cast is up to the task. I love the CD so I'm very much looking forward to it.

[otis33]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 5:10am

Oh gosh, I was glad to read your second post saying that you would continue to see theatre at place OTHER than the Civic. I agree, the Civic, not the best place to see things. But San Diego has a great theatre community, and I hope you continue to visit us down here.

Sadly, I did not get to see Little Women. I hope to see it elsewhere along its tour path.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 11:13am

yes eat, the Old Globe is the one with the planes....and that'll never change. And while it was cute in the late 70's early 80's, there are a LOT more planes flying in now.

as to the civic theater, until audiences there become a bit more refined, nothing will change about it.....and you're right, it was like seeing it in an old barn......

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 12:18pm

anyone who knows the Bway productions set can you compare the tour to it?? that was one of my favorite things about the Bway production was the AMAZING set...

[Elphaba]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 12:37pm

I found the set amazing, but as I haven't seen it on Broadway have no idea, but what they had was great.

otis....nothing could keep me from San Diego, just that dang theater!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:48pm

I'm seeing it in Costa Mesa on Sept. 16th. I saw it on Broadway too, so hopefully I can compare the sets for y'all. I do agree that the set design is amazing! :)

~Rosalynn

[theaterlover45]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:55pm

That's totally rude for the performers and the people in the audience who are actually focused on the show adn not on food!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 3:38pm

the Old Globe is the one with the planes....and that'll never change.

Starlight is the open air theatre with the planes. The Old Globe has three theatres two indoor and one outdoor, but I've never been to the Globe's outdoor Shakespeare festival shows so I can't comment on that. Maybe planes go over their too...

I too enjoyed LITTLE WOMEN very much and I thought the sets were absolutely amazing. "Astonishing" was fantastic, easily one of my favorite act one finales and I'd probably say that that show itself is one of my new favorite musicals from the past season. The audience for the matinee, at least from where I was sitting, was not as rude as the one you described. I didn't see anyone with food in the house, only drinks. And the only time I ever noticed any obstructing behavior coming from the audience was when Jo pulled her book from the fire and a little boy said, rather loudly to his mother, "her sister burned her story..." it was just one of those things though... little kids getting caught up, not really that big of a deal.

I will say that I did notice the sound not being as loud as it needed to be, probably for about the first twenty minutes, especially during dialogue moments, but it got better. It's a fantastic show. I think I may have been too into it to notice anything from the people around me...

[Elphaba]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 5:28pm

cats, I also noticed the sound not quite right at the beginning yesterday....but it did get better.

I think that the food problem stems from opening the side doors at intermission along with the main doors.......people can go out the side doors, get food and NOT be stopped coming back in with the food, which I think coming in the main doors (like most theaters)they would be stopped.

I do know I could NEVER sit in this theater in either of the two balconies (is one a loge?) or even in the back section of orchestra........we were in row R and it was fine, but anything further back would have been a problem I think

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 5:31pm

I feel so bad for the cast. I imagine it's difficult to perform in that sort of atmosphere.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 5:40pm

I don't ever remember seeing them open the side doors during intermission anytime before this... it might be a new thing. I was in row P and have to agree that anything further back would have sucked. it's such a large theatre and it doesn't work well for these kinds of smaller shows. but it was still awesome regardless...

[Elphaba]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 5:41pm

yes, it was a wonderful production..........I truly enjoyed it

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 6:41pm

Are there any ushers actually in the theatre when the show is performing? Doesn't sound like it...

[Elphaba]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 9:04pm

kid, I remember them at the front doors, and then opening all doors at intermission, other than that I never saw any