MIRACLE BROTHERS Last Night - WTF?!?!

[TheColorOfFlame]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 4:07pm

So I take in the first act of Miracle Brothers last night.

Tyler Maynard is astonishingly effeminate and slightly hammy (despite his best efforts), but has a gorgeous, reedy voice. The guy who plays his dolphin brother is in lovely voice and is very attractive, but has no charisma. Nobody does, in fact - what steals the show is a ravishing number between Kerry Butler and (I believe) Cheryl Freeman, who deliver a soul-rending duet about their respective sons in absolutely glorious voice. Otherwise, it's talky and yawny and not worth much care. (They try to be funny too, to embarrassing effect.)

Intermission rolls around. Afterwards, we sit back down. The stage manager comes onstage and says "I know this is unorthodox, but a performer has a rough voice right now and for safety reasons we are going to cancel the second act. You can call if you're upset. Sorry!"

Whatever happened to the show goes on?

I think it was the black dolphin brother - he had a ton of singing in the second act and he sounded like he was straining slightly at the end of the first act.

But couldn't he have just sung it more lightly? If he'd done that, we all would have thought he was a trouper, and would have applauded him. But since he opted not to go on at all, the audience thought he was a stinker. (Although many audience members were excited that they wouldn't have to sit through the second half. MIRACLE BROTHERS has no understudies or standbys.)

In any case, I'm peeved and also devastated that the show wasn't so good. I had really high hopes for Kirsten Childs' new piece. I always pray that a new musical will be wonderful, especially at the Vineyard.

Some of the Capoeira was kinda cool though.

Updated On: 9/25/05 at 04:07 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 4:26pm

That's very odd. I saw the matinee yesterday and everyone sounded fine. Strange that an actor wouldn't just try and mark time through the 2nd Act, especially if it meant the cancellation of the show. Even talk singing it would have been better than nothing.

Updated On: 9/25/05 at 04:26 PM

[DAME]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 5:38pm

how odd

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 7:49pm

What did you think of the show Margo?

[GirlfriendFromCanada]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 10:28pm

The show was cancelled completely today, I believe.

[andyf]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 11:28pm

You lucky f*cking bastard.



Miracle Brothers was so draining to sit through, I was on the brink of a nervous breakdown by the time it was over. Quite a few (very smart and subsequently fortunate) people left at intermission and I can't tell you how much I wish I was one of them.

Miracle Brothers is retarded....like Brooklyn-retarded. It might even be worse than Brooklyn. If you can, avoid this show at all costs. The story is impossibly hard to follow, which is ironic because you get beat over the head with the excrutiatingly elementary "White people oppress black people and that's not fair!!" message of the show.

Anyway, that number between Kerry Butler and Cheryl Freeman was really good. Unfortunately the rest of the show didn't make up for it.

Tyler has a beautiful voice, but that's not going to pay for my therapy. Please save yourself the trouble and mental anguish.


Please.

Updated On: 9/25/05 at 11:28 PM

[ShuQ]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 11:52pm

I'm sorry but I think that's totally ridiculous that they cancelled the show...regardless of the situation.

[andyf]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 11:59pm

I still wish I could have been so lucky.

[TheColorOfFlame]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 12:15am

OMG Andyf, HAHAHAHA that is so funny. You've influenced my decision not to go back another night.

However, I can't wait to contact the Vineyard and give them a piece of my mind.

Why couldn't Clifton Oliver have simply marked through the second act? Or just sang it softly? Surely it wouldn't have hurt the integrity of the piece. It is just mind-boggling. Clearly he was saving for opening night, which is similarly offensive.

Anybody else see it the night I did? Any verification that it was indeeed Clifton who was the unprofessional? I was too bashful to ask Kirsten Childs or Tina Landau (who were sitting next to me in the audience and seemed as astonished as I was when the stage manager came onstage) or Tyler, Karen or Anika, all of whom I walked to the subway with.

[Craig]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 1:18am

Opening night was last week, so it has nothing to do with that.

There are no understudies for his role - and in the second act, he's required to sing songs that he could not talk-sing. Sorry, but if he wasn't able to perform, they did the right thing not having a show today. It's unfortunate he couldn't finish act II last night, but it's live theater and it happens.

[TheColorOfFlame]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 1:53am

I refuse to accept that it's something that "happens."

A member of the ensemble could have sung his songs from the side of the stage, script in hand.

Hell, Kirsten Childs was in the audience. I assume she is familiar with the songs - she could have belted them out from her seat.

Furthermore, Clifton sounded fine in the first act. If he couldn't talk-sing the songs, he certainly could have sung them in head voice - I'm sure it would have diminished the score's power, but it would have been commendable of him to have continued.

I don't wish to assign blame to any particular party. I simply disagree with the "sh*t happens" sentiment; it's lame that the second act was cancelled. The show could have gone on in any number of ways.

Max

[andyf]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 1:58am

May I reiterate, again.

Let's look at the big picture here kids and not look this lovely, little gift horse in the mouth...OK?

[TheColorOfFlame]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 1:59am

Brantley opted not to trash BROTHERS too harshly in his review, citing one dolphin's remark in the first act that there's "no use crying over spilt river mud."

In this case, I feel that there IS use crying over spilt river mud, if it means preserving the integrity of the musical theatre community, audience-, cast-, and crew-members alike.

That's why I'm crying over it.

[Craig]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 2:04am

Color

you're sending out a mixed message - you want to have integrity, but then suggest another cast member singing of stage - or even Kirsten singing the score. That completely goes against the integrity of the show. Since you haven't seen Act 2, you can't comment on whether or not the performer in question could or could not continue. It's VERY unfortunate you had this experience, and you may hate it to the nth degree - but doesn't make the performer or the production team irresponsible for concluding the show.

[carymetorent2]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 3:01am

When I saw Tyler today at the flea market, he said that the show was cancelled and stopped last night because Clifton was really suffering. All that intense capoeira and then singing with a voice that was appparently shot to hell ... I think they were right to not strain him or he could have been seriously sick ... they were probably just trying to minimize the amount of days they would have to cancel because who knows how many days they would have had to cancel in the future if they did let him rest now.

[TheColorOfFlame]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 7:54pm

What I am concerned about is the integrity of theatre performers everywhere - the integrity of the theatre community.

It makes me so upset to think that the discipline that binds this community together should at all falter.

The fact that the second act was cancelled as a safety concern for a single performer is disheartening to me.

The theatre community will crumble - it will cease to exist - without its discipline; I'm talking about a passion to continue the show - a NEED to continue - to know how to carry on when an actor's voice is tired, and not to cancel the second act as a safety concern - to have an alternative, a Plan B.

The way that the show was brought to a close seemed to fly in the face of the sacredness of the theatre.

We deserved more - at the very least, a more in-depth explanation. Perhaps the stage manager could have informed us of the actor's state.

[otis33]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 8:03pm

For all we know, the actor may have wanted to continue. I've worked with several amazing stage managers who, if the actor's safety is on the line, will make the final call to cancel or put on the understudy (which in this case wasn't an option).

How quickly we all are to judge on this site!

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 11:02pm

"...The theatre community will crumble - it will cease to exist - without its discipline; I'm talking about a passion to continue the show - a NEED to continue - to know how to carry on when an actor's voice is tired, and not to cancel the second act as a safety concern - to have an alternative, a Plan B.The way that the show was brought to a close seemed to fly in the face of the sacredness of the theatre..."

The solution? Don't underwrite amateur junk by talent-free hacks like Childs that garner deservedly horrible reviews which only demoralize the cast to the point of psychosomatic dysfunction. Theater only becomes sacred by aiming at the stars, not wallowing in s**t.


Updated On: 9/27/05 at 11:02 PM

[Up In Lost]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 3:17pm

And... Sadness. Tonight's performance is a no-go as well. Whoever it is that's sick, get well soon!

[Starchild]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 5:20pm

I liked the show. Yeah, it's a little whacked, being it's dolphins who talk and morph into humans. But I loved the music and the dancing and thought it was really creative and original. Too bad about the guy who couldn't perform. He was really good. I saw both acts.

[robbiej]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 5:42pm

Ya know what I'm so f*cking over? This whole, 'THE SHOW MUST GO ON' bullsh*t.

Ya know what? Bad sh*t happens sometimes. In mid-performance, no less. How about the time I was doing CARNIVAL and the girl playing Lily burst a blood vessel during the second to last show. She figured, it's just one more performance, what could it really hurt? She ended up having to take months off and spending a great deal of money to go to a vocal therapist.

But as long as you get your second act (of a show you didn't like, by the way), it's worth it, right?

Selfish.

[Up In Lost]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 6:05pm

Nice, Star, ruin it.

Posted: 9/27/05 at 6:07pm

I highly doubt that Clifton Oliver would opt out of the second half of the show because he was just under vocally. He must have really been concerned about his health. I would frankly see the vineyard cancel a few performances rather than permanently damage Clifton's beautiful voice.

Also, "thecolorofflame"...I know for a fact that Tina Landau was not there that night. I know the staff at the theatre and your rendition of what the stage manager said is quite inaccurate. The stage manager does not have the right to tell the audience who it is our how he or she is feeling. That is personal information.

I agree with a lot of you, stuff happens that prevents the show from going on and I would be more upset if the actor "sang softly" or if they had another actor sing his songs. I would rather come back and see the full production full voiced as cast and directed than see some alternate version just so the show can go on.

[Starchild]

Posted: 9/28/05 at 11:55am

Up in Lost, I don't think saying their dolphins who morph is ruining the show, you find that out in the first minute. And it's in the program. Or did I say something else I don't realize?

[kidmanboy]

Posted: 9/28/05 at 6:28pm

Does anyone know if the show is back on? I have tickets for Saturday night.