MargoChanning's Best of 2006- Page 2

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 4:59pm

WithoutATrace -

Did you know there was once a man named Oliver back in the days when people who spoke to G-d weren't immediately institutionalized. And one day Oliver was offered the chance to speak to Him. And Oliver said, nonchalantly, "Oh, G-d. You have done an amazing job with this whole creation thing. But don't you think you should have turned the light on first?" And G-d looked upon Oliver and smote him. The moral is: Never question MargoChanning.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 5:00pm

Re: JERSEY BOYS

I had an aversion to going to see yet another jukebox musical -- a sentiment I expressed publicly on BWW, after which I was contacted by someone affiliated with the show who kindly offered to treat me to a ticket to see it. I accepted and had a very good time. While it didn't quite make any of my lists (though it was close), I thought Young was a standout and deserved mention.

Updated On: 1/5/07 at 05:00 PM

[sally1112]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 5:03pm

Margo, thank you for your insights. You have given me much to think about while planning my next trip to NYC.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 5:12pm

BsoBW2: Jersey Boys opened in Fall 2005 and Margo had JLY on his list for 2006. I was confused so I asked him and he kindly answered my question. Even if Margo is the "God" of BroadwayWorld, I had a question for him, so I asked. I'm sorry if that offends you.

[toomeytwopiece]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 6:11pm

this thread was meant to be an effort of love :)

no one is offending anyone - right, peoples??

thanks, Margo, for that list! It's nice to have been remembered by SOMEONE!! Grumble Grumble (throws a bottle of poison off stage)!

LOL

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 6:45pm

Best of luck in the future, Brian! I'm going try to see TWIST next week.

*Margo pours another martini*

[sidneybruhl]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 7:10pm

Thanks Margo!

[Taryn]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 7:18pm

I didn't get to see Jane Pfitsch when I saw Company on Tuesday (everyone was on), but I did stand behind a friend and classmate of hers in the Spring Awakening student rush line. There was a fantastic story about meeting Sondheim and him getting her an audition that just made me happy to see new, young, up-and-coming talents being discovered. I'm glad to see that she stood out to you, too.

[AtLeastIveBeenThere]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 7:18pm

margo is the most amazing person ever.

I LOVE YOU.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 7:24pm

I saw COMPANY early in previews when Pfitsch was doing Amy before Heather Laws rejoined the company (after, I believe, her maternity leave) and she was simply terrific. Her "Getting Married Today" deservedly got the biggest ovation of the night and it was as fine and clearly enunciated rendition of that killer song as I have ever heard (and her acting in the ensuing book scene was outstanding as well). I look forward to seeing her again in another project.

Updated On: 1/5/07 at 07:24 PM

[roquat]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 9:49pm

Do you do a "worst" list, or is that too depressing and energy-sapping (and are there way too many candidates?)

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 12:23am

I've personally never been a big fan of "Worst of" lists. They seem mean-spirited and further punish shows that have already (in most cases) been slammed thoroughly by critics and audiences and few shows are so woefully inept that they deserve the further embarassment.

I prefer to celebrate the good stuff of the year past, give the great shows one final round of applause (and forget everything else) and look forward to the year ahead.

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 2:37am

All I can say is that this has been a whirlwind year for me, becoming old enough to (finally) get myself to the theatre alone, and in stark comparison to last year, I've seen almost everything on your lists! That is some form of success.

My only real disagreement os about A Chorus Line. I'm not even someone who saw the original, but I felt the revival lacked life. That describes most of the cast, with the main standout in my mind being Mara Davi. Did you ever write a review of the show? I'd love to read it.

[DG]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 3:05am

I'm sorry that THE CLEAN HOUSE didn't grab your interest, although, I do see you liked a performer in it. I've been surprised in general at the lack of response.
Updated On: 1/6/07 at 03:05 AM

[EugLoven]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 3:45am

Glad to see London's "Sunday in the Park with George" on there.
Thanks, always, for your insight and diligence.
Updated On: 1/6/07 at 03:45 AM

[BroadwayBound062]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 3:53am

You are amazing!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 2:58pm

I decided to include A CHORUS LINE because despite various issues with the tempos and casting (some roles were simply miscast and why do so many of them sing so poorly?), the staging and design still hold up as some of the most ingenius ever created.

I found that THE CLEAN HOUSE looked better on paper than in performance. The ensemble and design were first rate, but I found myself having trouble connecting with the text itself. While I admired the inventiveness in the writing, including the elements of magic realism, it struck me as too self-consciously clever for its own good -- all technique and no heart. I'm not exactly sure if it was the writing, the direction or the acting or a combination thereof (though I suspect that the main problem was that the actors were directed to play the text too broadly and not grounded enough in reality -- for absurdism to work, you HAVE to really believe in and care for the characters no matter how ridiculous the circumstances they find themselves in are), but I ultimately didn't care a whit for any of those characters or their plights, even though it was clear from the way that Ruhl had crafted the piece that she wanted me to. I can understand why this play has been so acclaimed in previous productions around the country and could definitely see working under different circumstances, but I found this production of the material to be a misfire.

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 7:45pm

I agree with that reasoning I guess...but I'm sort of glad that they got ACL on the mentions instead of the top ten.

And I completely agree about the singing. It's is pretty ridiculous.

[YankeeGal#24]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 9:05pm

Margo, as always, great insights, great reading, and exquisite taste. Thanks for sharing it all with us, it's truly a privilege.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 11:12pm

Margo, I'm a little surprised to see Durango get a special mention. I saw it with a class and though we enjoyed it, we thought it was pretty flawed. Granted, we saw the 2nd preview. Would you mind elaborating on your thoughts of Durango?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 4:08am

I thought DURANGO was definitely worth mentioning. Aside from being a first rate production from The Public (the acting and design couldn't have been better), Julia Cho is one of our more interesting emerging playwrights and while this work -- part memory play, part road-trip comedy, part dysfunctional family drama -- the surface dealt with the Korean-American experience, but the play's themes (a father's honor, trying to live up to a parent's high expectations, a young man coming to terms with his homosexuality) couldn't have been more universal.

Cho's writing has remarkable texture and I found myself quite moved at the halting attempts the men in this family made to try to connect with one another, each possessing a secret that he fears will in some way diminish him in the eyes of the others. And their longing for the family's deceased maternal figure -- effectively conveyed in a series of flashbacks by each of the male characters assuming her identity in monologue form -- was cleverly and hauntingly conveyed. I also liked Cho's courage to leave the various themes ambiguously unresolved at the play's resolution. She has a very unique poetic and idiosyncratic voice that I look forward to hearing again in the future.

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 4:31am

I remember in a past "Best of" list that you included The Big Voice when it was off-off-broadway. Have you seen it again? It's changed. I reccomend seeing it again if you already haven't!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 1:44pm

What a list!

And I'm so glad to see Leslie Kritzer on there! What night did you see it? Were we there the same night?

[StephenSondheimWHOO]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 1:55pm

Great List!! No Sarah Jones?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 2:10pm

I saw Sarah Jones when her show was at 45 Bleeker back in early 2004.

I saw Leslie Kritzer on December 8th -- not sure if you were there, Joey (I was at the bar). She's such a great talent -- so funny with a heck of a voice. I'm hoping she'll get a great Broadway vehicle one of these days. She deserves it.