#1
Posted: 12/30/06 at 7:46pm
Saw today's matinee. Before I begin, let me say that Disney has another long-running hit on their hands. This will run for at least 5 years.
I very much enjoyed the show, though it's not without it's problems. With a couple of exceptions, I find the show's biggest problem to be its staging. Except for Step in Time, none of the big numbers that should be showstoppers are allowed to really take off. Jolly Holiday and Super.... while enjoyable, do not nearly reach their potential. The choreography (again, Step in Time excepted) is never exceptional, and at most times, is utilitarian. Part of the problem, however, is in the way the number was staged to begin with. For example, Super... could never go anywhere because there was really no room for them to dance, the way the stage was set up. As a result, it was mostly them just dancing in a line.
Despite this, however, I still very much enjoyed the show. The score is catchy, and it's well performed. Rebecaa Luker's talents are mostly wasted here, but she does a nice job with what she has. Daniel Jenkins was all right, though I felt a bit too cartoony at points. Jane Carr was lovely as Mrs. Brill, and Cass Morgan did a nice job with Feed the Birds. Ruth Gotschall's Miss Andrew reminded me of the Childcatcher in Chitty... We had Henry Hodges (who I've seen in numerous other shows) and Kathryn Faughn as the children, and they were both very good.
Gavin Lee's Bert was wonderful, and he's probably going to win this year's Astaire Award. Ashley Brown was delightful as Mary Poppins and sings like a dream. She brought the right amound of wit and charisma to the role, and I found to be fantastic.
The sets are fantastic, and for the most part the show moves along at a pretty nice clip. However, I would have cut Temper Temper, which I know is a big bone of contention around here. It didn't fit with the tone of most of the show, and was a bit too creepy.
I enjoyed the show greatly, even with its flaws. From the looks of it, the audience (which was SRO) seemed to do so as well. I had my doubts about how many of those $40 umbrellas they would actually sell (who pays $40 for an umbrella?????), but was surprised to see a ton of people with them.
I very much enjoyed the show, though it's not without it's problems. With a couple of exceptions, I find the show's biggest problem to be its staging. Except for Step in Time, none of the big numbers that should be showstoppers are allowed to really take off. Jolly Holiday and Super.... while enjoyable, do not nearly reach their potential. The choreography (again, Step in Time excepted) is never exceptional, and at most times, is utilitarian. Part of the problem, however, is in the way the number was staged to begin with. For example, Super... could never go anywhere because there was really no room for them to dance, the way the stage was set up. As a result, it was mostly them just dancing in a line.
Despite this, however, I still very much enjoyed the show. The score is catchy, and it's well performed. Rebecaa Luker's talents are mostly wasted here, but she does a nice job with what she has. Daniel Jenkins was all right, though I felt a bit too cartoony at points. Jane Carr was lovely as Mrs. Brill, and Cass Morgan did a nice job with Feed the Birds. Ruth Gotschall's Miss Andrew reminded me of the Childcatcher in Chitty... We had Henry Hodges (who I've seen in numerous other shows) and Kathryn Faughn as the children, and they were both very good.
Gavin Lee's Bert was wonderful, and he's probably going to win this year's Astaire Award. Ashley Brown was delightful as Mary Poppins and sings like a dream. She brought the right amound of wit and charisma to the role, and I found to be fantastic.
The sets are fantastic, and for the most part the show moves along at a pretty nice clip. However, I would have cut Temper Temper, which I know is a big bone of contention around here. It didn't fit with the tone of most of the show, and was a bit too creepy.
I enjoyed the show greatly, even with its flaws. From the looks of it, the audience (which was SRO) seemed to do so as well. I had my doubts about how many of those $40 umbrellas they would actually sell (who pays $40 for an umbrella?????), but was surprised to see a ton of people with them.
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