#26
Posted: 6/19/22 at 1:29am
I just saw Max tonight and he was so good!!! I am so glad that I made a trip into NYC just for this!!!
Max Clayton was amazing tonight! — Page 2
#27
Posted: 6/19/22 at 4:57pm
The only annoying thing about yesterday's performance were people in the rear orchestra section who were cheering on a youngster in the cast. They shouted out, "Yay Jimmy!" and ""You show'em Jim" as if they were in a school gymnasium.
Appalling conduct by any standard.
"Long live God!" (GODSPELL)
#28
Posted: 6/19/22 at 5:47pm
I saw the show on Wednesday matinee and was so excited to see Max shine in a leading role. I've seen many of the shows Max has been in the ensemble for and always wanted to see him play a leading role especially since he's covered a few in those other shows. Max was incredible and just oozed talent, charm, and completely had the audience in the palm of his hands. The chemistry between Max and Sutton was fantastic - they played off each other so well and danced beautifully together.
I adore Sutton, and while she may not be a soprano like the role requires, I loved her performance. I think she made the material work for her and brought her own charms and quirks to the role.
Special shout out to the adorable little boy who plays Winthrop - he just stole my heart in every scene especially when he gets his instrument from Harold.
The choreography was wonderful and I loved the Wells Fargo Wagon moment which felt similar to the train in Sunday Clothes in Hello Dolly. This production doesn't have the magic that Hello Dolly had, but it is still an absolute joy and I left with a huge grin on my face.
If you can go see the show with Max, I absolutely urge you to do so. I'm sure Hugh is wonderful and I'd love to see him at some point, but I was so happy to see Max smash it.
"Anybody that goes to the theater, I think we’re all misfits, so we ended up on stage or in the audience.” --- Patti LuPone.
Updated On: 6/19/22 at 05:47 PM
#29
Posted: 6/19/22 at 8:54pm
ClumsyDude15 said: "I saw the show on Wednesday matinee and was so excited to see Max shine in a leading role. I've seen many of the shows Max has been in the ensemble for and always wanted to see him play a leading role especially since he's covered a few in those other shows. Max was incredible and just oozed talent, charm, and completely had the audience in the palm of his hands. The chemistry between Max and Sutton was fantastic - they played off each other so well and danced beautifully together.
I adore Sutton, and while she may not be a soprano like the role requires, I loved her performance. I think she made the material work for her and brought her own charms and quirks to the role.
Special shout out to the adorable little boy who plays Winthrop - he just stole my heart in every scene especially when he gets his instrument from Harold.
The choreography was wonderful and I loved the Wells Fargo Wagon moment which felt similar to the train in Sunday Clothes in Hello Dolly. This production doesn't have the magic that Hello Dolly had, but it is still an absolute joy and I left with a huge grin on my face.
If you can go see the show with Max, I absolutely urge you to do so. I'm sure Hugh is wonderful and I'd love to see him at some point, but I was so happy to see Max smash it."
The highest accolade I can give Max is that I don't want to see anyone else in the role from now on.
"Long live God!" (GODSPELL)
#30
Posted: 6/20/22 at 8:44am
I'm curious for those who have seen both and preferred Max if there is any way to describe the key difference. I did see Max in place of Shuler Hensley as Marcellus, and his performance was much more understated than Hensley's blustery take, which was good in some ways but - well, just different, I guess. It depends how you like your Marcellus. So maybe it's as basic as that for his Harold Hill as well.
But I guess I wonder if the preference is more that Max has less baggage than Jackman, in terms of his fame and an association with so many film roles, which make it harder to see "Harold Hill" and not "Hugh Jackman". Or is there something different about Jackman's performance - some criticisms I've read are he plays too much to the audience, some don't like the "character breaks" (which Sutton has said were Jerry Zaks directing them to explore moments "where they make each other smile" while the characters are falling in love), and that his dancing looks too practiced, ie that he's trying to hard. And then some people just don't like his singing, which it's hard to do anything about. You like it or you don't.
Presumably, Max is a more natural singer and dancer, based on his years of ensemble work. But what of the other things. Are there "breaks"? (I'm guessing not). Is Max playing Harold more understated and naturally, like he did with Marcellus? Just curious, if anybody can offer up their thoughts.
#31
Posted: 6/20/22 at 10:50am
I saw Max as Harold on Wednesday night and he was absolutely wonderful. Genuinely felt like a “star is born” moment. Whatever quibbles I might have had with the excess of dance breaks or the lack of compelling design choices, they just didn’t matter because Max’s performance was so winning. And the cast seemed to genuinely be having a blast. The energy was infectious.
The Music Man has never been one of my favorite shows, and it’s still not, but this production manages to find a lot of sincere joy in it. I don’t care for Hugh, so I’m glad to have caught Max in the role, and I really cannot imagine him being bested. He really is that good and clearly has a long career ahead of him if he continues to perform at this caliber. And a LOVELY singing voice! Obviously, the producers trusted his ability enough to cast him as the standby, but you never know when an actor has primarily been working as an ensemble member with no featured singing.
If you have the chance to see him tomorrow, and you’ve been wondering if the show is worth seeing, do it.
#32
Posted: 6/20/22 at 11:33am
Not every producer has the wisdom to hire a qualified standby for their star. Years ago I saw FADE OUT/FADE IN (was it 1968?) and Carol Burnett was out. Her understudy, Mitzi Welch, was ill equipped for the role and exery bit of the show's lackluster book and production became exposed as a result.
"Long live God!" (GODSPELL)
#33
Posted: 6/20/22 at 12:20pm
I'm so happy Max is wonderful and so many people welcomed him into the role. Could not have been easy since Hugh is the reason for this revival. I sincerely hope this means they will put tickets on sale in September during Hugh's vacation with Max on that week. I think he's proven to be a a huge asset to that production and there is no need to shut it down completely for an entire week.
#34
Posted: 6/20/22 at 12:35pm
I won the lottery yesterday and saw the show from rear orchestra full view. The house was pretty much full too. Max was wonderful in the role and I truly felt like his Harold was both swindling the town and then falling in love with Marian. He and Sutton have great chemistry and work really well together. At curtain call, Sutton was in tears thanking the 5 kids and Ann Sanders who were taking their final bows. She's such a class act.
I've seen the show with Hugh as well and I don't think I can compare. Both are wonderful in the role and both have amazing chemistry with Sutton. Hugh accentuates his vocals a bit more but watching Max dance was a revelation. Harold is not an easy role to cover and Max did it flawlessly as if he's been doing it everyday for the past 6 months rather than just the past week. I'm seriously considering going back again tomorrow night as it will be a long time before the show is affordable again.
The producers and creative team should be very proud. Max was getting the same levels of applause that Hugh gets if not more so. He got sustained applause during the first reveal on the train just like Hugh gets and then pretty after every big number and then curtain call. I hope the ticket sales this past week reflect that energy too. The show was accessible for a lot of people who wouldn't have been able to have seen it otherwise is I hope we see more of Max in the role in the future.
#35
Posted: 6/20/22 at 2:05pm
I saw The Music Man for the fourteenth time yesterday. I was curious to see Max's version of Harold Hill, and the ticket price was certainly attractive enough for me to make the effort.
Similar to what a poster on All that Chat said, I thought Max Clayton was a perfectly good standby. The role of Harold Hill is a beast and Max hit every mark with confidence, charm and liability. He has a very pleasant singing voice and he's a terrific dancer. For me, his book scenes were the weakest part of his performance, but I imagine they would improve if he were doing the role on a consistent basis.
The chemistry with Sutton was certainly there and they made a cute couple. I agree with RWPrincess in that they "work really well together."
I also agree with what RWPrincess said in that Max got a lot of love from the audience. The audience was certainly on his side and while some people might have been disappointed they weren't seeing Hugh Jackman, I felt like the majority of people there were willing to give Max a chance. That's certainly nice to see from any audience toward any performer.
And while I don't want to compare the two performances nor do I want to compare the two performers, I will say that Hugh Jackman is my Harold Hill. I can't take my eyes off of Hugh when he's on stage. He exudes a charisma and possesses a stage presence that I rarely see in other Broadway performers. He's the sole reason I shelled out the money to see The Music Man 13 times. For me, Hugh Jackman has that "it" factor. I'm glad I saw Max's performance, but I would not go back to see the show again based on his performance. I will, however, be making another trip to see Hugh Jackman in the role.
Updated On: 6/20/22 at 02:05 PM
#36
Posted: 6/20/22 at 2:21pm
RWPrincess said: . At curtain call, Sutton was in tears thanking the 5 kids and Ann Sanders who were taking their final bows. She's such a class act.
I'm a huge Hugh Jackman fan (and Sutton Foster fan) but those kids were almost the best part of the show. I've never seen a children's ensemble that was so talented and they looked like they were having the time of their lives. The shortest girl in the ensemble was just off the charts good - she stood out in every number. I think Sutton Foster mentioned her in an interview that she was only 10 and was a swing for 3 different tracks. Those kids were flat out amazing.
#37
Posted: 6/20/22 at 9:45pm
Glad to hear his standby is doing so well. Hugh is supposed to be back for the show we have tickets for on June 29th, hopefully - this trip and tickets were a birthday gift to my daughter, who is a huge Hugh Jackman fan. We saw his touring show when it came to San Antonio in pre covid times, it was fun! While I admire his talent, I'm more excited to see Sutton Foster in person. Coming in a for a week with my daughter and granddaughter.
Have there been any other cast members that have been our due to covid, since Hugh's announcement?
I'm sure it will be a fun show! It will be my 9 yr old granddaughters first trip to New York and Broadway. We've gone to touring shows show and regional theater here in Austin TX, but I'm looking forward to this trip.
#38
Posted: 6/20/22 at 10:28pm
Gonna check on discount seats at TKTS tomorrow and support Max - maybe I'll see Matt Doyle there? 
"Anything you do, let it it come from you--then it will be new."
Sunday in the Park with George
#39
Posted: 6/21/22 at 8:44am
You might want to try for rush tickets before going to TKTS since they are cheaper. I rushed The Music Man on Saturday and was able to get really good seats and pay a lot less than the TKTS price. Matt Doyle may be going to the show since he posted on his Instagram story over the weekend that he was not going to be in the Company performance on Tuesday.
#40
Posted: 6/21/22 at 1:32pm
gracie61 said: "Glad to hear his standby is doing so well. Hugh is supposed to be back for the show we have tickets for on June 29th, hopefully - this trip and tickets were a birthday gift to my daughter, who is a huge Hugh Jackman fan. We saw his touring show when it came to San Antonio in pre covid times, it was fun! While I admire his talent, I'm more excited to see Sutton Foster in person. Coming in a for a week with my daughter and granddaughter.
Have there been any other cast members that have been our due to covid, since Hugh's announcement?
I'm sure it will be a fun show! It will be my 9 yr old granddaughters first trip to New York and Broadway. We've gone to touring shows show and regional theater here in Austin TX, but I'm looking forward to this trip."
No announcements but there have been several swings on this past week.
#41
Posted: 6/21/22 at 4:14pm
I caught the matinee on Saturday just to see Max and I was not disappointed. He's an old world, song and dance man at heart. A leading man performance like any other pro.
The show feels much more "lived in" since I saw it in previews. Without Hugh it actually feels like THE MUSIC MAN and not THE HUGH JACKMAN SHOW (ft. the music man). Everything felt more cohesive and came together for me. The extensive dance breaks also made more sense with Max at the center of it; you can tell the choreography was built with him in the lab.
Hopefully we see Max at the helm of his own vehicle sooner than later...
#42
Posted: 6/21/22 at 4:46pm
Yes, more Max, please!
Max has posted a clever photo on IG syggesting the next role he'll play in the show will br Tommy.
"Long live God!" (GODSPELL)
Updated On: 6/21/22 at 04:46 PM
#43
Posted: 6/21/22 at 5:14pm
Maybe the producers will consider hiring Max to replace Hugh when Hugh's contract is up.
In the meantime, I'm glad that Hugh is heading back to The Winter Garden tomorrow as he's the only Harold Hill for me.
#44
Posted: 6/21/22 at 6:18pm
Dollypop said: "Yes, more Max, please!
Max has posted a clever photo on IG syggesting the next role he'll play in the show will br Tommy."
I think he's actually referring to his previous time performing The Music Man when he played Tommy in a production in Wichita in 2011.
#45
Posted: 6/21/22 at 11:58pm
Saw Max tonight and agree with all the praise for him in this thread. I've seen the show a few times with Hugh already (all with rush tickets after the first time), and it was definitely worth seeing Max's take. If they put him on during Hugh's upcoming vacation, I highly recommend going then just to see how he does it. Also recommend going the rush ticket route - I strolled up to the Box Office at 11 am and there was no wait and I got a great seat for $49 (L 12).
For someone who asked earlier in the thread - there was at least one "break" moment that I noticed; it was during the scene when Harold Hill finally comes to call on Marian at her request. The performances I saw with Hugh all had a "break" moment during the library number, but that didn't happen tonight.
#46
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
Posted: 6/22/22 at 8:58am
Thanks for reminding me about the upcoming vacation, hoping I can go. I had plans to go last night but food poisoning entered the chat, and I was so upset.
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
#47
Posted: 6/22/22 at 9:37am
everythingtaboo said: "Thanks for reminding me about the upcoming vacation, hoping I can go. I had plans to go last night but food poisoning entered the chat, and I was so upset."
If it was food poisoning you'd be more than "upset".
"Long live God!" (GODSPELL)
#48
Posted: 6/22/22 at 9:45am
If the show has a scheduled break for Hugh's vacation, perhaps other members of the company also took the opportunity to book trips that week, and won't be available to suddenly schedule shows.
...
#49
Posted: 6/22/22 at 11:03am
SueFB said: "Dollypop said: "Yes, more Max, please!
Max has posted a clever photo on IG syggesting the next role he'll play in the show will br Tommy."
I think he's actually referring to his previous time performing The Music Man when he played Tommy in a production in Wichita in 2011.
I believe this was a humorous poke about Max going on in so many roles in this production so far. He's been: Harold Hill, Marcellus Washburn, Charlie Crowell, one of the Barberhop Quartet, and a Salesman. Obviously, Tommy is next on the list but I can't wait to see his take on Winthrop.
"
"Long live God!" (GODSPELL)
Updated On: 6/22/22 at 11:03 AM
#50
Posted: 6/22/22 at 11:12am
Dollypop said:
I believe this was a humorous poke about Max going on in so many roles in this production so far. He's been: Harold Hill, Marcellus Washburn, Charlie Crowell, one of the Barberhop Quartet, and a Salesman. Obviously, Tommy is next on the list but I can't wait to see his take on Winthrop.
"
Dollypop, you’re simply incorrect. There was no humor attached to the post, it was just a sweet remembrance. Max was sharing a picture (after all it gives photo credits to the fact that it was a production at MT Witchita) of his first time doing the show. He does not in any way cover Tommy in this production. He’s far too old for that. Tommy is not “next on the list.”
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