Misery, Agony, Helplessness, Hopeless, Heartache and Woe

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/27/08 at 1:07pm

My Last two nights in New York were spent at previews of two VERY different shows, the first of which being Cry-Baby. (Minor spoilers)

Cry-Baby 3/24

Wow. As a lover of flops I was in absolute heaven watching this show. The show starts out at an Anti-Polio Picnic that proceeds to introduce all the characters in the first ten minutes. The lyrics are truly god awful. For example, in "Nobody Gets Me" there is an exchange between the squares and the drapes about Cry-Baby that goes "Why are you so bad?/Why are you so sad?/Why aren't you in school?/Why are you so cool?"

Things really get cooking in the next scene at the country club when Harriet Harris brings out gas masks that are "both functional and fashionable." This naturally leads to a gas mask waltz and the song "Let's get some air," which reportedly is being cut later this week. Too bad, because it actually moved the plot along a bit.

This takes us to Turkey Point where Cry-Baby and his friend Dupree (Chester Gregory II) sing for their friends. Cry-Baby sings the doozie "Baby Baby Baby Baby (Baby Baby Baby)" to which, when asked to join in, Elizabeth Stanley replies "But I don't know the words."

Up next is "Girl Can I Kiss You...?" (with tongue). This actually got a few chuckles out of me, but it was too little, too late. The act ends with a courtroom scene, which had some major pacing problems.

Act Two. Alli Mauzey and Chris Hanke lead the ensemble in "All in My Head." Everyone is in tuxedos and wedding dresses, carrying photos of James Snyder and Elizabeth Stanley in front of their faces.

The best number came in the early second act: "A Little Upset." It contains an extended dance break with the male ensemble attaching liscense plates to their shoes and tap dancing. I fully admit that the choreography was wonderful throughout and should get a Tony nomination. The assistant choreographer/dance captain Spencer Liff has to get special mention for his amazing dancing.

Harriet Harris gets some sort of 11 o'clock number titled "I Did Something Wrong Once." It's one of those numbers that repeats over and over, each time struting and building to a belting climax (a la "You've Got Possibilities"). Unfortunately Harriet Harris does not have the type of voice to put over a number like this. Karen Morrow or Susan Johnson would've (maybe) been able to sell this song, but it just doesn't work here.

After all conflicts are resolved the show ends with one of the weakest numbers "Nothing Bad's Ever Gonna Happen Again."

Almost nothing goes right for this production. The music is forgettable and the lyrics painful. The book is atrocious. The biggest problem for me may have been the casting of James Snyder as Cry-Baby. He looks the part, and sings decently enough, but he has none of the bad boy charm, animal magnetism needed for the role. The trio of bad girls played by Courtney Balan, Lacey Kohl and Tory Ross are poorly written, although the actresses give it their all. They are forced to sing the embarrassing "Class Dismissed" which should be discarded for something better. And poor Chris Hanke. First In My Life and now this. He is given some of the worst lines in the show, and he tries to camp it up, but most of his jokes received silence from the audience. I still think he is a great singer and wish him the best after Cry-Baby.

Not all is lost, though. The bright spot in the production is Alli Mauzey, whose "Screw Loose" is truly funny and really woke up the crowd. She is so over the top, she almost seems out of place. I didn't have a problem with Elizabeth Stanley either, like some here have. I thought she sounded great, and hardly ranks as one of the major problems with the show.

I must also admit that I was never once bored; the two acts flew by in no time. Go see this before it closes.

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 3/27/08 at 1:17pm

Way to pick the only lyrics in the show without any wit or intelligence. The lyrics (and especially off-kilter rhymes) are one of the show's strengths.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/27/08 at 1:34pm

The following night (3/25) I went to the first preview of "A Catered Affair." It hasn't been as easy to formulate an opinion about this show as Cry-Baby. First of all, I'll say that it was nothing like what I was expecting. I knew next to nothing about the subject material or what the score sounded like before I went in. Judging from the marquee and Harvey, and I thought it was going to be a fun little romantic comedy about a wedding. I couldn't have been more wrong. Hell, Harvey, Faith, Matt and Leslie are all smiling on the marquee and I don't think one of them smiled once during the show!!

This isn't to say that I hated the show, I just wasn't prepared for it. It is dark and leaves you very cold. The set/projections didn't really do anything for, although this show is clearly about the performances, and boy do the performances deliver. Faith Prince is amazing. It was my first time seeing her live and she didn't let me down. Tom Wopat is good, although he is given only one song and not much else to do.

I enjoyed Harvey, and his song "Immediate Family" really livened the show up, although I took issue with his character's omnipresence. Sometimes his character was directly involved with the action, and sometimes he was unnoticed by the other characters, simply observing the action. This needs to be addressed.

I thought Leslie gave a beautifully understated performance, and her duet with Matt C. on the fire escape was the most beautiful moment of the show. Matt has NO part in the show. He was even more underused/underdeveloped than Tom Wopat.

I think I will have to listen to the score a few more times before it actually sinks in. I may not have been able to hum everything from Piazza or Sunday in the Park after the first I time I heard those scores, but I was instantly emotionally involved by them. I had no such reaction to this score. The lyrics were thoughtful and fresh, but the actual music didn't grab me. The best scenes were the book scenes; this could easily win the Tony for best book. I saw the show with WithoutaTrace who said he thought the songs got in the way of the story, and it would have worked better as a play. I think I would mostly have to agree with him.

I just kept wanting to have something happen. An event, a secret or something to move the story along. Whereas Cry-Baby kept attention, A Catered Affair was often boring. August's three hours flew by, but I felt each one of the 90 minutes in this musical. In fact, afterwards the woman in front of me said, "That was the longest 90 minutes of my life."

I highly respected the show, but that respect didn't translate into love, if that makes any sense. It was a fine artistic endeavor that left me feeling nothing.

Updated On: 3/27/08 at 01:34 PM

[tazber]

Posted: 3/27/08 at 2:04pm

Great reviews! Thanks!

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 3/27/08 at 2:12pm

http://youtube.com/watch?v=m11FJgkewnE

that was the only way i felt i could express my opinions on Cry-Baby. I wanted to like the show...but I couldn't.