I saw this opening night and absolutely loved it. I came with negative expectations but the show was quite enjoyable. I thought the 2nd act was more enjoyable than the 1st tho.
"Have a child for warmth and a baker for bread and a prince for... whatever!"
Munk~ exactly how I felt about EVERYTHING! Even Maureen. *ducks*. Her voice was incredible though.
"This table, he is over one hundred years old. If I could, I would take an old gramophone needle and run it along the surface of the wood. To hear the music of the voices. All that was said." - Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife
Maureen McGovern wasn't exactly in a role that required a lot of acting, so I'll give her a pass. All she had to do was look concerned or reassuring. What else was she supposed to do with it?
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the weakness of the orchestra's sound. They only had 12 pieces, I believe. It was evident from the beginning of the overture that we were in trouble with anemic arrangements. It served the music ill.
One can only hope when the recording is made that the orchestra is supplemented. This minimalism in Broadway orchestras nowadays has got to stop.
Great review! I watched LW about 2 weeks ago with no (well, maybe slightly negative) expectations coming into it too. But I was pleasantly surprised that it was quite enjoyable. Sure it's got flaws here and there, but watching Sutton onstage was an incredible experience. She's got such spunk in her performance, but balances well with naivety and innocence. I love her!
I enjoyed Little Women. I went Sunday. The orchestra was filled but the mezzanine was not. Sutton is wonderful. She has a comedic talent you would not believe. I loved when she was reading her story and had the actors behind her on the platform acting out the scene. She was mimicking their parts. That was genius. The music was not that memorable but the scenery and costumes were wonderful. I hope she gets a Tony for this show.
"Life is not measured by the number
of breaths we take, but by moments
that take our breath away."
"Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
but how to dance in the rain."
Completely agree Broadwaylady. I just can't say enough about Sutton! She is so my new favorite person!
"This table, he is over one hundred years old. If I could, I would take an old gramophone needle and run it along the surface of the wood. To hear the music of the voices. All that was said." - Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife
I personally thought that about 2/3 of the music was really quite good, maybe 3/4, with the remainder being mediocre at best, some of it downright terrible.
But the show overall was terrific, and I hope that it does well enough to stay open for at least a while.
I think the book is acutally quite good, but it's not conveyed well. The cast, almost certainly due to their director, seem to go for diction over emotion, which really hurts the way the book is conveyed. But when I thought about many parts of the dialogue after they were said, I could see real potential in them if delievered in a more realistic or emotional way instead of a 'showy', overly enunciated even by theatrical standards way.
munk you just made me literally laugh out loud. I'm actually relieved that i saw the understudy. she wasn't annoying at all.
"This table, he is over one hundred years old. If I could, I would take an old gramophone needle and run it along the surface of the wood. To hear the music of the voices. All that was said." - Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife
lol. It must have been really bad. Her voice, i mean. The annoyingness, whatever.
"This table, he is over one hundred years old. If I could, I would take an old gramophone needle and run it along the surface of the wood. To hear the music of the voices. All that was said." - Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife
Heh yes I was lucky enough to see the understudy as well. I had heard horrible things. Saw the white slip and chuckled a little under my breath out of relief. It was probably a little bit creepy.
"This table, he is over one hundred years old. If I could, I would take an old gramophone needle and run it along the surface of the wood. To hear the music of the voices. All that was said." - Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife
"Chicago is it's own incredible theater town right there smack down in the middle of the heartland. What a great city! I can see why Oprah likes to live there!" - Dee Hoty :-D