#1
Posted: 5/1/06 at 12:14am
I had the unfortunate option of attending tonight's opening performance of HOT FEET. And that's, in a word, exactly what this show is. Unfortunate.
Think DAMN YANKEES meets 42ND STREET meets SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO meets death. That pretty much sums up this two and-a-half hour trainwreck.
I always give credit where due, so I will first off, like everyone else, give credit to the group of talented and energetic dancers that make up the ensemble of this show - their very energy and wanting to be there is what's missing from so many Broadway shows right now, especially the longer running shows.
A paper-thin plot (not to mention predictable), with even thinner subplots, this show is a low point in the history of musical theatre. It's worse than RING OF FIRE, it's worse than GOOD VIBRATIONS, and it even rivals TARZAN as far as sheer badness in concerned.
I was sure that, regardless of the material, the dancing and choreography might make the evening somewhat salvagable. That's not the case. Maurice Hines' choreography is repetitive, mind-numbing, and just plain awful. It does nothing to showcase the dancers - in fact, along with the atrocious costumes, it exploits them in every way possible.
Heru Ptah's book is, as you've heard, abyssmal. It doesn't deserve elaboration on my part, but whoever wrote this book should never work in theatre again.
Aside from the energetic ensemble, the cast is rounded out by a bunch of half-talented leading and supporting actors. Of course, given their material, they're already at an extreme disadvantage - but everyone here ends up looking bad. Keith David, who is a strong and talented film actor, seems at just as much of a loss as his fellow cast members here. Ann Duquesnay delivers an almost sophomoric performance, and is in poor vocal shape during her big second act solo. This solo is apparantly supposed to be serious, but the song and the events immediately before and after are the must unintentionally hysterical currently on Broadway. Allen Hidalgo is obnoxious and pretty awful, and Vivian Nixon is suitable.
James Noone's scenic design is laughably horrendous, and Pul Tazewell's costumes are laughable, unnecessary, and deplorable from top to bottom. The lighting by Clifton Taylor is equally perplexing, as are the hysterically unnecessary lasers throughout the show.
I'm just really at a complete loss after seeing this show - not even inspired enough to write a long, scathing review - just confused and annoyed that such a giant piece of trash was produced on Broadway. Maurice Hines has apparantly gone blind and deaf - it's the only logical explanation.
This show is like an overlong, overly dramatic, awful version of AMATEUR NIGHT AT THE APOLLO. Minus the humour, minus the talent, and minus the sheer joy, of course. Keith David, early on in the show, says "My mother told me there are only two things I have to do: Be black and die." Well, as far as the producers and creators of HOT FEET are concerned, perhaps they should forget the former and really just zoom in on the latter. It would do us all an wonderful favor.
Think DAMN YANKEES meets 42ND STREET meets SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO meets death. That pretty much sums up this two and-a-half hour trainwreck.
I always give credit where due, so I will first off, like everyone else, give credit to the group of talented and energetic dancers that make up the ensemble of this show - their very energy and wanting to be there is what's missing from so many Broadway shows right now, especially the longer running shows.
A paper-thin plot (not to mention predictable), with even thinner subplots, this show is a low point in the history of musical theatre. It's worse than RING OF FIRE, it's worse than GOOD VIBRATIONS, and it even rivals TARZAN as far as sheer badness in concerned.
I was sure that, regardless of the material, the dancing and choreography might make the evening somewhat salvagable. That's not the case. Maurice Hines' choreography is repetitive, mind-numbing, and just plain awful. It does nothing to showcase the dancers - in fact, along with the atrocious costumes, it exploits them in every way possible.
Heru Ptah's book is, as you've heard, abyssmal. It doesn't deserve elaboration on my part, but whoever wrote this book should never work in theatre again.
Aside from the energetic ensemble, the cast is rounded out by a bunch of half-talented leading and supporting actors. Of course, given their material, they're already at an extreme disadvantage - but everyone here ends up looking bad. Keith David, who is a strong and talented film actor, seems at just as much of a loss as his fellow cast members here. Ann Duquesnay delivers an almost sophomoric performance, and is in poor vocal shape during her big second act solo. This solo is apparantly supposed to be serious, but the song and the events immediately before and after are the must unintentionally hysterical currently on Broadway. Allen Hidalgo is obnoxious and pretty awful, and Vivian Nixon is suitable.
James Noone's scenic design is laughably horrendous, and Pul Tazewell's costumes are laughable, unnecessary, and deplorable from top to bottom. The lighting by Clifton Taylor is equally perplexing, as are the hysterically unnecessary lasers throughout the show.
I'm just really at a complete loss after seeing this show - not even inspired enough to write a long, scathing review - just confused and annoyed that such a giant piece of trash was produced on Broadway. Maurice Hines has apparantly gone blind and deaf - it's the only logical explanation.
This show is like an overlong, overly dramatic, awful version of AMATEUR NIGHT AT THE APOLLO. Minus the humour, minus the talent, and minus the sheer joy, of course. Keith David, early on in the show, says "My mother told me there are only two things I have to do: Be black and die." Well, as far as the producers and creators of HOT FEET are concerned, perhaps they should forget the former and really just zoom in on the latter. It would do us all an wonderful favor.
"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy."
-Charlie Manson
