Musical Revivals this year?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 11:23pm

Am I correct or has there only been one musical revival this year and that there are no more scheduled to open (Sweet Charity will not reach Bway). If I am, what do they do come Tony time? Just literally give the award to La Cage? I'm upset because La Cage was just an okay show and I was hoping Charity would be at least a little better and win the Tony. I still dont think La Cage deserves it.

[jjdude2000]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 11:24pm

Also Pacific Overtures

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 11:25pm

Oh right. But I dont think that will win. Any opinions?

[staticradar]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 11:27pm

Pacific Overtures is an amazing musical! It has a good shot. Don't dismiss it right out. One of my favorite Sondheim shows.

[Razz77]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 11:30pm

This isn't completely absurd - the 2001-2002 season was similar, with only two revivals competing (Into the Woods and Oklahoma)...I wouldnt say at this point that La Cage has the Tony in the bag -- many people prefer Pacific Overtures and there are also people who thought Pacific Overtures was better than last year's somewhat overrated "Assassins". While I would like to see P.O. get the Tony, I guess La Cage needs it more than anything to help it out at the box office.

[pab]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 11:30pm

It has as much of chance as "La Cage" does.

[PJ]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 11:35pm

La Cage needs the Tony win to remain open. But I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Pacific Overtures took home the Tony. However, that show will have been closed for a while. Whether you choose to believe it or not, but that will definitely affect the number of votes it will receive.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 11:39pm

Tony voters have an EXTREMELY short memory.
IE:
Big River; one of the best productions last year and it didnt get a single Tony.

Therefore, I think the wonderfully different production of Pacific Overtures will lose to the bland and unsurprising La Cage

[Plum]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 11:44pm

Just because a few posters here can't remember Pacific Overtures, it doesn't mean that all the Tony voters will completely forget, as well. Especially when there's only 2 revivals to think about.

[pab]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 11:54pm

It would be a shame if another Sondheim show lost to "La Cage". It was bad enough when "SITPWG" lost to it the first time out.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 11:55pm

plus, considering that this la cage sucked and the original didnt I think Pacific will win. La cage won over sunday in the park and though Im inlove with sunday, it was good enoguh to win, and Pacifc overtures is very differnt and thats y many people dint like it but i think it deserves it way more than that half ass production they call La Cage Aux Folles. It is a disgrace to the incredible George Hearn.

[PJ]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 11:56pm

"It is a disgrace to the incredible George Hearn."

Hmm, this got me thinking. I wonder what Mr. Hearn thinks of this new production? If he's seen it, that is.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 12:00am

he probably hasnt had time since hes in wicked.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 2:49am

For my money there's no competition here -- Pacific Overtures was vastly superior in every department to La Cage. But, from a pragmatic perspective, La Cage is more likely to win since a large chunk of Tony voters are out of town and they (along with many of those in town) don't bother to try and see the nominated shows until May, thus favoring shows like La Cage that are still running. There's also the mentality among voters that they'd rather give a Tony (and the marketing bump that goes with it) to a show that can benefit from it. I hope I'm wrong, but I bet that La Cage will win this category.

Posted: 3/26/05 at 9:54am

La Cage is so far superior to Pacific that it blows my mind to read your comments. Go see La Cage again without a chip on your shoulder.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 9:59am

"La Cage is so far superior to Pacific that it blows my mind to read your comments. Go see La Cage again without a chip on your shoulder."

If you are going to make a comment like that, be ready to back it up with a solid argument. In your opinion, what makes "La Cage" so good, and why is it superior to "Pacific"?

IMHO, "Pacific Overtures" was one of the most transfixing and brilliant productions to grace the boards this season. Brilliantly directed and acted. "La Cage" was sub-par at best. I saw the original with Hearn and Barry, which I liked, mostly for the two lead performances. This production is a so-so, two star effort.

[riv]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 10:14am

The La Cage revival disappointed me, but Pacific Overtures was done on the cheap.

My vote goes to La Cage.

This opinion has nothing to do with the quality of the shows AS WRITTEN. Of course Pacific is far superior on an intellectual level. But don't dumb down orchestrations and minimize production values and expect rewards. I don't buy this "chamber music" approach to big Broadway shows.

[magruder]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 10:22am

Actually, the Best Revival Tony really doesn't give very much of a marketing bump to any show. It's fine to win it, of course, but it doesn't keep any revival running any longer than its natural shelf life. It couldn't make Nine, or Into the Woods run even a full year, or help 42nd Street turn a profit.

[LaCageAuxFollesFan2]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 10:27am

This thread boggles my mind. I can sit here and write a thesis about how the LA CAGE revival is far superior to that cheap, second-rate, badly produced PACIFIC OVERATURES revival - but Im not going to. If anyone cares to hear it, PM me and I'll tell you then. Although, I believe you all know my veiws on them already, but I will repost below my reviews of both shows upon the first time seeing both. GO LA CAGE!


LA CAGE AUX FOLLES

Blissfully Brilliant and Beautifully Beguiling only begin to describe the most enjoyable evening of theatre one can have when they visit “La Cage Aux Folles”! Rarely do musicals nail every facet with splendiferous glory the way “La Cage…” does! With performances by stage veterans and virtual newcomers alike; edge of your seat spellbinding fun is had from the appetizer all the way through dessert. From the opening strains of the old fashioned overture to the final bows, the Marquis theatre is filled with spirit and soul once more.

That invigorating spirit will follow any theatergoer and have them humming tunes like “I Am What I Am” and “The Best of Times” for days on end. With music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, the score is as fresh today as it was in 1983. Soaring in places at all the right times, Herman created with “La Cage…” a musical theatre masterpiece that will be lighting up the Great White Way for years to come.

The book by former “Hairspray” and soon to be “Fiddler on the Roof” star, Harvey Fierstein, is laughable in all the right ways. Based on the French film of the same name, “La Cage…” is a energetic and inspirational revelry. Two middle-aged homosexual partners, Albin and Georges, run a drag club in which Albin is the star. However, their gay tranquility turns to utter havoc when their son, Jean-Michelle returns to tell his proud parents he is getting married and that the soon to be brides father is the leader of the morals crusade in town. From that moment on chaos ensues between everyone and what happens next triggers shockwaves through the rest of the evening.

An evening this full of color, glitz, and glamour is so easy on the eyes. With a costume design by Tony winner William Ivey Long, the radiant display of gorgeousness among La Cagelles is not only visually stunning, but also a marvel as to how the actors are actually dancing the way they are in those costumes.

And speaking of dancing, it is a sin that Jerry Mitchell has never won a Tony award for any of his past work, however, his loosing streak stops here. Also choreographing this seasons “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” Mitchell is sure to walk away with gold. After watching the opening “We Are What We Are” and the especially “La Cage” number, anybody who says dance on Broadway is dead is a true fool.

And only I am the fool for not mentioning the brilliant cast any earlier, but with so much goodness in one show, it is hard to know where to begin. Unlike any other production of “La Cage…”, Albin, portrayed here with rousing virtuosity by “The Producers” Gary Beach seems inferior in some sense to his counter part Georges. Why? Due to the brilliant talent and timing of “The Nanny” and recent “The Frogs” star Daniel Davis. His Georges is so caring, so thoughtful, so intelligent, and so bewitching that this time around the underdog rises above and comes out on top. It hardly changes the dynamic of the show, and even if it does so ever so slightly the show is better off for it. Come Tony time there will be a lot of competition from John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz, Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, Hank Azaria, and possibly B.D. Wong, but to leave Davis off the roster would be a travesty to not only this talented actor and “La Cage…”, but Broadway as well.

Two performers who are sure to score Featured Actor nods are the ever loveable and Tony nominated Gavin Creel from “Thoroughly Modern Millie” as Jean-Michelle and the surprising break-out star, Michael Benjamin Washington as Jacob. Anyone who knows the musical might not even remember a Jacob, but Washington turns his role as Maid/Butler into a farce unlike any other and deserves high praise for it.

Praise also goes to director Jerry Zaks; most recently the director of “Little Shop of Horrors” for giving the Marquee theatre “a true nightclub feel.” With such a great space that has housed other Broadway greats like “Victor/Victoria”, “Annie, Get Your Gun” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” Zaks takes full advantage of the entire theatre, and isn’t afraid to use the isle-ways as entrances and exits, most effectively after Gary Beach sings the show’s anthem “I Am What I Am” at the end of Act 1.

By the end of the evening, the full theatre standing ovation is not only a great tribute to the actors on stage, but a well deserved one at that. “La Cage Aux Folles” is well worth top dollar. With such a lack of musicals this fall, it is good to know Broadway has a show that will not only entertain but educate at the same time. Twelve out of Ten Stars! BRAVO!


PACIFIC OVERATRUES Review

What happens when a show with a phenomenal score encounters a lack-luster leading man, a theatre not proper for its grandiose nature, and is produced by a non-for-profit theatre company? The answer is simple, you have “Pacific Overtures” playing nightly at Studio 54. A theatre that suited its former tenant “Cabaret” like a glove, and “Assassins” very nicely, couldn’t be a worse setting for “Pacific Overtures”, a show that posses one of Steven Sondheim’s greatest scores.

“Pacific Overtures” isn’t an awful show, in fact it is quite a good show that is highly educational and informational. It just so happens that this particular version sails into unsafe seas. Sondheim here gives us a work much stronger than last seasons “Assassins”, for the score is an absolute musical theatre delight. Unfortunately, the ill positioned and brass missing orchestra do not reach it’s full potential.

Many other full potential’s are not reached either; namely the underdevelopment of leading man B.D. Wong. Not only is Wong Wrong for the role, but he lacks a certain stage presence that central figure must obtain in order to be successful.

Successful is not the staging at Studio 54 either. Director and Choreographer Amon Miyamoto and company should be reprimanded for their treatment of what should have been such a splendid show. The theatre is simply not set up to simply be aware of what is happening all around you, let alone what Should be happening as well. A much more grandiose theatre, and much more extravagant staging are needed in order for this overture to take off.

This version of “Pacific Overtures” will never take off it is sad to say. After five performances only, the entire last five rows were virtually empty and the rain wasn’t coming down that hard. If you were a “Pacific Overtures” fan and saw the production in D.C. I would not rush to the theatre, for you already saw a much superior production. Unfortunately the confines of a non-for-profit theatre company’s budget, shines through in this production unlike any of Roundabouts others.

The costume design by Junko Koshino was unflavorful and lacking in true spirit. Many of the robes and colors seemed like they had just been picked off the rack at K-Mart instead of Macy’s.

The feeling you get after “Pacific Overtures” is what happens when you have a poor production, but a really good show that you know could be and really should be masterpiece. Fortunately enough the revivals keep coming and “La Cage Aux Folles” not only entertains and educates, but is a pure joy to watch as well. Sorry Roundabout, better luck next time.

[Jwei123]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 10:27am

I didn't see Pacific Overtures, but I had a good time at La Cage...I know others think it is kinda medicore but I'm pulling for a win for them! Those Cagelles work their @$$e$ off!

[chasgoose]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 12:04pm

I could be wrong, but I think that Sondheim prefers the "chamber approach" to most of his work.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 12:07pm

I personally felt that PACIFIC OVERTURES benefitted from being in a smaller, more intimate theatre.

[Mamie]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 10:13pm

I usually prefer plays to musicals, but I did see both of these. I'm no critic but I do have my own personal opinion and I thought that LC was an absolute joy - from the beginning to the end. PO seemed to drag terribly - to the point where I was checking my watch every couple of minutes to see how much time had passed. Just no contest.

More proof that there's no accounting for taste!

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 11:15pm

I hope Pacific Overtures wins- I found it enthralling.

Sidenote: Assassins was not overrated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (in my opinion)