#1
Posted: 3/5/05 at 11:10am
Ok... so we saw "Spamalot" last night. First of all, the merchandise is great !!! Really cool stuff. Five different shirts for men, which was very cool. Cute baby tee for the wife, that read "You've Got Grail" on the back. Cute buttons, plush, Spam, etc... Priciey, but hey, its Broadway. Huge buzz outside the theater. I dont remember this much buzz at a theater in a while, including when "Wicked" first opened. People that were lucky to snag last minute seats were going nuts !!!
Okay, so we have good seats... mid Orchestra. Set is perfect for this show.
Huge ovation when the show starts. Tim Curry gets loud cheers.
Then, at least for me, the fun sort of died down a bit. Dont get me wrong, I liked the show, but did not from love it, and I went in thinking this was going to be incredible. I mean, how could it not be with this cast !!???
I just felt that most of the musical numbers were forced, and while I thought there were some very funny bits, I did not find myself cracking up. I understand the "Python" humor, but to me, it plays out better on screen. The performances were good, but not great. I did not leave the theater thinking "wow, he/she was amazing !!". Sara Ramirez has a great voice, and yes, she is funny, but I think that one "mock" song ("The song that goes like this" ) was enough. I really didnt need "The Diva's Lament". I thought is totally interfered with whatever flow there was to the show up to that point.
If I had to pick a "standout" from the men I would probably say Hank Azaria, simply because the French Taunter was my favorite part of the show. The rest (Curry, Pierce, and Sieber) were all good, but did not think any of them were that great. Probably liked Sieber the best out of those three.
Smart move by the producers of having the cast sing "Always Look at the Bright Side of Life" during curtain. It's catchy and uplifting. That, along with the confetti shooting out all over the theater will leave most theater goers with a great taste in their mouths. Didnt work for me. I equate it with a prizefighter trying to steal a round by throwing a ton of punches in the last 30 seconds to try and influence the judges.
Being that the reviewers are so fickle, and I have no idea what they will like or dislike these days, I can see this show getting more raves than "DRS", but not for my money. I will take Norbert's performance in "DRS" - ( Will be shocked if he does not win the Tony) over any performance in "Spam" and Sherie's over Sara's (just to compare female leads).
In my opionion, "DRS" as a whole is far superior to "Spamalot".
Definitely a good time, but my expectations were higher.
Okay, so we have good seats... mid Orchestra. Set is perfect for this show.
Huge ovation when the show starts. Tim Curry gets loud cheers.
Then, at least for me, the fun sort of died down a bit. Dont get me wrong, I liked the show, but did not from love it, and I went in thinking this was going to be incredible. I mean, how could it not be with this cast !!???
I just felt that most of the musical numbers were forced, and while I thought there were some very funny bits, I did not find myself cracking up. I understand the "Python" humor, but to me, it plays out better on screen. The performances were good, but not great. I did not leave the theater thinking "wow, he/she was amazing !!". Sara Ramirez has a great voice, and yes, she is funny, but I think that one "mock" song ("The song that goes like this" ) was enough. I really didnt need "The Diva's Lament". I thought is totally interfered with whatever flow there was to the show up to that point.
If I had to pick a "standout" from the men I would probably say Hank Azaria, simply because the French Taunter was my favorite part of the show. The rest (Curry, Pierce, and Sieber) were all good, but did not think any of them were that great. Probably liked Sieber the best out of those three.
Smart move by the producers of having the cast sing "Always Look at the Bright Side of Life" during curtain. It's catchy and uplifting. That, along with the confetti shooting out all over the theater will leave most theater goers with a great taste in their mouths. Didnt work for me. I equate it with a prizefighter trying to steal a round by throwing a ton of punches in the last 30 seconds to try and influence the judges.
Being that the reviewers are so fickle, and I have no idea what they will like or dislike these days, I can see this show getting more raves than "DRS", but not for my money. I will take Norbert's performance in "DRS" - ( Will be shocked if he does not win the Tony) over any performance in "Spam" and Sherie's over Sara's (just to compare female leads).
In my opionion, "DRS" as a whole is far superior to "Spamalot".
Definitely a good time, but my expectations were higher.
