My Chicago Review..Where's the Razzle Dazzle? — Page 2

Funny...I just saw this show a few days ago..and yeah, you're right Mr. Tuttle. It kinda sucked.

Charlotte was the best of them all. Her big scene in act 1 was great. I didn't like Velma too much.

I was looking forward to seeing Ann after seeing her in Millie and was really unhappy with her lack of performance. This lady's got bite and she didn't bite anything in this role. Is she tired? I know she's been working non stop (Mille, Assassins) but she really needs more personality.

I did see Wayne and he was great. I really hope he does more Broadway as the crowd went wild for him.

And PJ playing Amos...was a bore! I don't know who he's sleeping with to keep this job but time to move on, dude! He was bored. I was bored. We were all bored.

I like the show overall and have seen it in better shape (like Jasmine Guy who was one of the best I've seen!). I hope they shake this show down and bring in some people who actually want to be there!

heres a piece of info that many of you may not know..some insight...
when new cast members come into the show,,,unfortunately they have very little rehearsal time if any for that matter with the director and are left to fend for themselves...the days of having the director and choreographer there guiding you and putting you in the show for a couple of weeks..are not there anymore. this is eespecially the case with Chicago. time and time again I have seen and heard about it.
Some of the leads come in having been directed by another director and need to adapt within a day or two to a company they have never worked with..therefore...the talent is there ..but the lack of direction is obvious.
I find this to be true when new people are cast.
I am not on this forum often..as I find alot of stuff get said in a negative manner towards the broadway commmunity, wether its about Wicked, Rent, brooklyn, or chicago etc and the performers especially people I know personally and those whom i know through the community.
There are no two artists alike ..that is what makes it so great..that is art...I see broadway shows all the time and I am fascinated with different takes and risks people take.
but once again this is a forum..to each their own. See who these people are as artists too and why they are where they are.
Every lead in Chicago has a very reputable and highly acclaimed bio and resume. Critics from all over at one time or another have raved about Wayne, Anne, PJ, Charlotte and Terra.
Sorry but I completely disagree that the show lacks the razzle ( okay so I am totally biased..but someone has to be )and it is one of the stongest and cleanest shows on broadway today ( not being biased now)..this coming from several people over the last few weeks.
I think its great that there is a place to voice opinions..but sometimes i think the ignorance takes over and everything just starts to sound negative.
bad press though is better than no press.
keep them coming.

Updated On: 11/5/04 at 01:03 AM

MV has a point. Not all new leads get the 'standard' rehearsal time, while I find that other new leads get overly babied (Melanie Griffith anyone? Ann doesn't give all new Roxie's that kind of one on one tutoring).

Again, I didn't wittness the performance you saw, Mr Tuttle, and I also again say, to each their own.... I wouldn't so much say the show is tired, as I am tired of the show. There may have been leads who haven't been my favorites in past years, but there have only been a small few who I've found to not be up to par. None of the 'new leads' in the current cast falls into that catagory.

As for PJ..... think of it this way.... you've played the same role on and off for how many years? I'd be a little bored too.

Speak for yourself on the standpoint of the bio. I care about what a person has done and hasn't done before they come into a show I love (however tired of it I may be, it's still my favorite show and Im still the shows own worst critic).

And MV, unfortunately a lot of the stuff said here turns overly negative... hate to say it, but not a lot of people here know the fine line between an opinion and bashing a person, or, how to respect the fact that people have a different opinion than they do. This thread has been tame -- people have actually been stating their difference of opinion.... it typically just turns into a flame war/argument.

Now that I'm stepping off my soapbox, I'm hauling my sick ass to work. Everyone have a lovely day

~Heather

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Agreed -- Charlotte is solid, dependable and always entertaining. I've seen her I can't even remember how many times now and I never fail to be enraptured in her performance.

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Sigh....I just wish you guys could have seen the original Fosse production with Chita, Gwen, and scenery. It was genious.

I thought you saw Bernard Dotson as Billy?

Moving on, we're not giving excuses, rather stating facts. Sometimes (unfortunately) it takes a while to grow into a role. I've seen it happen time and time again. When I first saw Brenda Braxton as Velma I was not a fan at all.... the more I saw her though, and the more her run progressed, the more I liked her. She was fierce and she found HER take on the role. By the time she exited the Broadway company to go on tour (the first time) I was sad to see her go.

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"As for PJ..... think of it this way.... you've played the same role on and off for how many years? I'd be a little bored too."

If you're bored, leave. That is unfair to the audience as well as the to rest of the company. I know it's hard to find acting jobs - but that's what you sign up for when you decide to go into that profession.

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If you can't have a decent performance a month and a half into the show, then you have problems.

Updated On: 11/5/04 at 09:08 PM

I LOVE it! :)

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Any comments on Caroline O'Connor's Velma?

Oh I looooooooved Caroline O'Connor. I'm quite partial to the cast at that time -- Billy Zane, Caroline and Charlotte... it was the cast at the 6th anniversary. I think I'm so partial to it, not only because it was great, but because it was the last anniversary show at the Shubert.

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Brenda Braxton is amazing. Her voice is outstanding.

Random note that really means I haven't read this whole thread except for the end of it...I've not seen it nearly as much as CJR has but of the casts I saw, I adored it the most when it was Ruthie and Charlotte.

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