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My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005

My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005

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rock00
#0My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/30/05 at 1:11pm

I wrote this up to describe the show (in detail) to a friend of mine and thought I'd post it here since the show's been getting a bit of chatter on the board lately. Keep in mind this is just one man's opinion (and apologies since it's long as hell)...

-b

Saw Lennon last night. I think I enjoyed it. I say "I think" because I'm still not 100% sure what it is. Is it a true musical, a celebration in song, or something in-between? I think the latter is most accurate. The show presumes that the audience knows enough about Lennon that they don't need to waste time developing characters or explaining things in any sort of detail as it traces Lennon's life from birth to death in vignettes. I think it's very hard to create a new show out of existing material and make it seem fluid and Lennon doesn't quite hit the mark here. Instead of scenes where the characters sing about what they're thinking, etc, the show is more of a "Then this thing happened, y'know, and here's a song that sort of describes that thing. Take it away fellas."

All in all, it's a very vanilla treatment of Lennon's life, and is definitely skewed in Yoko's favor (in addition to being treated like an angel, she literally appears angelic when she sings "Grow Old With Me" after Lennon's death in a white sweater in a plain spotlight). The show also doesn't paint much of a positive picture of Paul McCartney. Yoko & Paul don't like each other according to all the published reports, but McCartney probably deserved more than being relegated to being the "fluffy" Beatle who only says "It's gear, it's fab, it's great" and a quick scene of him antagonizing "the boys" before John asks for a divorce from the band.

The other major problem with the show is too many Lennons. While the message of the show is that we are all John and John is all of us, having each actor portray Lennon is distracting and gives the show an unfocused quality. I appreciate that having only one or two Lennons doesn't give anybody else much to do and limiting the Lennons to the male cast members would also short-change some performers, but I personally don't think it works. The best moments of the show were the ones where Lennon #1 watched and commented on Lennon #2 as the action was happening (such as when Lennon #1 says "This one still embarrreses me but I'll tell it anyway" and then watches "himself" as he gets drunk and shouts out "Dickie Smothers is an asshole" at a nightclub in LA (still one of my favorite Lennon stories). An evening of John "looking back" over his life seems like part of what they were going for but it never quite gets there.

If you're a fan of John Lennon, then the songs are obviously the highlight of the evening. While well-delivered by the cast (all with extremely strong voices), some of the songs (particularly the early ones) lack a set of balls. Lennon's first post-Beatles album, Plastic Ono Band, was the result of several months of primal therapy sessions where John finally came to terms with his mother's death, his absentee father, and everything else that may have screwed him up along the way. It's Lennon at his most vulnerable and most raw. While the songs from that time period are delivered beautifully, they lack a certain emotion as the actors try to put a gruffness into their voices (which eventually blends back out to the smooth vibrato). This isn't a knock on the singing, I think maybe after you've trained your voice a certain way, it's hard to go back and sing "incorrectly" (which Lennon most likely did).

Having said that, some of Lennon's later work is presented very nicely, with each John dancing with their Yoko during (Just Like) Starting Over and "the boys" (Will, Michael, Darin, and Terry) singing Watching The Wheels while sitting on the edge of the stage. The worst song in the bunch is Lennon's anthem Give Peace A Chance. A good song with a very singable chorus, the end regresses into an "All we are saying, STOP THE WAR, is give peace a chance" mantra. Now, I know Lennon was very political and very much against the Vietnam War, but this struck me as a completely forced imposition of someone else's politics into the song (politics that I agree with, but felt forced nonetheless). Suddenly, it felt like we were at an anti-Bush rally. In case you didn't get it, the act ended with Terry Mann shouting "We can make yesterday, today, RIGHT NOW. STOP THE WAR" over the chorus.

The performers are pretty top-notch. Without question, the highlight of the evening is Will Chase. The guy IS John Lennon. It's that simple. He resembles Lennon, sounds like Lennon vocally, and captures every reflection and nuance of Lennon's speaking voice. If I'd closed my eyes, I easily could've been convinced I was listening to an actual John Lennon interview and not an actor on stage. Close behind was Darin Murphy as Lennon #2. Murphy also resembled Lennon physically and vocally and I can't imagine Chad Kimball being any better in the role than Murphy (the understudy) was. Julie Danao-Salkin presents a very believable Yoko Ono and her "Grow Old" is very touching. The other women in the show all have incredible voices. I'm just not a fan of having them sing some of John's songs. I'm also not a fan of "vocal acrobatics", that American Idol philosophy that cramming more notes into a song and rearranging the melody to accomodate little trills is pleasing. This brings us to Julia Murney. Are we done with her yet? She's without question the weakest thing in the show and there's a good reason that she hasn't been on Broadway before now (despite kicking around "the scene" for many years). Michael Potts has a beautiful voice which is way too trained for the music he's singing while Chuck Cooper delivers a very nice (if slightly acrobatic) Instant Karma. Cooper also shines during a touchingly simple monologue as the cop who arrives on the scene after Lennon's been shot. And then there's Terrence Mann. Poor Terry. I love seeing Terrence Mann on stage, but he is woefully out of place here. He's decidedly older than the rest of the cast and just looks lost on stage, particularly during the choreography (which is odd since he was in Cats). It's a shame because I really like him as a performer. This just isn't a good fit for him.

So, overall, I don't know what to make of the show. I've always been a huge fan of John Lennon, so I really enjoyed hearing the songs I knew and being reminded of ones I may have forgot. I just think the show lacks too much focus to be taken seriously as a piece of musical theater. Having said that, I hope it's successful (and we get a cast recording). In it's present state, however, I'm not sure that that's possible.


Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around...

Bwaydreams01
#1re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/30/05 at 1:35pm

Wow, totally disagree with you there. Julia Murney is the strongest actor in that show, she's just given nothing to showcase herself with. She needs a Broadway show that will highlight and show off what she has to offer. She's amazing.

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everythingtaboo
#2re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/30/05 at 1:41pm

Terry Mann must've been having an off night, because everyone that I've brought to the show notes him right after mentioning Will Chase as they're favorite "Lennon" (for lack of a better term).

And was Chad out again? I know he was out at least two days last week. Isn't that bizarre to miss that many previews?




"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008

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Princeton78
#3re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/30/05 at 2:20pm

*bracing for the storm of angry words about to come in support of Julia*


"Y'all have a GRAND day now"

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FrontRowFirst
#4re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/30/05 at 2:40pm

Saw the show, thought Julia was excellent. Shocked you disagree. But to each, their own.

hortonhearsasam
#5re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/30/05 at 2:45pm

Chad has been dealing with a bruised vocal chord, and at this point has probably missed at least 10 shows. As much as I love Chad, his understudy Darin sounds excellent.

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TBone
#6re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/30/05 at 2:49pm

I was also in the audience last night, and I couldn't disagree more with you about Julia Murney. She's a great performer,but like many others have said she just doesn't have enough to do. But I thought she was wonderful with what she did have. Her "Beautiful Boy" was just, well, beautiful.
Updated On: 7/30/05 at 02:49 PM

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jczelyph
#7re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/30/05 at 2:54pm

That is one of the problems with this show, none of the cast (with the exception of the roles Chad/Darin and Will play) have enough to do. This show could be done with three or four people. Then the true stars could shine (Julia, Chad/Darin, Will and Marcy) and do better with the material.


"Jane, I've been dealt a blow - I've been dealt a blow, Jane."

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everythingtaboo
#8re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/30/05 at 3:01pm

I didn't know Chad was ill. I know I saw him outside the theatre Wednesday morning with Marcie (sp?) filming a bit for Vh1. Hope he gets better, I actually did like him in the show a lot, though not his biggest fan in general.

Speaking of things getting cut, I think Mandy has had the most cut, hasn't she? At least last time I checked.

Also, just a nitpicky thing during Beautiful Boy. The first time I saw it, the cast all sat around Julia, so it was like she could reach out and connect with all the Lennons by touch. But when I saw it the second time, most of the cast sat more upstage. Nitpicky, but I thought it took away a little of the power of the song in the context of the show.




"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008

StarbuckQAF
#9re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/30/05 at 4:34pm

I adore Julia in this show -- I really really disagree that she's weak in ANY way. True, she doesn't have as much of a part as Will, Julie, or Chad/Darin... but what she does have she makes shine for all to see! (so corny, but I love her, she's phenomenal.)

And I know that Chad has been out a lot lately because of his bruised vocal chord, but he's still gone to a lot of the shows because he needs to be there to learn the changes and the new blocking alongside Darin.

I also disagree about the "multiple Johns" not working. In my opinion, it added a lot to the dimensions of a man that the show is trying to convey to the audience. I really loved seeing the differences in their personalities... and while Will is most definitely my favorite (since you're right, he IS John, look-wise AND sound-wise), I really loved Chad (I saw Chad 4 times, never Darin, though I've heard amazing things) in "Mother" at the beginning and also in "Mind Games". I loved Terrence so much singing "I Don't Want to Lose You"... I thought it was stunning. And Michael singing "God" was by FAR one of my favorite numbers in the show.

Rather than the women taking on the role of John, I know the director, Don, has put them mainly as narrators, as the inner thoughts, rather than as John the Man. Besides having occasional lines as John or performing as the early Beatles, they generally stay out of John's skin. With Marcy blowing the audience away in "Woman is the n* of the World" and Mandy coming out with a gorgeous "How Do You Sleep?", they represent IDEAS and feelings that John thought were significant or that he felt at the time. I was completely moved. And don't even get me STARTED on how amazing Julia was singing "Beautiful Boy" as Auntie Mimi... her voice could make a grown man weep with happiness.

I pray that this show is successful and the audience looks past things they could argue don't work and just absorb the beauty and nostalgia of a period that influenced, what I think, is one of the greatest modern thinkers.

And there is going to be a cast recording. Julia Murney told me so.


Updated On: 7/30/05 at 04:34 PM

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melissa errico fan
#10re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/30/05 at 4:41pm

I saw it two weeks ago with Chad---he sounded fine. Have heard excellent things about his understudy, though. As far as Julia goes, she was the best part of the show, IMO. Her "Beautiful Boy" was the one sustained moment of beauty and grace in the entire show.

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tmz814
#11re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/31/05 at 1:49am

I was told by a cast member that Cahd has been having major problems with his chords, but that he is better. I was at the show tonight. 3 stand-bys were on. It made for an interesting show. I hope everyone gets better soon and the rest of the cast can stay healthy...


We've all got our junk and my junk is you!

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Feathah
#12re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/31/05 at 6:44am

Wow - 3 standbys? Who was out? Who went on? I'm really curious! I wonder if Chad will be well enough to open the show.

The remark about "Give Peace A Chance" - I don't like the addition of "Stop The War!" in the middle of it either. However John *does* say "we can make yesterday today tomorrow - something something" in the original song, it's just not very prominant, sort of in the background.


"The theater is my life. I live it. I breathe it. I fondle it till it falls asleep." Jack (Will And Grace) http://feathah.blogspot.com

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Feathah
#13re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/31/05 at 9:03am

Also - did they end with the space shuttle video at the end?


"The theater is my life. I live it. I breathe it. I fondle it till it falls asleep." Jack (Will And Grace) http://feathah.blogspot.com

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tmz814
#14re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/31/05 at 9:46am

Chad, Julie, and Michael were all out last night. Rona, Mark Richard Ford, and Darin were all on. The new beginning was in place (New York City). The new ending is also now in place (no more space ship or Terrence's eulogy). They just took out the spaceship part. The screen comes down playing the video of John singing imagine (from the part where it used to start after the spaceship part). They blocked the new beginning before the ending so that's why there was a show or two where there was the new beginning but they still used the old ending.


We've all got our junk and my junk is you!

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Feathah
#15re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/31/05 at 10:28am

Oh I am SO happy the space shuttle thing is gone! It just seemed so random - even when it was in both the beginning and end of the show.

How was Mark Richard Ford? I loved him as Collins in Rent.


"The theater is my life. I live it. I breathe it. I fondle it till it falls asleep." Jack (Will And Grace) http://feathah.blogspot.com

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tmz814
#16re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 7/31/05 at 10:05pm

I love Mark Richard Ford. I loved him in RENT. I didn't really love him so much here. He did not have the English accent down at all. It really took me out of the show then whenever he said his lines as John because everyone else was using the accent and he wasn't. He voice is wonderful but I didn't love him GOD as much as I thought I would.

Rona was good, but Julie is fabulous in my opinion. Chad has been out so much lately that I have kinda gotten used to seeing Darin in the role. At first I didn't like him all that much, but I enjoyed his performance last night.


We've all got our junk and my junk is you!

StarbuckQAF
#17re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 8/1/05 at 1:45am

According to Darin... Julie, Marcy, and Michael all called in for "vocal exhaustion" - Marcy took off the matinee, Michael the night show, and Julie took off both. Darin also thinks that parts of the original beginning and end will return to the show, because he and the cast feel that it now lacks the depth it once had with the profound message of... "peace on earth and unity of man."

That's what the whole astronaut part was. I really liked it, because it DID bring the show full circle and offer up a dose of what John's overall philosophy was. Just in case any of you are interested, Darin Murphy has an online BLOG that he often writes about the performances in, the changes, the events they do, etc... It's really interesting, and he posts quite often.

http://www.darinmusic.com

Also, I'm not sure if someone said they thought the "STOP THE WAR!" was recently added, but just to clarify, that exclamation of "Stop the War" has been a part of the show since the very first preview in SF. (I have audio evidence to prove it, haha), and I'm not sure I agree that it doesn't work. I like that it's also relevent in today's society. I don't know, maybe it's just me. It makes me feel like I can relate.

Thanks for reporting back about the changes! I can't see it again for awhile since I'm back in CA, but it's nice to get accounts. :)


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tmz814
#18re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 8/1/05 at 1:58am

I feel the same way about the astronaut/space shuttle thing. It was like bookends.. opening and closing the show. I love New York City and I think the energy it has is wonderful but I likes the Imagien beginning and ending.... I guess I will have to see what happens this week (since changes are happening daily)...


We've all got our junk and my junk is you!

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ken8631
#19re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 8/1/05 at 8:54am

Saw the show, thought Terry fit in fine, except for the grey/white hair, which I've seen that he's now dyed.....

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tmz814
#20re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 8/1/05 at 3:59pm

Some people do not like Terry's new dyed hair. I like it. I think the brown looks good on him...


We've all got our junk and my junk is you!

StarbuckQAF
#21re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 8/1/05 at 5:21pm

It definitely makes him look younger. I personally don't care what color his hair is. Terrence could be bald and shriveled and he'd still rock the casbah.


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DreamFlyer22
#22re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 8/1/05 at 5:26pm

Yeah. I actually found gray hair MORE distracting on Terry. Did he dye it to blend in more with the rest of the cast?

And, okay, I'm a moron. How exactly does one bruise a vocal chord? *prepares to have things thrown at her*


*~* Every time you double-post, God kills a kitten. *~*

Kay, the Thread-Jacking Jedi
Quando omni flunkus moritati (When all else fails, play dead...)

"... chasin' the music. Trying to get home."

Peter Gregus: "Where are my house right ladies?!"
(love you, girls! - 6/13/06)

Marguerite Chauvelin
#23re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 8/3/05 at 11:15pm

Terry does look younger with his hair brown, and his "I Don't Want to Lose You" is to die for. I was practically fainting in my seat. I went two nights in a row and I believe the entire ensemble is very talented. I met the cast after the show. I was a shy little fangirl around Terry but he was extremely nice. Julia Murney is also one of the nicest people ever to be met. The whole thing was a great experience.


If Percy Blakeney were in Les Mis....

Percy: Sink me! If it isn't Javvurt!
Javert: Zsah-vair, it's pronounced Zsah-vair.
Pecry: But it's spelled J-A-V-E-R-T Javvurt.
Javert: Repeat after me Zsah...Zsah....
Percy: Oh! Zsa-Zsa! Like the Gabor sister! Well I personally have always prefered Eva.
Javert: (Looks for gun)

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tmz814
#24re: My Lennon Review 29.Jul.2005
Posted: 8/3/05 at 11:24pm

I agree. Terry's I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU is a highlight vocally for me. I just love it. I also like Terry's hair brown. It doesn't make him stand out so much and I think he looks better with it (just my opinion)


We've all got our junk and my junk is you!


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