My Take on Anything Goes / The Motherf**ker with the Hat

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Posted: 4/2/11 at 7:28pm

I've been a BWW member for a while, but I haven't posted on this board in a while, though I have always been a lurker, but after seeing "Anything Goes" and "The Motherf**ker with the Hat" this week, I felt like I needed someplace to share my thoughts on them.

"Anything Goes" is spectacular. Truly. I know it hasn't opened yet but it is one of the most delightful productions on Broadway I have seen in the last several years. Kathleen Marshall's choreography is stupendous, personally I think it is even better than her work in "Wonderful Town" and "The Pajama Game", which I thought were excellent. She's definitely picking up another Tony for choreography and I think she might give Casey Nicolaw and Trey Parker a run in the Direction for a Musical category as well.

The cast is, almost, uniformly brilliant. Sutton Foster is an excellent Reno and sings the heck out of all of her songs, especially "Blow, Gabriel, Blow". Many of the supporting players shine as well, especially John McMartin, Jessica Stone, and Adam Godley (whose comedic timing is perfect).

For me, the standout of the entire production was Colin Donnell as Billy Crocker. His voice is fantastic, his acting and dancing are equally excellent. He starts off strong, but when he hits "It's De-Lovely" everyone in the audience falls in love with him. If he is placed in the Featured Actor category, I think he has a real shot at taking home the Tony come June.

This brings me to my only issue with the production: Joel Grey. Granted, the man is a legend in the world of musical theater, but he was seriously miscast in this part. He seems to have some issues with keeping up with the pace of the production, and hams it up even more than Bill Irwin did in "Bye Bye Birdie". He redeems himself a bit with "Be Like the Bluebird", but he really doesn't fit with this production well.

Overall, RUN to see "Anything Goes". With the brilliant Cole Porter score that doesn't seem dated (more quaint than anything), brilliant choreography, and great cast Roundabout has finally hit what their mission statement claims, but they've been unable to do since their production of "Assassins": to create definitive productions of classics.

Today I went to see "The Motherf**ker with the Hat" and was tremendously disappointed. I didn't have very high expectations, but still left the theater wanting that hour and forty minutes back.

Yes there are some funny moments and the occasional clever line in this play, but how it ever got to Broadway is beyond my comprehension. The writing has a lot of issues, starting with an incredibly predictable plot, mostly one dimensional characters, and dialogue that didn't fit the characters. I like Anna D. Shapiro, but she really needs to work on the pacing of this play. It dragged A LOT, and the person I attended the show with kept checking her watch every five minutes.

Acting-wise, the only standout is Yul Vazquez who brings some much needed levity to this play and plays the only character you don't detest. Bobby Cannavale really tries with this show, but he was given a one-note character and thus is forced to give a pretty monotonous performance. Chris Rock was fairly unimpressive to me. His acting was shaky, he had issues with lines today, and seemed very uncomfortable onstage. Annabella Sciorra and Elizabeth Rodriguez are given very thankless parts and either yell or cry their way through them.

The best thing about "The Motherf**ker with the Hat" was the set. If it gets any reviews that aren't complete pans, I will be shocked.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 4/2/11 at 11:54pm

Just saw Anything Goes today and I have to concur with everything you've said. I loved it so much. I'm a sucker for a rousing tap routine and the title number comes off SOOOO much better on stage. It's also longer than what they showed on tv and it just made me all kinds of happy.

I want to throw a little love to Laura Osnes. She's come a long way from her reality show beginnings and certainly holds her own against a powerhouse like Sutton.

Updated On: 4/3/11 at 11:54 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 12:03am

I don't get why people are saying Anabella "yelled" through her part. She and the other actress were upset and were supposed to have their voices raised. A shame Rock is still uncomfortable. He was the night I saw it last week. The person i was with enjoyed the show and Chris ROCK. I thought it was well written and, for the most part, well acted. The evening we saw it was the first night they performed the show without an intermission and it clocked in at about 2 hours. My question is, do we know who the Motherf**ker With the hat is? We think we missed it due to some laughter. And have they made the fight more believable?

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 12:10am

Totally agree about Anything Goes. I thought it was just delightful and I had a ball. The minute the overture started playing, I knew I was in musical comedy heaven. Having never seen any other production of it, I really was in for a treat. The best thing, to me, was hearing Porter's score sung and played like that. The lyrics are endlessly witty.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 7:50am

I loved Anything Goes so much I'm going again in a few weeks.

[Blockhead24]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 8:41am

Updated On: 4/3/11 at 08:41 AM

[kidbroadway2]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 12:54pm

SPOILER ALERT

Umm did you watch the show? The mother****er with the hat was the neighbor downstairs. That's why we hear Bobby's character talking to Chris Rock's character about how he went to his neighbor's door and shot the hat with a gun in front of him. Chris Rock's character has nothing to do with the hat.

END SPOILER

[MillieDillmount]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 2:38pm

I saw both of these shows as well, and agree with your thoughts on both of these shows. I love Anything Goes so much, I may have already seen it six times. It's seriously one of those shows I just can't get enough of. Although, I have to disagree with Joel Grey. I can see why everyone is saying he's the weak link, but I still thoroughly enjoyed him every time. Even though I did notice a few times that he was slow with his next line, or unsure of what to do next; but nonetheless, he still got a lot of laughs every time. Maybe it's just me in awe of watching Joel up on that stage, but I think he's just pure magic. He's a living legend, and I feel so honored that I saw him perform six times. And Friendship I believe is going to be one of those numbers that will be remembered for years to come in theatre history. I think of it as Joel passing on his legendary status to Sutton, who is working her way up to becoming a legend. It's such a fun number; the way they are both fighting for the spotlight is just so fitting for both of them (as characters and actors). But with Joel, you never know what you are going to get night after night. Sometimes he remembers it, while sometimes he doesn't, but either way, I don't think he can do no wrong. They both adlib that number a lot, they play off each other so well!

I'm just gonna throw this out there ... Reno Sweeney = Sutton Foster's second Tony! :)

And, I saw The Motherf**cker with the Hat ... I only paid rush price and still thought it was a waste of money. I hate it when actors aren't miked, and they don't pause for the audience's reactions. That's usually when I'm done. I don't care how loud you are, it's impossible to be heard. But I don't think I missed much anyways? I had a hard time following the story at times (maybe also cause I dosed off a couple of times? haha.) Yea, this play just wasn't my cup of tea. This was the first show I've been to that the ushers shoned the flashlights to the patrons leaving the theatre just like it's something they do nightly! (I'm sure it is.) But wouldn't that be a clue to work on the play some so people don't leave? Maybe? Honestly, the set was the best part of the show, sadly.

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 4:04pm

I haven't seen Motherf**ker yet, but I just watched some of the video clips on Playbill. Does Rock deliver ALL OF HIS LINES in the same monotonous voice that he uses for his stand-up act? He seriously sounds like he just showed up and was thrown onstage.

[Blockhead24]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 6:38pm

^ yes and it's really annoying

and re: ANYTHING GOES, when it was first announced I had no desire to see it because I find Sutton Foster terribly overrated and am not a fan at all but when Laura and Colin were announced I had to. I rushed today and I loved it. They both were terrific especially Colin.
Updated On: 4/3/11 at 06:38 PM

[Cinder]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 7:03pm

SPOILER -- Actually I thought the person with the hat was the Chris Rock character. I thought that was revealed toward the end of the play.

[Blockhead24]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 7:13pm

SPOILER ALERT

^ Yes that's exactly what I thought. His character says something about that being his hat at one point in the play.
Updated On: 4/3/11 at 07:13 PM

[MillieDillmount]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 9:38pm

SPOILER ...

Yea, I was pretty sure the MF with the hat was Chris's character too. At least that's the impression I got. It was revealed towards the beginning / middle of the play when Bobby's wife was in his apartment. It was pretty clear he was the one she was having the affair with. I saw that one coming, but a lot of people gasped. Really? I didn't think it was hard to not see coming, haha.

END SPOILER

[broadwayboy101]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 9:49pm

The only saving grace of Motherf**ker for me was Bobby Cannavale.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 9:55pm

Re: Colin Donnell; I saw him in the Wicked tour last year, and he was great. But then again, I saw David Burnham as Fiyero in New York, so I guess anybody would be better than Burnham...
Updated On: 4/3/11 at 09:55 PM

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 8:53am

I'm one of the few that wasn't very fond of Anything Goes. Two excellent production numbers, a fine Foster, a very funny Adam Godley and a lovely moment from Osnes, but I found the rest static and listless.

[princessem721]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 11:51am

i saw that hat play over the weekend, and boy was i disappointed. i think bobby cannavale is fantastic, but not in this play. his character isn't exactly likable, and he's fighting an uphill battle front he beginning. i know that there have (long) been plays performed in these theaters without mics, but in the case of this show, it's a hindrance to the show. elizabeth rodriguez spends the entire show screaming, it makes me worry about her voice. and annabella sciorra is severly under-used. yul vazquez is the lone standout, and even that is a stretch.

anyone who goes to see this show because chris rock is in it will see him do the exact same thing he always does, repeat lines in a monotonous and boring manner. even when there are clear moments of fevered pitch, or the character says words that evoke quiet and reserved tones, he makes no attempt to do either of those. i couldn't wait to get out of the door.

[mamaleh]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 12:00pm

BroadwayJim, although I liked ANYTHING GOES a bit more than you did, I'm inclined to agree that there were only 2 production numbers that had me thinking, "I'm loving this": the title tune and "Blow, Gabriel, Blow." The rest was pleasant enough entertainment, but I found myself getting a little restless during the latter half of Act I, wondering when am I going to be blown away? I had to wait until the last number in that act. Why couldn't the rest of the show be up to that level?

And why, oh, why, has John McMartin never won a Tony??? Unbelievable. I hope he's nominated and wins for AG. Although he mostly plays lovably lascivious seniors now, his Thomas Jefferson was the sole saving grace for me in A FREE MAN OF COLOR. As Sondheim writes in "Finishing the Hat," John McM's performance in the original FOLLIES was "as thrilling as any" he'd ever seen on the musical stage. I totally agree.

[Noel&Cole]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 12:31pm

I saw "Mother ..." this weekend. Big let down. I was looking forward it it and it just fell flat. Long. Dull. No surprises. Bobby Canavale is the only thing to recommend it. I really expected more from Chris Rock,

The set was creative. The scene changes were the most interesting part. Why would someone read this script and think it had to be on Broadway? I guess because of Chris Rock.

Haven't seen Anything Goes yet, but really looking forward to it! Clearly by mh profile name you can tell I love Cole Porter, lol