#1
Posted: 8/1/07 at 6:18pm
I'll begin with a quote from Tina Fey:
The programs were really easy to read.
(The following paragraph is to be read with tiny violins playing in the background):
One of my fondest memories of the '90s theater scene was the Grease billboard on the 46th Street wall of the now-defunct Howard Johnson's, with the Burger Palace Boys and their revolving heads. To this day, the '94 revival, in all it's neon, dayglo-ed glory, remains one of the most fun experiences I've ever had at the theater. I've seen many productions and have had the good/bad fortune to work on a few (including one that's especially dear to me). Suffice it to say, Grease, as cheesy as it is, holds a special place in my heart.
(Violins slowly fade out.)
Given the pedigree of the production, I went in with unusually high expectations...directed and choreographed by 2-time Tony winner Kathleen Marshall, designed by Broadway stalworts Ken Posner, Derek McLane, and Martin Pakledinaz (whose over-the-top costumes were the highlight of The Pirate Queen), financed in full by British theatrical empresario David Ian, and written by one of the richest collaborative teams in theatrical history, the late Warren Casey and the alive & well Jim Jacobs (arguably the Sondheim of the rock musical genre). If that impressive list of names isn't enough, young Max Crumm and Laura Osnes were hand picked by middle America to star in this production. Patti LuPone and her little production of Gypsy have nothin' on this show. (Rim shot.)
That said, what's playing at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre ranks high on my list of great dinner theater productions of Grease that I've ever seen. Oh wait, that isn't a good thing. Not for $111, not for the $71 that I paid. It's very easy to pinpoint the problems, and they begin with Kathleen Marshall.
I've been a fan of her's for quite some time. Pajama Game was fantastic, Wonderful Town was thrilling, and Two Gentlemen of Verona was one of the most fun shows I've seen in my years of theatergoing. It's a shame that she's gone back to square one with this production. Her rudimentary choreography neither thrills nor astounds, it's simply just there, adding nothing to what should be a great dance show. More on her overall direction in a bit.
The cast is a mixed bag of good, gooder, and goodest. A delicate mix of Broadway stalworts and newcomers, only one of said newcomers truly achieves what I consider to be a Broadway-caliber performance. His name is Daniel Everidge (Roger), and, with Lindsay Mendez (Jan, goodest), he stops the show with his powerful, spirited rendition of the best secondary song in the show, "Mooning." Also on the goodest list are Jose Restrepo as Sonny (great deadpan delivery), Kirsten Wyatt as Frenchy, and Ryan Patrick Binder as Doody. Binder's "Magic Changes" should stop the show, but it just doesn't.
On the gooder list falls Matt Saldivar as Kenickie (who, goatee-less, bears a striking resemblance to Jeff Connaway), Allison Fischer as Patty (with the most expressive face on stage). Jeb Brown is very good as Vince Fontaine on crack and Stephen Buntrock is an appropriately cheesy Teen Angel.
Delivering decent enough performances (falling on the "good list") are Max Crumm and Laura Osnes, hereby subtitled "America's Choice." Well, America's Choice don't have much chemistry or charisma. In fact, they have the least chemistry and charisma on that stage. Laura has a pleasant, crystal-clear, Disney-quality voice (Belle in the "B&B" revival?), but, to put it plainly, she can't act her way out of a paper bag. Granted, Sandy is the least developed character and has about 20 minutes total. Anyhoo, there's Max, who seemed to flub a lot of lines, but managed to cover very well (only someone who knows the script would figure that out). He can't act very well, either, but, like Laura, he's got a pleasant enough singing voice. He uses a visibly put-on "tough guy" accent that really takes away from his performance.
I think the best word to describe their performances is "wooden." Still, the audience went apesh*t over them, so who am I to judge? Maybe I missed something.
Not mentioned above were Jenny Powers and Robyn Hurder, who were leagues better then their colleagues. Hurder (Marty), drop-dead gorgeous, is a complete knock-out (Brantley will have a love letter for her, I'm sure). Powers, playing Mama Rizzo, is also a knock-out, her big numbers flying out of the ballpark. The problem is that they have her dressed so matronly (and that wig is awful) that she looks 10-20 years older than everyone else.
The ensemble, whenever we see them, is great. Standouts include Natalie Hill as Cha-Cha and Christina Sivrich (who I just enjoy very much).
Act I zips along, Act II is worse than torture. Marshall has constructed a very well paced first act. That pacing dies when the story (aka Act II) kicks in. Too ballad-heavy, it's slower than a snail. Move "Hopelessly Devoted to You" to Act I, (right after "Freddy"). Not only does it give Sandy a chance to shine (seriously, she's there for ten minutes), but it adds a much-needed ballad to the overly-peppy (yet very enjoyable) first act. In it's present location, it just boggs down the show, no matter how good or bad her delivery is (it's actually quite pretty, though not what Seth Rudetsky would call AMAHzing).
Kim Grigsby is a delight, as usual, conducting a very tight band. Chris Jahnke's orchestrations are nothing to write home over, but I did love that medly of songs that begins the show. Derek McLane went to Party City again to create his sets, Marty Pakledinaz's costumes are good enough, Ken Posner's lighting is very good, and Paul Huntley's wigs are just plain bad.
PS: The finale-ultimo is great.
My overall verdict? Who gives a crap what I say? It's gonna run for years.
The programs were really easy to read.
(The following paragraph is to be read with tiny violins playing in the background):
One of my fondest memories of the '90s theater scene was the Grease billboard on the 46th Street wall of the now-defunct Howard Johnson's, with the Burger Palace Boys and their revolving heads. To this day, the '94 revival, in all it's neon, dayglo-ed glory, remains one of the most fun experiences I've ever had at the theater. I've seen many productions and have had the good/bad fortune to work on a few (including one that's especially dear to me). Suffice it to say, Grease, as cheesy as it is, holds a special place in my heart.
(Violins slowly fade out.)
Given the pedigree of the production, I went in with unusually high expectations...directed and choreographed by 2-time Tony winner Kathleen Marshall, designed by Broadway stalworts Ken Posner, Derek McLane, and Martin Pakledinaz (whose over-the-top costumes were the highlight of The Pirate Queen), financed in full by British theatrical empresario David Ian, and written by one of the richest collaborative teams in theatrical history, the late Warren Casey and the alive & well Jim Jacobs (arguably the Sondheim of the rock musical genre). If that impressive list of names isn't enough, young Max Crumm and Laura Osnes were hand picked by middle America to star in this production. Patti LuPone and her little production of Gypsy have nothin' on this show. (Rim shot.)
That said, what's playing at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre ranks high on my list of great dinner theater productions of Grease that I've ever seen. Oh wait, that isn't a good thing. Not for $111, not for the $71 that I paid. It's very easy to pinpoint the problems, and they begin with Kathleen Marshall.
I've been a fan of her's for quite some time. Pajama Game was fantastic, Wonderful Town was thrilling, and Two Gentlemen of Verona was one of the most fun shows I've seen in my years of theatergoing. It's a shame that she's gone back to square one with this production. Her rudimentary choreography neither thrills nor astounds, it's simply just there, adding nothing to what should be a great dance show. More on her overall direction in a bit.
The cast is a mixed bag of good, gooder, and goodest. A delicate mix of Broadway stalworts and newcomers, only one of said newcomers truly achieves what I consider to be a Broadway-caliber performance. His name is Daniel Everidge (Roger), and, with Lindsay Mendez (Jan, goodest), he stops the show with his powerful, spirited rendition of the best secondary song in the show, "Mooning." Also on the goodest list are Jose Restrepo as Sonny (great deadpan delivery), Kirsten Wyatt as Frenchy, and Ryan Patrick Binder as Doody. Binder's "Magic Changes" should stop the show, but it just doesn't.
On the gooder list falls Matt Saldivar as Kenickie (who, goatee-less, bears a striking resemblance to Jeff Connaway), Allison Fischer as Patty (with the most expressive face on stage). Jeb Brown is very good as Vince Fontaine on crack and Stephen Buntrock is an appropriately cheesy Teen Angel.
Delivering decent enough performances (falling on the "good list") are Max Crumm and Laura Osnes, hereby subtitled "America's Choice." Well, America's Choice don't have much chemistry or charisma. In fact, they have the least chemistry and charisma on that stage. Laura has a pleasant, crystal-clear, Disney-quality voice (Belle in the "B&B" revival?), but, to put it plainly, she can't act her way out of a paper bag. Granted, Sandy is the least developed character and has about 20 minutes total. Anyhoo, there's Max, who seemed to flub a lot of lines, but managed to cover very well (only someone who knows the script would figure that out). He can't act very well, either, but, like Laura, he's got a pleasant enough singing voice. He uses a visibly put-on "tough guy" accent that really takes away from his performance.
I think the best word to describe their performances is "wooden." Still, the audience went apesh*t over them, so who am I to judge? Maybe I missed something.
Not mentioned above were Jenny Powers and Robyn Hurder, who were leagues better then their colleagues. Hurder (Marty), drop-dead gorgeous, is a complete knock-out (Brantley will have a love letter for her, I'm sure). Powers, playing Mama Rizzo, is also a knock-out, her big numbers flying out of the ballpark. The problem is that they have her dressed so matronly (and that wig is awful) that she looks 10-20 years older than everyone else.
The ensemble, whenever we see them, is great. Standouts include Natalie Hill as Cha-Cha and Christina Sivrich (who I just enjoy very much).
Act I zips along, Act II is worse than torture. Marshall has constructed a very well paced first act. That pacing dies when the story (aka Act II) kicks in. Too ballad-heavy, it's slower than a snail. Move "Hopelessly Devoted to You" to Act I, (right after "Freddy"). Not only does it give Sandy a chance to shine (seriously, she's there for ten minutes), but it adds a much-needed ballad to the overly-peppy (yet very enjoyable) first act. In it's present location, it just boggs down the show, no matter how good or bad her delivery is (it's actually quite pretty, though not what Seth Rudetsky would call AMAHzing).
Kim Grigsby is a delight, as usual, conducting a very tight band. Chris Jahnke's orchestrations are nothing to write home over, but I did love that medly of songs that begins the show. Derek McLane went to Party City again to create his sets, Marty Pakledinaz's costumes are good enough, Ken Posner's lighting is very good, and Paul Huntley's wigs are just plain bad.
PS: The finale-ultimo is great.
My overall verdict? Who gives a crap what I say? It's gonna run for years.
Updated On: 8/1/07 at 06:18 PM
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