My WAITING FOR THE MOON Review

[WildhornFanatic]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 11:33pm

Wow. What a wonderful evening of theater. It was nice to see something different up onstage. It was nice to hear a different side of Frank Wildhorn. No gothic pop ballads, but some beautiful, classy big band/ swing music that made the crowd roar.

I don't even know where to begin. The entire cast did an outstanding job. Lauren Kennedy and Jarrod Emick acted the parts perfectly and both of their voices were amazing. I do have to say, however, it was obvious that Frank Wildhorn wrote this score with Linda Eder in mind because there were a bunch of high notes in a lot of Zelda's songs. Lauren could not hit those big high notes. Her attempt to hit them required much effort and it looked as if it hurt her to sing that high.

The book, by Jack Murphy, was incredibly strong. Yes, the character of F. Scott Fitzgerald could be stronger, but for the most part, Murphy's witty dialogue kept the audience on the edge of their seats. He has written an incredibly powerful, dramatic scene in Act 2 between Scott, Zelda and Eduard, her "one night stand."

Vincent Marini's direction was flawless. He created amazingly beautiful stage pictures and some beautiful staging that is a must-see.

I'm a huge fan of Howell Binkley and I have to say his lighting was nothing short of perfect. I was thoroughly impressed with his wonderful effects which set the mood for every scene perfectly.

On the other hand, I wasn't too big on the sets. While they worked, I wish they were more grand. The set designer seemed to settle for an average design, rather than something large and beautiful. On that note, the projections got a little stale sometimes. I was turned off during Jarrod's beautiful first number, "I've Got Things To Say" when cheesy letters were projected all over the stage/ screen behind him.

The orchestrations by Kim Scharnberg were, of course, fabulous. I love Kim's work and once again, it was perfect. One thing I love about Kim's work is that he never settles for cheesy synthesizers. He always uses real instruments and that is what live theater needs.

Ron Melrose's dance/ vocal arrangments and musical direction was also superb.

And finally... Frank Wildhorn's score. This is by far one of the best scores Frank has written. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the score to THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL and CAMILLE CLAUDEL, but WAITING FOR THE MOON will go down in history as one of the great musical scores. Every song is a winner. The end of Act 1, "Something of My Life" was one of the strangest, most beautiful songs I've ever heard. It didn't even sound like a Wildhorn song, more Sondheim, if you ask me. There was no real "melody" to it, but it flowed and sounded incredibly strange and glorious. In opinion, the best song in the show is the title number, WAITING FOR THE MOON. Wow. What an incredibly moving song. The music alone made me feel so...free. Plus, Jarrod's voice rocked the house!

I will not tell you how the show ends, but what a sad ending. At the curtain call, the audience was on their feet, wiping the tears from their eyes. Everyone gave a standing ovation to a well deserved cast and crew.

During intermission, I met Frank Wildhorn...finally. He and Linda Eder's son, Jake, was running around as I introduced myself and Frank had to keep an eye on him. I told him that this was his best score and he thanked me, but thought it was hard to judge because most of his shows have been written in such different musical vocabularies. However, he thinks CIVIL WAR is still his best work. He was gracious enough to sign my playbill and wrote me a little note on the front.

I will add one more comment. I saw the reading of WAITING FOR THE MOON, previously titled SCOTT & ZELDA on February 14, 2005 in NYC. About two or three of the best songs from the reading, "One More Yesterday" and "Lessons To Be Learned," were cut from this production. Instead, 5 new songs were added to the show: "You Do Everything To Me," "Something of My Life," "Losing the Light," "Waiting for the Moon," and another who's name escapes me.

All in all, it was an incredible production which SHOULD make the transition to Broadway. This will be the Wildhorn score that critics praise. And it's about time.

[CollegeKid]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 11:55pm

I am sorry when i say i completely respectfully disagree with the review. I felt WAITING FOR THE MOON was hurrendous. All of the music sounded exactly the same and it like a knock off of CITY OF ANGELS. Not a single song advanced the plot (of course it was Wildhorn) but what was even worse was that there was no plot. The characters changes were drastic and had no motivation. Lauren completely over acted the entire part and looked like she was going to pass out when ever she sang. Jarrod was fine. His voice was very pleasant but i felt like he did not quite look the part enough. I do not mean to sound shallow but he just did not embody the handsomness that F.Scott was supposed to embody. And now for the direction. It was awful. I felt as though the show should have been completely character driven and the direction was over the top and tacky. It had NO MOTIVATION! A lot of it was picturization that had no point. I felt the ensemble added nothing and too much focus was put upon them. However, the big dance numbers were actually somewhat entertaining well at least more so than the typical wildhorn ballads that put me to sleep.

[WildhornFanatic]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:21am

Well, to each his own.

[Mo3]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:35am

I thought it was beautiful to look at but that's all I liked about it. I felt the role of Zelda needed a tremendous singing actor which it did not have. I don't know about the Scott, it wasn't a very well defined role. To come to Broadway, this would need to be a star vehicle.

[WildhornFanatic]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:56pm

Thanks for your post.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 3:43pm

Wow I tend to agree with Wildhorn Fanatic. This is an amazing score and a wonderful show. There are things that definitely need to be tighetened up, but as a whole what an amazing show! Lauren Kennedy was far from overacting, she was doing her best impression of Zelda. That is actually how Zelda behaved.

I hope to see this on Broadway one day soon, it deserves to be there.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 3:45pm

I have to add one more comment that I do not think Lauren was struggling at all but I found her voice fit the show perfectly. Although I do think that Jarrod Emick stole the show.

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 4:00pm

I can't wait to see this show. Jekyl & Hyde remains my favorite score by him so far.

And CollegeKid, it is spelled horrendous.

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 4:11pm

Glad that so many BWW posters were able to see this "work in progress"...Really, that's what it is. I'm sure changes will take place..big and small. We shall have to wait and see.

It was nice to meet you Wildhornfanatic and I'm glad you finally got to meet Mr. Wildhorn!

[WildhornFanatic]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 12:02am

Thank you, Pati. I wish we could have chatted longer, but it was nice talking to you during intermission. I never got to meet Douglas Sills or Jack Murphy, but I'm glad I got to meet Frank!