NYCC Grand Hotel — Page 8

Wayman_Wong said: "''James Snyder hasn’t truly had any opportunity to really “shine” in a show (and yes, I’m counting CRY-BABY, which I thought was awful and nobody really saw).''

I couldn't disagree more. I loved ''Cry-Baby'' so much that I saw it 5 times. It was a riot, and Snyder was wonderful, especially doing ''Girl, Can I Kiss You (With Tongue'' ) and leading the prison gang in ''A Little Upset'' (see shortened version from the 2008 Tonys). ''Cry-Baby'' had a phenomenal cast that included Elizabeth Stanley and the comic geniuses of Christopher J. Hanke and Alli Mauzey.

Snyder also shone in ''If/Then,'' opposite Idina Menzel, and his moving ''Hey, Kid'' solo was sort of a modern-day version of the ''Soliloquy'' from ''Carousel.'' Speaking of which, he played Billy Bigelow at Goodspeed at 2012, and just listen to the snippets of HIS ''Soliloquy'' (on the highlights tape, at 4:17). No offense to Joshua Henry, but I wish Snyder were starring in the current Broadway revival. I don't think I've heard any guy sing it more powerfully.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZEIPmSdeks"

Mr. Snyder was excellent as the Baron and most assuredly has "leading man" qualities; looks, voice, etc. I was especially moved by his "Love Can't Happen". So beautifully sung! An impressive tenor he is...

I do hope this shows transfers!!

I had a great time last night, even though I did have some qualms with the staging and direction. Regardless, the cast was on fire. James Snyder proved that he is way too good for shows like Cry-Baby and In Transit and should be a bigger star. And as always, Brandon Uranowitz stole the show.

Between this and Brigadoon, Encores! has provided my two favorite musicals of this season.

Grand Hotel. Here we go. I know this is after it's closed but I wanted to consolidate my thoughts.

It was a pretty great night. There were so many moments where I was really blown away. We’ll Take a Glass, The Jimmys, I Want To Go To Hollywood, Love Can’t Happen, the Bolero dance, among others. I was cheering and clapping and grinning during all of those moments. The pace is pretty stellar, and it just flows seamlessly from one moment to the next. And the performances were outstanding – I was kind of surprised they were able to get so many pure talents in the room together for roles that they seem to have been made for. There's not nearly enough praise for the bartenders (The Jimmys) in this thread...They are where the show really started to kick off for me, and after that there were plenty more moments of delight. James Snyder as the Baron managed to bring some character to a role that is easy to write off as “the straight man”, and I'm rather impressed by that fact. Brandon Uranowitz continues to amaze me with his talents. And Helene York got some of the biggest applause of the night. The whole thing is quite a marvel of talent and staging.

And then…there's the book. It’s all over the place and very heavy handed with its themes. It’s a Grand Hotel, but we’re so poor! The wall street stuff (“Everybody’s doing it! Everybody’s doing it!&rdquo was maddening (but it’s fine, because it’s 1928, and nothing can go wrong with the stock market, right?). It seems the gay plot(s?) was shoe-horned in just to seem edgy and relevant for the 80s. Every time Raffaela sang I thought “her again?”. Her character is entirely one-dimensional. Oh, and why does the Grand Hotel have a ghost/narrator? This isn't a ghost story.

It’s got all the makings of a great show, but there’s no soul. Ultimately, what was the point of the night? Some ballad singing and wonderful dancing and a jolly good time? That’s fine, but why pretend that you’re more than that when you’re really just empty? Millie is proof that an old-timey formula can work for modern audiences.

Then again, I’m much more finicky than most. I’d gladly see this revived over another jukebox. Roundabout should be producing this instead of John Lithgow storytime. Bravo to the production team.