CT2NYC said: "greenifyme2 said: "CT2NYC - Just got out of Dolly with Bette.
You were right- the seat was perfect. Fantastic view. Also from that angle I was way less scared about the actor's falling into the pit (from my side partial view on Tuesday I was terrified the whole time they were going to fall in!) The people around me all paid $300 each for their tickets but talked a good amount throughout, ugh. Little comments or repeating lines the actors just said. Super annoying.
Some thoughts- Donna is clearly a stronger, younger vocalist and she had great moments, but I didn't believe her as Dolly. Bette really was Dolly, and she made me smile, but often felt a little rushed.
I do wish it was possible to have had Tuesday's audience with Bette's performance. The audience today was OLD. Holy walkers. They only applauded for Bette. I had never been in a more reactive audience than on Tuesday- with love, strong applause and belly laughs for the entire cast. Such as the appearance of Gavin, Kate, and Beanie ad-libbed a line when Kate appeared behind her and got applause. I missed the little things like that and wished the rest of the cast had gotten the love they deserve. (No applause when the full company first came out for Sunday Clothes). Everyone was laughing so hard in Tuesday I really felt like I missed 1/4 of the show, and while it was nice to see the whole stage, I realized I didn't miss as much as I thought.
The part where Bette was dishing up the food was hilarious. She was throwing lettuce and dumplings into the pit. Seeing her descend from the staircase in the red dress was cool- I couldn't even see the top of the staircase on Tuesday.
Speaking of the 'dumplings'- does anyone know what they actually are made of? Both her and Donna fit like 20 in their mouths!
So basically my conclusion- Bette IS Dolly but try to go on a weeknight! And Donna is a perfectly fine sub if you can't see Bette because the rest of the cast is so stellar. The rush seat is not great but better than I thought it was.
glad I went :)
I had a similar experience the second time I saw it with Bette, on a Wednesday matinee. The first time I saw it, during previews, the audience was the most enthusiastic I had ever seen. The second time, the audience was horrible, much like today's sounds, from your description. Then I saw it with Donna, and the crowd was almost as exuberant as the first time with Bette, even though the theatre wasn't nearly as full. It sounds like that same kind of magic happens at most Donna performances. I'm assuming it has to do with the fact that her audiences have made a thoughtful decision to see the show with her, rather than Bette's audiences, who, depending on when you go, might be full of people there simply to see Bette, or just because it's a hot ticket. I'm glad the seat worked out for you, though!
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My last visit was on a Bette matinee two weeks ago and the audience was on fire. Singing along to Dolly during the overture in unison and standing ovations for both Sunday and Dolly. I agree that Bette is definitely the stronger Dolly in character, presence, and comedic chops. But boy can Donna sing. I think that for now what you are seeing on a Donna night is the hardcore broadway audience devotees . They will hoot, holler, and applaud at anything as if on cue. But when I last saw Donna it was in the middle of Bettes vacation on a Friday night and the energy from the audience was just not there. Also.. I have now sat everywhere in that theater for this production. And in my opinion the best seats in the house are the very front Mezzanine. If you are going for cheap...I have a preference for the obstructed view rear box seats. They are definitely obstructed.. but you are very up close and the pasarelle scenes with Bette are truly magical..
HUSSY POWER!
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Updated On: 8/20/17 at 01:05 PM
