I am clutching my preview tickets as we type... I refuse to believe that Andy Karl could be bad. Ughhhh. I hope that's not true... I bought tickets as soon as I found out he was cast. I am counting down the days until March 14... PLEASE ANDY BE GOOD. He is a TALENT and DESERVES A TONY!
"See that poster on the wall? Rocky Marciano." - Andy Karl as Rocky in 'ROCKY'
Andy is not bad, I think he can gel into the role but it's difficult, he has no song to himself and physical comedy is Hard. And it is a team thing so it's harder. The only set "piece" is the train. A lovely stylish Front of House drop (it's not a curtain) A third room adjoins when Lily gets on the train and a added small "reveal" for Primrose. The two "out of train" scenes are done simply.
I'm writing an email to the Roundabout NOW. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, and "The Legacy" ain't broke.
Otherwise, Gallagher was great, and exceeded my expectations. I like him as an actor, I just didn't expect him to be this funny.. Chenoweth was Chenoweth. Mary Louise Wilson was WONDERFUL. What a joy to see her back on the musical stage! It's a daffy, fun production of a daffy, fun musical. A lovely tonic.
It's classic Comden and Green! It's what they were all about. If his daughter had any respect for their work, she'd have told them to leave it alone. Is she hard up for work or something?
Looking for tickets now. Any advice on the front row and the stage height? Front row center is available on the dates I'm looking but I'm worried about that being too close. Thanks in advance.
Unless you are severely vertically challenged, front row center should be fine. We sat in second row center last night and could see the taps on the dancers' shoes. There is an orchestra pit between the front row and stage. The stage floor does not appear to be raised, even though the show uses a revolve.
I would gladly sit in front row center to see the show again!
This is a fun show! I am not familiar with the original, so my comments are based on that lack of perspective. Chenoweth is very very funny. She lets it all hang out. I loved how they kept picking her up and throwing her around, emphasizing her tiny size. She was game for everything. Gallagher was very strong, and he impressed me. He's a surprisingly good singer.
Andy Karl's role is not large, and to tell you the truth I didn't know it was him until I looked at the program at the end. I thought he got quite a few laughs. He's got nothing to be ashamed of. Mary Louise Wilson was terrific. She played the character very old and dottering, but maybe that's called for. EDITED: Disregard that last comment. She's 83. Good on her!
I was surprised there's so little dancing in the show. If not for the tapping porters, who were wonderful, there wouldn't be very much dance at all. There is one substantial dance number in Act 2 with pretty much the whole company. As far as the sets go, the train was beautifully done, and then it turned around to show the interior. A fun touch was the train signage at the end. For a second preview, I have to say I'm very impressed.
I saw Lady, Be Good last weekend, and I couldn't help but compare the two shows. Of course, a Gershwin score is going to impress. Even the songs that aren't famous were very good. This score was so-so. It served the story, but nothing really stood out, as others have commented. And some of it was very un PC! That was the funniest part, actually. But my friend and I found it a very enjoyable afternoon!
This is an very important moment for Kristin. At 46, she can't get by on "cute" anymore. Her Broadway resume since Wicked isn't that much. I'm sure that she feels proud of The Apple Tree but it is not well remembered. Promises was a seriously wrong step in trying to establish herself as a dramatic actress (thank heavens for Katie Finneran with Sean Hayes and Dick Latessa for justifying the price of admission).
She has spent many of her prime years on the left coast appearing in forgettable television series and films (apologies to anyone who thought "Oval Office" was great drama or who really liked, or even understood what Olive Snook was about). She is always introduced as a Tony and Emmy award winning actress, but the awards were for rather small supporting roles.
In her Broadway World interview last week she told us that her now famous college vocal instructor, Florence Birdwell, had told her that she was born to sing Lily Garland before she knew what the part of Lily Garland was.
She is supposed to carry this show (although given a lot of help by cast and creative). The outcome may determine if she leaves a legacy of having been a major Broadway star.
Most startling to read here are the comments on the score. It was always a special jewelbox, not remotely in the style of other shows in the 70s (the un-Schwartz) and with its formal operetta conventions, charm-laden. Not everyone loved it, but everyone had great affection for its ambitions and old-school craft. (It didn't produce piano bar hits, to be sure, which is maybe why it's less well known; its highlights haven't been passed down to singers the way other shows are.) In the theater, it was at times thrilling. Maybe times have changed. I look forward to hearing it anew.
And I fully agree with the post on Chenoweth. Her foray into PROMISES was a bizarre misstep, taking a role she wasn't remotely right for (yes, too old, period; no other way to put it, since she was at least a decade past Fran's winsome waifness, inexplicably turned into a MAD MEN era sophisticate) one that didn't serve her voice.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
Chenoweth is nothing short of brilliant in OTTC. She seems to have abandoned virtually all of her well-known and unique affectations and vocal and other mannerisms (except for a momentary baton-twirling bit of business where she seems to be making fun of her "old self.")
She IS Lily Garland; she carries the show; and she should be a top contender for all season-end awards. It is amazing how this 46-year old tiny lady can sing and dance so effortlessly and beautifully throughout the show. Magic.
"Most startling to read here are the comments on the score. It was always a special jewelbox, not remotely in the style of other shows in the 70s (the un-Schwartz) and with its formal operetta conventions, charm-laden. Not everyone loved it, but everyone had great affection for its ambitions and old-school craft."
That's pretty much what some people think of the score for A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder.
"She IS Lily Garland; she carries the show; and she should be a top contender for all season-end awards. It is amazing how this 46-year old tiny lady can sing and dance so effortlessly and beautifully throughout the show. Magic."
^While stuffing her face with Cap'n Crunch and Oreos, according to her Twitter. I envy her... Glad it sounds like she found a good fit in this. It's interesting to think that both Chenoweth and Menzel "lost" quite a few years to the west coast, and Menzel already returned in her biggest role since Wicked, and now Chenoweth. (Except possibly Glee, as much as I dislike that show, and Menzel did score Frozen while on the west coast, but still.) Maybe lots of Broadway actors lose--or find--themselves on the opposite coast while trying to expand their acting horizons in a tough business.
"For those who are going while it's in previews or who saw the previous incarnation do you think someone who hasn't seen the show should listen to the original cast album before going to see it?"
Yes, yes and yes. It's not that the score is inaccessible; on the contrary, it is quite delightful. But it is based on spoofing opera, so unless you are an opera fan and get the inside jokes, it will help enormously to know the score before you go.
I now love, love, love the score, but I was confused the first time I saw it. The art deco set seemed to promise Cole Porter, not a parody of THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO.
(BTW, the concept is that the characters are so much larger than life that they resemble and behave like the overblown characters of opera. It makes a lot of sense once you understand it.)
ETA: everything I say here refers to the original production. I don't know what they have done with the revival.
"Madeleine Kahn did that show for three weeks, and then either quit or was fired, depending who you want to believe. she was universally loathed by everyone involved in that production...."
Actually, somebody posted a You Tube interview with John Cullum awhile back and he blamed Kahn's problems on mistreatment by management. He didn't seem to dislike her at all.
When my husband worked for Prince's casting department, people recalled and regretted Kahn's erratic performances, but he never heard a word against her personally. Now Patti Lupone, on the other hand... Well, let's just say nobody accused Lupone of phoning in her performances.
While I'm not sure about Twentieth Century, I know Kahn was hard to work with during In the Boom Boom Room; not loathed by all, but a high-maintenance performer with anxiety about doing the show.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
As I recall the Cullum interview, he said management handled Kahn badly and didn't give her the support she needed. He wasn't saying Prince & Co. were deliberately cruel.
***
BTW, I assume the die has been cast by now, but all this talk about Judy Kaye playing Mrs. Primrose is misguided. Kaye is still playing mothers and other middle-aged women; why would she want to jump to playing senior citizens?
"It is amazing how this 46-year old tiny lady can sing and dance so effortlessly and beautifully throughout the show."
I'm confused. What amazed you? That she is 46 and can do it? That she is tiny and can pull it off? Not trying to be snarky, but what do either of those have to do with the ability to sing and dance? 46 is not old at all.
"Peter Gallagher is good but please slick the hair back. He looks disheveled and the messy hair got in the way for me."
John Barrymore's hair was wavy and disheveled in the movie so maybe that was what they were going for.
"This is an very important moment for Kristin. At 46, she can't get by on "cute" anymore. Her Broadway resume since Wicked isn't that much. I'm sure that she feels proud of The Apple Tree but it is not well remembered."
I remember The Apple Tree. And I'm still upset they never put out an album. As much as I enjoyed Pushing Daisies I agree that they didn't do right by Kristin. At her height and with her features I think it's difficult for her to make that transition from cute to more adult roles. I think Lauren Worsham is doing the cute thing right now and it'll be interesting to see if her transition is any easier.
@GavestonPS Thanks. I've seen the movie which doesn't have those opera jokes and I've only seen 4 operas in their entirety so I will definitely give the album a listen or two before I go see the show, especially since I probably won't see it twice.
ACT ONE Overture Saddle Up the Horse/On the 20th Century - Owen, Oliver, Porters, Passengers I Rise Again - Oscar, Owen, Oliver Oscar Jaffee/Lily Garland Transition - Porters Indian Maiden's Lament - Imelda, Mildred Veronique - Oscar, Lily, Ensemble I Have Written a Play - Conductor Together - Porters, Ensemble, Oscar, Lily, Bruce Never - Lily, Oliver, Owen Our Private World - Oscar, Lily Repent - Letitia Mine - Oscar, Bruce I've Got It All - Lily, Oscar End of Act One - Porters, Ensemble
ACT TWO Entr'acte Life Is Like a Train - Porters I Have Written a Play - Congressman Five Zeros - Owen, Oliver, Letitia, Oscar I Have Written a Play - Dr Johnson, Owen, Oliver, Oscar Sign Lily Sign - Owen, Oliver, Oscar, Letitia, Lily, Bruce She's a Nut - Company Max Jacobs - Max, Lily Babette - Lily, Ensemble Because of Her - Oscar Lily/Oscar - Lily, Oscar Finale - Company
The overture sounded just like what's on the original cast recording. Maybe a bit shorter but I'd have to see it again to be able to tell what was cut, if anything.
There was a refrain of "Our Private World" cut from the Overture. I didn't miss it. It's the "cigarette number" of the show. Very pretty, but out of place.
Saw it tonight and LIKED it. It's almost shocking how polished and opening night ready it is. This did not feel anything like a very early preview. It's a fun and delightful show with wonderful performances. Chenoweth is completely at home here doing what she does best. Such a treat to see her having so much fun on that stage in a role worthy of her unique talents. Gallagher is fine and in good voice. Andy Karl just about steals every scene he's in. It's a Tony winning role and I certainly see Andy scoring another Tony nomination. Mary Louise Wilson is perfectly cast. She did seem to stumble on some dialogue, but she was perfectly quirky. The porters got a little tiring for my taste. The set is nice but reminds of something that would be seen at Papermill. Orchestra sounded surprisingly full. Such a treat of an overture. I'm a Cy Coleman fan but I must admit that I've struggled to enjoy this score for years based on the OBCR. The problem for me was that by listening to the recording, I still didn't have a clue of what the show was about, it all comes together seeing it live, and the score is perfectly matched to the book. I'm not a huge operetta fan, and some of it becomes repetitive, but there are plenty of gems here. As mentioned earlier, I think the problem is that the show has never produced a "popular" song or hit, as much of the score simply doesn't work out of context. That being said, I definitely prefer the Coleman of Sweet Charity and City of Angels, but he really showed his versatility with this score. I definitely see this production being received like The Pajama Game revival, it feels similarly polished and zippy. I would like to see it a second time.
