Pal Joey revival? — Page 2

CATSNYrevival said: "It's okay if Joey is written to be unlikable as long as he's also charming and sexy. Isn't that the point? That's why the women can't say no at first and then by the end they've had enough and argue over who gets to take him. I also think every song is a gem. The reason to revive it and perhaps the reason creators can't seem to let it go is that score."

None of the people I have ever seen in the role was sexy or charming, so all I was left with was an unlikeable character.

Play Esq. said: "Very mixed opinions about the last revival, but Martha was worth the price of admission alone!"

You hit the nail on the head here. I vaguely remember that Christian Hoff was purportedly a disaster in the previews and bowed out due to "an injury". I saw it with Matthew Risch in the lead. He was a very good singer and dancer, and attractive enough to explain how the women would initially fall for him. But I really found the character uninteresting and unsympathetic and ultimately did not give a hoot what happened to him. The last scene of the play with him just left me feeling MEH. Channing gave a good performance, but her vocals were very thin. Plimpton, however, was incredible. After her first number, I immediately snatched up the program to see when she had her next number (which is something I rarely do). The answer was not soon enough. Every time she took the stage, the energy level in that show shot up. So, yes, very mixed feelings about the show, but definitely not about how good Plimpton was.