Pamela Anderson To Make Broadway Debut In CHICAGO — Page 9

bwayphreak234 said: "Isn't the tour going non-equity? I know that was the plan pre-pandemic, at least."

They could change that. They can also whisk up a stand alone engagement with this particular show.

Just got out. Pamela is having the time of her life on that stage! Girl can cry, act, and even cartwheel. She needs some more time to have fun. The audience was eating her up 100 percent, and you can tell she was really thankful. Her act two really shines.

The ensemble is going through the motions....what said here is said...

The show really needs an update or something, and also the theatre.

Not so good-Her bodyguard. During the curtain call he came down the aisle towards the front, and was literally hitting audience members phones out of their hand and yelling NO SELFIES! (as they were just taking the pics of the cast on stage) It was actually causing a commotion in the first couple of rows, because nobody knew who this guy was. It was a really distraction during the curtain call.

Updated On: 4/28/22 at 10:25 PM

it wasn't just the front row. it was audience members all around. he was crazy! oh well.

Has anyone attempted rush or standing room lately?

For people who know the show well, I heard that Pam is doing the full Me and My Baby choreography? If so, that would be quite impressive. Erika Jayne diluted it down to almost nothing.

Pamela is absolutely doing all of the original revival choreography. She’s definitely letting it fit comfortably in her body so there’s no leaping, but she’s definitely doing the full choreography. She also obviously understands dance as her detailed footwork and shoulder pops were impressive. Kudos to those assigned to coach her for this as there was much more involved than just teaching her the choreography. This truly is an impressive Broadway debut as her character nuances are fantastic. She plays Roxie as a 1920s mole so she infuses face muggings that suit her characterization. Even her soft wispy voice fits perfectly and her “Roxie” monologue is a Master Class on how it’s done. I hadn’t been back to see CHICAGO in over 2 decades and what a glorious way to return. She understands how to play on stage, which is something many non-trained-on-stage actors can do.

Sad to hear the ensemble is sleepwalking through the show already. They haven't even been reopened a full year yet. Time to clean house after their contracts are up.

ACL2006 said: "Sad to hear the ensemble is sleepwalking through the show already. They haven't even been reopened a full year yet. Time to clean house after their contracts are up."

I saw the show last night (Thurs April 28), and I can attest the ensemble was not sleepwalking last night. You can tell the magic Pamela has brought back to CHICAGO is a surprise to them and they are fully on. Since Pamela started her run, the show has been selling out nightly and the cheers after each number is definitely something they haven’t heard in years. I kid you not when I say CHICAGO feels like the event show it was decades ago. I’ve seen CHICAGO decades ago and I did get tired of it but last night, it was a brand new show again. Even Brenda Braxton’s glorious introduction of the orchestra after intermission took things to such a higher level. It’s been ages that I watched both “Nowadays” and the “Hot Honey Rag” get applause mid-number. God bless you, Pamela Anderson for injecting new life into this tired horse that had been CHICAGO for years.

Saw the show Tuesday night, delayed report back:

I gotta say, Pamela is fantastic. Can she sing? Not really. Can she dance? Sometimes. But she is giving her all in the acting department, and it’s brightening up the role like I haven’t seen in a long while. You can tell she’s studied this script hard, almost line by line, and is finding many great little moments to make each piece of dialogue and act of movement deliberate. I feel like they actually make a point to make her chair during “I Can’t Do It Alone” angle out more into the audience, because everything Lana did, Pam had a reaction. It was adorable and hysterical.

That said, nerves got the best of her at times, racing through or stepping over others lines, or shoes in the case of Me and My Baby, where she was continuously early in her steps. While the Roxie monologue was quicker than usual, she still found the lines, and made them bigger than many others. She’s also one of the only Roxies who made the connection between Fred Casely in the Roxie male solos clear to the audience, it hit me in a way I hadn’t experienced the many dozens of times I’ve seen the show. She barely moved during the actual Roxie number, which was surprising, but her acting carried her through. And while her Hot Honey Rag was a bit tentative, she did all the steps, and unlike so many, actually did the cartwheel. She was a treat!

As for the rest of the cast, seeing Lana Gordon back was fantastic. She’s a great Velma and a perfect anchor to Pam. She definitely putting in extra work, so how she does that and still does an incredible show? Incredible! Another one of favorite Velmas, Brenda Braxton, was fantastic as Mama. Perhaps because of her familiarity with the show, she made every line reading a treat, she knew where to find the humor in each line. And to hear two Velmas together to sing “Class” was heavenly.

I think my one disappointment was Ryan Silverman as Billy. He was fine, and having seen him in other shows, I was hoping for more. As for criticisms of the ensemble? I think for the most part they’re strong. I think there could be some cleaning up/recasting of, ironically, the newer the male ensemble, but I do think the for the most part the female ensemble is as great as its ever been.

Fosse76 said: "I don't know, but compared to b-roll footage on YouTube of Reinking doing "Me and My Baby," it certainly looks like Anderson is doing most of the choreography for that number. Maybe towards the end it's toned down, but I remember most of it being done."

Maybe she's gotten comfortable with it as the weeks have gone on and added more? When I saw the show last Tuesday, the steps definitely seem to be all there, and she was doing a decent portion of it, even if she was a beat or two early for the entire thing. Something tells me she might not be the most consistent performer night to night, which actually adds to the thrill for me.

BrodyFosse123 said: "From someone in the show, Pamela is indeed doing all the original choreography. She’s been given the creative leeway to do it as it feels comfortable for her, so it looks more natural on her as opposed to trying to execute them like a professional dancer, which she is not. The heavy number for her is the “Hot Honey Rag” and she was determined to do it full on, hence the obvious focus she has when doing it. She’s added her little nuances to it, so she’s now obviously more confident dancing it. She’s having the time of her life right now and she’s loving the 8 performances a week schedule as she’s bonded with everyone seeing them daily. As for her body guard stopping photos during curtain calls, it was at her request as it was taking attention away from the rest of the cast as the smartphones were aimed directly at her. She didn’t want to impose this duty on the house staff so she has her body guard handling it as he’s there at every performance with her. "

Thanks for this insider info!

Pam sounds like a wonderful person. I might go see her soon in this now.

I see BroadwayBox has the following discount code good until June 5: CHBBX22

For what it’s worth, since stage dooring is still a no-no, I did mail my Playbill in to see what would happen. (I had an extra so no loss if I didn’t get it back). Came back in 9 days signed by everyone including Pam.

A lovely surprise in my mailbox today