#1
Posted: 2/14/05 at 9:11pm
I went with a group of theatre people from school and had a blast.
The first day we went on some rather uninformative tour of Broadway theatres the first day that taught me very little. I think the tour guide was a little upset with me for answering her "difficult" questions correctly. They were very easy however, and anyone on these boards could have gotten them. (Ie. When we were in the Virginia she asked what the name of the most infamous flop in B'way history, which played in the theater was titled.)
That night the rest of the group went to see Little Women, which I had already seen. I, instead, met up with Margo to have dinner and see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. To my great delight, I was one of the four participating audience members who was brought up on stage for the first 30 minutes or so of the show. It was very, very fun. I got my first word, elephant, correct. But then on my second word I spelled vingintillion incorrectly. I spelled it vingEntillion.
Spelling Bee
I have to admit coming in to see Bee I was more than a little biased. I was prepared to unconditionally love the show. Fortunately, my love for it was with complete merit. It is incredibly charming, very witty and downright hysterical.
Finn's score, though it does have a few weak spots, for the most part soars.
My biggest complaint for the show was the lack of intermission, if for no other reason that the whole second half I really, really had to go to the bathroom.
The cast is top-notch all around. Not one weak link.
The show was at its wittiest when the contestants asked for the definition of the word and if the prompter could use the word in a sentence. A riot.
Kevin Bacon, Former Governor of Texas Ann Richards and Michael Musto of the Village Voice were at the performance. Richards was sitting right behind Margo and me, and she was laughing hysterically the whole show.
The next afternoon, our chaperone had picked Brooklyn as our show to see. But three of my friends desperately wanted to see Wicked, either again or for the first time, so they decided to wait in the cancellation line. They were desperate to make me a fan of the show, and said if I'd see it again then they would pay for my ticket.
I agreed so I could FINALLY get to see George Hearn perform in person. We got great seats. Center Orchestra Row E.
Wicked
Having seen it before, this review will focus mainly on the performances. The show itself, though it was better this time, still has a convoluted and weak book, and a sloppy score.
Shoshanna Bean was outstanding. Idina was more intense in the role, but Shoshanna brought a subtlety to the role that I loved. Her voice was just fantastic. In 'Defying Gravity' she hit one of the high notes, one that Idina brashes out, with an entrancing soft quality that sent shivers down my spine. In my opinion, she blew the socks of off Idina. Her 'NO Good Deed' was quite astonishing, and I don't even like the song.
JLT was funny, but at times to 'clowny' She brought a lot of funny nuances to the role and sang parts of it beautifully. All-in-all I found her good but not outstanding.
David Ayers as Fiyero was excruciatingly painful. I hope he was just having an off day. His acting was very amateurish, he played the part as a cameo the whole show. He cracked many times.
George Hearn. Ah. I’m not gonna lie. I cried when he came onstage. I gave him an ovation when he first apeared, and I was happy to see that there were a few other people scattered through the audience that applauded when he came on. He did an amazing job in a bad role. ‘Wonderful’ was amazing. The highlight of the show for me.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
I went in expecting to just like this show and was pleasantly amazed. A fantastic show with an energetic score and a brilliant cast. There are a few jokes in Act I that fell flat and a few book glitches, but they can be fixed before opening.
I felt that the opening number, ‘Give Them What They Want’, didn’t do a good job of setting up the rest of the show, but, ironically, it was the song that I couldn’t get out of my head the next day.
My only other complaint with the score is minor. Butz’s big Act I show stopper, ‘Great Big Stuff’ is a great, funny song, but they lyrics could very quickly become dated.
There was a whole lot of audience interaction that worked very well.
The entire cast was mind blowing. Butz shows off his voice that we all already knew he had, but he displays extraordinary comic timing. Lithgow is just such at ease on stage. You can tell it is his home and he shines. Sherie Rene Scott, although she doesn’t show up till very late in Act I, she presents herself with a bang of a song ‘Here I Am’. Gleason was underutilized, but was still very able with her triple-threat antics, even if she was slightly miscast.
Mitchell’s choreography is at the same time cheesy and sophisticated, and fits the score perfectly.
The big winner of this winning show was the set. An ingenious revolving set that was used to perfection in every scene, it kept the pace of the show quick and was fun to watch.
The show, besides being obviously funny, had a lot of hidden wit. One of my favorite lines in the show went over the heads of my entire group.
Muriel: I’m Muriel Eubanks and I’m from Omaha.
Andre: Pleased to meet you.
Muriel: It’s mutual.
I cannot wait until the OBCR.
The show has a few book glitches, but I expect for them to be fixed in previews. Don’t come into DRS expecting groundbreaking or thought-provoking theatre. Just come expecting to see a witty, painfully funny musical.
I need to go do homework, so I will post my reviews to Democracy and Rent later tonight or tomorrow.
The first day we went on some rather uninformative tour of Broadway theatres the first day that taught me very little. I think the tour guide was a little upset with me for answering her "difficult" questions correctly. They were very easy however, and anyone on these boards could have gotten them. (Ie. When we were in the Virginia she asked what the name of the most infamous flop in B'way history, which played in the theater was titled.)
That night the rest of the group went to see Little Women, which I had already seen. I, instead, met up with Margo to have dinner and see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. To my great delight, I was one of the four participating audience members who was brought up on stage for the first 30 minutes or so of the show. It was very, very fun. I got my first word, elephant, correct. But then on my second word I spelled vingintillion incorrectly. I spelled it vingEntillion.
Spelling Bee
I have to admit coming in to see Bee I was more than a little biased. I was prepared to unconditionally love the show. Fortunately, my love for it was with complete merit. It is incredibly charming, very witty and downright hysterical.
Finn's score, though it does have a few weak spots, for the most part soars.
My biggest complaint for the show was the lack of intermission, if for no other reason that the whole second half I really, really had to go to the bathroom.
The cast is top-notch all around. Not one weak link.
The show was at its wittiest when the contestants asked for the definition of the word and if the prompter could use the word in a sentence. A riot.
Kevin Bacon, Former Governor of Texas Ann Richards and Michael Musto of the Village Voice were at the performance. Richards was sitting right behind Margo and me, and she was laughing hysterically the whole show.
The next afternoon, our chaperone had picked Brooklyn as our show to see. But three of my friends desperately wanted to see Wicked, either again or for the first time, so they decided to wait in the cancellation line. They were desperate to make me a fan of the show, and said if I'd see it again then they would pay for my ticket.
I agreed so I could FINALLY get to see George Hearn perform in person. We got great seats. Center Orchestra Row E.
Wicked
Having seen it before, this review will focus mainly on the performances. The show itself, though it was better this time, still has a convoluted and weak book, and a sloppy score.
Shoshanna Bean was outstanding. Idina was more intense in the role, but Shoshanna brought a subtlety to the role that I loved. Her voice was just fantastic. In 'Defying Gravity' she hit one of the high notes, one that Idina brashes out, with an entrancing soft quality that sent shivers down my spine. In my opinion, she blew the socks of off Idina. Her 'NO Good Deed' was quite astonishing, and I don't even like the song.
JLT was funny, but at times to 'clowny' She brought a lot of funny nuances to the role and sang parts of it beautifully. All-in-all I found her good but not outstanding.
David Ayers as Fiyero was excruciatingly painful. I hope he was just having an off day. His acting was very amateurish, he played the part as a cameo the whole show. He cracked many times.
George Hearn. Ah. I’m not gonna lie. I cried when he came onstage. I gave him an ovation when he first apeared, and I was happy to see that there were a few other people scattered through the audience that applauded when he came on. He did an amazing job in a bad role. ‘Wonderful’ was amazing. The highlight of the show for me.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
I went in expecting to just like this show and was pleasantly amazed. A fantastic show with an energetic score and a brilliant cast. There are a few jokes in Act I that fell flat and a few book glitches, but they can be fixed before opening.
I felt that the opening number, ‘Give Them What They Want’, didn’t do a good job of setting up the rest of the show, but, ironically, it was the song that I couldn’t get out of my head the next day.
My only other complaint with the score is minor. Butz’s big Act I show stopper, ‘Great Big Stuff’ is a great, funny song, but they lyrics could very quickly become dated.
There was a whole lot of audience interaction that worked very well.
The entire cast was mind blowing. Butz shows off his voice that we all already knew he had, but he displays extraordinary comic timing. Lithgow is just such at ease on stage. You can tell it is his home and he shines. Sherie Rene Scott, although she doesn’t show up till very late in Act I, she presents herself with a bang of a song ‘Here I Am’. Gleason was underutilized, but was still very able with her triple-threat antics, even if she was slightly miscast.
Mitchell’s choreography is at the same time cheesy and sophisticated, and fits the score perfectly.
The big winner of this winning show was the set. An ingenious revolving set that was used to perfection in every scene, it kept the pace of the show quick and was fun to watch.
The show, besides being obviously funny, had a lot of hidden wit. One of my favorite lines in the show went over the heads of my entire group.
Muriel: I’m Muriel Eubanks and I’m from Omaha.
Andre: Pleased to meet you.
Muriel: It’s mutual.
I cannot wait until the OBCR.
The show has a few book glitches, but I expect for them to be fixed in previews. Don’t come into DRS expecting groundbreaking or thought-provoking theatre. Just come expecting to see a witty, painfully funny musical.
I need to go do homework, so I will post my reviews to Democracy and Rent later tonight or tomorrow.
"One no longer loves one's insight enough once one communicates it."
The opposite of creation isn't war, it's stagnation.
The opposite of creation isn't war, it's stagnation.
Updated On: 2/15/05 at 09:11 PM
Didn't know Spelling Bee cut out their intermission... 
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