#1
Posted: 9/3/04 at 10:39am
Mark - Colin Hanlon! I was so excited when I saw Colin’s name up on the board. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do anything other than the "swing" roles. "We begin on Christmas Eve..." Colin is so attractive, and so much of a physical "Roger type", that I thought it might be difficult to get into his Mark. Happily, I was wrong. Colin’s Mark does something that very few people do with Mark anymore - he grows throughout the show, just as we all would grow over a year. In very subtle ways, through voice inflection, the way he interacts with the other characters, and the use of his eyes and voice, he makes remarkable progression. His "Tango: Maureen" is probably his weakest number; I felt it was very similar to Matt’s, but without the "I’m being absurdly cute to make you laugh- and it’s working!" factor. A very funny moment, however; in "TM", Colin did this huge wave-like movement, and Merle whispered (into her mic), "What is that?" Colin laughed and said "I don’t know." LVB was amazing; Colin really went all out, energy wise. His "mucho masturbation", simulating reading a magazine while tweaking his nipples, is adorable. Very smooth first act. Followed by the best second act I’ve ever seen. "Halloween" and "What You Own" were filled with intensity. It takes a HUGE actor to get me to look away fro Jeremy in WYO, and yet I spent most of the song watching Colin. Here is a Mark who is honestly trapped by his own fear, watching his little world fall apart in front of him. Colin’s Mark is not a show-off, nor does he fade into the background. Best I’ve seen in quite awhile.
Roger - Jeremy Kushnier. This man couldn’t get any better. From the get go, he puts his soul into Roger, step by step, building to the breakdown in Act Two. Jeremy acts with his whole body, which he’s so comfortable in. OSG was just huge. Nothing different than I’ve ever seen him do, but in my 7 years of seeing this show, I’ve never seen an actor who "gets" Roger more than Jeremy. Hell, if he can make me actually like "Your Eyes", he has to be a winner, right?
Mimi - Krystal Washington. Yay! After the abomination that was Mel B’s performance ("Sticks and stones, Kate Monster!) I was delighted to see Krystal. A solid, fun showing. Out Tonight was particularly jazzy; she’s worked in some new movement, and goes tit for tat in Another Day with Jeremy. Explosive Goodbye Love. Krystal actually responds to Jeremy, and reacts with gusto. If I hadn’t been sobbing already (more on that later), I would have lost it then.
Maureen - Kelly Karbacz. Very, very, good. OTM was fine. She’s stolen Maggie’s machine gun bit, but the voice she did last night (a tiny, Mexican voice) was hilarious. I felt she went a little overboard during OTM with the "stick to the same awkward position" bit, but she completely made up for it in LVB and TMOLM. Kelly’s Maureen is very young and flighty, much different than Maggie’s more grounded character. It works well. I can’t wait to see her as she grows into the character a bit more.
Joanne- Merle Dandrigde- Wow. Talk about people who have grown into a character. Merle’s Joanne was aggressive and spunky, and her TMOLM is so, so sassy. Beautiful job.
Angel - Justin Johnson. Well. Hmm. The very quiet crowd seemed to love him; T4U got the biggest reaction of the night (over the much more deserved WYO). Justin is an amazing dancer, and a fine singer. He’s not a tenor, though, and doesn’t even attempt the notes in T4U; he’s also very, um, manly. It looked like he had a five o’clock shadow by the middle of Act One. I’m so used to seeing Andy’s "I’m so pretty" routine, that Justin’s Angel was off putting. Still, not a bad job, just a little strange.
Benny - D’Monroe. Off the hook. I mean, D’Monroe is always high-energy, but last night he was bouncing off the walls of the Neder. Does that necessarily make him the best Benny? Of course not. But he knows the character so well that I give him credit for making some changes. Oh, and D’Monroe on the Contact wall? Yeow.
Collins - Destan Owens. Yay for Destan. Destan has taken a role that MRF has re-invented, and gone and re-invented it again. His Collins is not as smooth, more uncertain, and generally vulnerable. There is genuine emotion in ICYR, as he gently pauses on the opening notes, tears streaming down his face. (Yes, that’s when I lost it). Perfect.
Cary (as Gordon) Wow. Wow. Wow. The emotion coming JUST from Cary’s eyes in Life Support made me grip my chair. Beautiful grasp of the scene. I couldn’t help but think the confrontation between the dealer and Roger in CB was a little funny, Roger v. Roger. Still, Cary proves he’s a champ.
Mayumi, Todd, Shaun, Catrice and Frenchie - all fine performances. Nothing different.
Not crazy about Enrico as Steve if only because his Will I? solo is such a struggle, and unpretty. He’s a decent waiter, and his Honest Living is nice.
Roger - Jeremy Kushnier. This man couldn’t get any better. From the get go, he puts his soul into Roger, step by step, building to the breakdown in Act Two. Jeremy acts with his whole body, which he’s so comfortable in. OSG was just huge. Nothing different than I’ve ever seen him do, but in my 7 years of seeing this show, I’ve never seen an actor who "gets" Roger more than Jeremy. Hell, if he can make me actually like "Your Eyes", he has to be a winner, right?
Mimi - Krystal Washington. Yay! After the abomination that was Mel B’s performance ("Sticks and stones, Kate Monster!) I was delighted to see Krystal. A solid, fun showing. Out Tonight was particularly jazzy; she’s worked in some new movement, and goes tit for tat in Another Day with Jeremy. Explosive Goodbye Love. Krystal actually responds to Jeremy, and reacts with gusto. If I hadn’t been sobbing already (more on that later), I would have lost it then.
Maureen - Kelly Karbacz. Very, very, good. OTM was fine. She’s stolen Maggie’s machine gun bit, but the voice she did last night (a tiny, Mexican voice) was hilarious. I felt she went a little overboard during OTM with the "stick to the same awkward position" bit, but she completely made up for it in LVB and TMOLM. Kelly’s Maureen is very young and flighty, much different than Maggie’s more grounded character. It works well. I can’t wait to see her as she grows into the character a bit more.
Joanne- Merle Dandrigde- Wow. Talk about people who have grown into a character. Merle’s Joanne was aggressive and spunky, and her TMOLM is so, so sassy. Beautiful job.
Angel - Justin Johnson. Well. Hmm. The very quiet crowd seemed to love him; T4U got the biggest reaction of the night (over the much more deserved WYO). Justin is an amazing dancer, and a fine singer. He’s not a tenor, though, and doesn’t even attempt the notes in T4U; he’s also very, um, manly. It looked like he had a five o’clock shadow by the middle of Act One. I’m so used to seeing Andy’s "I’m so pretty" routine, that Justin’s Angel was off putting. Still, not a bad job, just a little strange.
Benny - D’Monroe. Off the hook. I mean, D’Monroe is always high-energy, but last night he was bouncing off the walls of the Neder. Does that necessarily make him the best Benny? Of course not. But he knows the character so well that I give him credit for making some changes. Oh, and D’Monroe on the Contact wall? Yeow.
Collins - Destan Owens. Yay for Destan. Destan has taken a role that MRF has re-invented, and gone and re-invented it again. His Collins is not as smooth, more uncertain, and generally vulnerable. There is genuine emotion in ICYR, as he gently pauses on the opening notes, tears streaming down his face. (Yes, that’s when I lost it). Perfect.
Cary (as Gordon) Wow. Wow. Wow. The emotion coming JUST from Cary’s eyes in Life Support made me grip my chair. Beautiful grasp of the scene. I couldn’t help but think the confrontation between the dealer and Roger in CB was a little funny, Roger v. Roger. Still, Cary proves he’s a champ.
Mayumi, Todd, Shaun, Catrice and Frenchie - all fine performances. Nothing different.
Not crazy about Enrico as Steve if only because his Will I? solo is such a struggle, and unpretty. He’s a decent waiter, and his Honest Living is nice.
JOHN LITHGOW
I just realized, your last name is Butz! Both "Norbert" AND "Butz" are in your name! You must have gotten picked on a lot as a child!
he brings so much depth to the character - and i couldnt agree more with all the other comments you made.. wonderful review thanks 
