Review of Dangerous Beauty at Vassar & NYSAF

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 12:25am

Last night I went to see Dangerous Beauty at Vassar (a whopping 5 minute drive from my house) starring Jenny Powers, Megan McGinnis, and Emily Skinner. The lyrics were by Amanda McBroom (who apparently wrote "The Rose" that Bette Midler is famous for.) I knew Jenny Powers and Megan McGinnis were in it, but not Emily Skinner. Plus I saw Amy Alexander there...she really is petite! (duh Alex) What a treat!

Now, up-front I will admit I'm a big Sondheim fan, so my tastes tend to lean towards the exploration of human topics and relationships over "pretty music" if you want to call it that. Then again, I also love Rogers and Hammerstien, so who knows. I'm also known as being a very tough critic. Also note that my mother, 55, had almost the opposite opinion of me on pretty much everything I write here. She likes musicals, but isn't really obsessive.

Dangerous Beauty, based on the movie, tells the tale of a young woman without a dowery whose mother teachers her to become a courtesan so she needn't depend on a man.

As for the show itself, I didn't care for it. At all. The music (By Michelle Brourman) began fairly prettily, but it soon became pretty much all the same...and when all the songs sound the same...(to me) that's bad. While I understand that part of the show involves poetry (one of the courtesan's talents is writing poetry) the lyrics were far too full of empty flowery language...sometimes cliche-ridden and cringe worthy. The harder the song tried to be touching, often the more laughable it was.

Both the book (by Jeannine Dominy) and lyrics were sort of dull, and had a lot of vulgar language as well as implied vulagarities. I didn't mind them that much. (though some were laughable "And don't forget to swallow, it's only polite." (Though that lyric is from my favorite song of the show, Emily Skinner's "The Art of Seduction" where, as an ex-courtesan she teachers her daughter to become one as well.) I did however notice several older audience members (which is what most of the audience was comprised of) were offended by them.


Jenny Powers was good in the role. She has a very pretty voice, and sang awesomely but her acting left a little to be desired...at times it felt a little forced, but it was not at all bad. I think some of these feelings I have might not be Ms. Power's fault, but rather the book's. I'm sure it was nerve wracking too, because it's a workshop. My mom loved her. She has such a tiny waist!

Megan McGinnis was soo cute and probably my favorite. I got a whole lot less bored whenever she was on stage. While her character, like pretty much every other character in the show was fairly one dimentional, she was awesome in it and she has the sweetest and prettiest voice. This girl deserves another lead. She wasn't on stage nearly enough. She sang an almost touching song after telling Jenny's character that she wanted her to teach her daughter to be a courtesan, and she got all teary and then I got teary, even though I thought the song was rather bland. Both my mom and I loved her.

I thought almost all the actors in the show did a lovely job. Emily Skinner looked much to young for her role as Jenny Power's mother. She acted and sung the role nicely, but just because the woman is a bit larger than her thin co-stars doesn't mean she should be stuck in mother roles so soon, when she clearly looks in her early to mid 30's. Even in the 16th century, it was a little hard to buy her having a daughter Jenny's age, especially as the characters aged. While I was in the front row on the side, I think, even with makeup, I'm afraid her line about being too old to "fetch a price" would seem silly. She's a beautiful, fairly young woman and it just came off as silly. I felt bad for her though because her mic kept cutting out, and my mom thought she just wasn't as good of a singer as the rest of them because of it. I was like "Um mom, no." I loved her.

Ms. Power's character's love interest was played by Wayne Wilcox who my mother described as "wimpy" and whose acting and singing she did not like at all. I however, thought he was one of the stronger actors on stage (though more subtle than most) and had a great, if not Powerhouse voice. I did think he needed to work on his physicality a bit however, because some of his movements reminded me of a young man in his early 20's in the 20th century, which took away from the period of the show. I think his acting just needed to be a bit more external. I liked his voice though, even if it wasn't "loud".

One of my other favorites of the evening was Jon Patrick Walker, who was a real crowd pleaser with one of the more interesting characters in the show, playing a poor male courtesean poet (they had male courtesans? I should have known!)He had a very (I do Shakespeare) style of acting, and it really worked for this show. My mom liked him a lot as well, and he did a wonderful turn as the perverted King Henry of France that had everyone laughing.

I don't know the names of the rest of the actors I would like to mention, as I can't distinctly remember their characters names, but there was a loverly tenor in the ensemble who's acting and singing meritted a bigger role. He looked and sang like a perfect Beatle in Sweeney Todd, a role I'm sure he's probably played before. EDIT: His name is Randy Blair. Hopefully he'll be on Broadway soon. I also enjoyed the acting and singing of both gentlemen who played the fathers to the two male and female leads.

Haviland Stillwell had a small cameo type role as the male leads "prudish" wife who makes an awkward turnaround at the end of the show and goes from acusing Jenny's character of being a witch because her husband is in love with her to deciding that she is not, over the course of a not particularily moving song. That's supposed to be Ms. Powers 11 O'Clock. She sang nicely (I could hear the classical training in there) though her acting was just a tiny itsy bit large for my tastes, thought it would be fine in a larger theater.

I was disapointed by the young women playing the courtesans. They all had pretty voices, but their acting, even as background players seemed un-focused. I know that chorus members aren't normally mentioned, but I love watching them because often times, their actions are better than the leads, and in this show it was not quite the case.

I found this show extremely tedious. Mostly the second act. The first started with potential than never came to fluition...not much was distinct, nothing really stood out aside from the actors performances. The first act was much stronger than the 2nd, which even my mother agreed needed a lot of work. She felt it had potential. I feel it needs a complete revamping before it tries to hit the great white way.

Updated On: 7/11/05 at 12:25 AM

[Br0adWayBaBy]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 10:02pm

OK, you must have been watching a different show than me.

First of all, Maffio was NOT a male courtesan. He was a poet. I don't know where you got that from.

Second of all, fluition?

Third of all, I think you should pay more attention to the show before trying to review it. Also, maybe grow up a few years.

We loved this show. We thought everything was great, from the acting to the music to the ensemble of sexy courtesans. Granted, it needs some work, but this is one of the best workshops I've seen in a long time.

That's my opinion.

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 10:15pm

It's fine if you had a different opinion than I did, but please don't insult me. I'm glad you enjoyed it, but please respect my opinion. I did pay attention. I guess I just misunderstood that aspect regarding Maffio and the court. It was an honest mistake. I appologize.

I meant to say fruition. Sometimes I type things differently than they come out in my head.

Telling me to grow up doesn't exactly show your own maturity. I'm 21 years old, and just because I have a different opinion than you doesn't make my opinion invalid.

Updated On: 7/11/05 at 10:15 PM

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 10:26pm

I totally respect Buffy's review. I can see how she disliked the show in some places. I also enjoyed the show as much as you did but everyone is untitled to their own opinions. While I loved the show, my mom didn't. And I think buffy's review was written in a mature manor and don't know why she needs to "grow up"

[Bridelle Pei King]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 11:01pm

I, too, saw Dangerous Beauty at Vassar this weekend, and was very impressed with this work in progress. I loved several of the songs and especially liked many of the lyrics, which I felt were relevent and very, very clever. The cast was, overall, exceptionally professional and impressive. I found two of the cast, Jenny Powers, and Jon Patrick Walker, thrilling to watch. My two suggestions with casting: The romantic lead, Marco, needs some passion for the starcrossed lovers to be sympathic. I kept thinking Veronica could do much better for herself. I do also think that the mother needs more sadness/compassion/passion. I didn't feel her desperation. Perhaps " Buffy" has a point that she was too young/fresh for the part. At any rate, I also defend her right to state her opinion. Bridelle

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 11:24pm

I just want to clarify a few things.

I wrote this review when I was quite tired. Perhaps I should have waited until the morning when my typing and clarity would have been stronger. I mistook a line about Maffio being the same as Veronica as him being a male courtesan. Even I could tell you why I thought that, but it was just a mistake.

I didn't think anyone in the show sucked at all, I was just critical of a few aspects of the performances. I thought the courtesans sung beautifully. I just thought their acting was a little overdone and I didn't feel as though their characters were as distinct as they could have been. I'm not saying that they aren't very talented young women by any means, I'm just saying I think some aspects of their performances still needed work in my opinion.

Many people who saw the show loved it. I'm truly happy for them. I think wonderful theater is one of the greatest things in the world. I really wanted to like it, I just...didn't.

For the sake of the writers, cast, and crew, I do hope this show has future incarnations. I'm sure many will enjoy this show. Heck, I might even like it after further development. I just didn't like it in this particular incarnation.

As I said in my intoduction, shows of the Sondheim variety are my favorites. I would put this more in the Andrew Lloyd Webber, or, better yet Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg style show. Now, I like Les Mis a lot, but as a whole their style of shows aren't really for me, but many enjoy them.

My opinion is coming from an actor's point of view. I am very critical. I stated this. I am critical of myself as well as others, and am just as harsh about my own performances as I am of others. I'm saying the same things I would say to my friends who perform if they asked (which they do, because they know I will give my honest opinion and will not simply tell them how marvelous they are). I know what it's like to perform and how nervewracking it must be. Heck, I was even an Apprentice at Powerhouse a few years back and have seen how grueling the professional actors scheduels must be, in and out in a matter of weeks.

All I wrote was simply my opinion. I wasn't trying to doom the show to oblivion nor do I have the power to do so.It doesn't mean any more or less than anyone else's thoughts.

My best friend hates Audra McDonald's voice. She says it's whiny and sounds like cats dying. Audra McDonald is my idol, and I think she has the most beautiful voice in the world. I don't consider my friend to have bad taste in music, it's just not the same taste as mine.

Updated On: 7/11/05 at 11:24 PM