#1
Posted: 12/20/05 at 9:43pm
I worked the past week for merchandise when the show came through my city, so I saw the performance about seven times in the past five days.
Patrick Cassidy: Personally, at first I was only slightly impressed with his performance. I didn't think he played the part poorly, but it wasn't the best I'd seen either. However, one of the nights Joseph was played by an understudy, and it just wasn't the same. From a theater perspective, the understudy fit the part better as far as looks go, but he just didn't have the stage presence Patrick did. And I'm not talking about the fact that Patrick is ridiculously ripped. He just played the part well, in the performances he was in.
Amy Adams: I thought she was fantastic in this role. It doesn't matter one bit that she's from American Idol -- she nailed it. Perhaps not as well as fans of the original would like, but certainly well enough to satisfy. She had the perfect voice for this role, and I think it was a part well cast.
The Brothers: Hands down, best part of the production. They steal the show completely. Reuben was spot-on with "One More Angel in Heaven" (even though it was played by an understudy for about three or four of the performances), and Simeon brought the house down with his "Those Canaan Days." Judah was also wonderful with "Benjamin Calypso," and I was personally impressed with how well all of them could dance -- especially Benjamin. For anyone who hasn't seen the show yet, when you do, keep your eyes on him. He's the one in the orange hat/turban thing, shorter, long black hair. The actor (Derek Ferguson, who, to put it on record, is a complete sweetheart and I love him dearly) attempts upstaging from time to time during the show, with rather over-the-top background antics, but dear Lord, can that boy dance. If you go to see anything from this production, then go for the brothers.
The Female Ensemble and Jacob/Potiphar: The dancing is wonderful, as well as the singing. Mrs. Potiphar definitely shines in her scene, as well as the waitress in "Those Canaan Days." Jacob/Potiphar plays his roles very well, also. He has the perfect voice, I think, for Potiphar.
The Children's Choir: Actually, the children from my city weren't bad at all. They sat at the sides of the stage for most of the show, and I thought it worked very well when the actors would interact with them during scenes, complaining or asking mimed questions as it might be. Overall, I didn't find them overly distracting or out of place.
The Show: In general, I thought it was very well done, despite a few technical difficulties here and there that brought the energy down some nights. I enjoyed watching it every day, and would very happily tour and sell their merchandise for the rest of the run, until July, without getting sick of it. That's just my opinion, though. The cheerleading scene and the megamix at the end are, in a word, fabulous. I know the modernization doesn't work very well with the story, but the numbers got the crowd into it, and as far as I'm concerned, that's all that counts. As for the other modernizations... clearly just put in for comic affect, which worked well here. The crowd seemed to find them amusing. I actually didn't catch them the first time I saw it, so they weren't too obvious or obnoxious.
All in all, a wonderful and fun production that you should definitely check out, if it comes to your area.
And my question... at the shows, there was a pre-order form people could fill out for a CD of this tour's cast (Patrick Cassidy, Amy Adams, and the rest). The merch guy I worked for said it comes out in about eight weeks, but if anyone happens to know the exact date, I would really appreciate it. Thank you!
Patrick Cassidy: Personally, at first I was only slightly impressed with his performance. I didn't think he played the part poorly, but it wasn't the best I'd seen either. However, one of the nights Joseph was played by an understudy, and it just wasn't the same. From a theater perspective, the understudy fit the part better as far as looks go, but he just didn't have the stage presence Patrick did. And I'm not talking about the fact that Patrick is ridiculously ripped. He just played the part well, in the performances he was in.
Amy Adams: I thought she was fantastic in this role. It doesn't matter one bit that she's from American Idol -- she nailed it. Perhaps not as well as fans of the original would like, but certainly well enough to satisfy. She had the perfect voice for this role, and I think it was a part well cast.
The Brothers: Hands down, best part of the production. They steal the show completely. Reuben was spot-on with "One More Angel in Heaven" (even though it was played by an understudy for about three or four of the performances), and Simeon brought the house down with his "Those Canaan Days." Judah was also wonderful with "Benjamin Calypso," and I was personally impressed with how well all of them could dance -- especially Benjamin. For anyone who hasn't seen the show yet, when you do, keep your eyes on him. He's the one in the orange hat/turban thing, shorter, long black hair. The actor (Derek Ferguson, who, to put it on record, is a complete sweetheart and I love him dearly) attempts upstaging from time to time during the show, with rather over-the-top background antics, but dear Lord, can that boy dance. If you go to see anything from this production, then go for the brothers.
The Female Ensemble and Jacob/Potiphar: The dancing is wonderful, as well as the singing. Mrs. Potiphar definitely shines in her scene, as well as the waitress in "Those Canaan Days." Jacob/Potiphar plays his roles very well, also. He has the perfect voice, I think, for Potiphar.
The Children's Choir: Actually, the children from my city weren't bad at all. They sat at the sides of the stage for most of the show, and I thought it worked very well when the actors would interact with them during scenes, complaining or asking mimed questions as it might be. Overall, I didn't find them overly distracting or out of place.
The Show: In general, I thought it was very well done, despite a few technical difficulties here and there that brought the energy down some nights. I enjoyed watching it every day, and would very happily tour and sell their merchandise for the rest of the run, until July, without getting sick of it. That's just my opinion, though. The cheerleading scene and the megamix at the end are, in a word, fabulous. I know the modernization doesn't work very well with the story, but the numbers got the crowd into it, and as far as I'm concerned, that's all that counts. As for the other modernizations... clearly just put in for comic affect, which worked well here. The crowd seemed to find them amusing. I actually didn't catch them the first time I saw it, so they weren't too obvious or obnoxious.
All in all, a wonderful and fun production that you should definitely check out, if it comes to your area.
And my question... at the shows, there was a pre-order form people could fill out for a CD of this tour's cast (Patrick Cassidy, Amy Adams, and the rest). The merch guy I worked for said it comes out in about eight weeks, but if anyone happens to know the exact date, I would really appreciate it. Thank you!
Updated On: 12/20/05 at 09:43 PM
