Riedel on Color Purple being better without Hudson
Posted: 5/13/16 at 1:55pm
Did he really have to tear down Hudson in order to praise Hadley? That seems just pointlessly nasty.
Posted: 5/13/16 at 2:26pm
She must not have signed his Playbill at the stage door.
Posted: 5/13/16 at 2:33pm
Her tweet was nasty, though. Not a team player. Seemed she just wanted to be there for the award. I'm more excited to see Heather anyway and now that she's being reviewed so well, I think I'm just gonna have to go ahead and splurge on tix
Posted: 5/13/16 at 2:49pm
I don't think he tore her down, he's right, she was the weak link. When you hear Shug Avery is coming to town and then someone with low energy walks in, it's a letdown.
Posted: 5/13/16 at 2:55pm
This is such a stupid "article." But, to be totally fair, it's not untrue. What John Doyle said about Shug's appearance having to lift the show is insightful. When Jennifer Hudson started singing, it sounded as incredible as you'd expect Jennifer Hudson to sound. But she had absolutely no connection to anything, emotionally. It just bogged down her scenes, for me.
Without even having seen Heather in the role, I'm sure she's bringing her A game in a way Jennifer just couldn't. And the relationship between Shug and Celie has to be potent to make that spark of change in Celie believable. I hope to return to see her in it and to see Cynthia's beautiful performance again.
Posted: 5/13/16 at 2:57pm
Heather's arrival certainly boosts the show's chances at the revival Tony!
Posted: 5/13/16 at 2:57pm
He's right, actually. Sure, it was a bit harsh, but he's Michael Riedel... It should come as no shock.
Hudson was a well-sung Shug. Her acting, however, left a lot to be desired. It was clear that she was at unease portraying someone with a firm grasp of their outward sexuality. Her voice was fireworks, but her movement and line readings were flat-line.
Posted: 5/13/16 at 6:55pm
Hudson's tweet was sooo bad. Honestly, one of the reasons why I'm not on Twitter is that I don't want to get myself in trouble for tweeting something stupid out of anger or whatever. People get fired over tweets nowadays!
I never saw her in The Color Purple, but for her to come to Broadway (especially in a role that is not the starring role) and expect a Tony nomination just because she won an Oscar is just plain stupid and narcissistic.
Posted: 5/13/16 at 11:54pm
Headley is fantastico in TCP.
Hudson was a "B-" with lungs to stop a stage coach!
Great recast.
