Valentina3 said: "CindersGolightly, were there changes made to the 2013 revival? What do you mean JRB ruined Cathy?"
I just saw this, I apologize. There weren't any changes regarding the material, besides the score being taken up for Betsy (So. Good.), but Jason Robert Brown's direction really rubbed me, and some others I had talked to about it, the wrong way. It's his show, and he has the right to do whatever he wants with it of course, but there's a clear disconnect in character between the original production, the revival, and the movie, in which the revival stands out in the way that Cathy is directed. The way he directed Cathy almost implied that she manipulated Jamie into cheating, a self sabotage sort of thing. Which sounds weird, because it was. It's an interesting take, but a polarizing one. It was still a great show, mainly because Betsy did what she could to salvage Cathy. In interviews about Cathy, the way she talks about her doesn't match the tone of the production set for that character, which is why I don't think it was Betsy's acting that did this. Cathy came off as more of a perpetrator than a victim. Although Cathy and Jamie have blame to share, the end of the relationship was ultimately Jamie's fault, and I think because it's such a personal story for him, he is trying to....compensate for his own actions being bad. All of this leaves you feeling cold. You walk out not knowing what you're supposed to feel, because Jamie cheated, but Cathy is painted in a horrible light as well. It just felt kind of petty. And maybe this production will be different! Maybe not. But I don't think he should be directing this, or any of his shows. Especially not ones that are this personal. Of course, I could be completely wrong and interpreting what he did the wrong way. This is just my opinion.
They/them.
"Get up the nerve to be all you deserve to be."
