#1
Posted: 6/12/04 at 11:55am
Hey Kids,
So I got out of work, again, early on Friday and I made it down to Times Square to check out what was on the boards. I want so bad to see RAISIN IN THE SUN, but they had completely sold out of house and student seats. Ugh! I still really want to see THE BOY FROM OZ … So, since they don’t sell BFO student tickets on weekend days, I went over to ASSASSINS to see what they had. They had 3 seats, only, left in the house at the very back of the theatre. I took one. It was $26.25.
Walked around the city for “a while” and then went to the theatre at around 7:30. I was really taken by the inside of the theatre. I’ve seen the Studio 54 movie quite a few times and it was hard to grasp that I was sitting in the very balcony where people use to have orgies and do drugs 24/7. It was kind of surreal.
The show starts … I was immediately taken by the beautiful lighting. This couple has really outdone themselves. But I soon found that the music was mostly forgettable and that, overall, all the songs were extremely long. AND, there are few numbers … none that are really SHOWSTOPPING, I would say. I enjoyed them, but didn’t leave the theatre humming anything … except maybe the finale.
For future reference, the far back Mezzanine is not the place to sit if you want to hear really well. When Marc Kudisch started singing, I thought he was either unmiked or his mike pack was screwed up. Marc did a stellar job and I really was surprised he didn’t make the TONY cut. I thought he did well. But a lot of the other actors were wasted, or their characters were a bit too much “by the book” and thin. I could hardly grasp James Barbour’s character as I was straining to understand what he was saying. I thought he was one of the weaker performers … his voice was a bit too deep for this theatre.
Denis O’Hare did a wonderful job. I have never seen him on stage before and I thought he was quite enjoyable. Does he always have a lisp or was it just the character? I did like his number, “The Ballad of Guiteau”, which came off somewhat powerful. Jeffrey Kuhn was excellent and Mario Cantone seemed a bit out of place. His awful “joke voice” (as I like to call it) completely took over … now I don’t know Sam Byck, so that may have very well been the way he was.
Mary Catherine Garrison and Becky Ann Baker were excellent actresses. Especially LOVED Bake who, I think, made the VERY VERY most of her comedic talent in this piece. BUT, both Garrison had a very difficult time with “Unworthy of Your Love”, one of my very favorite songs. Gemignani also had a bit of trouble with his music. His character was a bit thin, as well.
Michael Cerveris did nice work last night. I would call him performance TONY AWARD WINNING … I think Raul did better work in TABOO. But his performance was serviceable and he has a really nice voice … loved the accent, also. I think if his performance lacked anything, it was due only to the way John Weidman wrote the character. Some of the scenes, I thought, were a bit cheesy. The, in not so many words, “Yes, I killed Lincoln and you should kill Kennedy because it will make people remember me.” I get the gist of what the Assassins wanted Oswald to do … but thought the book was a bit week. Of course, REALLY thought Cantone’s part of the show kept going on and on and on. I tended to doze.
Neil Patrick Harris did nice work last night. His voice has grown much richer and he has made the most of his somewhat awkward stage presence. Of course, as Lee Harvey Oswald, he doesn’t have much to work with. He just kind of stand there and listens to the other actors lecture him and he in turn says, “No I won’t do it.” Not Shakespeare, by any means. I thought he did a very nice job as the Balladeer. His voice was very rich and he sang through it well.
Overall, I wouldn’t want to see ASSASSINS again, but I’m glad I saw it. I mean, it was WAY WAY better than WONDERFUL TOWN. There was not competition. I fell asleep in WT. I love seeing something I have never seen before and just enjoying the story unfold for me. I really did like that. I didn’t really know any of the music, either … so I was kind of just an unaffected outsider enjoying this somewhat old chestnut bloom into a startling new art piece. Again, love the sets, some of the actors, the lighting and the entire staging. Joe Mantello earned his award very well, indeed.
My score is a B+ for ASSASSINS. Definitely worth seeing, but don’t break your back trying to get to Studio 54.
Hoping to see CAROLINE, OR CHANGE & THE BOY FROM OZ next week. Anyone see CorC? Let me know what you thought!
So I got out of work, again, early on Friday and I made it down to Times Square to check out what was on the boards. I want so bad to see RAISIN IN THE SUN, but they had completely sold out of house and student seats. Ugh! I still really want to see THE BOY FROM OZ … So, since they don’t sell BFO student tickets on weekend days, I went over to ASSASSINS to see what they had. They had 3 seats, only, left in the house at the very back of the theatre. I took one. It was $26.25.
Walked around the city for “a while” and then went to the theatre at around 7:30. I was really taken by the inside of the theatre. I’ve seen the Studio 54 movie quite a few times and it was hard to grasp that I was sitting in the very balcony where people use to have orgies and do drugs 24/7. It was kind of surreal.
The show starts … I was immediately taken by the beautiful lighting. This couple has really outdone themselves. But I soon found that the music was mostly forgettable and that, overall, all the songs were extremely long. AND, there are few numbers … none that are really SHOWSTOPPING, I would say. I enjoyed them, but didn’t leave the theatre humming anything … except maybe the finale.
For future reference, the far back Mezzanine is not the place to sit if you want to hear really well. When Marc Kudisch started singing, I thought he was either unmiked or his mike pack was screwed up. Marc did a stellar job and I really was surprised he didn’t make the TONY cut. I thought he did well. But a lot of the other actors were wasted, or their characters were a bit too much “by the book” and thin. I could hardly grasp James Barbour’s character as I was straining to understand what he was saying. I thought he was one of the weaker performers … his voice was a bit too deep for this theatre.
Denis O’Hare did a wonderful job. I have never seen him on stage before and I thought he was quite enjoyable. Does he always have a lisp or was it just the character? I did like his number, “The Ballad of Guiteau”, which came off somewhat powerful. Jeffrey Kuhn was excellent and Mario Cantone seemed a bit out of place. His awful “joke voice” (as I like to call it) completely took over … now I don’t know Sam Byck, so that may have very well been the way he was.
Mary Catherine Garrison and Becky Ann Baker were excellent actresses. Especially LOVED Bake who, I think, made the VERY VERY most of her comedic talent in this piece. BUT, both Garrison had a very difficult time with “Unworthy of Your Love”, one of my very favorite songs. Gemignani also had a bit of trouble with his music. His character was a bit thin, as well.
Michael Cerveris did nice work last night. I would call him performance TONY AWARD WINNING … I think Raul did better work in TABOO. But his performance was serviceable and he has a really nice voice … loved the accent, also. I think if his performance lacked anything, it was due only to the way John Weidman wrote the character. Some of the scenes, I thought, were a bit cheesy. The, in not so many words, “Yes, I killed Lincoln and you should kill Kennedy because it will make people remember me.” I get the gist of what the Assassins wanted Oswald to do … but thought the book was a bit week. Of course, REALLY thought Cantone’s part of the show kept going on and on and on. I tended to doze.
Neil Patrick Harris did nice work last night. His voice has grown much richer and he has made the most of his somewhat awkward stage presence. Of course, as Lee Harvey Oswald, he doesn’t have much to work with. He just kind of stand there and listens to the other actors lecture him and he in turn says, “No I won’t do it.” Not Shakespeare, by any means. I thought he did a very nice job as the Balladeer. His voice was very rich and he sang through it well.
Overall, I wouldn’t want to see ASSASSINS again, but I’m glad I saw it. I mean, it was WAY WAY better than WONDERFUL TOWN. There was not competition. I fell asleep in WT. I love seeing something I have never seen before and just enjoying the story unfold for me. I really did like that. I didn’t really know any of the music, either … so I was kind of just an unaffected outsider enjoying this somewhat old chestnut bloom into a startling new art piece. Again, love the sets, some of the actors, the lighting and the entire staging. Joe Mantello earned his award very well, indeed.
My score is a B+ for ASSASSINS. Definitely worth seeing, but don’t break your back trying to get to Studio 54.
Hoping to see CAROLINE, OR CHANGE & THE BOY FROM OZ next week. Anyone see CorC? Let me know what you thought!
Updated On: 6/13/04 at 11:55 AM
