See What I Wanna See in Boston

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 1:37pm

Has anyone seen the current production of See What I Wanna See that is now playing in Boston? If so, is it any good and how is it in comparision to the Off Broadway production?

[ashley0139]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 3:58pm

I haven't seen it yet, but I am definitely planning to. Soon. I think MJL is supposed to be there on Friday too. I saw the Off-Broadway version so I am excited to see how it compares.

[luvliza89]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 3:59pm

I actually won tickets but wasn't able to go because of the flu. I have heard though that it's an amazing production.

[timote316]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 3:59pm

I won't be able to see it until Jan 31 . I can't wait!

[ashley0139]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 4:19pm

Ok so more detailed information:
Jan 18- post show talk-back
Jan 20- discussion and autograph signing 2pm
Jan 21- audience talk back

I don't know what the difference between them is, but I'm thinking of going to the Saturday one or maybe the Sunday one. But it's so cool that they're doing that. Must see MJL!

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 10:54pm

Sounds interesting. Thanks for posting.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 11:08pm

I will be at the discussion and show on the 20th. Can't wait!

[timote316]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 11:59pm

I wanted to go to the discussion quite badly... but I have rehearsal. 'Tis the story of my life this year, unfortunately.

[folkyboy]

Posted: 1/17/07 at 12:05am

i saw the production of See What I Want To See in Boston and enjoyed it a lot. though i hear it's quite different than the Off-Broadway production. a friend of mine is in the show and he told me that they took some liberties with the characters to suit their goal intent. if i recall correctly the 18th & 20th are the dates Lachuisa is going to be discussing the show afterward. though i could be wrong.

the lighting for this production is really remarkable.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 1/17/07 at 12:14am

Oooh... now I'm interested to see the changes. Who does your friend play?

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 1/17/07 at 9:34am

...to suit their goal intent? I'm sure Michael John signed off on this or her wouldn't be there, but what does that mean? What liberties did that take? What was their goal/intent with this piece?

[timote316]

Posted: 1/17/07 at 9:56am

When I read folkyboy's post, it sounded to me like he meant acting choices.

[folkyboy]

Posted: 1/17/07 at 1:15pm

yeah it was about acting decisions and characterisations. my friend plays the CPA/The Husband/Morito. he really does an amazing job. i have never seen the Off-Broadway production so i don't know what liberties were taken but i know that the way it's acted is different than the way it was done prior. my friend was talking to be about how Mark Kudisch did it VERY different Off-Broadway.

the notes in book aren't specific at all, apparently.

but i highly recommend you go see it if you can. i saw it and immediately wanted to go back again to see it thereafter.

[timote316]

Posted: 1/17/07 at 1:21pm

A good director/production doesn't insist on the actors portraying the characters as they originally were portrayed. That's definately a good thing.

I saw Andrew Giordano in a considerably less-than-memorable production of "Beauty and the Beast" about a year, maybe two years ago. All I remember was that the sets were terrible, Belle couldn't act (but had a nice voice)... and Giordano was terrific as Gaston.

I had been hoping that Christopher Chew was going to play The Husband (with Jenn Ellis as The Wife), but Giordano is quite the talent, so I look forward to seeing it!

[kyle.]

Posted: 1/17/07 at 5:00pm

The assistant director of the show is good friends with MJL, which I'm sure is why he is doing show much with it.

Reading about MJL and watching interviews, he seems like the kind of guy who would encourage messing around with the material and trying new things.

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 1/17/07 at 5:25pm

...PICTURES!?!?!

[BudFrump23]

Posted: 1/17/07 at 8:16pm

I saw this show (or some form of it - I'm not too sure how much has changed...) in Williamstown at the summer theater festival a few years ago. Then, it was titled R Shomon and starred a couple of the few characters from the recording, but my favorite, Audra McDonald. Her voice was so stunning with the music, and I enjoyed her live performance much better than Idina's on the cast recording. (Although, I'm basing a live performance on a recorded one...but c'mon.) Mary Testa was also brilliant, and her "The Greatest Practical Joke" was one of the most hilarious moments I've seen on stage.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 9:12am

I would have loved to see Audra in this role obviously and while I missed her, Idina did a fine job (with the exception of the title song). She def made the role her own. I wouldn't have imagined Audra in it (which is what you want when you're a new cast member).

[timote316]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 11:29am

Pictures can be found on Lyric's website: http://www.lyricstage.com/Press.htm

re: Audra... I've heard her rendition of the title song, and I just don't like it. I think Idina's rendition of the song is stunning - the song lends itself very well to Idina's belty style. It just doesn't seem to fit with Audra's more legit style. That said, some of the more softer, sweeter sounds the character calls for seem to favor Audra more so than Idina. In all, however, I think Idina is the best part of the SWIWS cast recording.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:19pm

Just saw the show this afternoon, and the discussion with Michael John LaChiusa. While I was looking forward to seeing the show, I was most excited to hear the discussion, which was very interesting and informative. There were about... maybe 20-30 people there? Some people asked some very interesting questions, and a couple others... not so much. He talked about writing a show from the beginning and a lot about how SWIWS came to be. He also talked some about Wild Party and some other things. I would be happy to answer specific questions if anyone has them. There was also a quick autograph session afterward, which was nice.

A few thoughts on the show to come, if people want them.

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 10:33pm

It sounds like the post show discussion would have been interesting. Please share with us your thoughts on the show.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 1/21/07 at 12:14pm

It was actually a pre-show discussion, but it was extremely interesting. Also, hi to Elphabarose who I met there!

Here are my thoughts on the show:
The production is great. The set is wonderful and really works with the show and theme. It is quite different from the original production, which had nothing. The set was... kind of like triangle platforms built up. In the discussion, they said it was kind of made to represent origami. Behind the platform were these screens with trapezoidal shapes cut out. They looked very cool. I really like having the platform there as it makes it easier to see the action up there. The music was well done, if a little soft at times. Orchestrations were full, but it seemed like the mics were turned down a little too much. The cast was very good. My personal favorites were Brendan McNab as the Janitor/Priest and Andrew Giordano as Morito/Husband/CPA. McNab's voice was great, if quite different from original Henry Stram, and I loved his acting choices. Giordano's booming voice actually gave me chills. And I actually smiled a couple times when he sang a particularly beautiful note. His acting was also incredible. I think his voice was most similar to the original performer (Marc Kudisch), but he was still able to make it his own. Aimee Doherty's acting as Kesa/Wife/Actress was impeccable. She did a great job with her three characters. Her interpretations of both the Wife and Deanna were really amazing. June Baboin's acting as the Medium/Aunt Monica was also quite good. It was heartbreaking to watch her get sicker and sicker througout the second act, and yet still act as if she didn't care. Andrew Schufman as the Thief/Reporter was good. He had a nice voice. I loved him as the Thief, and I liked his angry interpretation of the reporter in the second act. Overall, the production value is great. Great direction, using both the platform and the floor. My favorite thing about the original production was that, no matter where you sat you got a different story. Maybe the husband would be facing you and the wife would have her back turned, so you would only see the husband's facial expressions. But if you sat in a different seat, you would see the wife. It was a cool element that gave each person in the theatre a different experience. I was SO GLAD to see they used this in their production. Not everyone sees the same story. I love it.

So those are my "few" thoughts on the show. Great production!

Updated On: 1/21/07 at 12:14 PM

[ElphabaRose]

Posted: 1/21/07 at 4:30pm

Hi Ashley. It was good to meet you too. I figured I'd add my thoughts (which I started to do last night and then my computer went crazy so I lost the post).

I found the standouts of the production to be Aimee Doherty and Andrew Giordano. Aimee's acting was superb and she has a beautiful voice, almost a happy medium between Idina Menzel's belting power and Audra McDonald's more operatic style (although she wasn't quite as strong as either woman), that really worked for the role. Andrew Giordano has an incredible voice and, as Ashley said, sounds frighteningly like Marc Kudisch. I enjoyed Brendan McNab but I really prefer the roles that he played to be played by a more nebishy actor. He does get credit for one of my favorite moments in the show though. At the end of act one, as the Janitor, he pulls the knife out of the Husband, looks at it and puts it in his pocket. I thought that it was a great way to make the audience cast more suspicion on the Janitor. I though that Andrew Shifman as the Thief/Reporter was good but left something to be desired. It was his first professional show, and what a way to jump in, but as the Thief he was a little too sleazy which made it hard to believe that the Wife went with him by choice (when the story was told by the husband) and his voice, although very nice, lacked a lot of the warmth and fullness that really makes the role sound beautiful. To me, the weak link in the cast was June Baboian as the Medium/Aunt Monica. Her voice was fine but it was overpowering. During the first act when the Medium and Husband sing together, she really took away from the scene by just singing at the top of her lungs and taking far too much focus away from the Husband. Baboian's acting was much better in the second act, but her singing was still too much. There are some beautiful choral parts that were weakened by the lack of vocal blending. The second act was well done but I am not sure that I liked the directorial choice to have the actors playing the characters other than the Priest play the little parts that were nameless and faceless (in Confession and Gloryday). During Gloryday I preferred when the actual characters were seen in the chaos of the "crazies."

On the whole I really enjoyed the production and I loved noticing little things that I had not noticed when I saw the show at the Public or when I listened to the cast recording. I actually really want to go back and see the production again because I know that other things will jump out at me and surprise me.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 1/21/07 at 4:49pm

At the end of act one, as the Janitor, he pulls the knife out of the Husband, looks at it and puts it in his pocket.

I meant to mention that. This production actually made the janitor more and more sinister, each time he did his part. He gave this evil smile at the end and you were like... whoa. Evil janitor. Very interesting.

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 1/21/07 at 8:33pm

I went to the 3 pm show today. I thought it was very well cast and the singing was fantastic. The show itself was a little bit different than I expected. I've had the cd since it came out so I was familiar with the music. I liked Act 1 better than Act 2. The staging was great - not a bad seat in the house and as already mentioned, a different theater experience depending on the location of your seat.

After today's show, they had an audience talk back discussion with all the members of the cast (except Andrew Schufman), one of the musicians and an employee of the Lyric Stage. It was interesting to hear the questions and comments audience members had for the cast. The cast was also very enthusiatic to share stories about meeting Michael John Lachiusa for the first time this past week as he attended several of their performances. The woman from the Lyric commented that attendance at today's show was only about half full and thought it may be due to the Patriots football game.