Shuffle Along previews — Page 22

Saw it last night as well. After the first act, I saw Wolfe pass by and told him we enjoyed the first act immensely. He thanked me and than went about his business.

 

The first act was a blast. The second act dragged because it showed what happened to all concerned after the euphoria of putting on a show. Billy Porter brought down the house with his rendition of "Low Down Blues".Audra had a solo as well but I do not recall the title and could not check the Playbill as the songs were not listed as someone else posted.The creative team needs to be able to get at least 20 minutes out of the 3 hour running time. 

 

This will be a smash but will suffer for a few months with Audra's absence. It should be classified as a new musical which unfortunately means no Best Musical Tony for it in June. It would get one in any other year but bad luck for them and all the other musicals opening this season with 1 exception. It could try to get classified as a revival but I do not think it should qualify there. It will garner a lot of other Tony's for individual achievements in numerous other categories.

 

Bravo and well done to all concerned.

Updated On: 4/2/16 at 11:36 AM

I also felt that Mitchell's number when he blackens only half his face was a good idea that didn't work that well in context. It evoked all sorts of potentially interesting relationships, the Janus masks of tragedy and comedy, the character's refined, real self vs. the falsified stereotype he portrayed on stage, etc. However, even as I was watching it, it caused my mind to wander back to the more memorable and effective Solomon Song done by Kevin Kline in the Wolfe-directed Mother Courage. Assuming my memory is correct (it may not be), both numbers appear late in the show, both involve the applying of make-up, both are delivered bitterly and ironically, and both even feature similar angular hand and arm movements.

 

One big difference is that, prior to the point where the song appears, the book for Shuffle Along has been superficial and cliched. There's an attempt to evoke deep feeling in regard to characters and situations that are barely sketched, and to hang weighty meaning on an exceptionally slight frame.

Smaxie said: "Audra's Act Two solo is "Memories of You," a really gorgeous piece of writing.  

Here's Rosemary Clooney singing it, with Benny Goodman and his orchestra.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26EVJzc0m8g"

 

It's a great song, now largely forgotten, and one of the reasons I'm so eager to hear McDonald sing it is the wide, expressive arc of the melody suits an operatic voice just gorgeously. There used to be go wonderful old LP by Joan Morris and William Bolcom called "Wild About Eubie" that showed this off to good effect. 

 

Here's Ella singing it:

 

Dancers legs.

Mr. Roxy, Kritzerland will be releasing a remastered limited edition of EUBIE, which is also for the first time on CD. 

http://www.kritzerland.com/Eubie.htm

Thanks for the merch update, Mr. Roxy. Hoping they sell online like most shows so I can get my windowcard. :)

It was mentioned earlier in this thread that merch wasn't going to be sold until it opened. That sucks!

Tickets are currently on sale through October 9; I had thought it was an open-ended run also.

TRISH2

It IS an open end run--stars have one year contracts

Only selling tix for 6 months--and will release more as time elapses

Of course, if show becomes a "hit", tix pricing will rise for later tix

Nice to hear, westminster.

If I didn't live in LA I would be there to see it again.  I really liked it when I saw it on the 26th, and if they have made modifications, cuts, whatever to "improve" on it, it must be quite a spectacle.  Because it looked pretty darned good when I saw it pre-hiatus.  Personally, I can't even imagine how you would make it better from the show I saw, or how anyone could not like it.

Thanks for sharing.  

Now I can't wait for the window card to come out, as it wasn't available when I saw it.

This might be insane - or just wishful thinking - but Tonya Pinkins was at Shuffle Along the first time I saw it. Is there any way she'd replace Audra on her leave? 

I know Tonya has a different voice than Audra and her relationship with Mr. Wolfe and Mr. Glover might be the simple reason she was there (or any other reason), but could she work as a replacement?