Sly Fox and Bombay Dreams- Reviews and Thoughts

[Elphie]

Posted: 4/15/04 at 3:33pm

2 Broadway Shows in One Day- Reviews
Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to go see two Broadway shows, one play and one musical, before they open before critic's reviews.
First I saw Sly Fox. Overall Rating- A-.
I've only ever seen one another straight play on Broadway (Neil Simon's The Dinner Party staring Henry Winkler and John Ritter being the other) and I have to say I was quite impressed. The story line before I saw it really didnt intrigue me and I was ready for an evening of humor that would fly over my head and loose characters. Well, I learned to not judge a book by its cover. Besides the fact of the show having a stellar cast, the play was very witty, with the perfect comedic timing for lines to send the audience into roars of laughter at the perfect moments. The show moved swiftly and right when I thought it was getting dry, something exciting would happen and the show would turn into another direction and pick right up again.
Richard Dreyfuss gave the expected performance from an actor of so much background and fame. He did not stun me, though his two roles in it (Foxwell and the Judge) are not the kind of characters you dig a lot out of to get to their core. I did notice Richard Dreyfuss used his face very well, and was able to distinguish a difference between his two characters that it was hard to tell it was him. He was very funny, and very believable. Eric Stoltz is just a natural- There is no another word to describe him. His lines just flow out of him and has such a presence on stage. He was the perfect Simon Able. Bronson Pinchot, playing the uptight and nervous Lawyer Craven, made the role completely funny, developing ways to manuever his body in a nervous fashion and flashing his eyes in all directions, making the audience not trust his unsteady gaze. He was very fidgety, but it worked perfect for the character; he was driven by greed and you could really see that in Pinchot's portrayl. I think he took the role a step higher than most actors would. He created depth and made little character traits to take a hold of the audience. Bob Dishy, playing Abner Truckle, I feel was the strongest male character on the stage. He had such a power in his role and was really involved with each scene. He never let his character slip away. And it helped that he had some great lines that he knew how to deliver well. Mrs. Truckle, played by Elizabeth Berkeley, was very innocent in the role and fit the character well, even though she is the one usually playing the experienced vixen. She got a little over dramatic at points, but she had good facial expressions through out the show. Rachel York, playing the seductive "pleasure engineer" Miss Fancy, made the role sexy and classy, which worked very well. Nick Wyman did a great job as the sort of "serious" character in the play. Peter Scolari was such a treat. He got me laughing the most- very good actor. He took a small part past the horizon. I love when you see actors do that- Take roles in new directions or make it more than it the normal. The ensemble was decent- they really didnt do much but act as servants and sit on during the trial. I observed some of the ensemble members and some of them weren't even reacting to the scene. They looked lost at points. Even though they are just ensemble, they should still stay highly involved and treat it as new each night just because you never know who's watching you. The set was very nice, gave the 1800's feel and the costumes were very elaborate. On a whole, this show was a pleasure to see.

Second, the exotic Bombay Dreams- A+.
This show definately took me by storm. It was passionate and breath-taking at the same time and almost had me under a trance. It was uplifting and gave a positve message- "It's who you are, not what you are." I recomend this show for all theatre goers. It kept my attention the entire time and not once did I feel like I had enough. I wanted it to keep going- And that rarely happens to me during shows! It's your typical love story with in the story of a slum boy becoming famous, but it captures the essence of the dream in this gorgeous spectacular. The dance numbers are amazing- I've never seen so many people in such sync. The music was relaxing and moving, with a popish feel, while still making you feel like you've just been swept away to India. I wanted to get up on stage and dance with them! This is one of the best ensembles I'd ever seen. They were all together and they all looked like they were enjoying themselves so much. I loved this show so much that I all I can do is rave about it! I mean I was completely captivated. It was such a wonderful show. I didn't expect it to be that good or grab hold of me with such force. The actors in it were terrific. Manu Naraya abd Anisha Nagaraja had such chemistry as the two lovers, truly believable. Anisha had a gorgeous voice, sooting and soft and Manu's was very vibrant. He kept a hold of his audience during his solo numbers- You could see the fire in his eyes. Both displayed true emotion and compassion- They were amazing. Ayesha Dharker, playing the sex queen of the silver screen Rani, was absolutely hilarious, even though her character has evil roots. She is very beautiful and did a great job with the acting (she didnt have very many songs, besides Shakalaka Baby, which sounded pre-recorded.) Sweeite played by Srirham Ganesan, the best friend to Manu's character Akaash, made you think of you best friend. He was so compassionate and loving and showed depth in the character. The rest of the supporting cast was tremendous. This show was awesome and I hope it does well at the Tony's. The costumes were gorgeous and the set was out of this world. The entire show made my evening perfect.

Also the Bombay Dreams Cast gets an A+ for stage door autographs. The nice cast I ever met (sorry Avenue Q)- They all, including leads, started conversation and were very warm people. They seemed so honored for me to take their pictures and had no problem signing anything. No one took off right after they came out- And it wasnt like there wasnt a crowd there. Srirham Ganesan actually took my poster I had given him to sign inside away from the rain to get me a bag. What a nice guy! Not many performers have that much gratitude. Sly Fox, however, didn't too so hot on their stage door grade- C. Of course I didnt expect Richard Dreyfuss to come out, but only about 3 people did- Rachel York, Nick Wyman, and Peter Scolari. Bob Dishy is one of the most unfriendliest people I've ever seen at a stage door. He charged out and wouldnt give the time of day of to any one and picked up speed when I asked for his autograph. (He was a little pissed off because he just dropped his paper in a puddle.) The other actors, discluding ensemble, didnt come out or waited for the whole 4 of us by the stage door to clear. There was only four of us! Would it hurt them that much to come out to see us! I know, I know I'm going to get arguements for this but fans make the actor too.

Well thats all I have to say- I had a very good evening and these 2 shows were great picks! Sorry my reviews arent worded that good, but I did this as fast as I could. As for the Tony Awards, this year really stinks for the musical category because all the shows are so uncomparable that they really cant be judged up against each other. I loved Bombay Dreams- I thought it had the most compassion out of all the ones I've seen so far and Wicked was so magical and powerful and Avenue Q is very original, comedic, and inspiring up until the last note. Bollywood vs. Oz vs. Puppets vs. the story of a civil rights black girl. (I have yet to see Caroline, or Change.) I wish they could all win something!

Updated On: 4/15/04 at 03:33 PM

[magruder]

Posted: 4/15/04 at 3:40pm

Sly Fox opened already.

[Elphie]

Posted: 4/15/04 at 3:43pm

Whoopsie!

[magruder]

Posted: 4/15/04 at 4:11pm

No prob. Just thought you'd like to know!

[Elphie]

Posted: 4/15/04 at 5:12pm

Thank you- That's alright. And thank you for informing me- Do you know what night it opened? It had a pretty decent crowd- Ochestra was completely gone, but the mezzaine was about 60% full. Lot of senior citizen trips there that night.

[Ruffian]

Posted: 4/15/04 at 5:16pm

I will be seeing both of these, thanks for the post!!!

[magruder]

Posted: 4/15/04 at 7:24pm

Sly Fox opened April 1st. Reviews were mixed to good, I'd say, but it's been doing pretty well at the box office.

[Elphie]

Posted: 4/16/04 at 12:11pm

Did anyone else see Bombay Dreams on this board? What did you think of it?