#51
Posted: 9/5/06 at 9:56pm
Ben is already taking a break when he's only done on Broadway show...
Sweeney Todd Cast - Where Are They Now..Like, Really..Now — Page 3
#52
Posted: 9/5/06 at 10:39pm
I've been to Mano's and Donna's gigs.
Donna's are great for the reasons mentioned.
Mano's are fun because he has a very eclectic taste in music, and hearing him do so many different types of music is very amusing. (Prefab sprout, anyone?)
Donna's are great for the reasons mentioned.
Mano's are fun because he has a very eclectic taste in music, and hearing him do so many different types of music is very amusing. (Prefab sprout, anyone?)
"We don't value the lily less for not being made of flint and built to last. Life's bounty is in it's flow, later is too late. Where is the song when it's been sung, the dance when it's been danced? It's only we humans who want to own the future too."
- Tom Stoppard, Shipwreck
#53
Posted: 9/6/06 at 1:58am
BroadwayChica posted:
"I've never been to any of the personal gigs of anyone from this show. Is it worth the money or is it basically like a David Cassidy concert?
If Benjamin Magnuson does another gig, GO. It is absolutely worth the money. His was by far the most polished, wonderful solo musical performance out of any of the Sweeney actors.
Donna Lynne's is also very much worth the money. What you saw at The Bowery is only a small fraction of what you get in her "Finishing The Hat" gigs. The woman is a force of nature. (Her next gig, by the way, is at Ars Nova on October 1)"
Chica, no Mano critique??
What gives?!
"I've never been to any of the personal gigs of anyone from this show. Is it worth the money or is it basically like a David Cassidy concert?
If Benjamin Magnuson does another gig, GO. It is absolutely worth the money. His was by far the most polished, wonderful solo musical performance out of any of the Sweeney actors.
Donna Lynne's is also very much worth the money. What you saw at The Bowery is only a small fraction of what you get in her "Finishing The Hat" gigs. The woman is a force of nature. (Her next gig, by the way, is at Ars Nova on October 1)"
Chica, no Mano critique??
What gives?!
Updated On: 9/6/06 at 01:58 AM
#54
Posted: 9/6/06 at 2:03am
The biggest problem I had with Mano's concert, is that I was surrounded by squealing 15 year olds. But, otherwise, it was very enjoyable.
Benjamin's show, however, was the best.
Benjamin's show, however, was the best.
Who's stoned? I am merely travelling incognito.
#55
Posted: 9/6/06 at 10:28am
Yeah, see....squeeing 15 year olds + $20 tickets + a two drink minimum + tip + subway/cab = Moxie stays home. That's a $60-$75 evening. I paid that for Rockers and Sweeney on the Bowery combined.
#56
Posted: 9/6/06 at 10:38am
I don't think there is a minimum for the NYMF shows that Donna Lynn Champlin and Mano are doing at Ars Nova, is there? I've never had to pay a minimum at any other ARs Nova show that I can recall...
I've never seen Mano's solo show, I'm going based on the fact that I enjoyed the couple of songs he played at the Bowery benefit. I did see Donna Lynn's last Finishing the Hat at Ars Nova, and I would definitely recommend it. She was hysterical. (Oh yeah, and she can sing, too...)
I've never seen Mano's solo show, I'm going based on the fact that I enjoyed the couple of songs he played at the Bowery benefit. I did see Donna Lynn's last Finishing the Hat at Ars Nova, and I would definitely recommend it. She was hysterical. (Oh yeah, and she can sing, too...)
"I cried during the Frug." - MC
#57
Posted: 9/6/06 at 10:42am
Enjolras, I don't know what shows you were at, but the majority of the audience at both of his shows that I've been to was actually almost all adults. I ran into a few people I know who are significantly older than I am; people who just enjoy theater, but for the most part the audience was made up of like, Mano's friends, I think. I certainly didn't see any squealing 15-year-olds. People cheered and stuff, sure, but I found the audience to be almost fangirl-free and very well behaved. There hardly WERE any teenagers, let alone squealing ones.
I really, really want to see DLC's show. She and Mano are going on back to back at Ars Nova as part of the NYMF concert series; Joe's Pub has a drink minimum, but they often don't enforce it. :P Ars Nova doesn't have one.
A work of art is an invitation to love.
I really, really want to see DLC's show. She and Mano are going on back to back at Ars Nova as part of the NYMF concert series; Joe's Pub has a drink minimum, but they often don't enforce it. :P Ars Nova doesn't have one.
#58
Posted: 9/6/06 at 10:55am
Chica, no Mano critique??
What gives?!
Sorry about that... It's tough to be objective about Mano, so I tend not to offer a critique about his work on public forums. But I'll make an exception:
As emcee said, Mano's gigs are not full of squealing 15 year olds. It's actually a mostly older crowd. I've never found anything remotely annoying about the crowd for his gigs (and I get annoyed quite easily). Maybe it was an older crowd in the area where I was sitting, but in all honesty, I could count the number of teenage girls present with one hand. Mano's song choices don't exactly appeal to the 15 year old demographic.
His music is, as people have said, very ecclectic. I'm quite fond of his original songs, and find him to be a very promising songwriter. He does mostly pop/rock, but he has a ska song, a ridiculously catchy club anthem, a power ballad (well...sort of). His voice is perfect for the type of music he plays, again, mostly Pop Rock. He's well versed in different musical stylings, and it certainly shows in his songwriting. He also has good song choices for the covers: Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, Prefab Sprout, The Police... (he even did a Mariah Carey song at Ars Nova)
He is also an engaging performer, very charismatic and charming. He's self deprecating, witty and funny between songs.
Peter Foley's done a great job of directing these gigs, and they're a lot of fun. Definitely worth the price of admission.
You can go to Mano's Music My Space, and check out a selection of his songs. Judge for yourselves:
http://www.myspace.com/manophonic
What gives?!
Sorry about that... It's tough to be objective about Mano, so I tend not to offer a critique about his work on public forums. But I'll make an exception:
As emcee said, Mano's gigs are not full of squealing 15 year olds. It's actually a mostly older crowd. I've never found anything remotely annoying about the crowd for his gigs (and I get annoyed quite easily). Maybe it was an older crowd in the area where I was sitting, but in all honesty, I could count the number of teenage girls present with one hand. Mano's song choices don't exactly appeal to the 15 year old demographic.
His music is, as people have said, very ecclectic. I'm quite fond of his original songs, and find him to be a very promising songwriter. He does mostly pop/rock, but he has a ska song, a ridiculously catchy club anthem, a power ballad (well...sort of). His voice is perfect for the type of music he plays, again, mostly Pop Rock. He's well versed in different musical stylings, and it certainly shows in his songwriting. He also has good song choices for the covers: Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, Prefab Sprout, The Police... (he even did a Mariah Carey song at Ars Nova)
He is also an engaging performer, very charismatic and charming. He's self deprecating, witty and funny between songs.
Peter Foley's done a great job of directing these gigs, and they're a lot of fun. Definitely worth the price of admission.
You can go to Mano's Music My Space, and check out a selection of his songs. Judge for yourselves:
http://www.myspace.com/manophonic
#59
Posted: 9/6/06 at 10:56am
I went to one of his Ars Nova shows...of course the date is now escaping me. And maybe it's just where I was sitting, but every girl around me was about 15 or 16 and said things like, "Ohmigod. He's soooooooo cute!!! *giggle giggle*" all night. It got old after awhile.
I certainly wouldn't let that stop me from attending another one of his show, though. Like I said, apart from that, it was very enjoyable and he put on a fantastic performance.
I certainly wouldn't let that stop me from attending another one of his show, though. Like I said, apart from that, it was very enjoyable and he put on a fantastic performance.
Who's stoned? I am merely travelling incognito.
#60
Posted: 9/6/06 at 11:24am
I was at the Ars Nova shows (yes, both of them. Shut up) And the crowd was mostly older people (in fact, it was mostly friends of his). You must've picked the ONE spot where the giggly 15 year olds sat. Sorry about that.
But seriously, that is SO not the atmosphere you find at his gigs. The whole "Mano fangirl" thing has been blown way out of proportion. They exist, yes, but that's not the vibe you get at his gigs, much less Joe's Pub. I wouldn't go to his gigs if they were mostly comprised of squealing, giggling girls (and boys. No reason to leave the fanboys out of this). It really is an older crowd.
But seriously, that is SO not the atmosphere you find at his gigs. The whole "Mano fangirl" thing has been blown way out of proportion. They exist, yes, but that's not the vibe you get at his gigs, much less Joe's Pub. I wouldn't go to his gigs if they were mostly comprised of squealing, giggling girls (and boys. No reason to leave the fanboys out of this). It really is an older crowd.
#61
Posted: 9/6/06 at 11:35am
If I really wanted to see a performer, the fact that some enthusiastic younger fans would be in attendance wouldn't keep me away from the experience. I actually don't think it would bother me at all. My problem is that almost all of these shows fall on weeknights. No good when I have to be in my office at 8:00 a.m!
#62
Posted: 9/6/06 at 11:41am
I hear Andrea McArdle's been given it up gratis at NYC gay bar circuit. No cover y'all! So if you are a fan.
#63
Posted: 9/6/06 at 12:00pm
One can only hope that Patti and the Ravinia cast of Gypsy take that show to New York, even if it's just for a concert, it needs the attention of New York City, it deserves it.
#64
Posted: 9/6/06 at 12:07pm
I totally agree, but unfortunately, Arthur Laurents won't allow Miss LuPone to perform GYPSY in NYC. (!?!)
But... LONDON would be fantastic!
; )
But... LONDON would be fantastic!
; )
#65
Posted: 9/6/06 at 1:23pm
Mano's music, for the most part, is very simple. The ska song, though, is really good not just because it's different with a great hook. It also works because there's an authenticity there. There's a message, it's personal to him and you can hear it. His other songs usually make me go, "What did he just say?" They're mostly discombobulated cliches that rhyme. He needs to get new exposure to a group that doesn't know him from Sweeney so he can get feedback that isn't biased.
I disagree about the age demographic of some of these shows. Rockers on Broadway skiewed MUCH older, mid 20's to mid 30's and a little older. The Bowery event was way, way younger. I think I could count how many people there, besides friends of the cast, that were over 25.
I disagree about the age demographic of some of these shows. Rockers on Broadway skiewed MUCH older, mid 20's to mid 30's and a little older. The Bowery event was way, way younger. I think I could count how many people there, besides friends of the cast, that were over 25.
#66
Posted: 9/6/06 at 1:45pm
Oh, I disagree about the Bowery Moxie. There was just a lot of people there, from all demographics. (And since you had to be 16, there were no 15-year olds). If you want to say the majority was perhaps younger, there was still way more older people there than those you can count on your hand.
"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli
#67
Posted: 9/6/06 at 1:57pm
Yeah, as I was walking into the Bowery I thought about the over-16 thing and was thinking I would be one of the oldest people in the room...but I wasn't, not by a long shot. Though the majority probably were younger than I am, it was definitely an older crowd than I expected...certainly on the far side of 25. (But then again I was standing back near the bar, so I guess the area I was in would attract the older folk!)
"I cried during the Frug." - MC
Updated On: 9/6/06 at 01:57 PM
#68
Posted: 9/6/06 at 2:00pm
I think Mano's music, as pop goes, is pretty intelligent; most of it is lyrically sound and personal and has a message. Some of it does kind of make me go "huh?" -- but not as much as it did the first time I heard it.
I think ideally, he wants things to go in a direction where it's not that he's an actor WITH a pop music career on the side, but that he's an actor and he's a singer; so I guess ideally his music will get attention from people who aren't necessarily fans through the theater, etc.
A work of art is an invitation to love.
I think ideally, he wants things to go in a direction where it's not that he's an actor WITH a pop music career on the side, but that he's an actor and he's a singer; so I guess ideally his music will get attention from people who aren't necessarily fans through the theater, etc.
#69
Posted: 9/6/06 at 2:21pm
i've been listening to the stuff he has on his myspace a little more intently, and i'm actually starting to enjoy it. it took a while, but it's growing on me...
#70
Posted: 9/6/06 at 3:04pm
The ska song, though, is really good not just because it's different with a great hook. It also works because there's an authenticity there. There's a message, it's personal to him and you can hear it.
I would say the exact same thing about "Get You All Up" - That one really IS very personal and profound. (And quite catchy)
I agree with emcee. I think his songs are lyrically sound, smart, and showcase his knowledge of different musical styles. And he's not catering to the musical theater loving crowd; he's only performed one "showtune", and an unconventional one at that.
I would say the exact same thing about "Get You All Up" - That one really IS very personal and profound. (And quite catchy)
I agree with emcee. I think his songs are lyrically sound, smart, and showcase his knowledge of different musical styles. And he's not catering to the musical theater loving crowd; he's only performed one "showtune", and an unconventional one at that.
#71
Posted: 9/6/06 at 3:08pm
Yeah, but how often do you download a song thinking, "What the heck? I'll spend the money now and maybe eventually I'll like it."
Though the majority probably were younger than I am, it was definitely an older crowd than I expected....certainly on the far side of 25
Yeah , but how many of those people weren't parents, older brothers/sisters that were dragged to the show and acting as a chaperone?
Though the majority probably were younger than I am, it was definitely an older crowd than I expected....certainly on the far side of 25
Yeah , but how many of those people weren't parents, older brothers/sisters that were dragged to the show and acting as a chaperone?
#72
Posted: 9/6/06 at 3:23pm
Hmm. When I first heard them, I was kind of like "ooh, catchy." It was hard to understand the lyrics at first, which is primarily why I was like "..... what the hell?" -- and I knew that, so I didn't really fault the material. I did like it from the get-go, even if it was kind of eccentric, but it took me a while to realize that it wasn't eccentric without reason. He's a smart guy, and I think it shows in his lyrics. And I think he has a fair balance of things that are really bluntly stated and things that are a littie more cryptic.
A work of art is an invitation to love.
#73
Posted: 9/6/06 at 3:27pm
There were plenty of people at the Bowery in their 20's, early 30's. And most of us weren't there as chaperones, or dragged there. I was in the balcony, and looking down, and I didn't see large groups of teenage girls. There were some in the front, but those of us in the balcony, or to the back (ie, near the bar) were certainly of an older demographic.
#74
Posted: 9/6/06 at 3:29pm
I'm sorry, but the image of a bunch of musical theater performers in a space where the crowd stands up (aka typical rock venue), where there is like, potential for a mosh pit, is still kind of funny to me. 
A work of art is an invitation to love.
#75
Posted: 9/6/06 at 3:32pm
Patti's Gypsy is one for the ages. Her versions of Rose's Turn and Everything's Coming Up Roses are on a site that should not be menYTioned.
Updated On: 9/6/06 at 03:32 PM
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