TFBO review 8/27

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 8/28/04 at 12:44pm

Let me start off saying that Hugh Jackman is a bona-fide theatrcial superstar. His entrance on stage gathered an ear-drum shattering teeny-bopper scream fest. (The audience went CRAZY when he was changing on stage. Girls were screaming like someone stuck a knife in their backs) His energy was amazing and when he spoke to the audience, it was just so hysterical. He seems like a generous, caring, funny guy and one who is also very down to earth. His performance was wonderful and he showed that his Tony was beyond well deserved.
Anyway, back to the show itself. The opening number, The Lives of Me was perfect and Hugh zinged it. I did not have Mitchel David Federan as the boy, but the child who stood in for him was exceptional and got uproarous applause after My Name in Lights. Then, a girl came in late and sat in the front row and Hugh made conversation with her for about 5 straight minutes, catching her up on what was happening so far in the show. It was so funny! Then, when he asked the girl what she was at the show for, she said for her birthday and he asked her when her birthday was and she said October 11, so Hugh was making fun of her for celebrating her birthday so far in advance. The girl gave him a response that made him laugh. She told him "well, the show wont be open in October". The audience gave her a round of applause and after a few more things being said back and forth, the show continued. Beth Fowler was wonderful as Mrs Allen, Peters mother. I just wished she was on the stage more but she was excellent nonetheless. Isabel Keating made me mad because after seeing her performance, I thought she deserved the Best Supporting Actress Tony. It was one of the best female performances I had seen all year. Anyway, the rest of the show was wonderful, but I felt the book began to fall apart. It was odd how the show was written. One person leaving after another. It was confusing. Anyway, I didnt have Stephanie J. Block either, but her understudy was excellent and I Love The Hear The Music was riveting and flawless (as was Isabel's All I Wanted Was The Dream).
After intermission, the show began to break apart. The book was getting so fast paced, but Hugh and the cast pulled it together as best as they could. I Honesty Love You was tear-jerkingly perfect and the rest of the show was very good as well. Now, it seemed like a miracle was needed, though, to make me totally fall in love with the show. And it did. Hugh's Once Before I Go gathered a standing ovation which seemed like it was something he got all the time. Once will become a Broadway standard, as will Hugh's performance. I Go To Rio was excellent as well and the costumes were even better. Hugh gathered a standing, uproarous ovation, which was well deserved.
All in all, I would give the show three stars. The cast was phenomenal, but the show itself was very good. Not unbelievable, but nonetheless it was very good. But do I think its worth your $100? Definitley. It is a very good show and now I understand why Hugh can never be replaced. His energy is unbelievable, and after running across the stage and talking to people in the middle of the show, he can still get back up there and belt out those ballads, which blow the roof off. If possible, go see The Boy From Oz. It was a very enjoyable, very exciting, very entertaining evening at the theater and the casting in it (or that of what I saw) was flawless. Updated On: 8/28/04 at 12:44 PM

[TabooWickedFan]

Posted: 8/28/04 at 12:52pm

it seems like you had a great time. Though i wanted Euan Morton to win the Tony for best actor I saw BFO after that and I can realiza that he deserved it for what he does up on that stage 8 times a week

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/28/04 at 12:54pm

That's pretty much exactly the experience we had back in April - very happy to hear it's been kept up. We did get to see Stephanie, who was very good and Mitchel, who was incredible for a child performer. The tricky thing about the book is that they were working from a biographical standpoint, and the fact is that Mr. Allen's life itself pretty much fell apart in the end. That fact, though, is what makes his Once Before I Go number so powerful (well, that and I thought Hugh was simply perfect.)

[Derek2]

Posted: 8/28/04 at 1:00pm

Wow thats wonderful! Does anyone know the deal with the DVD thing? Will it be coming out. Im a little slow lol

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/28/04 at 1:01pm

Derek, unfortunately I don't think BFO is being filmed - which is a great shame!

[thirdrowcenter]

Posted: 8/28/04 at 1:25pm

I love hearing about the BFO. I wonder how Hugh picks the person he's going to interact with after Bi Coastal. Maybe he has someone scan the audience for possibgle "victims." He has to concentrate on performing and knowing who to play off seems like a huge task to undertake every performance.

[HJAJtheFirst]

Posted: 8/28/04 at 2:06pm

Check out the recent photo coverage on the website, it's great if I must say myself, LOL!

Linda

Mulitmedia Hugh Jackman Coverage

https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=1061

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/28/04 at 2:16pm

Good review. I'm upset that I'm going to have to miss it

[Fan2]

Posted: 8/28/04 at 3:09pm

If there is a latecomer that Hugh picks on, a lot of the times he will go to the same person for Bicoastal. Or he may pick someone that catches his eye - like if someone is wearing shorts or heavier clothing in the summer. Or if someone is late coming back from intermission. Once he picked on a woman who was coughing. A few times he has picked on little kids and and asked them if they were confused by the play and told their parents to "cover their ears" LOL! It all depends what catches his eye - he is so great with the interaction - you never know what the "victim" will do or say and he always has a quick comeback. That's one of the reasons people go more than once - it's like a different show every time. There are TONS of reports on the BFO message board of all the interaction at http://oz-forum.com/6/ubb.x?a=cfrm&s=598607732 - some of the people posting there have been "victims."