Take Me Out in Toronto

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 1:42pm

I saw this show last night in Toronto (the last preview i beleive). It was alright, although maybe poorly directed because I walked away not quite knowing what the point was. There were so many issues that they ALMOST dealt with and then never did. Some great performances especially by Matthew Macfadzean as Kippy, Mike Shara as Shane Mungitt and David Storch as Mason Marzac. In fact the only one I really didn't like was the main character, Thom Allison as Darren. He was too shallow and had this annoying radio voice. My friend I saw it with was a big fan of his and even she was a little dissapointed.

I guess it just felt a little unresolved and there was never really THAT much emotion invested. But it is sure to get a big attendance because the nude scenes are the talk of the town. Hah...the old ladies in the theatre were getting pretty turned on I think, judging from the people sitting around me.

Akiva

[tshell88]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 3:10pm

"the old ladies in the theatre were getting pretty turned on I think, judging from the people sitting around me."

haha, i think i missed that! i guess the people sitting next to me were an exception.

seems maybe i liked the show a little more than you did, akiva. i do feel like i left having "gotten the point" of it or whatever. i will agree about Matthew Macfadzean and David Storch. i thought they were just wonderful! Mike Shara did a good job with that accent! he didn't stand out as much to me, but he did his job well. as for Thom Allison, i will always be a fan! i did feel like he was trying to be too proper in his speaking. kind of felt like he'd been doing too much shakespeare or something. seems his character should have been speaking in a more common, everyday sort of manner.

anyway, i really did enjoy this show and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to see something in toronto in the next while.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 3:27pm

I know this cheapens the discourse but Mike Shara is a hottie.

I believe another apt word would be "yummy".

He is familiar to this New Yorker (who isn't quite an 'old lady' of indeterminate gender yet) from multiple visits to the Shaw Fest where he is a regular.

Pity I have no money for a weekend trip.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 4:01pm

I have some friends who have seen it a couple of times, who have also seen it in NY. They enjoyed it just as much as they did the cast in NY, and thought that overall, the cast was just as strong. The standout, they felt, was Mike Shara (even though one of these friends is a friend of Thom :)). WOSQ, they also were previous fans of Mike and of the same opinion as you as to his hotness. They said that, however, in this role, his hotness was pretty much nonexistent. Link, I think I know what you mean by the radio voice of Darren. Daniel Sunjata did the same thing in NY. I honestly can't picture Thom Allison in this role, after seeing Daniel. My friends loved him but then they're his friends. :) They've seen him in just about everything he's done, though, and always enjoy his performance.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/21/05 at 11:52am

I went to the opening last night (I saw Peter Donaldson during the intermission! Wanted to say hi, but thought it'd be weird). Sadly, I didn't like the play as much as I thought I would. It was enjoyable, but I'm a little perplexed as to why it won the Tony for Best Play (maybe it was a weak year, or the Broadway production was exceptionally good?).

I agree with Link's assessment: the play had interesting themes, but I felt that they were only half-explored. What was I supposed to get out of TAKE ME OUT? Darren Lemming's coming out was taken surprisingly well by his team members. The Mazon Marzac character seemed to serve little purpose other than as comic relief. The play was entertaining (if the first act was a a bit too long), but I wasn't wowed, or even emotionally invested, at any time. I was much more impressed by Canstage's VIGIL a few months ago -- that's a play that they should take south of the border.

The vernacular of the "baseball players" was a stretch: I understand why Kippy sounds like an academic, but why to most of the other baseball players speak in such a heightened language? Greenberg was most likely trying to bring out the poetic rhythm of his writing, but it's jarring to hear such lines coming out of baseball players (not to say that baseball players can't sound smart, but they're certainly not known to be as eloquent as they are in the play). Tennessee Williams wrote beautiful, poetic dialogue, but his characters still speak in their own proper vernacular. It's hard to buy in this play.

The nudity was interesting, and I understand its purpose and effect, but some of it (under this direction, anyway) did feel gratuitous. Still, can't complain about some eye candy. Like most stage nudity, however, the novelty wears off after five seconds, and their naked bodies become another form of costume.

The standout for me was Matthew Macfadzean as Kippy -- he delivered the most charismatic and natural performance. With his boyish charm and "good buddy" demeanour, he was a very likeable narrator and character. If Darren Lemming wasn't so explicitly the central figure of the play, I would think that Kippy was the protagonist.

David Storch was fantastic, but did the character of Mason Marzac get as annoying on Broadway? The character begins charming enough, but by the end of the play the shtick gets irritating -- the character advances little beyond charicature, and it's somewhat tiring by the last scene.

Mike Shara was fine, but not a standout for me. I also wasn't impressed with Thom Allison, and I agree that he delivered his lines with a "radio voice" (is it written into the play like that?). It was hard to believe his performance -- it didn't seem natural to me.

Maybe I'm being too negative about this play -- I DID enjoy it, it just wasn't affecting as I thought it would be. Maybe it was the baseball factor, but I felt distanced from the events onstage the entire time.

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 1/21/05 at 2:11pm

Who had the best junk?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/21/05 at 2:19pm

I'm seeing it this weekend in San Diego. I can't wait to see who has the biggest part...

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 1/21/05 at 2:27pm

Enjoy it Cats! I did (twice) in NY. And do report back as to which actor's "performance" you felt stood out above the others.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/21/05 at 10:30pm

I don't think anyone's junk (or junkyard) was particularly impressive in the Toronto cast -- not from where I was sitting, anyway. Matthew Macfadzean was really cute, though.

[Fratguy]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:29pm

I went with three friends to see the production last night and we all really enjoyed it. It's clear why the play won the Tony last year. We sat in the third row so we were close to the action including the infamous nudes scenes. The shower scenes were fun to see but we all would have enjoyed the play just as much without the nudity. The actors were all superb.

Here goes my nudity review:

Thom Allison (Darren Lemming) - A handsome black man with one of the biggest bubble butts I have ever seen. He had a bit of a pot belly - he could have done some more sit-ups for the role. He sported a huge furry bush of black pubic hair. His penis was average length, thick, circumcised with a ridge of wrinkly skin above his bulbous****head.

Harry Crane (Jason Chenier) - The cutest actor on the cast. I think his penis was suffering from stage fright. I couldn't imagine getting naked and showering in front of 800 people! He has a fit toned hairless body. When he removed his towel, it was clear he was suffering from shrinkage. His penis looked like a two inch erection - it was sticking right out from his body. As the shower scene continued, his penis relaxed a bit, but when it was his turn for lines, his penis shrunk up again so that it was perpendicular to the floor. Dark bush of pubes, compact tight balls and circumcised.

Aaron Franks (Toddy Koovitz) - The first person we saw naked onstage. Large bush of dark pubes that overtook his penis and balls. Circumcised with a short shaft. His penis bounced around alot over his tight fat scrotum.

Matthew MacFadzean (Kippy Sundstrom) - Canadians might recognize him from the Alexander Keith beer ads - he spills the beer on the bar floor and the newfie goes nuts. Awesome tight toned muscular body with a few tatoos - on his back and shoulder. His bush seemed slightly trimmed - blondish red in colour. Big balls. Circumcised with big head. Hung about 4 inches soft - one of the biggest of the cast.

Mike Shara (Shane Mungit) - Played Brett Butler, the hollywood producer on QAF. He had a skinny long penis, circumcised that seemed to stick out from his body slighty. Big balls. I think the cold air in the theatre affected some of the penises as his penis seemed to have alot of potential.

Jovanni Sy (Takeshi Kawabata) - huge bush of black straight pubic hair that was longer than his circumcised penis. As the shower scene progressed, the warm water seemed to make his penis relax and lengthen to three inches. When he was in his underwear, his tight balls that seemed to be up on either side of his shaft, made an impressive bulge.

Andy Velasquez (Martinez) - the smallest and only uncircumcised penis of the cast. Reminded me of Michelangelo's David - Penis was shrunk with a tube of foreskin at the end. Only actor to trim his pubes.

Cyrus Lane (Rodriguez) - understudy for the role. Biggest penis of the cast. Large thick****with a circumcised head. Low hanging balls. Hung about 4 inches soft. Big bush of pubes that spread out to his legs.

Okay - I kinda feel like a pervert but it's been fun reporting for you! Go see it if you are in Toronto.

http://www.hunkvideo.com/cgi-bin/webbbs/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=63050

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:37pm

WTF?!

Okay - I kinda feel like a pervert but it's been fun reporting for you!

I feel like a pervert just having read that.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 11:22pm

WTF indeed! I nearly spit out my cereal onto my computer screen. I thought it was going to be a review of the actual PLAY. After being enthralled by Thom Allison's vocal performance in SFANW, I can't read about such a talented man being objectified like that. For goodness sake!

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 11:45pm

How appropriate that the guy's username is fratguy. I wonder if he could produce as detailed a review of the actual show. Somehow I doubt it.

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 11:52pm

(I saved his post if anyone is wondering. That stuff is comedy gold.)

[Fratguy]

Posted: 2/2/05 at 11:03am

"Who had the best junk?"
"I'm seeing it this weekend in San Diego. I can't wait to see who has the biggest part..."
Enjoy it Cats! I did (twice) in NY. And do report back as to which actor's "performance" you felt stood out above the others."
"I don't think anyone's junk (or junkyard) was particularly impressive in the Toronto cast -- not from where I was sitting, anyway. Matthew Macfadzean was really cute, though."

Sorry that a few of you were upset with my nudity review. I was just trying to have some fun on here. I appreciate all the other private emails I received thanking me for my fun review.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 2/2/05 at 2:48pm

YIKES! after that de tail ed analysis- of the "Props" How was the play! ? (REEELY LOL)

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 1:20am

I was looking up TAKE ME OUT and came across this (which I missed before) and it raises a question for the actors here: Have you ever had to appear nude on stage? If so have you been subjected to this kind of critque?

I have met Mike Shara (and have interviewed his wife.) Somehow I do not think they would appreciate having Mike's penis given this kind of review!

[sabrelady]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 10:37am

I dont think ANYone would appreciate having their "Tackle" reviewed this way. "Fun" or "Abuse"? Razor thin line here...

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 12:11pm

It is inevitable though is it not?

frontrowcentre2 ~ yes, I have appeared nude on stage before and was a bit nervous about it at first. I have a certain reputation and I didn't want to let any of the fans down. Fortunately for me though, no one was disappointed and I garnered some new "fans." While, I did over hear a few audience members discussing my member after the show, I was not shocked by any means. It's only human to think and or talk about those things and it didn't bother me in the least. It was maybe kinda weird to hear complete strangers talk about it but it didn't disturb me by any means.