The Color Purple vs She Loves Me and Fully Committed vs Blackbird- Page 2

[Callum_brown1]

Posted: 5/29/16 at 6:53am

Sounds as if TCP and SLM are kind of guaranteed successes, with the plays being more hit and miss on what people think about them. I don't think She Loves Me is playing on Monday 6th so will have to see it on the day I arrive. Although I do love Jane K, I see she's billed as 'and Jane Krakowski' - is her role big enough to be the basis for seeing the show? I'm sure I'll enjoy the show either way but, you know, it is Jenna Maroney after all!

For other plays, I did consider Eclipsed because of Lupita but the reviews weren't that extraordinary from what I saw? Off-Broadway I wouldn't normally mind, but it is my first visit to NYC alone and there seems to be a lot of mainstream shows that I'd like to see on Broadway.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/29/16 at 9:27am

Just caught She Loves Me last night, and it was truly delightful. Highly recommend it.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 5/29/16 at 9:59am

Callum_brown1 said: "Although I do love Jane K, I see she's billed as 'and Jane Krakowski' - is her role big enough to be the basis for seeing the show? I'm sure I'll enjoy the show either way but, you know, it is Jenna Maroney after all!
 

"

YES absolutely.

My two fav shows this year = TCP & SLM. So different  but you can't go wrong. I think She Loves Me is the better musical on paper.... but the performances in each show and the basic productions make them both big winners.  I lean sightly towards SLM...

[Callum_brown1]

Posted: 5/29/16 at 9:09pm

Wonderful to see She Loves Me getting such a good response - guess I should've booked Roundabout tickets together for this and LDJIN to get my discount!

[Callum_brown1]

Posted: 6/2/16 at 7:20pm

Well, I'm sat in the Starbucks on 54th Street before tonight's performance of She Loves Me! Still planning on seeing TCP, but so happy I'll get to experience them both. Will tell you all what I think tomorrow, I'll have been awake for nearly 24 hours by the time the show finishes. A musical theatre Jack Bauer.

[Robert16]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 7:42am

I've seen this season's production of The Color Purple three times and left during intermission of She Loves Me last night - audience was loving it and hysterical at all those old jokes - gotta love those out of towners 

[gmhots]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 10:49am

OP, glad you're going to see She Loves Me! A lighthearted lovely piece of theater. Seeing Laura B. sing Vanilla Ice Cream is always a treat.

 

That said, The Color Purple blew me away. I still get chills thinking about it. What a show and what astounding performances from the ENTIRE cast (special shoutout to Cynthia Erivo and Heather Headley of course.)

[MyLife]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 11:24am

I found She Loves Me to be utterly bland and much like... Vanilla ice cream. Sure, I chuckled and smiled a bit but looking back at it now, I can't remember too many specifics. Levi and Barasch were great. I can't comment on Krakowski, as she was out. Benanti was fine. 

Now, The Color Purple has stayed with me since seeing it, and I didn't even see Erivo (I had the pleasure of seeing Bre Jackson). The production itself is emotional and pure. The material can be heavy but there are also a lot of joyful and light-hearted moments. It's truly great and should not be missed. This show and Hamilton have been the highlights of the season for me,

[Callum_brown1]

Posted: 6/4/16 at 1:10am

So, She Loves Me - such a treat! But a treat in a candy floss / popcorn kind of way, not that much nutrition in the end. My basis for seeing the show was to see Jane Krakowski and to balance the tone of the different shows I'll be seeing on my trip, and I must say that it delivered with these two factors. Jane K in the 'Ilona' number was extraordinary and for much of the first act I was filled with jubilation and beamed all the way through. From the gratuitously long restaurant scene that closed Act I, however, my enthusiasm waned a tad.

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the rest of the show but after the boss of the store appears to do something in particular, you think that the show is headed in a different, more interesting direction. Sadly this doesn't come to fruition. I think that the third quarter of the show has some real problems, which are obviously not down to this production but the book itself. I wish someone could explain to me the point of devoting so much time in the restaurant to the unnecessary dance sequence and the gratingly OTT maitre'd. Here the show became too stodgy and plodding for my liking but the very enjoyable Christmas sequence at the end was definitely worth waiting for.

All in all, I'm so glad that I made the time to see She Loves Me. It was everything that I wanted a London production of Guys and Dolls  - that I was disappointed by last month - to be. It really is a joy. I wish I could say more but seeing Gillian Anderson's Streetcar tonight has totally worn me out!

I just have a question for the stage door people - would it be acceptable for me to stage door and try to catch Jane K another night while I'm still in NYC as long as I have my playbill? I was mega jet-lagged yesterday and couldn't wait to get to my hotel and sleep. If this is the case, does anyone have a guidance for how long after the show people started coming out so I can plan in advance? Thanks so much.

[BroadwayPeasent]

Posted: 6/4/16 at 2:39am

It might be boring She loves Me. But to leave why?

[BroadwayPeasent]

Posted: 6/4/16 at 2:40am

I did not see blackbird but happy that we have this material on broadway.

[Callum_brown1]

Posted: 6/9/16 at 5:13pm

After making my thoughts about She Loves Me known, I'll give my thoughts on the other shows I saw (Streetcar, Long Day's Journey, The Color Purple and Fully Committed):

• A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE: Scene 8 and 9 created a feeling of sickness and horror within me that I had never felt in a theatre before. Gillian Anderson, Vanessa Kirby and Ben Foster (in many ways it's more important to have a good Stanley than a good Blanche) were all absolutely terrific. The revolving stage was not gimmicky at all and contributed towards the sense of inevitable dread at the end of the play. Totally perfect theatre and perhaps my favourite show of the trip.

 

• LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT: Jessica Lange was totally stunning however the play's focus on character instead of plot made the runtime seem a lot more plodding than Streetcar (LDJIN only about 15 minutes longer). The autobiographical element of the play perhaps made it less accessible than I would've liked and wish that I had read the novel or done more research to fully appreciate the ideas at the heart of what O'Neil was trying to say. Still, the tragedy of the characters was effectively unsettling with all four actors maximising their roles. However, it is impossible for me to ignore the sense that I was looking forward for play to end in its final stretch. Overall though it was definitely worth seeing because of the cast and its place in the canon.

 

• THE COLOR PURPLE: I'm not a believer but it's the closest I've ever felt to God. All of the cast knocked it out of the park and seeing Cynthia was something special. Heather Headley gave an incredibly textured and layered performance, with a role that would be very easy on which to go full power. There were however some instances where I couldn't understand what the actors were saying (I'm not American) and the Church-like feel of the show with the constant whooping and applause sometimes meant that the story got lost and left me feeling like the show was not really for me. Nevertheless it was quite the theatrical experience and Cynthia was a total marvel.

 

• FULLY COMMITTED: It was very tough for me to choose between FC and Blackbird but did want a more light-hearted show for my final night. Weirdly the show didn't start until about 7:15 and JTF gave an amazing performance. I thought that the concept of the show might become tedious but instead I found the show totally believable which was largely down to how suited and effective JTF was. After a relentless 80 minutes JTF gave his curtain call and then a speech explaining that because there isn't usually a 7pm performance, he thought that he didn't have to be on stage until 8pm. So when the stage manager called him at 6.45 asking if he was nearly there it turned out JTF was still home! He told the audience how he jumped in a cab but hit Midtown traffic meaning that he had to abandon the cab and jump on a citibike all the way to the theatre! Arrived at 7:06 and was on stage at 7:13! Totally wonderful. A really charming guy at the stage door too and an excellent way to finish my trip.

 

Admittedly, if I had another night I would've seen Blackbird and perhaps should've bit the bullet and seen it on Saturday matinee. However I was extremely happy about my picks and would happily recommend them to everyone. I enjoyed each and every one of them but if I had to rank them, I would say:

1. A Streetcar Named Desire
2. She Loves Me
3. Long Day's Journey Into Night
4. Fully Committed
5. The Color Purple

A terrific time on Broadway and a fantastic visit to New York. Thanks once again for all of your advice.