#1
Posted: 1/21/06 at 11:40am
It's a pretty good production that could get better.Rest easy as far as Kelli O'Hara is concerned for she does have the brass that Babe needs.She starts singing I'm Not At All In Love and I just started smiling.Harry Connick Jr. is a work in progress.Sometimes he seems to have no idea what to do with himself physically and seems more than a little stiff.At times he doesn't act the songs as much as croon them.But for me the biggest surprise of the evening was what Harry does the best , DANCE!! Harry must have always wanted to dance on Broadway because he is blissed out when he dances.When he starts singing Once A Year Day he's so intent and unsmiling it's kind of scary ,then he starts dancing and the smile never leaves his face.It's like watching Snoopy dance , there may have been technically better dancers on the stage but I couldn't take my eyes off Harry.His dancing is also wonderful in the best number of the show Hernandos Hideaway (and a big hats off to Megan Lawrence who kicks that song out of the ball park).Roz Ryan takes every line and song of Mabels and makes them gold.I thought the set was kind of garish and ,well, ugly but it didn't bother me much. I wish the orchestra were a little bigger but that's Roundabout. I was not impressed with the choreography with the big exception of Hernando's Hideaway which is musical theater bliss.The 3 new songs are fine but aren't quite on the level of the rest of the score.On the whole I had a very good time and believe Connick is just going to get better and better with time.And damn , just watch him dance!
