The Visit Previews- Page 11

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/9/15 at 11:30pm

Looking at other Kander & Ebb roles.....

Sally Bowles (on stage), doesn't require a powerhouse singer.

Roxie Hart, doesn't require a powerhouse singer.

Carmen Bernstein, doesn't require a powerhouse singer. 

Aurora/Spiderwoman, requires more than those three, but still doesn't need a huge range.

Claire, an elderly woman with a fake leg and arm, and walks with a cane. Don't see why she'd need to be a powerhouse singer. 

Just stating my opinion, and I will accept yours. 

Updated On: 4/9/15 at 11:30 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/9/15 at 11:34pm

Ripped 

The role does not call for a powerhouse singer. The woman is on her last leg(s) . No pun intended.

[AAO26]

Posted: 4/9/15 at 11:42pm

if there someone on broadway that can command the stage no matter who is next to her - it's chita rivera... she doesn't need a powerhouse voice to hold an audience in the palm of her hand from the moment she steps on the stage- as she always those...

and the visit's score is absolutely beautiful...

Updated On: 4/9/15 at 11:42 PM

[tgrabon2]

Posted: 4/10/15 at 3:13pm

I'm a huge fan of dark musicals and was very fond of the original 2001 Goodman production. I found the Broadway production of The Visit annoying. It was too dark and too bleak. John McMartin was sorely missed. He was perfect in the part partly because he could sing. As we exited many members of the audience grumbled their displeasure. It pains to me to write this. I was so looking forwarded to being reunited with The Visit.

[binau]

Posted: 4/10/15 at 6:00pm

Saying a production is 'too dark' or 'too bleak' only makes me want to see it more .

[AlanR2]

Posted: 4/10/15 at 8:49pm

I have to second that thought.  When she walked no the stage in the Rink, it was like they turned the lights on!! I'm not sure though, that she is enough to save this one.

There is still a missing piece that doesn't bring this allegorical play to your soul in the way that Fun Home does.

IMHO

Alan

[AlanR2]

Posted: 4/10/15 at 8:49pm

I have to second that thought.  When she walked no the stage in the Rink, it was like they turned the lights on!! I'm not sure though, that she is enough to save this one.

There is still a missing piece that doesn't bring this allegorical play to your soul in the way that Fun Home does.

IMHO

Alan

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/10/15 at 8:52pm

.

Updated On: 4/10/15 at 08:52 PM

[evic]

Posted: 4/12/15 at 12:55am

Saw it tonight....loved every minute.  This is what theater is all about.  Audience was on fire and seeing Chita up close was a true thrill.  She is a Goddess.  And loved Roger Rees as well.  Cast was sensational.

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/12/15 at 1:05am

There have been more very positive comments on ATC. Maybe the show is really coming around.

Updated On: 4/12/15 at 01:05 AM

[AAO26]

Posted: 4/12/15 at 3:16pm

i think for some this show is an acquired taste...In requires more than one "visit"- or at least listening to the score more than once.

I've seen it several times (previous iterations) and  this version. And every time i like it more...

[LucyEth]

Posted: 4/12/15 at 8:04pm

Saw the show this afternoon.  Odd, fascinating, eccentric.  When the lights went out, my first thought was, "I need to see this again."  It's economically staged and impeccably performed.  One of the most compelling 90 minutes I've seen in a long, long time.  Audiences not knowing that they're in for dark and moody -- and expecting more of a star turn from Chita -- will be taken aback, and that might contribute to a quick closing, but I really hope this one makes it.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/12/15 at 9:35pm

I agree with all the positive comments.  The show's brevity, the now streamlined story trajectory (intermission gone, wise) compensates for the lack of genuine suspense in Durrenmatt.  The ending is a foregone conclusion, and the musical embraces both that plot reality and the 2015 audience attention span. If this version lacks the gnarly explorations of the town (and makes Claire the protagonist, unlike the play, which is really about Anton/Alfred) it has its own urgency, a kind of aggressive propulsion toward that ending, rendered fresh by the heartbreaking 11 o'clock glimpse into what this strategem costs this wounded woman, thanks to Rivera.  It's 95 minutes that work, with an evocative score.  I believe it's a dubious prospect to last much past the Tonys, but bravo for bringing it in.  I'll never forget the show and urge anyone who loves the scintillating worldview that Kander and Ebb uniquely provide, particularly when interpreted by an artist as fully connected to her artistry as Rivera always is. 

 

Updated On: 4/12/15 at 09:35 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/12/15 at 9:45pm

"I think it's a dubious prospect to last much past the Tonys, but bravo for bringing it in.  I'll never forget the show and urge anyone who loves what Kander and Ebb uniquely provide, particularly when interpreted by an artist as fully connected to their artistry as Rivera always is. "

 

Perfectly said!

[sctrojan65]

Posted: 4/12/15 at 11:59pm

Quite frankly, I was mesmerized.

As I walked out I had to ask myself if it was largely (or only) because of Chita Rivera's glorious presence there on the stage.

Or if it was something deeper.

To be honest, I was mesmerized by the play itself…and the music.  Nothing real hummable for me necessarily, but no mind.  In the moment, each song was wonderful and exceedingly meaningful to plot.

And Chita Rivera, once again, proved herself the force of presence she is.   Being surrounded by a great cast brought everything together quite well.

And that set!  And the lighting!

[Peter2]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 4:13pm

I saw it last Friday with my partner and two friends, and all four of us thought it was superb in every department. Its chances of being a hit I don't know about--deliberately, it seems to me, it takes place in a sort of monotone (like the set), but in a good way. Having known the book and play beforehand, this adaptation surprised me by being less cynical and hard-edged than "Cabaret" or "Chicago"--it's actually kind of gentle and low-key, with a quality almost of a chamber opera. No razzle-dazzle in this one. The score is excellent, and there's a lot of it.

 

Rivera's singing was much better than I expected after reading comments here. In fact, she was pretty great for an octogenarian. How great is it that there's a musical that requires an older actress as the star (the character is supposed to be 63)! If it runs a while, maybe we'll get to see Lansbury in it eventually, and some of the other great stars "of a certain age." I'd certainly go back.

 

We got our tickets via TDF--front row, center, which I wouldn't care for in many shows but was great for this one, and Rivera spent a lot of time standing right there just a few feet in front of us. It was fun! (She winked at one of my friends during the bows. Was it a come-on?)

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 1:24am

REVIEW

 

http://simonparrismaninchair.com/2015/04/04/the-visit-review-broadway/

 

[sctrojan65]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 1:45am

"REVIEW
 
http://simonparrismaninchair.com/2015/04/04/the-visit-review-broadway/
 "

 Good review, and I concur.  Especially in its reviews of Rivera.  I almost couldn't take my eyes off of her.  

The rest of the cast though was spot on, as well, when my glances did stray from Chita.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 5:22pm

Stephen Collins ~ Top 10 Broadway Shows

http://britishtheatre.com/critics-choice-top-10-broadway-shows-april-2015/

 

Updated On: 4/15/15 at 05:22 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 10:01pm

Returned tonight! SPOILERS BELOW

 

It's sharper than ever. Doyle knows how to make use of the preview period and is not afraid to make changes, some big. 

One MAJOR change solves most of Rees' vocal issues. Now, "I Must Have Been Something" is a full duet with Anton and Young Anton and some of Antons big notes in "Look At Me" have support from Young Anton. Clearly these changes are meant to keep Rees on pitch, and it works!

The Eunuch's Testimony has been completely restaged and it's even more uncomfortable as they sing right to young Claire who is seated on the ground.

Anton's death is completely different now. Anton leaves the stage and the police man fires a gun shot at the audience from a YELLOW gun, lol. Antons yells are cut.

There are other small dialogue and staging changed throughout, all for the better. 

They are definitely ready for the critics! Can't wait to read those reviews. This stunning production deserves to succeed.

 

 

 

 

 

Updated On: 4/15/15 at 10:01 PM

[Daddy Warbucks]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 12:23pm

Excellent to see the Visit #1 on that list of ten shows to go see.  I love the narrative they gave:

1. The Visit
For 90 minutes of ecstatic storytelling, you are transported to a place where love, death and consequence are dancing together and where a victory for true love might just not be what you first think it will. Chita Rivera, an incandescent star of the Broadway stage in undiminished glory, is faultless. One of the best of Kander & Ebb’s musicals, The Visit is the best, most important, musical currently playing on Broadway.

Also here is the 5 star review:  http://britishtheatre.com/review-the-visit-lyceum-theatre-5stars/

I think it's definitely going to get nominated for Best Musical.  But can it win?  I feel like the other contenders definitely have their own flaws.  None of the other shows are near as daring as this one.   

 

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 3:54pm

I really think that this and Fun Home may be the front runners.   I can't imagine anything getting anywhere close to these two shows.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 3:57pm

I have a feeling this will nevertheless prove to be divisive critically. It's certainly divisive with audiences. 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/17/15 at 12:43am

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/17/15 at 12:55am

Chita Rivera on the Leap That Launched Her Dance Career

She is absolutely amazing!