Thoughts about my Trip to New York

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 7/27/04 at 11:50pm

Um, I have to say I think these kinds posts are self indulgent...so I apologize in advance for my self indulgent-ness...

I just got back and here are my thoughts...

Frozen- Remarkable...bar none my favorite of the trip... I was moved beyond my expectations... the writing is emotional, realistic, and thought provoking... I thought every aspect of this production was outstanding...except... Laila Robins um...What? She was funny and did all the scientific bits well and was totally servicable...but she didn't match up to the other two POWERHOUSE performances on stage...which is a shame because I think the part as written could be fantastic...maybe she phoned it in(?)...has this been your experience?...as a result it made her bits sort of less vital... which i don't think is a problem in the writting...oh well... still loved it...

Jumpers-Oh wait...jumpers closed early...

Chicago- I'd sorta not been to eager to revisit but...Completely awed...Every memember of the cast was AMAZING...down to the ensemble...I missed Brenda Braxton and saw Donna Marie Asbury who was drop down AMAZING...I was stunned...why this girl isn't way more famous...or at least a little bitty bit famous is beyond me...anyway...every memeber of the cast was SO wonderful (including the conductor!) that Paige Davis was kinda outshone... she was cute and all... just didn't have the pizzaz everybody else did.

Assassins- Oh wait. Assassins was Cancelled...So instead...

42nd Street- Shirley Jones was fine...heard nothing but nasty things but her Star Power and general grace got her through all the missed and over shot and wavey notes (and there were many) Nadine Issenger (sp?) and Patrick Cassidy were WONDERFULLY FANTASTIC. I thought the Mary Testa and Jon Freeman roles were not very well played and to be frank...not very funny...at all. They were sorta just there... but the ensemble was great...nary a missed step that I noticed...

Bridge and Tunnel- Funny, Sweet, and Touching...completely sold out...if Sarah Jones doesn't make it in a BIG way...(insert cliched absurdity)

The Frogs- Fun...I guess...a lot of..."what the hell?"...Nathan Lane was fun but I'd seen it before...Roger Bart was cute but I'd seen it before...John Bynner and Peter Bartlett made the auidience roar...at one point Nathan Lane broke down laughing along with the auidience (probably scripted) at John Bynner and shouted in his sneer "I wish Ben Brantley had seen this performance!" I thought the physical production was FAB but their were long stretches of so what(i.e. The Frogs and The Hymn to Dionysos) The debate stopped the show cold...little to no passion or reason or purpose...and Fear No More...didn't stop the show at all...which is really a shame...and sort of defeats the whole point...ah well... I'm glad I went...

Caroline or Change- WOW and WHOA!!!!! Best musical I've seen in a long time...perhaps ever (I'm only 23 so that's not as overdramatic as it may seem)the way the staging makes poetry out of everyday life was beauty to my eyes...I LOVED this show...I though every cast memember was incredible and shocked David Costabile, Veane Cox, and Chandra Wilson were not nominated by the Mighty Tony Comitee...everyone and everything was SOOOO remarkable...Tonya seemed to not really be in fine vocal form for most of the show...going flat and not hitting the notes that are on the cd...um but Lot's Wife was perfectly sung...and I guess that's all a kid can ask for. GO SEE THIS SHOW

The Normal Heart...Oh wait that was canceled... so instead

Bug- This was really suspenseful...the performances were really powerful but that's all this was for me...but maybe I think that was the intent...having seen Tracey Letts The Man From Nebraska I was hoping I would come away with more...but also having seen Killer Joe...wasn't really expecting to

Understudies...So I saw 7 shows and saw three understudies in major roles...that was really dissapointing... i know understudies don't seem to bother a lot of people on this board but being a student from Chicago I don't get an opportunity to see a show twice really, and missing a star REALLY ends up being devastating...oh well... my thoughts... thanks for reading...if anybody got this far...interested in other peoples thoughts...

KC

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 7/28/04 at 12:00am

Awesome report. You make me want to see Caroline, or change, but i will never get the chance *sigh*

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 7/28/04 at 12:01am

Glad you had fun! I recently saw "Caroline, or Change" and loved it, too.

I thought Paige Davis was fantastic in "Chicago."

[little_sally]

Posted: 7/28/04 at 12:04am

You've made me want to see "Caroline, or Change". Great reviews.

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 7/28/04 at 1:56pm

Everybody go see Caroline or Change! I was really suprised how much the auidience go into it...during the curtain call the auidience positively errupted... Go! Now!

KC

[Mike3]

Posted: 7/28/04 at 3:49pm

I wish you had been able to see Jumpers. It was fantastic. Needless to say, so was Assassins.

I agree that Frozen and Caroline, or Change are two of the most outstanding productions on Broadway.

[mallardo]

Posted: 7/28/04 at 6:16pm

Re Frozen, Laila Robins does NOT phone it in. It's a third wheel role and can never match up with the power and intensity of the other two, despite the author's attempt to give her a relevant back-story. I thought she did everything possible with the part.

[ponine24601]

Posted: 7/28/04 at 6:20pm

great review! i wanna see caroline, or change now too!

[fiesta1]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 8:35am

I was also in NYC last week, and saw 7 shows in 5 days. I concur with KJ's views (I am sure we were at many of the same performances).

Wednesday was my Day of Hugh --- Boy from Oz for the matinee and Phantom in the evening. It was my first time seeing POTO. I was very mpressed with the prodiction values of Phantom, but I was left cold with the characters and the story. I just did not care about what happened with the characters --- however, I loved the set and lighting. Maybe the movie will be more engaging. Hugh Jackman is a star - a much better performer/artist than the vehicle. I would love to see him again in meatier roles (and in more revealing costumes). Still, I feel I saw a seminal role that theatre fans will be talking about for years. I agree with the comment that Jackman makes Peter Allen into a bigger star than Allen was himself.

Thursday: I Am My Own Wife. A thought-provoking play, and a wonderful performance by Jefferson Mays. I got surprisingly good seats from the Booth (2nd row side orchestra). I highly recommend seeing Mays in this show if you can. Others may be fine in the role in the future, but right now Mays is Charlotte Mahlsdorf.

Friday: Caroline, or Change. All I can say is WOW. I was blown away by the performers, the music/lyrics, the inventive staging. I seriously thought going back to see this show the next day -- I am sure there are more layers to it yet to me discovered. The show makes the audience think about the period and lives of the characters, care about the interactions/slights/harm, and discover the wonder of the theatre. Pinkins is wonderful in the role, but this is a show that I would like to see with other performers as well. It deserves to be seen by many -- especially by those who like to think. I was also delighted to see the diversity in the audience --- the the audience was earnestly grateful at the end of the performance.

Saturday was my depressing day - Frozen (matinee) and Bug (evening). Great performances in Frozen from all three actors - but the script reminded me of other contemporary plays I have seen from the UK & Ireland -- too much exposition and soliloqies. I guess I am old fashioned -- I like characters to play off each other. Bug was just a lot of fun --- creepy, suspenseful, with the right amount of humor. My hats are off to the cast (and stagehands!) who pull off the show many times a week.

Sunday was Sight Unseen at the Biltmore/MTC. A great house - and a fine play. I would have preferred to see Liev Schrieber in the role instead of Ben Shenkman, I think. Laura Linney has been a favorite of mine since Tales of the City I.

A great week, and Caroline was my favorite.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 11:25am

Understudies.......


CHERISH your opportunity to see understudies... you could very well be 'discovering' a star of tomorrow... what about the people who saw an unknown names EMILY SKINNER step in for Linda Eder in Jekyll and Hyde.. or Sutton Foster step into Eopinine in les Miz or Sandy in grease before she took over those roles......

[MusicPos2]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 12:33pm

Have either of you two seen Wicked or Avenue Q. I'll bet you'll change your mind about Caroline being THE best.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 12:53pm

"Have either of you two seen Wicked or Avenue Q. I'll bet you'll change your mind about Caroline being THE best."

Or perhaps, solidify your choice.

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 6:30pm

To respond about understudies...

I have season tickets to the three major regional companies out here in Chicago and have on and off for about the last 5 years...and I swear to you...honestly and true I have NEVER seen an understudy go on...ever...leading role or otherwise...and yet... when ever I can muster up enough money to make a trip out to new york... I always end up seeing two or three understudies or standbys in MAJOR roles. It's not that I don't think understudies do a bad job...in fact many times they are quite remarkable(Donna Marie Asbury as Velma in Chicago was AMAZING-FANTASTIC SUPER-DUPER and SEXY-FRESH and anything else you can think of)... but there is very little that curbs the intial disapointment of "At this performance the role of...".

On Laila Robins in Frozen... I read and reread Frozen after seeing it...and while it's true that the role isn't as intense as the other two...there IS plenty there to ACT...I don't feel the character is a third wheel or wedged in at all...I think she provides an important counterpoint the the tempest of emotions that are the other two main characters...When it came time for her to be sad...the tears were quite obviously NOT there...making crying noises doesn't mean you're acting like you're sad...it just means you sound like an elephant...

On Wicked and Avenue Q... I saw them both when I was in New York in Jan...as well as Taboo, Wonderful Town, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, I Am My Own Wife, Retreat from Moscow, and Anna in the Tropics...(a longer and more expensive trip!) I can say in my tiny opinion without hesitation...and without MUCH fear of realistic contradiction that not only was Caroline or Change a better musical than Wicked the Caroline or Change sets were a far more creative and fulfilling use of space than Wicked's sets...and Tonya Pinkins was FAR more revealing and intense and just plain REAL than either of the Wicked girls (Oh No he didn't) and Donna Murphy...for that matter. So yeah. Done and Done. Though I did enjoy Wicked very much, I don't think I would have had it not been for the very visable effort of a Ms Chenoweth. I think Caroline or Change...while perfectly cast...succedes not so much in it's casting as it does in execution and material. As for material... I LOVED Ave Q. I thought it was darling and not really very upset it beat the better musical in the Tony horse race. It certainly has more mass apeal.


God bless anyone who reads my long posts.

KC

[fiesta1]

Posted: 7/30/04 at 8:13am

"Have either of you two seen Wicked or Avenue Q. I'll bet you'll change your mind about Caroline being THE best."


Yes, I have seen both. Avenue Q was great fun -- I smiled and laughed out loud for 2.5 hours straight. Wicked, IMHO, was a disappointment. Sure it had fine production values, but too much of a traditional musical in my book. Plus, I had read 'Wicked' the novel, and found the theatrical adaptation lacking. I also found the performances uneven.

Every theatre-goer is different, nad fortunately Broadway offers a buffet of possibilities. There were times in my life where I loved the traditional musicials. Now shows like 42nd Street bore me. I've also gone through my avant-garde & experimental stage. At this point in my life (I'm a 42-yo GWM), I like to be provoked by theatre and the literature I read. For example, I saw "Angels in America" in the early 90s and saw it again on stage several months ago. At this point in my life, Angels spoke to me more than it did 10 years ago.

Caroline is not everyone's cup of tea. But it is mine.

[ShineOn]

Posted: 7/30/04 at 12:09pm

"what about the people who saw an unknown names EMILY SKINNER step in for Linda Eder in Jekyll and Hyde.. "

No one ever actually *saw* her step in for Linda Eder...

[Mamie]

Posted: 7/30/04 at 1:48pm

I went to see Chicago by default a few years ago. I had wanted to see Lily Tomlin but the show was completely sold out. It was 7:45 and I didn't have a whole lot of choice at that time, so I popped into Chicago. The star (some television actress who I can't even remember) didn't come in and Donna Marie showed up as her replacement. What an absolute JOY that evening turned out to be! I can't agree with you more about this lady - she should be starring in it every night.