#1
Posted: 1/24/15 at 6:21pm
Just curious if anyone else has seen "Tuck Everlasting" yet in Atlanta? I went last night and was thrilled with it. I'm not familiar at all with the book/movie but truly enjoyed it. I wrote up a little review - keep in mind this was the third preview and lots may change - but I loved it as it was!
On Friday, January 23, I had the pleasure of seeing the third preview of the world premiere production of a musical production of “Tuck Everlasting” at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. I went in knowing the cast was phenomenal and that the score definitely had some great music from what little I’d heard on YouTube, but was not expecting to enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would. While there are some little kinks and issues to work out, overall the show makes for a great night and has a lot of potential.
I honestly don’t even know where to start writing a comprehensive write-up like this, but I kind of gravitate to the score (by Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen), which was probably the highlight of the evening for me. The music had what I would probably describe as a folk-pop genre - and as someone who is not a fan of folk music, I still absolutely loved it. Most of it is very upbeat and has a driving rhythm behind it, which I enjoyed. The orchestrations (by John Clancy), while currently a bit piano heavy, likely due to this being a regional production, are very nice. The highlights for me were “Live Like This” (the opening number), “Good Girl Winnie Foster”, “You Can’t Trust a Man”, and “Everlasting”. The only complaint I had was that a couple of numbers never built quite as much as I wanted them to and blew me away - specifically “Good Girl Winnie Foster”, “Seventeen”, and “Everlasting” - I feel like all of them, especially “Everlasting”, had a lot of potential that was not quite tapped and could have done with maybe one additional powerful verse and perhaps a key change.
The choreography and direction by Casey Nicholaw is top-notch, with many moments being appropriately heart-breaking and others quite amusing. While I do feel some of the show is “over-choreographed”, the dancing is impressive, and the “Everlasting Ballet” is very touching and does a great job of telling the end of the story - and Andrew Keenan-Bolger’s entrance at the end of the number absolutely tugs at your heartstrings.
Walt Spangler’s set design is simple but very effective. At times, it reminded me of “Cinderella” - with two-dimensional set pieces used very effectively. It couples nicely with Kenneth Posner’s lighting design to give the woods a very effective and aesthetically appeasing look.
The cast of the show is top notch - led by Sarah Charles Lewis as Winnie Foster. Lewis has a very clear voice with a great control and range. Her acting is great and she truly makes the audience fall in love with her from the beginning. I truly hope she gets to come to Broadway with the show.
Andrew-Keenan Bolger, as expected, does a fantastic job as Jesse Tuck - he’s very charismatic and his vocals are, of course, excellent. “Seventeen”, the act one closer, is a highlight for his character. To me, he really was the star of the show. You hope when he is hopeful, and your heart is broken when his is.
Terrence Mann gives a great performance as The Man in the Yellow Suit, playing both charming and evil regularly throughout the show. The act two opener, “Everything’s Golden”, is a highlight of the show and really gives Mann a chance to ham it up.
As the remaining members of the Tuck family, Carolee Carmello gives a wonderful performance as Ma Tuck with a voice as smooth and silky as has always been. She's always such a joy to listen to. It's always a joy to have her on stage. Robert Lenzi shows both a tough exterior with a tender, soft heart developed from his past. His vocals are also very well done. Michael Park is great as Pa Tuck, a role with several comedic moments but also a role that gets to show a lot of heart.
Patrick Wetzel was on as The Constable (as Fred Applegate is still in NYC) and Michael Wartella plays Hugo. The two are a dynamic duo, with Hugo somewhat being a foul for the constable, clearly being much more intelligent than he is. Their song in Act 2, "You Can't Trust a Man" is another highlight (there are a lot of them!), providing some great comic relief and some of the wittier lyrics in the show, in my opinion. Wartella was absolutely lovable as Hugo.
Liza Jaine and Shannon Eubanks played Betsy Foster and Nana Foster, respectively, and both were very good. Eubanks in particular was a highlight - she played "crazy grandma" exceptionally well and was absolutely hilarious. Her role has several fantastic one-liners that I hope stay with the show.
Overall - a great evening at the theatre - I truly hope this show goes all the way! Let me know if you have any other questions.
On Friday, January 23, I had the pleasure of seeing the third preview of the world premiere production of a musical production of “Tuck Everlasting” at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. I went in knowing the cast was phenomenal and that the score definitely had some great music from what little I’d heard on YouTube, but was not expecting to enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would. While there are some little kinks and issues to work out, overall the show makes for a great night and has a lot of potential.
I honestly don’t even know where to start writing a comprehensive write-up like this, but I kind of gravitate to the score (by Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen), which was probably the highlight of the evening for me. The music had what I would probably describe as a folk-pop genre - and as someone who is not a fan of folk music, I still absolutely loved it. Most of it is very upbeat and has a driving rhythm behind it, which I enjoyed. The orchestrations (by John Clancy), while currently a bit piano heavy, likely due to this being a regional production, are very nice. The highlights for me were “Live Like This” (the opening number), “Good Girl Winnie Foster”, “You Can’t Trust a Man”, and “Everlasting”. The only complaint I had was that a couple of numbers never built quite as much as I wanted them to and blew me away - specifically “Good Girl Winnie Foster”, “Seventeen”, and “Everlasting” - I feel like all of them, especially “Everlasting”, had a lot of potential that was not quite tapped and could have done with maybe one additional powerful verse and perhaps a key change.
The choreography and direction by Casey Nicholaw is top-notch, with many moments being appropriately heart-breaking and others quite amusing. While I do feel some of the show is “over-choreographed”, the dancing is impressive, and the “Everlasting Ballet” is very touching and does a great job of telling the end of the story - and Andrew Keenan-Bolger’s entrance at the end of the number absolutely tugs at your heartstrings.
Walt Spangler’s set design is simple but very effective. At times, it reminded me of “Cinderella” - with two-dimensional set pieces used very effectively. It couples nicely with Kenneth Posner’s lighting design to give the woods a very effective and aesthetically appeasing look.
The cast of the show is top notch - led by Sarah Charles Lewis as Winnie Foster. Lewis has a very clear voice with a great control and range. Her acting is great and she truly makes the audience fall in love with her from the beginning. I truly hope she gets to come to Broadway with the show.
Andrew-Keenan Bolger, as expected, does a fantastic job as Jesse Tuck - he’s very charismatic and his vocals are, of course, excellent. “Seventeen”, the act one closer, is a highlight for his character. To me, he really was the star of the show. You hope when he is hopeful, and your heart is broken when his is.
Terrence Mann gives a great performance as The Man in the Yellow Suit, playing both charming and evil regularly throughout the show. The act two opener, “Everything’s Golden”, is a highlight of the show and really gives Mann a chance to ham it up.
As the remaining members of the Tuck family, Carolee Carmello gives a wonderful performance as Ma Tuck with a voice as smooth and silky as has always been. She's always such a joy to listen to. It's always a joy to have her on stage. Robert Lenzi shows both a tough exterior with a tender, soft heart developed from his past. His vocals are also very well done. Michael Park is great as Pa Tuck, a role with several comedic moments but also a role that gets to show a lot of heart.
Patrick Wetzel was on as The Constable (as Fred Applegate is still in NYC) and Michael Wartella plays Hugo. The two are a dynamic duo, with Hugo somewhat being a foul for the constable, clearly being much more intelligent than he is. Their song in Act 2, "You Can't Trust a Man" is another highlight (there are a lot of them!), providing some great comic relief and some of the wittier lyrics in the show, in my opinion. Wartella was absolutely lovable as Hugo.
Liza Jaine and Shannon Eubanks played Betsy Foster and Nana Foster, respectively, and both were very good. Eubanks in particular was a highlight - she played "crazy grandma" exceptionally well and was absolutely hilarious. Her role has several fantastic one-liners that I hope stay with the show.
Overall - a great evening at the theatre - I truly hope this show goes all the way! Let me know if you have any other questions.
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