Tuck Everlasting
Tuck Everlasting
Tuck Everlasting#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.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/13
Tuck Everlasting#2
Posted: 1/24/15 at 6:24pm
Thanks so much for that review, I wanted to see it as soon as it was announced. Then it went away. Glad it was special!
Updated On: 1/24/15 at 06:24 PM
Tuck Everlasting#3
Posted: 1/24/15 at 6:55pm^I thought that it was, considering all of the names attached.
Chorus Member Joined: 1/4/05
Tuck Everlasting#4
Posted: 1/24/15 at 11:17pm
Just got back from tonights show, and I know the show is still in previews so I won't go into it to much. The cast was wonderful, especially Carmello, Keenan-bolger, and Hewitt were the standouts for me. The design aspect of the show was beautiful! I'm not the biggest fan of turntable rotatable stages, but It really worked well in this show. Having never seen the movie or read the book it reminded me of seeing Big fish, very similar in some aspects. The ballet at the end, was a little unnecessary I thought, and somewhat awkward.
I think with some proper tweaking, book/song rewrites it has potential to do well in NY. Just feel as this genre of musical seems to have a hard time commercially. On a side note I am very glad I got to see Carmello before she heads to NY. While I enjoy Beth Leavel I don't see her in role of Mae, but wish her the best.
Updated On: 1/24/15 at 11:17 PM
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
Tuck Everlasting#5
Posted: 1/25/15 at 12:17am
Sounds like the dancing is too much. I've read the book and grew up reading it, but it doesn't strike me as a show that needs to be dance heavy?
And isn't Bolger a little too old for the role?
Tuck Everlasting#6
Posted: 1/25/15 at 2:29amloved the book as a kid and am excited to see how this turns out in regards to a Bway run...
Tuck Everlasting#7
Posted: 1/25/15 at 9:55amWhat is the approximate running time of the show? I'm trying to see both Tuck Everlasting and the Newsies Tour today.
Tuck Everlasting#8
Posted: 1/25/15 at 10:29am
It ran just over two hours on Friday night.
Re: Dancing - yes - I would say it is currently a little over-choreographed, but I think that will be fixed with time. The ballet was lovely, but it is a tad long in the tooth. I really enjoyed it but would say it maybe needs just a little bit of time shaved off of it (and said time can be added to give a little bit more to the songs that never quite fully came to a head).
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
Tuck Everlasting#9
Posted: 1/25/15 at 10:38amUm.....that's not what "long in the tooth" means.
Tuck Everlasting#10
Posted: 1/25/15 at 11:48amanyone know any discount codes good for this weekend- I would love to catch this show while it's in my town, especially if it looks like it'll be moving to Broadway! I do love the Alliance Theatre- even saw Bring It On in its tryouts there!
Tuck Everlasting#11
Posted: 2/2/15 at 8:38amI saw the matinee yesterday. It is just about ready for Broadway IMO. The production value of this is gorgeous and the performances equally gorgeous. Casey Nicholaw was three rows behind me and looked very pleased as I passed his seat at intermission and at the end. I thought the dancing was amazing. The ensemble is well used and works as a greek "dancing" chorus as well as vocally. This story has translated to the stage beautifully and I hope they transfer. Sarah Charles Lewis as Winnie is incredible. She is 10 and just about carries the entire show. They have a limited window to keep her in this role until she ages out. I could go on and on. Go see it if you are in the Atlanta area! A friend in the production said they have been making changes and everything seems to be coming together. There are some heavy hitters involved with this production and I applaud them all!
Tuck Everlasting#12
Posted: 2/2/15 at 8:42amBTW, Fred Applegate is in the show now and he is hysterical. He also has a great number in Act 2!
Tuck Everlasting#13
Posted: 2/2/15 at 8:51amWho does he play? I don't remember hearing that he was announced.
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