Two Gents of Verona- 9.4.05

[alli2]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 12:10am

So, I lined up at 9:40am this morning to get tickets to Two Gents tonight.

I liked it. The entire cast was good. Norm Lewis is fabulous but he cracked on a few of the high notes, which was disappointing. I also don't think he's handsome enough or young-looking enough to play this role.

Renee Goldsberry was FABULOUS, she was probably the best one in the show.

Oscar Isaac was ADORABLE.

Now, Rosario Dawson, her acting was great. Her SINGING?! I hope they did some major work on her voice is the studio for the Rent movie because her voice was just not anywhere up to par that someone playing Mimi should be. Her voice was airy, thin, barely any vibrator, no strength at all.

Megan Lawrence... AH! LOVE HER!

Buster.. aka Crab the dog... by far one of the best parts of the show.

The book to this show is just a mess. The entire first act is exposition. You don't get to the plot until the final number and then you're like, 'OH OKAY! I get it now..' That shouldn't happen. The fact that the dialogue is in iambic pentameter (?) and the lyrics are modern english, kind of messes me up too. The second act of this show was much, much more entertaining because there was a point to it all! The music was okay, some of it I actually liked. Best Musical material? They must have been having a bad year that year, if you ask me.

I liked the choreography, direction, lighting, and set though! Very cool set. This was my first time at the Delacorte.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 12:33am

i was there too, for the 2nd time. Norm Lewis deserves a starring role on Broadway, since, according to Renee, the show's not transfering.

[Alix7272]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:04am

i was there too tonight and i've never seen anything like it. granted it's nowhere near perfect but it's a lot of fun and a little crazy. the way they interspersed the iambic pentameter with the songs was an interesting contrast.

i thought norm lewis was wonderful. he has such presence and i think he's certainly handsome enough for the part - did you see that body and that smile? but other than that, his voice blows me away.

i also became slightly skeptical upon hearing rosario's singing. it wasn't that great, but there were times when i could see that if she sang like that throughout the movie, it'll be good. i still have faith in her.

[LaCageAuxFollesFan2]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:16am

Count me in as Bwayworlder who was at the theatre tonight as well. Except I thought the show was in EXCELLENT shape. One of the best things I have seen all summer. Great old show, wonderful acting. (Ya, Rasario isn't that much of a singer!)

Kathleen Marshall should be given many a Kudo for her tireless efforts at directing...and if there were an award for the most fun, lively, and spirited coreography of the season thus far, Marshall takes top prize for the wonderful work she has done here with GENTLEMAN!

[Alix7272]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:18am

kathleen marshall did do a great job.

the dog was cute but i was upset that it seemed to take away from the actor on stage, which animals tend to do when used.

[Kicks8567]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 11:04am

If I am there by 9:30 on Saturday....do you think I will get a ticket?

[Alix7272]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 12:14pm

you should be ok but you might want to try for a little earlier. i heard that for yesterday's performance you had to be there by 9:45 but it was also a holiday weekend.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 12:36pm

i was there by 9:45 and there were about 100 tix left after my 6. the guy said people started getting in line at 4:30 AM for Friday's show.

[Marlene]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:49pm

I was there last night. Buster was priceless. Loved the show, but now I'm just concerned about how Rosario has the vocal chops to do Mimi in RENT. She has a sweet voice, but it's not really strong, or what I consider Mimi-esque.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 2:00pm

Alli2 -

The 1972 Tonys was, in my opinion, one of the strongest years.

Nominated for Best Musical were Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death, Grease, Follies, and Two Gents.

The running 'gag' with Two Gents was that it actually beat Follies, which won the other major awards. Gents also won best book.

It was much like the Avenue Q/Wicked thing.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 2:01pm

I thought it was a nice evening's diversion, but certainly not a Broadway show. Norm Lewis has a lovely voice and is great looking in the role, and impressed me more than any of his previous performances - perhaps he's ageing well and growing into those leading roles he's finally right for. The cast was good overall, but I don't think it's a very well written show on any level. I really only loved one song in it - Love's Revenge. Doubt if I'd want to relisten to any of the others over time. Now I want to listen to the OBC to make comparisons and see how much it was updated.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 2:12pm

The music is very much the same, with a stronger brass section, under the expert direction of Kim Grigsby.

29 words were updated, says John Guare. Most of them are in Bring all the Boys Back Home.

The changed lyric i noticed: Who is that boy? He smoked a joint? Send him off at rifle point.

It's now: Who is that boy? He looks a-queer. We won't let him come near.

The line after that is changed, also, but i forget wat it is.