UPDATED! John Reviews 11 Broadway Shows - Mamma Mia and Spelling Bee Added! — Page 4

Well.....don't worry, I didn't like Mamma Mia either. :)

I saw it twice just to get a chance to see and hear Dee Hoty live.

I was just hoping Carolee was in good voice and you might have enjoyed listening to her.

---

Hola gang! Just going to work now. I make a tentative promise that it'll be done before sunset. I'm going to see the NYC Phil in the park this evening so no promises.

Sidenote: I saw Scarlett Johansson and Josh Hartnett in a resaurant in the Village last night. They were very much a couple and were enjoying a meal with their family and friends. I wasn't so declasse as to bother them, and they were on the table right next to mine. They are both incredibly gorgeous up close. At one point Josh Hartnett started choking and it was kinda dicey but he recovered. I thought I'd have to take action! Let me tell you one thing, they both ate A LOT. And spent a HUGE amount of money.

---

It saddens me that all of the intelligence and emotion in Spelling Bee wasn't evident to you. I find there to be at least three moments in the show that brought tears to my eyes (one being the "I Love You Song"). I personally think this is one of the best scores around currently and truly brings out the emotion and motivations behind all of the characters. It's the kind of show that I've seen three times and am still falling in love with the characters and finding out new things about them each time I go. I wouldn't call anything so complex and textually layered, "pure fluff."

I thought John's comments on SPELLING BEE were spot-on.

---

Updated On: 7/14/05 at 12:39 PM

The reviews have returned! yay!

mamma mia -- SIX UNDERSTUDIES!? That's stretching it just a bit. yikes. I saw it waaaay back in previews in SF. I'm not an ABBA fan, but was mildly entertained.

bee -- I really want to see this show because it appears to be hysterical and poignant. So I downloaded the songs and was underwhelmed (though I love "6 languages" to an arguably inappropriate degree). Which is fine, there are musicals where the music isn't the thing. I still really want to see this show for all the same reasons I originally did...so it sounds like I'm on the same wave length to you. In your defense, I don't think it's a diss to a show to say that the music is not the high point....as long as there's something else that outshines it. Good reminder that there's SRO. I'm going to try and rush it next weekend when I'm in NYC, but if not I'll go SRO for $25. :)

So when are you going to see the unique experience that is Light in the Piazza?

"I adore musical theatre, and am rarely as happy as when I'm waiting for the lights to dim and the curtain to go up." -- I can't tell you how much I agree with this. So few people understand. It's that moment of tense and soaring possibility. sigh. I need to go see me a show again.

Haha, I'm glad you like the reviews.

Mamma Mia: Yes, six understudies! Although only one was not so good as I'd hoped. The other characters aren't too important. Eddie and Pepper, for example. I might be wrong in my recollection of six though, because some were announced before the show and I was so shocked there were more, I Kinda zoned out. The show was entertaining and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't overwhelming. Not one of those transcendant moments of theatre.

Spelling Bee: I totally agree that it's not a "diss" to say that music wasn't the high point of a show. I never meant that really. The show is absolutely hysterical and, poignant (in metered doses). I think for me, it's interesting to note that DRS was at least as funny (or more suited to my rather purile sense of humour anyway), and a more spectacular production with far more exciting music.

Piazza will be soon, although I'm not running to see it, and there are shows I want to see before it. I think I'm going to give Lennon a miss, and I saw The Lion King recently in London and feel no particular urge to see it again. Ditto The Producers.

I love your phrase, "It's that moment of tense and soaring possibility." It sums it up perfectly.

justme: Thanks! Carolee was delightful. I didn't know that she was going to be in Lestat! I am excited now! Very excited. Inappropriately excited!

---

Updated On: 7/14/05 at 02:18 PM

That's so funny because the exact same thing happened. What was most amusing was that the music is so melodramatic, with all these swirling, mixed-up voices and snippets of songs, as if to highlight some kind of dramatic maelstrom. When in fact the drama is as limp as lettuce, and the second act remains as easy-going as the first (with the exception of the rather odd opening number of Act 2. Diving On Acid, as it should be called.

---

littlebit: No problem, I just enjoy writing them. I'm glad you've enjoyed so many shows too - DRS and Altar Boyz are two faves of mine.

Don't get me started on Fiddler, it's caused enough harassment already. Suffice to say it was both the material and the production I found dull.

---

Glad to hear you enjoyed Bee. Just wished you wouldve liked it a bit more.

PS: Where are your Wicked, FB, and 2nd ASU reviews?

Bumping for the last 3 reviews, I believe.

Fiddler is one of my favorite shows. Not this version though.

---