WONDERFUL TOWN 10/23 review

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 11:10pm

Today I was lucky enough to go to Wonderful Town for the second time and boy was I impressed. I think its just one of those shows you need to see more than once to appreciate it. It was 1000 times better than the first time I saw it.

Brooke- PHENOMENAL! I mean really, really, really great. She really shocked me by how much she resembled Donna Murphy while performing and yet she kept a boundary there, letting the audience know that there indeed was 'a new girl in town'. She dissapointed me with 100 EASY WAYS though. CONGA! was ABSOLUTLEY FLAWLESS and Brooke was hysterical. I highly, highly, HIGHLY reccomend you guys to go and see her in this show. She has saved it from going under and holy crap is she doing a great job. The theater was PACKED. You must see Ms Shields as Ruth.

Jennifer Hope Wills- She was great! A little too contrived, making one forget it wasnt Ms. Wesdefeldt (sp) up there. She, unlike Brooke, took almost every quirk straight from Wesdefeldt, who I thought gave one of the most understated and great performances of the year. Therefore, Wills was excellent but I thought she should have brought a little originality to the role. Still wonderful though.

Gregg Edelmen (sp)- Good. Not great. I just wished he showed off his singing skills more. He was so quiet when he sang and since I saw him in INTO THE WOODS and know how great he can sing, I was depressed he didnt show this once again. His acting was great though.

The show itself was wonderful. I would ultimatley give it 3 stars out of 4. Although I thought Little Shop was the best revival of the year, this was close behind it. Please go see Brooke. She and the show are at their prime.

I'll try and post a little more tomorrow. Im tired Updated On: 10/23/04 at 11:10 PM

[bdwybug55]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 1:12am

Hey...I'm glad you like the new cast. I saw the show Thursday night and pretty much agree with you. Brooke Shields is amazing! I posted my own review on another thread.

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=462204&dt=102304052605

It is funny what you said about Ms. Wills. I found her Eileen to be much more real and sincere than the other J.W. I spoke with her very briefly Thursday night and both she and Brooke never got to even see Jennifer W. and Donna Murphy perform (they were already gone by the time they got to see the show). Perhaps both Jenn W's just got right to the heart of Eileen. I also thought that Greg Eddleman's performance had gotten much better. Overall I was thrilled and I hope Ms. Shields keeps them coming in.

I know I will find something else soon to get my attention...but right now it is Wonderful Town. I have to wait for the next revival I guess.

[Hank]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 12:50pm

I glad you liked it too.
I finally got to see this show Sep 30th. I once had tickets back in May, but Donna Murphy was out so I got refunds (1st time I ever did that) and went to tkts and got to see Little Shop instead.
Anyway, I enjoyed Wonderful Town very much, and now I've been playing the obcr cd a lot and Brooke Shields sounds a lot like Donna Murphy, but Jennifer Hope Wills I think sounds even better than Jen Westfeldt.

[Blanche]

Posted: 10/28/04 at 12:22am

Just a comment on Jen Wills. She never copied anything from Westfeldt. She never saw her perform and that is not her style to copy anybody. Also, bdywybug commented that Jen might have the "heart" of Eileen. Let me assure you that is true.Jen (Wills) is a dear friend of mine and there is not a kinder, more generous or loving soul anywhere. She's an amazing person as well as an amazing talent.

[bdwybug55]

Posted: 10/28/04 at 10:52am

Dear Blanche...there you go again WickedRocks liked Jennifer a lot...that was no attack. I agree with you...she seems like an amazing girl after meeting her briefly at the stage door and she is amazingly talented but again...perhaps you really do her an injustice here on these boards by constantly taking up for any little off color thing said about her. Are you her boyfriend or something? If you are...you are a very lucky guy Anyway...everyone certainly has the right to their own opinion. Someone on another thread mentioned that Jennifer would be a great Glinda...totally agree...although I think the material is beneath her if you ask me (so very sorry WickedRocks...please don't hate me). Updated On: 10/28/04 at 10:52 AM

[samiam2]

Posted: 10/29/04 at 11:27am

I walked out of this show last night. It is the most mediocre thing I've ever seen on Broadway and I've seen tons of shows in this city.

Brooke Shields can barely sing and sadly she can't handle the comedic material. The production itself has very little energy and has no passion. The tempi of the songs were so slow and sluggish that it made a mockery of Bernstein's work.

Plus, Ruth Sherwood isn't supposed to be the prettier of the two sisters. The references made to her inability to get a man because of her attitude, mediocre looks, etc. didn't work because Brook Shields is gorgeous and sexy!

The director of the show needs to go back into rehearsal with this one. The actors were slow to pick up their cues and the laugh lines landed with an enormous thud on the stage. There was almost no laughter coming from the audience.

Please fix this show! Updated On: 10/29/04 at 11:27 AM

[Blanche]

Posted: 10/30/04 at 3:05pm

Dear Bdwybug55-I never said that I thought anyone was attacking Jen. I was simply stating a fact. I also fail to see how my saying something kind about someone is doing them an injustice.
No, I'm not her boyfriend (she does have one, by the way), I am just a fellow actor who has known and worked with her for years.