Wendy Williams to play Morton in CHICAGO- Page 13

[Jane2]

Posted: 7/3/13 at 11:33am

Gaga WISHES she was Divine.

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 8/5/13 at 12:50am

I saw Chicago tonight. I was disappointed in one of my very favorite shows. People always say how tired the show looks and I always disagree and defend it. But tonight, I had to admit that many, but not all cast members, were bored/tired.

On to Wendy. I am a huge Wendy fan. I used to listen to her radio show as a guilty pleasure every day. I DVr her tv show and enjoy watching it when I get home at night. She's a wonderful entertainer. However ! She was a disgrace tonight. I expected her to be a weak singer but it was way beyond that. She was off key and flat. I can't believe they couldn't help her sing ANY better than that. When she had the duet with Velma she was drowned out so it was fine.

The other problem was her line delivery. The Wendy I know and the typical Mam Morton can get laughs out of those lines. She was merely reading words of a script.

Her weak performance should have stuck out like a sore thumb. But with the sloppiness of the rest of the cast, she just seemed like another weak cast member who was just especially tired.

Amra Faye Wright was an embarrassment as well. I've seen her play Velma so much better. My friend asked why they Let someone so old play Velma because her movements were so limited and creaky.

I LOVE Chicago. I have seen it 16 times in NYC. I look forward to seeing it more. I wish the Weisslers would take better care of this show and perhaps do a Cam Mac-style firing of weak actors. I don't expect them to stop stunt casting but they can at least keep the rest of the cast first rate

[darreyl102]

Posted: 8/5/13 at 2:07am

Does Wendy come out the stage door? anybody know?

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 8/5/13 at 2:59am

"I LOVE Chicago. I have seen it 16 times in NYC. I look forward to seeing it more."

As long as you and others like you keep going, the producers have zero motivation to try to make it better. Only when attendance falls off dramatically will they feel a need to either try to improve it or decide 17 years is enough, either of which it sounds would be better than what you described as the current state of the show.

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Posted: 8/5/13 at 8:21am

She stage-doored after the Wed. matinee I saw. I have to say, the July 31 matinee was my first viewing of Chicago, and the material holds up, especially now, good music is good music, and Kander and Ebb is great! The performances on a whole I thought were very solid, of course Wendy wasn't as polished as most Broadway perfomers, but she did a serviceable job in the role. I think the issue this show has is that it is a tourist trap! The performance I saw was nearly sold out with a few outlying seats in the mezzaine open. That being said, most were not theatre-going types, most were not even from this country (no I'm not racist, just stating a fact), and therefore I believe missed the humor and point of the piece, which could be blamed on the actor's but I'm not sure in this case. Also, it should be noted Wendy's entrance and bow elicited tepid applause, I just don't think this particular audience knew who she was, however Velma, Roxie, and Billy all received raves from the audience for their efforts. The sound as a whole was not as good as I had hoped, but this is not the fault of the actors.

Updated On: 8/5/13 at 08:21 AM

[darreyl102]

Posted: 8/5/13 at 8:55am

@Phillytheatreguy10, I have been waiting for someone to answer me! Thank Ya!

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/5/13 at 10:37am

"Most were not even from this country." I think that statement is a bit over the top. Yes, "Chicago" does have an international appeal because it has had productions all over the world. So, people from foreign lands want to check it out. I had a chance to see a bit of video of Wendy, somewhere. Oh my goodness. No comment. Miss Williams' last day as Mama is scheduled to be on Aug. 11th. Afterwards, the newest Mama Morton (from Russia) will begin on August 13th. She'll be there for a week. The name escapes me. Both Amy Spanger and Amra Wright end their current run on Aug. 11th too. I sincerely hope that the producers give other talented ladies the opportunity to play Velma and Roxie. I don't think it's to the show's benefit to have one person portray the role of Velma for such a long time... basically a year. I just had a "wild" thought. How about Tovah Feldshuh as Mama? It could happen? RC: from the blue city of Austin in the red state of Texas

Updated On: 8/5/13 at 10:37 AM

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Posted: 8/5/13 at 10:50am

You missed my point- and I acknowledged when posting I would get flack for it. My point was that Chicago, which I'm sure does have an international fan base, is a cheap ticket, meaning those out from out of town that want to see a Broadway show are likely to go for this over something that has a higher ticket price, and if they can see a "celebrity" that makes it even better- the producers get this, perhaps not with Ms. Williams, but for people like Melanie Griffith. To say the audience was there for other reasons is giving them too much credit- especially the row of "out of towners" let's say, that were sleeping before the curtain even rose. What I'm saying is that these international companies are translated into their native tongue, not the case here, where many jokes fell flat- not given the delivery, but the understanding of the audience. I'm well aware of the new Russian Mama which is great, I follow the theatre scene, have a degree in it, and read these websites daily. I would be lying if I said Wendy wasn't the reason I finally checked Chicago out- that being said I am not jaded enough to think she will be winning a Tony anytime soon, but I am smart enough to take the performance for what it's worth, which is pure stunt casting. Perhaps others would have held out for a better Mama, but that was my choice- it's not like I paid full price. She did a serviceable job, not great, but good enough to not look like a fool- I wouldn't base your opinion on those early clips, she has improved considerably. I have been a fan of Amy Spanger from her Tick Tick Boom days and finally have gotten the chance to see her work her magic with great material- she was great and perhaps Amra has been doing this awhile, but she was also very good! Geminangi was superb, R. Lowe was spectacular, Voght for me (other than Wendy) was the weak link, and "Cell Block Tango" left me wanting a bit more. No one phoned it in at my matinee, and with our audience, they definitely could have, but they never stopped giving it their all!



Updated On: 8/5/13 at 10:50 AM

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 8/5/13 at 2:19pm

on the subject of Wright and Spanger, I thought Amy Spanger was brilliant as Roxie a few months back, but as many have mentioned Ms. Wright has been playing this role FAR too long. Fresh blood in the show's most difficult role with likely bring up the par of the rest of the cast.

[bwayboy22]

Posted: 8/5/13 at 2:20pm

"How about Tovah Feldshuh as Mama?"

I personally think that would be a great casting choice, but Tovah is too much of a Diva to take a Role like Mama in a show that's been running for 17 years! I could be wrong, but as much as I'd love to see it happen, I highly doubt it will.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/5/13 at 10:49pm

I really think the Weisslers should simply clean house and force any current cast members to re-audition. Some have been in the show from anywhere between 5-10 years now. I would love to see three new(non-celebrity) faces as Velma, Roxie & Billy.

[justincharacter]

Posted: 8/5/13 at 10:58pm

Agree.

I'd like to see a "re-visioning" of CHICAGO like Mackintosh's new Phantom of the Opera tour to freshen it up. From the videos I have seen, I am very close to preferring Mackintosh's new version of Phantom rather than the original.

Updated On: 8/5/13 at 10:58 PM

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 8/6/13 at 12:47am

I just saw Phantom tonight and it was a freshly polished gem. Although there were 3 mistakes made lol

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/6/13 at 9:34am

i strongly disagree with the idea of having cast members re-audition. Chicago has many talented persons, ranging from newbies to long time veterans. Whether they've been there 5-10 years or just a year, they are there because there are talented in their field. To their benefit, the producers of Chicago have made it possible for seasoned performers to continue being part of their cast. I'm not sure how many shows are forward thinking about this as is Chicago. The producers of the show recognize their value and worth. So, some individuals are long time veterans. At some point, necessary changes are made and tweakings are called for. Ultimately, the producers make their own determination. People can criticize Chicago for their stunt casting and having seasoned cast members all they want. The show has been successful and flourished because of stunt casting and veteran cast members. So many musicals have come and gone since the Chicago revival opened and Chicago is "still here." That's all. from RC in the blue city of Austin in the red state of Texas

[jaxandmci]

Posted: 8/6/13 at 10:28am

I saw a Sunday matinee performance in late July and it was much more energetic than I remembered it being two years ago--despite the fact that much of the ensemble looked familiar. Wendy certainly didn't ruin the show and I thought she made a quite adequate Mama. What she lacked in voice, she made up for in stage presence.

Oddly, out of the five shows I saw that weekend, Chicago was the only one that didn't receive a standing ovation. Not a single person stood whereas the other four shows' (granted, Pippin was one of them) curtain calls immediately brought the entire audience to their feet. While standing ovations are more the rule than the exception these days, I think that in Chicago's case it's a matter of audience demographic and not a reflection of the cast. They worked hard and put on a very satisfying show.

[Younger Brother]

Posted: 8/6/13 at 10:59am

I would love to see a production of Chicago with grand sets and costume like the film. The only thing that would get be back to see the show right now is Toni Collette, who in my opinion, should have been Roxie in the film.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 8/6/13 at 11:03am

I thought CHICAGO was so successful because it was an incredibly cheap production to run on Broadway and has essentially been printing money ever since it recouped.

[darreyl102]

Posted: 8/12/13 at 3:10am

Saw Wendy's Final show tonight. I gotta say, she can't sing at all or act very well either, she just stuck out like a sore thumb. She just looked somewhat uncomfortable on stage, she didn't seem as into as the rest.

[darreyl102]

Posted: 8/12/13 at 4:01am

Plus she stole my sharpie at the stage door- LOL