Will Chase in Nice Work- Page 2

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/25/12 at 9:33pm

My granddaughter and I saw the show this afternoon and we both loved it. We heard that Chase had only two weeks to get up in the role. He's marvelous!

[macnyc]

Posted: 8/26/12 at 7:30am

I would have loved to see this. I'm so envious of all of you!

[mc1227]

Posted: 8/26/12 at 7:53am

Just curious, who took the final bow, Will or Kelli?

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 8/26/12 at 9:38am

I was torn as to what to see today (this or Detroit) but my mind is now set: Chase sounds fabulous so Detriot can wait!!

An afternoon of Kelli and Will: who could ask for anything more?

[LucyEth]

Posted: 8/26/12 at 10:48am

Will got the last bow, although he's given second billing in the Playbill.

Updated On: 8/26/12 at 10:48 AM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/26/12 at 11:10am

(Still, his name is above the title)

[mc1227]

Posted: 8/26/12 at 11:14am

Erin Dilly was also above title in Playbill when she replaced Kelli. I still believe that part of that was due to the refund policy but I'm sure it was also in part to the respect they both deserve. Very difficult to come in a replace stars for such a short time. I'm so glad they both did so well.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 8/26/12 at 9:54pm

WHAT a performance! I waited patiently until I knew Matthew (however good...far from great) was out to see my beloved Kelli sing these gorgeous melodies with a new partner. Will Chase was worth the wait.

How charming can one man be, I ask you? Vocally, the man's voice was wonderfully suited for Gershwin melodies. His harmonies with Kelli were, well, S'delightful. His dancing, incredibly refined...all the more impressive that he managed to take over the role with less than two week rehearsal.

Thank you producers, for making such a thoughtful choice for a vacay-replacement.

...any chance begging for a Kelli/Will recording might pay off???

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/26/12 at 10:38pm

Please, let it be known that Will is also a very good dancer and he was charming in the choreographed sequences. I do, however, thing the "barrel roll" sequence doesn't work--it just doesn't flow naturally and takes too long to "set up". Not Will's fault--or Matthew's either. It just doesn't work.

[LucyEth]

Posted: 8/26/12 at 10:57pm

In general, I found nothing particularly original about the choreography. Sure it's all pastiche, but shouldn't there be some variation from character to character? There wasn't anything particularly threatening or masculine about what Marshall had the G-men doing, for instance. I kept wondering what Michael Kidd or Bennett would have done differently. The choreography in this show was, across the boards, very...variety show.

[TimesSquared]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 1:11am

Just saw Chase, and while he is a terrific actor, a much better singer, and a strong leading man, for me, the show didn't work with him in it. (Let the attacks on me begin!)

Broderick's performance is a better fit with the stylized acting of the show's other characters. They are all cartoony characters, which is not an insult--they do it brilliantly--especially Kaye, McGrath and Sullivan. Broderick's Jimmy is just another one of the zany characters in a goofy, period-styled show. And with Broderick in the show, O'Hara rose to the goofy occasion.

The insertion of the suave, handsome Chase threw the show out of balance for me. O'Hara seemed to play it differently. She appeared deeply smitten with Jimmy Winter from the get-go, and she seemed to soften her character, making her more restrained and girly, almost to the point of making Billie a boring ingenue. I do understand that she might just have been thrown a curve by Chase's very different performance after creating her role opposite Broderick.

The production has been crafted around the talents of Broderick, and while many here hate him, I found him funny and charming in the role. While he sure doesn't dance like Astaire, his character is very much like the ones Astaire always played in his movies with Rogers: a light-hearted, happy-go-lucky, yet unlikely leading man who somehow manages to win over the ladies with his witty, blasé charm.

I don't think this is a great show, but I did enjoy myself the first time I saw it with Broderick.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 1:18am

If I have a complaint about the choreography (beyond the barrel sequence), it's in the opening number. It sets the wrong tone for the show. The curtain goes up to several CHICAGO-like chorines doing faux-Fosse gyrations and one might expect a show similar to CHICAGO is going to follow. Instead, this show is an out-and-out farce. That wasn't established in the opening number.

Oh, Gower Champion knew what he was doing when he had that cartoonish horse trot out in the first moments of HELLO, DOLLY! and wink at the audience. It set everything up for what was to follow.

[LucyEth]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 1:22am

TimesSquared: Can't imagine anyone attacking you for such a reasonably stated, measured opinion. (But then, I'm a newbie here.) I also didn't think that O'Hara registered much, which was a total surprise. I blamed the writing, but your theory may be more accurate. I still thought, not having seen Broderick, that Chase was perfect for the role.

[TimesSquared]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 1:22am

I agree, Dollypop.

[TimesSquared]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 1:26am

(But then, I'm a newbie here.)

It's a fun board but it can get a little hot in here, LucyEth!
Welcome to the board!