#1
Posted: 8/24/08 at 11:08pm
I saw Young Frankenstein today. Im not sure why. It was pretty disappointing.
The songs were OK tho less than memorable, the acting was fine, the sets were QUITE impressive- but it just was not funny. No matter how you look at it, if a show tries to make you laugh and fails, its hard to get excited about it.
I did not like Roger Bart at ALL in this role- screaming all the time and understandably bored by the proceedings. Sutton Foster's replacement (i dont have my playbill and I forget her name) was adequate, but nothing special (nice belt tho). Michelle Ragusa was mimicking Megan Mullaly who was mimicking Karen Walker- she was fine. Another good voice, but I found myself wishing I was seeing Mullaly- the role seems to be written for her style.
The standouts of course were Christopher Fitzgerald and Beth Leavel. The only times I actually laughed this afternoon were when either of them opened their mouths- Fitzgerald was especially fantastic. Really fantastic. And Beth Leavel might not be as comedically gifted as Andrea Martin, but she has a hell of a voice. They stole- and justified- the show.
and fyi- the theater (which i had not been in since Jesus Christ Superstar in 2000) is gorgeous- a pleasure to be inside. Was pretty full- large empty pockets in mezz and orch, but def more than 80% full overall.
The songs were OK tho less than memorable, the acting was fine, the sets were QUITE impressive- but it just was not funny. No matter how you look at it, if a show tries to make you laugh and fails, its hard to get excited about it.
I did not like Roger Bart at ALL in this role- screaming all the time and understandably bored by the proceedings. Sutton Foster's replacement (i dont have my playbill and I forget her name) was adequate, but nothing special (nice belt tho). Michelle Ragusa was mimicking Megan Mullaly who was mimicking Karen Walker- she was fine. Another good voice, but I found myself wishing I was seeing Mullaly- the role seems to be written for her style.
The standouts of course were Christopher Fitzgerald and Beth Leavel. The only times I actually laughed this afternoon were when either of them opened their mouths- Fitzgerald was especially fantastic. Really fantastic. And Beth Leavel might not be as comedically gifted as Andrea Martin, but she has a hell of a voice. They stole- and justified- the show.
and fyi- the theater (which i had not been in since Jesus Christ Superstar in 2000) is gorgeous- a pleasure to be inside. Was pretty full- large empty pockets in mezz and orch, but def more than 80% full overall.
