#1
Posted: 10/25/07 at 3:40pm
Saw the show on Monday night - first row balcony (A). Had binoculars. Was perfectly fine for $75.00, I think. Acoustics were perfect. Heard every word.
I'm afraid that aside from some rather valliant performances, those are the only positive comments I have to say about this production.
Roger Bart was out, of course, but I cannot imagine that he did much more with a role that doesn't seem to have much to do in the first place.
The songs are all instantly forgettable. The jokes are tired. The script seems to have been written with a meat axe. Stroman must have been distracted with other projects as she worked on this, because her work is a great disappointment as compared to her prior stellar work.
Performances: Mullaly does what she can with an underwritten role. Bart's understudy...er.....remembered his lines and blocking. Several times when looking at the stage with high-powered binoculars, Sutton Foster looked absolutely bored out of her mind. Hensley, Martin, and Fitzgerald are all fine, although Fitzgerald hams it up to an almost intolerable degree.
Big problem is script, music, lyrics, and direction. I'm sorry for the people who paid $450 or more for this, as it is a really schlocky night in the theatre.
Hopefully they can improve by opening, but I don't suppose it matters, since I understand the advance is already so huge that this will play for years.
I'm afraid that aside from some rather valliant performances, those are the only positive comments I have to say about this production.
Roger Bart was out, of course, but I cannot imagine that he did much more with a role that doesn't seem to have much to do in the first place.
The songs are all instantly forgettable. The jokes are tired. The script seems to have been written with a meat axe. Stroman must have been distracted with other projects as she worked on this, because her work is a great disappointment as compared to her prior stellar work.
Performances: Mullaly does what she can with an underwritten role. Bart's understudy...er.....remembered his lines and blocking. Several times when looking at the stage with high-powered binoculars, Sutton Foster looked absolutely bored out of her mind. Hensley, Martin, and Fitzgerald are all fine, although Fitzgerald hams it up to an almost intolerable degree.
Big problem is script, music, lyrics, and direction. I'm sorry for the people who paid $450 or more for this, as it is a really schlocky night in the theatre.
Hopefully they can improve by opening, but I don't suppose it matters, since I understand the advance is already so huge that this will play for years.
Updated On: 10/25/07 at 03:40 PM
