just back from Lennon...

Just a few quick thing about this show before I go to sleep:

1) I was expecting a fairly good, but not great show. I was disappointed. The show's pastiche is not a traditional commercial one, but the story line is predictable and unemotional.

2) Julia Murney gave the shows only fully-realized truthful performance...the other performers didn't quite give it all the time (Chad and the girl who plays Yoko had a few truthful moments, but the rest of the cast were phoning it in already) -- the cast in general used acting tricks that we have all seen before, and that kept us from connecting or from them being truthful.

3) Chad -- his voice is insanely amazing, and I am in love. He is doing everything he can with this show.

4) This show reminds me a LOT of Brooklyn -- it's a kick ass concert with a story attached. Not a great or memorably told story -- but it has pretty good music, and some great singers, and the occasional acting gem.

5) The choreography is horrid -- the worst I have seen in YEARS.

6) I was rarely emotionally invested in the show, but often got chills from some great vocals. That is what I can say overall -- not a good show, but not a dud either. I honestly think it is this years Brooklyn -- it will have a following, and Chad is a real find in this show, but it will probably get trashed unless some serious re-thinking happens.

7) I WANT this show to be great, and think the story has possibilities -- I hope the creative team will apply their interesting pastiche to the actual story line, and not just the way it is told -- do something new -- don't rely on tired tricks.

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The choreography was pretty goofy in SF, lots of group numbers with people acting like planes and leaping around and whatnot.

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Julie Danao.
She is a star. Watch her.

interesting review, thanks

i look forward to seeing it now, so that i can make my own conclusions

i do enjoy julia murney's voice - so interesting. she was brilliant in lippa's wild party

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I like her voice WAY more than Carolee's. Julia can belt so well, but at the same time it is more controlled than, say, Idina Menzel. She can also emote so well in a song.

Akiva

How is Will Chase?

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I had comp tickets and went last night. The show was decent up until John met Yoko (I suppose one could say that art imitates life). I fell asleep during act 2 for a brief moment and woke up to see a chick dressed as Elton John.. I think "Lennon" was just generally a bad idea.( I had an investor sitting in front of me and he seemed pretty stressed out. Especially during intermission when nearly the whole row behind me left.) I was impressed by the cast though. Will Chase was excellent, Wanna Be A Foster! He really had the John Lennon persona down, I think the most out of everyone. And he's hot Would I recomend the show? I don't think so...

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Will was very good in the show, but he's already seeming to be phoning in his performance (maybe that is the fault of the super-fast pacing of the show -- sort of a "if we go fast, they won't know it's bad" sort of philosophy of directing).

I wanted Will (who also sang like the star that he is) to connect with the audience on a more than "aren't I good" sort of way...and I missed that in this show from him.

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touchmeinthemorning - unemotional?? did you see the same show that I saw this afternoon? by the end, I and everyone around me had tears streaming down their face.

I thought the show was excellent and extremely moving.

the story line is predictable

Had to laugh at this. Because yeah. We all know the story. Did you think it would have a different ending?

Updated On: 7/13/05 at 11:37 PM

i find it a little hard to grasp that anyone can call history, a person's life, "predictable".

*i* was even offended about the acting critique. all tricks? no truth? maybe you saw a different cast than i did.

and oh, dear god, PLEASE don't compare it to Brooklyn. Lennon is far from a hodgepodge of cheap costumes, emotionless characters, and nails-on-a-chalkboard screaming competitions.

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How can someone say a performer was "good" and then in the very next breath say he "was phoning in his performance"? Where's the logic?

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A couple quick clarifications to all:

A good performer can EASILY phone in a performance...it means they crafted the performance well, but executed it poorly. Actors know what I mean by this...it means a lot of thought went into beats, physicality, etc...but there was nothing there to back it up.

And as far as the predictability of the show goes...I guess you forgot to read futher down -- the show is predictable NOT IN THE STORY LINE itself, but in the WAY it was told -- i.e. ballads after his death, inspirational song before intermission, etc. I was hoping for something new, and this show just delivered more of the same -- which for me is a sign that the creative team is not fighting for the show, and giving into producers who want to use the tired old formula again and again. I, for one, wanted a better show.

With that said, I know there are shills who don't want this show to get bad reviews, and I HOPE the Post is right that the show is going through an overhaul...perhaps that will spring it back into life. I want this show to kick ass, and right now, it just doesn't.

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