#1
Posted: 4/21/10 at 11:44pm
I have very mixed feelings about this one but I ultimately had a pretty good time.
I thought a majority of the first act kinda just laid there, never really taking off. The staging is a problem. I love Rob Ashford and thought this material would be perfect for him. Well...I was half-right. Or maybe one-quarter-right. He has some sensational moments choreography-wise (the opening sequence really sets the bar high) but others that falter a bit ('Turkey Lurkey' is a bit too small, a little too messy, and not as joyful as the original choreography was). But his direction is really plodding and slow. There are sequences were he peps up the direction and moves it along at a clipped, quick pace (a majority of the second act) and when that happens, you can catch a glimpse of what he could have done with the show. A lot of the first act, staging-wise, just kinda lays there. The set doesn't help either. What a horrible set. For a stage this humongous and for a show this peppy and fun, this was the best they could come up with...? The stage looked empty half the time. The lighting and orchestrations are nice.
The cast is mostly strong. Sean Hayes REALLY impressed me. I absolutely loved his performance. His singing voice is strong enough (although by time he gets to the 11:00 number, he does hit a few sour notes) and his acting is really spot-on. He put a huge smile on my face. I really truly think he is the heart of this production. Without him, the show would have fallen apart at the seams. He does a very commendable job and I really was shocked by how good he was. I love Sean Hayes and I always have but tonight, he really shocked me. I was somewhat nervous to see how he could carry a show like this and I am thrilled to say that my worries are gone.
On the other hand, Kristin Chenoweth, whom I adore, is so unbelievably miscast and so boring. For a chick with so much star power, she just seems like she was told to crank down the perkiness to -100,000,000 and she seems a bit lost. She's playing the role (which is somewhat underwritten) in a very one-note way. And that one-note isn't interesting. Her singing is sensational and she's an incredible talent but this is really not a great performance by any means. I was disappointed. The audience seemed to agree as she got louder entrance applause than she did curtain call cheers. I do have to say it isn't really her fault. She's just so miscast. When thinking of the role of Fran, who immediately thinks of Kristin Chenoweth...?
The rest of the cast was fine. I really had no MAJOR problems with Tony Goldwyn's performance. He wasn't really that awful. Dick Latessa was adorable as always. And Kate Finneran walked away with the show. The audience ate her absolutely hilarious performance up and I kinda hope (I'm bracing myself to be attacked for this) she beats Lansbury for the Tony. She was a riot and an absolute joy to watch. I really, really loved her performance.
Problems and all, I had a good time. The show is so much fun and Hayes and Finneran provide enough laughs for me to say see it. It's a frothy, enjoyable evening out. (For the record, I do have an issue with the way that 'A House is Not A Home' and 'I Say A Little Prayer' were shoehorned into the show. Neither made sense contextually. At all. But it was nice to hear them.)
I expect mixed reviews for this one but I hope the critics recognize Finneran's and Hayes' hilarious work. Without the latter, especially, this production would feel like a complete bore.
*** out of ****
I thought a majority of the first act kinda just laid there, never really taking off. The staging is a problem. I love Rob Ashford and thought this material would be perfect for him. Well...I was half-right. Or maybe one-quarter-right. He has some sensational moments choreography-wise (the opening sequence really sets the bar high) but others that falter a bit ('Turkey Lurkey' is a bit too small, a little too messy, and not as joyful as the original choreography was). But his direction is really plodding and slow. There are sequences were he peps up the direction and moves it along at a clipped, quick pace (a majority of the second act) and when that happens, you can catch a glimpse of what he could have done with the show. A lot of the first act, staging-wise, just kinda lays there. The set doesn't help either. What a horrible set. For a stage this humongous and for a show this peppy and fun, this was the best they could come up with...? The stage looked empty half the time. The lighting and orchestrations are nice.
The cast is mostly strong. Sean Hayes REALLY impressed me. I absolutely loved his performance. His singing voice is strong enough (although by time he gets to the 11:00 number, he does hit a few sour notes) and his acting is really spot-on. He put a huge smile on my face. I really truly think he is the heart of this production. Without him, the show would have fallen apart at the seams. He does a very commendable job and I really was shocked by how good he was. I love Sean Hayes and I always have but tonight, he really shocked me. I was somewhat nervous to see how he could carry a show like this and I am thrilled to say that my worries are gone.
On the other hand, Kristin Chenoweth, whom I adore, is so unbelievably miscast and so boring. For a chick with so much star power, she just seems like she was told to crank down the perkiness to -100,000,000 and she seems a bit lost. She's playing the role (which is somewhat underwritten) in a very one-note way. And that one-note isn't interesting. Her singing is sensational and she's an incredible talent but this is really not a great performance by any means. I was disappointed. The audience seemed to agree as she got louder entrance applause than she did curtain call cheers. I do have to say it isn't really her fault. She's just so miscast. When thinking of the role of Fran, who immediately thinks of Kristin Chenoweth...?
The rest of the cast was fine. I really had no MAJOR problems with Tony Goldwyn's performance. He wasn't really that awful. Dick Latessa was adorable as always. And Kate Finneran walked away with the show. The audience ate her absolutely hilarious performance up and I kinda hope (I'm bracing myself to be attacked for this) she beats Lansbury for the Tony. She was a riot and an absolute joy to watch. I really, really loved her performance.
Problems and all, I had a good time. The show is so much fun and Hayes and Finneran provide enough laughs for me to say see it. It's a frothy, enjoyable evening out. (For the record, I do have an issue with the way that 'A House is Not A Home' and 'I Say A Little Prayer' were shoehorned into the show. Neither made sense contextually. At all. But it was nice to hear them.)
I expect mixed reviews for this one but I hope the critics recognize Finneran's and Hayes' hilarious work. Without the latter, especially, this production would feel like a complete bore.
*** out of ****
Updated On: 4/21/10 at 11:44 PM
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