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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2018 13:42:28 GMT
FrozenSt. James Theatre, NYC**** Finally saw this last night, and considering the chatter surrounding the London transfer I’m pleased that I’ve now seen it, if it doesn’t end up coming to fruition. Full disclosure, I’m a massive fan of Disney and it is my mission to catch all Disney theatricals productions at some point in some form of another, so I had high anticipations for this. Coincidentally, Facebook tells me that five years ago to the day I was also watching the film for the first time in the cinema, so it feels apt to be watching the musical for the first time on that anniversary  . Patti Murin was off on a scheduled holiday, so we saw her standby, Aisha Jackson. I’d heard fantastic things about Aisha’s performance so I was more than pleased to see her, and she does a wonderful job with the role of Anna. I was surprised however to discover upon arriving though that Caissie Levy was also not in attendance, so we had a double Standby show with Alyssa Fox as Elsa. Initially I was honestly feeling disappointed as Caissie was also a big draw for me, although I needn’t have worried because Alyssa more than delivered! As expected with Disney, the plot and character depth is more lacking than most musicals, but still I thought the show was in very good shape. A lot of the ice effects were predictable and could have been achieved more creatively perhaps but they still created some elements of wonder. Would I have liked to see a grand ice castle? Sure. Did it bother me considerably that there wasn’t one? Not really. As a result of the minimalist visuals I found that I could focus on Alyssa’s performance of Let it Go without being too distracted, as there is already a lot going on in that number. John Riddle, Jelani Aladin and Greg Hildreth executed their performances of Hans, Kristoff and Olaf perfectly, reflecting their infamous film counterparts accurately with their own flair too. Side note, Sven is extremely lovely too! It’s not theatre in its highest art form by any means but this Disney fanboy was more than happy. I’d certainly revisit when/if it comes over to London, especially if given the opportunity to catch Caissie do her thing.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2018 14:10:36 GMT
Christmas Spectacular
Radio City Music Hall, NYC
***
I first saw the Rockettes two years ago when we paid a very brief, two-day visit to NYC for the holidays (never again for that period of time though!) and had a lot of fun. Our passing words to each other were “If we lived closer we would make this a new tradition.”
As the show hardly varies year on year, my favourite sequences are the toy soldier routine, the rag dolls and the Nativity. However, this time it felt different. This year nothing came as a surprise and the versions of those numbers I remembered were better in memory than watching them again, as the element of surprise was missing. The dancers were, as expected, on fine form still, and it was a suitably festive evening, but perhaps I would’ve had a different perspective had I waited longer to return.
The final sequence of invading snowflakes has been replaced with a light show using drones, which was pleasant enough, but I found myself still yearning for the atmosphere in the auditorium created by those snowflakes! The drones were used to create a snow globe around the actors on stage and created formations on and around the stage. The projections were as usual, fantastic, helping to fill the huge space of the auditorium. I’m still very happy to have returned, but I suspect it will be while until I do so again.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2018 10:20:55 GMT
Once on this Island
Circle in the Square Theatre, NYC
*****
The penultimate show of my holiday was the one I had the highest hopes for. Since hearing some of the music, and watching interviews with Alex Newell and Hailey Kilgore, I instantly felt that I needed to see this musical. Sat in the cheapest seats at the back of the orchestra on an end, we bagged buy one get one free tickets in the Black Friday deal, but the view was exceptional.
The space in the Circle in the Square is used incredibly creatively, particularly during the storm, which was one of the rawest and emotional scenes I’ve ever seen. Every song delivered a punch, and the cast were top notch. It was hard to take my eyes off of Alex whilst on stage, and during Mama Will Provide completely brought the goods with high energy and sass. Cassondra James was a tender and graceful Erzulie, whose standout number of The Human Heart gave me goosebumps.
Yes the story is questionable yet I found it refreshing and a change from the norm. There was no predictability which in my eyes worked in its favour. The ninety minutes flew by in a blink, and I’m sad that the show is coming to a close in two weeks, however I feel grateful to have been lucky to catch it before it does.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2018 12:43:42 GMT
The Band’s Visit
Ethel Barrymore Theatre, NYC
**
Due to the 10 Tony Awards, and the hype surrounding The Band’s Visit, I had much anticipation for the star show of the season. Well for me, there were plenty of hits as well as misses.
The show has a promising start, with the numbers Waiting and Welcome to Nowhere delivering some very funny moments. Where this piece delivers most strongly for me is in the score, as the arrangements are beautiful throughout. Unfortunately the gaps in between leave a lot to be desired, and I found myself wishing scenes away until we got to the next song.
I felt that the speed of the piece is extremely drawn out, with awkward pauses and lots of time spent between the characters staring at each other in silence. When they did speak it was hardly very riveting either. I concluded that this was a choice to reflect the dull lives of the locals, who had become bored of their uninspiring and essentially forgotten town. As an audience member though, this did very little to keep me engaged with the piece or entertained.
Saying that, the dry wit of Ketrina Lenk as Dina was a standout for me, as was the staging and the lighting. On those fronts I thought the awards were well deserved. I’m not sure I can see it coming here on the same level as this because it’s very niche and I think a British audience would struggle to keep it afloat, as it’s already struggling somewhat on Broadway.
At 90 minutes no interval, whereas I was yearning for twice as much from Once on this Island, for the Band’s Visit the same running time felt twice as long. Essentially this is the musical where nothing happens. This has definitely shown me that I’d rather have a weak story with great songs than the reverse, as with War Paint last year I felt the opposite was true, and that was a solid one star.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2019 17:44:32 GMT
Hello, Dolly!
Buell Theatre, Denver
***
My journey chasing Hello, Dolly! has been long and fraught since Bette opened the recent revival in NYC two years ago. When visiting in the Spring of 2017 it was my intention to book, however Matt was less keen on the idea (he’s not a fan of the classics) so instead we saw War Paint. This turned out to be a huge error. As time passed, rapturous praise for Bette’s performance grew, and I suddenly found myself deeply regretting my past decision. By the time we returned at Christmas time the following year, the Divine Miss M had returned and had closed the show earlier on.
The rumours of a London transfer circled wildly (as is well known) so again my hopes were raised, however these rumours remain unfulfilled.
I had always planned a US road trip to coincide with my thirtieth birthday this year, and so with the knowledge that Hello, Dolly! was out on tour with Betty Buckley in the lead role, I factored in a short stay in Denver to fulfil my desires!
First, no Betty. I had received an email last week declaring that she was not scheduled to perform during the entire week of which my performance was for, which I understand is something she is known for. Dolly was to be Jessica Sheridan... either way, I wasn’t seeing Bette, so no harm done. Sheridan did a fine job of the role, with a couple of line fluffs, but aside from that did a tremendous job. A lot of the cast it appeared were different from those listed in the playbill, but they all to my mind did brilliantly.
The material does not stand the test of time, with the female characters needing to be married or wanted by a man/sugar daddy, and the men (particularly Horace) singing an entire number about a house needing a woman to run due to her skills as a domestic goddess.
That said, I overlooked the patriarchal themes mostly due to the understanding that these notions reflected society in a more unfavourable time. On the whole I found the production to be superb, and would still very much book if a London run was announced.
*crosses fingers*
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Post by 49thand8th on Apr 8, 2019 18:32:08 GMT
I think you saw it when Garrett Hawe and Jess LeProtto had both left and there may not have been time to update the playbills.
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Post by raider80 on Apr 8, 2019 19:44:52 GMT
I had no idea they were already doing cast changes? I'm planning on seeing it in July, is Betty still going to be with the show? It's not a deal breaker if she isn't.
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2,041 posts
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Post by 49thand8th on Apr 8, 2019 20:36:43 GMT
I had no idea they were already doing cast changes? I'm planning on seeing it in July, is Betty still going to be with the show? It's not a deal breaker if she isn't. It isn't so much that Dolly as a whole is "doing cast changes" as individuals are leaving for other things. Hawe and LeProtto also were possibly only on a 6-month contract. |
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Post by ali973 on Apr 9, 2019 17:43:16 GMT
As far as I know La Buckley is scheduled to be in the tour at least until August.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2019 16:28:51 GMT
Falsettos
Golden Gate Theatre, San Francisco
***
Let’s start with the obvious - this is literally a show of two halves. Knowing very little about the musical, other than it was originally written as two separate pieces, it was extremely evident from Falsettos. The characters’ depth which is established in the first half (or March of the Falsettos, if you prefer) is seemingly forgotten come the time jump to the second half (Falsettoland). Whilst the characters still carry the same continuity in their history two years later, they are otherwise very different people.
It is rare to be introduced midway to two new leading characters in a musical, but once I got over that adjustment I wished we’d been introduced to Charlotte and Cordelia sooner. They, along with Falsettoland as a separate entity, bring a fresh effervescence that was missed before the interval. Overall I’m still left chewing over what I honestly thought about the show, as there was equally as much of it that worked for me as there was that didn’t.
The score is largely generic and isn’t very pleasing to the ear in MOTF, with a few notable exceptions. Whilst Falsettoland‘s numbers are catchier and a lot easier to listen to. For this, as well as all of the reasons above, it’s difficult to provide an opinion on the show as a whole. There’s an awful lot to unpick within the plot itself, which I won’t go into as it has just been announced for the Other Palace, but if it is your intention to book... take your tissues.
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