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HONEYMOON IN VEGAS last night (longish)

Posted by: NeoAdamite 11:59 am EST 11/20/14
[I usually don't go to early previews, but LIPS TOGETHER was cancelled. I haven't seen the movie.]

This is a case like NEWSIES, where the creatives and cast are experienced, know the ropes, and simply do their jobs correctly. I can't say I liked the story, but the machine runs properly and gets you from A to B without many potholes along the way.

I realize this is very faint praise, but I've sat through too many recent musicals with major WTF? moments: THE LAST SHIP, HANDS ON A HARDBODY, BIG FISH, CHAPLIN, LEAP OF FAITH, GHOST...

So this is going to run or not based simply on how much people like the story, and how much they like Tony Danza.

The Tony Danza character is a problem. He's a terrible person, but he has to be around a lot, so they've tried to make him more 'likeable', lest we grow irritated and wish him off the stage. This is a common mistake. He doesn't need to be likable, but watchable. Villains can be brilliant, or buffoons, or sardonically amusing, and we don't mind them being around (that's how Disney does it). It's only when they're both unpleasant and uninteresting that we want them off the stage in a hurry. And this guy, even 'humanized' is not really interesting.

Danza does fine. His songs, though perhaps there are too many, are tailored to his vocal limitations and he manages them well.

Rob McClure is excellent, though he doesn't get to show off his knack for physical comedy. Brynn O'Malley is a wonderful actress with a good voice, but when she sings she tends to stop acting; that will probably get fixed.

There are bits that drag, but I assume they're going to trim ten or fifteen minutes somewhere.


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Previous: Greg Mullavey, and CLEVER LITTLE LIES (Marlo Thomas), Heading to Off Broadway? - Shakespeare_in_the_Dark 12:18 pm EST 11/20/14
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