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| Thoughts about the Prince of Broadway | |
| Posted by: Shutterbug 08:11 pm EDT 08/12/17 | |
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| I don't know if I have anything new to add to the discussion that hasn't already been said here on this board. Here are my thoughts nonetheless. Prince of Broadway is very entertaining thanks to iconic material performed by a superbly talented cast. That said, it left me wanting more. Past revues like FOSSE and JEROME ROBBINS' BROADWAY showcased the work of those great choreographers, and we got to see those works recreated. PRINCE OF BROADWAY features new stagings of material from musicals Prince either produced or directed. The numbers are performed with simple sets and the cast of actors doubling as principals and (small) ensemble. It doesn't feel as substantial as those other revues. The framing device didn't really work for me. The between scene narration seemed superficial and inconsequential. It felt like filler. As for the performances, I was disappointed that Tony Yazbeck was out on Friday night. His understudy was fine but lacked Tony's charisma and sex appeal. Brandon Uranowitz was excellent in some scenes and a bit over-the-top in others. Michael Xavier was mostly very good. It was the women, though, who were the real scene stealers. Bryonha Marie Parham knocks her roles out of the park. Her Caberet was so good, I want to see the show again just for that number. I haven't heard that song sung so well since Liza was in her prime (30+ years ago)! It really was breathtaking. Emily Skinner was in top form. I loved her rendition of The Ladies Who Lunch. Nobody plays cool, dry witted cynicism like she does. Karen Ziemba's So What was also very, very well done. Janet Ducal was quite good in her scenes. Overall, a mixed bag for me. Worth seeing (and revisiting) for the remarkable work of Bryohna Marie Parham. |
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| Too late to replace Uranowitz? | |
| Posted by: NoPeopleLike 07:50 am EDT 08/13/17 | |
| In reply to: Thoughts about the Prince of Broadway - Shutterbug 08:11 pm EDT 08/12/17 | |
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| Everyone seems to think he's the weakest link. | |
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| i thought he was great. | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 11:23 pm EDT 08/13/17 | |
| In reply to: Too late to replace Uranowitz? - NoPeopleLike 07:50 am EDT 08/13/17 | |
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| Too late to replace you at your job? | |
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| Too late to replace Cooper? ... | |
| Posted by: flaguy 08:12 am EDT 08/13/17 | |
| In reply to: Too late to replace Uranowitz? - NoPeopleLike 07:50 am EDT 08/13/17 | |
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| Not EVERYONE thinks Brandon Uranowitz is the weakest link. In fact, I thought he was pretty terrific throughout. |
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| re: Too late to replace Xavier? ... | |
| Posted by: EvFoDr 02:19 pm EDT 08/13/17 | |
| In reply to: Too late to replace Cooper? ... - flaguy 08:12 am EDT 08/13/17 | |
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| Sorry couldn't resist. But for me it was Xavier. Wasn't he supposed to sing Hey There but it was cut? Wasn't he replaced by Yazbeck as Che in the Evita section? That had to be the most atrocious performance of Being Alive I have ever seen or heard. Every line back-phrased to the point of preposterous. More spoken than sung. Constant twisting of word emphasis. I guess so he could "act" it more?? Some songs and composers might need those liberties to elevate their work, but not this one. It's funny, but he showed later in the Phantom section that he actually CAN sing and hold out a phrase. I am just baffled. I also saw him play Archie in The Secret Garden and thought he was wonderful in that. I hope he's ok. He seems really at sea here. And honestly I think all of the men have their issues, due mostly to not being a match to some of the material they are given. Perhaps that's an unavoidable side effect of using a relatively small groups of performers to play a wide variety of types and styles. I was surprised from early reports that no one was mentioning Uranowitz because I generally find him to the high point of everything he's in. But I get it now. Tonight at Eight is his jam. He might make a convincing emcee in a full production with more time to work on it but this isn't there yet. He seemed oddly miscast as Molina, which surprised me. But this is one show. I am still a big fan and look forward to what he'll do next. I feel the same about Cooper. He's a huge talent except where he's not well matched to the material. I think Yazbeck comes off best because he's mostly doing parts he could actually be cast to play. The odd but fascinating exception is Follies where he is clearly too young. But because it'a a nervous breakdown expressed in dance, and he's an expert dancer, he steals the show. |
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| Underwhelmed | |
| Posted by: stan 12:38 pm EDT 08/13/17 | |
| In reply to: Too late to replace Cooper? ... - flaguy 08:12 am EDT 08/13/17 | |
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| Pretty nice show -- No Yazbeck -- A couple of excellent performances -- a lot of OK numbers -- I believe I've seen all the shows (and several that weren't shown (I think there was a show about baseball at the old Circle in The Square, highlighted with the Abbot and Costello routine?) , but the memories of the sensational performances I saw the first time around probably served to disappoint some of what I saw yesterday. It was kind of nice to see that each vignette had a fine set, although 50 scenes (It seemed that way) was a little too much. My wife reminded me that she doesn't like the Channel 13 shows where they do Shakespeare scenes or Opera highlights either. Maybe, if Act One was a montage of Love Songs, Act Two : Comedy scenes, Act Three: Tragedy. One production melding into the next might have worked. Who knows. Mr Prince was sitting in the back. | |
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| re: Thoughts about the Prince of Broadway | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 11:12 pm EDT 08/12/17 | |
| In reply to: Thoughts about the Prince of Broadway - Shutterbug 08:11 pm EDT 08/12/17 | |
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| I wonder if Tony's understudy knew all of that detailed choreography for The Right Girl or if it was pared down. I can't imagine you not racing if Susan's choreography was done in full. | |
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| re: Thoughts about the Prince of Broadway | |
| Posted by: Shutterbug 12:23 am EDT 08/13/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Thoughts about the Prince of Broadway - KingSpeed 11:12 pm EDT 08/12/17 | |
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| I believe he did the full choreography because Tony's understudy is also the dance captain and has many choreographic credits. He was perfectly fine - but he wasn't Tony Yazbeck. | |
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| Just for the record, Tony's understudy would be Eric Santagata | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 03:51 am EDT 08/13/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Thoughts about the Prince of Broadway - Shutterbug 12:23 am EDT 08/13/17 | |
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| I would imagine it would be tough for anyone to literally follow in Tony's footsteps (especially on short notice). But Eric's credits would seem to imply he's still quite a dancer: He was also the dance captain of ''Bullets Over Broadway.'' Plus, he assistant directed and assistant choreographed ''The Scottsboro Boys'' and was a swing on ''Chaplin'' and ''The Apple Tree.'' |
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| Link | Eric Santagata: Broadway credits at IBDB.com |
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