I was very glad to see the original production of Jerome Robbins' Broadway during previews, but I felt no need to see it a second time. It was great seeing all those numbers, but it did feel to me like "lite" versions of the material. The performers were generally very good, of course, but I think there's just no escaping that. I know that some folks felt as I did, while others were just completely thrilled.
The number I liked most was the "Charleston" from Billion Dollar Baby, and I gather that another audience favorite before it was cut (which probably happened just before I saw the show) was the other Billion Dollar Baby number, "Dreams Come True." And it was great to see numbers I had never seen before. But if there was a way to have made it build effectively or to compensate for the numbers being done out of context, they didn't find it. Or at least I didn't feel it. |
