| When was the last time there was a good Velma Kelly in the Broadway production of Chicago? | |
| Last Edit: GabbyGerard 04:17 pm EDT 09/01/18 | |
| Posted by: GabbyGerard 04:11 pm EDT 09/01/18 | |
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| I'm not referring to understudies or understudies who've received temporary star billing during an extended headliner's vacation (e.g., Donna Marie Asbury doing a two-week run here or there). I'm referring to a regular run of at least three months. I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of the production's performances at the Ambassador have featured a sub-par Velma because Brenda Braxton and Amra Faye Wright have headlined SO MUCH OF THE RUN.* Perhaps there was a point when Braxton or Wright turned in an impressive performance, but, in the multiple times that I have seen each of them as Velma, they have been--at best--underwhelming...and more frequently sloppy and detached. Many of the other Velmas I've seen at the Ambassador (Luba Mason, Pia Douwes, Roxane Carrasco) have also been problematic, though not nearly to the same extreme. I think I have to go all the way back to 2003 and the runs of Deidre Goodwin (perhaps the best to dance the role besides Bebe) and Caroline O'Connor to single out performers who have met the standard that this exquisite production of a damn near perfect musical should maintain. That being said, I have not seen many of the shorter-run headliners, including Carly Hughes, Nikka Graff Lanzarone, Reva Rice, Nancy Lemenager, Bahiyah Hibah, and--perhaps most notably---original revival Go-to-Hell Kitty Leigh Zimmerman. I post this not to trigger a litany of "Chicago is tired! It should have closed years ago" posts. I post this because I love this production and it holds a special place in my heart. Even in recent years, I have seen some wonderful performances in the roles of Roxie, Billy, Amos, and Mama...but never Velma. I'm hoping someone has had a different experience that could help me decide when to return to the production myself. *Terra C. MacLeod has also done a good chunk of the run. I've only seen video clips of her. Though I'd put her ahead of Braxton and Wright, she still does not seem to deliver in the way that I want a Velma to deliver. |
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