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| Thoughts on Five Shows (long, ugh) | |
| Posted by: carolinaguy 11:39 am EST 11/22/22 | |
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| Just got back from a weekend trip to check out one of the more robust fall slates in a while. Maybe some very minor spoilers below. KIMBERLY AKIMBO - Count me among those who loved this. What a gift to be able to see Victoria Clark giving such a master class, surrounded by essential supporting players. The idea of a teenage girl navigating both high school and her own impending death is challenging, and the show doesn't shy away from that part of it, but it's still done with a light and very human touch. Jeanine Tesori has never been one to dodge difficult subject matter, and she comes up with a fun score set to David Lindsay-Abaire's solid lyrics. To me, the music stood out more for its rhythms than melodies and maybe only a very few of the songs could be effectively done out of context ("Father Time", "Good Kid"). But in the moment, the numbers worked well. Bonnie Milligan is a delight as the bad seed in the family who hilariously shakes things up and her dragging the mailbox across the stage is a fantastic sight gag. I kept wondering how they could possibly end the show and the final image turns out to be heartbreaking yet life-affirming at the same time and just perfect. ALMOST FAMOUS - A lumpy misfire. It doesn't feel like the show was directed so much as it was vaguely organized. There are some clunky transitions and the script and score don't really bother to establish anything about the characters or make them feel individual. It's like they expect you've seen the movie so they just go through the motions of the limited plot. So of course, that leads to the obvious question of why bother to adapt this to the stage at all? Casey Likes is an appealing lead, but the only stakes for his character seem to be whether he will make it to his high school graduation ceremony. In a coming-of-age story, we need more of an arc and he doesn't even have something like an "I want" song to give us focus. Solea Pfeiffer is treated even more shabbily; she seems like she could have given a magnetic performance but we never really get to know anything about her character beyond being a type who has a cool pair of sunglasses. Every once in a while, a very attractive song arises from the mire ("Morocco, "The Night-Time Sky's Got Nothing on You") but overall this one just sits there. It was pretty telling that this was the only show I've seen in a while that didn't get a broad standing ovation at the (loud) curtain call. SOME LIKE IT HOT - A highly entertaining evening. Its tryout got scuttled by COVID, so there are still a few places where the pacing droops just a bit and there are some rough edges that need sanding, but for a staging so big and complex it's in remarkably good shape. NaTasha Yvette Williams and Kevin Del Aguila are spectacular in featured roles (and Del Aguila, even at this early stage, has the feel of a Tony winner to me) and Christian Borle is as reliably excellent as always. Adrianna Hicks brings the house down with her two big belt numbers ("A Darker Shade of Blue" and "Ride Out the Storm") and she's very effective in a quieter moment recalling her childhood in "At the Old Majestic Nickel Matinee." But her character doesn't feel specific enough yet in the book scenes -- wisely, she's definitely not trying to do Marilyn, but it just hasn't crystallized yet exactly who this particular Sugar Kane is. The standout performance of an overall very strong cast, though, is J. Harrison Ghee, who is on fire in every scene, nails every joke and dance step, and helps the show go a bit deeper than just "men in drag." Ghee's second-act number "You Coulda Knocked Me Over with a Feather" was obviously designed as a show-stopper, and stop the show it does. Quibbles? Perhaps several of the numbers feel very similar in style, even if they're quite good. Though Shaiman and Wittman do use Del Aguila's character of Osgood (owner of the Del Coronado Hotel) to stretch a little, providing him with a pastiche Tin Pan Alley-type number in "Poor Little Millionaire" and a gorgeous Latin-tinged ballad in "Fly, Mariposa, Fly." Also, the first act finale kind of just peters out when it could do a better job of raising the stakes and the excitement with the gangsters closing in. But everything comes together in a madcap second act finale with an amazingly choreographed chase in which mobile doors twirl and spin and basically act as additional chorus members. The audience I attended with loved this, so I hope it becomes a hit once the reviews are out. INTO THE WOODS - The main reason I decided to see this was for Stephanie J. Block as the Baker's Wife. But she apparently tested positive for COVID the day before I attended and had to be out. Oh well, such is life. Anyway, it was still a delight to see so many Broadway pros sing this wonderful score with a full orchestra doing them all justice. Brian d'Arcy James does a very moving "No More" and Patina Miller made a meal out of every line and reaction as the Witch. Katy Geraghty as Red Ridinghood was another particular favorite. And it's hard to imagine a more endearing presentation of Milky White, so major props to Kennedy Kanagawa for his essential contribution. It was Krysta Rodriguez's last day, so Gavin Creel gave a lovely tribute to her at the curtain call. Other than the understandably-absent Ms. Block, my only disappointment here was the weird shoes that were clomped across the stage to represent the giant's rampage. Those just didn't work for me. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS - Decided to see this on a whim as Sunday evening pickings were limited and it's gotten such positive reception. Matt Doyle had just started, but he apparently had a previous commitment, as the website indicated he would not be performing all weekend. I believe it was the first performance for his understudy, Jeff Sears, who was solid. Lena Hall as Audrey strikes that delicate balance of resignation to her lot in life with just enough optimism to keep her going. She and Sears teamed up for a "Suddenly Seymour" that had all the electric belting you could want. Just to further remind us that various viruses can wreak havoc on a company, at the curtain call, Andrew Call (Orin Scrivello, DDS) asked everyone who was "an understudy, a swing, or a former cast member who was called in a panic to come on with one rehearsal" to raise their hand. Over two-thirds of the people on stage did. |
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| re: Thoughts on Five Shows (long, ugh) | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 04:45 pm EST 11/22/22 | |
| In reply to: Thoughts on Five Shows (long, ugh) - carolinaguy 11:39 am EST 11/22/22 | |
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| Matt Doyle was out all weekend because he had a concert at Carnegie Hall on Friday and his sister’s wedding in Jamaica over the weekend. Doyle posted the information on Instagram so his fans would know he planned to be out. I was lucky to catch Rob McClure, Lena Hall, Bryce Pinkham and Brad Oscar in Little Shop for Pinkham’s last performance. Really the best cast you could ask for, though Pinkham was more weird than funny. I have seen Almost Famous twice and the audience did stand at the end for both performances. I personally wish standing ovations would go away. Isn’t cheering and loud applause enough? |
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