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| in praise of WHITE GIRL IN DANGER | |
| Posted by: ilw 09:57 am EDT 05/20/23 | |
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| Yes, White Girl in Danger is frenetic and exhausting, the plot goes haywire in the second act, and the sound design makes many of the lyrics indecipherable. It's also entertaining, smart, hilarious, and provocative, with ingenious choreography and catchy songs that are wonderfully wicked parodies of various pop, television and theatrical genres. There’s an inspired silliness to the dialogue and characters, reminiscent of Christopher Durang’s plays. There’s also fascinating commentary about how black people are portrayed in our culture, especially in the ways they are shown as victims. The cast is terrific, with many of the actors brilliantly playing multiple roles. The standout performance is given by Tarra Conner Jones, whose spectacular voice and comic timing elevate every scene she’s in. While not as satisfying or cohesive as A Strange Loop, White Girl in Danger is another great showcase for Michael R. Jackson’s unique voice and his well-crafted and exciting songs. I look forward to seeing and hearing what he comes up with next. |
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| re: "reminiscent of Christopher Durang’s plays" | |
| Posted by: Dale 04:36 pm EDT 05/23/23 | |
| In reply to: in praise of WHITE GIRL IN DANGER - ilw 09:57 am EDT 05/20/23 | |
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| Hardly and nobody walked out of Chris' plays at intermission | |
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| Final Performance Today | |
| Last Edit: Shutterbug 10:48 pm EDT 05/21/23 | |
| Posted by: Shutterbug 10:40 pm EDT 05/21/23 | |
| In reply to: in praise of WHITE GIRL IN DANGER - ilw 09:57 am EDT 05/20/23 | |
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| I saw the final performance today. It was a sold out house with a very enthusiastic audience. Michael R. Jackson was in attendance and sitting near me. No curtain speeches but extended applause and standing ovation. I really had fun. Very entertaining. On the plus side: It’s smart and funny and has something to say. The allusions - in the dialogue, the staging, and the music - are very clever. It’s over-the-top and never boring. Then there’s Tarra Conner Jones who is absolutely amazing. She got a genuinely felt mid-show standing ovation for her 11:00 o’clock number. She SANG THE HOUSE DOWN. It was a performance for the ages. On the down side: The show is overstuffed and chaotic and messy. The plot is completely bonkers - and really becomes unhinged in Act 2. Also, it’s long - nearly 3 hours. Show started about 3:11 or so and ended a few minutes after 6. Thirty minutes could easily be trimmed. I don’t think this would find an audience on Broadway, but it was a hell of a lot of fun at 2nd Stage. Finally, the sound design could use an overhaul. It’s not easy to discern the lyrics over the orchestra. Bottom line - I’m glad I saw it. I really appreciate Michael R. Jackson’s unique voice. Such a creative mind. I can’t wait to see his next project, TEETH. |
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| Michael R Jackson and sound design | |
| Posted by: showtunesoprano 01:03 pm EDT 05/22/23 | |
| In reply to: Final Performance Today - Shutterbug 10:40 pm EDT 05/21/23 | |
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| This is the second show of Jackson's that has had repeated criticisms of sound design and an inability to understand the lyrics. I, too, experienced these issues at both shows. At what point do we acknowledge that maybe it's the writing that is making things hard to hear/understand and that this is something that he needs to work on? FWIW, I really liked A Strange Loop and thought White Girl was interesting but needs work. I like what Jackson has to say and he is an interesting new voice in theater. But he maybe needs a refresher on how to write for singers so they can be understood. | |
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| re: Michael R Jackson and sound design | |
| Posted by: ilw 05:27 pm EDT 05/22/23 | |
| In reply to: Michael R Jackson and sound design - showtunesoprano 01:03 pm EDT 05/22/23 | |
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| I don't think Jackson's writing is the problem. The lyrics are perfectly clear in The Strange Loop NPR Tiny Desk Concert. That doesn't mean Jackson is blameless, since I think a show's songwriter should make sure that their show sounds good in the theater. BTW, the linked Tiny Desk Concert is a wonderful experience. It's great to see the musicians, who were invisible in the theater. I'm particularly fascinated by the song "Periodically," which is the phone call that the main character's mother makes to her son on his birthday, which goes to some unexpected places musically and lyrically. |
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| Link | NPR TIny Desk Concert: A Strange Loop |
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| re: in praise of WHITE GIRL IN DANGER | |
| Posted by: dannyr416 11:37 am EDT 05/21/23 | |
| In reply to: in praise of WHITE GIRL IN DANGER - ilw 09:57 am EDT 05/20/23 | |
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| Totally agree. I think it's too niche and cultish for an extended Broadway run, but the humour and depth and excellent music make it impossible to dismiss. I'm glad Tarra Conner Jones.is coming out of it with acclaim, and I am praying it gets recorded. | |
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| you must have seen a different musical than I saw | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 02:15 pm EDT 05/20/23 | |
| In reply to: in praise of WHITE GIRL IN DANGER - ilw 09:57 am EDT 05/20/23 | |
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| I was blown away by A Strange Loop. I'll just leave it at that. |
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| Agree completely | |
| Posted by: NeoAdamite 12:50 pm EDT 05/20/23 | |
| In reply to: in praise of WHITE GIRL IN DANGER - ilw 09:57 am EDT 05/20/23 | |
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| I'll even go a bit further and say that the problems are completely fixable. When NEXT TO NORMAL opened at 2nd Stage, it was pretty terrible, in spite of having been in development for many years. After 2nd Stage they took it to DC where they made some major changes, then they brought it back. |
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| re: Agree completely | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 08:22 am EDT 05/21/23 | |
| In reply to: Agree completely - NeoAdamite 12:50 pm EDT 05/20/23 | |
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| STRANGE LOOP was in great shape when it arrived off Broadway (arguably better than on Broadway), It was a massive Broadway flop. WHITE GIRL IN DANGER opened off Broadway as a major mess. Let it go. NEXT TO NORMAL was not, IMHO, terrible at SECOND STAGE. It was a good show, not a great show. There was that Wal-Mart comedy number that seemed to definitely be from another show. After its re-work at Arean Stage, the Broadway song list was very different than the off Broadway list. Mostly cuts rather than new songs. But it was easy to see a hit show emerging from NEXT TO NORMAL off Broadway. Its hard to see anything emerging from WHIT GIRL IN DANGER. Some show work, some dn't. Time to move on. |
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| re: Agree completely | |
| Posted by: NeoAdamite 04:08 am EDT 05/22/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Agree completely - NewtonUK 08:22 am EDT 05/21/23 | |
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| N2N made *major* changes after 2nd Stage. They rewrote the ending entirely (at 2nd Stage there was a terrible twist ending that they removed), they cut "Feeling Electric" as well as the Costco number. The daughter's song at the piano was rewritten. Some bad dialogue between Diana and the shrink was fixed. That's just off the top of my head, if I went back to the 2nd Stage score I could be more precise. I don't think WHITE GIRL IN DANGER is Broadway material - it's never going to fill 8000 seats a week. But I do think it can and should be improved. |
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| re: Agree completely | |
| Posted by: Ann 08:45 am EDT 05/21/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Agree completely - NewtonUK 08:22 am EDT 05/21/23 | |
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| I loved Next to Normal at Second Stage (except for the Costco number, though I didn't even hate that) - it needed another go over (which it got), but it was stunning to me. | |
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| re: Agree completely | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 10:11 am EDT 05/21/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Agree completely - Ann 08:45 am EDT 05/21/23 | |
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| I saw Next to Normal at Second Stage also. It was really hard to get a ticket. In fact, Second Stage actually sold me a standing room ticket, but they ended up seating me (in the very first row actually). The show was very powerful there, and frankly Brian D'Arcy James' portrayal has never been equaled IMO. My recollection is that the production received mostly raves and was very well received on ATC. It certainly was a very good show, even in its infancy. I agree, though, that getting rid of the Costco scene was an improvement. |
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| re: Agree completely | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 09:34 am EDT 05/21/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Agree completely - Ann 08:45 am EDT 05/21/23 | |
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| Thank you - COSTCO not WALMART! | |
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