---Theatre---
March 16'07
Well its been a very very long time since Ive updated this page so here
are my thoughts on a number of currently playing shows.
Tarzan- This show was blasted by the NY critics and while it is most
definitely a very flawed show, I thoroughly enjoy it. If youre going
to buy tickets to this show, I say the closer the better. Student rush
is occassionally front row and with no heads in front of you, you can
easily feel like youre part of the show instead of just watching the
show. Views from the back and above have various disadvantages. Ive
taken a few non-theatre people many of whom responded with the belief
that it should have won the Tony. The opening sequence will easily make
any mother cry. Chester Gregory gets huge audience reactions every night
with his vocal stylings. Josh Strickland and Jenn Gambatese have great
chemistry.
Mary Poppins- This show is one great big ball of spectacle.
I saw the show multiple times just to figure out how many of the tricks
work. Gavin Lee is by far the stand out in my opinion. Ashley Brown
will win you over but shes not the strongest dancer in the big ensemble
numbers. Mark Price and Ruth Gottschall both milk their parts for all
their worth. Supercali... and Step In Time were my favorite numbers.
Temper Temper might scare small children but it didn't seem that bad
to me. So go see it, take the kids and if theyre sold out, see Tarzan.
Drowsy Chaperone- I wouldn't really recommend this show except to other
theatre nerds. Im not sure that the humor would really appeal to the
NYC tourist type. If you ARE a big theatre nerd who can relate to listening
to cast recordings to remember a live theatrical experience, then you
will enjoy this show. The actor who won the Tony for Man In Chair recently
left the show, but I cant imagine any actor worth their salt not landing
those lines with an audience of people who 'get it.'
A Chorus Line- This production was my first introduction to the show.
I've heard from those who like the movie or liked the previous Broadway
run that this show pales in comparison but for someone with no frame
of reference, the show is largely good. Unfortunately I think two of
the more veteran performers fall flat. Michael Berresse disappointed
me, especially when I loved him in Light In The Piazza. He seems bored
with his role. Perhaps being off stage and behind the audience for a
good part of the show makes it difficult for him to stay mentally in
the moment but all his line readings seemed forced to me. Also for some
reason Charlotte D'Amboise doesn't seem able to command the whole stage
in the one number where shes really meant to shine. The rest of the
ensemble make the show worth the visit.
Spelling Bee- I went to this show on a "gay night" where some
of the jokes were changed to appeal to a certain demographic. Having
only seen it that one time, Im not entirely sure which parts of the
show were specific to that performance and which parts were always there.
I expected to hate this show, and as with most shows where I go in with
low expectations, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I wouldn't
call it a new favorite but I wouldn't call it a wasted night either.
The show starts slow and ends slow but somewhere in the middle, I laughed
continuously at the character development.
Jersey Boys- By far the best jukebox musical to date. Using the songs
rarely to further the story and mostly in the context of "and then
we had this hit..." strips it of the cheesiness most other jukebox
musicals suffer from. Its probably one of the easiest currently running
shows to take the non-theatre person to. I took my father infact, who
ran away from Broadway screaming after watching the last production
of Les Mis. I havent had the pleasure of seeing John Lloyd Young but
Ive seen both Dominic Nolfi and Michael Longoria and both were very
good in the role. Michael Longoria was probably just a little bit better
and thats probably why hes now the official Frankie cover performing
all the show's matinees.
Spring Awakening- This is a show that youll either love or hate. I love
it. Set in 1890s Germany it speaks about children coming of age and
the universal nature of the problems children face during this time
in their life, even today. Not to give too much away but the show has
sex, love, abortion, suicide, masturbation and nudity. Jon and John
are both mind blowing. Groff has a clean sweet sound and its clear from
his rockin performance that Gallagher Jr has a band of his own. Lea
Michelle has been with the show for a number of years while she does
a good job with the role, nothing about her performance tells me that
shes been working with this character for as long as she has. There
are only two adults in the show (every other performer is under 25)
but the adults play a variety of characters from parents to school masters
to doctors and you know instantly the moment they stand which character
they are.
May 9th- All Shook Up
Many of the big critics begrudgingly gave ASU a good review. Most considered
the show within the context of being a jukebox musical, saying it was
pretty good for what it is or that considering that its recycled material,
it does a nice job. The show doesn't pretend to take itself seriously
as numerous characters breakout into the same one liner when they find
the love of their life and this wink-wink attitude definitely helped
them along. You might be reminded of a few different musicals watching
ASU but I think ASU realizes that. They even had a joke about the trend
of taking old songs and putting them into musicals but sadly it was
changed. It had a pretty solid storyline if you dont mind over the top
cutesy endings- which I recently learned a friend of mine takes great
issue with. Only one sung really stuck out as inappropriate, Jailhouse
Rock, would have fit better as if introduced as a dream sequence from
Chad. A good time all around. With a whole balcony of tickets costing
only 19.55, I can definitely suggest this show for a visit.
April 27th. - Good Vibrations - By Mistress
Yes, I know, it just closed. I thought I would put just a few thoughts
down, I didnt want to skip writing about it like I did with Dracula.
This show got the worst reviews I've ever seen, so I was really expecting
to see something awful. Many friends laughed at me for going. As noted
in my previous entry, this seems to affect my viewing experience from
time to time. Perhaps because I was expecting SO little, it explains
why I actually enjoyed myself. Its a jukebox musical to start, so many
hate those off the bat. I like the Beach Boys so there was nothing wrong
with the music. They changed the tempo of certain songs and the placement
of two seemed random but I did follow a storyline- kids graduate, they
dont want to start life, they shrug off responsibilites, party in a
far off land called California, learn things about themselves / each
other and it all ends well.
The cast were all pretty amazing. I couldn't hear David
Larsen well on a few songs but this may have been more of a mic problem
than his singing. Brandon Wardell sang one of my favorite songs. Tituss
Burgess, also good. I do wish Sebastian Arcelus and John Jeffrey Martin
had more to do on that stage, they both sing beautifully. The leading
ladies both seemed somewhat cartoonish but in a show like this, similar
to old beach movies, it fit right in- along with the random character
meetings.
I wasnt all that bothered by the lack of a definite time
period- kids not wanting to move on from high school seemed a rather
timeless concept to me. The staging couldve been stronger, it would
have been nice if the surfers were a bit more adventurous, perhaps setting
up multiple visual levels. The giant set piece that served as a wave,
grass and snow also didnt bother me much, it couldve been better, but
I believed it when the lighting was indicating a change in scenery.
Can't complain about the costumes when theres that much skin on stage.
In the end I enjoyed myself, dancing quite a bit in my
seat. I wish it had made it until the summer, I think tourists wouldve
liked it more than NYers who often see SO much theater that its just
hard to impress us. So many people are out of a job & I hate to
see a theater go dark.
April 6. - Spamalot - by Mistress
Ive been going back and forth with my opinion on this show. Perhaps
I just unfortunately fell victim to hype. The Producers disappointed
me probably for that exact reason. Now, its not that I was disappointed
here, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but I dont think its the second coming
if you know what I mean. I should start by saying if you enjoyed The
Holy Grail, youll likely enjoy this show. The Knights that say Ni and
other memorable bits are fairly intact. Sadly some of the concepts that
work well in movies dont work well on stage and so they were cut. I
also think that musical theater fans will have a lot of material to
enjoy as the show often makes references to other characters and shows
and just musical theater in general with songs like "The Song That
Goes Like This." Its in the marriage of these two concepts that
the causes the show to suffer. It often feels like youre watching a
Monty Python scene followed by a musical theater scene. Python fans
will be disappointed in the attempt to make this show coherent and follow
a storyline when most of what was loved about the movies was how little
sense they made. Musical theater fans might find the lack of plot annoying.
So, as both, im feeling a tad schizofrenic on my feelings. The show
does have an obvious joke about awkward scene changes so perhaps they
realize the lack of smoothness. Fortunately all the performers are incredible.
Tim Curry was, well, himself and it worked. David Hyde Pierce's big
number was probably my favorite. Hank Azaria plays some of my favorite
characters, again not trying to copy the movie actors, but making the
roles his own. Sara Ramirez is a great addition to this male-heavy cast,
she knows how to take the spotlight. Shes a favorite for featured actress
at the Tonys. I hestitantly suggest seeing this show, if for no other
reason, to see them find the grail under someones ass.
March 20. - 12 Angry Men - by Mistress
I saw this show quite a while ago, but I will do my best to put together
some thoughts now. I dont often see straight plays so this was a rare
occassion for me. The show is a real dramatic piece, I enjoyed the two
movies as well, so I figured the only way I wouldnt enjoy it was if
the actors were doing a terrible job. Fortunately the cast was full
of fabulous and well known actors all of whom did their parts as expected.
I didn't feel they were trying to imitate the movie actors, which was
also good- they werent trying to reinvent the wheel either, just work
with the material they were given. I felt completely transformed and
brought back into the time of the show with the set and costumes. I
was particularly impressed with the set because at first I thought the
bathroom scenes would just be restaged when I didnt see a bathroom but
to my surprise, the whole set moves to reveal the bathroom! The effect
of the rain and view out the windows were also quite impressive. I really
hope this show finds an opportunity to move to another theater so it
doesnt have to close. I highly suggest seeing it!
Feb 20. La Cage Au Folles - by Mistress
Saw the show for the first time. Well worth the trip, but its not a
new favorite. Its difficult to see a show like this when youre compelled
to compare it to the movie, but the back and forth nature that is easily
accomplished on screen is not as easy on stage. Because of this we lose
a bit of the setup which is my larger concern.
The Les Cagelles stole the show. After watching them dancing and kicking
and jumping, when Zaza comes out and says something like 'you can hardly
expect me to stay on stage for that' I really wondered why Zaza was
the headliner aside from the fact that hes the love of the club owner.
Don't get me wrong, I felt for the main characters and sympathized but
maybe the club was overused (maybe poorly used) and the story suffered.
Why dont we meet the girls parents sooner, like her breaking it to
her parents? Why dont we ever see the reporters, so we understand what
its like to be a politician? Why dont we get a better sense for that
Jacqueline woman when they first encounter her? All these questions
and I really wonder why they help the man leave, and we hardly get a
sense for him at all! I felt like the last 20 mins of the show was 'SURPRISE,
heres a twist!' Why were the Les Cagelles suddenly in the restaurant?
Is it attached? I was confused about that, it was definitely a real
restaurant since the girls mom knew about it. I later learned it was
supposed to be a dream sequence, or rather the things going on in Albin's
mind, but theres very little there to indicate that.
The show couldve used one scene- just one- where the girls dad was
ending some press conference, you see the press, then he goes in another
room, his daughter breaks the news and they decide they want to meet
him and his parents. The first scene where you meet Jacqueline shouldve
had a little bit of gossip in it so atleast youd know shes that kind
of woman. The uneasyness and mess ups from Albin and Georges were hysterical
but the dinner scene couldve used a little conversation- and not about
a dowery (who cares?)- but about what they believe in politcally, then
break into song. A little political conversation couldve given this
show the spice it needed to bring it right into the 21st century.
I did enjoy the songs and the sets and the costumes were fabulous.
The acting and singing were all spot on. Georges and Albin have a little
dance break in front of the curtain, which reminded me of Hairspray
but Im not sure if it was supposed to. Choreography there seemed really
familiar. The Les Cagelles choreography rocked! A lot of acrobatic type
work. Shows like this make me wish for a best ensemble tony award.
---
Feb 9.
Ive seen a lot of shows since my last update so I should have a new
review every week, even if the show isnt open anymore. Im going to post
Avenue Q this week because JTags is leaving and Barret Foa is taking
over the lead role. I already had the CD for this show so I kinda knew
what to expect. Its a fun show with adult themes presented in a format
thats reminiscent of Sesame Street. It took me a long time to actually
get around to seeing this show, mostly because being a visual artist,
I thought I would be distracted seeing the actors holding puppets. They
do a fabulous job and move as one so thankfully this was not much of
an issue. There are some surprises in the show that weren't clear in
the CD and I dont want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen the show
yet. It is an edgy show and probably not something youd take mom to
see. A nice older lady sitting next to me could only say that the show
was 'different.' I love Wicked but I walked away fully understanding
why Q won the Tony. Go see it and best of luck to Foa.
OLD NEWS---'03
10/15
Ooooooh Take Me Out was fun! I dont even like baseball all that much,
which is a terrible thing to say when you're in NY and The Yankees are
in the World Series but I digress. It was so funny, I wasn't expecting
it to be. Telecharge had it listed as a drama, and it of course does
have its serious points but I laughed a lot. One character functions
mostly as a narator. He talks directly to the crowd pretty often, which
I enjoy. It plays with the setting of stage and audience. They play
stadium style music between scenes. There are a TON of shower scenes
in this movie! Don't take any young kids!! The overall plot for those
who don't know, is that of a baseball player who comes out of the closet
and how that affects his team and friends. If it weren't for the nudity,
I would bring my dad, but that'd just be too weird. I am bringing my
mom to see it sometime soon.
10/4
Seeing Take Me Out on Wednesday. I will have a full report for you on
that. Cabaret took down its closing notice. Little Shop opened to bad
reviews. My one sentence comment about an ensemble member possibly being
fired from Hairspray seemed to rock the worlds of some people on the
Hairspray message board. It just reinforced my thinking that NY theatre
goers are such wusses. Still transcribing the Mary Bond Davis interview.
I promise it'll be up soon!
9/27
Lots of missed broadway type news. A little birdie told me someone from
the Hairspray ensemble is getting fired this week, but lets back track
to what we've missed. Broadway On Broadway was a lot of fun. Melanie
Griffith's performance in "They Both Reached for the Gun"
as a puppet was pathetic. She didn't even have to sing and she still
sucked. Her understudy who did the sound checks looked so much better.
I can't wait to see Little Shop Of Horrors now, I thought Kerry Butler
sounded amazing when she performed. The broadway flea market was this
weekend. I had fun, I bought a Tonys poster for 25 cents. Mary Bond
Davis signed it saying "its all politics" the day that I interviewed
her. And her interview is coming soon! Its looooooong! I saw NINE recently.
I enjoyed it very much. It's not as good as Hairspray, mostly because
this is set in Italy so, the accents and random italian phrases made
some parts difficult to follow.
5/23
"The Wiz" Set For Broadway In 2004
William F. Brown and Charlie Smalls' hip-hop and soul flavored 1975
tuner will bow on Broadway in spring 2004. "The Wiz" is based
on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel "The Wonderful Wizard Of oz".
This will be the musical's first broadway mounting in 20 years. Produced
by Dodger Theatricals, the mounting is set to be helmed by Des McAnuff,
artidtic director of La Jolla Playhouse. Though all previous first class
stagings of "The Wiz" in the U.S. have featured entirely African-Amercian
casts, this mounting will be multi-ethnic. No out-of-town try-out is
expected.
Even though "The Wiz" is now a fairly popular show,the show's
beginnings mirror closely with the current situation of "Urban
Cowboy" on Broadway. After a well recieved out-of-town run, the
original 1975 production came to Gotham only to be greeted by very low
ticket sales and bad word of mouth from "traditional" Broadway
audiences.Opening night was greeted with dismal reviews and a closing
notice.The company, however, refused to give in and battled back with
a hail storm of publicity.. including the cast pounding the pavement
and papering the streets. (Notice the "Urban Cowboy" parallel?)
With-in a few weeks, "The wiz" was playing to sold out audiences
and enjoying a 1,672 performance run that included a move from the Majestic
Theatre to the larger Broadway Theatre. The original Broadway production
of "The Wiz" shuttered on january 28, 1979.
In 1984 however, it's first Broadway revival opened at the Lunt-Fontanne
Theatre and tanked after only 13 performances.
A 1993 national tour reunited original stars Stephanie Mills and Andre
DeShields and included a stop at the Beacon Theatre in New York. It
was briefly rumored for a broadway transfer, but the idea was quickly
abandoned.
Most people are familiar with "The wiz" mainly through the
drastically different and embarassingly horrible 1978 Diana "Gee
I look drugged out" Ross and Micheal " I should've been a
Catholic priest" Jackson screen germ of a film.
So it appears now that the 2003-2004 theatre season will be bringing
a lot of Oz to Gotham's great White way. Halloween brings us Steven
Schwartz's new tuner "Wicked" ( based on the novel), a prequel
to the original Oz adventure outlinng why the witch became so wicked.
"Wicked" will star broadway's original Maureen, Idina Menzel,
and everyone's favorite marvelousely miniature vixen, Tony winner Kristin
Chenoweth. October also gives us "The Boy From Oz", a biographical
musical about Liza Minnelli's gay husband -- NO, not the one she is
bearded to, I mean MARRIED to now. The other one. ( ::insert sarcasm::
like THAT narrows it down) Hugh jackman is slated to play the boy from
Oz himself, Peter Allen. Now we discover the spring will add yet another
Oz related musical in the form of "The Wiz". If someone decides
to revive the stage version of the MGM film, we will have a boxed set.
As recently as last year, "The Wiz"'s original dorothy, Stephanie
mills, has expressed an interes in participating in a new broadway mountind,
though not as a post-menopausal Dorothy. If that were to happen, it
would most likely be as Aunt Em or Glinda.
Though no casting or theatre has been announced, I would like to make
one demand... er, suggestion:
QUEEN LATIFAH AS EVILLENE
Laterz,
BroadwayGuy
-----------------------
4/10
Well. I am going to present two emails. The first one being my email
to Tom McCoy the second being his reponse. Its quite interesting to
see the two sides of an argument so closely agree on how something happened
but disagree so passionately on who was in the right. Now before I get
bashed for this, I am not saying Sebastian doesn't have the right to
his feelings. As I said in my last piece if he was unhappy then fine,
LEAVE. I think he has the right to leave an unhappy situation, unfortunately
how the show conducts their curtain call isn't his call to make. I honestly
didnt expect this kind of open response from Mr McCoy but OUCH! That
said, read on.
From: "Mistress Spouzic" <Mistress@spouzic.com>
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003 09:00:08 -0700
To: <tom@mccoyrigby.com>
Subject: your thoughts re: Sebastian Bach
Mr McCoy,
I run a small sports and music website and well, lets just say I like
to stir the pot to keep things interesting. You can visit my site at
http://www.spouzic.com
where in the hollywood (or entertainment) section I commented on Sebastian
Bach's original statement on his website which has since been replaced
by a much more polite comment with less specifics. I was hoping to get
a comment from you. I promise not to paraphrase or take out of context
anything you say, I infact would most likely display this email and
your email in reply as is. I read on a message board that you said in
an email response to someone's plea to 'bring back Bach' that you would
'rather shoot off your foot.' Sebastian Bach's claim was that the powers
that be at Jesus Christ Superstar were trying to remove all the rock
n roll from the production. He also claimed a confrontation between
him and some unnamed cast member. Do you have anything to say that is
maybe more to the point than you can be in an official production statement?
What caused this seemingly unhappy parting?
Mistress Spouzic
HIS REPLY:
FROM: "Tom McCoy" <tom@mccoyrigby.com>
| Save Address
DATE: Wed, 9 Apr 2003 10:13:08 -0700
TO: <mistress@spouzic.com>
SUBJECT: RE: your thoughts re: Sebastian Bach
Dear Mistress Spouzic,
I won't go into great detail, but the straw that
finally broke the camels back was an incident that occurred two Friday's
ago in Columbus Ohio. I asked the director of JCS to go out and adjust
the curtain call in a very minor way, to portray Sebastian in a better
light. Sebastian was warned weeks earlier in a letter from me that this
would happy. During the rehearsal, he decided not to accept the directors
changes, walked off stage, got into his car, and vanished, missing the
entire five show weekend in Columbus. We had been putting up with
this kind of behavior from the first day of rehearsals. Columbus gave
me the legal opportunity to finally get rid of Sebastian. After all
his bluster about "his fans", I found it interesting that
he left his Columbus fans high and dry. This story is just the tip of
the iceberg, but suffice to say that the entire Superstar company is
thrilled with the change, now that the white elephant in the middle
of the living room has left the scene. Since Sebastian's name was only
selling between 30 and 50 tickets per night in 3,000 seat theatres,
it made the decision even easier.
----------------------------------------------------
4/5
Well my patience went out the window with this topic, forgive me because
my rant is long. Sebastian Bach was fired from his role in Jesus Christ
Superstar. He skipped out a few days and all his fans were worried for
a good four days before the official word was given.
A day or so before Sebastian explained his departure the JCS offices
released their statement that he had been terminated. His ever passionate
fans waited for a reason as to why. I was quite surpised he gave one.
More surprised though at how lame his excuse was. Sebastian came up
with a lame "I did it for rock" explanation. Idve been happier
if the guy just said I didnt like it anymore so I quit. I dont for a
second believe that when they said we're changing the curtain call he
said Nah my fans wont like that. *He* didnt like what they wanted to
change. Period. I get the feeling this wasn't an isolated incident of
the producers wanting change so well give him the benefit of the doubt
and just hope that he wasn't very good at explaining the big picture.
Unfortunately, in theatre, the actors are pretty low on the totem pole
of importance. This isnt his show so they dont have to come to their
senses and see it his way. He went home to cool off, cuz he needed a
break, whatever.. probably for a multitude of reasons but im sure it
just came off to the producers as him being spiteful, its not like he
took a random day off, he took days off after a disagreement. He over
estimated his importance to this production. Im all for the guy doing
things he enjoys and if the situation at JCS wasnt a good one, he had
every right to want out. Im glad hes going to do things he truly enjoys
now; If the producers claim a breach of contract hell probably lose
his equity card anyway. But I dont appreciate him writing a rant that
makes me feel like he thinks im an idiot.
Now before anyone jumps on me for this, ill continue I think the man
has integrity. I think the guys just a tad melodramatic. The likelyhood
of this horrible addition to the curtain call removing all sense of
rock in the show doesnt sound too believable to me. The point is he
thinks he had the right to contest a change in the show and hes an ACTOR.
On the rock n roll stage he can do whatever he wants. In theatre you
listen to lots of people. Shows change all the time, its not up to him.
He didnt like it, fine, LEAVE but dont tell me you were going to argue
it cuz you think *I* wouldnt like it and then be surprised when they
fire you.
In all honesty his long winded rant only made me wonder who in the cast
would stand up to him. I would bet his 'physical confrontation' is just
a bit exaggerated but even so, the only person I can think of who had
that kind of clout would be Carl Anderson. Carl seemingly loved Sebastian
but hey even good friends fight, right?
Rock On, Mistress
------------------------------
Tiffany is headed to Cabaret next! Geez is this
show physically incapable of going on without a name in it?? Im half
amused by this one though simply because she posed for Playboy and no
one mentioned that over at the broadway.com message boards.
Urban Cowboy didnt close, the producers decision
to keep the show open came as much as a surprise to the cast as it did
to the audience on its supposed closing night. The show had recieved
hundreds of letters concerning its closing from upset fans. These letters
influenced the decision to keep the show open as the producers hope
the thousand or so who openly expressed their love for the show will
spread the word and fill those seats.
3/14
I read today that John Travolta was originally asked to play Billy Flynn
in the movie version of Chicago and turned it down because he couldn't
see how it would adapt to television. Now I thought Richard Gere was
an odd casting decision but by comparison hes genius. Travoltas only
saving grace his is wicked evil smile!
3/11
No more worries about Kelly Osbourne in Hairspray, she is said to be
signing on for a production of Taboo.
Talks over-night in the Mayors office brought the strike to an end.
The Mayor felt the need to get involved as NYC was already on shakey
economic grounds still trying to recover from September 11th.
3/10
Broadway musicians on strike. Actors Equity and the Stagehands union
decided not to cross the picket lines so, half of Broadway has been
dark for three days with not talks between the producers union and the
musicians union being held. The talks ended when the Producers' union
suggested a minimum of 15 players in orchestras for their biggest theatres
as a final offer when the Musicians union wanted 21. Lots of money is
being lost of Broadway and NYC in general as hotels and restaurants
are surely affected. Hope this gets resolved soon.
3/4
How ridiculous is this? Sharon and Kelly Osbourne went to see Hairspray
and after seeing the show decided that Kelly should be the next Tracy.
While they were backstage they shared this interest with the casting
director. Now maybe its just me, but I thought you needed talent to
get on a Broadway stage and having a famous daddy doesn't quite cut
it. I wonder how that conversation went, Hi. Im Sharon Osbourne, maybe
you've heard of my husband, he's known for biting the heads off of bats.
My daughter wants to be the next Tracy.
3/1
Debbie Gibson joins Cabaret! And Doogie Howser is in it too?!? WoW that
seems worth checking out! What next a heavy metal singer plays Jesus
and more teeny boppers will think they can act?? Oh wait...
12/10
A Very Long JCS Review From Peggy.
Friday, Nov 1, Saturday Nov 2 and Sunday
Nov. 3.
I'm still flying high after seeing Sebastian perform as Jesus Christ
over the weekend. Me, Owen , Chris and Mich went. We flew into Long
Beach Airport on Friday afternoon. We had a good flight and it was very
interesting landing at Long Beach. Since we are accustomed to JFK and
the airport in LB is just about the total opposite in size. We arrived
at about 3:30 ? we had enough time to get our rental car, find the hotel,
take a short rest and start getting ready for the show. We went to dinner
across the street from the hotel ? a steak house that we later found
out was most famous for having snow on the roof. Something I didn't
even notice. The food was good, but we were all looking forward to the
show. After missing one turn we got to the theater at about 7:15. We
met up with Jen and we saw Chika and Jessica.
The theater itself was very nice, fairly new, the lobby was very comfortable
with couches and tables and chairs set up in seating groups. Inside
there was a floor level and a balcony. There was plenty of legroom and
the seats were quite comfortable. There is no curtain on the stage,
when you walk in and sit down you are looking at the set. It has two
levels; there are two pillars with a drawbridge/scaffold between them.
The center section of the bridge can be removed. That is the scenery
for the entire play. There are some other details that are raised or
lowered, as the story requires. These include banners, jail bars and
of course a massive cross. During the overture, the conflict between
Jesus and Judas is immediately emphasized, with Jesus standing on the
upper level, and Judas sitting on the lower. Set in an indeterminate
time, the costumes are modern style. Jesus wears a gauzy white cotton
shirt, khaki pants and blue/gray cons in the opening scene; while Judas
is in a white shirt, black pants and black leather jacket. Their costumes
progress to reflect the changes in the characters as the story unfolds,
until Jesus is dressed in what would be appropriate clothing for the
biblical times. Judas personality is shown to be changing by the darkening
of his shirts from white to red to the final black. The apostles and
disciples are in contemporary clothing with a militaristic edge, including
knives and batons. The Roman guards look like storm troopers out of
Star Wars, and Pilate wears a uniform very reminiscent of Hitler's SS
troops. Mary is in a red, spaghetti strapped, low cut gown with a high
slit up the side.
Carl Anderson's lower register voice and Sebastian's higher one also
emphasize the contrast and conflict. They compliment each other well
and both sing with a lot of emotion. Natalie Toro's Mary had a strong
presence as well and gave an exceptionally dramatic reading to "I
Don't Know How To Love Him" which, aside from the title song, is
probably the show's best known. The show is very demanding physically
as well as vocally, with the cast climbing up and down the pillars throughout.
The Temple scene was done quite effectively, with the crowd all dressed
in black and stock tickers lowering from the ceiling. There was a trading
frenzy that almost seemed to turn into an orgy, and Jesus anger is clearly
justified. It is also the first of many screams that Sebastian lends
to the role.
The Last Supper is portrayed almost as a fistfight between Jesus and
Judas, like two caged animals they begin by circling the table from
opposite sides. One of them pulls the cloth off it and they step up
on it and begin pushing each other. The fight turns into a forgiveness
scene, and ends with Jesus standing and Judas kneeling at his feet.
Gethsemane was totally AWESOME. Sebastian starts out very quietly, builds
up to screams, pulls at his shirt, pounds his chest, writhes on the
floor in agony, then sings almost in a whisper "take me now before
I change my mind" while standing up perfectly straight and looking
heavenward. He sings it with so much passion and emotion it made me
cry.
The entire second act is very graphic and disturbing. There is a beating
by the Roman soldiers that is shown in slow motion, the 39 lashes and
ultimately the crucifixion itself. After the flogging, Jesus is totally
covered in blood, from his knees to his neck.
While the production was excellent and I totally enjoyed the performances,
I do have some problems with the show itself. I am very familiar with
the story, having had 12 years of Catholic education, but there were
many inconsistencies from what I had learned, and some omissions that
made the story a bit difficult to follow. The divisions of government
at that time are difficult enough to understand, and no explanation
of it is given. Also, the reasons why "This Jesus Must Die"
are never fully explained. I won't even go into the controversy that
portraying Christ as only a man raises. In addition there is some indication
of a sexual relationship between him and Mary, and the possible hint
of homosexuality between Jesus and Judas, all of which defy tradition.
However, none of these concerns are enough for me to suggest not seeing
the show, on the contrary I would highly recommend it.
Peggy
Rocknrollmom
Hairspray
is the newest thing on broadway. Ive had the pleasure of seeing it three
times and I do suggest everyone go see it!
STUFF
Yeah yeah, I know, I run off to see Rocky Horror a thousand times I
don't even post MY REVIEW and I just completely stopped updating! IM
SORRY! My new favorite performer is MATTHEW MORRISON he was one of the
phantoms in Rocky Horror and next on his agenda is a broadway production
of HAIRSPRAY! Hairspray is due on Broadway around August. Also after
seeing Forever Wild with Sebastian Bach, I'm going to have to say DeLaguarda
looks like a pretty kickass show! If youve seen it, drop us an email
and let us know!
~Rock On, Mistress
We're living in America....
Scary. Justin Timberlake of NYSNC is vying for a part in a supposed
movie version of the popular play Rent. *shudder*
~Rock On, Mistress
YO ADRIAN!
Ok So who remembers the "Rocky" movies? Be afraid, be very
afraid. It seems that "Rocky" will be coming to Broadway in
the near future. There's no word on when the it will hit Broadway or
who will be the star of the production, because, rest assured it will
not be Stalone, but i'll keep you posted.
~ Peace and Hairgrease, Lisa