Post by santtu on Dec 9, 2009 14:14:22 GMT -5
Leads: Christiane Noll (mother), Quentin Earl Darrington (Coalhouse Walker Jr.), Robert Petkoff (Tateh), Ron Bohmer (father), Stephanie Umoh (Sarah)
Finally, the beloved Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens musical is back on Broadway, where it had way too short a run some 10 years ago. But since the production company Livent went bankrupt, what can you do...
Not going to explain the plot here, it is full of characters and twists and turns - enough to keep one's attention on "full bright" for the entire show.
This revival is in every way a smaller production than the original - which included one of the biggest casts I've ever seen. Though this revival's cast is big, about 30 strong, it still is "only" about half the size of the original cast. But if you have listened the obcr over the years a lot (as I have), you can't help but notice the size of this cast during the big ensemble numbers. Where there's supposed to be a crowd is now barely a dozen people. And the size of the cast can also be heard in the power of the singing. Especially during the last verse of Act I finale, "Till we reach that day". A slight disappointment.
This production has a fixed set which works very well. With a bridge which can be lowered, this multi-leveled set serves its purpose more than well. Additional set pieces are very few, but there's naturally the car... well, more like a frame of a car.
One thing that bothered me a bit was the costume design. Of course when you have a show/plot that's fixed so firmly to a certain years, you're bound to follow some periodic style. But now there's some almost direct replica's of the original production's costumes (like Sarah's first dress). But put that factor aside, the costumes are great and well designed.
There are some changes made to the score, nothing major though. Some cuts and tightening here and there, like cutting the Houdini's mother's lines in the opening number, cutting a fragment of "Crime of the century" etc.
The performers are mostly great. The only actors I didn't like that much were Ron Bohmer (playing Father) and Robert Petkoff (Tateh). Bohmer is a great singer, but here he tried to play up the comedy and he ended up overdoing it, which was annoying. Petkoff's singing was also great, but two of his numbers ("Gliding" and "Buffalo Nickel Photoplay Inc.") were terribly forced and awkward. In "Gliding" there was no chemistry between Petkoff and the little girl, and the choreography just highlighted this.
Also, about casting, it was annoying to see that they had cast some of the roles based on the actors in the original cast. Like Stephanie Umoh, she sounded exactly like Audra McDonald. Why? There's simply no reason for it, as long as the actress can handle the part's vocal range, she doesn't need to sound like McDonald (and keeping in mind that Sarah's costumes were pretty much copies of the original's designs...)
Other than "Gliding", I found the choreography clever and effective. Especially in the opening number each of the three groups (upper class Americans, immigrants, negros (sorry if it's not the pc expression but that's what they use in this show)) have their own characteristic dance style, and these styles remain throughout the show. The choreography was created by the show's director, Marcia Milgrom Dodge.
The best part though, for me, in this show is the score. It is absolutely amazing. Though I've listened to the obcr a lot over the years, there are some songs that I usually skip over. But now it was actually interesting to "be forced" to sit and listen to them and see (or hear) how wonderful those numbers are.
The only thing that I missed from the original production was the fantastic and clever image in the final scene, when the cast starts to walk on stage from the wing in line, seen only as silhouettes against the back drop, moving to the music with powerful gestures and then, one by one the soloists leave the line to deliver his/her lines only to return in line taking the place of the next character speaking. For some reason I found this very effective and powerful. But, this is a new production with new images and new ideas.
All in all, a very good production of a fantastic musical. Hopefully this show will this time have a long run on Broadway which it deserves.
Finally, the beloved Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens musical is back on Broadway, where it had way too short a run some 10 years ago. But since the production company Livent went bankrupt, what can you do...
Not going to explain the plot here, it is full of characters and twists and turns - enough to keep one's attention on "full bright" for the entire show.
This revival is in every way a smaller production than the original - which included one of the biggest casts I've ever seen. Though this revival's cast is big, about 30 strong, it still is "only" about half the size of the original cast. But if you have listened the obcr over the years a lot (as I have), you can't help but notice the size of this cast during the big ensemble numbers. Where there's supposed to be a crowd is now barely a dozen people. And the size of the cast can also be heard in the power of the singing. Especially during the last verse of Act I finale, "Till we reach that day". A slight disappointment.
This production has a fixed set which works very well. With a bridge which can be lowered, this multi-leveled set serves its purpose more than well. Additional set pieces are very few, but there's naturally the car... well, more like a frame of a car.
One thing that bothered me a bit was the costume design. Of course when you have a show/plot that's fixed so firmly to a certain years, you're bound to follow some periodic style. But now there's some almost direct replica's of the original production's costumes (like Sarah's first dress). But put that factor aside, the costumes are great and well designed.
There are some changes made to the score, nothing major though. Some cuts and tightening here and there, like cutting the Houdini's mother's lines in the opening number, cutting a fragment of "Crime of the century" etc.
The performers are mostly great. The only actors I didn't like that much were Ron Bohmer (playing Father) and Robert Petkoff (Tateh). Bohmer is a great singer, but here he tried to play up the comedy and he ended up overdoing it, which was annoying. Petkoff's singing was also great, but two of his numbers ("Gliding" and "Buffalo Nickel Photoplay Inc.") were terribly forced and awkward. In "Gliding" there was no chemistry between Petkoff and the little girl, and the choreography just highlighted this.
Also, about casting, it was annoying to see that they had cast some of the roles based on the actors in the original cast. Like Stephanie Umoh, she sounded exactly like Audra McDonald. Why? There's simply no reason for it, as long as the actress can handle the part's vocal range, she doesn't need to sound like McDonald (and keeping in mind that Sarah's costumes were pretty much copies of the original's designs...)
Other than "Gliding", I found the choreography clever and effective. Especially in the opening number each of the three groups (upper class Americans, immigrants, negros (sorry if it's not the pc expression but that's what they use in this show)) have their own characteristic dance style, and these styles remain throughout the show. The choreography was created by the show's director, Marcia Milgrom Dodge.
The best part though, for me, in this show is the score. It is absolutely amazing. Though I've listened to the obcr a lot over the years, there are some songs that I usually skip over. But now it was actually interesting to "be forced" to sit and listen to them and see (or hear) how wonderful those numbers are.
The only thing that I missed from the original production was the fantastic and clever image in the final scene, when the cast starts to walk on stage from the wing in line, seen only as silhouettes against the back drop, moving to the music with powerful gestures and then, one by one the soloists leave the line to deliver his/her lines only to return in line taking the place of the next character speaking. For some reason I found this very effective and powerful. But, this is a new production with new images and new ideas.
All in all, a very good production of a fantastic musical. Hopefully this show will this time have a long run on Broadway which it deserves.