Post by RockAus on Jan 12, 2005 17:11:44 GMT 11
Okay now we get to New York’s Broadway:
RENT – without Mel B![/u]
Okay so I’m going to do two entirely different reviews for RENT…the first without Mel B (aka Scary Spice) playing Mimi, then the next one with her, because basically they are two very different shows!
So I saw this show three times (actually quite tame for me!!) and the first and third time I saw it was with Dominique Roy playing Mimi (as Mel B doesn’t do matinee’s). Dominique was a BRILLIANT Mimi…she was little, cute and sexy. Jeremy Kushnier (Roger) responded well to Dominique and their chemistry was amazing.
Other stand out performances were :
- Maggie Benjamin as Maureen (absolutely hilarious in “Over the Moon”) who is a very sexy, sassy, feisty Maureen. She’s absolutely amazing.
- Matt Caplan as Mark… he is a FABULOUS actor and singer and has really made the role his own. He’s absolutely hilarious in “La Vie Boheme” and has an amazing chemistry with all the other actors… Mark is supposed to hold the show together, and Matt takes to this role with absolute ease!
- Mark Richard Ford as Collins – We saw him first people, he was the Australian Collins, and he has done brilliantly on Broadway… he still brings tears to everyone’s eyes when he sings “I’ll Cover You”… and gets mobbed by fans after the show! JGo mark!
The show itself is exactly the same choreography and predominantly the same costuming and set design as Australia, so it can’t be faulted. I wasn’t overly impressed with Andy Senor as Angel, I thought Opell Ross was a much better Angel, but they are bringing Jai Rodriguez (yep that’s right the Queer Eye guy) back in July, so that will be much better, as he’s a brilliant Angel.
For this production I give 4 ½ *’s to the performers, 5*’s to the set design and 5*’s to the show itself!
RENT with Mel B (aka Scary Spice!)[/u]
Oh dear…it’s like watching a completely different show when Mel is on as Mimi. She is absolutely AWFUL! Firstly, she sounds like a drag queen, and she can’t hit half the notes she’s supposed to as Mimi. Her Light My Candle was bad to begin with, as she’s an awful actress, however I thought I’d give her the benefit of the doubt, as everyone who knows the show knows that the best judge of a good Mimi is Out Tonight… so we get to Out Tonight and I literally have to block my ears in places because she doesn’t sing, she shouts, and it’s not “out tonight” it’s “OwwwUtt tonight”…and she doesn’t wear the sexy blue pants….then comes Another Day…. OH MY GOODNESS! Poor Jeremy has to change key’s mid song because Mel can’t hit the notes she’s supposed to, so he starts out singing the song normally and then drops it at least a third before she comes in to sing her next bit!!! Jeremy (Roger) absolutely holds the show together when Mel is on. The rest of the cast are weaker in their roles when she’s on also…all in all, it’s really bad. But it’s not her fault… the producers knew what she sounded like and how bad her acting was before they hired her, because she did have to audition, and they still chose to put her in to draw a crowd… bad move. She’s actually really lovely though, and very funny! She made us laugh when she burst into the bar next door where we were having a drink with Mark and screamed “LETS GET DRUNK”… very cute, very funny! Lovely lady, bad performance!
Avenue Q![/u]
What a fabulous show! Okay, so the best way to describe this show is “When Sesame Street puppets go bad!” It is so funny! It’s one of those shows you need to see at least twice because the first time you are laughing so hard that you nearly wet yourself and miss half the show because you’ve laughed through the line, so you say to the person next to you “what did they just say” but they can’t answer you because they’re laughing to hard! The show consists of a series of puppets who all live in a Neighbourhood… the first song is a bit hard to get your head around because you don’t know whether to watch the puppet or the person holding it… but by the end of the first song, you realise that you can watch the two together and they make a whole character… The songs are brilliant with my favourite being a toss up between “It sucks to be you” and “It’d be okay if you’re gay”… such a laugh! I won’t go on too much more about this show because it truly is one you must SEE to really understand (although the soundtrack will give you an idea, it’s got nothing on the script!). Sets were basic but well used, and costumes… well it’s hard to have too many costumes for puppets now isn’t it?
For this production I give 4 *’s to the performers, 3*’s to the set design and 5*’s to the show itself!
Movin’Out[/u]
Okay so I really didn’t want to see Movin’ Out but decided to only after my best mate told me that I HAD to see it as it’s probably not a show that will ever make it to Australia (and as he’s the boss, I do as he says! Haha!!) I went along… reluctantly I’ll admit. I was VERY surprised. Basically the show consists of a band on a mezzanine floor above the stage… one singer who plays piano and sings the whole show… and a cast of dancers who tell the story through dance. WOW! It’s a shame this show will never come to Australia because our dancers would be AMAZING in it. It was the most spectacular dancing I’ve ever seen! It was a mix between ballet, jazz, funk and if I recall tap but I might be wrong about that one! I was mesmerised… laughing in parts, crying in others. It’s the whole star-crossed lovers thing and what happens to them in war-time (Vietnam war I assume). It was absolutely moving. If you ever get the chance, DON’T HESITATE to see this show. The singer was average at times, but you were so engrossed in the story that he could have sounded like an elephant wailing and you still would have been captivated! J
For Moving out I give 5*’s to the dancers 3*’s to the band, 3*’s to the set design/costumes and 4 *’s to the show itself!
Hairspray![/u]
Well this is the second time I’ve seen Hairspray on Broadway… the first time (original cast) was much better than this cast!
Hairspray is fun, funny, and upbeat… the perfect pick-me-up after a long day I would think. The cast this time around were less energetic than the OBC, but the show was still enjoyable. I really can’t wait to see an Australian cast do this show. I really think it’s going to be quite the experience! It’s our sort of humour, which will make it a huge success. I’d like to see a bit more energy in the dance, and I think it will probably need to be re-choreographed for our stages… as our dancers would get bored doing the current choreography (it’s possible to make it a bit more difficult without losing the feel of the era!), as these dancers are supposed to be the best in the country (on the TV show they’re supposedly dancing on) yet most of the moves I could pull off… and I’m NOT a dancer!!!! The vocals were slick and the songs are catchy. All in all, a fun show to see, probably wouldn’t see it again next time I’m visiting Broadway (New Years Eve 2005! BRING IT ON BABY!)
I give 3*’s to the cast, 4*’s to the set and 3 ½ *’s to the show itself!
We had wanted to see Wicked and The Boy From Oz but unfortunately we happened to be in New York during Tony season… so they were booked out for MONTHS! I did get to meet Hugh Jackman… who instantly ran over to Jess and I to say hi and chat… ignoring the fifty or so other fans who had come to stage door to see him! What a laugh that man is! What a sweetheart he is too! We mainly nattered away about Maria Mercedes but he did take tim-tams, caramello koalas and chuppa chups from us for Deb and his son, and then took our Aussie flag… for his dressing room! The fans next to us had told us not to bother with asking for photos or autographs as he doesn’t do that before the show…but he OFFERED for us to have a photo with him, and went to get the stage-manager to take them, then signed stuff for us and Maria. Seriously… he’s an absolute GEM! Hasn’t lost one bit of his Australian down to earth attitude.
I also saw a Pro-Am Opera in the Bronx… but am trying to block that out of my memory! It was hideous and if John’s friend from AMDA hadn’t been in it, I would have walked out at the first act! AGH!
Anyway, that was my trip! Let me know if you want any further info!!!
RENT – without Mel B![/u]
Okay so I’m going to do two entirely different reviews for RENT…the first without Mel B (aka Scary Spice) playing Mimi, then the next one with her, because basically they are two very different shows!
So I saw this show three times (actually quite tame for me!!) and the first and third time I saw it was with Dominique Roy playing Mimi (as Mel B doesn’t do matinee’s). Dominique was a BRILLIANT Mimi…she was little, cute and sexy. Jeremy Kushnier (Roger) responded well to Dominique and their chemistry was amazing.
Other stand out performances were :
- Maggie Benjamin as Maureen (absolutely hilarious in “Over the Moon”) who is a very sexy, sassy, feisty Maureen. She’s absolutely amazing.
- Matt Caplan as Mark… he is a FABULOUS actor and singer and has really made the role his own. He’s absolutely hilarious in “La Vie Boheme” and has an amazing chemistry with all the other actors… Mark is supposed to hold the show together, and Matt takes to this role with absolute ease!
- Mark Richard Ford as Collins – We saw him first people, he was the Australian Collins, and he has done brilliantly on Broadway… he still brings tears to everyone’s eyes when he sings “I’ll Cover You”… and gets mobbed by fans after the show! JGo mark!
The show itself is exactly the same choreography and predominantly the same costuming and set design as Australia, so it can’t be faulted. I wasn’t overly impressed with Andy Senor as Angel, I thought Opell Ross was a much better Angel, but they are bringing Jai Rodriguez (yep that’s right the Queer Eye guy) back in July, so that will be much better, as he’s a brilliant Angel.
For this production I give 4 ½ *’s to the performers, 5*’s to the set design and 5*’s to the show itself!
RENT with Mel B (aka Scary Spice!)[/u]
Oh dear…it’s like watching a completely different show when Mel is on as Mimi. She is absolutely AWFUL! Firstly, she sounds like a drag queen, and she can’t hit half the notes she’s supposed to as Mimi. Her Light My Candle was bad to begin with, as she’s an awful actress, however I thought I’d give her the benefit of the doubt, as everyone who knows the show knows that the best judge of a good Mimi is Out Tonight… so we get to Out Tonight and I literally have to block my ears in places because she doesn’t sing, she shouts, and it’s not “out tonight” it’s “OwwwUtt tonight”…and she doesn’t wear the sexy blue pants….then comes Another Day…. OH MY GOODNESS! Poor Jeremy has to change key’s mid song because Mel can’t hit the notes she’s supposed to, so he starts out singing the song normally and then drops it at least a third before she comes in to sing her next bit!!! Jeremy (Roger) absolutely holds the show together when Mel is on. The rest of the cast are weaker in their roles when she’s on also…all in all, it’s really bad. But it’s not her fault… the producers knew what she sounded like and how bad her acting was before they hired her, because she did have to audition, and they still chose to put her in to draw a crowd… bad move. She’s actually really lovely though, and very funny! She made us laugh when she burst into the bar next door where we were having a drink with Mark and screamed “LETS GET DRUNK”… very cute, very funny! Lovely lady, bad performance!
Avenue Q![/u]
What a fabulous show! Okay, so the best way to describe this show is “When Sesame Street puppets go bad!” It is so funny! It’s one of those shows you need to see at least twice because the first time you are laughing so hard that you nearly wet yourself and miss half the show because you’ve laughed through the line, so you say to the person next to you “what did they just say” but they can’t answer you because they’re laughing to hard! The show consists of a series of puppets who all live in a Neighbourhood… the first song is a bit hard to get your head around because you don’t know whether to watch the puppet or the person holding it… but by the end of the first song, you realise that you can watch the two together and they make a whole character… The songs are brilliant with my favourite being a toss up between “It sucks to be you” and “It’d be okay if you’re gay”… such a laugh! I won’t go on too much more about this show because it truly is one you must SEE to really understand (although the soundtrack will give you an idea, it’s got nothing on the script!). Sets were basic but well used, and costumes… well it’s hard to have too many costumes for puppets now isn’t it?
For this production I give 4 *’s to the performers, 3*’s to the set design and 5*’s to the show itself!
Movin’Out[/u]
Okay so I really didn’t want to see Movin’ Out but decided to only after my best mate told me that I HAD to see it as it’s probably not a show that will ever make it to Australia (and as he’s the boss, I do as he says! Haha!!) I went along… reluctantly I’ll admit. I was VERY surprised. Basically the show consists of a band on a mezzanine floor above the stage… one singer who plays piano and sings the whole show… and a cast of dancers who tell the story through dance. WOW! It’s a shame this show will never come to Australia because our dancers would be AMAZING in it. It was the most spectacular dancing I’ve ever seen! It was a mix between ballet, jazz, funk and if I recall tap but I might be wrong about that one! I was mesmerised… laughing in parts, crying in others. It’s the whole star-crossed lovers thing and what happens to them in war-time (Vietnam war I assume). It was absolutely moving. If you ever get the chance, DON’T HESITATE to see this show. The singer was average at times, but you were so engrossed in the story that he could have sounded like an elephant wailing and you still would have been captivated! J
For Moving out I give 5*’s to the dancers 3*’s to the band, 3*’s to the set design/costumes and 4 *’s to the show itself!
Hairspray![/u]
Well this is the second time I’ve seen Hairspray on Broadway… the first time (original cast) was much better than this cast!
Hairspray is fun, funny, and upbeat… the perfect pick-me-up after a long day I would think. The cast this time around were less energetic than the OBC, but the show was still enjoyable. I really can’t wait to see an Australian cast do this show. I really think it’s going to be quite the experience! It’s our sort of humour, which will make it a huge success. I’d like to see a bit more energy in the dance, and I think it will probably need to be re-choreographed for our stages… as our dancers would get bored doing the current choreography (it’s possible to make it a bit more difficult without losing the feel of the era!), as these dancers are supposed to be the best in the country (on the TV show they’re supposedly dancing on) yet most of the moves I could pull off… and I’m NOT a dancer!!!! The vocals were slick and the songs are catchy. All in all, a fun show to see, probably wouldn’t see it again next time I’m visiting Broadway (New Years Eve 2005! BRING IT ON BABY!)
I give 3*’s to the cast, 4*’s to the set and 3 ½ *’s to the show itself!
We had wanted to see Wicked and The Boy From Oz but unfortunately we happened to be in New York during Tony season… so they were booked out for MONTHS! I did get to meet Hugh Jackman… who instantly ran over to Jess and I to say hi and chat… ignoring the fifty or so other fans who had come to stage door to see him! What a laugh that man is! What a sweetheart he is too! We mainly nattered away about Maria Mercedes but he did take tim-tams, caramello koalas and chuppa chups from us for Deb and his son, and then took our Aussie flag… for his dressing room! The fans next to us had told us not to bother with asking for photos or autographs as he doesn’t do that before the show…but he OFFERED for us to have a photo with him, and went to get the stage-manager to take them, then signed stuff for us and Maria. Seriously… he’s an absolute GEM! Hasn’t lost one bit of his Australian down to earth attitude.
I also saw a Pro-Am Opera in the Bronx… but am trying to block that out of my memory! It was hideous and if John’s friend from AMDA hadn’t been in it, I would have walked out at the first act! AGH!
Anyway, that was my trip! Let me know if you want any further info!!!