How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
theminutepast
Broadway Star Joined: 2/1/06
#1How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/19/12 at 4:40pm
How is the show now that Nick Jonas, Beau Bridges, and Michael Urie have been in it for awhile?
My husband wants to see this show badly, but I've cautioned him against seeing it with the new cast members. I read some bad reviews for Bridges and Jonas when they first joined the cast.
#2How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/19/12 at 4:46pm
Beau Bridges has apparently gotten better since he has been remembering his lines. I think the consensus from the beginning was that Nick Jonas was probably the best Finch they've had.
Just so you know, Mary Faber and Rose Hemingway are both leaving today. Mary is leaving for good, and is being replaced by Sara Jean Ford and Rose Hemingway is gone for temporarily for pilot season and one of her understudies is covering for her.
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#2How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/19/12 at 4:54pm
Jonas has gotten very good word of mouth from his very first performance. Bridges has improved.
I'd go....I doubt it will last past the summer.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
sorano916
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/6/08
#3How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/19/12 at 5:00pm
Just so you know, Mary Faber and Rose Hemingway are both leaving today. Mary is leaving for good, and is being replaced by Sara Jean Ford and Rose Hemingway is gone for temporarily for pilot season and one of her understudies is covering for her.
Mary's leaving next Sunday, the 26th. Most likely, Rose will be leaving the same day.
Updated On: 2/19/12 at 05:00 PM
#4How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/19/12 at 5:32pm
Jonas is great as Finch. I didn't see Criss live, but what I saw/heard of him on various uploading sites didn't impress me. I liked Radcliffe and found him amiable on stage, but his performance overall was workmanlike. Jonas has presence, sings and dances well, and his characterization is solid. His entire performance is effortless in a way Radcliffe didn't achieve.
Bridges is not embarrassing anymore, but that's about all I can say for him. He sounds like he's passing kidney stones when he attempts to sing. Urie is a Bud Frump in the Reilly/Blumenkrantz mode, by which I mean flaming. The supporting cast is in fine form--Tammy Blanchard is still luminous--but the production will always be second-rate.
But certainly go see Jonas if you want to. He's definitely worth a ticket.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
bwaylvsong
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/28/05
#5How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/19/12 at 5:36pmWhoa, Ford must be ridiculously versatile!
#6How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/19/12 at 8:08pmDarn, I read Sarah Jane Everman! She would be perfect in the role. Sarah Jean Ford is still good, though!
theminutepast
Broadway Star Joined: 2/1/06
#7How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/19/12 at 8:32pm
Thank you for your responses. Knowing that Rose and Mary are leaving on Sunday certainly puts a fire under me to get tickets this week! Has rush died down since Jonas began? Would it be OK to get in line by 10 am?
Updated On: 2/19/12 at 08:32 PM
sorano916
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/6/08
#8How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/19/12 at 9:15pm
Thank you for your responses. Knowing that Rose and Mary are leaving on Sunday certainly puts a fire under me to get tickets this week! Has rush died down since Jonas began? Would it be OK to get in line by 10 am?
The rush has died down a lot. You should be fine at 10.
I should mention that Beau is scheduled to be out from the 29th to the 7th so that's another option if you prefer not to see Beau. :) Michael Park and Rob Bartlett should be fantastic Biggley's.
I was told Tammy will be leaving sometime in March...
theaterfangirl
Chorus Member Joined: 9/2/11
#9How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/19/12 at 9:40pm
I'd go....I doubt it will last past the summer.
It might go a bit past Nick's run. It was just announced the other day that the Glee tour would not be happening this summer at all, which kind of gives weight to those rumors that Darren will be coming back in July.
For the OP, you should go see it. Nick does a really good job. I saw it twice and he really was enjoyable.
#10How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/22/12 at 10:40am
I caught up with the show recently, and it's still in great shape. The energy, the pacing...even the over-choreographed dances...all still incredibly slick.
Bridges was rather endearing, though didn't nail all the laughs that Larroquette found in the role. Urie was an improvement over Hanke, though he could tone down his flaming manner for the first few scenes. And Jonas was excellent. Very smooth, very funny, and strong finishes to the "Rosemary" and "I Believe in You/ Gotta Stop That Man" sequences. And speaking of the latter song, Jonas made it work for me in a way that the otherwise excellent Radcliffe did not; a heated and increasing confidence really served that number well.
And weekday rush was very low-key. Getting there around 9, or even later, is most likely fine.
#11How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/22/12 at 11:47amThe rumors are that Criss will return in the summer for anywhere between 6-10 weeks.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
#12How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/23/12 at 1:21pm
I have heard the Criss rumors too. Kinda annoys me because he was so lack luster in the role and they are only bringing him back for his name. Sad.
Jonas is doing a great job, not the actor that Daniel was but sings it better. Sadly, Daniel is still the better dancer. The production overall is still very put together and fresh. I believe this to be to the addition of Michael Urie. Finally, this production has a Frump that makes you want to punch him in the face for his talent, not because the actor was bored and was forced to show up to work.
<< Gavin Creel and Kate Baldwin making vocal love... I adore these two.
theaterfangirl
Chorus Member Joined: 9/2/11
#13How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/23/12 at 2:24pm
The rumors are that Criss will return in the summer for anywhere between 6-10 weeks.
I highly highly doubt it would be for 10 weeks. That's nearly 3 months. They aren't going to bump Nick out of the show for Darren, so Nick is in the show until July. Glee is most likely will begin filming again for the fourth season probably around the beginning of August.
6 weeks could be possible, but 10 weeks after Nick's run ends would put it into the beginning of September and I don't think they'd let him away from Glee that long.
#14How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/23/12 at 2:45pm
Oh god... I seriously hope that Criss doesn't come back. I mean, I enjoyed his performance, but I cannot stand how people get at that theatre when he's around. People are dressing in tee shirts and hoodies with pink sunglasses, people scream during the show, and people leave in the middle of the second act (or don't come back from intermission!) just so they can go stand outside.
But Jonas is good? I was considering rushing the show over Spring Break to see him.
Mom the Chauffeur
Swing Joined: 1/30/12
#15How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/23/12 at 3:24pm
Definetly do it! I saw this show with both Daniel Radcliffe and Nick Jonas. Both put their own spin as Finch, and I was quite surprised as to how good Nick was. Very. Plus I was afraid if the teenies were going to ruin the show, they don't. I was at the Friday night performance of his first week and there were a lot of fans in the audience and they were very respectful and knew not to scream as though they were at a concert. Some do leave before curtain call to do stage door, which can be a bit crazy. I enjoyed the show the second time around with Nick.
This kid works his butt off. I'm impressed.
theminutepast
Broadway Star Joined: 2/1/06
#16How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/24/12 at 4:24pm
I rushed today so we'll see it tonight. I'm excited to see the show again. To be honest, Chris Hanke had me laughing out loud during most of his scenes. I thought he was a great Frump! Maybe his spin on the character was more tame, compared to what people are saying about Michael Urie. I'll see tonight, though.
For those of you speculating about rush, I arrived late for the rush, at 10:20 a.m., and there were still plenty of tickets left.
UPDATE: We saw the show last night. It is still running like a well-oiled machine, but I'm just not keen on the new leads. After the positive words for Jonas, I went with an open mind. But I found him to be blank and capable of only two expressions: nothing and sheer joy. His voice was lacking. He couldn't be heard when the ensemble joined him. As for Beau Bridges, he was not believable as the head of a company. He came across as weak and silly, not to mention kind of creepy in his interactions with Hedy. Michael Urie was great, but different as Bud Frump. Having seen both casts now, I can see how this musical really rides on the two leads and I can see why John Larroquette won the Tony for a seemingly straight-forward role.
Updated On: 2/25/12 at 04:24 PM
#17How is HOW TO SUCCEED These Days?
Posted: 2/29/12 at 11:58pm
Saw the original with Robert Morse. My first Broadway Show. No one is better than Robert Morse.
That being said, I really enjoyed Daniel Radcliffe in the role.
I had never heard of Nick Jonas before he was cast in How to Succeed.. so I finally saw him on Smash last week. I found him nerdy, not very good looking and not very likeable. I was not impressed.
And I saw a clip on here at Broadway World doing Brotherhood of Man. . He looked bland and unremarkable. Can't imagine him being very good in this based on the clip I saw.
It disheartens me that Broadway Producers will put anyone and I mean anyone in the role that can sell a ticket. Robert Morse and Daniel Radcliffe were consummate professionals.
Nick Jonas??? Oy.
