GUYS AND DOLLS at Carnegie Hall

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/3/14 at 11:21pm

Was anyone else there? For me, this was a night to remember! One of the highlights of the theater season, for sure.

The second the overture started, I was just so overjoyed. The flawless score was brought to exuberant life by The Orchestra of St. Luke's and an overall fantastic cast. Nathan Lane was everything I imagined he'd be (and more) as Nathan Detroit. I never got to see the revival he led, so this was a long time coming for me and he exceeded my expectations. He was so charming, funny, charismatic, and everything that has become synonymous with the name Nathan Lane. Patrick Wilson's performance was probably a touch less stuffy and bland than he usually is. I think he's very talented (he sounded great musically) but there is a definite sameness to his performances. That was still evident here for me, but thankfully he was paired with a delightful Sierra Boggess, who made for a surprisingly funny and lovely Sarah. I was very impressed with her performance. And then there's Megan Mullally, who I have been dying to see as Adelaide for what seems like forever. She was absolutely phenomenal. It's kind of scary to think how good she would be if she had the leisure of a longer rehearsal and preview period. Because tonight, she was pretty damn perfect. The rest of the cast, particularly Christopher Fitzgerald (playing very much against type...very successfully) and Len Cariou (who delivered a wonderful rendition of "More I Cannot Wish You"), were just great.

A few missed cues, dropped lines, etc couldn't tarnish the absolute joy of this evening. It was very cleverly-directed, well-choreographed, and just an overall delight. All but gone are the horrid memories of that Des MacAnuff production. After tonight, I now have the memories of a mounting worthy of the legacy and history of GUYS AND DOLLS.

A side-note...I almost wanted to post a separate thread about this, but can we all PLEASE try to avoid leaning forward when we go to the theater? It is so incredibly inconsiderate to the people behind you. The seat directly in front of me was empty and during the overture, a woman moved over into that seat and leaned forward the entire evening. It wasn't even her seat and she obstructed my view. It's one of my biggest pet peeves. The $40 balcony seats are not going to have incredible views, but having someone in front of you leaning forward the entire night does NOT help. Sit back and deal with your mediocre view, like everyone else in the balcony has to.
Updated On: 4/3/14 at 11:21 PM

[willep]

Posted: 4/3/14 at 11:33pm

Ugh, I so wish I could see this.

[HighFlyingAdored97]

Posted: 4/3/14 at 11:34pm

I am SO grateful my parents were generous enough to purchase me the last seat to this last week. What a wonderful evening. The four leads were absolutely incredible, and I was so happy to see Megan Mullally live since W&G is my favorite television show. Everything was terrific; I especially loved the choreography because I am a dancer.
This is sort of random, but when Megan took off her shawl/dress for her number, I was so scared she was going to face plant. Thank God she looked down and noticed her foot was caught. She was too fabulous for words!

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 6:55am

WiCkEDrOcKS, you have absolutely nailed the evening. It was exciting and beautifully sung, performed and staged, and reminded all of us that this is a nearly perfect show. If, like me, you're only familiar with Megan on W&G, or perhaps years ago in the HOW TO SUCCEED revival, then her Adelaide was indeed a revelation, and she looked amazing. It was great to see Rob Fisher conducting, which reminded me again that Encores has set a very high standard for this sort of all-star revival. G&D met that standard.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 9:28am

I was on the left side of the balcony as well- it was near impossible to see stage right. They should have discounted our seats or clearly labelled them partial view.

Still, I enjoyed it nonetheless. Great performances from all.

[Sauja]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 9:30am

I was there as well and add my agreement to what has been said here. It was a wonderful, delightful night. John Treacy Egan was a joy as Nicely-Nicely. His "Sit Down You're Rockin the Boat" was one of many highlights. A thrill to see Len Cariou as Abernathy--making the most of a small role and delivering a beautifully tender "More I Cannot Wish You." The strength of the casting was evident throughout--Chris Fitzgerald and Judy Kaye also stood out in small roles. I expected the leads to all be wonderful. And they were. I expected Lane to be brilliant. And he was. And I expected Mullally to be a delight--but I still wasn't prepared for what utter bliss her performance was. Her Adelaide was flawless. I hope she finds another musical comedy to bring her back to NY soon! I'll see her in anything.

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 9:44am

Can you elaborate on the principals' interpretations of these much-loved characters? Did Lane do the same thing he did in 1992? How was Mullally's Adelaide in comparison to Vivian Blaine's, Faith Prince's, etc...? Was it 'knowing' and smart, or did she play it as dumb, and naive? How did Sierra deal with Sarah?

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 10:25am

Amazing that short rehearsals for a one-night event could blow away a thoroughly rehearsed and planned revival that sputtered at the Nederlander a few years ago. Between Fella at Encores on Wednesday and G&D last night, it was quite a Loesser 1-2 punch!

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 11:12am

Musicaldude, here's what I wrote on the other thread (there are two) about the performances last night as compared to previous depictions:

The revival with Nathan Lane and Faith Prince was my first Broadway show, and seeing it 22 years later with the same Nathan was a true treat. For me, that show was perfection. Nathan's voice and facial expressions were still top notch, as were the newbies.

Faith Prince created a new Adelaide when she played that part, and Megan Mullally does a very good job of not necessarily mirroring that performance, but using it as a guide map while creating detours on the path. Patrick Wilson started off a bit weak, but he definitely became more comfortable and stronger as the show continued. His last note in Luck Be a Lady was wonderful. Sierra Boggess, for me, was the standout in a pretty spectacular show. Her Sarah was a buttoned-up, proper soprano who let her wild side and her belt out after she'd had a little dolce de leche. I always thought Sarah was the most boring character in the show (and movie), but Sierra made her exciting.

I wish this was a recorded event since there seemed to be magic on stage. Glad I got to witness it!

[macnyc]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 12:11pm

Video footage from last night!
Guys and Dolls at Carnegie Hall

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 12:20pm

Yeesh... know it's not at all fair to judge by a 3 minute clip, but Sierra's voice is not up to scratch... sounds all over the place in fact... and Mullally looks like she made a ham of Adelaide's Lament. Wilson looks as bland as ever.

[macnyc]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 1:19pm

I loved the show from start to finish. Yes, you can't really judge it from the video.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 2:13pm

"Adelaide's Lament" was probably my favorite musical performance of the night. So it's sad to hear the video doesn't do it justice. I'll have to watch later.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 5:29am

Does anyone know if PBS filmed this? Or if there's maybe a naughty video out there?

[Simon Damon]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 5:43am

Its about time we have a real revival of this with proper direction not like a certain revival. I always wanted to see Jane in this show as she did in London and Jenna as well

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 12:15pm

I went to London the year of the G&D revival specifically to see Ewan MacGregor, who was charming and adorable, but came away being bowled over by Jenna Russell, who then came to New York in the amazing SUNDAY IN THE PARK production and proved again what a great musical actress she is.
Sorry to hear that the video footage of G&D from Carnegie Hall did not truly capture the magic of the evening.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 2:39pm

^ I love Jenna! She was fantastic in Merrily. When I heard she did G&D I thought she would have been Adelaide! I would love to see that! She was hilarious in Into the Woods and she is amazing in Urinetown as Miss Pennywise! I would love to see her live.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 3:04pm

"Yeesh... know it's not at all fair to judge by a 3 minute clip, but Sierra's voice is not up to scratch... sounds all over the place in fact..."

Were we watching the same video? Sierra was hitting those notes with ease. Her voice was very much "up to scratch" in that clip. Perhaps the problem is you don't find her voice pleasant and if that's the case then by all means have it... but the fact still remains that ( at least in that clip) she was completely on pitch and not "all over the place".



Updated On: 4/6/14 at 03:04 PM

[HighFlyingAdored97]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 4:18pm

Gleek4114 (and to anyone else who was wondering): There are audios of Mullally's Adelaide's Lament and Boggess and Mullally singing Marry The Man Today floating around on tumblr.

[sopranobiz]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 6:17pm

ShakinBaconGirl
I agree. I think Sierra sounds just gorgeous on that clip.
And I'm glad she got to show her funny side as Sarah!
It's time for a "She Loves Me" revival starring Sierra and Ramin.

[CoreyRyan3]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 7:04pm

"It's time for a "She Loves Me" revival starring Sierra and Ramin." I hope you're not saying you want Ramin as Georg because to me, i think he would be extremely miscast.

[willep]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 7:37pm

"Gleek4114 (and to anyone else who was wondering): There are audios of Mullally's Adelaide's Lament and Boggess and Mullally singing Marry The Man Today floating around on tumblr."

Actually, looks like you can find audio of the entire show...

[gleek4114]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 9:20pm

^ The only question is who has it. I would gladly trade with anyone who does.

[willep]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 9:50pm

I did a google search for the aforementioned Adelaide's Lament and found it, easily downloadable...

[HighFlyingAdored97]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 10:24pm

Just out of curiosity, did anyone else find it odd that Patrick Wilson bowed AFTER Megan Mullally? Or was it just me?