I happened to be there without knowing it was her first night. She survived and sounded good but the other characters are so well developed (and have been with the show since the beginning) that she has some catching up to do. In her defense I don't think her character is written at well as some of the others. The one quality she brought to the performance was warmth.
I had not seen it yet and I thought Danny deserved all of his praises and I liked Bart's direction. I went back and forth with the choreography but it was true to the scene work. Part of me secretly wanted something more thrilling that built as the ensemble numbers progressed.
Did she have the same heavy accent as Jessica Hecht? When I saw the show last weekend, she was the only performer with such a distinct accent (although I thought she was a fine Golde).
"I saw Pavarotti play Rodolfo on stage and with his girth I thought he was about to eat the whole table at the Cafe Momus." - Dollypop
Actually she did not seem to be working with an accent and it was noticeable but did not bother me I don't know how old her character is supposed to be but she reads on the younger side.
I love Golde's role, but what intrigues me about Judy Kuhn playing the part is that I'm used to it being cast as an actress who sings (like Andrea Martin). To me, Kuhn is more of a singer who acts because she has that golden voice. Still, she's damn good at both...
Bart definitely has a very recognizable visual style that I rather like. What I really appreciate is the time he takes with every role, even the smallest ensemble part creating a community rather than a chorus. It was one of the most impressive qualities of The King and I. He also breaks down the scene work assisting the actors in understanding the relationships and beats.
I saw her yesterday and thought she was lovely. In the beginning I thought she sort of stuck out as a newcomer because it felt like she was missing a beat or two with the opening number choreography... as a result, I felt the mamas intro wasn't completely seamless, but a couple of scenes in I totally forgot she was new to the cast for the rest of the show. Her accent was light to none like the rest of the cast.
I happen to see it again a few days later and she had developed a clearer interpretation and was hitting all of her marks. As an actress she has a likeable energy that transcends into all of her work.
I saw FIDDLER again tonight, and unfortunately Judy was out. Jill Abramovitz was great, but I was definitely bummed because Judy was the reason I went back. I don't think I'll be able to see it again before it closes.
I saw Fiddler last week on 12/2. She was fabulous. The entire cast was great. I loved the production much more than I thought I was going to. The choreography was phenomenal. During the speech for BCEFA, Judy sang some of "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas. Incredible!