I was giddy when Donna McKechnie and Baayork came on stage for Turkey Lurkey. I also loved the piece that Wicked performed with Sheryl Lee Ralph. Seth was entertaining and I particularly enjoyed the Evita references. The Jersey Boys mega cast was very entertaining and a fitting end to their run. I also liked what Fiddler was trying to do. The "where are they now" was an interesting concept, but it got a little muddled at the end. Also, what on earth was Paramour doing? Does anyone know what happened with Waitress? They were listed in the playbill.
This was my first time attending and clearly the Trump fiasco was a major theme. Have there been other predominant themes in previous years?
Waitress will (I believe) only be performing today. They were part of a benefit for the Adrienne Shelly Foundation last night.
The opening number was a highlight for me, as was On Your Feet. That one made me cry. Lion King also did a beautiful piece. The Avenue Q bit made me want to see the show again.
I got the impression the Paramour skit was about police brutality, but I was having a hard time hearing the lyrics so I'm not really sure.
This was my first Gypsy, and I think I lucked out. I loved it.
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starcatchers said: "I got the impression the Paramour skit was about police brutality, but I was having a hard time hearing the lyrics so I'm not really sure. "
Yeah, there was definitely a music/lyrics sound balance problem there, but I appreciated what I could get out of it.
There were fewer sassy/sarcastic skits this year. I guess people felt this wasn't the time for it.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
What a wonderful event! My personal favorite was The Lion King's poetry piece, and Wicked's inspirational message. Also, the cast of Falsettos took up three boxes on the side and drew the attention of a few of us in the balcony lol.
I was there yesterday. Ms. Baayork Lee, Ms. Donna McKechnie and Ms. Margo Sappington were introduced to thunderous applause. They sang the beginning of the song with some movement and the Ensemble did part of the original choreography, my favorite with 2 lines of the Ensemble going "through" each other but it was not "the" number. I had a feeeling it wouldn't be. But it was still a thrill having the 3 of them there.
Sidenote: Seth Rudetsky, who was having trouble moving his arm he told us, and wanted to show us one of the best dance tableaus in a Broadway number. He almost got into the position for the end of The Music and the Mirror number from A Chorus Line and then Ms. McKechnie came out and completed the pose with him as well as adjusting his head slightly up. It was great.
Another side note fom Mr. Rudetsky, one of his funniest, was his beautiful tribute to Ms Florence Henderson. He played a segment from a Tony telecast where Ms. Henderson sang The Sound of Music. Seth pointed out several parts that he is "obsessed" with and they were, indeed, impressive. He also told that while Mary Martin was in Peter Pan, Ms. Henderson was opening in Fanny. Ms. Martin sent a telegram to Ms. Henderson: "I hope your Fanny is as big as my Peter."