I don't think a lot of the humor still works. Ironically, the "offensive" material in the show remains pretty funny... but the gay stereotypes, the representation of women, and most of the jokes about sex just aren't as funny as they used to be. I'm not the kind of person who gets easily offended... it's just sort of hard to laugh at this stuff nowadays. There was a recent production here in Chicago that was pretty great... but a lot stuff came off as
Writers is a small, thrust theater. Any show done there would have to be completely rethought.
The work Cromer has done when he's back in Chicago has really reveled in the storefront aesthetic Much more in line with his Our Town than anything else.. A Broadway-ready show is the antithesis of what he's done here and I for one am really glad about it! I found his Rent unbelievably moving and deeply personal... and I can still remember the cast making close, intense, and
Writers casts almost exclusively from Chicago. I can't recall a time they cast a name from out of town or even a freeze-dried regional theater actor. The only time I can think of it at all is for the two Trevors in Trevor... but there was outside money there. This is a solid Chicago cast.
Is the Lyttleton that much larger than a large Broadway house? I really don't know. I'm asking! Seemed a slightly above average size when I was there... but nothing comparable to, say, the Olivier stage.
It was really extraordinary in Chicago. It looks like they've taken a different approach... but the script is really interesting if maybe a little obvious. There's a lot of room for great, strong lady performances.
This was a real disaster in Chicago. Really disappointing. Well cast, great costumes, lighting, sets, and staging. With a truly terrible book and a totally mediocre, irrelevant score. I wonder how things so obviously terrible get so far.
I hope they've made it better. It was clear in Chicago people desperately wanted to love it. And it's going so much going for it. Samantha Barks is a real star and doesn't waste a moment in this show. I'm rooting for her!
Lauren Ambrose is a star. The whole point is people want to see HER. People are traveling across the country... in some cases across the world to see her. She's not a clerk at Walgreens. People are allowed to be disappointed the star that they wanted to see, who is advertised as the star of show, has decided not to perform. I don't think anyone is acting like it's the end of the world... but it is also a ****ty thing to do to your fans. Will they get over it? Of course. They might
I think we're maybe a little too woke if we're telling an Asian-American playwright (and one who has consistently been at the forefront of representation) that she needs to not give white men a voice... particularly when that is, to some extent, the point of the play. As if Young Jean Lee doesn't understand the importance of marginalized voices and representation.
The Cher Show Jul 1
2018, 02:29:33 AM
Tonight the first full number was Turn Back Time. Not quite the whole thing but almost. There’s certainly no way you can miss it so I think it might be a change? They also sang basically a full version of Believe after the curtain call.
It seems like they’re making a lot of changes and I think generally the show is pretty good. Some of the staging for the numbers is extraordinary. The singing and acting is all great. They cover a lot and it feels very much this happened then this ha
Who holds creative control over the Tony Awards? By that I mean... who picks the Hosts? Who decides who can and can't perform? Who is responsible for what does and doesn't make the broadcast? The director? They Tony Committee? The American Theater Wing? CBS?
I've tried to suss it out on-line but haven't been able to figure it out.
I used to feel Bye Bye Birdie was a dusty old chestnut too... but then I saw a fantastic production! Rose and Albert could both REALLY dance. Not just all the steps but they could use choreograph as an extension of their character in the moment. This made all the dance interludes not just show stoppers, but essential to the show.
Additionally, there's so many main characters that need strong personalities. You can't really just put anyone in these parts. You need folks wi
I liked the Doyle version a lot! It lacked the bite and spectacle of the original production but I don't wonder if maybe that's a better approach for a show about Japan that's written and directed by white people in 2018.
