Profile for Piparoo

binau said: "Could Mandy Patinkin perhaps try to replace Groban successfully this time? Paired with Bernadette, that'd be the dream!"

Having seen this production and feeling mostly lukewarm about it, that casting would be something I’d be first in line to see. I don’t think it’s at all likely.

bear88 said: "Quick question: If you had to choose between far left orchestra and far right orchestra in partial view seats (Row F or G, on the aisle), what side would you choose - in terms of what you would miss? Related question: Are those seats worth buying, even at comparative discounts?"

I sat far left in one of those partial view seats and don’t recall any obstructions. Loved the seat, especially for the price.

Me too. It was the show I was most excited to see last month and the one that I enjoyed the least. The revisions added nothing dramaturgically and the actors playing the main three (Rose, Alex and George) were not a great fit. Its early close saddens but doesn’t surprise me. I was there a week or two after it opened and the auditorium was only two thirds full.

Are we assuming Buckley isn’t involved because she wasn’t mentioned in the announcement, or has something previously been said about her not reprising the role on Broadway? I’m really hoping that she’ll be a part of this production on Broadway.

Also, in case it hasn’t already been mentioned. The only substantive new music (not new lyrics, there are lots of those) I noted was new material for Rose and Alex halfway through Chanson d’Enfance. There was a duet sung in French in there that I’ve never heard, followed by a brief paired dance, before returning to the familiar refrain of the Chanson d’Enfance. 

Obviously the musicians were extremely appreciative of the steady gig for so long but, in reading through the This American Life story from a couple of years ago, I was definitely getting an A Short Stay in Hell vibe from some of them.

Are we absolutely sure that this was Ben posting on Reddit? I don’t know the guy, but those takes are smokin hot and not the stuff that I would expect most Broadway actors to share publicly.

April 16, 2023, 7:49 p.m. ET . It’s over now, the music of the night…

Phantom4ever said: "I’m here for my 90th and final Phantom performance tonight. Jeremy Stolle is on as Phantom."

Hope it’s a great show! Wonder what happened to Ben. Hope he is okay. No luck for me on the lottery drawings. Anyone get lucky?

MemorableUserName said: "poto19882023 said: "Ted Keegan for both.

You're incredibly lucky :)"

Just back from the show, and I do feel lucky. I think I like Ben Crawford more than many/most around here, weird intonations aside (his voice never seemed rough when I saw him), but I saw him the last three times I saw the show in February, so it was nice to see another take. Ted sounded absolutely lovely, and while I like Ben's more physically imposing, steamroller performance, I very much enjoyed Ted's more seductive and sympathetic/pitiable one. He didn't seem as threatening, but he did seem so much sadder. When she kissed him and he clearly acted like he didn't know what to do with his arms and hands, it hit a lot harder. And in the end when she returned and he turned around with this big, happy, hopeful smile, I got teary-eyed in a way I usually don't. There was so much nuance in his acting.

I'd only seen Emilie once before, and I loved how emotional/on the verge of a nervous breakdown she seemed throughout then. There was less emotion this afternoon, but her voice sounded stronger--there was less of the wobbly quality there was the first time, possibly because she was more in control. I think I might have preferred having my heart ripped out on WYWSHA, but she was still, and maybe more, wonderful to listen to.

The one who really seemed on edge this time was Johnson as Madame Giry, more so than I've ever seen her. It felt like she was barely keeping it together, so that moment at the end of Point of No Return when he's trying to escape off the stage with Christine and comes face-to-face with Giry upstage right before turning the other way to escape upstage left hit me really hard. I don't think I've ever noticed before? Or maybe it was a change. (Or something only Keegan's Phantom does?) I think I would have remembered Giry and the Phantom coming face to face before. Because today it was like...wow.

Sorry to go on so long. Glad I got to see it one more time.



"

Sounds like a great show! So glad you enjoyed it. Wish I could see it one more time too but I’m enjoying all of the show reports.

Anyone think the sound issues are related to the noisy HVAC? We sat in front row mezz and, while the sound had a lot of variance - some parts were pretty quiet and some were fine, I did notice how noticeably loud the HVAC was from the mezz. We saw three other shows in Broadway theatres that weekend and I think the Lunt-Fontanne was the loudest of the bunch.

Not sure why some feel the need to jump to her defense so aggressively. I wrote that her performance was technically stunning but left me feeling chilly and that chewing gum isn’t a great look at curtain call. The first is clearly my subjective impression of her performance and the second is something we’ve all known since grade school. 

Dolly80 said: "She looked totally miserable and I engaged when they did a Broadway Cares speech during the bows the other day. And was chewing gum- which is pretty unprofessional."

I was left with a similar impression of her a couple of weeks ago. A technically stunning singing performance but I was left feeling cold. She was chewing gum at the curtain call too, which is a no no in front of an audience.

BalconyClub said: "Good luck to everyone who entered the final performance lottery for the $99 rear mezzanine seats. The first 25 names were drawn at noon today for the April 16 show.

Twenty-five names will also be drawn at noon this week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Entries were due a few days ago."

Did they post the names or the drawing somewhere? I'm assuming I wasn't selected.