Please hand Christiane Noll the Tony NOW! Bettyboy's Theatre Trip 11/4-11/8

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 3:36pm

Hi all. I just got back from the city that never sleeps and got to enjoy some shows and will share some thoughts.

Ragtime-the production is stunning. The streamlined staging focuses more on the music and character and relies little on stage craft. A very solid and moving piece, especially in the wake of the gay rights struggles. Christiane Noll as Mother. What can I say-perfection. She makes the part her own and deserves the Tony. Stefanie Umoh is great, but she really reminds me of Audra in many ways, whereas Christiane feels like she created a fresh take on the character. Also, whereas Audra upstaged Brian in the previous version, I feel that this show belongs to Quentin Earl Darrington. He could easily walk away with a Tony as well.

West Side Story-I really loved the production. The dancing was stellar. Natalie Cortez was in for Karen. Natalie is a life force to be reckoned with. She is full of blood, heat, sex appeal, and anger. I do not know what Olivo brought to the part, but Natalie delivered big time. Arthur Laurents was sitting in front of me taking notes, so hopefully Natalie will replace Olivo. Natalie was divine on every level.


Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking- a one of a kind event. A sharp, talented woman at the top of her storytelling powers.

Next To Normal. Meg Fahey was in for Jen. Meg was impressive and appears more age appropriate than Jen to be honest. I was very moved by this young lady's performance. Great chemistry with Alice! It was a really moving night. I saw N2N in previews so I noticed some changes which were great and Alice was on fire.

Rock of Ages-A fun throwaway. I am glad I had a some drinks with friends first. If I had been totally sober I would have liked it less. Kerry Butler and Michelle Mais made me enjoy it thoroughly. Kerry & Michelle rock! Constantine was very flat in the acting department. He can sing, but cant act for anything. No idea how he got a Tony nod. My entire section were discussing how bad he was.

Rock of Ages NOTE: Am I the only one that thinks it is a little degrading to have such high caliber actresses like Kerry Butler and Lauren Molina with their asses hanging out. I mean, I know its a fun show and meant in good humor, but I think some of the costumes for the women (who are actresses, not strippers) are a bit too much. I mean all the leg spreading to the front rows and bending over. There was some very close wardrobe malfunctions. I know, live and let live, but as a gay dude, I am a little protective of women. I'm probably over-thinking it, but it bugged me a bit. Plus I don't think the vile crowd helped-they really are a different breed. Once woman behind took her own breasts out and some dude was yelling gross things to the female chorus. Ugh!

In The Next Room, or the vibrator play- I really enjoyed this show, but it could be trimmed a bit. It lags in the second act. I loved the message of people owning their sexuality and desires. Laura was wonderful. I loved her fresh and modern take on the role. I love how her character deftly mixed being curious and open, with utter ignorance. All the actors are top notch. Fine acting across the board. The final scene is sooooo gorgeous with the snow and the lovemaking. Michael is so authentic in this role. I think this show will get overlooked because of the complex themes and some clunky writing, but it really is worth seeing. A very dynamic conversation piece that folks could not stop talking about. It's polarizing people and thats what good theatre does. Many left at intermission. Their loss.

All in all a great trip. A few things I noted:

Many international guests attending plays and musicals (not all) feel it is ok to talk and explain the shows to each other during the show. It seems that for many groups there is one English speaker who translates for the rest. I had a few run-ins like this on his trip. These folks also ignore your pleas to be quiet and decide to leave during Tony's death scene in WSS and disrupt the entire aisle. It confounds me.

There are many sad, lonely Broadway fans out there who say the most horrible things about actors and then are nice to them to their faces. I heard several groups of girls destroy Meg Fahey and then kiss her ass at the stage door. Some of these people need to get lives. I think of the William Shatner Star Trek Convention skit on SNL where he tells the attendees to "get a life" and asks one of the Star Trek fans if he has ever "kissed a girl." It was sad to encounter so many pockets of people who are so angry, sad and self-hating that they dissect performers on a personal level. I heard people talk about Julia Stiles' skin, Michael Cerveris' penis, Aaron Tveit's attitude, Alice Ripley's mental health, etc. None of the people ranting were anything to write home about either, by the way. It's sad to see people holding a thirty minute conversation about Aaron's problems when no one in that grew actually knows him. Very sad indeed.

Updated On: 11/8/09 at 03:36 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 3:38pm

I loved Ragtime but.....Noll really left me wanting more. I don't get the hype over her at all. She seemed like she was in a community theater show while everyone else was on Broadway. And I'm a big fan of hers.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 3:39pm

Jordan, for me there was something about her simplicity that I loved. Maybe that is what you disliked. I respect your feelings though. :)

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 3:42pm

Glad to see Natalie playing Anita a lot. Hopefully she'll replace Karen whenever her contract runs out.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 3:43pm

Maybe so. I'm going back next week for round two and I really hope to see what you and a lot of my friends do in her. :) :)

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 3:44pm

Interesting that you thought Megan was more "age appropriate" then Jen. Jenn just turned 18. (I don't know megan's age -- but they are roomies, so I'm sure not much different.) I never thought Jenn looked like anything OTHER than a HS student-- certainly never older than that.

I can't wait to see Ragtime on Thanksgiving weekend, so thanks for your thoughts there, too.

[binau]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 3:46pm

(In reference to using Ragtime's racial struggles as an analogy for the gay rights struggle today)

Updated On: 11/8/09 at 03:46 PM

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 3:47pm

To me, Meg looks like young girl, a teen. Jen passes for college age to me. Meg is also smaller in stature, so she kinda broke my heart more than Jen because she looks like a little girl who needs her mom. She has more "kid" to her than Jen does. Jen seemed angrier, Meg seemed more lost. I loved both interpretations.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 3:50pm

Plus I don't think the vile crowd helped-they really are a different breed. Once woman behind took her own breasts out and some dude was yelling gross things to the female chorus. Ugh!

This is why I haven't seen the show yet. I'm not prude but I just can't stand that sort of behavior - especially on Broadway.

There are many sad, lonely Broadway fans out there who say the most horrible things about actors and then are nice to them to their faces.

I've known of Broadway performers who do the same thing. They'll be sweet as pie to you and then talk dirt just as soon as you're gone. I think it's just human nature because it happens on both sides of the barricade.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 4:19pm

Only Bettyboy would be lucky enough to sit behind the Queen of Broadway Herself at WSS! I'm sure you'll never forget it!

Catch a peek at any of his "notes"? Perhaps a drawing of a stick figure with an 8-pack and a cowboy hat being hanged?

P

[steven22]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 4:24pm

what day was Meghan on for Jen? I plan on seeing the show Tuesday and hope to see Jen!

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 4:26pm

Yes he was there and I didn't look at his notes. I'm hoping he was jotting good things about Natalie. God was she spectacular! I told my friend's mother that his secret to longevity was lots of sex.

Meg was on for Jen on Friday 4/6 performance.

Updated On: 11/8/09 at 04:26 PM

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 4:32pm

What's the difference if they're "high caliber actresses" or not? Of course it's degrading, no matter if it's Kerry Butler or some random chorus girl playing Waitress #3. I take little less of an offense to it in Rock of Ages since it's totally self-conscious, including its portrayal of gender and sexuality. However, it will get lost on a big portion of audiences and it's really part of a larger social issue (so it's hard to fault a single show/movie/whatever).

That being said, I didn't even want to see Rock of Ages, and I kind of want to go back again! And I can't wait to see In the Next Room and Ragtime in the next few weeks. Updated On: 11/8/09 at 04:32 PM

[heo1128]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 4:52pm

I think Meghann Fahy is actually older then Jennifer Damiano. But I do agree, Meghann does look younger. She also has much more of an innocence about her, which doesn't work so well when she's supposed to be strung out on pills. But I almost think Meghann has a better act 1 than Jenn.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 5:22pm

Sounds like a great line up. Agree about Christine Noll but there's still a long season ahead.

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 5:47pm

We still have yet to see the performances by Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bebe Neuwirth, and Kristin Chenoweth. It's a bit early to be handing Noll the Tony, though I did think she was quite good.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 5:56pm

I know ljay, we have to wait. :) I just thought she was soooo good :)

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 5:58pm

I think she was too. :)

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 6:12pm

I still can't get over how many great revivals are happening this season.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 6:21pm

I thought Noll was brilliant, but it's a bit early to hand her the Tony. As ljay mentioned, lots of big performers are in shows that haven't even begun previews yet. Still, I think Noll will be a very strong contender come June.

It's definitely shaping to be a year for revivals, as very few of the new musicals interest me in the least (only The Addams Family has me excited).

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 6:30pm

Speaking of Tony nods, I hope Maria Dizzia as Mrs Daldry from "In The Next Room" gets a nod. She has a really nice character arch and does some incredibly vulnerable acting. Even if the play gets overlooked, I think she was a standout.

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 6:57pm

Bettyboy . . . I thought EXACTLY the same as you did about both Noll AND Umoh. I thought Noll's performance was breathtaking and a major reinterpretation of character. She sort of felt like a driving force in the entire piece. Umoh is fine, but "feels" like an Audra wanna-be. I wanted to like her, but she just sounded like she was doing Audra McDonald as Sarah and never quite measuring up. I also LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Bobby Steggert as Younger Brother. I don't think I expected to see someone so young and diminutive and was taken aback when he first appeared on stage. But it worked so well to have this small, young man play such a LARGE part in Coalhouse's plan. He totally embodies his obessions (first with Evelyn and then with Coalhouse) and has an incredible voice to boot. I could be wrong, but I see him being a strong player in the featured actor category.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 6:59pm

Hanna, thanks for bringing up Bobby. All of that fire coming from that little guy. A total stunner! He was great! I also loved Savannah Wise and Jonathan Hammond as Evelyn and Houdini, but those are much smaller roles.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 7:03pm

I thought Stegger was fantastic in act 2, but very bizarre in act 1. I'm still not a fan of the weird phrasing and inflections he used.

However, his big confrontation with Father at the top of act 2 more than made up for it. You could hear a pin drop after he told off Father ("You have traveled everywhere, but learned nothing!").

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/8/09 at 7:09pm

The audience burst into applause and cheers after Bobby told off Ron when I saw it.