Played Toronto back in December and did excellent business, so much so that Mirvish is bringing it back for another week in June.
BUT ....
I was disappointed. I have seen better community theatre stagings. This one seemed rushed and instead of playing the characters everyone was doing cartoon-like immitaions. Firestein added all sorts of grimaces and tics as he mugged his way through it and there just wasn't any heart to the show. No drama. It was all played for laughs.
Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks." Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!
I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com
It will be here in Denver May 18th through the 23rd and was pretty much sold out 2 months ago. I think I will be there for opening night. Also, from what I am told, Fierstein is not doing the entire tour. Only certain markets. I do know that he is doing Denver.
I'm assuming that Harvey is doing the cities that Theodore Bikel isn't? The marketing materials on the troika website suggest that by 2011 the tour is going to be non-equity.
When I saw the tour, Topol was far too old to be playing the role. He looked tired, and everyone around him had the energy.
Topol DID manage to almost shove Motel into the pit at one point.
"TheatreDiva90016 - another good reason to frequent these boards less."<<>>
“I hesitate to give this line of discussion the validation it so desperately craves by perpetuating it, but the light from logic is getting further and further away with your every successive post.” <<>>
-whatever2
I saw the tour when it was in San Francisco, partly just to see Rusty Mowery, lol. I thought the show was fun, but like frontrowcentre2 said, there was no heart. I was laughing my ass off the whole time, but still.
Into the Woods, Beauty and the Beast, RENT, Mamma Mia!, Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Evita (with Julia Murney), Hairspray (with Paul Vogt), Peter and the Starcatchers (with Christian Borle), Lion King, Altar Boyz, Legally Blonde (with Lauren Zackrin).
I saw the equity tour of this production with Chaim Topol in San Diego in 2009. The one thing I absolutely loved about the production was the set and the automation of the scenery. For the non-equity tour are the shows deck and automation of set pieces gone?
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
I just got back from the touring production. It was absolutely wonderful. I saw the tour in San Diego with Chaim Topol two years ago and I really did not care for the show. I was not looking forward to seeing it again. I was very surprised by how much I loved it. John Preece was an incredible Tevye. My biggest problem with the show last time was Topol, and seeing Preece allowed me to enjoy the show much more. The rest of the cast was superb and did not miss a beat. The automation for the set is gone. The cast members push the pieces on and off. I missed the automation a lot because it made the transitions much more graceful. The stage seemed a little small, especially when all the village pieces were crammed on there together. The blue curtains in the wings really got in the way of the set, especially when the big houses were being pushed on and off. The set was still very pretty and effective though. Overall, this was a terrific show and I would definitely recommend it!
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "