Leap Of Faith Previews- Page 2

[circusliz]

Posted: 4/3/12 at 11:33pm

Wow. The show has So.Many.Songs. Like, nonstop songs. I actually found myself missing plain old dialogue.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 4/3/12 at 11:36pm

One. Stunning. Curtain. Don't miss this curtain live.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/3/12 at 11:42pm

How's Jessica Phillips?

[circusliz]

Posted: 4/3/12 at 11:45pm

Very good. Sexy, appealing, stands up to Raul with good chemistry between the two of them. She needs a new wig though.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/3/12 at 11:46pm

I had a good time. I didn't LOVE the show but it wasn't bad. FIRST PREVIEW, remember those?

Anyway, the plot flowed very smoothly, as there isn't any more than a simple story. In fact, for a first preview, the entire show flowed smoothly.

I didn't think the set was at all attractive, but the costumes were. The ensemble was very tight and full of energy. The movement was great. Very strong group of actors.

The score is forgettable. The only strong numbers were those when the entire cast was in the tent with Raul. Those numbers are: Rise UP (opening number), Step Into the Light, and Leap of Faith (closing number).

Raul is stronger than ever. Commands the stage like mad. His eleven o'clock number puts Being Alive to shame. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets nominated for this role.

The show misses, IMO, because it's not a very interesting or complex story. I didn't even like the original film very much.

So, I'll end by saying that for a show that's weak in plot and score, the entire company does very well with what they've got, and Raul is worth going.

And it was great reuniting with Raul.

And yes, there are plenty of cast members entering and exiting the stage via the house aisles.

Updated On: 4/3/12 at 11:46 PM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/3/12 at 11:51pm

Ok, so it's kind of undeniable that this was a big mess, but I have to admit I liked it for some weird reason. Maybe it's the affection I have for all the "Not Since Carrie" shows out there, and this one would fit right in.

You know when you wrap your headphones around your iPod and then put it in your bag only to pull it out an hour later and find the once neatly wrapped cord in horrible knots? That's what this show is like. There might be a good show in here, but they are going to have to do A LOT of work over the preview period to straighten it out.

Raul is excellent, but then again when isn't he perfection? Unfortunately his character doesn't leave him much to work with; it's really a wonder he is able to create as many shades as he does.

Jessica Phillips has less of a role. They've made her the sheriff in this incarnation, which is a good move, but she's a little stiff and has a nice deadpan delivery, but it's hard to warm up to.

Kendra Kassebaum plays the Debra Winger role, and it's the weakest written of the three leads. She does get a nice duet with Phillips in act two, but really she should get a nice number in act one to introduce her to the audience.

The score is middle of the road. The lyrics sometimes induce a cringe (Phillips sings to Raul that even Helen Keller could see through him!). The tunes are fine though and I think on a second or third listen will really stick in my mind. Each big number is undercut by dialogue or a weak ending. Right when you're getting into it the audience is deprived of a big finish to really clap.

The book isn't embarrassing or anything, but it doesn't really tell much story in act one and is merely pedestrian in act two. As others have noted we don't care about these characters. The story is basically the same as The Music Man, with a dash of 110 in the Shade thrown in. Raul (Harold Hill) comes to town promising to change the lives of the town people. He plans on swindling them of what little money they have left. Phillips (Marion) doesn't buy it, but has fallen for him. Her son (Winthrop) is wheelchair bound and has faith Raul can make him walk again. There is also a drought and the townspeople desperately need it to rain. We all see where this is going right?

I'll absolutely be going back, and hope they untangle some of this mess, but really have to wonder what they've been doing after this had an out of town tryout and several workshops.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/3/12 at 11:52pm

Shame to hear about the score. I loved his work with Sister Act. Some really great songs, I thought.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 4/3/12 at 11:54pm

How is the set? I'm guessing/hoping they have added more to it and/or re-envisioned it from the pretty much barren stage in LA...

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/3/12 at 11:55pm

Here's a lovely tweet from tonight. lol....

just saw the first preview of Leap of Faith on Broadway... raul esparza made my vag so wet...

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/3/12 at 11:58pm

Yes RippedMan- lots and lots of running through the audience. They want you to feel like you're in the tent with the choir.

The ensemble was very good. They are working hard and sound great. Really none of the cast members are to blame for the problems. It's going to be to the creative team to fix structure, etc. The issues definitely don't stem from the performances.

Jane- I loved Raul's 11 o'clock number too, but because of his performance, not so much the actual song. IMO it didn't come close to touching Being Alive though. I mean that's one of the greatest songs written for a male in the whole canon.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:01am

Was anyone else strangely distracted by the strange prosthetic legs of the "repair man" sticking out from under the bus?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:03am

The set is big and somewhat ugly on purpose. I mean they are supposed to be in a poor, small town in Kansas. The revival tent is large and spins around, but the material is appropriately faded and worn. The costumes are beautiful.

ljay- Raul is looking hotter than ever (and that says a lot). Phillips resists him in the first scene and it's totally unbelievable. Unless her character is a lesbian she would not be able to resist him.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:07am

That's a matter of opinion though. I don't find him attractive at all, and rather annoying honestly.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:08am

Whizzer-it's true that Being Alive is a better song, but what I really meant was the way Raul performed it, as you said. His vocals were the strongest I've ever heard from him and I felt that in performing that song, Raul must have lost 5 lbs!

And I never saw him looking so buff! He's looking absolutely great. He looks younger than he is and in fine shape!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:17am

RippedMan- Of course I know looks are subjective and was being a gushing fan for a moment, but honestly Raul is the celebrity crush I hold all others to. And it's not just his looks for me; the combination of physical attraction with his talent and stage charisma is too much to handle. This should make him ideal for a Harold Hill con man role like this, but the book and score let him down and he has to fight an uphill battle the whole time.

Thanks for clarifying Jane. Yes his vocals were indeed amazingly strong. There is not a shred of fault to be found in Raul's performance. I'd be shocked if he didn't receive a nomination. It's just going to be tough when his competition will be singing songs like Buddy's Blues, Bess You Is My Woman Now and Falling Slowly.

[circusliz]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:19am

I disagree that Raul was in good voice. I thought he sounded tired and hoarse on a lot of the high belting. Understandable, since it seemed like the majority of his songs had to be sung in a high belt. His voice is going to take a beating doing that 8x/week.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:24am

I don't know which show you saw, thinking he wasn't in good voice.

However, the one or two times I heard a slight glitch at the end of the show was because of the rigorous rehearsal schedule.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:29am

For those that enjoy collecting these little first preview mishaps...


SPOILER

The onstage rainstorm at the end of the play clogged Raul's mic and it was for a moment scary that he was going to be zapped.

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:30am

A clunker. As broken down as the show's bus. Raul Esparza deserves better, and so do we. A leaden, confused book, a loud, undistinguished score, and a set as ugly as sin. As for Esparza's performance, it is hard to believe that anyone in this town would be taken in by a con man with so little conviction and so obviously a fraud.

[circusliz]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:32am

I thought he sounded great in his low to middle register, and did ok with some of the high belting. But I heard a number of high notes that he couldn't sustain, which he covered by growling the note.

Not a weakness on his part. Jonas' songs are killer, compounded by the testifying during the revival scenes.

[circusliz]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:34am

Michael Bennet -- another mishap was the mic that was left on. Pretty sure I heard "Sam" say "Oh s**t, this is the wrong outfit"

[bookofmel]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:35am

I don't know what show some of you guys were watching, but I had a great time. I wasn't bored once which unfortunately has been a problem with many of the shows I have seen lately.

Raul is unbefrickinglievable. Just electric. Can I give a hallelujah amen to that tweet?! And Kendra and he work so well together as brother and sister (as do he and Jessica- fantastic chemistry!). I really don't understand how someone wouldn't care about these characters. Not gonna lie, I got a little weepy at the end, especially the way Raul interacted with the kid. It was really well written and got to me.

I think that some of the songs run too long and could/should be cut down, but I really like the music overall. Granted unlike Newsies I hadn't heard the music before (beyond what was shown in the online videos), so I wasn't able to run out humming a song the way I did with Carrying the Banner. However, I think this is some of Menken and Slater's best work. That last revival number is damn sexy! And Magic, the song with Raul and the boy, is beautiful.

Don't get me started on the 11 o'clock number. There are no words. Oh Raul.

[undercoveractor]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:42am

I saw the show at invited dress, and I have to say that it isn't perfect, there is work to be done, but it is nowhere as bad as many posters on here are claiming.
I'll focus on the good.
The story is simple, but in a good way I think.It is easy in this day and age to relate to the desire to believe in a divine power. The power of faith.
The ensemble is fantastic! AND this isn't a generic 22ish/dancer/Rob Ashford ensemble where everybody looks the same. So many types are represented and they all do everything...well.
The kid playing the Sheriffs son is wonderful. He comes across as very real and sincere...not an 'actory' kid at all. Loved him.
The show grew on me as it progressed. I wasn't connected at the beginning, but as it moved forward it moved me.
I hope that it will improve in previews and find an audience...I had a good time.

[americanboy99]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:50am

I was there tonight as well, and I'll say I was pretty underwhelmed.

Raul is very charismatic and hugely entertaining, but his voice is really sounding tired. His big 11 o'clock number is very bizarre and really unwarranted. The emotions didn't hit for me.

Phillips is fine but certainly needs some character work. She plays it way too young in the first scene and then never really succeeds in establishing herself as a woman of any power throughout the show. I want to see more of a mother. That's where the real conflict of this show should be coming from. This man has this mother in an extremely, extremely difficult position.

Kassebaum is really great in a sadly written role. She does what she can and succeeds.

The set is clunky, and the costumes look like they were purchased at Wal-Mart. The choir robes during the 3rd revival are laughably awkward.

The biggest problem here is really the score. Just not a memorable tune. The lyrics (of what I heard... I was in the 2nd row and the sound was really messy from there) were laughable as well, just some really pedestrian jokes. I really love this team's work on "Sister Act" and they didn't get to that level with this one. Not even close.

The book is fine but very problematic. Things are never really explained, and the audience's compassion for Esparza's character is really unwarranted. Everything ties up neatly much too easily, and there's just not really much to grab onto.

I can't see this one catching on with audiences/ getting very solid reviews. I'd say Raul's got a fine chance at a Tony nom, that is hoping his voice improves.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/4/12 at 12:52am

I liked Talon Ackerman, who played the son, a lot too. He is not annoying like so many child actors can be (the girls in Wonderland and People in the Picture last year).

I don't mind a simple story either; 110 in the Shade is a very simple story too and can be very moving. The thing is I care wildly for Lizzie and didn't develop the same level of attachment to these characters. If you're not going to have a lot of plot you must have a lot of character development. She Loves Me doesn't have much plot. Neither does Light in the Piazza. Still those scores and books are devoted to slowly revealing those characters to the audience and building our affection for them. The Music Man also has next to no plot. We still love Harold Hill and genuinely want him to awaken feelings in Marion and have them get together in the end. I can't say I felt the same here.