Chasing Rainbows - Papermill

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 9/30/19 at 12:13pm

Anyone seen this yet?

[LeftofLinus]

Posted: 9/30/19 at 5:34pm

A friend of mine went "opening night" where they were alerted it would be another preview and not indeed opening night.  He said the turntable broke sending an actor flying off a couch and intermission was extremely long due to broken set pieces.  He also said it was one of the most boring pieces of theater he ever sat through and to avoid at all costs.

[StardustsChild]

Posted: 9/30/19 at 9:26pm

I was at the matinee on Sunday, and I had a fantastic time, and plan on returning before the end of the run. @LeftofLinus I couldn't have had a more different experience from your friend. The set and technical elements were a well oiled machine, and the piece itself was a well crafted night of theatre, both referential for die hard Judy fans (some of the deep cuts are just lovely) and accessible for those less familiar with her early years.

The choreography is extremely strong, and Mike Wartella as Mickey Rooney is a standout - he makes a meal out of a role that could have swallowed actors with less presence than he. However, I really do have to hand this show over to Ruby Rakos and Max Von Essen as Judy and her father Frank. Their dynamic was incredibly moving, and the theatre seemed to sit forward collectively whenever they walked onstage. Von Essen in particular seems to have found a true home in the lilt of the standards, and at breaking your heart through them. I was not the only one crying in my row 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

when Frank collapsed following I Can't Give You Anything But Love. His echoing of Judy in the final scene was also a heartbreaking piece of direction, and one of the more clever uses of lighting I have seen in a non Broadway house in years.

Lesli Margherita does well with what she is given, but her part is not quite fleshed out enough for someone of her calibre yet - I hope that as the show incubates it will develop into something more, as Ethel is rife for historical exploration and Margherita is certainly capable. 

They could stand to shave about 15 minutes off of the show (10 from the first act and 5 from the second IMO)

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

I am hoping the Shirley Temple number in act 1 is cut entirely - the gimmick of a cute kid who can tap and memorize Shirley's catchphrases is fun but becomes grating very quickly, and it doesn't play into the plot beyond saying "hey look at what era of films we are in". Act 2 mostly requires some tightening of dialogue, and the repeated motif from the opening. The only technical issue I spotted the entire day (and I was keeping an eye out, as I always do at preview performances) was a quick change taking about 10 more seconds that I suspect it was supposed to. That ease will come with practice (and hopefully stronger velcro!)

, and as they are currently in previews (their opening was never announced as anything other than this coming sunday, so perhaps your friend confused first preview and opening night Linus?) I expect they will. I would personally love to see this show make the jump this spring, but I suspect the creative team will want a little more time to polish, and I look forward to tracking its journey, no matter how long it takes. 

Overall - a lovely night at Papermill, and a show that I wholeheartedly recommend to fans of Judy, Old Hollywood, or American Standards.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 10/1/19 at 10:46am

There are many positive reviews over at Show Score, with an average of 89. 

Chasing Rainbows - Show Score

[TNick926]

Posted: 10/1/19 at 11:39am

I saw the show on Saturday night, Sept 28.  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it!  My expectations were low, in light of other original new musicals I've seen at Papermill recently, including The Sting, Ever After, The Honeymooners, and others.  

But this show was a real delight!  Often hilarious, yet dark shadows of the toll showbiz and drugs would take on our young star, always hover, ultimately leading to powerfully moving character arcs for Judy and her father Frank Gumm, especially.

The production is GORGEOUS!  The lighting in particular is truly superb, costumes on point, scenery and orchestrations of very high caliber.  The use of standards intermixed with original material was mostly seamless, and very clever and at times deeply resonant when used as songs illustrating various characters' feelings and emotions...

Ruby Rakos is a stunning find as Judy Garland/Frances Gumm; Max Von Essen sings thrillingly and provides realistic ache as Frank Gumm; Karen Mason finds a real person in Kay Koverman and really gets to shine in second act song; Michael Wartella is ASTONISHINGLY good as Mickey Rooney, and Colin Hanlon scores memorably as Roger Edens.  The entire cast is truly spectacular!

I'm so glad I saw this, and I highly recommend it. Especially to "Friends of Dorothy" like me! :)

 

Updated On: 10/1/19 at 11:39 AM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 10/1/19 at 12:16pm

Production photos released.

First Look - Paper Mill Playhouse's Chasing Rainbows

[LovesBway!]

Posted: 10/1/19 at 5:43pm

I'll see anything Max Von Essen is in!

[StardustsChild]

Posted: 10/3/19 at 9:42am

@TNick I definitely agree on Karen Mason - she was really the heart  of the studio scenes with Colin Hanlon as Roger supporting it. As the show goes through its final preview revisions I hope they don't adjust her material much, as it landed perfectly when I saw it.

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 10/4/19 at 3:54pm

LeftofLinus said: "A friend of mine went "opening night" where they were alerted it would be another preview and not indeed opening night."

It officially opens this Sunday (10/6). 

[StardustsChild]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 5:47pm

Chasing Rainbows is officially open!

Review Roundup

BroadwayWorld's Review

Photo Coverage of the Opening Night Party

Photo Coverage of Opening Bows

 

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 10/10/19 at 5:28pm

I saw it last night. Act 2 is definitely stronger than Act 1. It finds its center much better and it definitely packs the emotions at the end. As all have said Ruby is magnetic and I thought Karen Mason's number in Act 2 was perfection. It was simple and clever, a perfect use of the source material.

I feel like the piece as a whole struggles to decide what it wants to be. It feels very much like a modern jukebox musical but I think it somewhat wants to be a classical musical. I think lots of my personal feelings are conflicting because of this. On one hand I thought that they were making it too frilly, not exploring the drama enough. On the other hand I wanted it to be less sappy and just embrance the 1930s esque musical fun. I feel like projections and LED tape make it hard to really feel like the latter but the source music makes it hard to be the former. But at the same time I thought a lot of the scenic transitions were rather good. Although at the performance I saw during one of Max's emotional moments there was a bunch of clanging of something banging into on of the portals for a while actually. 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

One moment I particularly loved was at the end of Got a Pair of New Shoes (when Judy gets officially offered Dorothy) they jump to You're Off to See the Wizard. I thought it was a brilliant combination of source material. 

 

[BarnabyTucker]

Posted: 10/20/19 at 12:37am

Caught this one today and had a lovely time.  It's definitely tonally inconsistent what with wanting to be both an MGM musical and a contemporary bio musical, and at least 35-45 minutes can be shaved off the running time.  Major props to the book writer for taking on subject matter that's often come under scrutiny for portraying Garland's life as too tragic/dark (End of the Rainbow, Me and My Shadows TV film, etc.).  

 

The cast is sensational across the board, and oh boy do we need to see Michael Wartella on the boards more!

 

Can I see it transferring to Broadway?  Likely not.  I don't think there's much of a market for it aside from tourists at the TKTS booth looking for the cheapest last minute option, and I think it belongs at a regional house where it can have a healthy 5-week run.