Vanessa Hudgens in 'Gigi' on Broadway: Where are we again?
5 / 10
Hudgens has to come up with a Gigi in an era when it is generally thought best that little girls are allowed to grow up in a most delightful way, far away from the prying eyes of older suitors waiting for them to bloom...Heidi Thomas...clearly is aware of these issues. She amps up Gigi's moments of rebellion from her chosen path...That would all be well and good if Hudgens had got the memo. But for most of this show she comes up with the most girlie Gigi you could possibly imagine: it is as if she were told to be as chirpy and childlike as possible, skipping around the stage and, at times, bending at the waist like a rag doll...Hudgens is, for sure, sincere and working hard. But her safe-as-the-valley Gigi feels Californian all the way and, well, not even remotely French. Actually, nothing in this show (and I include both the earnest McGillin and the setting by Derek McLane, replete with a mini Eiffel Tower) feels even remotely French. And without that je ne sais quoi, well, you're left with a piece sans any viable identity.
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