Saw the Sunday matinee. Broke the Five Block Rule* by talking about the show with Dr. H (who wasn't able to make it) over dinner at Aladdin's afterward, and of course the guy at the next table turned out to be the props manager. Or at least that's what Tboy thinks he heard him tell the waiter. Which just goes to show that rules are rules for a reason, even if you write 'em yourself. Grrrr.
Anyway, Tboy liked, among other things:
- the intimacy and honesty of some of the book scenes
- the many little references, from the green beans to the purple feather, to previous productions and/or the film
- the niches and levels Jim Kronzer creates between columns at the back of the playing space
- the very nice image of Eliza parked, like just another collectible, on the bookshelf after the ball
- the bawdiness (read: sheer unbound bosominess) of "Get Me to the Church..."
- the ensemble singing, mostly
Not so much:
- the intimacy (read: inaudibility) of some of the solos
- the molasses pacing of some book scenes
- the Chippendales outfits when the chorus boys are being uptown swells
- the wife-beaters when they're being cockneys (if you're cold enough to need a fire in a barrel, you're cold enough to wear a damn shirt)
- the bottom-of-the-river lighting, pretty much throughout
- the purple neon runway, as though Eliza were competing to be Edwardian England's Next Top Model
- the lack of chemistry between Eliza and Higgins -- and this was supposed to be the hot 'n' heavy Lady, no?
The two-piano business, Tboy could take or leave. So all in all, quite the mixed bag; not unbearable, but not especially satisfying, either.
Also, though these are piddly enough that they probably won't make the review:
- The prop newspaper says "The London Times," which is just hilarious, and Tboy would've asked the prop guy what was up with that, except that they hadn't been properly introduced.
- When Eliza returns the jewels in that fit of pique, she hands back the bracelet and the necklace and the ring--but not the tiara. What, she didn't wanna muss her hair?
Full review in this week's paper; Tboy will add a link here when it's up on the Web.
*The Five-Block Rule, established by Dr. Hottie and The Set Designer when they were a couple, holds that no discussion of a show is advisable within five blocks of the theater in which it's been produced, because that woman in the crosswalk with you is almost certainly the stage manager's lover. In Tboy's defense, Aladdin's probably qualifies as further than five blocks from Signature, but still.
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