The internet is for "camp" ...
... the internet is for camp. Camp, camp, camp, camp, the internet -- make that the West End -- is for camp.
Sorry -- but I couldn't resist.
This weekend I met up with bigtitch, kingbantam (and the Sprog), fairyd123, and loreley_se to see Avenue Q on Saturday night. For several of us this was our second time seeing Daniel Boys in the role as three of us had seen him within the first two days of him donning the puppet on stage.
And what a difference.
Personally, I thought he did an admirable job on opening night. Considering the complexity involved in handling two puppets and mirroring the moves of said puppets while singing two very different roles, I'm not surprised he was utterly nervous. But he has grown into the role beautifully. Last night he was utterly smooth. Princeton and Rod had their own characters and DB was comfortable with each of them (although I'm personally convinced he was having far more fun with Rod). His facial expressions were far more distinct when he assumed the different characters and he was much more relaxed as Rod. And. Good. God. Rod is the campiest, campiest puppet --evah. ::heh:: It was a blast.
As for the rest of the cast:
Mark Goldthorp continues to thrive in the role of Trekkie Monster and Nicky. Like DB, he seems more and more comfortable with the expressions and the interaction (although again, I thought he was fabulous during opening night). And his Bad Idea Bear -- the best I've seen. The pouting, the seducing, the pleading -- I'd give in to the Bad Idea Bears in a heartbeat.
I thought Delroy Atkinson as Gary Coleman was spot on this time. His comic delivery and body language are perfect for the role.
And I adore Yanle Zhong as Christmas Eve. She obviously has a strong voice, and I'd love to hear her without the faux accent. And her comic timing is meticulous.
I continue to be disappointed with Rebecca Lock. Her accent and persona was sliding through the evening. At times, she was doing Kate Monster's lines with the twang of Lucy the Slut. Just ... no. And even Lucy the Slut didn't across as ... wanton and slutty as that of the performance of the previous actress, Julie Atherton.
But, with the balance of the cast doing a fabulous job, it was a more than enjoyable evening.
And yes, we braved the cold of the stage door with our programmes in hand to see if DB would step out. And cold it was. Despite the fact we were between two buildings, the wind still managed to whip past us. We heard that one of the performers was leaving (? still unsubstantiated), but we waited nearly 30 minutes before Daniel appeared. But it was well worth the wait. There was only our group and one other group of three. As they were closest to the stage door, he spoke with them first for several minutes and then turned to us.
He ws utterly lovely. He chatted away and posed for pictures with no hesitation (despite the fact that his sister was waiting for him!).
As for the chat, here's what I've managed to pull together from the collective thoughts of several of the attendees. If more comes to mind, please comment!
He doesn't know what he's singing at the Theatre Awards Gala at the end of February--yet.
Daniel saw the Sprog and grinned. When kingbantam explained that she in turn would explain some parts of the show to him in ... say another five years, Daniel was highly amused.
Apparently, earlier during the week, there had been a five year old in the front row sitting right in front of the bedroom scene. As Daniel put it, he didn’t know *where* to look! ::heh::
As for Saturday night's performance, the audience was really enjoying the show. There was a guy laughing in the first couple of rows; he was laughing so loud that he was apparently making the *cast* laugh according to Daniel.
When we queried him as to whether or not he was enjoying the show now, we got a resounding yes. He's clearly enjoying it.
And while we were talking about the characterizations and how there's a huge difference now between Princeton and Rod (in particular), he grinned and said something along the lines of: “Yes, Rod is a bit camp, isn’t he?” I shall leave it your imagination how we responded to that comment!
There was also one other moment which lingered in my mind. As he was signing my programme, he looked up at me and asked me where I was from.
Smiling, I answered truthfully. "I'm from Canada".
And then kingbantam said “Her name is Alberta.”
And I said, "But I’ve never been to Vancouver".
And then he sang a few lines before admitting that he’s terrified every time he sings that song that he’s going to forget some of the words because it’s so fast paced.
::hearts Daniel:: He is truly a lovely gentleman and fabulous perfomer.
And after all that he generously posed for photos -- including one on his own.
Sorry -- but I couldn't resist.
This weekend I met up with bigtitch, kingbantam (and the Sprog), fairyd123, and loreley_se to see Avenue Q on Saturday night. For several of us this was our second time seeing Daniel Boys in the role as three of us had seen him within the first two days of him donning the puppet on stage.
And what a difference.
Personally, I thought he did an admirable job on opening night. Considering the complexity involved in handling two puppets and mirroring the moves of said puppets while singing two very different roles, I'm not surprised he was utterly nervous. But he has grown into the role beautifully. Last night he was utterly smooth. Princeton and Rod had their own characters and DB was comfortable with each of them (although I'm personally convinced he was having far more fun with Rod). His facial expressions were far more distinct when he assumed the different characters and he was much more relaxed as Rod. And. Good. God. Rod is the campiest, campiest puppet --evah. ::heh:: It was a blast.
As for the rest of the cast:
Mark Goldthorp continues to thrive in the role of Trekkie Monster and Nicky. Like DB, he seems more and more comfortable with the expressions and the interaction (although again, I thought he was fabulous during opening night). And his Bad Idea Bear -- the best I've seen. The pouting, the seducing, the pleading -- I'd give in to the Bad Idea Bears in a heartbeat.
I thought Delroy Atkinson as Gary Coleman was spot on this time. His comic delivery and body language are perfect for the role.
And I adore Yanle Zhong as Christmas Eve. She obviously has a strong voice, and I'd love to hear her without the faux accent. And her comic timing is meticulous.
I continue to be disappointed with Rebecca Lock. Her accent and persona was sliding through the evening. At times, she was doing Kate Monster's lines with the twang of Lucy the Slut. Just ... no. And even Lucy the Slut didn't across as ... wanton and slutty as that of the performance of the previous actress, Julie Atherton.
But, with the balance of the cast doing a fabulous job, it was a more than enjoyable evening.
And yes, we braved the cold of the stage door with our programmes in hand to see if DB would step out. And cold it was. Despite the fact we were between two buildings, the wind still managed to whip past us. We heard that one of the performers was leaving (? still unsubstantiated), but we waited nearly 30 minutes before Daniel appeared. But it was well worth the wait. There was only our group and one other group of three. As they were closest to the stage door, he spoke with them first for several minutes and then turned to us.
He ws utterly lovely. He chatted away and posed for pictures with no hesitation (despite the fact that his sister was waiting for him!).
As for the chat, here's what I've managed to pull together from the collective thoughts of several of the attendees. If more comes to mind, please comment!
He doesn't know what he's singing at the Theatre Awards Gala at the end of February--yet.
Daniel saw the Sprog and grinned. When kingbantam explained that she in turn would explain some parts of the show to him in ... say another five years, Daniel was highly amused.
Apparently, earlier during the week, there had been a five year old in the front row sitting right in front of the bedroom scene. As Daniel put it, he didn’t know *where* to look! ::heh::
As for Saturday night's performance, the audience was really enjoying the show. There was a guy laughing in the first couple of rows; he was laughing so loud that he was apparently making the *cast* laugh according to Daniel.
When we queried him as to whether or not he was enjoying the show now, we got a resounding yes. He's clearly enjoying it.
And while we were talking about the characterizations and how there's a huge difference now between Princeton and Rod (in particular), he grinned and said something along the lines of: “Yes, Rod is a bit camp, isn’t he?” I shall leave it your imagination how we responded to that comment!
There was also one other moment which lingered in my mind. As he was signing my programme, he looked up at me and asked me where I was from.
Smiling, I answered truthfully. "I'm from Canada".
And then kingbantam said “Her name is Alberta.”
And I said, "But I’ve never been to Vancouver".
And then he sang a few lines before admitting that he’s terrified every time he sings that song that he’s going to forget some of the words because it’s so fast paced.
::hearts Daniel:: He is truly a lovely gentleman and fabulous perfomer.
And after all that he generously posed for photos -- including one on his own.
