Lorelai can sing!!!
Holy crap, just got back from Guys and Dolls where Lauren Graham absolutely blew me away! Not only can the girl sing but she managed to actually surprise me with her take on Adelaide. She's usually played as a high-pitched ditz (brilliantly so by Faith Prince) but she made the role her own with her off-kilter line readings that went the opposite way, slowing Adelaide down to the point where she appears to be slightly doped up... kelly1142 and I thought she was hysterical!
The rest of the cast was great too. Craig Bierko makes for the perfect Sky Masterson with his killer charm and that wonderful voice of his that seems to really have been made for this music. Kate Jennings Grant was a lovely Sarah Brown and she does a nice job with "If I Were a Bell" which is one of my favorite songs of the show. Surprisingly enough I found Oliver Platt to be the weak link in the main cast. I liked him well enough but he was lacking the booming personality that is needed for the role and that usually comes naturally to him... maybe he had an off night.
The production is not perfect, like the pretentious theater students sitting behind us I wish they had not gone with the giant screen which was at times distracting. I would have much preferred to watch the talented orchestra play (they were on the stage hidden behind the screen) which is actually part of the fun when you see Chicago. It may not be as inspired as the 1992 production but it's still quite a lot of fun and they come pretty damn close to the brilliance of the '92 production with a rollicking version of 'Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat' where Tituss Burgess and Mary Testa nearly steal the whole show!
Now I leave you with two youtube clips, the first is a cute behind the scenes look with the cast at their first photo shoot...
The second is the 1992 cast, led by Walter Bobbie as Nicely Nicely Johnson, performing at the Tony awards...
The rest of the cast was great too. Craig Bierko makes for the perfect Sky Masterson with his killer charm and that wonderful voice of his that seems to really have been made for this music. Kate Jennings Grant was a lovely Sarah Brown and she does a nice job with "If I Were a Bell" which is one of my favorite songs of the show. Surprisingly enough I found Oliver Platt to be the weak link in the main cast. I liked him well enough but he was lacking the booming personality that is needed for the role and that usually comes naturally to him... maybe he had an off night.
The production is not perfect, like the pretentious theater students sitting behind us I wish they had not gone with the giant screen which was at times distracting. I would have much preferred to watch the talented orchestra play (they were on the stage hidden behind the screen) which is actually part of the fun when you see Chicago. It may not be as inspired as the 1992 production but it's still quite a lot of fun and they come pretty damn close to the brilliance of the '92 production with a rollicking version of 'Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat' where Tituss Burgess and Mary Testa nearly steal the whole show!
Now I leave you with two youtube clips, the first is a cute behind the scenes look with the cast at their first photo shoot...
Click to viewThe second is the 1992 cast, led by Walter Bobbie as Nicely Nicely Johnson, performing at the Tony awards...