Lion King

It was a great day in the city. My sister, her husband and their two terrific kids, Shannon and Danny, went to Central Park, FAO Schwartz, Mars 2112 (horrible) for lunch and met up with Tom Z. Then to the theater.
I wish I had seen Lion King earlier in it's run. It is a visual feast. The costumes, oh, those beautiful costumes. The sets were so elaborate. A wonderful spectacle.
I kept thinking how tough it must be to keep such a high energy through a long running show like this. The performances were strong, but I could tell they had another show tonight, and were saving some for that.
When a show is new, there is a unique energy from the cast. They know how lucky they are to be on a Broadway stage. Everything pops and sparkles. After a few months, it becomes easier. I have thought about going back to see Sweeney Todd again, but I am afraid it would have moved into that place, where it is professionally "walked through".
It was a big day. Today I am tired. Glad to have the day off to catch my breath.

Lestat

It wasn't as boring as Dracula the Musical, but it was hardly good.
Dracula Lite, Ann Rices' outline of a story, crib notes of Interview...,, Lestat eats Wonder Bread.
The first two scenes are a bore, and I want to run for the hills. No "Wow", no great song, it's 15 minutes of explanation. It is possible to take an epic story and present it intelligently and not dumb it down for the audience, ie: Les Mis. This was bad news.
Hugh Panaro is dashing and has a nice voice, if not a little too high for this villain. I don't believe his relationships with any character through the entire show. With his mother, flat, with his lovers, flat, with his daughter, flat.
Carolee Carmello is so over dramatic in the first half of the first act. It's embarrassing and hard to watch. After she gets "saved", she is a lot more fun, prancing around stage, probably knowing she wont have many more evenings on this stage. Her big belt showstopper "The Crimson Kiss" received thunderous applause and bravas. Huh? Was it her family in the audience? "..the thing that bonds us is the crimson kiss." Now I'm no writer, but that is really dumb.
Allison Fischer as Lestat's daughter is precocious and quite good. Her belted number "More" is terrific, but her voice is eerily mature. A little bit like watching a Jean-Benet Ramsey.
The sets (or lack of) and special effects were stupid and uninspired. The Elton John score was boring and polite. The lighting was ok, the costumes looked thrown together. A couple even looked like mistakes.
A real bad show. It is going to get skewered by the critics after opening tonight. Can't wait to read the reviews.
All that said, even a bad night on Broadway is still a great night.

The Drowsy Chaperone

Last night we saw a wonderful new musical, The Drowsy Chaperone. First off, it is great seeing something new. Second, everything about it was terrific.
The story is set and eventually comes alive in the apartment of an excitable theater queen, not unlike many I was sitting with. As he shares his favorite album with the audience, characters appear and you are suddenly taken inside his fantasy world. What is so great about this concept is that I never felt sorry for this man who lives in fantasy. In fact, I was a little jealous. And Bob Martin wrote and played the character with such fun.
The costumes by Gregg Barnes were beautiful. Some of the finest theatrical period costumes I've seen, with beautiful color and contrast. Graphic prints and unexpected splashes of color set against the boring apartment of the Man in the Chair. Fantastic.
Sutton Foster is a just a great big star. The song Show Off was a tour de force. This number was built for her.
The rest of the cast was beautifully cast too. Georgia Engel was a little weak, but heh, she's Georgia Engel.
Casey Nicholaw in his first big time directing gig. Great directing. He keeps it all moving.
Fantastic show. So glad to have seen it early in it's run.