Friday, December 31, 2010

Angels in America: Millenium Approaches

Thursday, December 30
Signature Theatre, 7:30pm performance

The gays were out in force last night at Angels in America Part I: Millenium Approaches.  It was actually nice to see such a hugely diverse crowd (age, race, and gender as well) since today’s Broadway audience is starting to become one big homogenized white, middle-class blob.  I mean no disrespect to Joe the Plumber from Ohio, but Joe doesn’t want to shell out $120 to be challenged or moved.  Joe wants familiar, safe stories that don’t tax brain cells and don’t question status quo.

I present to you Exhibit A - the abrupt closing of Scottsboro Boys and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson on Broadway.  Without judging their artistic merits, these shows pushed the boundaries of traditional musical theatre by challenging audiences intellectually as well as emotionally.  The result?  Both closed within a couple months of opening while Mamma Mia! continues to sellout.  Obviously, America wants its entertainment served up on white bread with double cheese. 

Oddly, the shows we now consider masterpieces of the genre would probably have closed just as quickly as Scottsboro or Bloody if opening today.  Could Sweeney or West Side, shows that do not trade on spectacle or familiarity, but rather on story, score and lyric, make it in today’s fast food musical climate?  It’s a mute point, I guess.  But I’d venture they’d have a tough time raising capital today without the bankability of their composers.

Okay, enough with the ranting, let’s move on to Angels.  I remember seeing the original Broadway production and thinking, “Gee, do people talk like this in real life?   They’re so eloquent and cerebral even when they’re just ranting.”  Of course, I’ve experienced at least a decade’s worth of life since that first viewing.  Hearing the words again, it doesn’t seem so improbable.  It’s still brilliantly eloquent and intelligent, but still feels real and honest.

Trish and I had a twinge of panic seeing that dreaded slip of white paper in the program.  The cast is one of the main reasons I bit the bullet and paid for full price tickets.  It turned out that Christian Borle - one of Trish's fake Broadway boyfriends - was out.  His understudy, Eric Bryant, seemed a bit tentative in his first couple of scenes, but hit his stride by the hallway "collapse" scene.  His chemistry with Quinto also seemed a bit forced at first, but seemed to gel by the middle of the first act.  I believe today was his first time on for the role of Prior (judging from the late house opening 5 minutes prior to curtain), so pretty impressive all things considered.  Fingers crossed we see Borle for Part 2 on Sunday, though it'll be weird seeing a different actor continuing in the role.

Zach Quinto is some nice eye candy but someone needs to throw him a steak.  The man is downright waifish.  It was odd that the character dying from AIDS had more muscle definition and bulk than Quinto.  Regardless, Quinto was a highlight of an extremely strong ensemble.  I was also particularly impressed with Frank Wood's Roy Cohen.  His physicality was appropriately disgusting.  Watching him as Cohen made me feel dirty.  Though many on the chatboards found Kazan's portrayal of Harper disingenuous, I found her more than adequate and at times moving.  Bill Heck's Joe Pitt can meet me in the rambles any night.  His performance was equal turns sympathetic and frustrating (in a good way).  I appreciated Robin Bartlett's harsher reading of Mother Pitt (compared to Meryl Streep on HBO).  Billy Porter sure knows how to play sassy black side-kick and deserves the audience acknowledgement he receives, but I prefer Jeffrey Wright's less flamboyant and emotionally contained (but equally intense) Belize from TV and the original Broadway production. 

I'm looking forward to Part 2 on Sunday.  Happy New Year!

FYI: weenie alert - the audience gets to see both Quinto and Borle's wee-wee's - if you're into that.  ;-)

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Kennedy Center honors

I am a blogging fool this week!  Enjoy this literary bounty while you can because soon enough, I'll actually have to work while I'm at the office.  Although it is a pleasure sitting in silence and not having bankers hurl unreasonable requests at you, after about five hours of web-surfing even I begin to suffer net-fatigue.  Still, I'm grateful for this once yearly lull in the usually tumultuous world of investment banking. 

The televised Kennedy Center Honors last night provided a welcome jolt of surprises and what-the-f*ck moments to elevate an otherwise predictable broadcasting week brimming with reruns and Holiday retreads.  Oddly, I think Oprah's segment was the most entertaining and thoughtful of the bunch.  J-Hud kicked some major ass with her rendition of "I'm Here" from The Color Purple



And damn, that tape worm - and by tape worm I mean Weight Watchers - is working wonders for her figure. 

The segment honoring Jerry Herman was just plain embarrassing.  Is it any wonder the red state folks cling to the cheesy musical theatre stereotype?  How are we going to get new audiences into the theatre when all they see is over-processed cheese?  I love me some Chita and Carol, but it seems this segment was produced by some big old queen finally working out his Broadway boner on National TV.  Instead of all those performers presenting 10 second snippets of songs that just don't work out of context, why not have 2 or 3 full-song performances?  I'll admit, I'm not the biggest Herman fan, but at least a full song would better illustrate his songwriting craft.  And what was with that male ensemble?  Can you say "over-choreographed?"  It was like they were on crack.  They never stopped moving and the choreography never matched the tone of the songs or acknowledged the lyric.  Sometimes more is just more.  Props to Chita, though, who's still got it at 77.  And Matthew Morrison, please smile!  "It's Today" is supposed to be a joyful and happy celebration of life.  He was more like a Mama Rose telling us to enjoy his number --- or else.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Blizzard of 2010 -- photos coming soon!

This morning was a commuting nightmare.  Thanks to the Blizzard of 2010, the Q train suspended service leaving me with only one subway line, the N train.  Of course, my stop - an outdoor platform - hadn't yet seen a shovel so this morning's throng of commuters were straddling the back metal wall for fear of slipping onto the tracks.  Misery breeds a weird sort of camaraderie between commuters and though trains were late and we were packed tighter than Adam Lambert's jeans, everyone seemed to just go with the flow.  I didn't really hear any complaining except for a singular outburst at the 59th street station when someone yelled, "Stop pushing."  Pretty tame for New Yorkers.

So here I am, at my desk and clocked-in five minutes late - not bad considering the 25 inches of snow on the ground.  But no matter, my floor is basically empty with only a few analysts and a handful of assistants at their desks.  I smell a long day of net surfing and online shopping. 

As for the rest of my holiday weekend, Saturday’s blizzard warning prompted mom and dad to adopt a wait-and-see stance before heading into the city.  I didn't want to get stranded in NJ for the rest of the week, so I headed out Sunday morning just as it was beginning to flurry - or as my malapropism-prone mother likes to say, flourish.  I guess everyone else had the same idea.  The NJ Transit bus was packed and already running 20 minutes late.  At least I didn't have to stand for the whole trip unlike some of the later boarders.  Exiting the NYC side of the Lincoln Tunnel it was clear the meteorologists got this one right - Mother Nature was gonna' take a massive dump on us. 

From Port Authority I opted for the subway rather than a cab in anticipation of some horrific weather-related traffic.  I'd already gotten a sneak peak on the bus ride in - four car accidents in less than 10 miles of highway between Union and Newark.  By the time I was finally off the subway and walking the last few blocks to my apartment there was at least an inch of snow on the ground.  Ignorant of the storm predictions, I had only packed smooth-soled dress shoes.  So you guessed it, I slipped and fell flat on my ass right in front of the Dunkin Donuts on 30th Avenue.  On reflection, this was probably a sign from God to stock up on munchkins and Boston crèmes for the long winter hibernation to come.  But as is often the case with divine revelation, I was too pre-occupied with anger, cursing and embarrassment to notice.  The moral of the story? - God wants me to eat more doughnuts. 

By six, it appeared I would be trapped in the apartment (alone - mom and dad wisely decided not to travel into the city) for at least the next day, so I threw on my boots and trekked to the Rite Aid for important supplies - toilet paper and Lindt chocolates.  Don’t judge.  They had the special Christmas flavors (of chocolate, not toilet paper - that would be just plain weird) at 50% off!  Obviously, God had given me a second chance to stock up on useless calories and at half price.  Can I get an "Amen"?

I also made a detour to Radio Shack to buy a memory card for my new video camera.  As soon as I figure out how to use it, I will post my blizzard photos.

I woke up Monday morning to a winter wonderland.  It was like a crack house threw up all over the street, only colder and without the syringes.  Ignoring the weatherman’s pleas to stay indoors, I strapped on my boots to see whether any other other idiots decided to venture out.  It seems Astoria is full of idiots because the streets were brimming with activity.  Sidewalks were being shoveled, cars were being un-buried (pardon the passive voice), dogs were shitting and kids were playing.  Plowing Queens (that sounds dirty) is obviously not a priority for the city since the side streets (i.e. my street) appeared impassable.  A few abandoned cars - I imagine the drivers got stuck in the snow and just gave up - created lovely arctic snowdrifts smack dab in the middle of the street.

I was surprised to find both the Key Food and Rite Aid open though under-manned.  I took this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play King of the Grocery Store and shop the abandoned aisles.  This must be how Paris Hilton feels when they close the Cocaine Emporium on Rodeo Drive to the general public so she can shop un-hassled by the paparazzi.   Shopping completed, I headed home with my bags filled with ingredients for a big pot of homemade chili.

I spent the rest of the day lounging in my underwear, scoffing bowls of chili and watching an all day marathon of “Living in the Time of Jesus” on the National Geographic Channel.  The three-part documentary was actually pretty interesting and oddly secular given the title and subject matter.  Don’t worry, I’m not heading off to Seminary anytime soon.  Every other channel was showing blizzard coverage or re-runs of Oprah.  

Sadly, the snow day was wasted because I had already taken the day off from work.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

A Pineda Christmas

Finally, a boring holiday. No gaping wounds or stitches, no road trips, no double set of parents, no parties – just the family in our pajamas with the TV and an endless supply of food and alcohol. What could be better? Granted, we did have to get dressed for Juan's Christmas Eve mass, but even that was relatively painless compared to the previous night’s cluster-fucked Pineda Holiday extravaganza. Is it grammatically correct to use “cluster-fuck” as an adjective? Does it really matter? At least I spelled it out, unlike our abbreviation-obsessed younger generation – LOL (Get the irony?).

This year the siblings decided to go budget with gift-giving and we set a spending limit. Now that I’m totally OCD about cleanliness and neatness in the apartment, the lack of “stuff” was definitely a plus for me. Juan, Val & Trish pooled their resources and got me a nifty handheld mini video recorder (Kodak Zi8 - isn't it pretty?). So as soon as I figure it out, I’ll actually be able to post some awesome blackmail-worthy video! Watch out family and friends. I smell a lawsuit.

Unfortunately, Gerry was unable to join us in NJ this year. We celebrated via phone as he nursed his ailing cat, Maddie (18 years old!) in Austin. He had a close call the day before and had to bring her to the vet. Hopefully, he won’t have to put her down during the holidays. Very sad.

Mom and dad, however, were able to make the trek to NJ and will be celebrating the rest of the week in my apartment in Queens. I actually don’t mind having them stay with me even though the space is so friggin’ small. What I am freaked out about (here’s my OCD again) is that I haven’t been able to clean the apartment. I’ve literally been going to work and then going straight to NJ for rehearsals everyday this week. I’ve barely had enough time at home to sleep let alone scrub a toilet. Now that I’m in my – gulp – 40’s, I take my eight hours of blissful slumber very seriously. They’ll just have to live with the scattered clothes and dirty dishes in the sink. At least I’ll have a clean set of sheets for them.

It’s now nearly midnight and I’ve been in the same tee shirt and drawstring pajama pants for nearly 24 hours! Even a visit from Audrey (an old friend of Val) and her friend Rosemary couldn't motivate an outfit change. I don’t think my regular clothes will fit me anyway. I haven’t stopped eating or drinking since 11am. I’ve been in this constant state of wanting to throw-up interrupted by hourly trips to recline on the porcelain throne. Yet I continue to shovel in ham, rum cake, sangria, chocolate, shrimp, calamari, assorted appetizers, cookies and a complete prime rib dinner with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. I’ll have to down a bottle of Pepto before bed.

Trish and Val in their matching PJ's from mom.  They're like twins.  I can't even tell them apart!
Me in my Polar Bear pajamas being acosted by Juan and his new massager.
The happy family.
Merry Christmas, everyone!


Friday, December 24, 2010

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Spider-man and other random crap

The worker's comp claims are piling up over at the Foxwood's theatre.  And I thought WE were pushing the boundary by making our kids do full-out production numbers in 100 degree heat wearing wool costumes in an un-air-conditioned theatre in the summer (try and say that sentence out loud in one breath).*  Damn that Julie Taymor.  She's one-upped as again! 

The latest casualty of Spider-man is Christopher Tierney, an aerialist and actor who reportedly plunged 28 feet after a safety rigging failed (or was improperly hooked up - still under investigation).  Watch the video here.  I don't mean to make light of an obviously horrific accident, but come on already - a broken toe, two broken wrists (on the same actor), a concussion (sidelining the lead actress for two weeks) and now reported broken ribs and internal bleeding?  That has got to be some kind of a record.  This is Broadway, not Olympic bobsledding.  They need to just go back to the drawing board and compose a better score, write a more compelling book and just tell us a good freakin' story. 

All this flying and acrobatics while impressive and fun are merely diamonds on a necklace made of dog shit.  If I want to see ridiculous feats of physical strength and acrobatics strung along by a wisp of a plot and atmospheric music I'll go see a Cirque de Soleil show.  At least the Cirque cast has been training most of their lives to hone their skills.  I'm not sitting in the audience worrying whether someone may plunge to their death.  I'd go further and add that last summer's Cirque offering, Ovo, had a much more effective and theatrical score than Spidey.  That's just sad.

Anyway, enough about Spider-man, we have our very own stage spectacular to worry about, The Very Merry Pineda Holiday Spectacular!  Yes, folks, it's almost time for the third installment of our annual Holiday extravaganza.  Val has been going crazy coordinating rehearsals for over 80 current students, alumni and parents.  It's been a revolving door at the rehearsal hall and between final exams, vacations, all the schools' holiday concerts, and general season busy-ness, we won't even have a final cast count until the night of the performance.  I'm hoping the stage at the CDC can handle all that weight. 

Anyone not familiar with our off-the-wall family variety show is in for a pleasant (?) surprise.  Where else can you see small children singing inappropriate songs, dancing reindeer, Val in a candy cane suit, me in drag and Santa Claus?  Well, that's just business as usual at Pineda Conservatory.  Hopefully, child protective services never gets wind of us.

Speaking of children, what better way to guarantee the holiday "aww" factor than throwing a few rugrats into your act.  Yes, my friends, I've resorted to the highest form of audience manipulation, small children!  Cute little Suzy will deflect any criticism of my flat singing, botched lyrics or cracked high notes.  It's a win - win for all!  Don't judge.

*Below is a video of Peter Carmo and the ensemble in last summer's Meet Me in St. Louis performing "Banjos."  You would never know it was near 100 degrees in the theatre.  They just keep on smiling and strumming in full tuxes and gowns.  Child abuse?  I'd say we're "instilling character."  Potato - Potahto.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Women on the Verge...

Thursday, December 16
8pm performance

This show really confused me.  It’s close to being good and it’s almost always entertaining, but it’s hampered by a central character who isn’t as interesting as the secondary characters surrounding her.  It’s not Sheri Rene’s fault, either.  Her material is just, well, uninspired.  Her character, Pepa, gets straddles with one bland ballad after another.  I mean, it’s her story, yet the writers give the big, 11 o’clock number to Patti LuPone.  Yes, I know, it’s Patti LuPone and God forbid she doesn’t get the “big numbah,” but it really just throws the whole show off balance.  It’s like giving “Rose’s Turn” to Louise.

The act one finale is a big ole mess.  Until then the show is more or less naturalistic.  Then for no apparent reason it turns into Cirque de Soleil for dummies.  And the accompanying song is like an itch inside your skull that you can’t scratch.  I was actually enjoying myself through most of the act, but that finale annoyed me so much that I actually felt angry when the lights came up for intermission.

The show also suffers from multiple personal disorder, i.e. inconsistent tone.  The opening number sets us up for a big, splashy musical comedy and a few scenes later it gets super serious with the burning bed scene.  The next moment we’re in a (not very well executed) farce with zany Laura Benanti and LuPone running around slamming doors and drugging police with Valium. 

Benanti looks gorgeous and is surprisingly funny, with her flouncy walk and ditsy demeanor.  Of course, Sheri Rene’s less-than-fiery Latin fades even further into the background next to Benanti’s wide-eyed sex kitten. 

Methinks some over-sized star wattage blinded the writers’ focus.  Certainly Lucia’s first act song and scene with Paulina would have been tightened up, even cut, if not for LuPone’s star stature.  Same goes with Stokes’ (whose understudy was on) boring microphone song which definitely should have been cut by at least a verse or so.  I’m not saying these troupers don’t deserve to be upstage center, but poor Sheri Rene’s character has been relegated to spectator status in her own story.

With some judicious editing, a more streamlined story, more consistent tone and the deletion of a song or two, I think there’s potential for a great show.  As it stands, it’s perfectly average. 

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

A weekend flat on my back

Minds out of the gutter, people!  I threw my back out a couple weeks ago during the strike of La Traviata.  Forgetting that I'm no longer a nubile, young thing but a fat, middle-aged theatre queen, I tried to move a set piece that probably required two fat, middle-aged theatre queens (or one fairly in-shape young person).  Alas, I thought I was recovering well enough until I spent a weekend on Juan and Val's click-couch futon and a night awkwardly twisted in my own bed. 

Too embarrassed to call out of work due to a bad back, I instead did what any honest working girl would do, lie.  Feigning illness, I spent the day reclined on my couch, wrapped in an ace back support, watching twelve hours of holiday-themed cooking shows - actually not a terrible way to spend a cold winter day.  Note to self, back braces only look good on hunky weight lifters, professional wrestlers and delivery men.  On regular schmucks like me, they only accentuate an already bulging muffin top. 

I did manage to make it to rehearsal (for the Very Merry Pineda Holiday Spectacular!) Sunday evening, but wasn't much help.  Thankfully, Chris was on hand to whip the Pineda-ettes into shape for their featured number while I remained sidelined at the keyboard in my back brace.  Coincidentally, Chris also had a senior moment earlier that day.  He lost his car at the Short Hills mall parking lot.  Yes, he actually forgot where he parked and spent a panicked 15 minutes roaming the huge lot in a cold sweat.  What a sad pair we make.   Was it really only 13 years ago that we hand-jived our way across the country playing teenagers?!  Now we're wearing back braces and losing our cars.  Sad, just sad. 

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Carolee

Many of you know about my un-holy obsession with Audra MacDonald.  But many of you may not be aware of my other, more subtle fanaticism for Broadway singer/actress Carolee Carmello.  Unlike Audra, Carolee doesn’t appear on a weekly National TV show (yet) so her adoration by the masses may not quite be so ubiquitous. 

Last Thursday as Trish and I wandered through the Bryant Park Holiday Shops (exiting the Kate Spade booth to be exact) we stumbled upon the tree lighting ceremony.  The usual cute (but awful) school groups performed as well as casts from a couple of Broadway shows.  No biggie, right?  Well, after the cast of Rock of Ages screamed through a couple of 80’s covers, the MC started the following introduction: 

MC:
Next up is a Broadway actress who’s starred in Mammia Mia, Lestat…

Me (squealing like a tweener at a Justin Bieber concert):  
CAROLEE CARMELLO! 

Yes, I know, that very well may have been the gayest moment of my life.

Regardless, Trish and I were giddy with delight as the many tourists around us surely wondered, “Who the hell is Carolee Carmello and why are these two crazy Asians flipping their shit?”  They obviously have never experienced the magic that is Carolee. 

I, of course, was hoping for her crazy high belt version of “Do You Hear What I Hear.”  (See below and listen through the end for the juicy belting.)


 
Instead, he announced “Oh, Holy Night.”  Even better.  Trish whipped out her cell phone and started filming the historic event.  You’ll have to check back soon when Trish’s figured out how to download the video so I can post.  We give a blow-by-blow complete with cut-away shots of our facial expressions.  Priceless.

Needless to say, Ms. Carmello was fabulous even though her last belted “di-VINE” was a little wonky.  But hey, it was cold outside. 

If you ever get a chance to see her in action, do not miss it.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Kardashians are to Spider-man as...

Brace yourselves, kiddies, this is going to be a long one.  Trish and I saw Spider-man: Turn off the Dark last week in previews at the Ford Center...I mean Hilton Theatre...I mean Foxwoods Theatre (corporate sponsorship, gotta' love it!) for its third public performance.  The national papers, TV networks, blogs and chatrooms have been abuzz with nonstop gossip and innuendo over the most expensive Broadway show in theatre history. 

First off, that title is just awful and really has nothing to do with the show except for a casual reference in one lyric.  It's surprising I was even able to catch that lyric given the horrifically bad sound design, but more on that later.  And that hyphen?  I know, I know, that's how Stan Lee spelled the character's name in the original comic book, but it's just awkward and looks ugly.

My post title pretty much sums up my feelings for the show as it stands after three previews.  Spider-man is like a Kardashian - a lot of money spent to look good, but not much substance.  Yes, Taymor gives us some spectacular visuals and a gorgeous design that makes you almost forget about the clunky book, mostly un-theatrical score, banal lyrics and unintelligible Arachne mythology in the second act.  Almost.  Don't get me wrong, I love U2 and own plenty of their CD's.  Yes, I still have a CD player and yes, I actually play CD's on it.  Call me old-fashioned.  But much of the score is basically tuneless, generic alt-rock that at times badly mimics the genuinely eerie film scores of Danny Elfman.  Why not just hire Danny Elfman?  They could have also thrown this one to theatre composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) or to keep with "rock names", David Bryan (Memphis and Bon Jovi) or Jim Steinman (who gave us the even more awful Dance of the Vampires but which at least had some great tunes.  Who doesn't love "Total Eclipse of the Heart"?).  I can't believe I'm going to suggest this, but I'd even give Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber a shot, in hopes he could pull another Superstar or Evita out of his ass.

Just because you can write a good song doesn't mean you can write a good THEATRE song.  What's catchy and profound on the radio can sound cliche or just downright silly in a theatrical setting (i.e. "turn off the dark" - huh?  Seriously, isn't this just an obnoxious way to say "turn on the light"?).  Theatre songs have to move plot along, illuminate character or hopefully, both.  Most songs in this score do neither.  It isn't a total wash-out.  There are two pretty ballads in the second act, both are duets between Peter and Mary Jane sung beautifully by Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano.  The latter of whom is totally wasted in an underwritten, underdeveloped role.  Happily, the orchestration and muddy sound design don't interfere with the (mostly trite, faux-expressionist) lyrics here.  Speaking of sound design, there were 5-6 minute stretches where I literally couldn't understand a single word or lyric uttered on the stage.  Conservatively, I'd say 40 percent of the lyrics were lost under heavy reverb, over-amplified orchestra and unclear staging.  It seemed Taymor was more interested in creating stunning visual images than creating a cohesive narrative.

Realistically, with a lot of editing, tightening and score-tweaking, the first act is definitely salvageable.  Taymor's work with perspective and imagery is often inspired and the familiarity of the story sweeps you along in spite of the sound and book problems.  But it all falls apart in the second act when Taymor's Arachne character takes center stage. 

The Arachne myth has potential, but again, it seems Taymor's forsaken clarity for the sake of beautiful pictures.  The character isn't developed enough and the myth itself has so many holes in it that I was often confused or simply didn't care.  And I'm sure I wasn't alone on this one considering the many yawns emanating from the audience members sitting around me.  Yes, I was actually bored during the second act.  And what's with all the video?  I can appreciate the technology as an aid to story-telling, but we're literally watching a movie for 15 minutes of the second act (10 minutes of which could be cut and not missed at all).   I honestly don't think the second act can be fixed without shutting down the show for a couple of weeks and re-working it.  This is a luxury I'm sure this production can't afford, considering they're already in the hole for $65 million. 

And that brings us to the flying.  Yes, it's impressive and definitely something that's never been seen in a Broadway show, at least not on this scale.  Although for my money, the flying - or perhaps more accurately, the flight - in Mary Poppins is more of a "wow" moment for me because you don't see wires and because the single occurrence makes it somehow more special.  In Spidey, it starts to get a bit redundant by the time the second act rolls around.  It's basically the same three or four patterns over and over again.  I'm not saying they need to increase the intricacy level, but maybe instead of a tenth flying pass there could be, oh, I don't know, a coherent book scene that actually moves the plot forward?  I know, I'm such a traditionalist.  Or how about going the complete opposite route.  Fuck the book and just make it all action, flying and spectacle.  Either method would improve the current product immensely.  And I use "product" rather than production here, because that's exactly what it feels like - a well-packaged marketing tool for the Spider-man brand presented under the guise of art.  There's nothing wrong with that, but expectations wouldn't be quite so high had the producers just fessed up to it in the first place.

I'm happy to report the stage manager only stopped the show once for about 5 minutes in the first act when it appeared there was some tangled wiring during the first flight sequence.  Still, I was unable to fully engage in the flying sequences because in the back of my mind, I was always fearful for the actors and their safety.  In a Cirque de Soleil show, it's obvious that the stunts are being performed by highly trained acrobats who have spent a lifetime honing their skills.  I always feel they are in complete control of their bodies and their surroundings - not so in Spidey.  All the stunts seem to be quite dangerous and seemingly difficult to control with any degree of consistency given the unpredictability of live performance and the inevitable variances with understudies and replacements.  The actors are at the mercy of the stagehands as far as timing, velocity and accuracy of movement.  Not that I don't trust the stagehands, but the actors don't seem to possess much control.  Seriously, three actors are already out of the show: one hurt his foot, another broke both wrists attempting a flying stunt and the lead actress was out with a concussion the night we attended after being hit in the head with a flying rope.  Nuff' said?

Back to the physical production, what's up with the costumes in the Daily Bugle scenes?  The high school kids (including Peter and Mary Jane) are in modern dress, but everyone working in the Daily Bugle are in 1940's period costumes - not to mention anachronistically using typewriters to dictate copy.  What time period are we in? 

With all that said, the creative team does have until mid-January to get their act together.  I'll have to give them the benefit of the doubt until the sucker actually opens.  I just don't see realistically how they can overhaul this behemoth given the constraints of the technical design.  Even the lighting, striking though it is, seems to have a new cue every half second or so.  Any small change will likely take days just to program into the computer.  I think the best we can hope for is tweaking of the book scenes, which would greatly improve, but not fix, many of the shows narrative problems.  I'll definitely pay another visit after opening, granted I can afford a ticket, to see what's changed. 

Spider-man and ...







...Kim - separated at birth?
"I'd rather be nine people's favorite thing thana hundred people's ninth favorite thing."

Jeff Bowen, Lyrics "[Title of Show]"