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#4 | |||
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Extreme Fan
 
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,236
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Thanks for the new thread, Shannon. I love the title.
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~Deana
"I haven't danced at a wedding in years, and I certaintly haven't stripped in public before"! -Lauren Graham, People, 4/6/09 ________________________________ *Avi by danielle_xo* |
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#5 | |||
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Fan Forum Hero
 
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Aw! Love the title
 Thanks for the new thread  __________________
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#6 | |||
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Elite Fan
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 29,592
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Tftnt Shannon
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I used to think cube was my favourite word ♥ Lexa || Alycia Debnam-Carey - visit her board---> Sanja | |
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#7 | |||
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Part-Time Fan
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 467
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Love the title. I must admit, in the first few shows I could hardly make out what Oliver said then. It sounded like pow'r face which didn't make sense, I know...
So I'm back on Broadway. Unfortunately, not as an actor, and sadly, never will be. Since arriving on May 8th I've soaked in quite a number of shows already. And let me tell you there's a marked difference in peformances from the last time I was here. Some of them to my liking, for some the jury is still out. But I must say, Oliver was the most-improved. Craig/Kate chemistry is much better. Lauren, I've got mixed feelings. Oliver/Lauren chemistry is up in the air. More on these later. On March 9th Craig was off. His understudy, Graham Rowat, took over (he's the one that sings the first line "Why, it's good old reliable Nathan" in the Oldest Established number and also plays the Hot Box Emcee. There was a couple other cast members who were off and their alternates' (wonder if they're also called understudies) names were listed in the insert to the playbill. Craig and the actor playing the Hot Box waiter's absence was announced over the mic before the show started. This led me to believe it must've been a last-minute thing that they didn't have time to add their names to the insert. Love the new look on the theatre's exterior. Very Broadway! They sure attract people's attetnion. I also noticed they now have a professional looking board announcing which actor is playing what character on a given performance. They used to have just a white bond paper with G&D logo and typewritten names of the actors taped to the wall on the hallway similar to this DSCN3179.jpg picture by ellevee - Photobucket. The new board hangs on the wall close to the board listing each cast members' names. And now they also have the orch and mezz seating plan layout hanging on the side wall of the box office on the left. Guys and Dolls: Revisited Follow the Fold: Sarah, with the Mission Band , speaking on top of the soap box. Tone of her voice is softer and tends to be more sisterly which is quite appropriate because her line goes like "Treat me like a sister and not as Sgt. Sarah Brown...", unlike before when it was more like yelling with anger behind it as she tries to convince sinners/gamblers to follow the fold and invites them to a prayer meeting. Convo between Nathan, Nicely-Nicely and Benny. Nathan's more animated here. Benny informs Nathan about the high rollers who are in town itching for some crap action. Nathan gets giddy while saying, "I know, I could make a fortune." Picture a little kid excited about getting a toy or candy, he's all giddy jumping up and down, only, with Nathan he lifts one leg after the other showing really excitement. Sarah and Sky convo in the Mission House/I'll Know. The chemistry is evident here. There's fluidity in their conversation. The lines came out naturally as well, compared to a little high-strung in earlier performances. The rendition of I'll Know is also better. What surprised me here is the slapping scene. They went for the real deal. Sarah hits Sky squarely on his right face. Earlier performances had them using the virtual slapping trick. Sky pretends to fix his tie then keeps his right palm open until Sarah approaches and gives him the slap. The people in the center are oblivious to this trick because Sarah is blocking their vision so when they hear the slapping sound they go, "oooh", commiserating with Sky's pain. But not to the audience on both sides. It's pretty obvious. I first noticed this realism during Sky's understudy run. I thought this was fine for him because he's only taking the hit in that performance. But I pity Craig who's taking this in every performance. Pretty soon he will have a swollen face and walking around the theatre with ice pack. Nathan begs Joey Biltmore to use his garage for the crap game. This scene is much better. The phone convo between Nathan and Joey is funnier. There were improved and better lines, as well. For instance, Nathan saying with conviction, "Joseph Biltmore, you've known me for a long long time..." It used to be, "Joey, you've known me for a long time..." in a softer tone. A Bushel and a Peck. Adelaide is more animated: tilting her head and body to her left and raising the right leg one after the other in sync with the music. The oodle oodle doo at the end before she removes the corset is sung in softer, more inviting, sexier tone. Plus, great timing at the very last second taking off the big straw hat and covering her front as teaser for the guys in the bar. At first I thought she almost forgot to take off the hat. But she's done this in all the shows I've seen. It used to be her holding up the hat until she finishes the oodle oodle doo part then covers herself. In Sunday's peformance one Hot Box girl was missing. It's odd that they kept her spot open making it quite obvious because of the big gap between Adelaide and the two other girls. I would think they would've spread out to cover close the gap somehow. Nathan meets Adelaide in dressing room. What's new here is Adelaide hanging her head and hands down in full weight when Nathan insists they shouldn't marry yet because marriage is something you don't just jump into...That was her reaction in sheer frustration. Some of the delivery of her lines have changed as well. They don't sound her being dim-witted though. Adelaide’s Lament. Still the same acting out everything she was reading in the medical book. This scene is, dare I say, lackluster. There are still laughs from the audience but not the laugh-out-loud kind I used to hear. I like the earlier version better. Marriage announcement. Nathan reacts animatedly when Benny suddenly blurts out to Lt. Brannigan they were celebrating Nathan's impending marriage. Nathan tries in vain to stop Benny, waving his hands discreetly and mouthing "Stop it..." Now, here, Adelaide totally ditches the high-pitched voice. Instead she speaks in soft normal voice which didn't work for me at all. It didn't get the laughs it enjoyed from earlier performances especially when she says, "time certainly flies". If I Were a Bell. Sarah acts more drunk here, which she is, having had one too many dolce de leche. This version is better. Her flirtations with Sky, bolder this time, is a complete departure from the Sgt. Sarah persona. Take Back Your Mink. Her disgust for the hat as she sings was a bit exaggerated on both times. I like the earlier versions better when it was more subtle and drew more laughs. Adelaide’s Lament (Reprise). Her delivery of lines in her convo with Sky was better in earlier performances. Still big laughs for the line..."Tell him I never want to talk to him again and have him call me here." Sue Me. This is the one scene that was revised totally, from the spoken words to song arrangement. The change was very obvious. Big Jule and Harry the Horse argue outside the automat. Big Jule's delivery is more tempered. Not yelling at the top of his lungs this time. Adelaide's singing is equally tempered. I like this entire version, especially when Nathan agrees to elope but changes his mind upon seeing Nicely-Nicely and Benny calling his attention through the revolving door. Nathan tells her why he can't elope now which was due to a prayer meeting he had to attend. Adelaide's reaction is classic. Her head drops and you could feel the anguish building up as she slowly lifts her head and with deep, loud voice, slowly howls, "Nathan this is the biggest lie you have ever told me." The tempo of the song is just right, not too fast and not too loud. It slowly builds up for the loud part ("When I think of the times gone by...") then slows down to the "I can honestly die" part. Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat. Still the showstopper. Nathan's spoken lines here are much better, funnier. Marry the Man Today. They've also made changes here. Adelaide singing "Now doesn't that apply to you and "I" and Sarah counters "You and me"...Adelaide realizes she had it wrong with "I" instead of "me". Before, she shows this by nodding her head at the same time saying, ahh. This time she nods and says "ahh, me" aloud. The earlier version was funnier though. But the rest of Adelaide's lines still reeled in lots of laugh-out-louds. Afterthoughts... I can't believe I'm saying this...I wasn't as impressed as in the earlier performances. One thing that was obviously different was the delivery of lines by all actors. They were clearer and understandable even by me. The first thought that came to mind as to why this may be is perhaps for the sake of the children and elderly folks. But some of the supposed funny lines fall flat as a result. I don't know, maybe I got used to high pitched sounds and raised voices. But I found myself nodding off a more than once. There seems to be a reversal of quality of performance between Lauren and Oliver. She also lost most of the high-pitched bimbo-ish voice. What's disappointing and bland for me was her last monologue describing what her married life would be like living in the country with Nathan beside her all the time. She says this in a soft normal voice. What made people laugh is Nathan's reaction to this which is not really funny IMO. When he sneezes, people laughs harder. Before, my stance was, it's not that Oliver is a bad actor, it's just that Lauren is an excellent performer making Oliver look bad. Now I'm not sure I can still say the same thing. Looks like Lauren is underacting to let Oliver shine? I don't know...Something is amiss here. I can't quite put my finger to it. Craig's Understudy. Graham Rowat has a deeper voice and smaller than Craig. He does sing well. But, it's so hard to process this change. I still pictured Craig up there especially since he wore the same wardrobe. I asked Kate at stage door how it was with the understudy. She said it's hard to adjust. I got the impression they had very little rehearsal. I also told Kate I have seen the show multiple times and that I thought it's gotten better. She said "that's why we're here...changing a bit... I wonder if these changes, especially Adelaide's speaking voice, were already in place at the time of those who saw it in April. Anyone? Other Notes: Havana scene: I've been trying to figure out how those empty dolce de leche glasses got there because I've watch the waiter and all he had on his tray was fresh drinks each time he enters the scene. So it's sleuth time. Turns out Sky's the prop guy. Pretty clever too that scene. They have one of the dancers planted in front of Sky and Sarah. While Sarah takes off her blazer, Sky slowly and discreetly pulls about three empty glasses from under the table which had a secret compartment. I had my eyes glued and had a pretty good vantage view and witnessed everything that went down. Secret's out, ha! Another one...the Oldest Established number: After the coffin scene, a couple of stairs pop out from each side of the stage. Nathan sits on the steps and has his shoes shined. The opposite side has a policeman having his shoes shined as well. The couple of shoeshine boys turn out to be females. I guess they ran out of male actors. It's hardly noticeable because the "boys" have their hats pulled over their face and they both keep their heads down. But I was seated close to the stage and got a good look at one of them. Busted! Some pics and vids I thought might interest you... DSCN3177.jpg picture by ellevee - Photobucket - This bus was parked across the building which had this poster just a couple of blocks from The Nederlander.DSCN3178.jpg picture by ellevee - Photobucket I'm glad, other cast members have graced the stage door as well... YouTube - GUYS AND DOLLS - Steve Rosen - Steve Rosen, aka Benny Southstreet, obliges a fan with a hug on Mother's Day. He hugged another one down the line. YouTube - GUYS AND DOLLS - Kate Jennings-Grant YouTube - Adam LeFevre - Guys and Dolls YouTube - Guys and Dolls - Oliver Platt - I'm guessing that's Oliver's daughter who made the drawing for Lauren YouTube - Guys and Dolls - Steve Rosen and Tituss Burgess Steve Rosen, aka Benny Southstreet picture by ellevee - Photobucket - Steve hamming it up Oliver Platt picture by ellevee - Photobucket Craig Bierko picture by ellevee - Photobucket More Craig, Kate, Oliver, etc. here in case you're interested: just search elleveeellevee in YouTube or go here http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...eeellevee&aq=f All Lauren goodies are in the I Met thread... __________________
Ellevee: Hi, Lauren,; Lauren: Oh, hi... (smiling sweetly)
Ellevee: Sorry to bother you...Could I possibly get your autograph? Lauren: Oh, sure (still smiling)... You should let it dry for a while then it'll be okay. Ellevee: Yeah...Well, thank you so much Lauren. You don't know how much this means to me. Lauren: (Smiles and nods) Bye Ellevee. Take care. Ellevee: Bye Lauren  Avi by EleLast edited by Ellevee; 05-15-2009 at 10:22 AM |
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#8 | |||
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Extreme Fan
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,236
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WOW Ellevee. Thank you for such a details review of the changes you noticed. And also thank you for the video's and pictrues. They are great.
I did notice some of the changes that you mentions. For insteance In the dressing room I notcied the hanging of the head. I also noticed the Sue Me stuff. The last time Shannon, Katka, Denise and I were at the show we noticed that Lauren's NY accent wasn't as thick and she was speaking quicker. __________________
~Deana
"I haven't danced at a wedding in years, and I certaintly haven't stripped in public before"! -Lauren Graham, People, 4/6/09 ________________________________ *Avi by danielle_xo* |
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#9 | |||
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Fan Forum Hero
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Quote:
Ellevee thanks for your observations. I think it depends on the audience. Some scenes you mentioned that didn't get laughs did when we were  But the changes you mention were already there when we saw it, too  __________________
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#10 | |||
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Master Fan
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 24,007
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Thanks Ellevee for the pics and such. I'll have to check them out later
I can't say I agree with all of your assessments, but it's fun to see a different POV. I personally really enjoyed that "softer side" of Adelaide. She didn't play all of her lines for laughs (and still got them). I thought Lauren got her lines and such across quite well without overdoing the bimbo act that you say she's downplayed since you saw it last. And I thought Lauren and Oliver were adorable together on stage. Quote:
Quote:
I'm glad that Kate really started slapping Craig. LOL. I can't imagine it had the same impact when she didn't really do it. Quote:
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<3 BUT ONE IN PARTICULAR <3
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#11 | |||
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Master Fan
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 18,921
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hmm, interesting. I think she was kind of bimbo-like at the beginning of our first show and I didn´t really like it and was glad she played it down later. But I don´t know if it was exactly what you were refering to. I kind of liked the soft side. but yeah, I can´t compare.
Shannon, here´s your confirmation that Lauren and Kate will actually sing Marry the man today at the preview concert Quote:
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Last edited by Danke; 05-15-2009 at 01:34 PM |
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#12 | |||
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Extreme Fan
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,236
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Quote:
__________________
~Deana
"I haven't danced at a wedding in years, and I certaintly haven't stripped in public before"! -Lauren Graham, People, 4/6/09 ________________________________ *Avi by danielle_xo* |
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#13 | |||
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Master Fan
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 13,751
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Yay, thanks Katka! I am happy Lauren and Kate will perform in the preview concert and "Sit Down Your Rockin' the Boat" will be performed on awards night. Now, all we need is Lauren presenting and the Tony Awards are going to be a happy experience for us Lauren/G&D fans!
Much more so than we originally thought lol.__________________
icon: Nikki
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#14 | |||
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Fan Forum Hero
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Thanks for the confimation, Katka.
Yeah, I hope Lauren gets to present at least __________________
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#15 | |||
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Master Fan
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 24,007
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Quote:
I'm excited that she's performing somewhere I'm sure she'll be at the Tony's. Hopefully she presents __________________
<3 BUT ONE IN PARTICULAR <3
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