Just got some word. Betrayed is cut. Second act looks under rehearsed. Ulla can't sing. Jesse is ok. Richard is bland. The whole affair mildly entertaining. Will know more in a little bit. And again.. I WAS NOT THERE.
Thats what I was just told. But my friend called it "the number in the jail". So I am interested in hearing what other people say. I have three friends at the run thru today and I have only heard from one. I imagine because they are still driving out of there.
An old friend of mine from high school is in the ensemble of this production. I'm looking forward to reading some more detailed reviews of this later, but it's a shame what's been posted already isn't enthusiastic.
Richard Kind is a one type actor. He finally has a shot at getting real potential recognition and he blows it. Womp womp. Stick to one line movie parts dude.
"You cannot cut "Betrayed". Like Kad said, it is Max's big Act 2 number and in my book is Max's big number of the show."
"Betrayed" only existed as an olio number for a scenery change and as a vanity piece for Nathan Lane. It is totally unnecessary to the show in concert version.
But ghostlight, the show ISN'T in concert, it's a fully staged version. That said, it BAFFLES me as to why Stro would choose to cut "Betrayed." It's a showstopper and often the audience's favorite number.
Just got back from the Hollywood Bowl. I thought it was a very good production, in fact it was pretty much the same direction as the broadway version. Richard Kind was very good as Max. I have previously seen Nathan Lane and Jason Alexander as Max and I thought Richard held his own - just not as big a name as the others I'd seen. Jesse was good, not great. Nevertheless I wasn't disappointed with his performance. Rebecca as Ulla cannot belt. She was not great in her solo song but bless her heart, she did try. She was good in all her other scenes and acted well. No need to review Roger and Gary. They weren't nominated for Tony's for nothing. Now, going into this I wanted to hate Dane Cook, especially after his insensitive Aurora joke. However, he was actually quite good. His 2nd act solo received loud applause. He gave it his all and sang pretty well. I was amazed at how Wagner was able to adapt his sets for the Bowl such that they actually had scene changes.
I noticed that the scene where Franz fires his gun and when Max instructs Franz to shoot the actors was quite uncomfortable given recent events. It was palpable in my section of the audience.
There were some language edits (Who do you have to schtoop in this town...) and cuts. Yes, "Betrayed" was cut along with Max's part during the courtroom scene (due to the Bowl's necessary 11:00 cut time). While I was aware they were gone, they were not missed. These made the whole production feel more like an ensemble piece rather than a showcase for whomever was playing Max. I liked this production more than the previous two Broadway musicals the Hollywood Bowl has put on.
The "schtoop" line was the standard edit for the more "conservative" stops on tour (amongst other lines), and since the Bowl is a little more "family affair," I'm not surprised they made those types of changes.
yes kidbroadway, a production of an old Bway show at the Hollywood Bowl is probably his big break...as opposed to the obscurity of long running sitcoms like Mad About You and Spin City. You are an idiot.
Perhaps Stro felt Richard could not pull of "Betrayed" but personally, I never liked that number anyway. Always thought that 11 o'clock number should have been Leo and Ula realizing that they screwed over Max rather than Max lamenting that he was screwed over.
Betrayed, as performed by Nathan Lane at least, was a comic tour de force. The two times I saw it performed by other actors (Ray Wills and Brad Oscar), not so much.
I saw Richard Kind in this twice back in 2005, he was fantastic and definitely made the role his own. And he did great work with Betrayed, I don't think it was cut for lack of ability. His Leo, Alan Ruck, was also pretty great.
"But ghostlight, the show ISN'T in concert, it's a fully staged version."
Thanks, didn't know that. That does make its removal a little odd, but to be honest, I never liked that number. It's redundant, and what Wildcard said. It's a showcase for Max. If you had to cut a number for time constraints, that one would be my pick.
"(Who do you have to schtoop in this town...)"
I thought it was "schtup" - anyway, I hate it when they bowdlerize something silly like that.
"His Leo, Alan Ruck, was also pretty great."
I loved Alan Ruck. Like Kind, not much of a singer, but he was a charming Leo - and since he'd worked with Kind for years on Spin City, they had great chemistry.
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Posted: 7/27/12 at 01:30pm