Pittsburgh Reviews

[ERinVA]

Here's another extremely positive review from another Macaroni Kid blogger:

http://cityofpittsburgh.macaronikid.com ... iot-review

[BEtourfan]

Here's a short, positive review from the Pittsburgh City Paper. The only error I see is that in the photograph, Ty is correctly named, but the actor playing Mr. Braithwaite is not. I am not sure which one he is, since I haven't seen the new Mr. B or his alternate, but I am sure he isn't "David Braithwaite."

http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/pitts ... id=1490311

I didn't know Mr. Braithwaite's first name was David (or that the actor portraying him had the same name ). Seriously, though, I believe the actor in the photo is Patrick Wetzel.

[ERinVA]

Thanks for identifying him, BEtourfan. Actually, I just thought his first name was "Mister."

[Chris]

I didn't know Mr. Braithwaite's first name was David (or that the actor portraying him had the same name ). Seriously, though, I believe the actor in the photo is Patrick Wetzel.

Alex Delamere was the original Big Davy in London (and understudy Mr Braithwaite); when he took over the role of Mr Braithwaite in London, the two roles were combined. (Although since he left they've gone back to being separate). Maybe that's where the David comes from?

[inspired]

February 11, 2012 matinee – J.P. Viernes, Cameron Clifford, Zach Manske
February 11, 2102 evening – Zach Manske, Jacob Zelonky, Ty Forhan

I drove through snow to get to Pittsburgh from Cleveland last weekend just to see these two shows. I hadn’t seen the (original) tour since it was in Cleveland over a year ago, although I’ve been to Toronto and Broadway in between. Here are impressions, rather than reviews:

- Although the set space seemed smaller, the issue of actors moving set pieces was beautifully integrated and it didn’t act as a distraction to me what-so-ever.

- I finally got to see J.P. live, after reading so much about him and seeing him often on videos. He is a pro. It was great watching the veteran Billy do his thing: graceful, confident, polished. What beautiful ballet moves.

- Rich Hebert continues to be my favorite Jackie actor. He’s damn good.

- Zach is a fine Billy and although he’s a novice, there’s no doubt he is on his way. The one thing I noticed he needed work on was holding for laughs at various points – his dialogue would get lost under the laughter following someone else’s line.

- I liked the pacing of this production. I thought that in several places a few lines had been trimmed, and there were less of the long pauses I’ve seen elsewhere. However, the running time was still the same as it’s always been.

- Cullen Titmas. I kept wondering throughout what everyone’s issue was with him. Unless he’s really toned things down since the last reviews, to me he seemed to be channeling Jeff Kready, a very good former Tony. There was nothing about Cullen’s performance that I thought was overplayed. Nothing.

- The one thing I DID notice the most different about this production was the rewriting of some songs, notably the Letters, so that the boys didn’t have to strain to hit the high notes. Both J.P. and Zach sang in a lower register, and it was a pleasure to not have to wince as they tried to hit those notes, as some have I’ve seen in the past. There’s no need to put the boys through that, and I wonder why it has taken the various productions so long to figure this out.

- J.P. and Zach both did the no-hands flip in the air in their final part of Electricity.

- The end of Dream Ballet was a letdown, because of course there was no flying (PA, remember?). It got moderate applause at the end, but nothing like what we’re used to. By the way, both audiences to me seemed to be a little flat, although a woman next to be was blown away by the show.

- In just a little extra piece of info, in talking to the sound tech at intermission, he said that by lowering the decking on stage to several inches instead of much more to accommodate motors, etc. underneath, that they were able to eliminate six trucks just for that.

- Each show brings with it for me a new appreciation of some aspect of this masterpiece. This time it was the visual tableaux created in We’d Go Dancing. What a piece of art that scene is, watching the men artfully stage themselves throughout the piece.

I’ll hook up with the tour again in Columbus in five weeks. Can’t wait to show it off to my friends there.

Mark

[porschesrule]

Thanks for your impressions, Mark. I always enjoy the comparisons from production to production of the show from those who have seen the show several times.

[dongringo]

Thanks Mark for your review of those two shows. Also, thanks for the info you gleaned about how much truck space they saved. Very interesting!

[BEtourfan]

Not sure if this belongs here, but I thought the author did a good job relating his experience seeing Margaret Thatcher's portrayal in both Billy Elliot and "The Iron Lady," and the role Thatcher played in the National Union of Mineworkers strike.
http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazet ... -she-shine

[ERinVA]

Good question. She actually saw the show in London, so when I read it, I thought perhaps it could go there. But she is also talking about the show coming to Appleton, Wisconsin, so it could also go there, but it doesn't really have any connection to Pittsburgh that I can see. I think maybe it just belongs in General Chat, so I'm going to copy it over to there.

[angelenroute]

- Cullen Titmas. I kept wondering throughout what everyone’s issue was with him. Unless he’s really toned things down since the last reviews, to me he seemed to be channeling Jeff Kready, a very good former Tony. There was nothing about Cullen’s performance that I thought was overplayed. Nothing.

Thanks for your review, Mark. I will say that I can be a harsh critic when it comes to acting skills. But at the same time, there's also the possibility that Cullen has revised his performance since I last saw him in D.C. I'm probably in the minority when I say this, but as I have posted some pretty thorough reviews on this Forum, I believe performers do sometimes take our words to heart and work on things we mention. I know that some Forum members can take this a bit too far and believe they are more special than they are to the cast, so despite my ego, please don't think I'm that self-important.

But I do personally believe that an intelligent, nicely worded review of your show is well worth reading, and if multiple people mention something you're doing that they don't like, you'll possibly want to change it. Now this may also be the director's job or choice to follow sites like this, and not the actors themselves. If I were directing a show though like this one, I'd see our Forum as the closest thing available to a suggestion box, and I'd respect and appreciate it.

Anyway, bonny lad, I'm happy that you enjoyed Cullen's performance! And I'm happy the audience enjoys it every time, even if I have felt less enthusiastic. I wish him all the best. Thanks again for the review! =)

Sean