angelenroute wrote:(.....part 2 (Jacob's show) coming soon.....)
sorry for the delay, was sick this past week, but here you go…
PART 2:
JACOB CLEMENTE, JUNE 5 EVENING
This was originally scheduled to be Jacob’s final performance in the lead role. Forum fans and members of Jacob’s fan club (my term, but basically a gaggle of giggling girls who went gaga for the guy at stage door) had flocked to NYC for the show. The online notice we saw detailing when exactly his final performance as Billy would be was updated later on instead of a new alert being issued. So many people would have never gotten word about this and many forum fans only got word at the 11th hour. In fact that morning on Facebook I got a message from a fan friend sending her best wishes for Jacob’s last show. The moral of the story? When a press release is issued, bookmark it and check back. They may just update the story instead of alerting everyone all over again.
Jacob Is The Star You’re Delighted To Find Is Still There:
When you see Jacob take the stage, it’s like you have a realization that he’s been in the show forever. Perhaps it’s because Alex Ko was injured early on and your mind puts him more into the 2010 category, or maybe it’s because Jacob debuted as Tall Boy first, but he just feels like the first and last of the second generation Billys. He’s the star who’s been in the show so long that you’re delighted to come back after any time away to find he’s still there. His voice is still great and he can still sing the higher notes with grace and believability. And height wise he’s taller, of course, but hardly at a height that sticks out in any way. The one growth difference you can see though is in the fit of his clothes. I imagine the company just refuses to buy shirt sizes and sweat pants over a certain length at some point, so a growing Billy in the final days and weeks of his contract will show more tummy than usual.
Jacob and Merle in Grandma’s Song:
Merle Louise played Grandma at the Sunday evening performance, and she was great. I’ve made critical notes about Merle in the past, but I believe she’s grown into the role very well, and the audience loved her! Huge applause, laughs and cheers throughout and at the end. Well done, Merle! Jacob did something in this song I hadn’t noticed him do in the past (but he may always have) and something I don’t think most Billys do. He turned back at the men at one point to see what his Grandma might be looking at, and then back at her. It added a lot of realism to the scene, which has always been one of my favorites in the show. Reality and dreams, youth and old age, men and women, even black and white and color, the contrasting themes of this scene make it a beautiful snapshot of life itself.
Jacob’s End In Born To Boogie:
At the end of Born To Boogie, Jacob takes a swig of Mr. Braithwaite’s beer, then does a quick tap dance and spin before they all fall together. It was a delightful and fun way of ending the number, and with no more flip off the piano, it seems we’ll be seeing similar differences in this part of the production. Should be fun to see what different Billys do!
Jacob’s Angry Dance:
He gives a strong, powerful, rooted in Trentness performance. Some Billys are born to do this number, and those with strong backgrounds in tap or whose acting skills excel seem to put more into this number, which requires so much personal strength. The best performances of Angry Dance are those filled with constant motion and not just choreographed moves, the ones where real anger can be felt pulsing from the stage, where the audience is as out of breath as the star by the last scream at the end. Jacob does a great job throughout!
One part that scared me though: We were in row A by the stage on the right side, and when Jacob first left the bathroom, it was obvious his leather tap shoe cover was very wrinkled. I wasn’t too sure what to think, but was concerned there might be an issue. Sure enough, when Angry Dance began minutes later and he was at the top of the bedroom set, it took him several tries to get that one shoe cover off. So I guess since it’s a thin piece, if you don’t fit it on exactly over the tap shoe, it can stick up as you’re trying to peel it off. Thankfully he got it off just in time and the audience didn’t even know it was an issue.
Royal Ballet – Dad and Posh Dad:
Well, I’m one of those who gets a kick out of the faces the current Posh Dad makes in this scene, but it did seem to go on for entirely too long. Maybe they just go based on audience reaction and felt like they should push it a little longer, who knows. There’s also a line that Greg says that he changed at some point and I have no earthly idea why, because it worked perfectly and now doesn’t. When Posh Dad says, “I beg your pardon?” Greg used to answer really slowly with, “It’s our first time like you nah.” The joke of course being that no one would still know that the “nah” (or however it’s spelled) is Dad’s way of saying the word “know.” But Greg says the line fast now or something else and it just doesn’t work. So a little less face gyrations from Posh Dad so Greg can say the line the old way please!
Jacob’s Electricity:
Great job from Jacob and he ended it with a huge smile, which I love. It’s more of Billy’s smile (acted) than an authentic Jacob smile maybe, but I love it either way. He did a great job, it IS a great dance, and seeing a smile from Billy just makes you as an audience member smile too.
Stage Door:
Jacob’s fan club, the gaggle of giggling girls (GGG) I mentioned at the start of Jacob’s review, were swarming all over the place, screaming for him when he came out the door and watching his every move. Someone heard tell of one of their mothers who learned that it wasn’t, after all, his last show, that she would have to pay for tickets again on July 3 for her daughter and her. They were taking pictures and getting autographs nonetheless, but something tells me more of them will be back again on July 3rd! Linda said we didn’t have many fan photos of Jacob for the goodbye album, so I posed for a picture with the star himself. He’s definitely taller than I remembered, but still just a kid.
As Jacob and his mom were saying their last goodbyes and walking away, the GGG let out a big, “1, 2, 3: We love you!!!” It’s nice to know Jacob has a fan club of kids his age. And something tells me his confidence and personality are going to earn him a whole lot more fans in the very near future! Watch out Justin Bieber!
Sean Patrick Brennan/angelenroute