I seem to be more hopeful about this show than a lot of other people around here. I am NO Kathie Lee fan (believe me!) and I agree that the show's ad campaign/logo is awful, but I think Aimee Semple McPherson is a fascinating and appropriate subject for a musical, and I used to listen to composer David Pomeranz's LPs often when I was young (in the '70s). Keeping my fingers crossed for some positive posts here soon...
I'm getting back from Leap of Faith 2: Victoria Keeps Marching Onward, and it was a doozy, but for all the wrong reasons. It's not a campy fun train wreck. It's mostly just boring and has a score so unmemorable (with false rhymes galore) to make Chaplin look like Sunday in the Park.
The comparison to Leap of Faith is very apt. Carolee is obviously standing in for Raul and Roz Ryan has Kecia Lewis-Evans' role. The opening number is called "Stand Up!," which is far less catchy than it's counterpart, "Rise Up." Leap began with a framing device for Raul to go back and tell us his story. The sister show employs the same device: It's the eve of a verdict being delivered in the Semple McPherson trial. Now is as good as ever for Carolee to tell us her life story!
From the start there is trouble with the set. I think the staircases used for Catch Me If You Can were left in the theater and they just decided to keep them for this show. The two white staircases never leave the stage and cause the same problems they caused for the previous tenant of the Neil Simon.
Carolee is very committed to the role, and sounds incredible. BUT every song she sings sounds exactly the same, and we never get a quiet moment from the character. It's all belting turned up to 11 the whole time. One of my friends commented at intermission that he felt assaulted by the score, and it's true.
The beginning of Act Two does provide a few campy moments when Carolee stages a few Bible stories for her church services. (Basically McPherson seems to have invented the church musical, and that's how she attracted her followers.) The low/high point is when the Hebrew slaves in Egypt dance the Hora and shout "Oy" when the Pharaoh refuses to let them go!
The most frustrating thing? I think this is really good subject material for a musical. McPherson did have an interesting life, and the performance aspect of her ministry lends itself well to musicalization.
Roz Ryan does provide some spark, even though her performance feels, well, not very period. She plays the sassy Black sidekick who once ran a brothel until she joined the ministry. Ryan gets to say lines like, "Sometimes you're so pious you're a piousing me off!" Her number with the brothel girls was somewhat campy, and should probably be cut, but it's her only song so I bet it stays in. It could have been an alternate number for "My Body."
George Hearn is pretty much wasted and gets the "Everyday I Do A Little Something For The Lord," number, but this one isn't fun. It's called, "Demon in a Dress," which has the promise of camp, but sadly that promise is left unfulfilled.
Andrew Samonsky does have a nice song in Act Two, but it sounds like it's from a different musical. Still, the change of pace is welcome and he makes the most out of his underwritten role.
I don't even know how they would go about fixing this thing. I LOVE Carolee, and wish her success, but this is not Parade take two.
It ran nearly 3 hours. Got over around 10:55 tonight. If anyone wants to see it for free, just show up while people are going in, people were throwing tickets at people.
CPD- No, not everyone is naked, but two people are fairly nude for the "Adam and Eve" number, and the guy who plays Adam also plays a shirtless Samson and Pharaoh in the next two stories. It's not like there's a big striptease number or anything. Sorry to disappoint!
Other things I thought of- a guy does play Charlie Chaplin and he is doing an eerie Rob McClure impersonation. Are there other examples people can think of when the same characters were in different shows on Broadway at the same time?
There is an awkward moment when two Klan members deliver a bag of gold bricks to Carolee in full Klan regalia. This subplot that she was building her ministry on Klan donations was dropped and not fully explained. Also I don't think Klan members just walk around in their white hats in broad daylight. I did hear a few people laugh because it really was so absurd. If you're not going to keep the storyline going why bring it up in the first place?
There is a scene of Irish dancing on a ship that reminded me of Boys Will Be Boys. Nothing should ever remind anyone of Boys Will Be Boys and therefore should be cut.
Mike- In keeping with the Leap of Faith theme the first rows of the orchestra have been removed so there can be a platform that juts out into the audience. Just like Raul walked onto the platform to preach to the audience, Carolee is able to do the same.
Like I mentioned, the set is dominated by the two white staircases that never leave the stage. This makes the stage often feel very small and limits the movements afforded to the actors.
Looks like not much has changed since Seattle. The set was a major problem here, too. Carolee deserves much better than this. Sad that they weren't willing to address the problems. .
The Klan stuff has the potential to be interesting, but as it's presented now the scene should just be cut if they're not going to explain her involvement with them further.
Why was the Klan attracted to her and her ministry in the first place? I did some googling after the show and it looks like McPherson accepted donations from the Klan on many occasions. This alone is interesting enough as the premise for a play, but they don't mine the opportunity properly. She is never exposed for having excepted the donations, and she doesn't seem to suffer any consequences for doing so (unless you count bad karma).
I also read that the Klan even kidnapped her one night and requested a private sermon from her at one of their meetings. Now THAT could have been a camp moment- Carolee leading a stage of fully dressed Klan members in song.
I guess the point is this woman had some sort of relationship with the Klan, but why bring it up if you're not going to explore/explain it better?
Mildred- I remember your comments about the Seattle production and it does seem like it hasn't changed much since then.
It is way too early to be saying shows have nominations secured. Anyone would have guessed 9 to 5 would have been nominated, or even Priscilla, before they started previews, but they were both denied.
I do agree Matilda and Kinky Boots seem to be the two safe bets. The other two slots are wide open though. If Chaplin keeps running I wouldn't be surprised if it got nominated.
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joined:7/10/12
Posted: 10/11/12 at 05:50pm