truvy
Friday, August 30, 2002
Boys from Syracuse
Last night RJ and I went to see Rodgers & Hart's The Boys from Syracuse as part of our Roundabout subscription, so I thought I'd write y'all a little review.
It was good. Not great, but good. The actors were all strong, and did a good job, and most of the songs are good as well, and the book is amusing.
Particularly notable were Diedre Goodwin as a Courtesan, who has a sexy body, is a great dancer, a powerful and seductive voice and is a fabulous presence on stage. We loved her in Encores! The Pajama Game this past year, and I would buy tickets to anything she's in. Producers, directors - take note - Diedre should be a major star, and One of you is going to make that happen for her and win kudos & awards from the entire industry - line up & see who can win her with the next big project - she needs a vehicle to be presented to the world at large, and not just us die-hard theatre goers.
Kirk McDonald, who played the Tailor's apprentice & a soldier, is such a wonderful ball of talent, and he's absolutely adorable! We also saw him in The Pajama Game, but I first noticed him in Parade, in which he played a very different, intense character. Hey Kirk, do you have a fan club yet? Can I start one? How about a personal interview? Or coffee?
Jackee Harry - yeah, the one from 227 and Sister, Sister, was in it as the Madam, and I was excited to see her on stage - she has a great stage presence (which translates very well from the screen), and a nice voice - I hadn't read the Playbill fully by the time the show started, and when I heard her voice I was like "It's Jackee! No Way!"
Toni DiBuono was great as Luce, very loud & brash & powerful - I'm sure I'm not the only person who is reminded of Bette Midler in her performances. Erin Dilly as Luciana was fun, and she has a lovely voice & is beautiful to boot. Both Tom Hewitt (who Robert has had a crush on since way back when in Jeffrey) and Jonathan Dokuchitz (who was in 1 of my favorite shows either - The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin) were great as the 2 Antipholus's. Davis Kirby, a soldier, was incredibly easy on the eyes, and I thought his smile was charming (when I could take my eyes off his legs in that Greek skirt).
But ya know, the show as a whole was missing something. Maybe this musical is just not as interesting or relevant or captivating as it should be to get & keep an audience. Robert and I couldn't really put our finger on it, but it was missing a certain spark. I'm happy I saw it, but I wouldn't necessarily run out & get tickets again or tell you to do so.
Ah well, they can't all be Hairspray, now can they?
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