KISS ME, KATE (2019 Roundabout Revival) - Previews- Page 5

[LuPita2]

Posted: 2/22/19 at 6:16pm

This thread is for the current revival, not a 15 year old version.  There is no spanking in this one. I get in your thousands of posts about it, you really wanted it.  It is not happening. Let it go, it's getting super sad.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/22/19 at 6:59pm

Seems like you're the one who is so sensitive about it. 

If most think the same as you then definitely leave it out.

I would like my favorite Kelli O'Hara to do well in this, and from my observations and the feedback coming back it seems like she is not making a great impression so far. As one person put it, she needed to get herself far more over the top. Have you checked out Rachel and the actress in Proms14?

Just a thought that the spanking might make Kelly get down to being earthier and would focus all attention on her to see her reaction. It's a great place to get a laugh.

Having made the point, I say no more. If it upsets people here then that is more important. But it is just slapstick. 

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 2/22/19 at 7:12pm

I was there on the first night of previews and and had a great time as did two other couples I met. Yes, anecdotal, but 99% of this message board is anecdotes and opinion. I was over the moon to finally get to see my homegirl (Oklahoma) O’Hara on stage and she did not disappoint. Her version of So in Love I hope to hear on a cast recording soon. Perfection. As this is my first time seeing the show perhaps there is room to go broader with the comedy ala Bette Midler in Hello, Dolly! That is what previews are for. To fine-tube things. It’s my personal opinion that this is far from the trainwreck that some people might portray it as. And if people need to see a woman spanked against her will in 2019 to have a good laugh then well…

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/23/19 at 5:24pm

This is certainly an odd one for lack of a better word... This is a top notch production. The cast is great. The set and costumes are quite impressive and grand. The dancing is awesome. All this being said, though, this production feels flat.

Kelli O’Hara and Will Chase are at the top of their games vocally and play well off of each other. However, neither of them are ever over the top. They seem to be playing their characters with restraint, which doesn’t really work for this show.

The set and costumes are very well done and quite impressive. No expenses were spared here. The transitions between the various locations inside the theatre where the show is set are seamless. Overall, it’s a cohesive and graceful design.

Roundabout (usually) knocks their musical revivals out of the park. I found Anything Goes and She Loves Me to be prestigious and thrilling. Kiss Me, Kate reminded me a lot of their production On the Twentieth Century a couple seasons ago. Great cast, a beautiful set, but it just felt like a production you would see at Paper Mill Playhouse or any other top notch regional theatre.

I really wanted to love this, but it just didn’t thrill me in any way. It’s a perfectly passable production for sure, and it’s not bad by any means, but it’s also just not particularly exciting. I was much more entertained with the Great Performances version with Rachel York and Brent Barrett that I watched than I was with this production.

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 8:46am

I haven't seen the production (not sure if I will) but I have to say I'm not surprised with what some are saying about Kelli O'Hara. I have seen her live in Nice Work if you Can Get It, and the King and I. I found her completely underwhelming in both. Her voice is a wonder for sure, and there really is no disputing that. But I have issues with her acting and overall presence. She came across in both shows as one of the coldest stage presence's that I have witnessed and I was left wondering what the 'fuss' was about. I was immediately turned off from this show when I learned she was cast in KMK. I would have much preferred someone like Kate Baldwin.

And yes, I realize I'm in the minority and most people on BWW love her :)

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 12:26pm

Nice Work was just a throw-away that she might have done because it was funl

You should have seen Kelli in Pajama Game with Harry Connick, Jr.

This performance, which has become the highlight of her concerts, I think will show you her other side.

For all those who have seen this multiple times, please skip.

They Won't Let You in the Opera if You're a Country Star

https://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Q2PBOAbdIcU

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 4:41pm

OlBlueEyes- just watched that performance - she's absolutely a gifted performer....but what I'm talking about isn't a reflection on her talent. I'm not even sure it's something anyone can learn or change - she will always come across cold - at least to me. I'm not even saying she's a cold person, hell, I sure don't know her personally! 

I've always found Gwenyth Paltrow to be this way - and it can really work to her advantage when a role calls for it. I think someone previously mentioned they always feel Ms. O'Hara is just miscast often, so that could explain it.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 4:54pm

I have seen Kelli O'Hara in quite a few things before Kiss Me, Kate, and I have loved her to pieces in all of them. Kiss Me, Kate was the first time I, personally, felt like she was truly miscast. She just did not deliver the sass that the character needs. She has a lovely voice, and she sang the songs flawlessly, but her performance felt like it was at a 20 when it should have been at a 120 with boldness and sass

[Owen22]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 4:56pm

OlBlueEyes said: "Seems like you're the one who is so sensitive about it.

If most think the same as you then definitely leave it out.

I would like my favorite Kelli O'Hara to do well in this, and from my observations and the feedback coming back it seems like she is not making a great impression so far. As one person put it, she needed to get herself far more over the top. Have you checked out Rachel and the actress in Proms14?

Just a thought that the spanking might make Kelly get down to being earthier and would focus all attention on her to see her reaction. It's a great place to get a laugh.

Having made the point, I say no more. If it upsets people here then that is more important. But it is just slapstick."

I have long said she is just not the right actress for the role. There are not a lot of roles fit for Megan Hilty. BUT HERE WAS ONE!!!  She could have killed.  Sometimes I don't know why actors (as seemingly intelligent as O'Hara) don't know their own limitations.

 

 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 4:58pm

Owen22 said: "I have long said she is just not the right actress for the role. There are not a lot of roles fit for Megan Hilty. BUT HERE WAS ONE!!! She could have killed."

I would KILL to see Megan Hilty in this.

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 5:09pm

Another Glinda - wouldn't Kristin Chenoweth have been a great choice to headline this as well? It would have really turned this into 'an event' in my opinion.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 6:21pm

Kristin has, at last count, around 17 new musicals she says she’s “working on”.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 6:33pm

There are only a few women who have similar box office value as Kelli and would be more well-suited for Kiss Me Kate: Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Laura Benanti, Anika Noni Rose, Megan Hilty, Stephanie J. Block, Sara Ramirez, Jessie Mueller. But there aren't a ton of women who could pull this list off.

Perfect world: Kelli and Laura switched roles for She Loves Me and Kiss Me Kate.

[Samanthacq]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 7:14pm

FANtomFollies said: "Another Glinda - wouldn't Kristin Chenoweth have been a great choice to headline this as well? It would have really turned this into 'an event' in my opinion."

To me Lilli Vanessi as a character seems to be quite similar to Lily Garland of the On the Twentieth Century, so I doubt Kristin Chenoweth would want to repeat herself so soon, especially with those new musicals she is supposed to work on. 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 8:43pm

I have long said she is just not the right actress for the role. There are not a lot of roles fit for Megan Hilty. BUT HERE WAS ONE!!!  She could have killed. 

I think that you're onto something, Owen. I saw Megan in Noises Off, as well as having heard her sing with the New York Pops. Looks light a fit.

OlBlueEyes- just watched that performance - she's absolutely a gifted performer....but what I'm talking about isn't a reflection on her talent. I'm not even sure it's something anyone can learn or change - she will always come across cold - at least to me. I'm not even saying she's a cold person

It's fine if you're not a big Kelly fan. I'm pretty sure that for most of us there are some celebrities or entertainers who are beloved by 95 percent of the population whom we can't stand. It would be less interesting if we all thought the same way. But I have to admit that I'm not quite sure why you don't like her. She's not a snob.

As for Kelli being miscast and not realizing it, well maybe the theater people here would have a better idea than me, but Roundabout had a very hot three years with its famous musical revivals. Anything Goes, Cabaret, On the 20th Century, She Loves Me. The last two years it's just I believe been Holiday Inn, excluding off-Broadway. A pleasant show to many, but not up to the big budget blockbusters.

Two years ago Roundabout's Gala honored Kelli and Bartlett Sher (like they really needed more honors). I'm guessing that having a big name like Kelli on board for a return to their splashy revivals helped them to attract the people and the money they needed to put on Kiss Me, Kate.

So what I'm saying is that it was not necessarily just a love match between O'Hara and Porter;  Roundabout was in a tough spot, needing a big musical this year, and Kelli agreed to star in the musical for unknown motive.

I'm not ready to concede that she won't make the part her own in the weeks prior to opening, but if she should take a few hits in the reviews she will be able to handle it.

Updated On: 2/25/19 at 08:43 PM

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 8:53pm

Saw the show this afternoon, and I agree with the consensus. It’s good but not great. Kelli can definitely go farther with her character’s dramatic personality. It was good. That’s kind of all I have to say about that.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 2/27/19 at 5:43pm

Saw this this afternoon and agree. It’s good, but not great. The choreography felt repetitive - lots of jazz splits - and direction felt lacking at times. Will Chase seemed lost in his big Act 2 solo. Overall it’s a well-designed piece. Some gorgeous lighting. But the show should be zany and it’s isn’t. I found Corbin Bleu to be lacking in energy and stage persona. He garbled a lot of his solo lines - great voice and dancer though. O’Hara was great, but wanted more OOMPH.

[novel idea]

Posted: 2/27/19 at 11:27pm

My thoughts exactly   One of the worst musical revivals I’ve ever seen  Kelli is lost, Will isn’t funny and works way too hard, Stephanie is annoying and the show is charmless and director-less  OH and the “choreography”

 

Skip23 said: "Where to begin?

Scott Ellis sinks another one. IMHO, his sketchy direction has sunk She Loves Me, 20th Century, Company, Steel Pier, 1776, Picnic and many others. He's a third tier kinda guy.

What a disaster! Worse than Disaster!

I'm reading that they're trying to update the show to make it more relatable to current audiences. In doing so, they've drained all the fun, outrageousness and show-biz out of the show. Porter and the Spewacks are spinning.

Someone needs to tell Will Chase, Kelli O'Hara and Scott Ellis that good pacing of lines doesn't mean rushing all of them so we lose the intention of the lines. And what's the deal with enunciation? Or severe lack of it. I lost many of Porter's brilliant lyrics. Critically in Tom, Dick or Harry and Always True To You (I forgot what a great song it is).

And you know you're in trouble when Brush Up Your Shakespeare barely registers on the stage. What's up with THAT??? Throwaway blocking and bad enunciation for 2.

Kelli O'Hara always comes across to me as too modern, off-the-cuff and slight. Great in Pajama Game and Brigadoon. Not so great in so many other things. She's too, well, little here. Chase is also missing the grand gestures and voice. And again, those rushing lines.

The less said about Lilly's lover and the gangsters, the better. Corbin Bleu is always an asset, but underutilized here. Stephanie Styles is all over the place and ultimately annoying.

Never liked Carlyle's choreography and he doesn't disappoint me here. Unmemorable and bland. And, just a question, why in "Too Darn Hot" are they jumping for 16 beats if it's so hot? Nit-picking...but still... And why is Lilly plopped in the opening dance just sitting on a chair blocking the dancers?

I could go on and on. I was just angry that they stripped the joy and spirit of the original. Stupid.
"

 

[schubox]

Posted: 2/27/19 at 11:39pm

Saw this tonight going on blind. Wasn’t familiar with the show and hadn’t read any of the reviews. I got a rush ticket off Today Tix. I really liked it. It really kicked in once the musical within the musical kicked in. Great dancing and a lot of genuinely funny moments. Tom, Dick or Harry, I Hate Men and Too Darn Hot were the standouts for me.

On a side note, the mezzanine seats in 54 may be the most uncomfortable theater seats I’ve ever sat in

[Theatrefan2]

Posted: 2/27/19 at 11:59pm

I was really looking forward to this and was terribly disappointed.  Just because you have a great voice does not make this a good show.  I found it charmless.  There was no connection between the leads.  And I wish Will Chase would just have picked a key to sing in and stuck to it.  He was all over the place.  They both did not grasp their characters. 

[ethan231h]

Posted: 2/28/19 at 12:48am

Stephanie Styles is wonderful in this, everything else is stuff we have seen before unfortunately. 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 2/28/19 at 8:09am

It was my first time seeing Kiss Me Kate and I had a good time.  Lilli Vanessi is not a character I think of when I think of Kelli.  Vanessi doesn’t explore an inner journey to any depth which works against Kelli’s strengths in my opinion.

I still thought she sounded magnificent and performed well.  That opening staging with her sitting in the center felt off. I didn’t miss the spanking and frankly felt that the plate-throwing scene was quite awful. She did not seem at ease and the whole thing just felt like dated slapstick that no longer works.  I personally don’t want to see anyone get hit so if they remove the spanking then remove the plate throwing scene as well.

i can’t believe that no one has mentioned Will Burton yet.  I constantly keep thinking of his performance in this.  His solo in Tom, Dick or Harry was what I will remember most.

 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/28/19 at 10:17am

New interview just up on Newsday

https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/theater/kelli-ohara-kiss-me-kate-1.27790677

We don’t want to fix what’s not broken. Like my song “I Hate Men” — we’re not changing anything about that except I’m not flailing about, like a crazy woman, so you discount me. I’m just singing the words. Listen, I don’t hate men. I’ve got a great husband. Granted, I’ve had some doozies in my life, to be sure. A producer or two ….

Reading in between the lines, it sounds like it has at least been suggested to her that she ham it up more, but she just doesn't want to play the role that way.

I liked the way Brent Barrett and Rachel York played the scene in the West End revival broadcast in 2003 as part of Great Performances. However Rachel York did flail away like a crazy woman.

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 3/1/19 at 9:24am

I saw the show on Wednesday afternoon and I really enjoyed it. 

I wasn’t familiar with the material beforehand and didn’t realize how many of the songs I knew from Cole’s canon of music.

I am one who finds Kelli O’Hara to be vocally wonderful, but I feel like she plays the same role over and over again. I felt she did a major step out of her comfort level in this and was wonderful.

Will Chase was fantastic, and he and Kelli have terrific chemistry. I adore Corbin Bleu and he’s an absolute star so getting to see him back singing and dancing his face off was a joy.

I saw Stephanie Styles on the Newsies tour and really loved her and I think she’s making a very nice debut in this.

The choreography was fantastic (Too Darn Hot and Tom, Dick, or Harry were big highlights) and I liked the set design a lot. 

Melissa - Will Burton is fantastic and I'm so glad to see someone mention his fantastic work in Tom, Dick, or Harry.  Along with his run in Hello Dolly and work in the ensemble of Holiday Inn, I had the pleasure of seeing Will as Henri in An American In Paris and he really is one fantastic performer. 

schubox - I also hate the mezz at Studio 54 but I knew immediately after I got my ticket from TodayTix it was going to involve being squished into the mezz again. 

Updated On: 3/1/19 at 09:24 AM

[DebraR]

Posted: 3/1/19 at 10:38am

Has anyone tried rushing in person?  If so, what time did you get there?  Missed out on Todaytix rush and hoping in person may be a little easier.  Really missing Rush Report!