THE BOY FROM OZ, Peter Allen, Liza Minnelli, and Judy Garland. How-could-it-go-wrong? It Did!!
Written: Jul 02 '04 (Updated Jul 07 '04)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Hugh Jackman is a great entertainer.
Cons: The persona of Peter Allen never came through.
The Bottom Line: Hugh Jackman fans will love the show. Peter Allen fans may not.
|
|
|
| popsrocks's Full Review: The Boy From Oz |
I grew up watching Judy Garland in rerun movies on TV and some TV entertainment shows. She was terrific in everything she did. I also grew up as a sort of peer with Liza as she made her mark in the entertainment industry. In later years Peter Allen grabbed my attention with his performances and for a while it seemed that he was playing everywhere. His shows, though I never saw him live, were full of flair and were extremely entertaining. He was dynamite on stage and commanded attention. I watched him often.
So, my thinking is, "If a play is going to have all three of these characters in it, it's sure to be a huge hit." It didn't, and I was disappointed.
THE THEATRE
The last time I was in the Imperial Theatre was to see Les Miserables. Now that was a fantastic show that I saw twice in this theatre and once in London. I found it interesting in the way the two shows used the stage in much the same way. They both used simple sets, devoid of much colour, and had few props for most of the show. Both presentations however, had some very elaborate and grand sets within the show.
The Boy from OZ started off with a totally black stage and brought in a few props like a piano to fill the stage for many scenes. There were much more grandiose scenes, as in the closing, where a Busby Burkeley like staged event tried to bring us a big bang ending which, in my eyes, failed. More on that later.
I'm a fairly big guy, in width, not height, yet I still found the seats to be very constricting with no legroom at all. Thankfully I was in an aisle seat. That helped a bit. Even so, I was physically uncomfortable for most of the show.
This theatre, like most on Broadway, has little in restroom accommodations, especially for the woman, and the line before, during intermission and after the show was much longer than should ever be tolerated.
Refreshments alcoholic and non were sold at inflated prices before the show and during intermission.
The grand old theatre that is clean and in excellent shape is easy to find being in the middle of Times Square on 45th Street between Broadway and Eighth.
HUGH JACKMAN
Hugh Jackman is the reason I did get to see the play in the first place. He has done some great work, Oklahoma being one show that comes to mind, and he definitely has a female audience that follows him. My wife is one of those woman who appreciates his "talent".
And truly talented he is! I could watch this guy for hours. He, like Peter Allen, knows how to command attention on stage and has a free and easy way of working the audience.
Throughout the play he does talk with them. Two particular mentions were his patter with those in the "Royal Boxes" as he picked on them and as he also interacted with a father/daughter couple in the orchestra. This was a fun and light distraction from the work that was being performed on stage. Now never having seen Allen perform live I surmise that this may have been part of the Allen show style that was being portrayed.
The problem with Hugh Jackman's performance is that I never thought I was watching Peter Allen as the sparkling stage personality or hurting soul in his private life within the show. I just never felt connected. I was watching Hugh Jackman the entertainer. That in itself may have been the problem. Though this reasoning may sound flawed, both Allen and Jackman, to me, are much alike in their stage presence and, except for Allen's open gayness, and a somewhat forced-mimicked delivery from Jackman that never rang true, seemed again to be alike. All the same, Hugh Jackson still gave a terrific performance that saved the show. Hugh Jackman, just months after the opening, received a Tony as the Leading Actor in this musical, The Boy From OZ. Though I can't point to many rousing scenes, Jackman kept the flow of the show together.
I read that Hugh Jackman will be leaving the play in a few of months. I wonder if the show will make it after he is gone. Maybe it would do well with a more appreciative audience if it went smaller, not trying to be bigger than it really is, and traveled downtown to a better targeted Village theatre. The show, as it now is but without a Hugh Jackman, doesn't have what it takes to make a long run. Saying that, I still believe the show can be rewritten and polished in places to give it the longevity a show about Peter Allen with Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli characters in the cast should be able to maintain.
LIZA and JUDY
I was definitely expecting a couple of good mother and/or daughter renditions of their own music. It never happened, and the few songs they did sing never brought me the thrill of seeing or imagining seeing either of the two superstars.
Isabel Keating played Judy Garland. At times there was a true likeness in her mannerisms and then she would suddenly look like a comic book character as she overplayed the role. Stephanie J. Block was Liza Minelli and I mean that. She brought Liza to life, both in her younger years as she was first making it in shows like Cabaret and years later when she became a bit more full in body. I enjoyed listening to her and watching her. Again though, we were not given the Liza whose voice and presence could reverberate throughout any theatre.
The rest of the cast was alright but no one came through as a shining star, that is, except for Mitchel David Federan who played a young Peter Allen, perhaps about twelve years old. He lighted up the stage and his athletic dancing was on par with the more mature entertainers present.
THE STORY
This is the story of Australia born Peter Allen who was in show business at a very young age despite problems of his alcoholic father. His mother always supported him and is brought in and out of the play throughout the story. She was adequately played by Beth Fowler.
As the story and real life goes, Peter Allen is discovered in Hong Kong by Judy Garland and then later meets and marries her daughter Liza Minelli. This is the part of the play that didn't make it for me. You see, if I witnessed the great talents or at least a spark of the talents of the stars being depicted I would have been happy. Lacking that, I wanted to learn and feel something about the characters and their relationships. There wasn't any development of this in the play. I learned little about Peter Allen the person or those who surrounded him.
The first half moves from Australia to Hong Kong and onto the US and finally to the death of Judy Garland and a divorce from Liza. I found a bit of the dialog interesting with Liza saying "Things might have been different if it weren't for sex". Peter answers "Yes, and ego too". I really would have liked to know what attracted these two people together and why.
The second half is all about Peter the flamboyant stage performer in his Hawaiian shirts. It tells of his rise in show business, his sexuality, his relationship with a male friend Greg and a not sharply focused, death to AIDS. In the story he makes it to stardom with the help of his close friend Greg and they have a few scenes where the love between the two is shown.
Another problem that I had was that of some of the audience. The story shows the natural love and attraction between Peter and his friend Greg. There is a small kiss on the lips between the two and then some very boisterous people in the audience had to shout out in approval. Damn, my feeling is, "If this is so natural, what's all the hoopala." It's the needless overt drawing of attention to gay issues that sometimes irks me. Maybe that's my problem. The scene, as I saw it, was well done and brought the matter of gay sexuality and attraction to light in a seemingly natural way. The stomping of feet and shouts of approval to the act of a kiss was the thing that, to me, was unnatural.
While talking about the audience I also had a problem with Hugh Jackman "groupies" who would yell and scream in delight at any kind of sexual movement or tease that was made on stage. I felt more like I was at a teeny bopper rock show at times than at legitimate theatre.
Besides being a fabulous entertainer, Peter Allen was a song writer. He collaborated with different people on many of his songs. In the show a few of these pieces are used and were familiar to the ear. "Don't Cry Out Loud", "I Honestly Love you", and a song he wrote for the dead Judy Garland "Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage" were heard but certainly were not memorable performances. The show closed with his famous "I go to Rio".
This was another disappointment. Though I never was attached to the show due to poor character development, lackluster music, and a poorly written story, I was still hoping to see Hugh Jackman do Peter Allen in his "I go to Rio" performance. That was always a hot number where Peter Allen had fun and got the audience roused.
The stage in the last scene set for "Rio" was spectacular looking but the cast and direction never got Hugh Jackman to shed his skin to be Peter Allen.
Even a number, "Everything Old is New Again", that had Peter Allen doing some work from his Radio City Music Rockets past didn't make it. The director was trying to make a big scene out of smoke and mirrors. And I mean literally using mirrors to make six Rockette like dancers to look like the full stage with many of them. It didn't work and just seemed tacky to me.
The only song that really impressed me was Peter and the ensemble doing his, "I Still Call Australia Home". That was a winner!
The sound of the orchestra itself was excellent where I was seated. Unfortunately I found many of the songs performed by the cast were lacking zeal.
THE CURTAIN COMES DOWN
When the curtain did come down, I felt I was cheated. Maybe my expectations were too high. If you are going to portray some great talent, go with it all the way. I think I would have enjoyed a straight show (no pun intended) of just impersonations. Lets watch Peter, Judy and Liza doing numbers they were noted for. Instead we received a story that perhaps somebody thought would be a tribute to Peter and his life. However it didn't do so for me. I'll try to remember Peter Allen as an energetic and talented entertainer that was a little different from the rest yet had the balls to show it.
TKTS half price tickets to Broadway
The Lion King
Aida, the Broadway Play Great show at half price
Thoroughly Modern Millie A 6 Tony award winner Broadway Play
Times Square Eats
Stardust Diner A quick eat 50s retro diner for before a show in Times Square. Aspiring actors are here to sing live.
The Manhattan Chili Company good quick eats before a show.
ESPN Zone A sports bar, arcade, and MORE!
TGI Friday's Times Square Location.
Pig'n'Whistle, a great Times Square Pub
Ollies, Broadway
New York City
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.