From Cassandra:
September 21, 2003 - September 22, 2003
Q & A session with Tour cast members from Cassandra Well, I just got home from class, and from the session with the National Tour cast members (see post about Nat'l Tour stuff in Ames, Iowa).
I was disappointed with the turnout of people (or lack thereof). However, the marketing director herself admitted that she didn't publicize the event like she should have. *hand slap* So, about 10 people, if that, showed up for the cast member panel. It's all right, though. It made for a very intimate session. I was able to ask quite a few questions, but nothing I didn't already know. I was too chicken to go into too much detail, without looking like some psycho fan. "So, is it true that Macavity raped Demeter?"
The cast members who were on the panel were Shane Hall (Misto), Felix V. LaBella III (Tumble), Bo Broadwell (Alonzo), Mario Martinez (Mungo), and James Ginnever (Plato/Macavity). All of them were super nice, and were very gracious to take time out of their day to come talk to us. So, if any of you guys read this, thanks again!
Anyway, the marketing director of the theatre led the discussion very well, otherwise I think we would have been sitting there in silence. She asked the usual things, such as what's it like living on the road, tell us about your makeup, costumes, etc., what's your background in theatre...... all that stuff.
I asked Shane a detail about his number. When I saw the show last night, instead of coming down from the rafters on a rope like usual, Misto made his entrance from the back of the stage in a shower of glitter! This was a total suprise for me. I asked him how new this was, and if it was permanent. He said that they usually make that change for the smaller venues. They apparently have two "cherry pickers" for Griz, a large and a small one. The larger one has a hole in the bottom for Misto to drop down from. In smaller venues, they have to use the small one, so Misto can't make his usual entrance. I wasn't able to deduce whether this was a permanent change or not. But Shane said he prefers making the entrance from the back of the stage, anyway. He doesn't have to be ready as soon, and it's definitely not as precarious a position!
A question was asked about Green Eyes, and the cast members revealed a detail I wasn't aware of. We all know that on the particular night the Jellicle Ball takes place, we as an audience are there witnessing it, and the cats are telling us all about it, forming opinions about us, etc. What I didn't know, and what was told to me today, is that the Green Eyes are symbolic of the cats seeing us for the first time, and they're unsure of how they feel about us being there. I never thought about the fact that the cats are usually kind of stand-offish and hissy when they're wearing the Green Eyes, but now I know why. I just always thought it was a cool effect they threw in, with no real underlying meaning. How wrong I was....
After the session ended, the cast members were able to sign autographs for us. I got a flyer signed by all five guys. There were also some neat pictures taken during the show last night that ended up in our school newspaper today. One of them was a rather large photo of Misto, so I asked Shane to sign that. A smaller group pic had Tumble in it, and I asked Felix to sign it. I was already late for my next class by that point, so I had to leave. But it was a great session all around, and I was very grateful to the guys for doing it.
Now I'm off to get ready for the show!
Okay, so it's been three weeks since I attended the two performances here in Ames. I'm really sorry it's taken me this long, but school has me so busy! Arrrghh!! Anyway, I'll just go through all the new/changed things in the show, what I liked and didn't like, and my opinions on the performers.
Probably the thing I noticed right away the first night was how slow the tempo of the music was. As they started into the first chorus of JSFJC, I was wondering if the conductor was on sleeping pills or something..... seriously! It continued right on into Jennyanydots, but seemed to pick up a little after that. But the Jellicle Ball was just as slow as Jellicle Songs! Now, I wasn't sure if this was for the benefit of the actors, like maybe they were performing slow to brush up on the choreography, or if it really was the conductor's initiative. Either way, I didn't feel that it showed off the talents of the performers that well at all. I think CATS has to be danced a little on the faster side to let the energy shine through. They redeemed themselves the second night, however. I had heard the cast had a run-through that afternoon, and boy, did it show! The difference between the first and second nights was incredible. I was actually moved to tears when the fast part of the Jellicle Ball started! Everything was so perfect, and you could tell the cast was giving it everything they had, and they were loving it!
Heh, sorry, got off on a little tangent there. Now, I hate to be so gripey, but I'm going to pick a little on some of the design elements. First, the costume department seems to be on holiday. Some of the wigs were messed up, most notably Vicki's and Pouncival's. I just wanted to run up there and smooth them out with a comb! Bom's and Macavity's wigs looked like big, red cotton balls, and I thought Griz' wig was pulled up a little too tight. I like it when her hair is more loose and messy. It fits the character better, I think.
I really do enjoy most of the new lighting elements in this tour. I especially like the "rippling" effect on the Jellicle moon when Griz sings "Memory." However, I dislike the blue-tinted spotlight that appears on so many of the main performers. It's okay during "Memory," when most of the stage is dark, and it casts even more gray on Griz. But during other songs, the lights in the background are more colorful, and they draw your attention away from the person in the spotlight. The blue-tint mutes the colors on the costume, detracting your attention, and then you're busy looking at everything else. This may be okay for veterans like us, but for someone seeing the show for the first time, it makes it harder to pay attention to the main action. I prefer the usual white spotlight that brightens up the character, shows off their colors, and works more with the background lighting.
There were a couple of interesting things I noticed during these two performances. The first one I had mentioned in a previous post about the Q&A session I was able to attend with some of the cast members. Instead of coming down on a rope from the top of the stage, Misto entered from the back in a shower of glitter! I missed his old "grand" entrance, but this was a very neat effect. They also took away the little fire pots that exploded on cue as Misto pointed to them. Now they shoot out long, silver streamers. It's cute, because Sillabub and Pouncival cover themselves and play with the streamers like yarn.
The other major difference I noticed is that they changed a couple lines in Growltiger's Last Stand. I'm pretty sure that when I saw the tour last year, the lyrics were the same as they had always been, so I don't know when they changed them. Anyway, when Genghis returns after the aria, instead of saying "Abandoning their sampans, the Chinks they swarmed aboard," he now says, "With a frightful burst of fireworks, the Siamese swarmed aboard." I don't know if management got pressure from the public about the derogatory term, or if they just figured it was high time they changed it. (EDIT: I decided to look it up in Old Possum's, and "frightful burst of fireworks" is actually in the original poem!) Anyway, it caught me by total surprise the first night. I hope I wasn't too loud when I gasped.
Here are my reviews of the cast, and remember, these are just my opinions:
Bo Broadwell (Alonzo): I loved Bo as Alonzo! He has to be one of, if not my favorite in this role. He's especially good at the hip-gyrating..... heh. *ahem* He is also incredibly nice! I got to meet him after the Q&A session, and he expressed his excitement over my coming to see the show that night.
Kevin C. Wanzor (Bustopher/Gus/Growltiger): How cool is this guy?! Definitely one of my favorites in this role. Hilarious as Bustopher, touching as Gus, and impressive as Growltiger.
Jackie Trippeer (Bombalurina): I thought Jackie made a very good Bom. Her moves were slinky, and she has a great voice. I almost got the feeling that she was afraid to really belt it out, though. I felt that way with a few of the cast. It's like you just know that inside them somewhere is a very powerful, awesome voice just dying to come out. It is only the beginning of her run for the tour, so maybe she's still getting used to the part. Either way, I thought she was great.
Amber Cameron (Cassandra): Amber was excellent as my favorite character. She played her perfectly, very smooth and exotic. During the screaming at the end of Tugger, she actually let her kittenish side come out, which I've never seen any tour Cassie do before. Usually she just writhes around sensually, but Amber was screaming right along! It was pretty cool! And when she says, "Jellicle cats have moonlit eyes," she hangs on to the word "eyes" as the rest of the cast continues on. Very neat...
Erica Sweany (Demeter): I really enjoyed Erica's portrayal of Demeter, but she was another one that I thought was hiding her voice. Again, it's still early, and I'm guessing that Erica's performance will only get better.
Kym Chambers (Grizabella u/s, 1st night): Wow.... very, very good as Griz. I love her voice.
Anne Brummel (Grizabella, 2nd night): Double wow.... Anne put so much emotion into Griz that it made me cry, and it's been a long time since any Griz has made me cry (although, the second night overall had, in my opinion, much more energy and emotion than the first, anyway). I love her voice, as well. Very powerful and moving.
Mary Elizabeth Sweeney (Jellylorum/Griddlebone): I very much enjoyed Mary's (Mary Elizabeth's?) performance. She has a beautiful voice; so well suited for the part. I don't know if it's her make-up or just her facial structure, but she reminded me of one of the pretty Japanese Jellylorums! One thing I miss, though (and this has nothing to do with her performance), is some of the banter between Growltiger and Griddlebone. It's not as funny in the beginning. They removed the part when she scoots forward on stage and whacks his foot, and also when he steps on her tail and she tries to get away. I miss that......
Suzanne Dressler (Jennyanydots): Hee hee...... she's so cute as Jenny. Suzanne has a very clear and distinct voice, and it suits the character very well. When she lines up the cockroaches, she walks up and down the line, and exclaims, "Perfect!" And during Bustopher, the queens were gesturing to Jenny as if to say, "Oh, you lucky girl!" And Jenny blushes and nods, "Yeah, I know."
Shane Hall (Mistoffelees): Oh....my.... Shane has become my second favorite Misto ever! (No one can ever take Joseph Favalora's place) But.... wow! This guy was absolutely flawless! His dancing is so fluid, and he seriously makes it look effortless. And his facial expressions are priceless! I enjoyed watching him so much. I hope he sticks around the tour for a while. He told me that he's pretty much living his dream right now, so maybe that's a sign that he will. (He's also probably the tallest Misto I've seen.)
Mario Martinez (Mungojerrie): Loved him! So mischievous, so playful. Everything Mungo should be. And he's a sweetheart, too! It was great to meet him and ask him some questions.
Bo Ranney (Munkustrap): I hate being critical, especially when I know I couldn't do half what these people do up on stage. Again, Bo was someone else I felt was keeping their voice inside. And his movements were kind of stiff. Not his dancing so much, but his "Munk posture" and other moves made it look like he was just following the choreography, and not "living" the character. But like I said before, it's early. I liked his performance, but I just felt there was some room for improvement.
Martin C. Hurt (Old Deuteronomy): Martin has a terrific voice, but I'm not sure I like it in the part of Old Deut. I'm no voice expert, but I think he might do better with faster music, and not the slow songs that Old Deut sings. He has a very distinct and powerful vibrato, and it's a little distracting when he has to hold notes, especially in "Moments." But I enjoyed his portrayal of the character. Just wanted to run up and hug him.
James Ginnever (Plato/Macavity): I really liked James' performance. I think I preferred him more as Plato than Macavity, but I'm sure just like all the new cast members, he's still working on the character. I love it when you can hear his evil laugh during the fight, though.
Justin Wingenwroth (Pouncival): I hate to admit it, but I didn't really have a chance to watch Justin all that much. What I did see of him was adorable, though! He and Tumble make cute buddies.
Katy Burns (Rumpleteazer): Katy and Mario together make a great team. I love when she slides down the car, then "trips" at the bottom. And her voice is perfect for the role. Very cute.
Brian Gallagher (Rum Tum Tugger): Like Bo Ranney, I enjoyed Brian as Tugger, but there's room for improvement. I think he's still figuring out what he wants the character to be. Tugger would stand there with a look of complete boredom on his face, then all of a sudden break out into a fit of gyrating. A little bi-polar, maybe? Brian has the rock n' roll wailing down, but I really wish he had enunciated more. I know all the words, and even I was having difficulty understanding him at times.
Jacqueline Stedman (Sillabub): Absolutely adorable! Cute as a button, and such a gorgeous voice!
Jesse Factor (Skimbleshanks): I really liked Jesse in this role, but I think he's still getting used to all the dancing and singing in his song (can you blame him?! I think it's a toss-up between Skimble and M&R for the most exhausting singing and dancing number). Anyway, he plays Skimble very well.
Felix V. LaBella III (Tumblebrutus): Felix was terrific! I think my favorite part was watching him try to imitate Tugger's gyrating at the end of his song. So cute!
Katie Wanner (Victoria): Katie is a great dancer, and I enjoyed her as Vicki. But she didn't have that ominous "presence" that I normally like to see in Victoria. She plays her more kittenish, and I prefer her more as a young adult. That's just a personal preference, though.