I think Nathan Lane is the male Ethel Merman - he delivers. Bebe Neuwirth brings her charms to her devotees, and I appreciate Kevin Chamberlin's homage to Jackie Coogan's screechy voiced Fester. I'm pleased that the always wonderful Jackie Hoffman has a steady new gig as Grandmama in this seemingly critic proof hit show.
John Lahr's New Yorker review says: As Grandma Addams, Jackie Hoffman, with her pug-dog mug and cartoony caterwauling, manages to raise the show’s temperature a few degrees. “Stay outta my shit or I’ll rip your leg off and bury it in the back yard,” Grandma screeches at her grandson Pugsley (Adam Riegler), adding, “I love you.”
I love Jackie Hoffman and her video blogs (and her GOOFING on a certain sci fi church next door to theater.)
more Jackie blogs here and here and here
4 comments:
What a terrible, terrible show--and what a waste of talent. I agree about Nathan Lane--there is just nowhere for today's Ethel Mermans, Bert Lahrs, Gertie Lawrences, to practice their craft and earn livings!
Nathan Lane, Kristin Chenoweth, Patti LuPone, Kelli O'Hara, Raul Esparza, can't earn a living onstage anymore, so they do what TV buts they can scrounge up and every few years make a poorly-paying stage outing. I mean, Donna Murphy and Faith Prince are doing bit parts!
Faith Prince is doing a bit?! Oh how sad.
Harvey Feirstein gave Faith Prince her most recent lead as the mom in a musical version of that Bette
Davis film 'a catered affair' in 2008. The material fell short and the show closed quickly at Walter Kerr Theater , on the heels of the previous production - the brilliant Grey Gardens which couldn't sell tickets either.
Maybe Faith Prince can play Aunt Mae to Peter
Parker in Spiderman:the musical coming soon.
(heaven help us)
no, she isn't in Addams Family...
I was never a fan of Broadway musicals, but I can appreciate the older ones. The current crop is following the same format as Hollywood. Big-screen versions of long-gone, but vaguely familiar, TV shows are being churned out all the time. And the mostly suck. So, why should Broadway be any different? They are being produced for the masses and their short attention spans.
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