tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056238063013699574.post3209064191348009407..comments2024-03-06T06:53:01.863-05:00Comments on JK's TheatreScene: On the Radar: Leap of FaithJKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782634274496834578noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056238063013699574.post-90576048442987286922010-07-24T09:16:45.395-04:002010-07-24T09:16:45.395-04:00Infinity,
WOW! How lucky you are to have seen wo...Infinity,<br /><br />WOW! How lucky you are to have seen workshops! I'm jealous!<br /><br />And thank you for the insight into the show as it is. I wonder if they will lighten up the Jonas character a little? Or maybe they are going for the "Pal Joey" treatment, a very unlikeable character? I like dark, and I LOVE Raul Esparza, so I have a feeling I'll like it no matter what. Plus Brooke Shields can be so strong, maybe he will have met his match!<br /><br />We'll see! Keep reading and writing! I appreciate your taking the time.<br /><br />JeffJKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04782634274496834578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056238063013699574.post-5877521225774644632010-07-24T01:44:52.551-04:002010-07-24T01:44:52.551-04:00Yes, it's definitely gunning for Broadway. I ...Yes, it's definitely gunning for Broadway. I had the pleasure of attending the workshop presentation directed by Taylor Hackford two years ago and then the reading Rob Ashford directed in NYC for investors. <br /><br /> You get your wish--the writing is very real and not sugar coated at all. In some parts, it might actually be too somber to play well to audiences who are just looking for escape and light hearted entertainment. What hurts the project the most is that you don't really like Raul's character, Jonas, all that much--not in the way we like other shysters from musical theatre history such as Harold Hill in The Music Man. In that musical, it's almost fun to see Mr. Hill charming the town folk out of their hard earned dollars. In Leap of Faith, it seems downright cruel since the town folk are so down on their luck. <br /><br />What must be celebrated is this brilliant score! Gospel number after gospel number bring down the house. Best lyrics to come to Broadway in a reaaaal long time. As I said, however, your unease about siding with the hucksters prevents you from being completely won over by the big production numbers in the revival tent. <br /><br />It is a story of redemption, and by the end, I think people will be moved and changed. However, the redemption comes very late in the musical, perhaps too late. You aren't pulling for Jonas and Jane to fall in love because in contrast to the cheesiness of a traditional musical, the writer acknowledges that people in real life are slow to change (speaking of the writer, you got her name wrong. It's Janus Cercone). <br /><br />There are still a lot to recommend about it and I hope it does well!Infinity + 1https://www.blogger.com/profile/05140532868735100189noreply@blogger.com