I saw the new musical Waitress on Wednesday.
A lot has already been written about that particular performance, since they had to stop the show twice to deal with scenery malfunction…but no one was complaining.
Sara Bareilles was the entertainment during the break.
It’s not the first time I have experienced stoppages like this on Broadway. When I saw Harvey starring Jim Parsons from “The Big Bang Theory,” they too had pesky set pieces that simply would not move.
That’s what you get when you go to early previews.
And with Waitress, you get a wonderful, heart-felt, truly hilarious take on one of my favorite films. Kudos to the casting director, because every role was spot-on — especially the male supporting characters, who stole the show every time they stepped out on stage.
Drew Gehling as Dr. Pomatter — a role originated by my man Nathan Fillion in the movie — has big shoes to fill and does it with unique comedic timing and fantastic chemistry with star Jessie Mueller. But the biggest ovation at curtain call — rightly so — went to Christopher Fitzgerald, who chews up the scenery (or should I say pie?) as the quirky Ogie the Elf.
The music is wonderful, and ya gotta love any set that features a cherry pie curtain, even if the darn thing doesn’t work all that well. Because the show?
Sweet!
No debate
I love a Craig Ferguson show, and his new series on History Channel, Join or Die, is no exception.
Craig along with three celebrities from various walks of life debate different topics and, with the studio audience’s assistance, crown a champion. Recent topics have included greatest unexplained phenomena, greatest gangster, history’s dumbest mistake, you get the idea.
This week they tackled history’s best founding father. The panelists were actor Fred Willard, comedian Jo Koy, and journalist Joel Stein. The founding father choices? George Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.
Now, I don’t expect the panelists to do excessive research in preparation for the show, but the dismissive comments they made about John Adams’ contribution to the founding of this country made me realize…
They hadn’t even watched the movie or stage version of 1776.
Take away their citizenship. Right. Now.
George Washington won, by the way. Shocker.
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Posted in Broadway, Celebrities, Comedy, Entertainment, History, Humor, Movies, Television
Tagged 1776, Broadway, celebrities, citizenship, comedy, commentary, Craig Ferguson, debate, entertainment, founding father, Fred Willard, George Washington, History Channel, Humor, Joe Koy, Joel Stein, John Adams, Join or Die, Movies, musical, panelists