I think your review is a bit off-base. There were some sound issues, primarily with the balance between actors and the band. But they weren’t show killers. After reading this review, I went to the show curious to see if I’d pick up on the direction problems that you pointed out in your review. I looked for them .. but didn’t find them.

Overall, we found the show to be thoroughly enjoyable and quite funny. I first read this review a few days before attending the show and to be frankly honest, I found the review of this show to be rather … personal. After seeing the show in person, my perception is unchanged.

The show was actually quite good. Well worth the $20. The cast and crew put on an exceptional performance and should be commended. I’ve attended several PWLT productions and found this to be one of their best.

Thank you for this reflection of this production. I’m glad that someone with a knack for critiquing was able to see this production my wife, Sarah, and I saw this past Friday. We don’t go to much theatre, but our daughter encouraged us to come to this show because she said she loved the music.

As for your review, I almost completely agree with you in every respect.

The ensemble in this production was exceptional. A few of my favorites were the young man who played the drunk best man at the first wedding- as well as when he and the tall, African American, young man, played boyfriends who were getting engaged at the restaurant. They were both exceptional. Another ensemble member that stood out to me was a girl who played multiple characters. She is the full figured dancer, actress, singer, who in one scene plays a rough woman who cuckolds her husband at the mall. She was spectacular! In every single scene, she was a completely new character. These three were perfect as ensemble members.

The major characters, however, did not give our as much forceful energy as the near perfect ensemble did. I agree with you Jennifer that, Matt Curtis as Robbie was great at acting, but, for me at least, his voice did not do it. I admit that I heard the Broadway version of the songs, and Curtis did not have the vocals strong enough for Robbie. The higher he sang, the less charming and impressive it became. However, I think that he would have been great in the role of Glen. He had the cockiness about him that would have been very well received for Glen. His voice was almost perfect for “Forget About The Green” (which is one of Sarah’s favorite songs). As for the actor that played Glen, I agree 100% with you Jennifer. It was absolutely unbelievable for me as an audience member to take as fact that the Julia had an romantic attachment to him. I wonder if the last name has anything to do with casting. I hope not because, as you said Jennifer, “there was an incredibly strong male ensemble.”

I also agree with you in the respect of the lack of direction. Though a few of the main characters did not seem to have any acting training at all, as was the case with Becca Harney as Julia, I would put blame on the director for not giving some of the actors with potential the chance to show us what they’ve got; especially in the case of Matt Kelly who was adorable and incredible singing as George, but lacked the direction to succeed in the acting portion of the production. Meredith Ford was fun but sexy as Holly. Her vocal chops didn’t add up to the Broadway Cast, but they were respectable and when adding to her fun acting she made for an enjoyable performance.

The sound quality was very poor. Perhaps I was expecting more, considering the space, but I was baffled with the large quantity of times when I couldn’t hear the actors or the ensemble singers. Hopefully kinks were worked out as the nights went by. The set, however was great. The scenes were easy to remove, though some took a little too long, but were very effective.

Overall the production was enjoyable. I would recommend this show to my friends, but would warn them to be prepared for perfect music direction, and zero acting direction, with a talented group of people.

The song “Casualty of Love” made the show for me. Congratulations to the Cast.

Best wishes for this coming weekend.

Peter-Thomas Smith

However, I don’t think anything was lost in the acting scenes. Robbie and Julia had some nice moments, as did Holly and Sammy. Glen was perfectly patronizing and greedy. It was cool how they used all of the space, having cast members and props enter from different angles, dancing on the balcony, etc. The live band was a great addition to the show.

The “Back to the Future” car replica was funny, especially the scene where Glen pulls out his “newfangled cell phone” – I doubt anyone in the audience cared what the car was made of, they were too busy laughing at Glen’s outrageous narcissism. The “It’s All About the Green” number was hilarious… Robbie and Julia’s dilemma of love vs money was very clear for my 10 and 13 year old daughters to understand because of the nice scenes between the pairs of actors. We loved it! Thanks for a great show!