Norbert Butz is perfect for this part - unexpected, a little dangerous with ambiguous sexuality - closer to Joel Grey and WAY better than Alan Cummings who was predictable.
Saw the INTO THE WOODS REVIVAL with the 3rd replacement revival cast recently in NYC last November as a post-Birthday gift to myself, during a brief last-minute weekend trip. I was at the 2nd row, Center at the St. James Theatre and I teared up during NO ONE IS ALONE...(actually there was not a dry eye in the house during this number OR every time this number is performed -- 'coz it touches on the universality of grief & loss we all go through) -- and realizing & thinking Steve Sondheim wasn't physically around anymore to see how people are still loving & embracing his work - now more than ever. He ALWAYS attended rehearsals (& cast recordings) of any productions of his shows because he was such a perfectionist & wanted everyone onstage & in the orchestra to sound excellent & perfect pitch. He was like a Father to us. He does not mind if you have some vocal flaws as long as IT is connected with HOW your character is ‘feeling the moment you sing his song’. I remember when the actress playing Cinderella slightly cracked her voice in "Mother isn't here now..." that was ok, because the actor was feeling the moment -- and he would have loved that. He wrote just to give us those heartfelt moments. To him, he'd rather have a flawed singer that shows vulnerability & truth than one who sings perfectly with no emotion & heart. And his songs are a gift to us, performers they are very very good "acting songs" because the lyrics & melodies are so ingeniously crafted. There is nothing any performer can add to it but their Honesty & Truth every time they sing any of them to convey his message. INTO THE WOODS is my MOST FAVORITE MUSICAL of his. I played JACK (of "the Beanstalk") years ago in the early 90’s. [Sidebar: SWEENEY TODD was his magnum opus where I played Tobias and MERRILY WE ROLL along where I played Charlie Kringas a cult musical. But INTO THE WOODS was closest to his heart…and mine, too. Yes, I am unashamedly a “Sondheim Baby” and proud to have done 3 of his shows. (Plus an anthology concert of his songs from West Side Story to Dick Tracy which I wrote and performed with some theatre friends entitled, “SIMPLY SONDHEIM”).] Into The Woods was a musical about the difficult relationship between children & parents. It was a reflection on pursuing one's dreams & desires & the price one has to pay to achieve them & a rumination on love & loss & moving on. And he was an only child of divorced parents who had his share of struggles. He always said his life would not have turned out the way it’s been if it weren’t for his Teacher & Mentor Oscar Hammerstein II (Who wrote the lyrics for Showboat, Carmen, Sound Of Music, Carousel, King & I, State Fair, etc. with Richard Rodgers.) Teaching & mentoring were very important to him, & he unselfishly gave of his time passing on his talent & wisdom to us thespians. “To me, TEACHING is a noble profession. My life has been shaped by TEACHERS.” - Stephen Sondheim. No words ever rang truer. He lamented the way Teachers were shabbily treated in this country and the lack of Art & Music in our schools that would help a great deal in “humanizing” Americans more. How often do we get to say, “We were alive at the same time as a Legend”? He was the Shakespeare of our Time. He definitely was. Sondheim was the epitome of the Creative Life every ‘creative’ in the theatre world dreamed of having. He was the greatest gift musical theatre ever had…and keeps on giving. He is credited for allowing the American musical theatre to ‘grow up and move on’ from just being the empty “bring on the girls form of vapid & shallow entertainment” to giving it permission and saying it’s OK to be dark, sad, angry, remorseful, betrayed, hurt, etc. That it’s also OK not to have a happy ending and that you can sing not just about love & happiness & joy but also of anger, betrayal, tragedy, growing old, & loss. He gave us the complex, adult, thinking Man’s musical. He helped us grow up & understand Life a bit more - & learn to cope with it. Being in a Sondheim musical and being mentored by him gives you that rare feeling of accomplishment. (Made more meaningful now more than ever now that he’s physically gone.) He truly brings out the best in you. And part of it is because you don’t want to let him down and be a disappointment to him. And also because his songs are so complex and dense with multi-layers of subtexts and meaning - they’re a challenge to any performer to take on and a deep feeling of joy & sense of accomplishment afterwards if you’ve done them well. For me I was a bit scared of him as much as I loved the man. I was afraid of letting him down. But nothing is quite as valuable when you get his approval & validation. Without sounding blasphemous, it’s like getting an approval from God. In fact, (no offense intended) to us theatre folks - in a way, he was “God”. Can’t believe it’s been a year since you’ve been gone. Miss you Steve, your stern correction in your quest for perfection, and your eyes that widely light up & your laughter when we get your notes right & get your approval. And the Theatre World & its Actors misses you, too (Sigh). But you left us with a treasure trove of timeless words & music for now & future generations to learn from & grow. …There will never be another one like You. Thank you.
Don't get me wrong, she's an excellent singer in the context of musical theater and classical stylings, but in this particular example she is not feeling the swing in the tradition and language of this arrangement. She is not quite "in the pocket" as they say. You can really tell based on where she lines up with the horns and when she and harry are singing at the same time. She's rushing around 3:26 at least in the context of this NOLA feel.@@BB-nz5sk
Kelly loves to dance. Heck! She was on Dancin On Air and Dance Party USA. She really gave it her all here. She missed a step or two but never gave up. You could tell she was out of breath with just that short dance. I don’t think I could have been able to keep up. I saw another routine she did with some basketball dance team and she did well there, too. She was always game for anything for this show. I miss her with Regis and when she wasn’t as mega rich. I liked her when she was more poor. LOL!!!!
This clip immediately came to mind when I heard the Jacques D'Amboise passed away today. He has left the world of dance some HUGE shoes to fill...but thank God he also has left the legacy of dance in his children.
Some people are saying they’re too masculine, but as a non-binary person I must defend Norbert’s choices. The emcee IS NON-BINARY which means they can do whatever the fuck they want. I would know.
I don’t know that I personally agree with the take that Emcee is non-binary as my take is that (while yes they’re a tangible person) they’re more of a spectre of what’s to come for the rest of the show. But I don’t hate that take at all.
I kinda agree with everyone saying this role wasn't the best for Norbert but, then again, I'm not sure. I guess it depends on the approach to the role the producers and the actor are pursuing. No doubt that the likes of Joel Grey and Alan Cumming set the pace and the image for this role (and even for this act specifically). But I don't dislike this approach - a flamboyant more masculine Emcee, giving us all a bit of Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
Darn! I heard there was a new 9to5 being made and I thought it would be the original 3 ladies. I was looking forward to that, all 3 are still so active and vibrant.
even the makeup artist was not for that hair. poor baby they were trying to make her feel better even though they all knew they messed up! she is remaining so calm through the entire process-kudos! i would have had a major freak out!
