Just saw HAIR again for the 4th & 5th time this past weekend. It was still an amazing experience. The cast, the music, the whole vibe - spectacular.

I also saw Hamlet and A Steady Rain. Hamlet was good, especially Jude Law. A Steady Rain was fine, but a bit slow. Neither show compared to the thrill of seeing HAIR!

I don't deny that Hair is a damn good musical filled with showstoppers. But i'm torn between loving the music and hating its ideology and message. After listening to its Broadway cast recording endless times in the early 1970s, i caught the film version (which was ok) and a production in England (which was just alright).

Hamlet is not my favorite work by Shakespeare, but i sat through the London production with Daniel Day-Lewis and Judi Dench, and the film version with Mel Gibson and Glenn Close.

Would love to see A Steady Rain, although i can imagine it being somewhat ponderous.

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Originally posted by Vinny:
I don't deny that Hair is a damn good musical filled with showstoppers. But i'm torn between loving the music and hating its ideology and message. After listening to its Broadway cast recording endless times in the early 1970s, i caught the film version (which was ok) and a production in England (which was just alright).

Seeing Gavin Creel and the gang perform the title song during the Tony Awards earlier this year got me seriously pumped about seeing the production whenever it inevitably went on tour. However, I feel that I would be left unimpressed by the musical's book, which I can't believe would be very riveting.

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Hamlet is not my favorite work by Shakespeare, but i sat through the London production with Daniel Day-Lewis and Judi Dench, and the film version with Mel Gibson and Glenn Close.

Daniel Day-Lewis as Prince Hamlet? Wow. That would have been truly remarkable to see. He didn't brood too much, I hope.

Close was a great Queen in my opinion, but Mel Gibson was never a favorite actor of mine. Kenneth Branagh is, I must say, our leading Shakespearean film actor, and it was a pleasure to see his interpretation of the role.

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Would love to see A Steady Rain, although i can imagine it being somewhat ponderous.

As I currently live in Chicago, I have come to appreciate the behind-the-scenes story of "A Steady Rain." It was written at the Chicago Dramatists workshop, and was originally played to a house of no larger that 70. This made for a much more intimate theatrical experience. The play went on to win Jeff Awards (the Chicago equivalent of the Tonys) for Best New Play and Best Actor. I imagine that casting two A-List celebrities in the roles, rather than keep the same casting from the Chicago production, probably takes away from the material quite severely. However, I'm told that Daniel Craig makes a remarkable transformation.

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Daniel Day-Lewis as Prince Hamlet? Wow. That would have been truly remarkable to see. He didn't brood too much, I hope.
Close was a great Queen in my opinion, but Mel Gibson was never a favorite actor of mine. Kenneth Branagh is, I must say, our leading Shakespearean film actor, and it was a pleasure to see his interpretation of the role.

DDL was alright as Hamlet; i sat quite a distance from the stage, so was somewhat easily distracted during his performance. He didn't brood more than was expected to.
I am a big fan of Kenneth Branagh and have seen all his Shakespearean ventures except Hamlet, which i only caught parts of when it showed on cable. Hope to see it in total sometime soon.

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As I currently live in Chicago, I have come to appreciate the behind-the-scenes story of "A Steady Rain." It was written at the Chicago Dramatists workshop, and was originally played to a house of no larger that 70. This made for a much more intimate theatrical experience. The play went on to win Jeff Awards (the Chicago equivalent of the Tonys) for Best New Play and Best Actor. I imagine that casting two A-List celebrities in the roles, rather than keep the same casting from the Chicago production, probably takes away from the material quite severely. However, I'm told that Daniel Craig makes a remarkable transformation.

Daniel Craig has consistently surprised me with his abilities over the years. I am confident he will snag a nomination for this turn. It looks like A Steady Rain has the substance to be nominated for Best Play as well.

Two-actor plays that i have seen included Jack Lemmon and Michael Gambon in Veterans Day, and Alec Guinness and Edward Herrmann in A Walk in the Woods. I didn't enjoy Veterans Day but Jack and Mike were terrific. A Walk in the Woods was quite delightful material though sparks did not fly between the two actors.

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Originally posted by Vinny:
Daniel Craig has consistently surprised me with his abilities over the years. I am confident he will snag a nomination for this turn. It looks like A Steady Rain has the substance to be nominated for Best Play as well.

I never thought that he would be nominated for an Oscar for any past role as some have predicted, but I think a Tony nod is looking pretty good right now. I'm glad to hear you think that "Rain" could nab a Play nod too; if both it and "Superior Donuts" grab dual Play nominations, Chicago theatre will begin looking more and more like a spring-board for Broadway, which is an idea that I wholly welcome.

Just read the entire Broadway cast of "Hair" will take the production to London. Producers emphasized their chemistry was crucial to the experience for audiences.