Well, I saw Tales of the City last nite -- a preview; the official opening is Tuesday. I'll be interested to see what the critics have to say. My feeling is that it's enjoyable but needs work.
It's a long show -- they've mashed the first 2 books (Tales... and More Tales...) together and created a very plot-heavy 3 hours. What once unfolded leisurely (first in the newspaper and then in book form) seems a bit rushed. The songs by the guys from Scissor Sisters are a mixed bag. They're better when they're being disco/clever/satriric then when they're being sincere/Sondheimian. Theater legend Judy Kaye, who's done everything from Phantom to Sweeney Todd to Mamma Mia!, plays Mrs Madrigal and she's quite good. The actress who plays MaryAnn (Laura Linney's big break in the TV miniseries) appears to be doing a dead-on impersonation of Jane Krakowski as Jenna on 30 Rock. She looks and sounds just like her. This makes the character seem less innocent than she's supposed to be. In an odd casting twist, they've made Jon (the preppy, "A-gay" gynecologist that Michael Tolliver falls in love with) African-American, which keeps the ensemble from being completely white but doesn't quite jibe with the upper-crust homo crowd his character supposedly runs with. Nicest surprise: slutty, drug-addled Mona Ramsey is played by Mary Birdsong, best-known as the very butch Deputy Kimball in the latter seasons of Reno 911. She was quite a revelation; I'd never have recognized her.
The songs work to drive the plot but I didn't walk out humming any of them. This is a show that needs more outrageous humor (given the source material). There's *some*, but it pales in comparison to, say Book of Mormon. Not clear if this will make it to B'way next season, but if it does... expect changes.
