On The Record (musical) - Response

Response

During its nine-month run, On the Record received mixed reviews. Regional theatre reviewer Ann Miner commented in her review of the production that the gimmicks giving new twists to the classic songs, including monkey imitations in The Jungle Book's "I Wanna Be Like You" and glow-in-the-dark microphone cords in The Little Mermaid's "Poor Unfortunate Souls", translated poorly to stage. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Christopher Rawson felt as though the attempt to create a storyline was too forced and that the show should have taken a general revue route by completely scrapping the plot. While Rawson described the production as "unimpressive", he, among others, felt that the eight-member cast was talented.

The revue, in fact, proved to be the beginning of Ashley Brown's ever-flourishing relationship with Disney's theatrical department. After receiving positive reviews for her performance as Kristen, Brown landed the role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway on September 20, 2005. After completing her run as Belle on May 28, 2006, Brown opened the Broadway production of Mary Poppins on November 16, 2006, in the title role — a performance which earned her a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. Brown ended her Broadway run on October 5, 2008, but subsequently returned to the role, opening the North American national tour of Mary Poppins in Chicago on March 25, 2009. Meredith Inglesby, who served as a member of the quartet and as Diane's understudy, also found success with Disney Theatrical Productions, landing the roles of Babette the feather duster in the same production of Beauty and the Beast and later, Carlotta in the Broadway production of The Little Mermaid. Also, Tyler Maynard of the quartet has gone on to work with Walt Disney Theatrical, both in Mary Poppins as Valentine and, subsequently, in The Little Mermaid as Flotsam.