SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE in Performances (The 2017 Revival)- Page 7

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 2/16/17 at 4:20pm

You're absolutely right, Minnie, it is close-minded. But I hate the feeling of disappointment at the theatre...it's a quirk of mine. And I know my tastes. So I'm usually able to deduce what I should, theoretically, enjoy based on subject matter/cast and creative team/musical style.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 2/16/17 at 4:57pm

MinnieFay said: "Ado Annie D'Ysquith said: "With all due respect, Mr. Eight, why would you attend a show you already dislike? I myself am a very picky theatre-goer. I only buy tickets to things I know I will love."

Actually that approach seems just as silly and close-minded as A8's!  How on earth do you know what you're going to "love" before you've seen it?

 

"

Not all of us have the luxury to spend hundreds of dollars to blindly see a show.  I often read reviews and listen to music before seeing a show in order to fully make sure that I'm not throwing my money away at something I'm going to hate.

Also, I'm pretty positive that After Eight hasn't seen the majority of the productions that he claims to have seen.

 

[dev101]

Posted: 2/16/17 at 5:01pm

I am so excited to see this on Sunday! I have no familiarity with the show, but I am familiar with the famous painting. I read the NYT review for the concert production and knew that this was a show not to be missed! Even better to read lots of positive reviews on this board. Has anyone stage doored and would like to share their experience or tips? 

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/16/17 at 5:21pm

icecreambenjamin said: 

Also, I'm pretty positive that After Eight hasn't seen the majority of the productions that he claims to have seen."

I would definitely agree with this. 

[jayhawkjen2]

Posted: 2/16/17 at 8:33pm

Sondheim was there on the opening night of previews.  He came out stage door and everyone just stood there stunned unable to speak.  Got in his car and went on his way.

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/17/17 at 12:16am

According to Riedel, the production has a $7 million advance. 

http://nypost.com/2017/02/16/broadways-two-best-performances-cant-win-tonys/

[BarnabyTucker]

Posted: 2/17/17 at 10:52am

Saw this last night, and was largely (and unfortunately) underwhelmed. Sunday is one of my all time favorites, and this production didn't really do anything for me.

With that said, it was incredible to hear the full orchestrations, plus an additional two pieces. The lighting/projection design was so strong that they could have told the story on their own, and Jake was absolutely incredible as George. I was worried that he would have been channeling too much Mandy after the video they released last week, but he has found his own George and his choices are smart and refreshingly different. While I feel Mandy had always glided through "Putting it Together" like it was jazz; Jake was able to milk every lyric for what it was worth, and we saw the uneasy relationship that he had to the world of networking. Overall he was brilliant, and "The Day Off" alone shows that you can throw him into any space/situation, and he'll be able to command it and give a strikingly urgent/note worthy performance. 

Ashford on the other hand just wasn't doing it for me. I thought that her strengths were in the book scenes, and vocally she was just a little too "wispy" for my tastes. Her Dot thought of herself/presented herself as "put upon" without any of the burning desire to get inside George's head, and get his full attention. This made her largely unlovable to me, and for the first time, I was much more interested in George's dilemma than her own. By the time she got to "Children and Art" as Marie, she did begin to pick up speed, and gave a strong rendition of "Move On." I have a strong feeling that she has a quality Dot in her. Perhaps it was lack of solid direction?

And that's the biggest thing. Sarna Lapine's direction is uninspired and lands flat. It seems like all she did was translate her uncle's staging to a platform, and the lack of levels and consistency in the staging was downright boring and sometimes even strange (ex. when the celeste's/ensemble members are fishing, they do it on all sides of the platform. Are we to believe that the cast is walking into/out of a river that completely surrounds them when they make entrances/exits?). I understand that this is a transfer of the Encores! production, but please do not bill it as a staged production unless you're going to stage a full production. After this and the '08 revival, I want to see a master director take a hand to this material, and breathe something new into it.

The ensemble is largely fine and almost everyone has their chance to shine throughout. They just never blend though. Most of them feel like they're in different shows, and that's not their fault. 

Overall: I'm left a little underwhelmed, but I'm thankful to have heard the score/full orchestrations live, and to have seen Jake take on (and might go as far as to say master) such a challenging role. I hate walking out of the theatre unmoved, but this production just didn't really do anything for me. 

Updated On: 2/17/17 at 10:52 AM

[little_sally]

Posted: 2/17/17 at 2:06pm

I was there last night and thought it was a beautiful production. The two and a half hours just flew by. Jake, whom I haven't been a big fan of in the past, was fantastic. Loved the ensemble, with Robert Sean Leonard and Ashley Park being the standouts IMO.

I didn't love Annaleigh, unfortunately. She fared better in the book scenes (I thought her voice was a little weak) but she didn't feel genuine in ether role. I was always aware she was acting with a capital A. 

[petewk87]

Posted: 2/17/17 at 5:00pm

Would the overhang over rear orchestra or rear mezz block the view of the Chromolume much?

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 2/17/17 at 5:44pm

little_sally said: "I was always aware she was acting with a capital A. "

This! I felt like she was so focused on delivering her lines differently than Bernadette did in the video recording that she didn't actually create her own character. And her vocals are... not strong enough for this score.

 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 2/17/17 at 11:05pm

petewk87 said: "Would the overhang over rear orchestra or rear mezz block the view of the Chromolume much?

 

Who cares?  The chromosome is not exactly an important part of the show.  In the original production, it was agonizing to sit through.  It was mush better in the Roundabout production, but still not essential to the success or failure of the production.

 

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/17/17 at 11:17pm

I definitely agree the chromolume won't make or break the show, but it's more of a spectacle in this production, more than ever before. I don't blame others for wanting a good view of it, but it definitely won't ruin the show if it's partially obstructed. 

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 2/17/17 at 11:54pm

As someone who will not be in LA any time that this is running, can someone who has seen the show message me about how the Chromolume works? Y'all make it sound like the best thing since sliced bread, and I'm very curious!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/18/17 at 5:09am

How odd...I am someone that won't be in GA while this is playing.

 

 

Edited for spelling typo.

Updated On: 2/19/17 at 05:09 AM

[petewk87]

Posted: 2/18/17 at 10:34am

Sorry I meant to ask if rear orchestra/mezz would be bad for viewing both the projections overall and the Chromolume. 

 

Jarethan said: "petewk87 said: "Would the overhang over rear orchestra or rear mezz block the view of the Chromolume much?

 

Who cares?  The chromosome is not exactly an important part of the show.  In the original production, it was agonizing to sit through.  It was mush better in the Roundabout production, but still not essential to the success or failure of the production.

 

 

"

 

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 2/18/17 at 1:15pm

Interesting to read the pans given by some to this production (and in the case of AfterEight, to the show itself), after it has rightly been given "masterpiece" status by most who have seen it, either in the original, the brilliant London production at Studio 54, or in this recent revival. Yes, I'm one of those people who start crying at the first notes, and seeing the City Center production was amazing, and can't believe some of the criticism I'm reading on this site. I've been watching this show since its very first Broadway performance (given as a gift to all Playwrights Horizons subscribers who were unable to get in to the off-Broadway workshop, when it was only one act), and before Sondheim had given "Children and Art" to Marie in act two, which ultimately made the whole second act work. 

As I now live in SoCal, I'm coming in next month just to see theatre (HELLO DOLLY, EVAN HANSEN and SUNDAY), and the only question is whether I pony up a lot of money to see it twice.

[smidge]

Posted: 2/18/17 at 2:05pm

dramamama611 said: "How odd...I am someine that won't be in GA while this is playing. ??

Lol, I enjoyed this even though it was diminished by the spelling error

 

[Robert16]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 2:06am

I am thrilled to be Ushering at the Hudson Theater and worked both shows on Saturday. I was rear Orchestra at the Matinee and in the Balcony in the evening. The production is gorgeous but honestly, especially for Act 2, you are better off sitting in any row of the Balcony than the last 4 or 5 rows in the Orchestra.

Come and enjoy!

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 7:37am

I have orchestra row P seats 14 and 16... Are they really horrible seats?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 8:09am

smidge said: "dramamama611 said: "How odd...I am someine that won't be in GA while this is playing. ??

Lol, I enjoyed this even though it was diminished by the spelling error
 

"

 

Damn....isn't that always the way!  Also....the two question marks were a winky face....don't know how they changed.  For the record, I was only trying to be light with the comment...having fun with the posters mistake, not make a case out of it.  (which had the winky face been there, would have been obvious.)

 

[ameleigh]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 3:44pm

I was so excited to see the show having read the rave reviews thus far. Unfortunately I left feeling very underwhelmed, and personally think this show is highly overrated. If I had spent a lot of time in a rush line for this, I would have been upset. There are some INCREDIBLE shows/casts on Broadway right now. Save your time and money and skip Sunday. 

[dev101]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 10:12pm

Just saw this tonight and was completely blown away. Before the show, the only thing I knew about it was that it was a Sondheim musical about a painter. I have seen a fair amount of theater, but never have I been so moved emotionally by anything I've seen. There were multiple times when I was choked up. Finishing the Hat and Move on were just incredibly emotional. The whole production was so beautifully done. The orchestra sounded rich, and the projections were the perfect scenery. Afterward, I waited at the stage door, and was lucky enough to get a picture with Jake. Each member of the cast was very gracious and the crowd was very well behaved. A security guard was even nice enough to let me stand in front of him and practically shielded me from the crowd (I'm very petite) so I could get a picture with Jake without being squished. Such a memorable day. Sorry for the love letter, but it was just so fantastic! 

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 10:40pm

The last two responses in this thread perfectly display that you either really connect with this show on an emotional level or you're left unmoved and underwhelmed by it. There's not much middle ground.  

The show has enriched my life in many ways and I'm grateful for it. 

[wonkit]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 10:49pm

I am not usually such a cynic but the post by Ameleigh (?Amelie?) who joined today just seems a little suspect, non?

I am going to see this production on Wednesday. It is one of my favorite Sondheim works, so I am excited.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 11:43pm

Well, it is hard to take her review too seriously since she doesn't really say why she doesn't care for it...but ljay is right, not much middle of the road for this show.