Jake Gyllenhaal in Sunday in the Park

[StageStruckLad]

I NEVER get tired of watching that SCTV sketch with Andrea Martin as Bernadette!

[qolbinau]

That video is really funny. Personally, I enjoy crying (if it is appropriate). I know there is an old adage some people have expressed here RE: actors crying - but people cry, so I can't see why we wouldn't want actors to replicate this (often) important behaviour on stage. Examples of where I think crying has worked well: Marin Mazzie and Alice Ripley in next to normal, Bernadette Peters in A Little Night Music (Send in the Clowns) and Bernadette Peters in Sunday. The "And the Band was Playing" scene and overwhelmed entrance Bernadette did in Follies. 

I suppose I can understand criticisms of when crying is used when it is unwarranted though. In particular, I still am conflicted about Bernadette's "Losing My Mind". Obviously the song is a heartfelt Ballad about unrequited love, but the song isn't a quiet introspective, intimate moment (cf. Send in the Clowns) and there comes a point where you want them just to sing the damn song and hit the damn notes. The Follies Variety interview had a pretty funny/honest take on it: "When those big ballads come along, we can’t tell whether Sally is struggling with her emotions or Peters is just struggling with the notes." LOL. That said, someone must have realised that her performance was not going to translate well to a recording because she actually sings a pretty straight/toned down performance on the cast recording

I'm not sure if PalJoey's comment RE: slowing down the tempo could reflect one criticism I heard about the tempo Bernadette sang some of the songs in FOLLIES on ATC (namely, In Buddy's Eyes). However, I will say one thing - without knowing the tempo they performed it in 1971 or why the OBC is so damn fast - the tempo at which Bernadette performed the song is a lot closer to what is written on the score than the OBC recording (if anything, Bernadette's tempo was still a little too fast!).

Also:

[qolbinau]

. [to fix bug where my post disappears]

[thomaspaine]

A few posters seem confident that they'll be adding a second date to this show -- does anyone know for certain, or when they might announce it? I completely missed the first announcement and then tickets were on sale like the next day, so I'm anxious about missing the second one!

[Jordan Catalano]

I figured it would have been announced by now...

[backwoodsbarbie]

I've always wanted to see Sherie Rene Scott as Dot/Marie. 

[ljay889]

I guess they're not going to add more performances? 

[somethingwicked]

This is a gala performance as an evening to honor Adrienne Arsht, not a typical concert.

I'd be very surprised if a second performance was added.

[qolbinau]

Yes but Annie Get Your Gun was a gala too and got a second performance right? In any case, based on this article I THINK they might have only added an extra performance the month of the performance (!), and they did describe it as 'one-night-only' before announcing a second performance. In other words, I don't think we can rule out a second performance yet based on this previous example. 

http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/andy-karl-judy-kaye-megan-hilty-annie-get-your-gun_74457.html

If they announce Bernadette as Dot I'd find it hard to believe they wouldn't try to add an extra performance - a lot of missed revenue opportunity there (I would have thought if it was her they would have announced it already through to help with gala ticket sales).