Is it gunna be in 3-D? I mean...I don't want Bernie's Boobies to pop out at me even more than they do already!
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
After Gypsy, I'm refusing to get my hopes up until someone is offering to sell me a tote bag to commemorate the show on PBS, but that is very good to hear.
Boy, this is the most surprisingly successful revival in years.
I don't want to sound like a pessemist but FOLLIES has only sold less than half of its seats at the moment for tonight's performance, which is by far the lowest advance they've had so far in the run this close to a performance. So I hope that if it is planned they do it soon and it doesn't go the way of the LuPone!Gypsy filming. (Or that ticket sales increase so we don't have to worry :)).
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
The Lupone Gypsy was before the successful screening of several movies in movie houses. I imagine that the great sales of the NYC Philharmonic may encourage Follies to go the same route...
And I wouldn't use a Wednesday evening show to track this show's advance sale or future life...
I was actually referring to the Thursday night show (tonight). Although the other shows this week have been quite bad too. In all previous weeks, they've generally had about 2-300 seats (not over 800, or 500-600 for the past few days) left on the same day, although last week they almost sold some shows out the day before (I think the Sunday matinée was down to 50 seats the day before). They can usually sell 100-200 tickets on the same day through last minute sales, rushes, TKTS etc...which helps (I have been pathetically checking every show every day since the first preview).
This is not to say that in future weeks the show won't pick up. Certainly I have never followed a show's grosses so closely as this one, so I don't know what predictions can be made. But I think people are going to be surprised at how massive the grosses are going to drop this week. (By massive I mean down to 700-800k or whatever, assuming the ticket price remains high because of the lack of discounts {which have recently become available, so maybe that will help for the future ).
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
I hope that this actually happens but I am afraid that it is all talk. Did Company really do that well in the fathom broadcast? I guess it doesn't take a complete sell out to make much if not all of the money back in a day or two nation wide. For some reason I was under the impression that the Company didn't do as well as the producers were hoping.
In my non-major market, Company nearly sold out (at twice the normal ticket price) its originally scheduled 2 days and then 2 more the following week and then was brought back a month or so later for several more. So I think it was very much a hit here relative to expectations.
Any moderately decent film of a stage production of FOLLIES would do at least as well, I think. Updated On: 10/6/11 at 12:50 PM
The Company cast was much starrier than the Follies cast. Making a broad assumption (pun intended) that LuPone and Peters cancel each other out, the Company cast included NPH, Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer, Martha Plimpton and Christina Hendricks. I don't see any way that a Follies screening on Fathom would do as well as Company.
"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
-- Thomas Jefferson
Friday - Yom Kippur Saturday matinee - Yom Kippur Saturday evening - Yom Kippur breaking the fast Sunday matinee - all those errands you didn't get to do on Yom Kippur
Those are 4 very good reasons why the advance sales are off for the week.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable."
--Carrie Fisher
I was just about to say the same thing. There are definitely some awesome DVDs out there of the DC production, and the Broadway revival has gotten some good filmings as well
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
If Ellen M. Krass wants it filmed, she will film it.
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Without (assumably) seeing the Broadway production, which is probably an important modality to make judgements with considering the filming will be visual :P?
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
wow...JoeKv....you win the award for ignorant statement of the week. And for the record, this recording is one of the best PS classics has ever done. The show it remarkable.
Hey, everyone knows that a performer standing in front of a microphone, in a tiny recording studio, singing the same portion of a song over and over again can only provide the best performance from a stage actor. With cast recordings available, why should anyone have to actually see a show in order to judge it?
If JoeKv wins the award for ignorant statement of the week, then TheHappyPhantom is awarded the "Absolutely No Sarcasm Detection Due To Complete Lack of Wit" trophy!