I remember Juliet Stevenson being really wonderful onstage, but I thought the set was hideous and a terrible disservice to what the show should look like.
While I agree that the sets are very late 80s/early 90s, I adore that production. With all due respect to the inimitable Hermione Gingold, Regina Resnik's Madme A. is superlative. Her Liasions is absolutely brilliant.
This same production was revived at the LA Opera back in the mid 2000s. Still, hands down, the finest evening of musical theatre I've experienced. Absolutely perfect casting. I wish they'd do it again. A surprisingly luminous Judith Ivey as Desiree, Victor Garber as Fredrik, Laura Benanti as Anne, Marc Kudisch as Carl Magnus, Michelle Pawk as Charlotte, Zoe Caldwell as Madame Armfeldt and a 40 piece orchestra conducted by the wonderful John DeMain. Absolute magic. The Broadway revival cast (with, of course, the exception of Angela Lansbury) couldn't hold a candle to the LA ensemble. Updated On: 7/30/13 at 11:21 PM
Sally Ann Howes is, to this day, my favorite Desiree.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
She's great in the part. While I think she was too strong a vocalist for the part, she did a fine job of holding back and her book scenes were fantastic. Such fantastic comedic timing and phrasing.
I saw the LA Opera production as well and it is also one of my favorite productions ever. Except for the clips I've seen of Judi Dench's Desiree from the National, it is hard to imagine a better performance than Judith Ivey's. And Victor Garber was exceptional.
Sondheim's a genius, yes, but it's a bloody shame that the Broadway revivals of his shows have been so poorly executed. I think it's sad that a generation of theatregoers could now associate "Sondheim" with teeny, tiny British imports with 3-piece bands. The recent 'Follies' revival, whatever its shortcomings, was the rare exception.
There's a lot to like about that production, mostly musically, but it feels so BIG. Every time I watch it it's like I'm getting crushed under its mighty weight. It's kind of ironic given how sparse the actual sets are.
It is a shame. If he has anymore left in him, I'd like to see him write the score for a musical adaption of the 90's film Death Becomes Her. That would be incredible
I don't suppose that anyone here has a decent copy of this production? Or perhaps was smart enough to download it when it was up. The uploads in the OP's post were removed. An older and much lower quality upload of the production remains up on YT in 17 separate pieces, but the uploads referenced in this thread were of much better quality. If anyone cares to share - either here or via PM - I'm all ears.
I wish LA opera would restage this, or at least a new production.
Well I didn't want to get into it, but he's a Satanist.
Every full moon he sacrifices 4 puppies to the Dark Lord and smears their blood on his paino.
This should help you understand the score for Wicked a little bit more.
Tazber's: Reply to
Is Stephen Schwartz a Practicing Christian
I watch Resnick's "Liasons" regularly on Youtube. She astonished me when I first saw this in 1990. Also, so great to see Maureen Moore in a great role and not as an understudy.
Whatever happened to Susan Terry and Beverly Lambert?
"Carson has combined his passion for helping children with his love for one of Cincinnati's favorite past times - cornhole - to create a unique and exciting event perfect for a corporate outing, entertaining clients or family fun."
That link doesn't work, even if I search it myself.
It says Beverly was in "Nine" and "Showboat" on Broadway, but she doesn't appear in IBDB.
She and Susan both have studios and are vocal coaches.
"Carson has combined his passion for helping children with his love for one of Cincinnati's favorite past times - cornhole - to create a unique and exciting event perfect for a corporate outing, entertaining clients or family fun."
Not sure why that link isn't working for you -- when I clicked it just now, it worked fine. When I google-searched "Beverly Lambert", her personal website was the first hit.
The L.A. Opera production was owned by NY City Opera at the time (City Opera had remounted it themselves the year before the L.A. production with Juliet Stevenson and Jeremy Irons). I'm curious if that production was still in City Opera's warehouses at the time they folded and what has happened to it since.
In addition to the stars in the lead roles, both NY and LA saw some future stars in the cast as well, with Anna Kendrick and Kristen Bell playing Fredrika in NY and LA respectively.
This is the only version of this show that I've seen as yet, but I love it, especially Maureen Moore and Regina Resnik. Madame Armfeldt's scathing comments are hilarious! I like to quote them sometimes. Amazing voices and acting all around. No one has yet commented on the guy playing Henrik, but his version of Later made me decide that that was "the theme song of my teenage angst" a few years ago. Love it!