I assume they had a dress rehearsal tonight. Did anyone go? And if so, can you let us know what the hell this show is, exactly? I mean, I'm looking forward to it but I have no clue what it is.
It wasn't a dress, they're still teching the show, the dress is tomorrow.
However, I had the opportunity to sit in on the tech, and my god, it's beautiful. I hope no one is expecting a full blown piece of theatre, it's definitely in the "staged concert framed by a concept" realm, but the orchestrations are incredibly inventive, the choreography is extremely well presented and utilized, and I thoroughly enjoyed the parts that I saw.
I'm on my way back home currently, but I'll post more once I'm off my phone.
"He found something that he wanted, had always wanted and always would want— not to be admired, as he had feared; not to be loved, as he had made himself believe; but to be necessary to people, to be indispensable."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise
Full disclosure, this being a tech run I only saw the first half of the show before I had to leave for another engagement, but it's definitely an event worth seeing.
(Potential SPOILERS ahead?)
The stage is simply set with a bed and a chair, the orchestra upstage center of the action, and a massive projection screen at the rear of the stage that is used to show imagery of New York. There are 2 sets of couples (Bernadette & Norm, and Jeremy & Cyrille) as well as a dancer representative for each of the 4. The dancers are shadows for each performer, expressing through movement what the singers are conveying through song. Each of the couples exchange partners over the course of the evening, climbing into bed with the other's significant other, and the rotating dancing couples perform gorgeous pas de deuxs as the couples sing their hearts out in the beds.
John described this piece as first and foremost being a celebration/exploration of New York City, and these couples are our gateway into what is an incredibly inventive night of reorchestration and the reinvention of some of Sondheim's most beloved songs. I won't give too much away, but the singers are in great voice (especially Jeremy Jordan, he makes full-voiced B flats seem effortless). For the most part most of the melodies are completely intact, but the orchestrations give (IMHO) an incredibly satisfying New York Jazz sound to the numbers.
A few standout numbers: Bernadette with Broadway Baby Jeremy Jordan with Losing My Mind (intelligent direction) and Giants in the Sky (simply, stunningly beautiful, and like no version of the song I've ever heard before) Norm with Someone is Waiting Cyrille with You Could Drive a Person Crazy
If y'all have any questions, ask away, I'll do my best to answer, though again I left before they had finished teching the whole show.
It really will be a beautiful night at the theatre, if only because it's been awhile since I've heard Sondheim sound this gorgeous.
A few parting shots:
Ladies Who Lunch/Agony mashup sung by Bernadette Send in the Clowns is a dance You get to hear the new song "Rainbows" written for the Into the Woods movie I Wish I Could Forget You is the finale
"He found something that he wanted, had always wanted and always would want— not to be admired, as he had feared; not to be loved, as he had made himself believe; but to be necessary to people, to be indispensable."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise
Very interesting. But tonight isn't the dress isn't tonight, tonight is the first actual performance. So I guess they're not doing an open dress rehearsal.
You're completely right-- sorry about that. I honestly had no idea when the first official performance was, but John had said last night that tonight was "a final dress open to the public," so that's why I assumed.
"He found something that he wanted, had always wanted and always would want— not to be admired, as he had feared; not to be loved, as he had made himself believe; but to be necessary to people, to be indispensable."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise
The funny thing is that there are still plenty of seats available. I bought my tickets as soon as it was announced, during the MasterCard pre-sale. I really thought this would be a sellout!
I blame that on how horribly the show was marketed. I mean, we had to wait until the dress rehearsal to know if it was a concert or a book musical or a jazz show. Whoever was in charge of that should seriously never be allowed to market a show again.
I think you're right. When I recruited my friends to buy tickets with me, I told them, "I don't know what it is, but I bet it will be good!" Not the way to sell a show. I wonder if the weeknight performances will even be available on the papering sites.