WOMEN ON THE VERGE coming to the West End...- Page 4

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/1/14 at 1:26pm

That really tells you everything you need to know.

Like what? Have you seen a Broadway or London production of Les Miz using French accents?

[another sloe eyed vamp]

Posted: 12/1/14 at 2:43pm

Thanks for the Soundcloud links. I'm especially enjoying Invisible. I really hope they release a new cast recording.

[theeatah]

Posted: 12/1/14 at 5:50pm

I'm glad they're not doing accents. The truth is, as much as drama schools may tout their wares in terms of accent coaching, it is not industry standard on both sides of the Atlantic for actors to be competent at doing accents. Actors who are good at doing accents are the exception, not the rule.

If accents are deemed necessary, I much prefer when they do a stand-in accent that can be done competently, like Cockney in Les Mis or PIAF.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/1/14 at 6:51pm

Ugh. According to Yazbek on twitter, the Overture is cut. I figured that it would be cut. That was one of my favorite pieces of music from the show, and without a doubt the best of his three overtures. Oh well.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/1/14 at 6:56pm

He also confirms that the show will begin without an overture. Seems odd for a Yazbek show, but I'm grateful for whatever future life this musical will have.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/11/14 at 11:48am

Here is Tamsin's "Lovesick."

http://www.digitalspy.com/celebrity/news/a615765/hear-tamsin-greig-sing-in-women-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown.html#~oY9ELTHp6TEwSv

It's pretty good. I do miss some of the original orchestrations though.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 12/11/14 at 1:27pm

I think the issue of heritage of the actors is really, really stupid.

Who cares? I have friends who are Korean who don't spick a lick of Korean and have never been there. Yet somehow they'll sound more "authentic" then another actor trying to play the part? They're actors. They will be fine.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/11/14 at 2:16pm

Cultural sensibility is not something that can be taught. For example, I hear Tamsin's "Lovesick," and I'm left absolutely cold by it. A British actor (a hugely talented and hilarious one too) bringing a very British sensibility to a song and completely missing the mark about everything that makes the song fun, funny, and interesting in the process.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 12/11/14 at 2:19pm

My question is this: if Sher and his creative team feel the cultural aspect of Madrid doesn't inform the story in a significant enough way for the actors not to use their natural British accents, why not reset the action to London? It's completely against every aspect of the source material, but it sure would make more sense than the approach they've chosen.

[DeNada]

Posted: 12/11/14 at 2:22pm

I don't think Lovesick is a very funny song to "listen to", though. Certainly I don't find Sherie Rene Scott's rendition to be particularly funny on CD, and watching it on Youtube she's hardly very amusing either - it's over-choreographed and serves more as "scene change" music to get Pepa back to her apartment. The lyrics are clever and wry, true - but we have no idea how Sher has staged it this time round. Greig is a marvellous physical comedienne and perhaps he's taken advantage of that here.

Tamsin Greig has a slightly better singing voice than I expected, although it's a shame she's singing it a bit lower than the original. Haydn Gwynne sounds fantastic; whoever's playing the cabbie has one of those irritatingly broad MT vibratos that I'm not a huge fan of, but I guess we'll see how he does...

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 12/11/14 at 3:10pm

I totally understand your point, somethingwicked, but you can't take Madrid out of an Almodovar adaptation. You just can't!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/11/14 at 3:48pm

He also confirms that the show will begin without an overture.

Awww...I really loved the Broadway overture with the swirling gazpacho recipe on the curtain.

I agree with DeNada that Lovesick is not a "funny" song inherently (unlike "Model Behavior"). I've no fear Tamsin will do a fantastic job delivering the song. She'll most likely hit all the marks in her physical performance.

My question is this: if Sher and his creative team feel the cultural aspect of Madrid doesn't inform the story in a significant enough way for the actors not to use their natural British accents, why not reset the action to London?

They'd had to re-write and re-orchestrate the score as well. And it's really not necessary. They didn't reset Les Miz in London, either. It's arguably Almodovar's best-known and most beloved work. Resetting the action in London wouldn't necessarily be an advantage (it would certainly create a lot more work) and the motivations and actions of the characters may alter slightly. The machismo of Ivan and his perspective on infidelity (especially the interaction with his son in "Microphone") was considered quite socially common. And to some degree, it still is. I'd much rather this story retain its roots, which does make it more unique and interesting as a piece of musical theatre, rather than be so blandly anglicized.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/11/14 at 3:55pm

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 12/15/14 at 1:26pm

https://www.playbill.com/news/article/listen-to-songs-from-revamped-london-run-of-women-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown-starring-tamsin-greig-and-haydn-gwynne-337440

Here are the released songs so far. Wonder if there'll be a new recording. Would love to hear Anna's "Model Behavior"!

[DeNada]

Posted: 12/15/14 at 4:35pm

Well, I've booked for first preview on Wednesday; looking forward to it. I know going in this will be a much, MUCH smaller production than the Broadway version, but I'm very interested to see what they've done with it...

[DeNada]

Posted: 12/18/14 at 12:02pm

I'm guessing a couple of people are going to be interested at least in the revisions to the score for the show for London - these are just the "big" ones, although there are some other lyric changes here and there and presumably some book changes although having not seen the show on Broadway I cannot comment:

i) The Microphone is cut (Ivan and Carlos never interact). So are the "blah blah"s in Yesterday Tomorrow and Today (which, despite being an extremely clever song, still doesn't work on stage)

ii) Time Stood Still is replaced by a song called It's You, which conveys a similar message in a more melancholy way.

iii) The Taxi Driver sings My Crazy Heart as the opening to Act 2. The guy playing the cabbie has a very high tenor voice so sings it at the original pitch.

iv) The finale is a new song called The View From Here. It's very pretty, although hardly lingers in the mind.

I wrote in some detail on one of the UK forums about the production. Essentially it's a pretty decent show but I don't think it's ever going to be more than that - perhaps once the technical hitches and so forth are out the way (first preview and all) it will get funnier, as Model Behaviour was spoilt by some lighting cues being missed and Anna Skellern not getting in place in time to sing some of her lyrics (and possibly shouting it all a bit to overcompensate?). The acting is good from all involved, and although Tamsin Greig cannot sock it to the rafters like Sherie Rene Scott can she's a much more sympathetic performer than I find Ms Scott to be and her vulnerability and warmth works particularly well in Island and Mother's Day.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/18/14 at 1:15pm

"Time Stood Still" is gone? That's a shame, it was one of my favorite songs in the score, and LuPone sure had a riot singing it, and I thought it was quite melancholy, would have loved to hear Gwynne's rendition.

Updated On: 12/18/14 at 01:15 PM

[gustof777]

Posted: 12/18/14 at 10:21pm

oh lord. Spanish does NOT = latino. I agree you should absolutely cast actors who have an understanding of the spanish aesthetic and of course casting spanish actors would be ideal but Spaniards will be the first to correct you that they are NOT in any way shape or form Latino (almost to the point, I would argue that they can sometimes be quite racist towards latino people) They share a language. that's it. and even that's a small connection as the spanish spoken in Spain is significantly different than the spanish you'll hear spoken in any country in the Americas.

Updated On: 12/18/14 at 10:21 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/19/14 at 12:02am

. I agree you should absolutely cast actors who have an understanding of the spanish aesthetic

That is exactly what I was trying to say earlier in this thread, but couldn't put it eloquently. I agree with your post.

DeNada, can you confirm that the show beings with MADRID, and no opening notes or overture? Also, how was the act one finale staged? On Broadway, it literally ended with the ladies hanging from ropes. I doubt that happens in this much smaller production.

[DeNada]

Posted: 12/19/14 at 6:05am

The show literally begins with a matador walking on stage, writing the words "MADRID 1987" on a chalkboard (pausing when she gets to "MAD" and nodding knowingly at the audience), then the Taxi Driver comes on strumming a guitar and singing Madrid. The song is staged as a rapid introduction to all the characters you will see in the show walking around Pepa who is caught in the middle of the chaos.

The Act One finale does not have people dangling on ropes! Lucia still remains the comically ghostly "woman in black" that she was on Broadway, but it's basically just the women ending up downstage singing while Candela heads upstage to climb over the balcony - I got the impression this didn't "work" right at first preview, as all she said was "Goodbye Pepa!" in a vaguely sad voice before the lights cut, nothing particularly dramatic at all.

This is a MUCH smaller scale production. As they keep banging on about in the press coverage, the taxi is just two chairs and a wheel with sellotape on. I'm not sure if the bed will actually burn in a few performances' time - at the moment Pepa throws an obviously lit match onto it, but nothing happened except some creepy red lighting effects and Pepa acting as though it was on fire (but unsure whether to put it out - I think something went wrong with an effect there?). At least it didn't smell horrific :p

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/19/14 at 1:42pm

the spanish spoken in Spain is significantly different than the spanish you'll hear spoken in any country in the Americas.

Except Buenos Aires, which uses a dialect virtually identical to that of northern Spain.

[kyle4]

Posted: 12/19/14 at 11:43pm

i need to see this!

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 12/20/14 at 2:07am

http://viewfromthecheapseat.tumblr.com/post/105624153825/model-behaviour-anna-skellern-women-on-the

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/20/14 at 2:41am

A little jarring with the British accent. Arrangement/orchestration wise - it sounds like a replica of the OBC version, which is a good thing because that song was the highlight of the show. Would love to hear ON THE VERGE next.

[Rockyfan2000]

Posted: 12/31/14 at 12:28pm

Saw the show a week gone Monday and was very impressed.

It's been sized down using only a unit set, songs have been cut and the emphasis is more on the women. Before the performance commenced, we, the audience, were informed by Bartlett Sher that the cast had been "rehearsing all day", "making major changes" and "shouldn't get annoyed if the show had to stopped". Apart from one small hitch the show went very smoothly and I'm positive that the cast will settle down and become more comfortable with everything before press night.

The only thing that took a bit of getting used to was the use of British accents. "Candela" spoke with a cockney accent! The only actor who spoke with a Spanish accent was the "Taxi Driver". Interesting decision.

Go see it.