Ghost Quartet

[endofthelane]

Anyone seen/going to see Dave Malloy's (Great Comet) new show? Thinking of coming to check it out...Brantley gave it a rave:

NYTimes Ghost Quartet Review

[Kad]

I'm going tomorrow night. Great Comet was one of my favorite theatregoing experiences of the last several years, and I've been listening to the cast recording since its release without a sign that I'll ever get bored. If Ghost Quarter is just half as good as Great Comet, it'll be worth it.

I'm surprised Brantley reviewed it- certainly didn't expect the Times to send their top-tier critic out to the Bushwick Starr.

[themysteriousgrowl]

I'm missing this, and I couldn't be angrier. No, I couldn't be angrier. Because angry is what happens when Molloy writes a show you can't see.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Didn’t know this was happening – thanks for bringing it to attention! Agreed with Kad – “Great Comet” is one of my favorite shows in recent memory. Sad I won’t be able to see this, but I donated to the IndieGoGo and look forward to hearing the album!

[Owen22]

Saw this last night. It's spectacular but not in a typical musical theatre kind of way. Not even a "Great Comet" kind of way (which, for all its innovations, was really straight forward popera musical theatre--and one of the greatest pieces of such ever). I'm not exactly sure what "Ghost Quartet" is, but acutely listen to the roundelay of stories and you will be profoundly moved in a bunch of ways. Plus, one of the most subtle and brilliant coup de theatre finales I've ever seen.

[fashionguru_23]

Did anyone else this is was about "Follies"?

[Kad]

Saw this tonight and loved it. It's a unique theatregoing experience; the "story" connecting the songs is loose and there's a very charming sense of informality. It really is a staged album- or a sort of dreamlike collage of different stories and time periods and styles.

It's perfect theatre for this time of year. It delights in the fun and creepiness of ghost stories, and sharing stories in general, and forces the audience to really, truly pay attention during a lengthy segment done entirely in the dark.

For $18, it's probably the best theatrical bargain in NYC, too. You even get to pour yourself some whiskey.

[willep]

I'm thinking I might have to work out a trip to New York to catch this. I loved The Great Comet, and the song on the indiegogo page for this is beautiful.

[Roscoe]

I had the great luck to see GHOST QUARTET last night, and loved it from start to finish. Mr. Malloy is an artist we must all treasure.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

For someone who isn’t going to get to see the show (at least not this production) – could someone describe the ending for me?

[Kad]

I'm sending you a PM, in the interest of spoilers.

[tobiasragg]

Gotta add my thoughts on here because I just saw the show and I'm buzzing. This show was one of the most intense, moving, and unexpectedly inspiring experiences I've had in all my years of theatregoing. A friend and I likened it to hanging out at your really cool/smart friend's apartment and having an incredible discussion about art and music while hanging out and drinking whiskey.

One of those experiences that rearranges your molecules. I hardly EVER rave about things but this is one. After this and "Natasha, Pierre...", it's safe to say that I'll buy a ticket to anything from Dave Malloy.

[Fan123]

For those who haven't seen the article, BWW reports a new Dave Malloy musical 'Preludes' (directed by Rachel Chavkin of Natasha, Pierre) about Rachmaninov will premiere at Lincoln Center Theater in 2015.

(If anybody could PM me as well regarding the Ghost Quartet ending, or perhaps post a "SPOILERS"-tagged description here, I wouldn't complain about it... [Edited to add - I know it now, thanks!] )



BWW article

[Fan123]

The cast recording crowdfunding campaign (linked above) has met its target. Yay!

[JBroadway]

So it's sold out until the end of the run, but the website says:

"we've held some walk-up and standing room tickets for the remaining performances. Our box office opens at 7:30pm-- we encourage you to arrive early and we'll do our very best to squeeze you in!"

Has anyone had luck with this? If so, how long before 7:30 would I have to get there to assure getting tickets?

[cardamon]

I saw it last night, and at the end Dave Malloy said that even though it's sold out, everyone should tell their friends to get there at 7:20 and they haven't turned anyone away yet (though the cellist told him he wasn't sure if that was actually true). They definitely packed people in - there were people on the floor, on bar stools in the back, and on the stairs.

Edit: Oh, and he also said they had just finished uploading the cast recording to Bandcamp, so it's now available to buy.

[dave1606]

I caught this a few weeks ago. I loved the score and can't wait to buy the cast recording, but the actual story let me a little cold. It was not as clear to me what was going on, and I thought things got a little murky as the evening progressed. I took it more as a concert in Dave Malloy's living room as others have mentioned.

But the cast recording sounds great!
Cast Recording

[Kad]

Yeah, it's not at all story-driven- it really sort of a staged concept album.

The cast album sounds fantastic. What a great thing to release on Halloween.

[thirtythirtyninety]

A great listen for today. Love, love, love the score. Hopefully this can transfer to a (somewhat) larger space in the future for a longer run.

[GlindatheGood22]

I was there last night. I was considering going again tonight but circumstances conspired against me. Dave Malloy really is a genius. Tango Dancer and Hero are the gems of the score, comparable to No One Else and Sonya Alone. I've been enamored of Brittain Ashford since I saw the Comet, but I wasn't familiar with Gelsey Bell. As soon as she started singing I could tell immediately that she's Princess Mary on the cast recording. Her performance of Tango Dancer is one of those moments in my theatrical history that I'll always remember as not wanting to ever be over.

I really hope the show has a life outside Bushwick, but my fear is that it's going to get lost in the shuffle as Dave gets ready for Preludes. Seeing it filled the gaping hole in my heart the Comet left.

Edit: So disappointed to find that Brittain's wonderful monologue during "Family Meeting" didn't make the recording.

[xoffender45]

I saw the show for the second time last night. It's haunting. I love it. Tomorrow is its last performance, so I suggest getting to it if you can. I rushed last night, and got there early (6:30) because my dinner ended sooner than I thought. I was already 3rd in line. By 7:30, there were a good 30-40 people in line, and only 20 got in. They try to squeeze you were they can (my friend and I were seated at the bar) but it's a very small space so options are limited. Get there as early as you can!!

[Fan123]

Would somebody who has seen the show mind advising which number/s from the cast recording are performed in the dark? Thanks.

[theatreguy]

If I remember correctly, Lights Out, The Photograph, Bad Men and Usher Part 3 are the songs done in the dark.

[JBroadway]

Just saw the show tonight. Really unique and incredible experience. And my god, what a score! Genius and masterful. I got there at 7:00 and was probably 15th in line. I got in and sat on a barstool.

By the way, Dave Mallow said at the end that people going tomorrow should get there around 6:45 if they want to get in.

[Michael Kras]

Really wish I could be in New York to see this, but I bought the cast recording because, well, it's Dave Malloy.

The score is incredible. It carries everything I loved about Great Comet's score and more: the recitative, the counterpoint, the polyrhythms, the ostinato, the pulsating orchestrations, the inventiveness. Some songs, like The Camera Shop, sound like they came right out of Great Comet, and others defy classification.

My favourites include Star Child, Subway, The Astronomer, Hero, Usher Part 3, and Fathers and Sons, but every song is fantastic.

Brittain Ashford has an addictive voice that I loved on Great Comet, so I'm thrilled to have more of her on my iPod. Gelsey Bell gets a chance to show off more of her voice than she did in Great Comet, and I'm so glad. As a side note, her inhuman shrieking in The Photograph is terrifying beyond belief.

[RippedMan]

Maybe a silly question, but if I buy this should I buy it on my iphone or will it download into my itunes on my comp and then I can just copy it over?