I've been watching Hugh do his live shows for years now (I was a BOY FROM OZ groupie, and always loved the fact that the late great Barbara Cook cut her London engagement short so she could be back in New York to see Hugh's last performance) and this show was amazing (made truly special when my husband, a member of the GMCLA, was one of the guys chosen to sing backup for Hugh at the Hollywood Bowl).
I've been watching COMPANY since its opening night in 1970, and if Jonathan Bailey as Jamie isn't part of the package, then cancel it. He won the Olivier Award (as did Patti), and brought the show to a riotous, screaming halt with his "Getting Married Today". If he's not in it, don't bother.
Although I too have been to many closing performances during my 50+ years of theatregoing, nothing has ever compared to the experience of July 1, 1972 at the Winter Garden at the final Broadway performance of FOLLIES. I had already seen the show a dozen times, both in its Boston tryout, one of its opening nights (producer Hal Prince generally had several, to take the pressure off having only one night) and almost once every month of its run.
As he did elsewhere on his US tour, Hugh's people chose 30-50 Gay Men's Chorus singers as backup in LA, and my husband was one of the chosen. The guys were treated beautifully, and Hugh posed for a great photo with them all. What a thrill it was to see my husband on the Hollywood Bowl stage...oh, and Hugh too, who put on a magnificent show both nights.
Although I initially disliked the film (loved Ewan and Nicole, but found the style and its speed-craziness off-putting), I went back to it and grew to admire and even love it. Seeing the show last year in Boston was a thrill. I'm not a production freak, and don't need helicopters landing to make a show special. But the sheer entertainment value of the show is very strong, and it sounds as though the Broadway production has retained that, and perhaps improved on it as well. Loved Burst
Here's a show that most current theatregoers probably don't even know: TAKE ME ALONG, based on the Eugene O'Neill AH WILDERNESS, which was produced in the 1959-60 season with Jackie Gleason (Tony Award winner), Walter Pidgeon and a young Robert Morse as the juvenile lead. It has a great score by the long-neglected Bob Merrill (only his FUNNY GIRL lyrics are known today). New casting? Nathan Lane in the Gleason role, Victor Garber in the Pidgeon role, and Aaron Tveit as the juvenil
I just read this and wondered what the hell it meant. What is there to "renew?" They've already dragged this story out to the breaking point, what more could there be to say?
Has anyone heard that the June 24 Jason Robert Brown/Stephen Sondheim Town Hall event might be done for a second night? The following night is still free on the Town Hall calendar...
I foolishly went online this morning, as we were told to do, to purchase ANY tickets I could get for the June 24 Â Jason Robert Brown/Stephen Sondheim evening. Foolish indeed: I watched them disappear in droves, no matter what I did, and I ended up with nothing. I wrote to Town Hall, who nicely told me to take a hike; they had nothing to do with the event. But Ticketmaster allowed buyers to purchase NO MORE THAN 50 TICKETS APIECE. Well, of course there would be nothing left for us,
Have to agree that these reviews will not sell full-price (or premium) tickets for this show. Weary of all these movie adaptations into subpar musicals. May this and PRETTY WOMAN join hands and jump into the neverworld, never to be seen or heard from again.
After all the hype, very disappointed with the first hour.
Having been lucky enough to see Gwen Verdon a number of times in shows (including a last-minute summer tour of DAMN YANKEES when Fosse's heart attach delayed CHICAGO), I'm not seeing much of Gwen in Willams' performance. Gwen's voice was so distinctive, as was her dancing, and I'm just not seeing that yet. Williams is a fine actress, but red hair is not enough to suggest Gwen. Rockwell is okay, but the fact
From what JaglinSays has written, it sounds as though this production has neither changed nor improved since its Brooklyn run. Yes, we all know that OKLAHOMA! is a dark piece, but laying it on so thick takes any joy out of it, and reducing the dances to that one nightmare of a dream ballet is just wrong. The great director Fred Zinnemann understood the darkness when he made the film, but he also understood the love and the humor, both sadly missing from this production. As far as I'm conc
Saw this play was back in the 80s with Eric Roberts, who was pretty good, but thought the play was very weak, and although I like Keri Russell a lot, decided not to go on my recent NYC trip. Perhaps I should reconsider when I return in June (for Stonewall 50). Saw Keri years ago in a staged reading of ALL ABOUT EVE with Annette Bening as Margot and Keri as Eve, and she was great (and way better as Eve than Lily James is in the current von Hove AAE in London).
Quick question: during the blackout scene between Jud and Laurey, do we hear him zipping up his fly before the lights come up? Is the suggestion that Laurey had masturbated him? Or has this whole dark show, with its already masturbatory dream ballet, led me astray?
Can someone explain to me how a second-rate theatre composer like David Yazbek keeps getting work, let alone awards? True, in this post-Sondheim era, our expectations must be lowered, but what with THE BAND'S VISIT (and not to mention his earlier shows), Yazbek has shown little affinity for writing memorable song scores. While I have not seen TOOTSIE yet, and certainly intend to do so, the reports on this page of the poverty of the score are crushing. Glad to hear the show is really funny
Not sure how this dog of a production made it to Broadway. Saw it at St Ann"s, and that was more than enough. To be fair, the country band playing this score is not out of place, Damon Daunno is cute and sings well enough, and Ali Stroker is fun and appropriate as Ado Annie. That's about it.
Dark, angry, downright loathsome...and I'm not describing Jud. This is a DIRECTOR'S Production, and has very little to do with the show R&H wrote. There is no beauty,
What is with MTC? Now that I live in California, I have to plan my theatregoing more carefully, and it ticks me off that INK is only being produced for two months, tickets only on sale through early June. I'll be back in NY for the major Stonewall 50 celebration at the end of June; if INK is as good as they say, don't you think they would extend it for a while? With Carvel and Miller as its stars, should have a lot of advance traction in terms of ticket sales. What do others think? I
I adore Kelli in the "right" role. What does that mean? Well, she was perfect as Fiona (that whole production should have moved to Broadway; perhaps Roundabout should be doing that instead...) and BRIDGES was one of the most rhapsodically romantic performances I've ever seen. But her Anna in THE KING AND I, Tony Award notwithstanding, left me cold, and luckily I went back when Marin came in and totally dazzled me with her strength and singing.
A Director said: "The Camelot score is pretty good, but the book is so-so. It isn't any interesting show. LCT should take a risk and do a new musical on their big stage."
Thanks for mentioning this. CAMELOT has a great role in Arthur, some wonderful songs, and a very labored book. I love and respect LMM, but he is not versatile enough to make this elephant fly.
