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Brigadoon - Chicago (Goodman) leads with 9 Jeff nominations- Page 3

Brigadoon - Chicago (Goodman) leads with 9 Jeff nominations

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Phantom of London
#50Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/17/14 at 3:07am

With surprising amount of shows closing early on Broadway this summer, with Bullets Over Broadway expected also, there is a plethera of theatres come free. with that stellar review and not much else ready for Broadway, also Brigadoon hasn't been revived for so long on Broadway, so why not?

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Up In One
#51Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/17/14 at 8:16am

Not God himself, nor The New York Times critic could get me to pay to see this show, I must have been scarred as a child watching the horrific film on The Late Late Show when I should n't have been up. If a show needed tinkering this is it but I still couldn't bare the thought of losing another night of my life to it.


Up In One

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best12bars
#52Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/17/14 at 8:21am

It's such a shame when a failed film adaptation sours someone against a stage show they've never seen.


"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22

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Mr Roxy
#53Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/17/14 at 8:43am

Never having seen a production on stage, I would see this if the price is right. If I cannot get tickets under those circumstances, I will pass it by. This is the new reality with me. The spark ain't there anymore and I will see it if I can. If not, I won't. A shame as I used to have a real love of theater but now to me it is not something special. I will either like or not like something. I will not go ga ga over anything as it is not worth it and a waste of time.


Poster Emeritus
Updated On: 7/17/14 at 08:43 AM

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themysteriousgrowl
#54Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/17/14 at 8:46am

Brigadoon - Chicago


CHURCH DOOR TOUCAN GAY MARKETING PUPPIES MUSICAL THEATER STAPLES PERIOD OIL BITCHY SNARK HOLES
Updated On: 7/17/14 at 08:46 AM

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Mr Roxy
#55Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/17/14 at 8:48am

Growl away . I cannot read your posts and honestly do not care what you say.


Poster Emeritus

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themysteriousgrowl
#56Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/17/14 at 8:49am


CHURCH DOOR TOUCAN GAY MARKETING PUPPIES MUSICAL THEATER STAPLES PERIOD OIL BITCHY SNARK HOLES

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newintown
#57Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/17/14 at 9:12am

Like.

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Kad
#58Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/17/14 at 9:22am

"A shame as I used to have a real love of theater but now to me it is not something special."

Do you need to be shown the door, then, or do you know your way out?


"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."

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themysteriousgrowl
#59Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/17/14 at 9:41am


I'm now considering changing my screenname to "growl away."


CHURCH DOOR TOUCAN GAY MARKETING PUPPIES MUSICAL THEATER STAPLES PERIOD OIL BITCHY SNARK HOLES

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newintown
#60Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/17/14 at 9:44am

Sounds like a pleasantly abrasive cleaning product.

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Kad
#61Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/17/14 at 9:45am

Hit me with your best shot... growl away!


"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."

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themysteriousgrowl
#62Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/17/14 at 9:52am


lol you guys


CHURCH DOOR TOUCAN GAY MARKETING PUPPIES MUSICAL THEATER STAPLES PERIOD OIL BITCHY SNARK HOLES

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MCfan2
#63Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/20/14 at 11:12pm

My friend and I saw it today and loved it. I'm supposed to be packing to go home, but wanted to jot down my impressions while they're fresh. (N.B., I know the movie very well, but have only read the original play, and my memories of that are fuzzy.)

-- I'm usually a fuddy-duddy about book changes, but credit where credit is due -- the changes here work VERY well. I would go so far as to say that they improve on the original. The theme of war ties everything together -- it helps explain why Tommy's struggling with things at the beginning, and helps him relate to the townsmen who fought in their own war. And in this context, Jeff's shooting Harry makes total sense -- he's reacting instinctively just as if he were in battle again.

-- Kevin Earley really does need to put more feeling into his performance. But Jennie Sophia was very good as Fiona. They both have beautiful voices. Jordan Brown was a hoot as Charlie -- he bounds around like a big golden retriever puppy. Brigadoon - Chicago

-- We get more of Tommy and Fiona's relationship than I think was in the original. She senses an emptiness and lostness in him when they're talking as they go for heather, and this theme is carried through the play, all the way to "There but for You" near the end. This is rather a nice development, I think. However, I'm afraid "Heather on the Hill" was rather wasted. At the point where they sing it, they're not really into each other yet, so they sing it breezily and nonchalantly, and that doesn't work, not for that song. I'm used to Gene Kelly putting real heart into it. Brigadoon - Chicago It's too beautiful a song to be tossed off lightly.

-- The choreography is SO well done and the dancing is stunning. Olivia Renteria's Jean was a standout here. The way that "Come to Me, Bend to Me" was staged was so beautiful. But I especially loved Katie Spelman as Maggie, who loves Harry (was there a Maggie in the original? I can't remember. I know there wasn't in the movie). She is the most exquisite dancer.

-- The sets and costumes and lighting are all really good. Projections were used particularly well, I thought. I do wish the orchestra could be a little bigger -- at some moments it didn't sound strong enough.

--Right before the second act, it was announced that Maggie Portman (Meg) had fallen ill and Jessica Blair was going on for her. She gave a very impressive performance for its being so last-minute!

-- The chase scene doesn't work too well -- it's a little too self-consciously acrobatic. They keep pausing to lift each other up and look around, etc. It's less like an urgent chase and more like "Okay, men, stop and make like the Flying Wallendas!"

That's all I can think of right now -- will add more later if anything comes to mind. But I really loved this and would love to see it go to Broadway.


Updated On: 7/20/14 at 11:12 PM

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best12bars
#64Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/21/14 at 6:16am

Great recap, thanks for sharing it, MCfan2.

Yes, Maggie is in the original script. She usually has a brief solo dance over Harry's dead body (when they bring him in and interrupt My Mother's Weddin' Day) before they carry him offstage. If the dancer is a good actress, the moment can be devastating.

Weird about the chase scene staging. It sounds really odd to do it that way.

EDIT: You also are the first person to shed light on Jeff's potential motivation for killing Harry being an "auto-reflex" from the war. Is it clear that's what happened? Others haven't even mentioned it.


"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
Updated On: 7/21/14 at 06:16 AM

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MCfan2
#65Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/21/14 at 6:53am

You're welcome!

Someone mentioned earlier that Mr. Lundie tells Tommy and Jeff that they probably don't know what it's like to see an entire people being threatened with extermination. The obvious irony is that the guys have just fought in WWII, so of course they do know exactly that. When they join the chase, it seems to take them right back to those days. The lines including "hold him fast, many lives are depending on it, this must not end tonight . . ." are given to Tommy to sing to Jeff. (I don't know if Tommy had them originally, but he doesn't in the movie.) After the shooting, Jeff tells Tommy that when he saw Harry heading for the border and threatening to wipe out all those lives, he just instinctively shot him. The war connection is clear. It's like everything they've seen and heard, connected to their experience in the war, conditioned him to do it, if conditioned is the word I want.

Further, when Harry is brought in and Maggie does her dance over his body, both men are very shaken by it. Tommy tells Fiona that this -- a woman mourning her dead love -- is not something he expected to see again, here in this enchanted little town. Fiona tells him that things like that happen even here, which is what really seems to make Tommy seem to feel fear and doubt. He really is looking for an escape from all the bad in the world, not realizing that there's no such thing anywhere.

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best12bars
#66Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/21/14 at 7:00am

It's sounding better and better.

Yes, Tommy does sing a few lines of the chase scene, but none of it to Jeff (as I recall). If it's clear that Jeff's conditioning from the war triggered a reflexive reaction resulting in him killing Harry, that makes more sense than him deciding on his own to do it because he suddenly believes in Brigadoon (enough to murder someone as well).

Interesting what different people take away from the same show. Your perception makes a lot of sense as far as character motivation.


"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22

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ACL2006
#67Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/21/14 at 9:25am

I highly doubt this would have a life on Broadway. I just don't see an audience for this show. And as of right now there's only 3 theaters open for the Fall, the Winter Garden, the Nederlander & the Schoenfeld, all of which are rumored to already have a tenant booked for the spring.


A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.

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jon5202
#68Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/22/14 at 12:38am

Here are all of the musical clips from the show put into an easy to watch sequence:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yxd8K8J9hw&index=1&list=PLubjrcl-SrH2RPgDFdXtka30mxZg64qsI

Having seen the show for the second time this past weekend, I particularly find the dance sequences to be well done. The "Come to Me, Bend to Me" ballet is especially poignant and something I think Agnes DeMille would have certainly approved.

AwesomeDanny
#69Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/22/14 at 2:15am

Best12Bars, I can't say that explanation consciously clicked in my head while seeing the show, but I would certainly say that the theme of war was prominent in the production and very well could be the reason I (and other audience members) felt that the change worked.

As for the possibility of a transfer, I would first like to point out again that director Rachel Rockwell is very booked this upcoming season: Mary Poppins goes up in November, West Side Story in January, and Billy Elliot in April. Most of these shows were chosen for these theatre's seasons specifically with her skill set as a director/choreographer in mind, so I doubt these commitments would change. This would likely delay a transfer until fall of 2015, although one can never be sure. Additionally, should this transfer, it will be interesting to see whether or not the cast is kept in tact. If that is the case, 23 of the 28 cast members would be making their Broadway debuts.

AwesomeDanny
#70Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 7/30/14 at 7:06pm

According to this interview, there are Broadway producers interested in bringing it to Broadway, but everything is still in the talking stage.

https://soundcloud.com/afternoonshiftwbez/whats-next-for-the-goodmans-brigadoon

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Mister Matt
#71Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 8/4/14 at 12:44pm

I highly doubt this would have a life on Broadway. I just don't see an audience for this show.

Having just seen this production twice in a week, I'd have to disagree. I think this would have as much audience as for most any other revival of a classic, especially after the reviews and word of mouth begin to spread, if the audiences I witnessed at the Goodman were any indication. Both times, the ovations for Almost Like Being in Love stopped the show. Reaction to Come to Me, Bend to Me, From This Day On and There But For You Go I were similarly enthusiastic. With a Broadway budget, this revival could easily rival the likes of anything Bartlett Sher puts up. It's simply glorious.

There are a few moments that could be tweaked in the book and the choreography, but nothing that cripples the production. There are a couple of set pieces that could use a bit more attention to detail and refinement, but overall, I loved the staging. The projection on the curtains made of fringe was rather ingenious and effective. The ethereal effect you get just from the pre-show curtain really sets the tone for show.

The chase scene doesn't work too well -- it's a little too self-consciously acrobatic. They keep pausing to lift each other up and look around, etc. It's less like an urgent chase and more like "Okay, men, stop and make like the Flying Wallendas!"

LOL I know what you're talking about, but there was really only one lift I found distracting that really needed to be cut and re-choreographed. It actually elicited a few giggles from the audience the first time I saw the show. If anything, the shooting scene just needs a bit more time and focus. There is so much business preceding it, the moment before the shooting gets a bit lost the first time you see it, and Jeff's intent and reaction are key to making that scene work (as well as his explanation of it later). It's the singular action that propels the plot for the second act and acts as catalyst for the remainder of the story.

The voices of this cast are tremendous. I've never heard this score sung better. Jennie Sophia is pretty much the definitive Fiona in every way. I've heard too many recordings of a classic soprano in Fiona that gets a bit twee. Jennie has a rich dark soprano that perfectly suits the material as well as her portrayal of the character. Her upper range never becomes cloying, thin or strained.

Kevin Earley's voice is the perfect match for Jennie Sophia and their Almost Like Being in Love is one of those thrilling goose-pimply moments you seek in a revival of a classic. I do agree that Earley misses the mark in the emotional expression in his acting, but I tend to forget about that when he's singing.

Jordan Brown is absolutely endearing as Charlie and he is perfectly paired with Olivia Renteria as Jean. I do wish his upper range for Bonnie Jean weren't placed quite so much in the throat, but that's the only nit I can pick. Their Come to Me pas de deux is the essence of romance, beauty and charm.

Maggie Portman's Meg is feisty, hearty, saucy and everything Meg should be.

Rod Thomas is THE classic 1940s Jeff and every iteration of that familiar character we've seen. Seeing this character with modern eyes, I was half expecting to see the bartender during the second act modern scene mildly flirt with Jeff and perhaps Jeff acknowledging in a way that more clearly defined his rather underwritten character without being too intrusive. It would perfectly cap off the character of Jeff in a more realistic and adventurous way than (understandably) at the time the show was originally written.

Rhett Guter was a memorable and rather attractively broodish Harry. You can see why Maggie would be into him. And speaking of Maggie, Katie Spelman takes this very minor character and makes her unforgettable. A beautiful and heartbreaking performance.

Emily Rohm's Jane is delivered very well. She's likable, but not overly so, and the lack of chemistry is apparent.

I would hope that should this ever transfer, a Broadway budget would increase the orchestra. The balance was a little off and needed more lushness of strings, but at the Goodman, it was to be expected given the size of the pit.


"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Updated On: 8/4/14 at 12:44 PM

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dreaming
#72Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 8/4/14 at 12:48pm

I wouldn't bring it this season-there is way too much competition from other musical revivals. This will get lost. (It'll compete with On the Town, On the Twentieth Century, The King and I, with Side Show being a very real possibility-couple that with the fact they need a theater-and that's going to be hard to come by.)

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best12bars
#73Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 8/4/14 at 1:55pm

Loved reading your thoughts, Mister Matt. Thanks for sharing them!


"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22

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GilmoreGirlO2
#74Brigadoon - Chicago
Posted: 8/18/14 at 1:33pm

I saw the final performance of the show last night and was really blown away. It was one of those nights at the theatre where I truly felt transported to a different place. I was very, very moved and, leaving the theatre, felt (there’s no better way to describe it, so forgive the overly sentimental word) weepy. I had only seen a high school production of this when I was really young (which I barely remember) and knew a few of the songs, so I went in pretty cold.

In regards to Jeff killing Harry, I certainly got that it was an innate reaction from wartime. You almost always see Jeff carrying his gun (Tommy really only has his right at the beginning), so it already instinctively feels like a part of him. It made perfect sense to me that, in this heightened moment, he would instinctively grab for the gun to stop Harry. He looked sufficiently horrified at what he did, as well, that, for me, this act didn’t tarnish any previous perception I had of Jeff. I never saw it as malicious – on the contrary: I felt bad for him.

I also thought that the Brigadoon men assuming the bullet was a rock upped the stakes for Jeff. He did blatantly kill someone in this version (whether consciously or not) and, I think, the lack of consequences for his action was almost worse for Jeff than being blamed. It added a complexity to his character that I really liked and made even more sense why he wanted to leave and not believe the place (and, therefore, the killing) was real.

Regarding Jeff’s line about saying he killed because he believed in this place…it didn’t make me believe that Jeff believed in Brigadoon like Tommy did. It seems more like a natural thought for someone who is trying to make sense of having just shot someone with no thought. If he believes in Brigadoon, at least he did it for a cause and not just as a reaction.

As for Jane, I didn’t feel overly sympathetic toward her. She wasn’t a huge caricature, but the portrayal certainly didn’t make me feel bad for her, either (at least not enough to not want Tommy to end up with Fiona). It was played sincerely and naturally, but that still make her seem like the best person. I would get the impression that if Jane is played too over-the-top, it would weaken my appreciation for Tommy as person that he would ever have liked and been with this kind of woman.

The choreography is really and truly stunning and, I believe, the star of the show. Not only is it entertaining and impressive, but nearly always forwards the plot and shows new emotional depth of the characters. Maggie’s dance over Harry’s dead body was the most poignant moment of the show for me. It was spectacular. The choreography and the actress were fantastic.

“Almost Like Being In Love” is really the showstopper song. It was one of those moments that just elevates the entire theatre. In one moment you are watching a nice love song play out and the next, you have suddenly been swept up, soaring in a gorgeous moment with everyone in the audience there with you and none of you know how you came to be floating (forgive me for waxing poetic, but I am trying to accurately describe the feeling). It felt like a glorious drunken high. A wonderful moment.

“There But For You Go I” is a similar moment (not so enchanting, but close) – Early has a voice that I could listen to for days on end, so to get to hear him give all of his vocal power to this song felt like a gift to the audience. And, it’s because this is such a glorious moment for him that I easily and completely bought into the fact that this outpouring could open up Brigadoon to Tommy again. With THAT performance, of course it could.

I, unfortunately, had similar issues as others with in regards to Early’s acting, however – he was just too cold with no journey. I was seeing him say the words and believing in Brigadoon, but it didn’t make sense with the character he was playing. That voice, though, is so wonderful that, for me, it made up for his cold Tommy. So much so that, if this production does move to Broadway, I certainly hope Early moves with it.

I, too, loved Jordan Brown as Charlie and I think the poster who described him as a golden retriever puppy bounding about the stage described him best. It was hard not to smile when he was the center of attention.

I really, really loved Rhett Guter’s Harry, as well. I imagine this is a character that could easily come off as too whiny, but I saw his constant pain and it was a pain that, even right when we first were introduced to him, I immediately felt along with him. I also really felt as if he was giving it his best shot at trying to be okay with everything (something that was taking all of his will power and, ultimately, he lost that fight). His sword dance was filled with so much emotion as well as being quite impressive.

My only complaint is that, since it has only been two days for the people of Brigadoon living with this new-found enchantment, I feel like they may not be so casual in going about their business. Their attitudes come off, to me, as if they have been living with this new disappearing act for years (technically, yes, they have, but for them it’s only been two days) and it’s old hat to them now. It just seems a little inauthentic for everyone to not be more curious in their town and searching for signs and clues that the miracle did, in fact, work. For example, when these two strangers show up, there is some excitement, but I would think that the reactions would be a bit more extreme – here is their chance to find out if it worked and, when they see the coin, I imagine a much bigger reaction to the realization that it DID work. I know this isn’t what the show is about, it just took me out of the show a bit when I realized they have only been consciously living with this enchantment for only 2 days.

Otherwise, I really adored this production. I certainly think it could find its place on Broadway and would be more than worthy of the transfer. I fear that, because it likely wouldn’t be this season that it would open on Broadway, the momentum of a transfer for this production might be forgotten come the time and it may never come to pass. But, I’d love for it to have a further life, if only so more would get the chance to see it.