I was there! I wish it had been on the larger screen (the one over the Palace), but I'm really glad this happened. I couldn't tell how many people who were walking past actually stopped to watch, but the small crowd was very enthusiastic and it was nice to hear Times Square so quiet. I mean, it was cold and raining, too, which kept out a lot of the kids and furry characters, so that was kind of nice. Unfortunately due to the rain, they had chained off the red stairs, but the screen was still mostly visible.
I already saw the show a week ago and was really glad to see this part again. I need to go back!
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
I knew this would cause consternation. Does it really matter? I thought it looked terrific on the YouTube clip, and they were in wonderful voice, emotionally focused, Padgett in particular certainly had some (this for those who care) Skinner-esque notes. I thought "Who would want to joint this madness?" certainly had all of the fervor of the first stars, to those who have parsed the vocal pyrotechnics of these gifted singers. To me, it was very much like the performance of the number Saturday afternoon. Maybe they even taped the back-up that day.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
From what I understand,, they intended to broadcast it live and NYC had given them a 15 minute window to broadcast amplified sound in a public space. (A permit is required.) When the curtain went up 23 minutes late (no suprise on opening night) one window went out the other and they had to show the pre-recorded tape.
CZJ at opening night party for A Little Night Music, Dec 13, 2009.
It's really funny to me that they planned the whole thing thinking the performance would start on time. Do openings ever start on time? I've been to 3 or 4 openings and none of them started on time.
Without bread we'd just be hungry
but without theatre we'd be dead
Unfortunately it happened so smartly they went to the back up recorded plan as the rainy weather that evening delayed the opening curtain by 20 something minutes. C'est la vie!
"Anything you do, let it it come from you--then it will be new."
Sunday in the Park with George