Trevor Nunn is directing The Bridges of Madison County in London

[qolbinau]

https://www.menierchocolatefactory.com/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=03D1A268-A59F-4331-8098-520DECCB7DAB&sessionlanguage=&SessionSecurity::linkName=

Eager to see who they cast.

[QueenAlice]

With Trevor directing it will be an hour longer than the Broadway production. Excited to see who they cast as well

[SomethingPeculiar]

I wonder if they'll keep it late 30s like on Broadway (i.e. Hadley Fraser or Ramin Karimloo) or go a little older (i.e. Maria Friedman or Joanna Riding)?

It would be GREAT if Nunn trimmed some of the scenes with peripheral characters...but I doubt that's gonna happen unless JRB and Marsha Norman are continuing to tinker with the show?

It's funny, for such a small musical and a story that's about 2 people, this has attracted two major directors who are sort of overqualified for the material (Bartlett Sher and Trevor Nunn).

[qolbinau]

I'm pretty sure JRB said he does not like "State Road 21" and it was included out of pressure from a Producer so I hope that will be the first to go.

 

[RentBoy86]

This whole thing should be a 4 hander and much smaller than it is. It’s one of the best scores of past decade.

I’d love it with the central characters and their love interests and that’s it.

[nasty_khakis]

SomethingPeculiar said: "I wonder if they'll keep it late 30s like on Broadway (i.e. Hadley Fraser or Ramin Karimloo) or go a little older (i.e. Maria Friedman or Joanna Riding)?"

It'll be a Strallen.

[AngusN]

Joanna Riding would be absolute perfection.

[QueenAlice]

Oh wow! Yes to Joanna Riding. Great suggestion!

[Campbell5]

I saw the Trevor Nunn directed production Fiddler on the Roof at The Menier Chocolate Factory, and am quite sure this will redefine BOMC.  Stand by for West End and Broadway transfers.

[qolbinau]

It’s Jenna Russell as the lead female. Always have been a fan so looking forward to it! Going to be interesting hearing a non-Kelli type take on the score.

[ljay889]

I like Jenna but there’s no way she can sing that score as written.
I’d be curious to see a new take on the show, but it’s going to be disappointing to hear that lush score played by 7 pieces. I’d imagine it’ll be similar to the disappointing sound of their Night Music, which was thankfully improved for the Broadway cast recording.

[SomethingPeculiar]

ljay889 said: "it’s going to be disappointing to hear that lush score played by 7 pieces."

The Broadway orchestration of Bridges was only 10 pieces! Cut the percussion, one of the guitars, and one of the violas and it would sound perfectly fine.

I'm pulling for Ramin to do this.

[RippedMan]

Omg I LOVE Jenna Russel! She’s going to be incredible. I loved her vocals in Sunday, but yes this is a different type of score.

[ljay889]

Wow! It sounded much lusher than 10 pieces on broadway. Thanks for noting that.

[musikman]

I’m not horribly concerned about dropping from 10 to 7  musicians, but I *am* concerned that directors are starting to cast belters in legit soprano roles as of late.

I do love Jenna Russell, though.  Terrific performer. 

[ljay889]

I would have to agree with you. The score was so carefully crafted to O’hara’s vocal ability and range. It would be a shame to hear the songs lowered or belted. Does anyone know how Elizabeth Stanley sang the role on tour?

[qolbinau]

I’m devastated that Marin Mazzie never got to play the role alongside her husband. She is one of the few I can think of that could have done justice to the score and added something new to the role. Kelli was perfection.

[GavestonPS]

qolbinau said: "I'm pretty sure JRB said he does not like "State Road 21" and it was included out of pressure from a Producer so I hope that will be the first to go.

"

"SR21" needs to stay, if only for the daughter's line, "I had seven corn dogs and I think I might die!"

I vehemently disagree that the numbers for the supporting characters should be cut. Most of them aren't even full songs and JBR did a brilliant job of finding reasons for the supporting characters to sing. Cut those numbers and you are left with two ballads (however great) for the leads and two hours of them looking at each other with cow eyes!

And when, at the end, Francesca sings, "And what I did, I did for love", it's important to know what she loved.

If they want to rewrite it as a 2-character musical, that's another matter, but I don't think they should expect such a project to be more successful than the version that played on Broadway and on tour.

[EvaLyn]

Whoa Jenna Russell looks so much younger than her actual age. 

I would love to see Ramin do this. I hope they still cast someone Pasquale's age, I do think the whole point of this musical version is that they were still young stuff to start a new life together. 

[Someone in a Tree2]

"Does anyone know how Elizabeth Stanley sang the role on tour?"

We were crazy in love with Kelli O'Hara's performance on Bway, so were a little apprehensive about seeing Stanley at the Ahmanson 2 years later. It was a very different animal. Lots more sideways humor than Kelli brought. Didn't believe Stanley's Italian accent at all. Where Kelli's voice has a warm cello-like quality to it, even in the high notes, Stanley seemed to make the part a real soprano's, which I found odd. Lots of volume but that magical timbre Kelli brought was missing.

Even so, the power of this amazing show and score still shone through. No musical has earned our tears more.

[a-mad]

I would love to see Laura Osnes take a crack at this at some point in her career...

[GavestonPS]

SomethingPeculiar said: "I wonder if they'll keep it late 30s like on Broadway (i.e. Hadley Fraser or Ramin Karimloo) or go a little older (i.e. Maria Friedman or Joanna Riding)?...."

With all due respect, the musical play cannot have been set in the "late 30s". Both Francesca and her husband sing about meeting in Italy at the end of WWII. So they met in 1945, 1944 at the earliest. Since their oldest kid is starting his senior year in high school, the visit from the photographer must occur no earlier than the early 1960s.

[GavestonPS]

ljay889 said: "I would have to agree with you. The score was so carefully crafted toO’hara’s vocal abilityand range. It would be a shame to hear the songs lowered or belted. Does anyone know how Elizabeth Stanley sang the role on tour?"

Yes, I saw her. She used a mix of belt and legit and transitioned between the two beautifully. As gorgeous as O'Hara sounds on the OBCR, I rather liked Stanley's approach: the occasional use of head voice sounded vaguely "operatic" and seemed very Italian.

ETA to add to Someone in a Tree's comment above, I was so moved by the show at the Ahmanson, I really couldn't talk about it for several days. (And I had religiously avoided the novel and film as "chick lit/film" genre.) I think Brown's score is the best of this young century so far--and that INCLUDES the numbers for the supporting characters.

[RippedMan]

Agreed! Great score but I don’t think Sher knee what he was doing

[AEA AGMA SM]

GavestonPS said: "SomethingPeculiar said: "I wonder if they'll keep it late 30s like on Broadway (i.e. Hadley Fraser or Ramin Karimloo) or go a little older (i.e. Maria Friedman or Joanna Riding)?...."

With all due respect, the musical play cannot have been set in the "late 30s". Both Francesca and her husband sing about meeting in Italy at the end of WWII. So they met in 1945, 1944 at the earliest. Since their oldest kid is starting his senior year inhigh school, the visit from the photographer must occur no earlier than the early 1960s."

The comment meant keeping the casting of the leads in their late 30s, not the time period of the show.