Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance

[CT2NYC]

Surprised that no one one has mentioned this, but there was a pop-up performance of "Sunday" on the Red Steps in Times Square yesterday, organized by NYCNext. Calling it "A Moment for Broadway," the group of singers included Bernadette Peters, Kelli O'Hara, Sierra Boggess, Andrew Rannells, Brandon Victor Dixon, Andrea Burns, Ana Villafañe, Ali Stroker, Norm Lewis, Javier Muñoz, Joel Grey, Celia Keenan Bolger, Christopher Sieber, and Max von Essen, among others.

https://abc7ny.com/a-moment-for-broadway-nycnext-bernadette-peters-shut-down/6841259/

 

[BCfitasafiddle]

Cried and cried and cried and cried.

 

What beauty. 

[Bettyboy72]

It was beautiful and thrilling. Life-affirming. It sounded great and lovely to see the reactions from folks like Carolee when Bernadette sang. It made me so happy. 

That being said, on the NYCNEXT instagram they were streaming behind the scenes video and there was a large crowd watching. The majority looked masked, but still. 

[LizzieCurry]

Nice story in the NYT about this! They don't announce these events ahead of time so as to avoid crowding.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/theater/surprise-theater-times-square.html

[Jordan Levinson]

Does anyone know who conducted?

Also eager to see Sondheim's reaction to this.

[Sutton Ross]

It was beautiful and thrilling. Life-affirming. It sounded great and lovely to see the reactions from folks like Carolee when Bernadette sang. It made me so happy.

Same.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Jordan Levinson said: "Does anyone know who conducted?

Also eager to see Sondheim's reaction to this."

 

I thought I saw it was Tom Kitt. Could be wrong.

[Jordan Levinson]

BCfitasafiddle said: "Jordan Levinson said: "Does anyone know who conducted?

Also eager to see Sondheim's reaction to this."



I thought I saw it was Tom Kitt. Could be wrong."

I just found out it was both Kitt and Michael McElroy- no wonder it sounded so good. 

[qolbinau]

This photo already feels iconic. WOW. What an amazing event!

[BCfitasafiddle]

qolbinau said: "This photo already feels iconic. WOW. What an amazing event!

"

Agreed. Years from now, it will be remembered and looked back on. Seeing the picture of Bernadette at the 9/11 performance of "New York, New York" side by side with this week's... Lots of emotions.

[temms]

Bryan Perri was the conductor. He conducts Jagged Little Pill.

[qolbinau]

I've been listening to this on repeat for days as a standalone piece of music and I just love everything about it - the context of course is special, but the arrangements & harmonies and interesting too. It sounds a bit more modern/fresh - like in that (somewhat cliche way now) of having all the characters of a musical at the end sing an uplifting/inspirational emotional harmony ballad (spring awakening; next to normal; dear evan hansen; carrie etc.). 

Bernadette's voice also sounds so pure and clean - that vibrato is still lovely! And the nostalgia of her singing it is too much. Maybe she doesn't have the sheer power anymore but she still 'got it'! There is not another voice like it.

Was watching some of the Bernadette/Stritch promo vids* for a Little Night Music^ and it's cool to hear them speak about "Sunday" at the 2010 Birthday concert and how emotional it was - 10 years later I bet Bernadette would not have expected she'd be leading a performance of it in the context she was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG_l6kSn3KQ

* Watching all of these is actually SO funny - I would say sometimes unintentionally because Stritch is such a personality but it's like a comedy skit/SNL parody watching Bernadette and Elaine together. It's nice to revisit.

^ I know this is an obvious point, but even though Bernadette still looks great I can see that even she has aged in these last 10 years. 

[AADA81]

For me, this performance speaks to the resilience of the theater as art and the resilience of theater folk.  It was nice to get a taste of what was and will be again, even for just a few minutes.

[Steve C.]

I just saw this today. You can actually see and hear what each person is going through in their voices! There is grief but such strength and resilience! You can't watch this and not be thankful and yet hopeful, and just cry and cry...