SUNDAY... Post Your Thoughts & Opinions- Page 6

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 2/8/08 at 7:44pm

Bump.

Has anyone stagedoored this? How long generally does it take for Daniel and Jenna to come out? I know it's a stupid question, but I have a bus to catch after the show and I'd like to try and stop by the stagedoor.

[antiandrewx]

Posted: 2/8/08 at 7:51pm

I stagedoored last Saturday matinee and Daniel came out fairly quickly. I'd say it took him about 15 minutes to come out. He's so so so friendly and the most adorable person ever. I had to leave before Jenna came out (if she even did).

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 2/8/08 at 8:04pm

I was there on Tuesday and it did take a while for Daniel and Jenna to come out. But they were visiting with Michael Cerveris.

I adored the show. In every way. There are times when Daniel's anger seemed a bit too harsh, but other than that, he was brilliant.

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/8/08 at 8:27pm

After the first preview, Daniel tried discreetly getting away from the crowd at the stage-door, until the autograph stalkers/sellers stopped him. Jenna was an ABSOLUTE DOLL though. What a sweet woman.

[jaystarr]

Posted: 2/8/08 at 9:35pm

Thanks guys...

How do I get to the stage door again with going around the block (which I did for THE RITZ) Yankee Fan once told me but I forgot it..

Its nice to know that Jenna Russell & Daniel Evans are nice to stage doorers.. I really wanna meet them. I am soo excited- this is one of the revival that I am anticipating..I am seeing Sunday in the Park next weekend after APPLAUSE & PASSING STRANGE this week..

Can't wait.

J*

Updated On: 2/8/08 at 09:35 PM

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 2/8/08 at 10:36pm

When I went during the first week of previews, Daniel stopped and signed (and was a TOTAL sweetheart). Jenna didn't seem like she wanted to be bothered so she just walked away, but you can't blame her because they both had friends there.

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/8/08 at 10:45pm

That's weird, It was the total opposite when I went (first preview). Jenna chatted with everyone, and took pictures. She was adorable.

[BenKaye]

Posted: 2/8/08 at 11:40pm

This production of SUNDAY is just, breathtaking.
It is so beautiful, in so many ways, and the animated projections are humorously brilliant. I'm ecstatic that the show is in the Top 5, of filled capacity on Broadway.

If you really want to see a show that has amazing music, and is remarkable in every way, you have to see SUNDAY!

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 2/8/08 at 11:58pm

jaystarr, i think if you just go out through the doors going out to 53rd street, the stagedoor is directly to the left.

btw, went to the wednesday matinee and absolutely loved the show. it was just a beautifully breathtaking show. the projections were amazing to see, yet they never upstaged the gorgeous performances of daniel and jenna. and act two just about blew my mind.

i went to the menier chocolate factory to see la cage last week (who was there but roundabout's todd haines...). it's amazing that the space, the size of a shoebox, could continually produce such great works? (la cage was really good, btw.)

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 8:45am

I saw the show on Wednesday night. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Mary Beth Peil deserves a Featured Actress Tony Award Nomination for her stunningly acted, heartbreaking performance of "Beautiful."

This was my first exposure to SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. I had never seen a production of it. Never heard the cast recording. Never saw the video of the original production.

I think it is an absolute masterpiece.

Daniel Evans gives a mind blowing performance.

Jenna Russell is quite good, but, having never seen the original production yet knowing that Bernadette Peters originated the role, I must say that Jenna Russell was an absolute Bernadette duplicate up there, in voice and performance style. Not that this is bad. But I don't feel like she made the role her own.

This show should win all three design awards.

Jessica Molaskey, in a role that earned Dana Ivey a Tony Nomination, doesn't have much to do up there. Apparently she's an amazing singer, but she sings for about a split second.

I will absolutely be revisiting this production. It is the can't-miss of the season, thus far.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 9:19am

WBAF,

Once again, spot on !!! Love this show !

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 12:40pm

Having seen and listened to Bernadette a countless number of times on the DVD/cast recording. I think Jenna is giving quite a different performance. Sometimes she might sound similar while singing, but that's a bit it. Jenna's vocals are also a bit stronger, in my opinion.

[desiree armfeldt]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 1:09pm

I completely agree with ljay. I think Jenna has a lot more control over her voice.

I loved the production. I thought it was gorgeous.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 9:25pm

How do you guys think the critics'll take to it...?

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 2/10/08 at 12:37am

I just got back from this production tonight. Brilliant! Absolutely breathtaking from start to finish! I had never seen a production of SUNDAY before although I was familiar with most of the songs and with the concept. I am actually currently reading a biography of Sondheim (in fact the same one they were selling at the theatre) and had just read the chapter on SITPWG so it was very interesting to now see it live in front of me. I loved the use of projections, I think they were quite ingenious and very well integrated with the cast & set. I was sitting in center Mezz row JJ ($20 tickets from HipTix!) and I would love to go back and see how the shows looks from the Orchestra. The projections looked fabulous from where I was, there's really not a bad seat in the house although it is very true that there is no legroom up there. I'm not even that tall and my knees kept hitting the seat in front.
The audience around me was very moved by the end of the second act, especially during "Move On."

Oh, and they were still selling the Sondheim signed librettos afterwards. I am not sure if they were the same price mentioned here or if they were raised. I thought the merchandise girl said $120 but she may have said $100. Way too pricey for me, I left with just a t-shirt & poster. I think they also had a signed book and something else. (I saw 3 display items with signatures.)

Amazing show, I highly recommend it!

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 2/10/08 at 1:19am

I was at tonight's show as well...and while I normally don't post thoughts, because I feel like everyone's already said anything I could, I wanted to for a few specific people who I once had conversations with about disliking Sunday.

For the record, I tried watching the DVD 3 times, and fell asleep all 3 times. Didn't make it longer than 30 minutes. It wasn't until I took my Sondheim class that not only did I watch the whole thing, but I loved it. Once I was able to understand connect the sheer genuinity of the score (the fact that it's pointilistic, the way "Sunday" comes together as the painting does, the parts in the melody that you hear throughout the show, etc. I also was able to further associate the idea of the work of the artist with all kinds of artists, including composers. These were the 2 things that contributed to my newfound appreciation for it.

So I am glad to say that I adored the production. It was so perfect in the way it led up to the finales of both acts, and both acts lived up to the expectations, both times I had tears in my eyes as soon as they let out that first "Sunday" -- especially the end of the first act, when after George says "Harmony," the music finally corrects its dissonance for the first time in the whole show. It's just a brilliant moment.

Totally agree that the cast was awesome. Jenna did sound like Bernadette, but I was honestly thrilled she did. It didn't seem like she was necessarily copying Bernadette, just that they both had amazing voices. I think her Dot was a little more -- I wanna say sarcastic, but that's not it -- just really great at getting some of the humor. I think their Marie's in particular were fairly different.

I do want to add that the ensemble as a whole sounded FANTASTIC. Their rendition of "Sunday" was chilling, and in this show, it's very important that that song, in particular, is in absolute perfect harmony, and boy was it.

I'm another who also prefers the 2nd act to the 1st in general, it was just more moving on the whole, but yeah, really loved the 2nd act here. Loved Jenna's Marie, though "Putting it Together" was slower than I'm used to, and I felt it dragged...though I'm wondering if perhaps they intended to do that to make the song as a whole more understandable.

Aside from the Sundays and Move on, Finishing the Hat was also a highlight. The passion he sang it with, and I just love the end of it..."look I made a hat where there never was a hat."

The orchestra did an amazing job despite it being so small. The distinct harmonies of the trumpet that need to be heard were always heard, and you could hear all the proper melodies scattered throughout the songs somewhere. A part of me wonders if maybe it is even more effective having the smaller orchestra, so one melody doesn't really overpower the others so much, and you can hear the different melodies within the songs even better.

I must say, I am very surprised that so many people completely unfamiliar with Sunday are loving it. Maybe it's my own bias, but like I said, I was totally bored until I got more insight into the amazing music. Do you guys think there's something more accessible in this production than there was in the original? Or am I just being biased because I felt that way? I think it's very interesting if this production is more accessible, and especially to contepmlate why that might be.

Oh, and I agree the sets were used so great, sometimes I couldn't believe they were in the same room. I mean, when the park set came out, the way they added and used the light was just brilliant, and completely put me in the park. I actually volunteer ushered this night, and so sat in the orchestra for a little while and watched them work and play around with the sets, it was pretty fascinating. An awesome preview for what was to come, and they were doing a lot with what I realized eventually became "Putting it Together." It was realy funny to see the side stuff happening without anything else happening on teh stage, heh.

And I can see how people would think the mezz seats are better than orch seats. I think front row mezz center may be the best seat in the house. But I sat in row ee center, which is the first row of the rear mezz, and that seat was beyond perfect (not to mention that with the aisle in front of me, legroom isn't a problem!)

I'm so glad that such a great production is being staged on Broadway now, introducing people to this wonderful work, and that people are getting into it easier and quicker than I did

One more very silly note: I always saw the part that the Chromolume goes wrong as a Sondheim/Lapine(?) jab at the musicals of the time like Cats that were relying solely on electricity to create their shows, and I coudln't help thinking that with the projected set, this production is kinda doing the same thing. Very picky and silly, but it gave me a chuckle.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 2/10/08 at 1:19am

double post

Updated On: 2/10/08 at 01:19 AM

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 2/10/08 at 2:28am

I saw the show tonight, and absolutely loved it. The design concept was wonderful, and the entire cast was phenomenal. I did have a few minor quibbles, they were minor, and the strengths of the production far outweighed those.


I was also quite pleased my parents (who have never seen SUNDAY) really seemed to enjoy it as well (although my mom had to duck out for bit in the first act because it was so hot in the theatre- she felt as if she was going to pass out).

Go see it, it's well worth it.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 2/10/08 at 2:48am

(although my mom had to duck out for bit in the first act because it was so hot in the theatre- she felt as if she was going to pass out)

OK, so it wasn't just me! I don't know why but during the first act tonight the theatre felt like the heat was turned up all the way. I'm used to theatres being a bit chilly even.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/10/08 at 11:46am

I saw it yesterday. I loved it so much, I don't even know what to say. To finally see something you've waited so long for and have it be worth the wait is a wonderful thing.

[jaystarr]

Posted: 2/10/08 at 11:49am

'em- I cant wait for your reviews on Sunday.. Pls post it.. I looking forward in reading it.

J*

[Sleeper2]

Posted: 2/10/08 at 2:03pm

Saw it last night, and frankly, it was one of the most tedious slogs I've sat through this season. The design was fierce -- set and lighting -- but it started to overtake the production, IMHO.

I'm sure I'm in the minority with this opinion, but the show was a huge yawn to me. I actually nodded off in the second act.

I know two people in the cast and a member of the creative team, and they all believe they have a huge hit on their hands. Hmmmmm.......

[violet72]

Posted: 2/10/08 at 6:28pm

I saw the show last night as well and I don't usually write reviews because when I am so overwhelmed by a production words usually escape me, so I am gonna try it. I was sitting in the rear mezz row KK and I thought the seats were great, although I would have liked to be a little closer (and I will be when I go back April 19th) I loved this production, the design of the show was just magical, the beginning gave me chills and the end of both acts were just so perfect.
First of all I have seen the dvd of the original production and I thought it was good but a little cold. I felt there was alot more warmth to this production. Daniel Evans was amazing. You could see his journey in both acts. Finishing the Hat was so powerful and heart wrenching, as well as We do not belong together. Jenna Russell was fabulous as well, she was a great Dot and an even better Marie. Children and Art was so touching.
I got very emotional from Lesson #8 to the end of the show and I like how there is no applause breaks because it would have taken you out of it.
I didn't stage door last night because it was pouring when we finally got out of there and I had to catch a train. I will try to stage door when I go back. Does anyone know if they come out after Matinees?

[Revolutionary]

Posted: 2/10/08 at 6:32pm

So has anyone actually done rush/student rush yet, or are y'all going through hiptix?

[justabwaybaby]

Posted: 2/10/08 at 6:38pm

I did the student rush the second time I saw the show and I got tickets in the second to last row of the rear mezz.

The had other tickets available, but those were the cheapest.