Carousel 1994 Feb 8
2021, 10:41:31 AM
I saw the national tour of that production when it played Los Angeles. It had a revolve which was used to great effect throughout. It was very well staged and some of the gorgeous stage pictures haven't left me.
But my favorite over-all production has got to be the minimalist Reprise! concert I saw at the Freud Playhouse in L.A. Like others here, I had felt mostly indifferent in regards to the characters. So it was mostly about the music and dancing for me. By the end of the Reprise! concert performance, I was having a hard time fighting back my tears. I will never forget that moment Billy is singing to Julie at the graduation. Something about the way Julie acted and the way it was directed, I lost it.
It was definitely mostly due to the superb acting by the cast, especially the actress playing Julie (it has been years so her name escapes me but it shouldn't have; she was THAT good!). That girl poured her soul into the role and became the character. I had never felt that way about Julie before. She really fleshed out the character and made her so tragic, and somehow strong in her vulnerbility. It was an incredible performance.
The rest of the cast was top notch, all with great voices and acting. The dancing was also very impressive. I loved the ballet sequence. I recall just being mesmerized by it, the way the two dancers told a nuanced story.
They used a reduced orchestration which I was a bit concerned about but it was true to the original orchestration and was very skillfully adapted so it didn't sound thinned out or weak. In fact, it sounded so good, it allowed me to shift my focus to the action onstage because a badly adapted orchestration or a new orchestration (like the Les Mis trainwreck that everyone seems to like and is proof music education in this country is nonexistent or woefully lacking) is like a persistent thorn in my side.
I attended that performance even though I was extremely sick with a severe cold but my attention was so fixated on the show, I don't recall feeling the nasty sinus pain and pressure I thought would prevent me from enjoying the performance.
Phantom to change to Feb 8
2021, 09:45:20 AM
I just recently spent a whole night revisiting Phantom via YouTube for the first time in ages. I have also seen ads that place the show's reopening in London for later this year. I then remembered that there was a special U.K. tour that was advertised as "The Brilliant Original" that folded after having played its premiere venue due to the pandemic. At the time, I had searched and searched for reviews and video clips, and photographs of that new tour but failed to find anything that satisfied my curiosity about it. Was it a scaled down version that remained true to the original designs and direction? Was it yet another one of Cammacks's money grubbing schemes, which means a vastly inferior version that he touts as "an inprovement over the original' that HE created? I never got the answers I was looking for.
There are so many full performances of the show on YouTube. It was comforting to, once again, revisit that show that brought so much wonder and awe to me as a kid and young adult even if it was via grainy camcorder video. I've lost track of exactly how many times I've seen the original Phantom but I know I've seen all three U.S. national tours (the Christine, Raoul, and Music Box companies) as well as the original Broadway production several times. I've definitely seen it at least 20 times.
One frustrating thing during my YouTube revisit was the lack of good video of the overture. There are some HD videos of the overture on Broadway that were recorded several years back but the angles and distance left me unsatisfied. I thought I hit the jackpot with a video of a recent Swedish production of the original that was crystal clear and filmed from the front row. It was a bit jumpy but was exactly what I was looking for and as the chandelier began to make its way over the audience's head, the person filming failed to follow its ascent. Damn.
After more searching, I found my perfect original production Phantom overture video:
Phantom @ MDM Theatre, Moscow:
I will miss the Phantom.
I wish Les Mis and Phantom were produced by someone else.
What is it with sound that so many people are utterly clueless about? You can fool most people, placing a midi orchestra in place of the real deal and most would never know or even suspect. You got a well known actress belt a line and "Omg, it actually sounds good! So it must be a Broadway singer!!!"
I am relieved that more than a handful of you consider the natural tendency we have all experienced of subconsciously mimicking a sing
They should have cast me as Dolly. I am an eccentric, though not as eccentric as Channing. I am a man and a man in a dress still sends many up in arms so that would x-out the "boring" problem. It would remedy the non-traditionalists wish for diversity, and it would ease the de-coloreds' guilt as I am a Latino man of golden brown.
At any rate, that reminds me...when are we going to see Lea Salonga back on Broadway? Such talent shouldn't be limited to roles that match h
This was to be the original production with direction by Hal Prince or the recent anniversary revival that has been touring the states recently?
Either way, I'm sorry to hear such misfortune has occurred so close to opening. If this was to be ta replica of the original production designs, then the floor they are referring to is the stage deck that is a part of the Phantom set. I know the U.S. original touring productions always used their own stage deck as most theatres obviously d
A Playbill is one thing but cast signed? That's not a big favor, that's a HUGE favor, lol. What you plan to do with it? Cherish it? Frame it? Sell it on eBay? Hehe.
Good luck with that.
Doing Little Shop on the cheap Nov 25
2013, 09:10:02 PM
Talk to Cammack. Maybe there's use for that automated pig from his last show...whatchmacallit?
I was pleased with Saigon, Phantom, and Les Mis once upon a time. =)
Chicago the Musical Appreciation Thread Nov 25
2013, 08:57:58 PM
I saw Terra in the 3rd national tour back in 2006 and it's nice to know she is still with the show. Her's is one of the reasons I remember that performance fondly.
That...and the sweet elderly gentleman I sat next to who was so excited to see the show and called me "lad" even though I was 28 at the time, lol.
It helps to get the bazillion references, which is why I think I wanna wade through more of it, but also it confirms that I'm not an insane twit and that the light on the road has indeed been getting dimmer and dimmer, like the audiences who pay top price to see non-Equity standards in Equity tours of 25th anniversary Les Mises. OK, so maybe they're not so much dim and maybe they're just except
CAROUSEL on Live At Lincoln Center Tonight at 9PM!! May 4
2013, 11:46:05 PM
It's hard to envision anything as superior to the absolutely perfect Reprise! production I saw in Los Angeles a few years ago. I'm a picky mofo, and was completely mesmerized by that production at the Freud Playhouse.
It was a semi-concert styled production, with the orchestra partially visible behind the action, spare but imaginative scenery and direction, suggestive lighting, simple costume designs it seemed at first but the way they completed each character was anything but, and a re
Jekyll & Hyde (Broadway Previews!) Apr 14
2013, 03:22:00 PM
I had a similar opinion to all the Negative Nancys on here, just based on photographs and the badly produced new cast recording.
"Cheap" being the most common opinion here, it's exactly the impression that made me rant about this months ago without having seen it.
Sometimes cheap doesn't need to be seen live in order to know it's, well, cheap. Not that I expect every production to be a 15 million dollar version with enough bells and whistles to fill 28 semi-tractor trailers lik
Are new cast recordings Apr 14
2013, 01:55:30 PM
I've unloaded lots on this topic before and have found I only confuse people with all the jargon, so I will give an example of a cast recording I adore for its engineering and overall sound, then a brief (OK, OK, not so brief) explanation will follow.
Showboat - 1993 Canadian Revival
Yes, the sound is up close and personal but the singers have room to breathe and it doesn't sound dry (no reverb at all) or too wet (copious amounts of echoey reverb). It also doesn't attemp
But I will butt in here anyway and say it's entertaining to me to see people tip-toe their way into discussion on a discussion board, worried about ruffling feathers.
Just post away as if nobody is reading your posts. That's what I do!!
How important is BroadwayWorld to Broadway? Apr 14
2013, 01:01:45 PM
Meh. My philosophy has always been to say what the eff I want on here (and other message boards) if it makes me feel better or brings me joy regardless of what anyone says. I immensely enjoy talking theatre and how theatre art works. Certain shows I babble on and on about because I have a lot to say on them. One thing I don't do is try to entertain or engage in attention whoring, despite past accusations that that's all I am about. I'm no one's court jester, thankyouverymuch. Unfortunately, I really am THAT passionate about musical theatre. And if I ever display oddball or silly behavior, it's likely because it entertains me. It's all about me, y'all.
I appreciate those on here who--whether or not they intend to--entertain me, because it varies things up a bit and is a great time consumer on lazy Sunday afternoons!
I think this place tends to take itself too seriously sometimes, but it's really no big deal. Being serious about musical theatre is always welcome though.
Being dead serious about Les Miserables is a must, I tell you! A must!!!
As for our relevance?
All I can say is I am a lot more careful about what I say and who I say it about. Gone are the days when the idea that Cammack is shaking his fists at me via computer is a ridiculous idea. He's an exception, so I spill it regardless. Everyone else though, I am careful.
I can only imagine what that feels like live in the theatre and onstage.
Well, not anymore. Not with new Tom n' Jerry Saturday morning cartoon orchestration. *middle finger*
Non Equity Tours 2013-2014 Jan 22
2013, 03:25:09 AM
JohnyBroadway, I tried locating that clip for you to see, but wasn't successful.
There are several very high quality promo clips, which I'm sure most of you have seen, of the recent non-equity tour. And unless you're unfamiliar with the Broadway revival cast recording, you will think I'm nuts because the orchestra sounds every bit as good on those clips as it does on the revival recording.
But see, non-equity tours have non-equity tour advertising techniques, and those promo cl
Les Mis set to be highest grossing movie musical of all time. Jan 22
2013, 03:09:58 AM
Now if only the success of the film would knock some sense into ol' Cammack's noggin and he'll restore the brilliant original production around the world and chuck the non-equity style 25th ann. uncelebration lackluster production currently shouting its way across the country, complete with projected movie slide shows and blue super-speaker.
Fat chance. It kills me to think that now during the musical's most widespread appeal, the number of those being deprived of seeing what the lucky
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