Profile for mostly_musicals

Hope i'm not double posting, i am sure i did this already...

Got rush tix today at 1pm, no line, row E 10 & 20, so ALLLLL the way house right, but at least it's not the balcony, never again in the St James balcony!

checking in - anyone rush this recently? 

I... just don't even know what to say. What the actual heck is this?

Written by someone who says they have reviewed "over 1700" movies. Some quotes are included below. (italics are my own words)

Critic's Notebook: Stumped by 'Sunday in the Park with George' - Variety

"As a critic, I’m always looking for a fresh challenge, which is one reason I took up writing about theater: It still has the capacity to scare me.

"Reviewing theater is a different discipline, and writing about musicals is an even greater challenge..."

"Here would be my chance to fill in an important gap in my theater experience, and what could be easier than reviewing the West Coast version of a widely respected triumph?

"Now, the show is the show and has existed as such for nearly 40 years, so it hardly makes sense for any review of a regional revival to question the material, and yet, because I was counting on this experience to illuminate Sondheim’s genius, I felt frustrated. Individual lines might be clever or catchy, but most of the music is more conceptual, defying the earworm appeal of classic showtunes (the score is notoriously unhummable). One song — “The Day Off” — hurt my ears while shattering any sense that this was a strictly highbrow affair, as George starts to bark, pretending to be two of the dogs he’s drawing.

Seeing the ensemble, you figure that all these one-dimensional characters will arrange themselves into the famous painting at some point, but not halfway through! Here in SoCal, we’re spoiled by the annual Pageant of the Masters down in Laguna: a series of famous paintings stunningly transformed into tableaux vivants on an outdoor stage. Evidently so impressive on Broadway, that stunt alone is hardly enough to make the show"  (wait, seriously?)

"Then I consulted a collection of interviews with Sondheim, in which his sophisticated grasp of musical theory — and musical theater concepts — both impressed and intimidated me. Sondheim kept dropping terms I didn’t know, like “arpeggio” and “recitative,” as he spoke..."

Regarding use of rhyme in "Putting It Together": "I’m reminded of Jonathan Larson, Jason Robert Brown and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Multiple rhyming sounds snowball and build through the rest of the song..."

in conclusion: "Meanwhile, on the other side of Los Angeles, the Ruskin Group Theatre is doing a tiny yet terrific production of Steve Martin’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” with lots of laughs and no songs. When it comes to portraits of Parisian post-Impressionists, that show is more my speed."

 

i'm very eager to see this, but tickets are few and far between, and discounts seem nonexistent. 

We rushed ALMOST FAMOUS on Friday, got in line about 9:30am, there were maybe 12 - 15 people ahead. Our seats were partial view, row I on the far R aisle. Lights off the box above blocked the golden god bit, sadly, and a few other things, but not terrible. I had a great time. :)

I'm going on Saturday (in the back row) Sorry to have missed Amber Iman, who is amazing in every way always, but Covid knocked me out for a bit. VERY excited to see the show regardless, been following its development for years.

I'll limit my response to on Broadway... Absolutely BROOKLYN.

As a matinee with a LOT of understudies. But there's no cast that could've made that good.

(It's also the show that made me realize, sometimes there's no intermission for a reason)

i'd love to see Terrence Mann for Hades... and a strong vote for Damon Daunno as Orpheus

This was one of the top things i wanted to see on this trip, having seen songs from it presented in LA around 4 years ago, and then at NAMT a couple of years ago. i bought tickets even before i booked my flight, and now (argh) i have a conflict on Sunday evening... i'd been hoping to trade them for another performance but don't seem to be having any luck. And someone told me they cancelled last night and tonight? (also this seems worrisome and i hope nothing is too wrong)

The end of SHINING CITY (holy crap, WTF)

for me, tho perhaps not others, the reveal of the upper level set/stories in THE PILLOWMAN (i recall that show being a lot of gasps actually)

Since Thursday, i have seen 5 readings, 2 productions, and a concert at NYMF - all but one have closed:

ILLUMINATI LIZARDS: i really wanted this to be more fun than it was, i think the production values were too high in some ways, and it'd be better off as a scrappy little basement show. Brian Rooney and a couple others seemed to really get it right as far as camp level / over the top comedy, but in general this was a miss for me.

LADYSHIP: We saw this on Saturday afternoon when the leading LADY was out sick, so they did a concert version with one of the writers filling in. I liked it quite a bit, the songs were enjoyable and the cast was very strong. Book-wise it may have fallen into some cliche traps, but in these circumstances, it was easier to ignore..

SAVAGE (CONCERT): I was very excited about this, it's a story i have not heard - Wanda Savage, native american sharpshooter, vaudeville star, and silent film actress... unfortunately the result was a disappointment. Even allowing for the fact that this was a concert, with limited dialog and stage directions, we are given no clear idea of the events of Wanda's life, much less any insight into it. The show has a nice sound, but the lyrics need a helping hand, there are prosody issues throughout. I'd hope the creator moves forward with this, perhaps with new collaborators?

Note: the Beechman is COLD. Like icy arctic breezes cold, if you see something there, come prepared.

READINGS

FREEDOM SUMMER: Black and white activists fighting for civil rights in Jim Crow Mississippi in 1964, leading to the deaths of 3 of them. The show felt very very new, and somehow incomplete, like it was act 1 (and it was only about 75 minutes). i'd be interested in seeing a more fully realized version. More historical context would help - i think the authors assume the audience has knowledge that they may not.

QUEEN E: Strong leads with weak support, it was a fun feminist bible story about Esther and the origin of Purim (something i was only slightly familiar with) with a modern flair and humor. Some aspects felt like a kids show, but not entirely, and i hope they decide which way they want it to go. This could be a successful seasonal family show

EVERYTHING IS OKAY: Millennial angst. Not my cup of tea. Nope. THEIR description calls it a 'hot mess musical', i'll leave it at that.

THE DISAPPEARING MAN: This was the event i was most excited about, and it lived up to it. It is a kind of dark folk opera about a traveling circus during the 1930s. The cast is excellent. The songs are great. The story is compelling. There is one more presentation, Thursday at 10:30 am (!) and if you can go, GO. (here's info and a recording of an earlier version: https://jahnsood.com/theater/the-disappearing-man/)

HERO: the delightful surprise for me thus far.  A kinda meta superhero origin story that also dips into issues of race, sexuality, gentrification, and family. Pop songwriting, offbeat sense of humor, a really good time. I wish this still had performances, i'd be sending folks there.

 

I'm missing KAFKA'S METAMORPHOSIS today due to a cold, and seeing another, non-NYMF, reading tonight.

This week has in store:

readings: BROTHER NAT, UNDERGROUND, BISLAND & BLY, and ABDUCTION

concerts: JOE ICONIS in concert and hopefully FINDING BEAUTIFUL

i'm up in the air about the 2 productions this week, BLACK HOLE WEDDING and LEAVING EDEN - happy for any reports!

I always hear 'What I Did For Love' in "Out There" from HUNCHBACK
Won't resent, won't despair
Old and bent, I won't care
vs

Won't forget, can't regret
What I did for love

 

We saw COLUMBUS at the Friday matinee, and i'd say if you're free and can get to LIC on the 7 train on Saturday, GO CHECK IT OUT- it's only 75 minutes long, and it has 2 last performances Sat at 2:30 and 7:30 and tickets are only $10. It's about politics, and resistance, and immigration - a lot of ideas are packed in there with an enthusiastic, energetic multi-cultural cast - it's not a finished polished piece, definitely some rough edges, and it is a student production... but if you can bear with that, it is well worth the trip.

http://www.lpac.nyc/event/105a75142d145cedeb52848da6b1d3d3

From the program notes:

"The classroom has more revolutionary potential than the entertainment industry."

"Art and Education are the same thing. Only the quality of the lighting is different." - Stew

Anyone have info on either (i know SINGLE RIDER doesn't start till tomorrow)?

https://www.singleriderthemusical.com/

http://www.playbill.com/article/columbus-is-happening-new-musical-from-passing-strange-tony-winner-stew-debuts-may-8

I'm intrigued at the idea of a Stew musical developed w students, and SINGLE RIDER's promo materials look high quality, and i love an almost entirely female production team...

I'm only here till Monday, and new musicals are my primary interest (most years i attend NYMF and NAMT, etc) As far as the big shows, i have seen or am set to see everything i am likely to on this trip, so looking for something interesting to fill out my schedule.

thanks!

i'm an idiot who just accidentally bought a pair on TDF for Wednesday 7/19 - was planning to rush tomorrow, and while getting some other tix on TDF i saw it listed and jumped on it - figured i'd save the trip... 

If anyone here is not previously committed on Wednesday, feel free to message me about it.