They're Playing Our Song- Page 2

[allofmylife]

Posted: 8/25/06 at 6:05pm

The show opened on this amazing set of Klein's character's penthouse with a vista of New York, all made out of chrome. At least that's what I remember from decades ago. Does anyone have a photo? I'm stuck up here in Toronto, 3,000miles away from my collection in LA.

[alterego]

Posted: 8/26/06 at 3:01am

ILOVTOMG - Sonia's Leon did exist in the story. She was trying to leave him, however she did lie about being in touch with him, constantly.

The real life Leon is sung about in the Carole Bayer Sager hit song 'You're moving Out Today'.

The current Sydney production of "Song" is being played in a very small theatre without all the trappings of the full show, including Sonia and Vernon's voices. As I mentioned without the set and voices the show tends to be lacking.

Can anyone track down photos of the sets? Updated On: 8/26/06 at 03:01 AM

[Buscee]

Posted: 8/26/06 at 9:23am

The original set was actually 3 revolves that spun in different directions or together. Each one surrounded the other one. It was indeed an amazing set. Sonia's apartment was great. I also saw the Westbury Music Fair show with Susan Anton, and yup they changed the ending a bit. But that was a national tour Im suprised Neil Simon let that happen. I have alot of pics of the show, but alas have no was of putting them online.

[ILUVTOMG]

Posted: 8/26/06 at 10:13am

ALTEREGO - phantom was the wrong word to describe Leon - I know he existed... i should have called him her OBSESSIVE lover. and the set was really beautiful and i'll never forget that little sportscar - so cute.

[alterego]

Posted: 8/26/06 at 10:16am

No, it was one revolve. When they did the national U.S tours (there were 2) they had two trucks which were tracked in a semi circle across the stage. While one was centred the other, off stage was being set.This is possibly what made you think there were 3 revolves.

For the national tour the projections were on 16 small screens at the rear making one large picture as opposed to the one large "picture" projected in the sit down engagements on Broadway, London, Australia or wherever.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 8/26/06 at 10:41am

buscee

it's incredibly simple to put up a picture or two. Simply go to www.photobucket.com and register. It only takes a minute. Then upload the pix to photobucket. Each photo uploaded gets a distinct address. Simply copy this and paste it into the Optional imahe box below the type-in area when you post a response and voila!

I have scoured the web for a photo of the show as all my files are a continent away.

[alterego]

Posted: 8/26/06 at 10:44am

The car was a Triumph Sports in the colour english racing green.

[Buscee]

Posted: 8/26/06 at 11:24am

I guess I should have said I dont have a scanner.

I saw the Broadway production and I remember someone saying to me at the time there were 3 revolves (mayb 2) Nevertheless the sets were stunning.

I also have an early draft of the show, mayb the 4th draft.. Which has Leon dying of an illness. Its quite amazing to read how some parts of the show are totally rewritten while some are exactly as they were opening night. There are 2 additional scenes in Act2 where they meet on an airplane, and one more at a baggage claim center.

[morosco]

Posted: 8/26/06 at 11:57am

Here's the show on paper. The bottom is the Broadway production. The top is the national tour. It looks as if the Broadway production has a revolve within a revolve. The tour had two wagons.

[Buscee]

Posted: 8/26/06 at 12:34pm

Great. Where did you get those plans? I thought it was 2 revolves. The only tour I had seen of it was at Westbury Music Fair, and that had practically no sets, being it was in the Round.I also believe the 1st National Tour used the same type revolve system as the Broadway Production. That was the one that toured with Victor Garber and Ellen Greene. The 2nd national tour used the truck system. That was the one that had Lorna Luft,Dwan Welles, etc. Directed by Phillip Cusak
Updated On: 8/26/06 at 12:34 PM

[morosco]

Posted: 8/26/06 at 3:41pm

I'll bet you're right. The top plan must have been the bus and truck produced by Tom Mallow's American Theatre Productions. I remember it starred Lorna Luft. I scanned the plans for a very old Theatre Crafts magazine. Same design team as the Broadway production.

[alterego]

Posted: 8/26/06 at 10:50pm

You are right there was a sort of revolve within the revolve. It is only used once, when the car turns off the road. It goes from facing the audience to a side view.

The bus and truck tour originally starred Dawn Wells (Gilligans Island) as Sonia but she was "stood down" after a few weeks when presenters complained that she was singing out of tune. That's where Lorna Luft came in.

At one point there was the Broadway production, a national tour and a split week tour (the last two directed by Phillip Cusack). The split week tour was designed to be bumped in in eight hours.

Thanks morosco for posting those plans. Now if we can only find some photos. Updated On: 8/26/06 at 10:50 PM

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 8/26/06 at 10:53pm

I wish there was a recording of Luft. I'm sure she sang it beautifully.

[morosco]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 1:36am

Photos of any of these productions are nearly impossible to find! I have the souvenier brochure from when I saw it on Broadway with Stockard Channing and Tony Roberts the the photos don't reveal much in the way of the marvelos set. They are all black and white tight shots and some were obviously done in a photo studio.

[Buscee]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 1:44am

Morosco

That's the one souvineer program cast of the show I dont have! If I can get to a scanner I will copy the lOndon cast pics I have.Its the same set,and in color.

[alterego]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 1:58am

From memory I don't think you can see much of the sets in the London programme. It is such a pity that there isn't some archival source you can go to see great set designs. I do remember years ago seeing a book that had sketches of the set/projections of how the road to Quogue (?) looked with the city getting smaller as Vernon and Sonia drove away from it.
Updated On: 8/27/06 at 01:58 AM

[OtherDaryl]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 10:47am

As I recall, I saw Ellen Green and Victor Garber at The Shubert in Chicago and just loved it - this was more than a quarter century ago, but I don't think I'm making it up.

[Buscee]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 12:10pm

No your right Ellen Greene and Victor Garber were the Original Cast for the First National Tour. That cast was directed by Robert Moore. Ellen was later replaced by Marsha Skaggs. Victor and Marsha later took over from Diana Canova and Ted Wass is the Broadway Production. They were the last cast on Broadway.

[morosco]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 12:56pm

Alter Ego, I think this is the rendering you're referring to. It's from the book American Set Design by Arnold Aronson. From the book:
"They're Playing Our Song is jokingly referred to by Schmidt as the first "high tech" musical. Eighteen projectors were used to create images of "realistic stuff like windows and hospital corridors...but all rendered in a slick, contemporary, graphic style." The projections, in keeping with Schmidt's concern for scenery as a rhythmic element, were intended to abet the rapid flow of the show as it moved from a disco to a recording studio to the Long Island Expressway to a trompe l'oeil Manhattah apartment. The projections, aided by sliding panels, kept the set in alsmost constant motion."

[allofmylife]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 2:07pm

I had that book! The set plans were from it too, weren't they?

It was the apartment set that blew me away. It really wasa fubulous staging. I remember the back up singers popping up out of things. And people think that the chorus girls in "The Producers" coming out of the filing cabinets was so novel. HUH! (Although Stroman had girls grow out of a Dusenberg in Crazy For You, so...

[allofmylife]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 2:09pm

DAMN you guys!!!!

I'm walking around all day sining "Oh-ho they're playing my song. That table's humming along. That couple half out-the-door is coming back to hear moooooooore of my muuuuuusic.."

STOP REMINDING ME ABOUT THIS!!!!!!

Updated On: 8/27/06 at 02:09 PM

[folkyboy]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 2:24pm

this is why this show needs to come back to Broadway already!!!!

[dancersmom2]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 4:05pm

I was lucky enough to see Lucie Arnaz and Robert Klein do a concert version last March with Marvin Hamlisch directing our symphony orchestra. Wonderful fun even if they are older now. (Aren't we all??!!). They joked about how their children were babies when the show was first procuced and now are grown and gone. It was a really unique opportunity. I would love to see a full scale production again.

[morosco]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 7:48pm

There's a moment in the show that really choked me up. When Sonia is in the recording studio singing a demo of "I Still Believe In Love". Sonia and Leon had broken up and Stockard Channing sang it with so much raw emotion and tears I was speelbound. And then the scene seques and we hear Johnny Mathis singing the song to indicate that the song had become a hit. It was magic.

Does anyone know if the audio clip of Johnny Mathis singing the song is available as part of the rental/rights package for the show?

[ILUVTOMG]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 7:55pm

Lorna Luft and John Hammil (who was an excellent 'Vernon' standby) started the bus and truck tour. He was replaced shortly into the tour by Richard Ryder and Luft was eventually replaced first by June Gable and then by Dawn Welles. But Luft opened the tour. The only disappointing Sonia I saw was Anita Gillette who was just not right for the part. Stockard Channing rocked!!!!