Erivo, Graham, Gotay, and more to lead A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC IN CONCERT- Page 4

[musikman]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 11:46pm

Will try to be succinct and not rude 

- the new orchestrations were ..unnecessary? They weren’t entirely different (though the French horns and trumpets were curiously missing at the end of weekend in the country). However, the tempi were SO slow.  Songs were dragging like crazy. 
- I realize it’s a concert, and it’s Sondheim, but a TON of lines were dropped, cues missed, lyrics jumbled etc…

- some of the vocal performances were sadly very weak and far from accurate in terms of pitch or even ability to reach notes   

- much of the acting was very stilted

- lines that normally receive huge laughs were greeted with some chuckles

- I hate to be that person, but several performers were just woefully miscast whether due to age, type, where their strengths lie, etc…

A few bright spots: Cynthia Erivo singing miller’s son, Ruthie Ann Miles and her one liners as Charlotte, and the Liebeslieder singers sounded quite nice.

 

 

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 11:49pm

Were the trio of leads as boring on as stage as they are on paper?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 11:51pm

Was this the full show - book and score?

[Jesse St. James]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 11:55pm

Jin Ha sang Silly People which was a nice surprise. Erivo, Miles, Tunick and the orchestra were highlights. For the prices they were charging I wish they were more rehearsed. This is definitely not an "all star cast" despite the fact that they keep repeating that in the press. Erivo singing The Miller's Son was delightful but it's also available for free on YouTube. I am glad the new orchestrations are being recorded per the times article.

[musikman]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 11:58pm

Yes, full show was performed, including Silly People , which is wisely cut from the show normally. 
 

 

[Jesse St. James]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 11:59pm

musikman said: "Yes, full show was performed, including Silly People , which is wiselycut from the show normally.


"

They had to give Jin Ha something to do

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 12:00am

“Silly People” is a stunning song, But I imagine it brings act 2 to an unnecessary halt. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 12:05am

musikman said: "the new orchestrations were ..unnecessary? They weren’t entirely different (though the French horns and trumpets were curiously missing at the end of weekend in the country). However,the tempi were SO slow. Songs were dragging like crazy."

I love Tunick and he's perhaps the greatest orchestrator in the history of Broadway, but maybe he at 86 shouldn't be the one conducting this. Obviously he's conducted plenty of shows and albums (including Company at the Kennedy Center and the Paper Mill Follies album), but orchestrating and conducting/music directing are two very different things and sometimes it helps to have different people doing those jobs.

Updated On: 6/28/24 at 12:05 AM

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 12:21am

Delightful magical evening.

The leads were miscast but there was a lightness and frilliness of this that was leagues better than the Trevor Nunn revival. I was able to see everything that was missing from that revival tonight. 

It’s such a fun musical when you let the cast have fun.

I did not find the dialogue stilted Jonathan Tunick’s work has never sounded better for this show.

Not perfect but a special night. 

 

[musikman]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 12:31am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "musikman said: "the new orchestrations were ..unnecessary? They weren’t entirely different (though the French horns and trumpets were curiously missing at the end of weekend in the country). However,the tempi were SO slow. Songs were dragging like crazy."

I love Tunick and he's perhaps the greatest orchestratorin the history of Broadway, but maybe he at 86 shouldn't be the one conducting this. Obviously he's conducted plenty of shows and albums (including Company at the Kennedy Center andthe Paper Mill Follies album), but orchestrating and conducting/music directing are two very different things and sometimes it helps to have different people doing those jobs."


Completely agree with all the above. I’m listening to the OBCR right now and it’s such a stark difference in terms of the tempi, brightness, and driving force of each of the songs. The waltzes almost sounded dirge-like this evening. 
 

 

[Mitch101]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 12:50am

Ruthie was hilarious. A total star in every way. Every Day a Little Death was astonishing. 

Ron sounded perfect. He was great.

Shuler was miscast but earned his laughs.

Marsha had a much stronger singing voice  than I think anyone expected, but it took her awhile to get confidence.

Jason sang the heck out of Henrik and got tons a great laughs.

Kersten, who I have never heard of, was the best thing in the show, after Ruthie.  I’ve seen more versions of this show than I can count. Nobody came close to her vocal skill and acting.

Cynthia was woefully under rehearsed but her Millers Son was thrilling vocally. Unforgettable. If only she weren’t holding the script. 

The woman playing Deseree was on par with a community theatre actress. Terrible. And dressed like a clown. Get it?

The five singers were vocally perfect. But they had zero appeal, which I think hurt.

The orchestration was massive. It really felt huge. Does this score need that? I don’t know. But sitting there tonight was as close to being in Heaven as I can imagine.

Despite nerves and flubs and flaws, it was a triumph and one of those great New York nights.

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 12:59am

Glad to hear good words on Kerstin Anderson - she was the best Eliza Doolittle among the four I saw in the LCT My Fair Lady revival! 

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 1:02am

Doyle’s cuts to Wheeler’s book gives Anne and Henrik less nuance.

The near lesbian scene of Anne and Petra is SO important for Anne’s character. It’s sad they cut it. 
 

also wow, the theatre gays on here are out in full force trashing this and it was not ANYTHING near trash worthy.

Even Ron being too old for it was still quite good. Desiree was truly the only weak link.

[nycward]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 2:47am

and "the woman playing Desiree" as she is described here is Susan Graham, a superb Mezzo soprano and a star at the Metropolitan Opera. Perhaps she was miscast but next to Cynthia she is probably the biggest draw for the Lincoln Center audience. 

[binau]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 3:00am

Does the show really work if the Desiree doesn't? 

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 3:05am

binau said: "Does the show really work if the Desiree doesn't?"

Yes

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 5:07am

ljay889 said: "“Silly People” is a stunning song, But I imagine it brings act 2to an unnecessary halt."

In Sondheim's words:

"There’s a very good song in Night Music called “Silly People,” sung by Frid, the servant. It says what the show’s about - and I like the song a lot - but the reason we cut it is because it’s a character you don’t care about at that point in the show."

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 9:06am

My view on "Silly People" is I was grateful to hear it full. It was beautifully sung.

But there is this amusing running around on the grass quality to act two that only finally stops with "Send in the Clowns"

And I think the structure of Act Two is built around protecting Send in the Clowns's quiet contemplation and reflection.

To add a new wrinkle of dark cynicism before it did feel unnecessary.

You can bounce a quarter off A Little Night Music as it already is.

[nycward]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 2:09pm

Any idea when they release the $50 rush tix? IG says "before each performance" might that be an hour or two or maybe earlier in the day?  Thanks.

[Ke3]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 2:33pm

Jordan Catalano said: "I think they thought Erivo would be a MUCH bigger draw and justify those stupid ticket prices."

As I said to a friend when they sent Cynthia on TV to promote it, the only people interested in something like this already know the show and therefore know what kind of role Petra is. You can't trick them into turning out for something like this unless you just refuse to say who's playing what roles. And once a lot of people saw who was going to lead they immediately lost interest.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 2:38pm

Where Can Sondheim’s Operatic Musicals Find a Home?

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/28/theater/a-little-night-music-sondheim-lincoln-center.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3E0.pwvz.FWZolCu2oc4d

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 3:28pm

I think the answer to Josh Barone's question is that it IS a Broadway musical and that's where it will be best served where it can be well-acted alongside a great orchestra. Desiree and Mme A can still be effective as croakers, Fredrik and Charlotte don't require opera voices, and those thorny relationships do not work without incredibly strong musical actors. It is "a musical comedy with a lot of music" (to paraphrase Loesser talking about Most Happy Fella).

The 26-piece original orchestration is divine, but the 17-piece "chamber" orchestration for the Dench production is also excellent and I miss very little on that recording. Modern sound design can make a 6-person violin section sound more robust than it did in 1973.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 4:45pm

You can't convince me this show shouldn't always have this grand an orchestra.

He's quoting classical composers all over this show. It's all designed to be lush. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 6:03pm

I'd love to see a version where there was a grand orchestra AND a competent cast/director/non-abridged book/snappy staging.

But the happy medium would seemingly be a Broadway production (or similarly full-scale theatrical production), where 6 violins can sound like 12 and where character and music can live in harmony.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 8:35pm

Do we know which performances they’re recording?