Blithe Spirit with Angela Lansbury- Page 2

[kp]

Posted: 10/15/14 at 8:31pm

I really find broadwayfever's is the worst sort of post. It is the National Enquirer mentality. "Dazed and confused" ! When I saw her in Blithe Spirit and in the many interviews and appearances, she was sharp as a tack.

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 10/21/14 at 7:01pm

Just bought tickets for DC! Managed to snag second row tickets for the last show and begged my mom to make that my birthday present (have I ever mentioned how awesome it is to have a birthday in the end of March… aka new Broadway season?!).

I used to watch Murder She Wrote with my parents since I can remember walking so it will be awesome for my mom to experience this with me!

Edit: forgot to give you the presale code for DC! It is: NATIONAL Updated On: 10/22/14 at 07:01 PM

[HorseTears]

Posted: 12/2/14 at 3:06am

Hey LA - if you still haven't gotten your tickets yet, CTG is still selling HotTix for just $25. Best of all - depending upon the performance, Hot Tix are available in all sections, including the orchestra. Today, I snagged a pair for Sat. in front orchestra. Regularly priced at $140/ea.

Honestly, I don't know what they're thinking putting this play in the massive Ahmanson or charging such ridiculous prices. Angela Lansbury is beloved, but even she can't fill this barn for a Noel Coward play. $140 a pop is nuts.

Also can't believe that at this stage, with so many unsold seats, they haven't been sending out discount codes or using Goldstar. Guessing the tour producers are resisting discounts?

Updated On: 12/2/14 at 03:06 AM

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 12/2/14 at 4:42am

This will fill that barn, bountiful was the most successful play they have ever done, looking at it two months before opening you would have guessed it would close in the first week..

[HorseTears]

Posted: 12/2/14 at 5:27am

I'm skeptical about that. We're 1 week away from opening.

[Spil.Berg]

Posted: 12/2/14 at 5:32am

She is a great actress and was when I last saw her amazing

[HorseTears]

Posted: 12/2/14 at 6:40am

Of course she is. She's a G.D. legend and I can't WAIT to see this performance. I just think it's a shame that she'll be playing to half-empty houses.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/2/14 at 12:19pm

Christmas wish

Revive High Spirits with her in it.

[kimalysong]

Posted: 12/2/14 at 10:10pm

I am seeing this in DC on the evening of March 28th. I actually thought it would sell out so I bought tickets minutes it went on sale to the public. I even had a reminder on my calendar.

But I guess not everyone loves Angela Lansbury and Noel Coward like me *shrugs*. But I am happy I got really good seats.

Will be going by myself because I couldn't convince anyone to go with me, not my mom, not friends. Oh well their loss.

[emo_geek]

Posted: 12/3/14 at 10:33am

I too bought tickets the minute they went on sale (for LA). I thought this would sell out quick. I think word of mouth will make the later dates much harder to get. I am absolutely so excited. I bought tickets for early into the run (next thursday) and also closing night for LA.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 12/3/14 at 3:57pm

emo_geek - are you going to stagedoor and update your avatar?

[beaemma]

Posted: 12/3/14 at 8:01pm

This show was fantastic in New York! Angela Lansbury's performance was the best part, but it was great in every way. It's one of the funniest shows I've ever seen, and I've been seeing shows for close to fifty years. I'm thrilled that I'll be able to see BLITHE SPIRIT again with Miss Lansbury and some of the London cast during the tour. I suppose there might be some people who wouldn't like it, but I haven't met any.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 12/3/14 at 8:10pm

Nice! I think I might be even more thrilled than you, beaemma. Given Dame Angela's age and the infrequency of my NY trips, I assumed I'd never see her on stage. This is only the second time I've seen her on stage - after that concert she and emo_geek did together - and the first time in the, you know, legitimate theatre.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 12/6/14 at 1:24am

Discounted tickets for LA performances 12/9-12/17 are finally on Goldstar. Starting at $35/ea.
Goldstar LA - Blithe spirit

[emo_geek]

Posted: 12/9/14 at 10:56am

If anyone is seeing the show (previews) tonight, PLEASE report back! Would love to hear your thoughts. I am seeing the show Thursday.

[emo_geek]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 2:11pm

I saw the show at The Ahmason last night an immensely enjoyed myself!

I had never seen Blithe Spirit before, and felt the first act dragged a little at the start. However- by 2nd act I found myself fully immersed.

I'm not too big a fan of British humor but I felt all actors did a great job with the material. Standouts for me were the maid and the 2nd wife.

But enough about them. Let's move on to Angela Lansbury. She was wonderful! I was so worried that her first act scene was all we would get and then her character would disappear. I was pleased she has a much larger role! Angela really kept the energy going the entire show. You really can tell she is an experienced actor. I noticed that when I saw her Best Man on Broadway, and I notice that now. She commends the stage and knows how to work an audience. Any fan of Lansbury will not be disappointed by this performance. I have tickets to return in January and I can't wait.

Updated On: 12/12/14 at 02:11 PM

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 12/14/14 at 7:25am

So looking forward to this, with luck there Tuesday night

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 12/14/14 at 4:33pm

I saw the show last night (first saturday). Rushed for $25, sat in the balcony. (view was not bad but my neck hurt) I loved it! Remember that she is "featured" so she's like the Fiyero in Wicked (important but not the star, even though she is? haha) The show did drag a little in the first act as many have said.. but things picked up during the second act. BTW, the last scene with the set was CRAZY! Beyond grateful that I can say that I saw thee ANGELA LANSBURY on stage! FYI, I stage doored and I asked the security guard if she has stage doored any of the days and he said no she goes out a different way. So, she didn't stage door but the rest of the cast did. Don't miss it.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 12/14/14 at 7:10pm

Did you really have to tarnish this lovely thread with a Wicked reference?

When you say you rushed, do you mean, literal rush or did you buy "Hot Tix" in advance. I only ask because we had no trouble finding $25 "Hot Tix" in the orchestra and mezz for multiple performances. I can't stand the balcony in the Ahmanson. So high up.

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 12/14/14 at 7:51pm

I ment hot tix.. I always get it in person & they always sit me randomly. They've sat me in the orchestra only once.. How do you get to choose?

[HorseTears]

Posted: 12/14/14 at 8:51pm

I ordered via phone and the sales rep told me the exact seats I'd get - a few rows back in the orchestra. Far house left side, but not obstructed view, apparently. I wonder if I just got a particularly nice sales rep..?

[HorseTears]

Posted: 12/22/14 at 10:46pm

Saw Blithe Spirit at the Ahmanson this past weekend. And, yes, just like that kinda braggy guy I met on SCRUFF last weekend, Dame Angela lives up to the hype. And, then some. If you can believe it, this was my first encounter with the play. I knew the general premise, but had never seen a production until now. You may think me a philistine, but while I enjoyed the play itself, I did find it about as deep as piece of tissue paper and some of the humor a tad, well, patriarchal, but of course it's a product of its time. Don't get me wrong, I laughed hard and loud throughout most of the play, but it didn't surprise me to learn how quickly Coward wrote the script. As an openly South Asian man, I enjoyed the strange little digs at Indians and Indian culture in some of Mdme. Arcati's lines, too.

Charles Edwards was marvelous. He looked dashing on stage dressed for dinner and had wonderful chemistry with all of his co-stars. Jemima Rooper is perfectly cast as the ghost of Elvira, Charlotte Parry - after a couple of dropped lines - nailed the slyly pragmatic Ruth. Simon Jones, Sandra Shipley made the most of their fairly minor parts as the Dr. and his wife. Susan Louise O'Connor's Edith the maid was a bit over the top for my taste, but that's down to the direction.

All that said, the production really does belong to Dame Angela. And not simply because of her revered status. Her performance was a marvel. Yes, she received loud and warm entrance applause, but she more than earned that reception. She is the beating heart of this production. With her orange hair in twisted buns, her mischievous music hall comedic sensibility and her striking turn of phrase moving from dotty old biddy to sharp-tongued viper (sometimes in mid-sentence), I couldn't help but think that I was getting a small taste of what must have made her Mrs. L in Sweeney Todd such a revelation. She commanded the stage, but never overpowered her co-stars - slyly tip-toe'ing up to the line and then pulling back with such grace and ease. Her comedic timing was impeccable, her connection with her co-stars undeniable and her joy in the moment palpable. I was also struck at how enormously physical her performance was. This wasn't a performance to marvel at BECAUSE she is 89, but one to appreciate on its own merits. The fact that she IS doing this 8 times a week at the age of 89 makes it even more impressive.

As a kid who grew up on Bedknobs & Broomsticks and then, as a teen, worshiped her every move on the Sweeney Todd video, I can't tell you what an absolute dream come true it was to have finally seen Dame Angela on stage. If she'd merely been pretty good, I would have been fulfilled. The fact that she gave one my absolute favorite comic performances I've ever seen...just fills my heart with joy.

I really hope she gets one more crack at Broadway. She's still got "it" - in spades.

[binau]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 12:15am

Maybe she can replace Chita in "The Visit", :p.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 3:02am

I know you're joking, but your post reminded me of one small aspect of Dame Angela's performance that was wonderful for musical theatre nerds - the way in which she spoke Elvira's name when first introduced to the spirit of Edward's late first wife. She practically sings her name in a sweet but surprisingly almost clarion soprano. Such a small moment, but one I'll treasure.

[beaemma]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 2:23pm

Thanks for the perceptive review, HorseTears! Critics differ on the depth, or lack of it, in the play--but almost everybody agrees that it's great fun and that Angela Lansbury is brilliant. I loved the New York production and am glad to hear that the tour is at least as good. More than ever, I'm looking forward to seeing this next month in L.A.