ZORBA @ CITY CENTER/ENCORES- Page 3

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/9/15 at 12:59pm

Thanks for the correction. Forgot about his turn in Fiddler.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/9/15 at 1:11pm

After ZORBA Bernardi had throat surgery, apparently having nodes removed.  I believe he later admitted he hadn't been singing properly for years, and it became a serious problem during ZORBA.  His take on the numbers remain definitive for me (his growl throat-irritating? Singers, weigh in); but though he was no Raitt, he was not Lauren Bacall, either. His musicality was expert. ( I won't see Turturro until tomorrow. People are sick of me mentioning it, but one final time: I would've loved Michael Nouri, late of THE SLAP, playing a role that had ZORBA-like qualities, and persuasively Greek, though Nouri is not). 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/9/15 at 1:33pm

Bernardi died in 1986 of a heart attack @ 63

He also did voice overs for the Jolly Green Giant and Charlie The Tuna

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/9/15 at 1:47pm

So he was 45-46 when he played Zorba?  Of course, I was 17 when I saw it, but he seemed far older.  Would we cast a 46 year-old in the role in 2015?   

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/9/15 at 2:07pm

Doubt it

 

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/9/15 at 5:11pm

Right but age reads differently now.  Bobby Bubbi was deep in middle age when he turned 35 in 1970...

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/9/15 at 5:16pm

Yeah Bernardi was very associated with Fiddler, I believe he may have played Tevye the longest--at any rate he took over from Zero.  My grandma, who would go to New York to see shows every year (man, I wish she were still alive--so I could ask if she saw Zorba--well and for other reasons too, of course :P ) saw him twice in the role and always went on about how good he was.  Hal Prince also says in his memoirs that he thinks caster Bernardi and Karnilova hurt Zorba, because they were so associated with FIddler, people expected that.  (They also apparently HATED each other by this time, and one or the other would often call in sick just because of their fighting which is another reason Hal seems tohave gotten sorta fed up and decided to close the show and focus on the two tours instead of recasting the Broadway one--the original intention being that the Raitt tour would then come and re-open on Broadway but I think by then Hal was full out in Company mode.)

[wicked1492]

Posted: 5/9/15 at 11:49pm

Anyone know if Encores! offers any kind of rush or discount in person, closer to curtain, aside from whatever's left at full price?

[laurenmwendt]

Posted: 5/10/15 at 9:40am

I enjoyed the show, however I questioned a few casting choices. It was the 8th time I've seen Santino Fontana perform, and he just keeps on getting better and better. In my opinion, he was the highlight of the show. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/10/15 at 10:33am

Santino was fine. He seems to always play that straight-laced type guy. When he was "drunk" it was a bit awkward and less funny. He'd make a good Cliff Bradshaw. 

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 5/10/15 at 11:21am

I also saw the show from the balcony, which pretty empty on a Saturday night. I must say, if you are about to miss this based on what some jaded critic that sees a show after show, please ignore them and run to the NY city center and see this gem. John Turturro may not be the best singer, but he is such a fine actor and he is giving a performance of a lifetime as Zorba. The entire cast is magical, Marin Mazzie just can't do wrong. She is a force of nature. The show has a lot of great dancing numbers that are filled with energy and the 30 piece orchestra is absolutely delightful. This is excellent theatre and shouldn't be missed. Zoe Wanamaker is also not a singer, but a great actress nevertheless. Santino Fontana is also great in this. So glad I got to see Zorba!

[Cesare2]

Posted: 5/10/15 at 12:01pm

Unfortunately, I thought this was a very poor production of a very good musical.  Probably not enough time to pull it together, along with some poor casting and directing choices and lots of truly awful choreography.  (A yoga class during "The Butterfly"?)

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/10/15 at 6:14pm

I went in fairly blind not having read any reviews and not knowing anything about the source material. I just listened to the album on Spotify a while ago to decide whether I wanted to purchase a ticket. Anyway, while it wasn't a bad night of theatre, it wasn't fantastic either and I wouldn't any more for my ticket than I did.

No one felt particularly Greek in this show. There's just not enough there to make the characters compelling. I'm glad I saw the show once but I don't feel the need to see it again. I would appreciate it if they made a good recording because I think the music is where the show is the strongest. 

Oh, and I agree with everyone about the casting of the widow. She doesn't do enough to explain why they cast someone who didn't sing... so well. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/10/15 at 8:00pm

After finally seeing it this afternoon, it's hard to add to the discussion, except to weigh in on the casting and relative success of the refocused show without the central Prince bouzouki conceit (about which I've posted ad nauseum; sorry.) I still find the show suffers mightily without the framing device, leaving the Leader to function as magic realism rather than anchoring the show in an accessible contemporary reality. With over a third of "Life Is" fully eliminated, there's no reason for this mere device to announce -- to no one in particular -- "I will tell you" as she does at Encores to a silent group of dancers. For a moment, it's dangerously close to camp, particularly when wed to Mazzie's Vegas-styled Olympian get-up. Luckily, she's too persuasive, and her song(s) all too good for the moment to distract for long. Still, rather than find another point of access, the show simply settles for narration. There's no really solid analogy, but okay, imagine "Our Town" told by someone called The Narrator, rather than a true character, the Stage Manager. Removing the Leader from her cafe circle milieu leaves her with a handful of wonderful songs but devoid of dramatic motivation (within the bouzouki, she was in charge of getting a story right; now she's just smugly all-knowing, a seer in high drag) or context (modern Greek characters needing to entertain themselves, not peasants suddenly interrupted by someone who wants to "tell" them something). She floats through with omniscience rather than annotating a group-decided tall tale. Only "The Crow" makes sense with this mystical oversight. Otherwise, she's meddlesome. Again, the songs are gorgeous -- I'll take "The Butterfly" over anything else on Broadway right now. I prefer them tethered to a genuine idea.

At this point it's all history, but I come down solidly on the pro-Turturro side, a minority opinion. He moved me consistently in the second act, and I thought his take on the song added for Quinn, "Woman," was lovely, and actually rather beautifully sung. I can't argue why, and frankly don't know anyone who agrees with me about his performance, though some naysayers are stronger than other. I thought his dance was fine, with focus and intensity. He had a couple of strained Lauren Bacall top notes in "The First Time" but otherwise didn't sound wildly different from Bernardi or Quinn. I personally think too much has been made of his singing lapses, but then maybe he's acquired vocal confidence with 6 performances under his belt. The show has to be tighter and just better this afternoon than Tuesday or Wednesday. His final dance with Nikos was sweet and affecting.

What's left to say about Wanamaker? She is the real deal, the single best performance in the production, everything she did textured, detailed, ranging from funny, wry, vulnerable to heartbreaking. I believed every moment she was on stage. I have seen Karnilova and Blaine, but this performance of Hortense is my favorite. Had she been in the original production, she would've worked effectively and I suspect Hal Prince would've found her work decidedly within his tonal concept (as opposed to Mazzie's, which was 180 from all that Prince wrought, though not her fault).

Much can be said about the show itself, but we're probably all tired of debating it. It remains a special memory, the original production, so I'm biased. But I see the problems. Personally, I missed chunks of the book (the Widow's story has been truncated to the point of obfuscation) and like most people felt the oppressive weight of the tragedy, more than in 1969 (but hey, I was 17). Ultimately, it's not the darkness that seems to keep the show from landing fully, it's the (seemingly) mixed messages. The material is shaped to both critique patriarchal privilege and celebrate it. The Widow and Hortense are drawn as realistic portraits of women in an oppressive culture that minimizes their value and holds them accountable for sexual behavior in men. It's a powerful, if shorthanded look at these issues, to be sure. Yet Zorba inspires Nikos to "take" love from a woman -- any woman in his path -- and not concern himself needlessly with her potential and actual tragedy. They come, they go. Some live, some die. We move on, free. I realize the source material has far more nuanced. Yet simplified in a musical, the messaging is troubling, confusing, finally a bit unpalatable.

I will once again say, ending the show with a full stage of players, the Widow and Hortense restored to bouzouki circle chairs, reminds the audience that they've seen a wonderful story. Now, we see these doomed women disappear due to the ravages of illness and a brutal rape culture, and are told "that's life." The show's denouement certainly isn't obligated to provide succor to an audience. Yet its resolution doesn't sit well with us, even if we understand the accuracy and authenticity. There's a reason why modern Greek characters relating this tale -- seeing actors move into character costumes -- probably helped make the evening more entertaining. For me, anyway. It seems unlikely we'll see it in NYC again anytime soon, and I'm glad I didn't miss this rendering, for all the reasons noted above.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 5/10/15 at 8:03pm

I always considered Zorba one of my favorite musicals. I saw this when I was thirteen and I was blown away by Lorraine Serrabian as the leader and Maria Karnilova as Madame Hortense. It was the first musical I saw where someone died and I was very moved in 1968. As an adult, I realized that maybe the plot is a bit flawed and  clunky now.

I cringed during the revival with Anthony Quinn. I thought it the Encores Production was well done for the short amount of time they had to throw it together. I was pleasantly surprised after its critical drubbing.

Marin Mazzie sang the hell out of her songs as the leader. While not quite capturing the haunting quality of the original leader  Lorraine Serrabian, (who could?)  she still was very effective if not perfectly Greek as the Leader. Zoe Wanamaker was a delight at Hortense. She is an actress I am not familiar with but she was quite moving  at the ditzy Hortense yearning for her glory days. . John Turtorro gave it his all and has nothing to be ashamed of but he was indeed miscast. He is more of a Motel Kemzoil than a Zorba the Greek. I kept wishing Robert Cuccioli (who played Mavrodani) would have played Zorba . I am sure he was there as insurance in case John Turturro couldn't pull it off; but the role should have gone to the Zorba like baritone, Cuccioli. He is the right age, the right look and the right charisma. The widow is a thankless role. Carmen Alvarez couldn't do much with it. Neither could whoever played it in the Anthony Quinn Revival  It is underwritten. She is depressed. She is mourning. She sleeps with Niko. She sings a song. She gets killed. Not much to do with that role. Santino Fontana was a solid Niko. Every bit as good as the original Niko back in 1968.

 

I thought the  "Greek Chorus" choreography of Josh Rhodes was effective.  I thought it commented on the action the way a real Greek Chorus would in classical Greek Drama.  I felt it added to the theme of life ticking away... things happening  while you are waiting to die: So much machinations that you don't have control over.

This wasn't a perfect Encores production but still a damn good one.

 

[forgetmenotnyc]

Posted: 5/10/15 at 11:29pm

Thank you all for participating in this thread. Some wonderful opinions & insights into a work that warranted our investment of response & care. Congratulations to all concerned with what must have felt like 2 weeks of intense involvement. I personally would love to be able to have a recording of the entire score & underscoring.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/10/15 at 11:44pm

Thank you for weighing in, Auggie27. I wish I could have seen the show you're describing which sounds like it made much more sense and had the depth this one was missing.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 5/12/15 at 12:50am

this was truly fabulous, first rate theatre. thrilling, enchanting...magical.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 5/12/15 at 1:55am

"It's hard to add to the discussion" but thanks for your lengthy essay nonetheless.  In short I found it underwhelming.  While by no means a classic, it has some terrific songs and dynamic characters.  I don't think Bobbie did a great job of showing them off.  

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 5/12/15 at 10:34am

Last night Lorraine Serabian performed "Life Is" at Town Hall (Musicals of 1966-90) and apparently stopped the show again - 47 years after first singing it. How I wish I could have heard her! Apparently she still looks and sounds fabulous.

Updated On: 5/12/15 at 10:34 AM