A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight...(review updates here)- Page 10

[dramageek1211]

Posted: 7/17/10 at 1:12am

Just got back from seeing Night Music and thought I'd offer my thoughts. Please keep in mind that it is 12:53am as I write this. For what its worth, I had never seen the show before and new only a little about it. I have listened to the cast recording a few times but am not horribly familiar with it. Well, as far as what everyone was expecting, its pretty much right on track. Bernadette Peters can only be described as fantastic, breathtaking and giving quite a performance. Having never seen Catherine Zeta-Jones do the part, I can't imagine anyone but Bernadette doing it. She truly embraced the role and was nothing short of amazing. As far as Elaine Stritch goes, all I can say is she tried. Not being very familiar with the book at all (and having read basically this whole thread before seeing the show), there were moments where I was wondering if she was being the character and forgetting what she was going to say or just actually could not remember. From what I have read otherwise, she seemed to be able to get a lot more other nights than what she got tonight. But, to be totally honest, I have to say that I loved it. Knowing that you are watching a legend like Stritch perform basically makes up for any mishaps she brought to the stage. Still, I can understand other people's frustration since most are paying high prices to see a top quality show in which they expect the actors to know their lines. Liasons, however, was wonderfully disasterous. Quite a few lines were called out, the tempo went so slow that I could hear exact strings being plucked on instruments with seconds in between plucks, and I think she may have even forgotten almost an entire verse's words. She did get it eventually though...kind of. Every time she came onstage I was a little nervous though. She seemed to do things to allow her to remember (ex: drinking in between words of a sentence during the dinner scene) and if she did remember she seemed to get so excited that she totally dropped any character she had to just say the word she had forgotten. She also moved around in that chair a whole lot. I thought she was going to stand up and just walk away at some point. And now that I've rambled, I'm going to end by simply saying it was quite a show. Quite. A. Show.

Oh, and for those interested, Bernadette and Elaine both came out at the stagedoor. Elaine walked out and waved and then went and got in her car. I was standing next to a photographer who had been there for a few nights and she said that opening night Elaine said she was diabetic and had to eat and that she would sign tomorrow, but she didn't sign the next day either. So, don't look forward to getting to talk to her I guess. Bernadette came out and signed and photographed a bit VERY quickly. Her car was waiting right outside as well and once she signed all the playbills, she quickly drove off in the back seat. It was great getting to see them both!

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 7/17/10 at 1:47am

Don't get me wrong here...I'm not asking which pair is better. I'm merely curious if Bernadette's fantastic performance makes anyone who didn't really care for the production before change their mind.

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 7/17/10 at 2:08am

Does any of the show's merchandise have Peters/Stritch's photos on it?

[Q]

Posted: 7/17/10 at 3:16am

"Every time she came onstage I was a little nervous though"

That's not a good thing for an audience to feel.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/17/10 at 8:41am

^I actually felt the same way for her on Tuesday. You wanted her to do well, so every scene was like holding your breath, hoping she got through out.

I was hoping she'd be better now, though by all accounts Friday seems to have been noticeably worse for her than the other nights this week.

[TimesSquared]

Posted: 7/17/10 at 7:44pm

•spoilers•

Just saw it a few nights back. Stritch was funny. Really funny, as in out of control funny. She appeared so stymied trying to remember her lines that she frequently resorted to her loud, brash Strichness. For some reason that I can't explain, I still enjoyed her performance. Maybe something about seeing an aged actress who is no longer at the top of her game play an aging courtesan no longer at the top of hers. She was often inappropriate (her extended pause after the word c•ck at the end?!!) but I still found many parts of her performance very moving. And the night I saw it, she performed Liasons beautifully and without any noticeable flubs.

I loved Bernadette's Desirée. She was radiant on that stage. "You Must Meet My Wife" was a lesson in comic timing, with Bernadette's one-liners bringing the number to the level of show stopper—the applause just went on and on...yes, show-stopping applause for "You Must Meet My Wife"! She stopped the show again with "Send in the Clowns". Her clinch with Frederick on their knees when they finally get together set off the most explosive applause—for both of them—they earned that beautiful moment. Alexander Hanson was even more wonderful than in the last engagement.

The rest of the cast, save a few, remained as strangely inept as I found them before. Ramona Mallory's characterization seems to have gone from strange, in the original engagement, to completely insane in the current one. She turns most of her lines to absolute gibberish with her incomprehensible readings. Herdlicka is just so awkward onstage—and not in a good way. The scenes between Anne and Henrik are interminable. Leigh Ann Larkin is still as far from earthy as any Petra I've seen—and in about twenty dialects throughout the course of the play. She looks more like a vampy showgirl than a peasant maid performing "The Miller's Son". In general, light, funny dialogue is slowed to a deadly crawl by most of the supporting cast. Many don't seem to have the acting technique to maintain a consistent performance through a long run. I found Aaron Lazar just OK, as I did last time. His voice is too light and tenor-y in the role for my taste—except for the inexplicably powerful final "mine!" in "In Praise of Women". Why couldn't, or didn't, he put that power and color into the rest of his singing?

Most improved in the cast since I last saw it: Erin Davie as Charlotte. I didn't like her performance last winter, but I thought she was wonderful this time around: just perfectly, bitterly funny, without the plea for sympathy she seemed to be going for last time. Keaton Whittaker as Fredrika was lovely, as before.

[Mandi Moo]

Posted: 7/17/10 at 8:02pm

Just got back from seeing the matinee. For anyone who's interested in what's going on with the student rush, I got there around 9 and was the 10th person in line and only about 5 more people showed up in the next hour. Everyone seemed to get tickets without a problem.

I loved Bernadette.

Bradley Dean was on as Carl-Magnus today, and I thought that he was wonderful. Lots of energy and very funny.

And oh, Elaine Stritch. When she knew her lines she was great. She put back a lot of the humor in the role that I felt was lacking with Angela. She had to be prompted for the very first line of Liasons, but then finished about half of it wonderfully so I thought that maybe she was in the clear, but then she had to keep being prompted at the end and it really just ruined the song for me. Though, at intermission I heard two different groups of people who were convinced that the prompting was part of the show and liked it, so I guess that ignorance is bliss.

I must say, I think there was one part of the show that benefited from her not knowing her lines. She completely skipped the line at the beginning of Act II about squatting on the ground like Bohemians, so it wasn't as strange later when everyone squats on the ground like Bohemians at dinner. That was an aspect of this production that always really bothered me for some reason...

[binau]

Posted: 7/17/10 at 8:05pm

"I heard two different groups of people who were convinced that the prompting was part of the show and liked it, so I guess that ignorance is bliss. "

That is extremely cute. Thanks for the report!

Updated On: 7/17/10 at 08:05 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/17/10 at 8:18pm

From someone involved in the show - apparently the prompting thats going on the last few performances in Liaisons is an attempt to help Stritch keep a more steady tempo with the number - i.e 'cue-ing' her on entrances. When I saw the show on Wednesday night she didn't need any prompting on the lyrics - but she was obviously still struggling to remember the lyrics and keep the tempo on cue.

I'm sure she's also probably exhausted but I understand she's really working very hard to try to get the number where it really needs to be musically

[artscallion]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 12:48am

Saw the matinee today. Elaine was a complete train wreck. I don't think she got a single line right. They were continually calling out lines from the wings. It was clear they were not just trying to keep her pacing up as she was clearly fumbling for lines for a good time before they'd throw her a line. She was mispronouncing words and names and changing things and yelling. It was a horrible thing to watch.

And I really agree with those that say this should not go on. They need to buy her out of her contract. You just can't ask people to pay these prices to be so brought out of a show like this. Every time they wheeled her out, I got a knot in my stomach. You can't have that on Broadway.

And to top it off, the Carl Magnus understudy completely messed up "It Would Have Been Wonderful" He skipped a verse, changed another and then sang a whole string of lines from Frederick's part that had already been sung.

I am considering calling tomorrow for a refund, something I've never done before. I mean really, paying $137 to hear calling lines out from the wings over and over? And an actress who clearly is not capable of performing the part. I wondered at times if she even knew where she was.

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 12:55am

Wow, what exactly would it take for Elaine to be "bought out" of her contract?

[Q]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 12:57am

This makes me sad. But, if the conveyed circumstances are true, I have to agree with changing things - for everyone's benefit.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 1:07am

And to top it off, the Carl Magnus understudy completely messed up "It Would Have Been Wonderful"

Was it Bradley Dean or Kevin Vortmann? If it was Kevin, he is brand new to understudying the role.

*edit* Above indicates it was Dean.
Updated On: 7/18/10 at 01:07 AM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 1:38am

Yikes...I hope Elaine improves soon! I really want her to do well in this role.

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 1:42am

It truly saddens me that Elaine is struggling so much. I had such high hopes for her and I'm sure she is beating herself up over this. I hope she can find her way in the role as I have been dying to see the Peters/Stritch duo.

[mybigsplash]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 1:47am

I too was going to hold off on seeing this for a few weeks, but now i'm so curious i dont know what to expect! Maybe ill go this week.

[RainbowJude]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 1:53am

I still wish we had Bernadette Peters paired with Angela Lansbury, as some of the casting rumours had it way before the show opened. I say we ditch Stritch, get Lansbury back and film the thing for DVD.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 1:56am

Stritch has some wonderful moments that come close to being perfection. I say we still give her a chance.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 2:11am

Wow, what exactly would it take for Elaine to be "bought out" of her contract?

Exactly what it sounds like. The producers would continue to pay her for the length of her contract (which seems to be until November 7), even though she would no longer be performing the role. Essentially, she'd be paid for not playing the part.

I HIGHLY doubt that will happen, unless it gets really bad in the coming weeks. It's expensive and would be mortifying for Elaine.

If it were to happen, and it's a huge IF, they'd come up with some cover story that would allow Elaine to back out gracefully (similar to the Christian Hoff "injury" in Pal Joey).

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 2:14am

Thanks for the info. I was wondering specifically what the likelihood was of this happening but it seems like the chances are extremely slim.

[artscallion]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 8:43am

Ljay889: "Stritch has some wonderful moments that come close to being perfection. I say we still give her a chance."



She didn't share any of them with us yesterday, Ljay. To give some perspective to my opinion, I love Stritch, I love this production, I loved CZJ and AL (who I thought was amazing despite the fact that she played it closer to Mrs Santa Clause than to my idea of Madam Armfeldt) as well as most of the rest of the cast.

I went in having heard about Stritch's problems in this. I thought, Oh well, she's 84 and you have to give her some slack. Plus I thought I'd still pay full price just to see this legend, even if she was a little off. But this was a different story. She was not "a little off" She should not have been up there. At least without an earpiece. There was constant tension in the audience whenever she was on. Is she pausing because she's lost? Is she pausing for effect? She's clearly struggling, why aren't they calling out her line yet. It was constant tension. At one point, during her toast, she got lost, mumbled some gibberish, held her hands out, and shouted out, "NO! Don't give it to me! I am going to get it!" Then we all sat there for 30 seconds while she struggled to get out a garbled version of the rest of the toast.

Does anyone know why she doesn't have an earpiece? That would solve my issue with this. That's what crosses the line between acceptable and not, for me. To see a part badly cast or poorly acted is one thing. That's subjective and happens all the time. But to endure backstage crew shouting out lines throughout while we watch someone squirm? That is what makes it cross the line into 'things you should not charge us $137 to see."

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 9:46am

Distressing to hear that apparently Stritch's high point in the role was Wednesday night (the night I saw her). I imagine that fatigue must be playing a role in her memory lapses - and I'm sure its all doubly frustrating for her since - if Wednesday night was any indication - the lines and lyrics are there -

I imagine thats the reason why she probably would have been resistant to an ear piece - if you've done at least one performance where it was all pretty much 'there' - its probably hard to admit you might need it.

I think perhaps the teleprompter idea (that was used for Barbara Cook in the previews of Sondheim on Sondheim) might be a better fit for Stritch.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 10:01am

So....I'm leaving for two weeks on Thursday. Is this something I need to rush to before I go if I'm going to see Stritch in the role?

[singtome8]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 12:17pm

I saw it last night, and I have to say it is a completely different show from what I saw in January with CZJ and AL. I thought all of the supporting characters pulled in their strange, caricatures of what they had created to make truly honest, dynamic portrayals of Anne, Petra, and Henrik. The scene right before and going into Every Day A Little Death was truly heartbreaking- Erin Davie is phenominal.

Bernadette was, as everyone else has said, truly wonderful. This is the first time I've ever seen her perform live, and it was breathtaking. Everyone around me, myself included, was audibly crying during Send In The Clowns. Her chemistry with Keaton was really wonderful, they made an adorable mother daughter pair.

And Stritch... well, I found her entertaining. I don't know if it was because I was just enjoying watching a legend on stage, or because I love going to the theatre and having strange experiences, but I was amused by her line flubbing. Mostly I enjoyed watching her cover it by looking to the rest of the cast and saying WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR? Liasons was painfully long, and by the end I found I really had no idea what she was talking about anymore. By the middle of the first act every time she was wheeled on stage there was audible murmurs and laughter in the audience. I know not everyone will share in my amusement, and it did detract from the rest of the show which has grown into a really beautiful piece of theatre IMO.

Overall though- I'd say go see it! Especially if you saw it with CZJ and AL, I think it has come such a long way since then(or at least since January).

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/18/10 at 12:22pm

I really wish they could convince Stritch to use a teleprompter.