A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight...(review updates here)- Page 3
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight...(review updates here)
#50A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 10:35pm
Her second act, save for the opening scene, was much better. She forgot a whole series of lines. Her final scenes were much better. The audience and cast were extremely supportive and I'm sure in time she'll get there. She'll be great in no time. She appeared overwhelmed at the curtain call at the outpouring of support. I think she'll be outstanding in a few weeks.
Peters, as others mentioned, was outstanding. Beautiful performance.
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#51A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 10:44pmDespite my feeling of pure idolatry for Bernie....I didn't want to see this again. Now I do. Curse you Bernadette Peters for being an outstanding performer!
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#52A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 10:47pm
Bernadette was sensational. Wiped clean all my unpleasant memories of her predecessor and delivered the most achingly beautiful "Send in the Clowns" I've heard in some time.
Elaine, as mentioned, is not quite there yet--she missed lines, was off-tempo, etc--but she actually was much better than I had imagined she would be. She--unlike AL, in my opinion--seems to really understand the character, bringing a mournful quality to Madame Armfeldt but also capturing the humor.
The ensemble, as always, ranges from very good to amateur.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#53A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 10:50pm
Why must we tear down and criticize the original cast in order to praise the replacements?
CZJ and Angela were wonderful. Peters is phenomenal and Elaine will soon be great, too.
Q
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/3/05
#54A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 10:52pm
I wasn't sad to miss this revival - the clips I've seen just look . . . well, ugly. And the previous performers didn't capture anything for me (from what I saw.)
But Bernadette as Desiree . . .
Now I'm sad.
#55A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 10:56pmSorry. Forgot we weren't allowed to do anything but praise CZJ and AL. Not everyone enjoyed them as much as you did...
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#56A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 10:57pm
Don't be sad.
That's what fairies can fly.
walkedthroughmany
Leading Actor Joined: 3/25/07
#57A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:01pm
"Why must we tear down and criticize the original cast in order to praise the replacements?"
I don't think anyone is re-writing their original opinions of Zeta-Jones. They didn't have positive opinions in the first place. It has nothing to do with the replacements.
#58A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:09pm
I concur with what others are saying. Stritch's last scene was gorgeous. She's acting the hell out of the role, and while she had very real trouble with lines, I have no doubt that she'll be delivering an expert performance in no time.
This was my first time seeing the production, which I did have some issues with (i.e., why'd they stage it on the leftover set from The Seagull?). But man, Bernadette was triumphant--funny and sexy, determined yet fragile. There was such a lovely sense of innocence and optimism that didn't diminish the character's worldliness. And as has been noted, her "Send in the Clowns" was exquisite.
I also loved Leigh Ann Larkin and Alexander Hanson who I'm sure everyone else already has firm opinions about. Larkin really just bit into "The Miller's Son." And HAnson was exquisite.
edit: Just wanted to add a note that my love of Bernadette is probably apparent from my avatar and may make me love everything she touches. :)
Updated On: 7/13/10 at 11:09 PM
#59A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:11pmSounds like an amazing performance, and I really hope I get a chance to see it. How did the rest of the cast adapt to them? Did performances and character relationships seem to change?
#60A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:14pm
Hopefully someone will PM me a link.
I'm just sayin'...
#61A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:15pm
I didn't notice any major changes, except perhaps that Bernadette seemed a little more tender with Fredrika than Catherine had been.
Both Lazar and Davie seemed to have become broader in their characterizations. Davie, who was quite dry when I last saw the show in February, appears to have made the role more traditionally comedic. It seems to be working--every one of her jokes landed well, which wasn't the case the last time I went.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#62A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:21pm
Ok, I'm home and able to actually write some thoughts.
Bernadette was absolute perfection. Just the right blend of humor and longing in her Desiree. She doesn't ham it up like CZJ (who I thought was absolutely lovely, but too hammy) and plays her very sincere. Like someone said, her "Clowns" was heartbreakingly beautiful. Just... stunning.
Elaine did forget quite a bit, but not nearly as much as I thought she would. Once she nails down the lyrics of "Liaisons", the tempo will pick up. As it was tonight, it was a funeral dirge. She also really mis-stepped on her section of "Glamorous Life". But there was an absolutely exceptional performance there. It all came together in her wooden ring speech (which she NAILED, line for line). Her Madame Armfeldt is very clearly a woman who knows she is dying. She's heartbreaking. She's also uproariously funny. Once she gets the lines down, she will be perfection.
The rest of the cast were, for the most part, on their A-game. Ramona Mallory and Hunter Ryan Herdlicka have become less of a caricature and have actually formed characters. Leigh Ann Larkin is wonderful. Alexander Hanson is excellent. Erin Davie and Aaron Lazar are dead on. The Quintet, however, felt off this evening. There were two understudies on (Karen Murphy and Erin Stewart). The dynamic just felt off amongst those five.
As I said, the curtain call was very touching. Elaine was overwhelmed by the audience's support. Bernadette was beaming. The entire cast looked like it was opening night for them all over again. All in all, just a wonderful evening. One I'll certainly never forget.
#63A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:28pmIt really sounds like a great night and can't wait to go back again at the end of the month... Anyway, did anyone happen to stagedoor?
#64A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:42pmWho were Karen and Erin on for? Hopefully Sara Jean Ford didn't miss her first performance as Mrs. Anderssen.
#65A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:46pmSara was on. Betsy Morgan and Jayne Patterson were out.
#66A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:47pm
Also, for those wondering....Stritch doesn't do the opening speech. Some man reads it, and it's the same one Lansbury did.
The biggest misstep Stritch had (aside from an all over the place Liaisons) was at the beginning of act 2, and it was particularly unfortunate because she missed two of my favorite lines in the entire show- she dropped "Good god you're right!" and "...before they see us squatting on the lawn like Bohemians!"
As for the rest of them, Hanson is still magnificent, and the fact that Chad Kimball received a Tony nomination over him is appalling. Herdlicka is less screechy, but still struggles with the higher notes. Mallory is more annoying than ever. Lazar remains hilarious. I still don't think Erin Davie understands that her character is supposed to be funny.
Sidenote...two female Liebs were out tonight, which meant that Karen Murphy had to go on as a Lieb. This sort of threw the balance, given how much older she is than the others. Also, they gave her some bizarre outfits. She wears this jacket that is a cross between a lab coat and something a magician's assistant would wear. Then she wears this old lady blouse with a brooch that makes her look like a matron. Very odd.
#67A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:51pm
Thank you everyone for your reviews! I'm eager to get back to the Kerr and see Bernadette and Elaine.
How was stage door?
"Anybody that goes to the theater, I think we’re all misfits, so we ended up on stage or in the audience.” --- Patti LuPone.
#68A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:54pm*cough* Check "the site".
bwayfan7000
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/28/09
#69A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/14/10 at 12:02amJust listening to Peters' Clowns on "the site" is giving me chills. I can only imagine how amazing it is live!
"Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos."-Stephen Sondheim
#70A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/14/10 at 12:08amThanks! Updated On: 7/14/10 at 12:08 AM
#71A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/14/10 at 12:10am
The "site"'s preview is fabulous.
Does anyone have the whole show as a PM? :)
#73A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight....
Posted: 7/14/10 at 12:14am^ I share Jordan's confuzzlement
TalkinLoud
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/3/09
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