A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC'S reopening tonight...(review updates here)- Page 7

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 1:17pm

"It's so hard not to compare to the previous performer..

It's okay. You can name her by name.

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 1:40pm

I was just on BroadwayOffers to find cheap seats...Looks like both are contracted until November 7th (since ther is a "casting notice" saying the cast after that date is TBD)

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 2:06pm

Eh, I'd rather not. It brings up bad memories! haha!

[Sirius Black]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 2:28pm

Erin Davie is miscast - that's all I can say.

[callitquits]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 2:30pm

Oh, PalJoey, I hope you get to see the show soon - "You Must Meet My Wife" was a true high point. I loved Catherine for the most part, but I always felt that she was working a little too hard for the laughs in that number, resulting in the song not going over as well as it usually does. I don't want to ruin any of her moments/choices for anyone, but Bernadette really restores the song to the hilarious highlight it should be, while totally making it her own. Completely effortless and hilarious. I honestly can't say enough good things about her take on the role... what a triumphant return to Broadway.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 2:34pm

Davie's Charlotte has really grown on me. She's definitely gotten better and funnier. Again, I am so glad "Death" has been restored to a more traditional tempo.

[americanboy99]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 2:36pm

Sirius Black-

I wouldn't say Erin Davie is miscast, perhaps misdirected.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 2:37pm

3 hours and 10 minutes? Really?

And I thought it was horrifically long when I saw it at 2:55.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 2:56pm

All pacing issues were because of Stritch. She is why the show ran so long, lol.

[AC126748]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 3:03pm

I'm sure that the prolonged applause breaks had something to do with it, as well.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 3:09pm

And I'm sure the pacing is already slow to begin with. Yankeefan saw it before Stritch was in the cast.

[Brick]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 3:25pm

As Michael Bennett said, Angela had the same trouble when previews began. Now, this wasn't a preview, but the top ticket price is the same as it was in previews.

If you paid and were disappointed, that's your opinion. But if you want a solid performance, don't come to the first performance.

[DAME]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 3:26pm

Why? Was the first performance free?

[MariusPontmercy]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 3:28pm

It's running at 3hrs-ish? Wow. This same production in London came in at just under 2:45 when I saw it. It seemed longer, though... Updated On: 7/14/10 at 03:28 PM

[Brick]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 4:00pm

Was the first preview free?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 4:03pm

Oh, I'm definitely going to see it again with them! I'm just going to wait until the Elaine settles into the role.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 4:33pm

"Larkin's accent is West Country."

This prompted me to re-listen to her track on the CD and left me wondering the west of which country?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 4:40pm

I really hate when people say you can't judge a performance on the first preview. If they're going to charge $130 to see the show they'd better be damn ready to be judged on it.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 4:53pm

^ Amen. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Another thing - back in the day a show had maybe 6, 7 previews at the most....now these shows have, what...30, 40 previews BEFORE the official opening. What is up with that?

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 4:57pm

Well...but, back in the day, nearly every show went out of town. So they had a run of shows to fix and such.

I don't necessarily disagree with the whole 'Charge full price, get full critique' mindset. But I actually don't ever fault the actors for that. I fault the producers. My belief is, 'You charge whatever you want...but my performance is where it is on that night. You deal with the fallout.'

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 5:01pm

I really hate when people say you can't judge a performance on the first preview.

It comes from an old-school, old-world politeness thing that doesn't exist any more.

Once upon a time, previews were bargain-priced. Theatergoers were, of course, free to say whatever they wanted after the preview, but people were more polite in general then.

Theater professionals, however, considered it a point of honor NEVER to bad-mouth a production after seeing a preview. It was even considered bad form to ATTEND an early preview. Any negative comments you had were to be saved until after opening night. It was a karma thing: You wouldn't want someone to bad-mouth YOUR low-priced early preview, would you? So you didn't bad-mouth theirs.

All that changed when they up-priced the previews. Then the Internet came along, with chat boards.

And that's good, isn't it?

Updated On: 7/14/10 at 05:01 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 5:01pm

Larkin said on Twitter that her accent is West Country. I am just repeating what she wrote. I am not the productions dialect coach.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 5:04pm

You might have done a better job.

[AC126748]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 5:05pm

I've been through West Country in England. Leigh Ann's accent is about as far from West Country as you can get. Try County Kildare mixed with Ellie Mae Clampett.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 5:08pm

Dr. Kildare?