Leading Actor Joined: 8/1/04
I was there and I can tell you it was a short concert. It was great -- but way too short. To think that I paid $250 for two pavilion seats for this is aggravating, to say the least.
Sondheim at Ravinia
I was there and while i enjoyed it alot i do agree it was a little short. The jokes and such were cute and the music was great but yes too short. However the stage door experiance made up for it.
How long was the actual concert? I was trying to figure that out. An hour?
Leading Actor Joined: 8/1/04
The concert started a little after 7pm and was over by 8:15pm. When you subtract the speeches at the beginning and the clapping at the end -- it was maybe 65 minutes.
I was there as well, and the concert was just over 60 minutes. It was fantastic but way too short for the $250.00 we paid.
Having said that Patti, Audra, Michael and George were breathtaking.
Audra's performance of "Anyone Can Whistle" was simply stunning.
65 minutes. Yeesh!
I would have been quite upset at those prices. They should have at least done 90 minutes.
Additionally, after the show was over, the cast came back on stage several times due to the loud applause. No encores were performed. The cast just stood there and waved and the crowd expected some additional performance. It was quite awkward at that point.
I had a great time but it was unforgivable how short it was. The Night music was thrilling and I was so tickled by the dueling Sweeneys.
Saw the show... there were some great performances, yes, but I was also not happy at all with the running time.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/14/05
I thought it was well worth the $25 I paid to sit on the lawn, but those of you who paid the big bucks definitely deserved a refund or a gift bag or something.
To be fair though, I did only get the $25.00 lawn seats. So, for the $25.00 it was a good deal (although I was still mad that the concert was so short). Although, had I paid the $250.00 I would be fuming.
I was fortunate enough to go as a +1. Paid for ice cream and the Metra (which skipped the Ravinia Park stop going there) and that's it. Which one of y'all queens was doing the group sing on my train ride home? The anger made it to the papers, fyi:
Sondheim at Ravinia - Anger on the North Shore
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
I debated and debated- even had the cursor on the "purchase" button at the Ravinia site but decided that the $160 (for two "cheap seats") was just too much to spend right now. Thank GOD- traffic tie ups mean you can easily spend 65 minutes parking in the remote lot and riding the shuttle over.
Updated On: 8/2/10 at 03:20 PM
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
Wow, people are really f*cking pissed.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
I couldn't find any mention of people being pissed in the paper, but the Tribune today is reporting "Acknowledging that hundreds of people were upset by the short, 65-minute duration of a concert Saturday night celebrating the 80th birthday of American composer Stephen Sondheim, the Ravinia Festival said Monday that it would offer two-for-one pavilion tickets to its upcoming concert staging of “Annie Get Your Gun” for all of Saturday night’s attendees."
Of course the fact that they have that many Annie tickets to move means
It's too damn expensive!!!
I agree that the show sounds disappointing, but wasn't it a benefit? Aren't ticket prices usually padded for a benefit? Also, do we ever really have a guarantee how long a conert will last? I think making it a "rich vs. poor" thing is a bit of a stretch. Would people really ask for refunds from a benefit concert?
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
It's their Gala- A show and dinner for $750 a person. But they also sold tickets to the show for $125 each without saying this will be a truncated evening. And people are saying that they were tossed off the lawn (Ravinia has a huge picnic grove) at 8:30 (Ravinia denies this) and couldn't enjoy an after show dinner (which is about 80% of the appeal of the lawn (you cannot see the stage at all).
If only there was a newspaper report that explained all that.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
I'm stunned that Patti LuPone didn't have an encore. This is the beginning of the end of the LuPone career.
I wonder if the people who paid $750 dollars are even more mad?
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
No cause they got the fancy dinner, hors d'oeuvres and a meet n greet with the Divas.
Updated On: 8/2/10 at 04:15 PM
Joe, if I paid close to a grand, eating braised short ribs next to Patti LuPone ain't making up for a broke-ass hour long concert. Id still be PO'd.
Joe, Im glad you dodged a bullet on this hot mess. :)
Leading Actor Joined: 8/1/04
Some friends of mine that were on the lawn said that no one was kicking anybody out -- and they stayed until about 9pm since it was a beautiful evening and they wanted to let the parking lot empty a bit.
I knew it was a benefit concert, but no where on any advertisements or on my $125 pavilion ticket did it say that anything would be different about the show. I assumed, mistakenly on my part, that it would be a normal CSO show -- at least 1:45 or so.
As for the two for one Annie tickets -- Ravinia has seen the last of my entertainment budget. Fool me once...
I was sitting on the lawn and we definitely didn't get kicked off. we were there until about 9 too. I agree with the comments that it was far too short. after the show, my boyfriend and I looked at each other confused that it was over so quickly. It was a great show though. Watching Patti, George and Michael sing "A Little Priest" together was definitely the highlight along with Audra's song from "Anyone Can Whistle." It was a nice night. Great weather, no mosquitos (a plus since i was eaten alive at a softball game earlier in the week) and some great music.
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