Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

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Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/1/10 at 3:27pm

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

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/1/10 at 3:43pm

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.

<------ Me and my friends with patti Lupone at my friends afterparty for her concert with audra mcdonald during the summer of 2007.
"I am sorry but it is an unjust world and virtue is only triumphant in theatricle performances" The Mikado

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/1/10 at 3:53pm

How long was the actual concert? I was trying to figure that out. An hour?

Just give the world Love. - S. Wonder

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/1/10 at 4:02pm

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.

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/1/10 at 4:04pm

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.

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/1/10 at 4:06pm

65 minutes. Yeesh!

"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/1/10 at 4:16pm

I would have been quite upset at those prices. They should have at least done 90 minutes.

Just give the world Love. - S. Wonder

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/1/10 at 4:25pm

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.

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/1/10 at 7:03pm

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.

With Irma you gotta do something!

#10

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/1/10 at 8:06pm

Saw the show... there were some great performances, yes, but I was also not happy at all with the running time.

Rant, Wickud, Rant, Wickud, Rant! We're not gonna pay Rant! 'Cause everythink is Wickud!

"Leave Walt Disney Theatricals new sparkling production of The Little Mermaid on Broadway alone!!!"

lakezurich will be played by Paul Groves in the BWW musical

#11

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/1/10 at 8:12pm

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.

#12

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/1/10 at 8:14pm

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.

#13

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/2/10 at 3:13pm

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

With Irma you gotta do something!

#14

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/2/10 at 3:20pm

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

#15

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/2/10 at 3:22pm

Also, it made the paper

#16

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/2/10 at 3:30pm

Wow, people are really f*cking pissed.

#17

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/2/10 at 3:33pm

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!!!

#18

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/2/10 at 3:34pm

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?

"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal "I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello

Updated On: 8/2/10 at 03:34 PM

#19

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/2/10 at 3:40pm

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.

#20

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/2/10 at 3:42pm

I'm stunned that Patti LuPone didn't have an encore. This is the beginning of the end of the LuPone career.

If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

#21

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/2/10 at 4:03pm

I wonder if the people who paid $750 dollars are even more mad?

#22

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/2/10 at 4:15pm

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

#23

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/2/10 at 4:20pm

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. :)

#24

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/2/10 at 6:04pm

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...

#25

Anger at Sondheim concert at Ravinia

Posted: 8/2/10 at 6:17pm

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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