Anybody watching "Passion"?- Page 2

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 9:09pm

cast info and link to playbill pdf

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 9:10pm

Does anyone else think this sounds REMARKABLY like "Into the Woods"? Yes, I know they're both Sondheim shows...but these two are VERY close.

Updated On: 3/31/05 at 09:10 PM

Posted: 3/31/05 at 9:12pm

I don't hear Into the Woods... I hear a little Assassins though... Especially Something Just Broke

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 9:17pm

this is a gorgeous staging and a wonderful theatre piece altogether, but I could really go for a kickline right about now. or even an uptempo number, some cowbell maybe. I'm in a restless mood though.

[Johnnytoc]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 9:23pm

Sarah, thats funny, bc as I watch this, Something just broke came into my mind.

[Johnnytoc]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 9:26pm

Broadway matt; thanks for the link. Without knowing the cast, besides the three leads, I was able to spot some familiar people.

Posted: 3/31/05 at 9:45pm

Bway Matt--Just for you I've decided to break out the cowbell hehe...

You can always use more cowbell.

[sweetiedarlinmia]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 9:50pm

WOW. LOVED IT! I must now get my professor's copy of the OBC video. LOVED IT!

[Elphaba]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 9:53pm

is this on PBS?

[musicgal04]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 9:56pm

That was beautiful.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 9:57pm

Sunday April 3, 5PM, KCET Los Angeles

I was REALLY going to scream if LA was not doing it

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 9:57pm

thanks sarah, for the cowbell! I had a fever, and you delivered the perfect prescription to remedy it. now, I think it's time for a dance break.

[Johnnytoc]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 9:57pm

That was really beautiful to see.

Posted: 3/31/05 at 10:03pm

*dances just enough to look cool but not foolish* Party party

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 10:03pm

Gorgeous...so surprised it was so short-lived on Broadway.

[KMF_NYC]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 10:04pm

SPECTACULAR...better than the Ravinia concert...so well sung and acted...

Audra...is there nothing she can not do??

Patti - Stephen, please write a show JUST FOR HER!!!!!!!!!

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 10:06pm

Incredible. Patti made a spectacular Fosca. Audra's Clara had me enthralled. I think that Michael is the best Giorgio ever.

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 10:07pm

I wonder if this will be available for purchase. Is PBS re-airing it anytime this weekend?

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 10:07pm

It just ended. It's been a long time since I watched the DVD, and was reminded just how powerful Passion is. The staging was mostly effective, the cast was fantastic...a beautiful production pretty much all around.

I'll start with Patti. She has the most difficult part to play, and not just because of Donna Murphy's definitive portrayal. What I found tonight was that her performance is definitively untouchable, but not as much as I thought. Patti played Fosca as strong throughout, whereas Murphy was weak and fragile. She successfully walked the line between sincerity and manipulation (though not as well as Murphy -- I remember watching the DVD for the first time, realizing that Fosca was the one in control of everything, and gasping out loud). Loving You was spectacular -- it's one of the moments in the show where Fosca is speaking completely from the heart, and the simplicity with with Patti sang it made it the highlight of the show. The make-up job was spectacular; she looked frightening, while Murphy looked merely plain.

Audra McDonald was excellent. Her voice was gorgeous, and her acting was solid. Marin Mazzie in the original cast found more of the subtleties of the role, but Clara, when compared to Giorgio and Fosca, is not as difficult. She seemed very young and not as mature as the other two, which makes a clearer contrast between Giorgio's two relationships.

Michael Cerveris. Well, he was certainly stronger than Jere Shea. He sounded great and was very convincing. And I wonder why I'm not completely satisfied with his portrayal. Perhaps it's because I want an actor playing Giorgio who seems a little more intellectual (someone more equal with Fosca). Maybe an actor who's a bit older, I think. Another slight problem with his performance: I didn't feel the moment when he realized he was in love with Fosca. Giorgio thinks he's in love with Clara, but he realizes that it is not true love, that true love is what he feels for Fosca. He is the center of the show, and he is the one who changes the most. I'd like to see a production someday where Giorgio is the major character, and not Fosca. Maybe it's not possible, because Fosca is such a well-developed character (one of the greatest female roles in musical theatre, in my opinion).

Lonny Price's direction was very good, although some of the transitions need a rethinking. The show got more laughs than the original, which I think is a directing choice. I feel laughter, like appluase, should not interrupt what is happening. Soldier's Gossip, though it is showing that some characters feel the same way about Fosca that the audience does, is out-of-sync with the show as well.

I remember not being pleased with the book on first glance. It is much better than I remembered, though not as powerful as it should be.

Lastly, the score. Passion is one of Sondheim's greatest scores; the music is so rich and romantic, and the lyrics are his most poetic. It was well-served tonight.

All that being said, I'm very glad I taped this tonight, and look forward to watching it again.
Updated On: 3/31/05 at 10:07 PM

[broadway betty]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 10:14pm

Audra is stunning, simply stunning!

[Luvinbroadway]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 10:16pm

Can we PLEASE get Patti a show on Broadway! She is a force of nature....

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 10:19pm

I taped it just in case it isn't released. I'm sure that they will re-air it, even if they don't release it on DVD/video. Just keep checking the TV listings and don't forget to set your VCR/Tivo.

[sweetiedarlinmia]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 10:20pm

Is it bad that I have already rewound it and started replaying it? I have to watch it again.

[Sporkie]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 10:21pm

Oh, i wish I had television

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 10:41pm

Really nice review, Gov. You're quite a writer and I agree completely. Murphy gave one of the greatest performances I've ever seen -- it was, as if she was channeling Maria Callas up there or something when I saw her. I need to watch the DVD at some point so I can watch that performance with closeups.