Bridges of Madison County CD

[Julie Yard]

Posted: 7/14/14 at 8:48pm

I'm lost in this CD and mad! How did this show fail? The music is sinfully good. And the casting! They are all phenomenal .. (OK...Kelli O'Hara is phenomenal ++). The music should have carried this play for years. OR? Is music like this ... passe? Saw it twice, would see it twice again. Tomorrow.

[rjm516]

Posted: 7/14/14 at 9:11pm

Yup. It's all I've been listening to for months. It's amazing. I also saw it twice!

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/14/14 at 9:12pm

There are several threads on what went wrong with this beautiful show. I miss it, and wish I could go see it whenever I want.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 7/14/14 at 9:17pm

I saw it twice, the second time as a fill-in for a friend's date who dropped out, and I found it an aesthetically pleasing musical of a story I do not care for. I have no sympathy for a woman (or anyone, for that matter) who cheats on her veteran husband and the father of her two children. Nor do I have sympathy for a show that seems to suggest that it was romantic of her to do so. But we all have our taboos.

[cknick]

Posted: 7/14/14 at 9:36pm

Gorgeous score, heartbreaking story, and beautifully staged. A rarity these days.

[Julie Yard]

Posted: 7/14/14 at 9:44pm

Damn! Are you a republican? This is fantasy, not the barbarians at the gate. Sheesh.

Sorry this post was directed at JNB.

Updated On: 7/14/14 at 09:44 PM

[cknick]

Posted: 7/14/14 at 9:46pm

I guess if your life is perfect and you have no regrets you'd share jnb's feelings on this show.




Updated On: 7/14/14 at 09:46 PM

[jnb9872]

Posted: 7/14/14 at 9:52pm

Nope, not a republican. Just a person who's made a lifelong commitment to being a devoted partner to my beloved, and though the music of this show was soaring, it's emotional priorities struck all sorts of wrong chords in me.

[cknick]

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

I think the subject matter is what makes the show so achingly beautiful. The affair and then the fact that SHE CHOSE to stay with her husband and family is what is so moving for me. To me, that was her way of saying "I know this is wrong, it makes me happy, but it's wrong and I need to be here for my family." And more importantly, and as I said, she chose that herself despite the pressure from her lover. A very intimate look at a woman's struggles.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

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

Why did you have to make a point that he was a veteran? Would it have been a little better if he wasn't a veteran?

[haterobics]

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

I never understood why any show would only receive a literal interpretation. It seems like one mental tweak and you could be glad you found your Francesca on the first try, etc.

Of course, being gay, I guess I'm used to having to tweak a lot of what I see in the media to find parallels...

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

[Sutton Ross]

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

I agree, Haterobics. Also, why anyone would bring up Bud being a veteran or decide to judge characters in a musical is beyond me.

[Julie Yard]

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

I appreciate this talk about the story, because it makes me realize I didn't care that much about the story. The music and singing hooked me. They could have been up there playing Wicked (less than a fave for me), and if they made it work with the BOMC songs, I'd be in.

[Mr Roxy]

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

It failed due to horrible marketing, a disinterested public and a so so review from the lord of all of us Lord Ben Brantley.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

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

I remember seeing the video ads on Youtube and it didn't look very interesting. It seems like it was nothing but ballads and the parts they showcased didn't really catch my ear. Also, I surprisingly enjoyed the movie, and thought Clint Eastwood did a good job directing it. However, that really wasn't enough to make me seek out more about the musical. However, the fans here were the ones that made me interested.

[haterobics]

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

As per usual, only Roxy could misinterpret these closing line from Brantley as a so-so review: "But then Ms. O’Hara would sing. And the field of corn that is this production’s backdrop would seem to turn into a labyrinthine, richly hued forest where a woman, and an audience, can get lost in ecstasy."

You know, how all mixed reviews usually end, with pure adoration...

Updated On: 7/14/14 at 10:28 PM

[perfectlymarvelous]

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

The marketing, as has been discussed here at length, was terrible and there wasn't an audience for it (or they never found the audience). I found it to be a beautiful show from start to finish, and the score is stunning. I'm just glad we got a wonderful cast recording out of it.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/14/14 at 11:13pm

Agreed

[binau]

Posted: 7/15/14 at 5:03am

The marketing was one of the worst I've seen. I took a chance on a rush ticket afraid I'd be bored to death (but wanted to give it a chance because of the creative team and Kelli), and was pleasantly surprised. If I knew the show I was walking into was the show it was, I would have bought a full-price ticket.

[mamaleh]

Posted: 7/15/14 at 10:12am

I saw the show four times (once in Williamstown, three times at the Schoenfeld) and would gladly have returned again. Bummer it closed so prematurely. Love, love, love the CD. I can't quite remember what they sounded like, but I know some songs I liked in Williamstown did not make the trip down to NY. I hope JRB someday records those "lost" songs, hopefully with guest artists Elena Shaddow or Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale. Well, I can hope, can't it?

[skylight2]

Posted: 7/15/14 at 10:20am

The production was mediocre; some of the scenes dragged; the book was horrible. Yes, the score was good but I actually found Kelli's singing voice here a bit shrill. Surprised that it's the way she likes to sing. It didn't blend well with Steve Pasquale's voice.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 7/15/14 at 11:49am

I know this is the 18th thread to revisit the Battle of The Bridges, but any excuse to reap praise on this show is ok by me. I'm with those who replay this CD more than any other from the past few seasons on Broadway. The score fills me with life. I could listen to Francesca's solos all day. And the marriage of that role with that actress is what defines a legendary Broadway performance.

I found the libretto actually beautiful and subtle and honest about the taboo subject of challenging your life choices decades after you first made them, even if that means destroying a marriage. (And I'm prejudiced here-- my 22-year love affair with my boyfriend, now husband, would never have happened had I stayed faithful to my previous boyfriend.)

This show will be studied and marveled at decades from now, as they try to fathom how audiences in 2014 gave it so little love.



Updated On: 7/15/14 at 11:49 AM

[Melissa25]

Posted: 7/15/14 at 12:59pm

I liked the movie and read the book in prep of seeing the musical. I saw the show twice and count me as an avid fan that will be speaking it's (and the OBCR) praise for years.

"And the marriage of that role with that actress is what defines a legendary Broadway performance."

Cannot agree more.
I still shake my head that Kelli was robbed of that Tony and that Steven didn't even get a nomination is still beyond me.

Updated On: 7/15/14 at 12:59 PM

[rjm516]

Posted: 7/15/14 at 7:02pm

^ same. Also, am I the only one that didn't find fault with the book? Upon my second viewing I was like, wow...this is perfection. The story really resonated with me. The actors made it ugh so good.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 7/15/14 at 8:35pm

Kelli was 'robbed'... do Tony winners no longer earn their awards? Was Jessie Mueller's acclaimed performance in BEAUTIFUL beating Kelli's acclaimed performance in BRIDGES a 'robbery'?

Keeping in mind that BRIDGES was a show I liked parts of very much and found parts I disliked in equal measure, the retroactive martyrdom of this show is almost comical.