Posted: 1/28/17 at 1:24pm
So I'm reading the libretto now, and there are a bunch of references to Stevie the cow being on stage. How did they do that on Broadway? Was it like Into the Woods, where they had a fake plastic cow, or was it suggested?
Posted: 1/28/17 at 1:29pm
I don't believe that the cow was ever onstage if my memory serves me correctly.
Posted: 1/28/17 at 1:36pm
I only saw the tour, so I can't speak for Broadway, but the cow was never actually seen on stage. The stable (is that what they call the holding place for cows? I'm not familiar with farming lingo) was seen, but not the actual animal itself.
Posted: 1/28/17 at 2:59pm
There was no cow in the Broadway production. The only stable/county fair, was the set for State Road 21 if I remember correctly.
Updated On: 1/28/17 at 02:59 PM
Posted: 1/28/17 at 5:46pm
What about Robert's truck? It's in the stage directions a lot, but was there an entire truck on stage?
Posted: 1/28/17 at 5:51pm
No. Not everything is a literal stage direction.
The "note" in the front of the libretto says it all---
"The set contains only what is necessary to suggest the places and the events of the story. Even the bridges themselves may be represented in images alone. Costumes will reveal the time and place. Projections may be used to give us a sense of Robert’s photographic style and skill. The piece may feel at times like a memory or a lucid dream, in that people can appear whenever anyone onstage thinks of them. The center of the world is Francesca herself, everything circles around her, though she is not really aware of this. If you asked her who the main character was, she would say it was Bud or the kids. But it isn’t. It is her story. "
Posted: 1/30/17 at 11:42am
Alex Kulak2 said: "What about Robert's truck? It's in the stage directions a lot, but was there an entire truck on stage?
"
For the most part, the truck is just alluded to. The truck is shown onstage but it's not an actual tuck. It's more like props stacked up and used to look like a truck seat and then Robert holds a steering wheel. I'm not sure if that makes sense but I hope it helped! :)
Posted: 1/30/17 at 12:48pm
It all sounds really cool. I adore the score, and I wish I could have seen the show.
Posted: 1/30/17 at 1:24pm
I do recall that they shoveled cow manure in one scene that felt very literal despite the absence of a cow. Kudos to THAT prop person.
Posted: 2/2/17 at 8:42am
Robert's truck, The stable (the closest you ever get to the cow), and the bridge. One of my favorite things about this show was the simplicity of the set.
