Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
CT2NYC
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/7/17
#1Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/8/20 at 11:48am
Surprised that no one one has mentioned this, but there was a pop-up performance of "Sunday" on the Red Steps in Times Square yesterday, organized by NYCNext. Calling it "A Moment for Broadway," the group of singers included Bernadette Peters, Kelli O'Hara, Sierra Boggess, Andrew Rannells, Brandon Victor Dixon, Andrea Burns, Ana Villafañe, Ali Stroker, Norm Lewis, Javier Muñoz, Joel Grey, Celia Keenan Bolger, Christopher Sieber, and Max von Essen, among others.
https://abc7ny.com/a-moment-for-broadway-nycnext-bernadette-peters-shut-down/6841259/
BCfitasafiddle
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/25/20
#2Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/8/20 at 11:52am
Cried and cried and cried and cried.
What beauty.
#3Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/8/20 at 11:53am
It was beautiful and thrilling. Life-affirming. It sounded great and lovely to see the reactions from folks like Carolee when Bernadette sang. It made me so happy.
That being said, on the NYCNEXT instagram they were streaming behind the scenes video and there was a large crowd watching. The majority looked masked, but still.
#4Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/8/20 at 1:36pm
Nice story in the NYT about this! They don't announce these events ahead of time so as to avoid crowding.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/theater/surprise-theater-times-square.html
#5Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/8/20 at 1:39pm
Does anyone know who conducted?
Also eager to see Sondheim's reaction to this.
Sutton Ross
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/13
#6Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/8/20 at 2:08pm
It was beautiful and thrilling. Life-affirming. It sounded great and lovely to see the reactions from folks like Carolee when Bernadette sang. It made me so happy.
Same.
BCfitasafiddle
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/25/20
#7Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/8/20 at 2:09pm
Jordan Levinson said: "Does anyone know who conducted?
Also eager to see Sondheim's reaction to this."
I thought I saw it was Tom Kitt. Could be wrong.
#8Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/8/20 at 2:27pm
BCfitasafiddle said: "Jordan Levinson said: "Does anyone know who conducted?
Also eager to see Sondheim's reaction to this."
I thought I saw it was Tom Kitt. Could be wrong."
I just found out it was both Kitt and Michael McElroy- no wonder it sounded so good.
#9Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/11/20 at 3:05pm
This photo already feels iconic. WOW. What an amazing event!
BCfitasafiddle
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/25/20
#10Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/11/20 at 3:50pm
qolbinau said: "This photo already feels iconic. WOW. What an amazing event!"
Agreed. Years from now, it will be remembered and looked back on. Seeing the picture of Bernadette at the 9/11 performance of "New York, New York" side by side with this week's... Lots of emotions.
temms
Broadway Star Joined: 7/21/04
#11Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/11/20 at 5:46pmBryan Perri was the conductor. He conducts Jagged Little Pill.
#12Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/15/20 at 4:00am
I've been listening to this on repeat for days as a standalone piece of music and I just love everything about it - the context of course is special, but the arrangements & harmonies and interesting too. It sounds a bit more modern/fresh - like in that (somewhat cliche way now) of having all the characters of a musical at the end sing an uplifting/inspirational emotional harmony ballad (spring awakening; next to normal; dear evan hansen; carrie etc.).
Bernadette's voice also sounds so pure and clean - that vibrato is still lovely! And the nostalgia of her singing it is too much. Maybe she doesn't have the sheer power anymore but she still 'got it'! There is not another voice like it.
Was watching some of the Bernadette/Stritch promo vids* for a Little Night Music^ and it's cool to hear them speak about "Sunday" at the 2010 Birthday concert and how emotional it was - 10 years later I bet Bernadette would not have expected she'd be leading a performance of it in the context she was.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG_l6kSn3KQ
* Watching all of these is actually SO funny - I would say sometimes unintentionally because Stritch is such a personality but it's like a comedy skit/SNL parody watching Bernadette and Elaine together. It's nice to revisit.
^ I know this is an obvious point, but even though Bernadette still looks great I can see that even she has aged in these last 10 years.
#13Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/15/20 at 1:38pm
For me, this performance speaks to the resilience of the theater as art and the resilience of theater folk. It was nice to get a taste of what was and will be again, even for just a few minutes.
#14Broadway Times Square Pop-Up Performance
Posted: 10/15/20 at 2:04pm
I just saw this today. You can actually see and hear what each person is going through in their voices! There is grief but such strength and resilience! You can't watch this and not be thankful and yet hopeful, and just cry and cry...
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