Posted: 9/30/16 at 11:44am
Has anyone seen this? How does the set/cast compare to Broadway?
Posted: 9/30/16 at 3:14pm
Anyone?
Posted: 9/30/16 at 3:57pm
FFS, not everyone checks this board multiple times a day. No need to bump your own thread less than four hours after starting it. Alternatively, you could fire up the old Google machine and read the reviews from Rochester.
Posted: 1/7/17 at 12:33am
Caught the tour Thursday night in Pittsburgh and it's in fantastic shape.
Benjamin Wheelwright was on as Christopher and I really enjoyed his performance. In the program, he's listed as going on for Thursday, Saturday matinees and Sunday evenings. Does anyone know if the alternate schedule is the same for every city?
Posted: 1/7/17 at 7:21am
sbflyfan said: "Caught the tour Thursday night in Pittsburgh and it's in fantastic shape.
Benjamin Wheelwright was on as Christopher and I really enjoyed his performance. In the program, he's listed as going on for Thursday, Saturday matinees and Sunday evenings. Does anyone know if the alternate schedule is the same for every city?"
I'm delighted to read this as I'm taking 21 teenagers (most of whom are not "theater kids"
to see this in Pittsburgh this afternoon. Based on what you posted, it seems we'll be seeing Benjamin as well. I loved this show in New York, and I'm really hopeful that these kids will enjoy it, too! Thanks for sharing.
Posted: 1/7/17 at 9:03am
Don't know, the tour does not come to the city I live in until mid February. I saw the show in London last year and not sure if that set was identical to the one on Broadway. I have to check my program for his name but the young man playing Christopher was fantastic !
Posted: 1/7/17 at 1:30pm
For what it's worth (and IMHO) Benjamin Wheelwright is fantastic in this role. Saw him when he was the alternate on Broadway (but unfortunately can't speak to anything else about the tour vs Broadway). I'm almost surprised he's the alternate on tour so the regular Christopher must be quite something.
Posted: 1/7/17 at 1:36pm
also saw Wheelwright on Broadway and was blown away. Surprised he's doing 3 shows a week on tour. On Broadway he only did the Wednesday & Saturday matinees.
Posted: 1/7/17 at 1:44pm
I thought it was remarkably consistent with the Broadway production, despite a stage that was much bigger than the Barrymore.
I also thought that the actor who played Christopher in Tampa (sorry, I can't remember his name and am too lazy to look for the playbill) was every bit as good as the two people I saw on Broadway, all the 'primary' performer, including the Tony award winner. It is a great role and the three actors were all extremely talented, and unburdened by any pre-conceptions, since it was the first time I was seeing any of them.
Posted: 1/7/17 at 5:29pm
Agreed, I thought Benjamin Wheelwright was excellent, so I wanted to catch him again as Christopher when the tour comes to Cleveland in March... that's why I asked about the alternate schedule.
I noticed four of the cast members were in the "War Horse" tour. There's a Ben Furey credited as Dialect and Vocal Coach in the program. Kudos to him, because the accents were some of the most convincing I've ever heard. The woman sitting next to me asked me if the cast were all British at intermission. I would have thought they were, too, had I not known.
The set looks pretty similar to the Broadway production, but not as deep (10 columns of grid lines on the side walls). Just a few feet of playing area in front of that. Guessing it's for logistics, or a creative choice to keep the set and action slightly closer downstage for touring houses. The action played all the way up to the edge of the stage/orchestra pit at times, and some entrances were made via a set of stairs in the left of the orchestra pit. The rear wall doesn't move forward, nor does he climb or walk on stairs (that was my only slight disappointment). The lack of trap doors didn't bother me.
The sound design was impeccable. Every word spoken was crystal clear and the loud effects were appropriately jarring. Very cinematic low frequency/bass sounds at times. Looking forward to seeing the tour again in a couple of months!
