Posted: 4/2/15 at 5:47pm
Tonight's show is cancelled...
I'm seeing it Sunday night. As of this minute there are 920 seats available for the 7:30 PM show... Glad I got a cheap seat... you think they'll move us down?
Posted: 4/2/15 at 5:47pm
Tonight's preview is cancelled. Tam is ill and the understudy is not properly rehearsed. I feel like this situation happens often enough that more shows would add in an additional dress for the understudies so that they have time to rehearse on the set in the event that an actor takes ill during previews. Didn't On the Twentieth Century have to cancel a preview too? Is it cheaper for them to just cancel than add an additional rehearsal in advance? I don't really understand the logic.
Posted: 4/2/15 at 5:53pm
Who is Tam Mutu's understudy?
I have a ticket for Sunday night as well. Having already had to deal with the headache (and lost 30 dollars in train money) from the On the Twentieth Century canceled performance, I am soooo happy he got sick today and not Sunday.
Posted: 4/2/15 at 6:00pm
Bradley Dean. I'm surprised there's only one. http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/Cast/14085/Doctor-Zhivago-at-Broadway-Theatre
Updated On: 4/2/15 at 06:00 PM
Posted: 4/2/15 at 6:00pm
de_lovely, it looks like it'll be just us there! LOL
Posted: 4/2/15 at 6:03pm
From what I've heard, its not that one more rehearsal that is needed. The understudies are not usually put on the payroll when the rest of the cast begins....as there is NO time to work with them, only the actual cast.
Posted: 4/2/15 at 6:10pm
In response to page 3 posters...I love On the Twentieth Century. It will be my 2nd visit to the show! (I saw it in previews in Feb) And this show, Finding Neverland and Fun Home are the shows I am intentionally skipping. Considered them but nah not interested. But of course those are just my choices! Enjoy the shows you all pick!
Posted: 4/3/15 at 9:03am
Posted: 4/3/15 at 9:11am
Sorry, I really didn't word that well at.
Yes, if they are in the ensemble, of course you are right. However, some are standbys, and therefore, do not have roles on a regular basis. (I don't know if this is the case here, at all.)
But just as important as to why they aren't prepared, is they are rehearsing their ensemble roles -- which is priority number one.
Posted: 4/3/15 at 12:00pm
I'm seeing it tonight, it should be interesting to see Bradley Dean tackle the role! :)
Posted: 4/3/15 at 1:11pm
Posted: 4/3/15 at 3:51pm
Yes, according to Facebook
I have tickets Sunday night. I am never one to complain when understudies are on, but Tam was a huge factor in my decision to book. I will be disappointed if he is still unwell
Updated On: 4/3/15 at 03:51 PM
Posted: 4/3/15 at 4:33pm
I wonder how much Maurice Jarre's estate is being paid for the use of Lara's Theme
Hope Mutu will be back by this time next week.
Updated On: 4/3/15 at 04:33 PM
Posted: 4/3/15 at 5:56pm
I also have tickets for Sunday night!
I'd love to see Bradley Dean in the role! I specifically went to see him in Company when he went on as Raul Esparza's understudy and thought he was great!
Posted: 4/4/15 at 12:05pm
Just got word from Doctor Zhivago's Facebook page. Bradley Dean will play both performances today-Sat. Guess Mr. Mutu is quite ill.
Have tix for tonight.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 12:59pm
No way they'll postpone the opening, it's still 2.5 weeks away. Plus they have to open by the 21st, the cutoff is the 23rd. Btw, a friend was at the show last night and said Bradley Dean was fantastic and she thought the show was brilliant. Beatiful music, engrossing story, amazing sets. I finally get to see it next week. Hopefully with Tam.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 1:25pm
And who knows if Tam Mutu is gonna end up following into Josh Young's footsteps where he ended missing all the press performances for Jesus Christ Superstar (another Des McAnuff production), but was able to return on opening night.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 7:55pm
I was at this afternoon's show and I thought Bradley Dean was wonderful. It was hard to believe it was only his second show.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 8:45pm
Feelings about the show? This has been kicking around for a decade, it's intriguing that it took this long. (And why now?) I would've put it up there with "Rebecca" in terms of a shelf life, though its street cred is better based on the collaborators.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 9:48pm
Overall I enjoyed it but it's not something I'd run to see again. Several of the songs are beautiful but there were others that didn't stick with me at all. The performances were great and the costumes were lovely but I didn't care for (most of) the projections. My biggest issue was that the pacing felt very slow at times parts. I think if they could make it a little more fast paced (especially the beginning which dragged the most for me) it would be an improvement.
Posted: 4/5/15 at 12:56am
I just got back from this evening's performance, and like the previous poster, I enjoyed the show overall. Bradley Dean was very good, and, to me, the first act was mostly excellent. But in the second act, there were too many slow numbers for my taste, and they mostly seemed to cover the same ground -- pretty but somewhat cliched love ballads.
Also, toward the end of Act One, a bunch of characters got on a raised platform that was supposed to be a train, and then they all just sat there motionless. After a few moments, a new scene started in front of the "train," and I was thinking, "This is a really original, out of the ordinary staging -- there's a ghost train filled with frozen images of soldiers right in the middle of Dr. Zhivago's house."
But, then a voice came over the loudspeaker saying the performance would have to be stopped. And after a bit, the actors were asked by the loudspeaker voice to leave the "train." Finally, they got rid of the raised platform (I believe it sank beneath the stage), and the scene with Zhivago started over.
Posted: 4/5/15 at 1:48am
Saw the show tonight. Bravo to Bradley Dean. I don't know how he did this with such little rehearsal time. Beautiful voice. That said, I thought the show was a long sit thru. Some pretty songs but that same stand there and sing out front Les Miz staging. Generic lyrics that say nothing about the characters-pop feel. Polite applause after most songs.
And as a side note- couple next to me who talked, and I'm not kidding, the entire 90-minute first act. I've complained about this before here. This time I decided to wait to see if anyone would say something. I wasn't enjoying the show anyway. Not one "shh" or anything. Finally my partner leaned over me to quiet them. They said something to him, I don't remember what, then I finally said, you've been talking thru the whole show. She told me to move and said she was just commenting on the show! For the second act she moved to the other side of her companion-still talking but better till he opened his phone with the light shining on all of us. Why are these people in the theatre?! Why don't they park themselves in front of their flat screen tv's and then they can do what they like. Sorry to rant but it has gotten to the point where this kind of behavior happens all the time when I go to the theatre. It's my favorite place to be and it has become such an unplesant experience. I wish I could find a solution.
Posted: 4/5/15 at 7:59am
Yesterday at Finding Neverland I asked myself, why has going to the theater become such an awful experience. Candy wrappers being crinkled during the entire show. And you pay $100 to listen to this? It's just not worth it. The hordes today attending - well, mostly musicals have no conception of a live performance. They're not home on their couches stuffing their fat faces and watching some Netflix movie on their 50" tv screens. But since that candy and other fattening goodies are allowed to be taken to their seats for their comfort, I guess you cannot blame them for the confusion. Theater owners have to stop trying to make the theater a comfy trailer camp experience.
