Donmar revival of Passion- Page 2

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 9/22/10 at 5:22pm

I love PASSION and I'd love to see it back on Broadway but I'm not sure this is going to be the production that makes it New York as a revival. To produce it as a commercial theatre piece would be unbelievably challenging - unless they got Cate Blanchett to play Fosca.

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/22/10 at 5:27pm

I only see it transferring if Roundabout picks it up.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 9/22/10 at 5:30pm

Yes, it'd be great if the Roundabout decided to transfer this production or if LCT came up with one of their own. MichaelBennett, I'm not particularly opposed to star casting Fosca, Blanchett would be great actually! Of course I doubt she can actually sing the score. Penelope Cruz would also be interesting (based on her larger than life performance in VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA) playing against type but of course making Penelope Cruz look anything but ridiculously gorgeous is probably impossible.
I say just get Donna Murphy to reprise her Tony-winning turn!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 9/22/10 at 5:38pm

I don't believe the Roundabout or Lincoln Center has a history with the Donmar. There are a few commercial American producers who do, so that's why my guess would be this would be a commercial transfer if it came over...

[Proper Villain]

Posted: 9/22/10 at 5:39pm

Can Cate sing? She can play ugly well...

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/22/10 at 5:57pm

Didn't Roundabout's CABARET start at the Donmar?

[Broadwayboy2631]

Posted: 9/22/10 at 6:02pm

"Didn't Roundabout's CABARET start at the Donmar?"

Oh snap! It did.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 9/22/10 at 6:19pm

"Nunn (who I am not usually a fan of, as my posts on the West End board bear witness) got rid of it and brought a very matter-of-fact Swedish eroticism to the show."

The show that landed on Broadway had zero eroticism, Swedish or otherwise. There was some tasteless crotch-grabbing and hip-thrusting (Petra gives "The Miller's Son" the full Nomi Malone treatment) but it wasn't erotic at all.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 9/22/10 at 6:51pm

Whoops - forgot about CABARET lol. Well then - sure I suppose its possible - anythings possible.

[keithp]

Posted: 9/22/10 at 7:12pm

Will this be another Brit-reduced production, with one violin and a casio keyboard? says Roscoe without being judgmental in any way.

A little bit of research would tell you that the tiny Donmar has a great track record with Sondheim shows (ask Sondheim). Similar research would have told you how many were in the (decent sized) cast and band. Passion, in case you hadn't noticed, isn't Will Rodgers Follies.

I'm glad the Brits seem to want to keep doing Sondheim productions, some of them in smaller than the original (some work, some don't). It is great that the shows are being revisited, which is something that we don't see a great deal of in New York.

I'd rather see a good, small scale production than no production.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 9/22/10 at 9:38pm

Fair enough, I was blaming the sins of the Menier SH*T Factory on Donmar.

I think we all agree that a good production is better than no production, it's just that the most recent Reduced Sondheim Productions have been pathetic. I'd rather have seen no revival of SUNDAY IN THE PARK than that travesty a couple of years ago, and Nunn's appalling LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, well, if Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch hadn't come into the production, it would have been a total waste of resources.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 11/10/24 at 9:04am

ellieptical said: "I didn't like David Thaxton when I saw him in Les Mis but he was an absolute wonder in this production."

Bumping this old thread because I was curious if anyone else saw this production and had opinions. Even with the Olivier win, there doesn't seem to be any promotional footage online. After seeing him in Sunset Boulevard, I'm very curious about Thaxton's take though, of course, he looks very different as Max than he did in 2010 playing Giorgio.

[Owen22]

Posted: 11/10/24 at 9:16am

This production of Passion was my first Jamie Lloyd.  It prepared me for his best ever productions of Urinetown and Assassins later on.  Though it's not my favorite Passion (that would be the CSC version) Elena Rogers was the greatest Fosca I have seen to date.  David Thaxton was wonderful, but it was just the beginning of the idea that this was Georgio's story, not Fosca's, which was certainly developed more intensely later in the CSC production.

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 11/10/24 at 10:32am

VintageSnarker said: "ellieptical said: "I didn't like David Thaxton when I saw him in Les Mis but he was an absolute wonder in this production."

Bumping this old thread because I was curious if anyone else saw this production and had opinions. Even with the Olivier win, there doesn't seem to be any promotional footage online. After seeing him in Sunset Boulevard, I'm very curious about Thaxton's take though, of course, he looks very different as Max than he did in 2010 playing Giorgio."

Sondheim was a HUGE fan of this production. In "Look, I Made a Hat" he wrote that he "had never seen Passion come properly into focus until its 2010 revival at the Donmar Warehouse", adding that "what made the eye-opening difference was the presence of the leading actor, David Thaxton". He praised at length the innocence he brought to the role and said "not many performances refocus a work the way David Thaxton's did in Passion". A pro-shot is available at the Victorian & Album museums, and some audio clips can be found online (No One Has Ever Loved Me, Trio).

[The Scorpion]

Posted: 11/10/24 at 10:50am

This was the only production by Jamie Lloyd that I've truly liked. The cast was great too, especially Thaxton (who deserved his Olivier for the role) and Elena Roger. I ought to have gone more than once, in retrospect.

[binau]

Posted: 11/10/24 at 1:14pm

I’m super curious if there is anything recognisable in Passion or Assassins in terms of direction style that then came through in Sunset, R&J etc. or whether he only recently adapted his ‘style’. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/10/24 at 1:22pm

I love Elena Roger.

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 11/10/24 at 1:25pm

Passion might be my favorite musical and I once dreamed of an apocalyptic sci-fi futuristic production that had rearranged the score for a new wave synth sound. If someone wants to steal this idea, go ahead. Might be fun.

Anyways, I would LOVE to see a Broadway revival of Passion. It would obviously need a huge star to sell and I don’t really know if there's anyone out there right now that would bring something new and interesting to Fosca. Gaga maybe if we're aiming for broad camp.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 11/10/24 at 5:23pm

Owen22 said: "This production of Passion was my first Jamie Lloyd. It prepared me for his best ever productions of Urinetown and Assassins later on. Though it's not my favorite Passion (that would be the CSC version) Elena Rogers was the greatest Fosca I have seen to date. David Thaxton was wonderful, but it was just the beginning of the idea that this was Georgio's story, not Fosca's, which was certainly developed more intensely later in the CSC production."

Thank you! I love what I can glean about the CSC production from the album so it's interesting to hear someone say it was still a nascent idea in the Donmar production. Still, credit to Lloyd for bringing out that aspect of the show. Perhaps I will eventually be in London when the archives are open but I have no idea how I'd go about arranging that with a NYPL card.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/10/24 at 5:44pm

Georgeanddot2 said: "Passion might be my favorite musical and I once dreamed of an apocalyptic sci-fi futuristic production that had rearranged the score for a new wave synth sound. If someone wants to steal this idea, go ahead. Might be fun.

Anyways, I would LOVE to see a Broadway revival of Passion. It would obviously need a huge star to sell and I don’t really know if there's anyone out there right now that would bring something new and interesting to Fosca. Gaga maybe if we're aiming for broad camp."


I’ve always had a silly theory that there’s a demon inside Fosca who jumps from host to host through sex before slowly killing them and therefore needing a new body.

Gaga would be amazing with a strong director. Her “camp” aspect belongs on stage where I predict it will be a very good fit.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 11/11/24 at 4:27pm

TotallyEffed said: "I love Elena Roger."

She was terrible as Eva in the last EVITA revival on Broadway! That voice - ugh...Minnie Mouse!