Posted: 2/10/16 at 8:27pm
Let's be clear - the show is great. And La Chanze is great, when she's not singing. Perhaps it was just nerves and she'll be better tonight. Either way, the show is definitely worth seeing.
Posted: 2/10/16 at 10:50pm
That was so wonderful. Everyone, especially LaChanze gave a really pitch perfect performance. I went into this show not knowing anything about it and just had a huge smile on my face from beginning to end.
Posted: 2/10/16 at 11:12pm
I really had a great time tonight too. LaChanze really is a gem, even though Chuck Cooper and Do What You Wanna Do really stole the show for me. The ensemble was one of the strongest in recent Encores history. Excellent work done by all.
What happened to Not a Care In the World though? That's one of my favorite songs on the revival recording...was it not in the original production? And even if it was added for the revival why not sing it since they added Happiness is a Thing Called Joe anyway?
That's my only quibble with an otherwise wonderful evening. Tip my hat to Encores once again.
Posted: 2/10/16 at 11:21pm
I wonder if they'll be recording any of this years shows, like they did last year.
Posted: 2/11/16 at 12:14am
Highlights clip:
Unfortunate to hear some qualms with LaChanze, though I can't say I disagree based on this clip.
Posted: 2/11/16 at 12:23am
"Not a Care in the World" was written by Duke and Latouche for the Eddie Cantor vehicle "Banjo Eyes."
Posted: 2/11/16 at 12:49am
I loved this. Lots of full-on grinning. No cringing, either, and I expected a little.
And given how impossible it is to hear the score, and since they went through the trouble of having Tunick write fabulous orchestrations, they better record it!
Updated On: 2/11/16 at 12:49 AM
Posted: 2/11/16 at 12:55am
Also, you could find a better vocal fit for an Ethel Waters role, but LaChanze sounded much better than those clips tonight. And she was charming in her scenes.
Posted: 2/11/16 at 11:01am
I'll be there tonight. What was the run time last night?
Posted: 2/11/16 at 11:17am
Thanks, Jordan.
Posted: 2/11/16 at 3:18pm
More clips from Playbill (some repeat):
The orchestrations are really lovely, they had better record it!! Love the Hugh Martin vocal arrangement on "Do What You Wanna Do" too, so very '40s in the best way.
Posted: 2/11/16 at 3:35pm
"Do What You Wanna Do" was probably my favorite number.
Posted: 2/11/16 at 3:47pm
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that there is a cast album from a 1960s off-Broadway revival available on iTunes. I haven't done the research to know how true it is to the original, but it's a nice recording and available now, while we're waiting to see if Encores releases a recording of the current revival with the Tunick orchestrations.
Posted: 2/11/16 at 5:00pm
That recording features arrangements by jazzman Sy Oliver, which were done specifically for the record date. The revival itself featured a small combo in the theater, but for the recording they beefed up the band -- a pretty common practice with off-Broadway revivals in those days.
Posted: 2/11/16 at 5:24pm
yfs said: "That recording features arrangements by jazzman Sy Oliver, which were done specifically for the record date. The revival itself featured a small combo in the theater, but for the recording they beefed up the band -- a pretty common practice with off-Broadway revivals in those days."
Interesting to hear that the arrangentmets on the '60s recording were only for the record as I've always thought they sounded pretty full for an Off-Broadway show. They really are great arrangements and it's a great recording.
Posted: 2/11/16 at 9:20pm
Posted: 2/12/16 at 1:19pm
Mr. Nowack said: "...
Interesting to hear that the arrangentmets on the '60s recording were only for the record as I've always thought they sounded pretty full for an Off-Broadway show. They really are great arrangements and it's a great recording.
"
"Sweetening" the orchestration happens at all levels, including Broadway on occasion. To take but one example, Michael Starobin added instruments for the recordings of all three of Finn's "Marvin" musicals. (We'll recall they were recorded individually as off-Broadway one acts, NOT as the two act FALSETTOS on Broadway.)
Posted: 2/12/16 at 1:49pm
I think there's pretty much always at least an extra string or two on Broadway recordings nowadays. I wonder if it was at all common on Broadway records back in the 60's. I know they played with tempos liberally.
Posted: 2/12/16 at 3:24pm
Did anyone receive a PeertoPeer code for Cabin? I assumed they didn't send one because I didn't get one, but it says the summer shows go on sale on Monday for P2P members and I haven't received that either.
Posted: 2/13/16 at 10:20am
A fun evening, and exactly the kind of show with a great score that Encores should be doing. La Chanze wasn't exactly in bad voice, but she didn't quite have quite the right voice for Petunia. But she was so charming that it didn't matter. After all the reports thst Chuck Cooper was having vocal problems earlier in the year, I was relieved to hear that he sounded great. The "Dry Bones" Number brought down the house. I was very surprised to discover that song came from this show, and after doing some research I discovered that in the original production it was called "Dem Bones," which i guess is no longer politically correct.
Posted: 2/13/16 at 12:01pm
I dug out my CD of the 1960s off-Broadway cast recording, and I was amazed to see that they didn't include "Dem Bones" (or "Dry Bones"
. That was a pretty well-known song back in the 1940s and 50s. I also wonder why it didn't make it into the movie.
Posted: 2/13/16 at 1:04pm
I'm pretty sure the OBC of A Little Night Music is well known for having extra strings to sweeten the sound.
Posted: 2/13/16 at 2:43pm
I sure hope there will be a CD of this production, because the sheer sound of it is fabulous! Jonathan Tunick's new arrangements are a joy, especially as played by this terrific orchestra. The vocal arrangements also sound great. (Anybody know who the woman was who led "Dry Bones?"
