Posted: 5/12/15 at 11:41am
just rewatched Camelot with richard harris, which was a filmed stage production for HBO in 1981 or 1982. and is available for purchase,
much better than the movie version IMO....
Camelot revival anyone????
Posted: 5/12/15 at 1:56pm
I too find it very annoying that apparently the volume of the applause and laughs has been lowered on Sweeney Todd.
There was also a lovely film of South Pacific with Mary Martin on Youtube, but it's been taken down lately. Does anyone have a copy?
Posted: 5/12/15 at 4:35pm
where did you watch this professionally recorded version of south pacific?
Posted: 5/12/15 at 10:53pm
Carousel and Sweeney Todd's productions that were filmed for Live from Lincoln Center remain among my favorites, along with Legally Blonde. Jessie Mueller as Carrie is a dream. Wish they would put it back up on the site. The one that's going around has weird audio skips in it. Not unwatchable but once you notice them it's hard as hell to enjoy it. Both not released - I believe they were filmed for posterity and then leaked -, but there are two pro-shots of Funny Girl from 2001 with Stephanie J. Block as Fanny in one and Leslie Kritzer in the other, also among my favorites. And of course Piazza, as everyone seems to agree with!
Posted: 5/13/15 at 12:51am
Where could one find the Carousel Live from Lincoln Center recording? I've been trying to find it all over the web, but so far I've had no luck.
Anyway, my favorites are Sweeney Todd and South Pacific.
Posted: 5/13/15 at 3:10am
One version that I do NOT like is the Phantom 25th. Although I think Ramin Karimloo is a top-notch performer, and his Jean Valjean in the Les Miz revival is superb, I just don't think he cut it as the Phantom -- I thought he was too hyper. I very much prefer the Phantoms who play the role as cold and deliberate.
Another problem with the Phantom 25th was that it did not use the original sets. I would love to see a version that shows the travelator (or whatever it is called) and original lair. As for the chandelier sparking and popping, but not crashing, I understand why the Royal Albert Hall decreed that there was to be no crash, but I felt as if something was missing without it.
Posted: 5/13/15 at 10:31am
RDSport323, it was shot during the 1952 London production. There are a few clips from it on Youtube, but there used to be a complete version up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGdp4nVItqM
Posted: 5/13/15 at 3:52pm
I have a copy--it's not hard to find. There are different stories as to why that South Pacific was filmed. One thing it does show is how cinematic and seamless Josh Logan's scene transitions were for their time.
Posted: 5/13/15 at 3:54pm
"I love the Hugh Jackman Oklahoma! too, but I'm bummed that it was filmed in a movie studio. Also, I hate the audible sound-shift when they start singing, that change that occurs because they dubbed the singing.
The guy who plays Will Parker though -- Jimmy Johnston -- WOW. The whole thing is worth watching just for his dancing. He is overflowing with "it.""
Yeah, filming on a soundstage for some reason pulls me sorta out of it (especially that they then splice in audience shots.) I've heard the singing is largely synched to the cast album too. Trevor Nunn did the same thing in the early 90s (late 80s?) when his Glyndenbourne Porgy and Bess was filmed.
Posted: 5/13/15 at 3:56pm
"I'm amused that nobody rates the hacked up 'Pippin' with Ben Vereen & co"
It's worth owning for me. I also have the "Fosse cut" copy that's been released (sadly not great quality,) as well as the copy our very own g.d.e.l.g.i. made which is the DVD but whenever there was a cut (over 20 minutes were cut in total,) they splice in the Fosse Cut.
It's too bad the producer of that filmed version (Sheehan?) has such an ego and got final cut. He also has flat out said that the cut footage has been lost--which the Fosse cut proves is not true. It's too bad someone doesn't clean it up and release it on DVD.
Updated On: 5/13/15 at 03:56 PM
Posted: 5/13/15 at 3:57pm
"I've never liked how quiet the audience volume is in the Sweeney Todd recording. You can tell that people are laughing and clapping but it's so low that it's almost as if they're performing in front of no one."
For the DVD they moved the audience reaction to the rear surround sound speakers for an inane reason (they should have just kept it all 2.0 stereo.)
Posted: 5/13/15 at 4:04pm
I actually don't mind more wide shots than close ups. It may be from being such a ballet fanatic and watching so much filmed ballet where the absolute worst is when they film for an extended amount of time a dancer from the waist up, for example. (There was a 3D Swan Lake a while back which seemed like a good idea--well done 3D, as the film Pena showed, can really enhance filmed dance. This was a situation where using mainly wide shots would have made the most sense, but the people in charge nearly continuously filmed close ups, and perhaps worse, lots of rapid editing!.)
I also prefer it being filmed in front of a live audience (or at least giving that impression--I know most of these, like Into the Woods, are filmed over several nights and then usually some pick ups are done on stage with no audience and it's edited together.) The exception is James Lapine's job directing the filmed Passion which is done on stage but without an audience, and for that show that works fine.
Has Pacific Overtures been mentioned? Howabout the other Japanese TV filmed productions-- 42nd Street and Will Rodgers Follies?
Posted: 5/13/15 at 4:07pm
I like the wide shots too. It reminds me more of being at live theater.
Posted: 5/13/15 at 4:09pm
My favorites that I return to often are (in no particular order):
Sweeney Todd (Lansbury/Hearn)
Peter Pan (Rigby)
A Little Night Music (Howes/Andrews)
The Light in the Piazza
Phantom of the Opera (Albert Hall)
Into the Woods
Sunday in the Park with George
Joseph and the Amazing ... (Osmond)
Company (Harris/LuPone)
Chess In Concert
Shrek the Musical
Oklahoma! (Jackman)
Cats
Posted: 5/13/15 at 4:30pm
Sweeney Todd
Into the Woods
Tanz der Vampire (2005 Hamburg)
Candide (NYCO)
A Little Night Music (NYCO)
Barnum
Pacific Overtures
Will Rogers Follies
Oklahoma
Rent
The Most Happy Fella (1979 Michigan Opera Theater)
South Pacific (1952 London)
Posted: 5/13/15 at 9:28pm
Posted: 5/13/15 at 10:06pm
Thanks pal joey
just joined the site
greAt to have someone aggregating
musicals and performances
Posted: 5/19/15 at 12:39am
ok just saw carousel live from lincoln center with Kelli O Hara and jessie Mueller
after south pacific, carousel and King and I , someone just needs to backroll Kelli to update the remaining R & H classics
wow, what a performance. Jessie was sparkling too, and fun to see Robert Fairchild in a pre-american in paris role. Holy cow i just read that megan fairchild from OTT is his sister (how did I miss that-crazy talented family!)
Updated On: 5/19/15 at 12:39 AM
Posted: 5/19/15 at 9:27am
The Light in the Piazza thing remains amazingly frustrating. It was on PBS at least three or four times here in the NY area and I remember taping it on VHS (I sound ancient now) and had some malfunction on it. But then there pulling it and never showing it again? It just seems bizarre and a wasted opportunity. Why not release it on DVD and make some more cash from that stellar production? Was just so sad I never got into the city to see it live. Definitely a regret.
Posted: 5/19/15 at 10:03am
"It's worth owning for me. I also have the "Fosse cut" copy that's been released (sadly not great quality,) as well as the copy our very own g.d.e.l.g.i. made which is the DVD but whenever there was a cut (over 20 minutes were cut in total,) they splice in the Fosse Cut.
It's too bad the producer of that filmed version (Sheehan?) has such an ego and got final cut. He also has flat out said that the cut footage has been lost--which the Fosse cut proves is not true. It's too bad someone doesn't clean it up and release it on DVD."
I didn't make the combo cut actually, Eric; I just shared it with the forum. The original creator of that cut was the poster known as Phyllis Rogers Stone. (Credit where credit is due, folks.)
Also, I don't believe (from my limited correspondence with him) that Sheehan said the footage was missing. He seemed rather to have the mistaken impression that nothing had been cut. Time plays tricks on people's memories, I guess. :P
Updated On: 5/19/15 at 10:03 AM
Posted: 5/21/15 at 8:17pm
I'm playing Keyboard 2 for Legally Blonde next week, and so I'm watching the broadcast version. I saw the show in regional and liked it moderately. I saw this show here on film and I'm starting to really enjoy it. I think part of it is just that it had a fantastic cast of Broadway character actors and future stars, but part of it is just how insane, off the charts energetic the crowd is. It's like a shot of adrenaline the whole way through.
I know a lot of people complain about overly vocal, "appreciative" audiences, but as a writer of frequently mainstream musical theatre material, and a performer, I think when the audience can't help but go nuts, it just... feels good.
(That said, Blonde is striking fear in my heart, because it's a six piece band, and the two keyboards are covering for probably four keyboards and a small pit orchestra. And this is one hyperactive score.)
Posted: 5/22/15 at 12:37am
I think what made the legally blonde live dvd a great capture was
a) the obc was filmed about 5-6 mos after
Opening and were in the zone in their roles
i can't think of any other proshot captures that were that soon
b) I think it was broadcast live on mtV
so it had that vibe for cast and audience
c) it was a very enthusiastic Audience
Posted: 5/22/15 at 12:41am
Where are you supposed to find/watch pro shots? Do you buy them somewhere?
Specifically where can I watch a pro shot of Merrily We Roll Along? (and does the Encores! Version have one? I would love love love that!)
Posted: 5/22/15 at 2:21am
Merrily We Roll Along was briefly available through Digital Theatre. I paid for it and then burnt it to a DVD since Digital Theatre does not offer hard copies of their recordings, and they require customers to use their proprietary player. It annoys me greatly when access is limited for something I paid for.
To answer your other question, yes pro-shots are usually commercially available through amazon.com or other video retailers. For the ones that are not commercially available, many people recorded them when they aired on TV and are available through private sellers and collectors. I would check places like ioffer.com for some of the more difficult to find titles. Someone there always has the videos recorded from TV broadcasts.
