#451
Posted: 6/1/11 at 10:53pm
"ericmontreal, I agree that Eugene Lee's "Showboat" had spectacular design ideas at work (the radically ungingerbreaded showboat units were so superb) but also clunky ones too-- remember the heavy lumpen Palmer House Hotel set in Act II? "
LOL actually, no I don't. And my souvenir programs for most of the shows I saw back then in Vancouver like it and Ragtime are boxed away--though now I'm curious to look.
I haven't seen the Ragtime revival live--whereas I saw Ragtime four times in Vancouver (I was a bit obsessed, and though we had the second cast--shared with LA--it was a big deal at the time to have such a major show playing where I lived, initially before it even had formally opened in New York--plus I loved it). I don't always like the use of photography in backdrops, etc, but I did iin this. You're right though, they only used the stereoscope (or whatever it's called) in the opening, which for such a major opening visual metaphor could be seen a waste. I know some complained about the typical Livent over the top opulence--real cars, etc, but the only time I remember thinking it was a bit much was the transition into the library--a transition I think I read was vastly downgraded for the later tour.
But I thought i was not only often breathtakingly designed, it also was very effective (things like the gates coming down for the immigrants, moving from busy sets to ones largely dominated by clouds as you mentioned, etc). I really must pull out those programs.
LOL actually, no I don't. And my souvenir programs for most of the shows I saw back then in Vancouver like it and Ragtime are boxed away--though now I'm curious to look.
I haven't seen the Ragtime revival live--whereas I saw Ragtime four times in Vancouver (I was a bit obsessed, and though we had the second cast--shared with LA--it was a big deal at the time to have such a major show playing where I lived, initially before it even had formally opened in New York--plus I loved it). I don't always like the use of photography in backdrops, etc, but I did iin this. You're right though, they only used the stereoscope (or whatever it's called) in the opening, which for such a major opening visual metaphor could be seen a waste. I know some complained about the typical Livent over the top opulence--real cars, etc, but the only time I remember thinking it was a bit much was the transition into the library--a transition I think I read was vastly downgraded for the later tour.
But I thought i was not only often breathtakingly designed, it also was very effective (things like the gates coming down for the immigrants, moving from busy sets to ones largely dominated by clouds as you mentioned, etc). I really must pull out those programs.
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