Flying Over Sunset - Previews Thread- Page 21

[JaredBway]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 6:21am

orlikethecolorpurple said: "I saw this afternoon’s performance and I gotta say I was so pleasantly surprised. The things that need fixing have all been said, but I had a lovely time. Found the first act to be quite wonderful and while I questioned choices in the second, I was never bored as others have mentioned."

It's nice to read you weren't bored, honestly.  I'm supposed to go in January and while I don't have to love it, I'd really hate to be bored.  

[binau]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 9:28am

I really hope they record this. It would seem unlikely it wouldn’t. 

[binau]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 9:36am

Can anyone explain to me the meaning of the rhythmic walking/sounds? 
 

also, I should say ‘highly disappointing’ is a bit strong. I wanted this to be one of my favourite shows of all time and change my life but I merely liked it. If this was an off Broadway show with a different team where the expectations were different I think I’d probably be raving about it. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 10:41am

"If this was an off Broadway show with a different team where the expectations were different I think I’d probably be raving about it."

Good point. The combined track records here are simply stellar; these are peerless collaborators. We arrive expecting transcendence, even if unconsciously. I looked back at my post, and see that I said "the glass is half full." I stand by that, despite all of my critique here. Because I found the experience of the show thought-provoking in the 4 days since. I'm one of those people who only bothers to analyze what disappointed when I'm invested enough. Such is the case with Flying Over Sunset.  

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 11:09am

OY VEY!!!...i'm seeing this new musical in 3 weeks, right before Christmas...i thought that seeing a new fresh musical rather than the many juke-box musicals on Broadway would be the way to go...and after reading these pages of comments i now question my decision about seeing this Lapine/Finn musical...I love the Lincoln Center theatre so that thrill is enough i hope to make for an enjoyable evening...maybe in the days and weeks before officially opening things will tighten...here's hoping!!

[orlikethecolorpurple]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 11:11am

That's fair, binau. I will say that had I paid significantly more than what I payed for LincTix, I might have been more hung up on what the show could be. So many truly wonderful moments. 

Also, that kid who plays young Cary Grant! Don't recall the last time I was so impressed by a kid. That tap first act number has been one of my trip highlights. 

[orlikethecolorpurple]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 11:12am

broadwaybabywannabe2 said: "OY VEY!!!...i'm seeing this new musical in 3 weeks, right before Christmas...i thought that seeing a new fresh musical rather than the many juke-box musicals on Broadway would be the way to go...and after reading these pages of comments i now question my decision about seeing this Lapine/Finn musical...I love the Lincoln Center theatre so that thrill is enough i hope to make for an enjoyable evening...maybe in the days and weeks before officially opening things will tighten...here's hoping!!"

I was SO close to ditching my ticket for something else based on the reviews here. For what it's worth, I'm very glad I didn't.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 11:48am

I saw yesterday’s matinee as well. I thought the scenic design was the star, and the score was lovely, but I was generally unmoved by the story. I quite enjoyed Act 1, but Act 2 didn’t deliver the emotional goods, unfortunately. All the actors are great, with Carmen Cusack being the standout with the meatiest role, but the material just isn’t there, and some of the dialogue seemed very stilted to me. 

[Lazarus Alas]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 11:59am

broadwaybabywannabe2 said: "OY VEY!!!...i'm seeing this new musical in 3 weeks, right before Christmas...i thought that seeing a new fresh musical rather than the many juke-box musicals on Broadway would be the way to go...and after reading these pages of comments i now question my decision about seeing this Lapine/Finn musical...I love the Lincoln Center theatre so that thrill is enough i hope to make for an enjoyable evening...maybe in the days and weeks before officially opening things will tighten...here's hoping!!"

Yes! Here’s hoping you enjoy it as much as I did (I’ve seen it three times).  It’s a polarizing piece of theatre and very cerebral. At this point in the pandemic experience, audiences are perhaps more likely to crave escape as opposed to introspection. As such it may not make it commercially. But I’ll cross my fingers and hope you enjoy.

Side note: William Finn is not involved in this production to the best of my knowledge.

 

 

[Lazarus Alas]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 12:09pm

raddersons said: "You did not just compare this to Sweeney Todd……."

Oops. It wasn’t my intention to compare Sunset to Sweeney Todd. I was trying to think of an example of a show that had artistic merit without initial commercial success.

If I had to compare it to another show, however, I’d say it is somewhat similar to Next to Normal due to the psychological themes and of course the Tom Kitt score.

[Lazarus Alas]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 12:12pm

JaredBway said: "binau said: "According to ATC Tony was out last night."

He's apparently out of the matinee today as well."

A friend in the Beaumont box office says Yazbeck is out due to an injury.

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 4:11pm

That is so unfortunate, I hope he fully recovers soon. 

[Lazarus Alas]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 5:35pm

binau said: "Can anyone explain to me the meaning of the rhythmic walking/sounds?


also, I should say ‘highly disappointing’ is a bit strong. I wanted this to be one of my favourite shows of all time and change my life but I merely liked it. If this was an off Broadway show with a different team where the expectations were different I think I’d probably be raving about it."

I think the circular dance movement  represents the passage of time (as mentioned in a previous post) and the tapping the ticking of a clock).

I’d buy a copy of the cast recording without hesitation.

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 6:27pm

How was Tony’s understudy? Was it the fellow who understudied for My Fair Lady?

I was the one who said the clicking noises represented time passage. It made the most sense to me. There is also a theme in the script that deals with letting go of the past and living life freely with the time one has left, time that passes quickly.

Updated On: 12/5/21 at 06:27 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 6:32pm

SmoothLover said: "How was Tony’s understudy? Was it the fellow who understudied for My Fair Lady?"

Danny Gardner was not in the recent My Fair Lady… he did work on the Dames At Sea revival though.

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 7:51pm

I was thinking of Tony Roach although I had no idea if he could dance.

[Lazarus Alas]

Posted: 12/5/21 at 9:27pm

Yes, SmoothLover, I remembered reading that and thinking it was an astute observation. Seeing it again with that in mind, I found the dancing even more moving.

Danny Gardner did a great job. The singing and dancing were impeccable. He looks more like Astaire than Grant and he’s not as relaxed in the role as Yazbeck. So that put a different spin on the show for me because I was comparing the two performances while I watched.

 

 

 

[binau]

Posted: 12/6/21 at 9:58am

I have been reflecting on the show further. Now that the shock has warn off that it’s not the next SUNDAY and I’ve managed my expectations I have to say for me the show works and I think it’s Tom Kitt’s best score since next to normal. The #1 regret I have for the show in its present form is the stage and theatre is just far too large. In a small Broadway theatre or off Broadway theatre the emotions and dramatic stakes might seem much higher. But 3 small characters on a large stage I just think the emotion and humour is getting lost in the cold empty space. The show is funny but no one is laughing. The acting can be brilliant but it’s too subtle. There are giant set pieces that are overshadowing the text. I guess beggars can’t be choosers if LCT is producing but I genuinely think if the show was at the Booth or Public Theatre to bring us much closer to the actors, songs and text the show would be a completely different experience. 

[binau]

Posted: 12/6/21 at 10:08am

I also think it’s a rare example of a musical that might work better as a film than on stage. The concept of people singing only when high immediately takes away the awkward ‘why are they singing’ feel on film, the small characters lend themselves to close ups and since it’s LSD they could make the movie completely stylised/bonkers in a way that’s hard to do on stage. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/6/21 at 10:10am

A minority opinion: I found the Beaumont entirely hospitable to the show, its depth and apron brilliantly used. I heard every word, saw every moment. But most of the show is about a drug-induced heightened reality, and the space around the action allowed the hallucinations to unfold with size and occasional grandeur. I don't see the piece as small, other than in cast size. It's goals are personal and character-driven, but its canvas is purposefully designed to accommodate the projection of three sets of therapeutic epiphanies visually and aurally. The Beaumont feels like a gift to the material's ambitions, not a liability. But the flaws I noted above wouldn't disappear in the Booth, and that's the final word on the piece's likely overall reception: second act problems, not the wrong theater space.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/6/21 at 10:15am

What is the current run time?

[ArtMan]

Posted: 12/6/21 at 10:24am

On Wednesday matinee (December 1) out at 4:45.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/6/21 at 10:52am

Interesting. So not much of anything has been trimmed. 

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 12/6/21 at 11:04am

I don’t think Lapine was willing to make major cuts. Given it is such a short run the reviews will not make or break it. Plus it is a not for profit theatre that received a huge amount from the federal disaster relief. Perhaps the critics will realize how ambitious it is and give it a mixed response. 

[dougs9797]

Posted: 12/6/21 at 1:51pm

Saw this Sat. night.....major snooze fest.