Hello Again

[Scott Briefer]

Hello Again#1

Posted: 5/6/09 at 11:29pm

As I have been reprimanded for not find previous threads, please know that I did a search on "Hello Again" and found nothing before starting this...

I'm curious about Hello Again. If anyone out there saw the New York production, I'd greatly appreciate your comments, memories, etc. I'm particularly interested in the staging and set design, but all input is welcome. Thanks.

[sparrman]

re: Hello Again#2

Posted: 5/7/09 at 11:26am

I saw it; that was a long time ago! I really loved the show, some great performances, and I've listened to the cast album many times. As far as the staging and design, I'm afraid I don't have any strong specific memories. It was all very well done, needless to say. Sorry I can't be much help.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

re: Hello Again#2

Posted: 5/7/09 at 11:32am

I never saw the musical, but I loved the movie with Shelley Long.

The tone of this post is Playful/Silly. Filtered by Tone-A-Tron^TM

[Borstalboy]

re: Hello Again#3

Posted: 5/7/09 at 11:39am

Set design was minimal. One of the best ensemble casts of the nineties.

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” ~ Muhammad Ali

[Mister Matt]

re: Hello Again#4

Posted: 5/7/09 at 11:53am

I never saw the original production, but I played the Young Thing in 1996 and saw a local production in Chicago that used an alternative scene for the Writer/Actress scene rather than the silent movie scene heard on the recording. The show is basically played on a blank unit set (a couple of platforms, for example) with some furniture that can be moved on or off or just shifted around from scene to scene. The nature of the show is a series of two-person vignettes connected by one character who crosses from one scene into the next, so utilizing one set and recycling as much furniture and props into each scene (much like how LaChiusa utilizes recurring melodies from scene to scene throughout the score) helps reinforce the theme of the show.

Our set design had a series of three platforms on either side upstage mirroring each other with a lighted scrim panel acting as an entrance to each platform each lit with a different color. There was a huge halo above the center of the stage draped in white transparent material. And downstage was an additional small skirted playing area slightly lower than the stage. The various levels and the use of a different gobo for each scene helped define the individual settings of each scene. It was very clever and quite lovely.

I was thrown into the show just a couple of weeks before opening after returning from Circle in the Square when an actor was fired from the production. I wasn't very familiar with the material and learning the score was a bitch (the actress who played The Wife to this day still teases me about never getting the harmony right to We Kiss). All of us were struggling with the material and without getting into too much detail, the direction ended up being more of a "collaborative effort". Luckily, the cast was well-unified and we made so many discoveries in the book and score during the rehearsal period and did our best to creative a cohesive show. I thought it was a wonderful production. I have a video of the first preview and even with the glitches in the performance (a couple of lighting issues, I had an unassisted costume change in complete darkness and walked on stage with my wig sideways, a couple of scenes weren't set into their final versions), I still find it a joy to watch.

One of my favorite memories, which was during a preview performance: We had a unit that rolled on containing two small rows of theatre seats for the Student/Wife scene which takes place in a movie theatre. The chorus of men were in the back row seated behind the Student and the Wife. At the "climax" of the song, the chorus sing their "ahhhhs" writhing with orgasmic ecstasy. Well, the seats had not been properly secured and the entire row slowly toppled over backwards in perfect unison with the timing of the climax ending with our feet sticking straight up in the air. It was freakin' HILARIOUS, but dangerous, so it never happened again.

"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian

Updated On: 5/7/09 at 11:53 AM

[Scott Briefer]

re: Hello Again#5

Posted: 5/10/09 at 7:41pm

Thank you for your responses... As so few people responded, I gather few people here had the chance to see the New York production.

[dramamama611]

re: Hello Again#6

Posted: 5/10/09 at 8:04pm

Never even heard of it. When was this? (It's not even listed on ibdb.

If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

[CATSNYrevival]

re: Hello Again#7

Posted: 5/10/09 at 9:12pm

That's because it was Off-Broadway. So it would be listed on the Off Broadway database iobdb.com.
Updated On: 5/10/09 at 09:12 PM

[HeyMrMusic]

re: Hello Again#8

Posted: 5/11/09 at 12:29am

I didn't see it when it was in New York, but I too played the Young Thing. It was a really fun show to work on with everyone pulling equal weight as a lead, ensemble member, and character roles. I would love the chance to do it again or see a production of it.

~Steven