INTO THE WOODS Tour- Page 2

[Kitsune]

Posted: 5/6/23 at 3:54am

bear88 said: "I remain amazed by the price differential for tickets almost anywhere else and prices for good seats in San Francisco.

Premium seats for Saturday night in Chicago: $176.50, with prices going down to $116.50 in the rest of the orchestra and cheap seats in the balcony for $46.50.

Things are even less expensive in Nashville, where the most expensive seats are $129.

Even in Los Angeles, the most expensive seats are $165 at the Ahmanson on weekends. Tickets appear to be selling well there, although there are good seats available on weeknights during its five-week run.

But San Francisco remains in a world of its own despite all of its well-publicized problems (tech sector layoffs, banks blowing up, Nordstrom shutting down). At this point, you're basically paying Broadway prices. Prices shot up during the first week of sales (think of what happened to Merrily We Roll Alongprices; it was like that, only I could act quickly for Into the Woodstickets because I live here and can plan). They dropped a little, with a few spare premium seats "dropping" from $355 to $329 on weekends this week. Other orchestra seats, even on weeknights, are $205. (Prices on weekends are $235.) Mezzanine seats aren't that much cheaper. I'm curious if they'll have to drop prices a little more if softness continues closer to the June run."

Sheesh. I'm glad I jumped on the priority sale. When I bought my non-premium weekday orchestra tickets back in March, they were only $129.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/6/23 at 2:41pm

I paid $35 for rear balcony in Chicago and bought my ticket about 5 mins before curtain. 

I went for the actors and was not disappointed. Great performances. I thought the direction - the little house above each grouping, the way the Giant is handled - to be fantastic for a concert production, but then, on the same token, I thought the blocking was downright awful. There were so many instances of actors just turning upstage and "freezing" between songs. So bad. But I'm glad I went and SJB did not disappoint. And Gavin was a highlight. 

[bear88]

Posted: 6/1/23 at 2:54am

San Francisco update (because I still find dynamic pricing interesting even though I got my seats on the first day of pre-sale):

The folks at ATG got greedy and those crazy-priced tickets for the Into the Woods tour stop didn't sell, so prices have retreated again with less than three weeks before the tour finally arrives.

The "Premium Plus" prices that got created along the way and shot up to $365 for good orchestra seats on the weekend have retreated again, back to $299. That's still a hell of a lot but it's less insane. The next level of Premium is $225, and another level back from that (far side orchestra and good seats in mezzanine are $193. Rear mezzanine and front balcony is $151 and the cheap seats are $110 and $90. (There are also $70 seats for the back row of the balcony but those have been long gone for months.) During the week, "premium plus" is $299 and the remaining seats are about $20 cheaper for each section.

The San Francisco tour stop is just a week before the show heads down to Los Angeles for five weeks.

I'm hoping ATG miscalculated demand for another Sondheim revival, Merrily We Roll Along, which also had huge demand on the first day of pre-sale at the Hudson Theatre in New York City and raised prices rapidly. I couldn't plan ahead for that one, and we still don't have our trip booked. And tickets for that one are rather steep too. I'm not getting too optimistic but we'll see if there's a slight pullback.

As for Into the Woods, I'm not feeling too sorry for ATG. Almost all of the orchestra seats are gone already, most during pre-sale (when prices were far more sane). What aren't moving are the mezzanine and balcony seats. I assume they'll be doing some advertising on the Tonys and adjust if necessary.

Updated On: 6/1/23 at 02:54 AM

[bear88]

Posted: 6/20/23 at 1:13am

The Into the Woods tour has arrived in San Francisco this week. Tuesday’s first night, with the help of reduced prices compared to Wednesday/Thursday and then the weekend, is basically sold out. For people who didn’t get tickets during the pre-sale, it’s paid to be patient.

Anyway, it’s been interesting following dynamic pricing up and down, as ATG works to maximize profits for the week the show is in town. They’ve done a fairly good job, as near as I can tell. Looking forward to seeing the actual show on Saturday.

[inception]

Posted: 6/20/23 at 1:56pm

If in San Francisco this month, the premiere of new opera El ultimo sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego) just got a very good review on Parterre Box:

https://parterre.com/2023/06/20/returning-to-the-living-world/

11 days ago when I was visiting I saw the great production of Die Frau, which revives David Hockney's gorgeous 1992 sets for LA Opera.  I also saw the production of Madame Butterly, but I was iffy on it.

"Frida" has 3 more dates on the 22, 25, & 30

Die Frau still has the 20, 23, & 28 left. 

I moved up to the empty row at the back of dress circle after the first act. Those have lots of leg room & the sound was better than in the orchestra. If I get a chance to visit again in the future, that's where I will buy seats.

I passed on the buffet for $60.  It seemed overpriced for the food that was on offer.

[SFCowboy]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 3:02am

I caught the first performance of Into The Woods in San Francisco tonight, and I'm happy to report that it arrived pretty gloriously intact from New York, with one glaring exception. 

I'll start with the problem. There was a foot-high board mounted to the front of the stage running the entire width of the stage. I'm guessing it was there to hide some lights? There were some wires you could see above the top of the board. I was in row G of the orchestra and I could not see below anyone's shins. When an actor (or cow) was prone on the stage, they disappeared from view entirely. I found myself wondering if it's a temporary first-night set-up that gets fixed by the second night?? It seems so incongruous with the perfection of the rest of the show. I doubt any seat in the orchestra can see the stage floor.

Other than that, the show is terrific. Stephanie Block, Sebastian Arcelus, Gavin Creel, Jason Forbach, and really the entire cast, were all great. And I could just watch Kennedy Kanagawa all night and be satisfied. I was disappointed initially that Montego Glover was out as the witch, but I was completely won over by Felicia Curry who did some magnificent work. I found myself wishing Little Red Riding Hood had a little more innocence mixed in, but that's a minor quibble, and just a personal preference, and Katy Geraghty was great in the role. And a special shout out to the magnificent orchestra, perfect in every way. 

David Patrick Kelly (excellent) as the narrator fell off the stage near the end of Act 1. When he didn't appear for several seconds, Gavin Creel broke character to go check on him, but he must have signaled he was OK, because Gavin went back to his position. David eventually crawled back up onto the stage and ran towards the center but missed his line (? "To be continued!" before the stage went dark to close the act. He seemed fine in act 2, so I guess he wasn't hurt. A stagehand came out during intermission and put white gaffers tape on the edge of the stage.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 3:25am

Yesterday (Tuesday), BroadwaySF sent out an email blast saying ''Into the Woods'' would be selling a limited number of $40 rush tickets to the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night shows. They're sold at 5:30 p.m., just 2 hours before showtime at 7:30 p.m. at the Curran.

Updated On: 6/21/23 at 03:25 AM

[bear88]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 4:25am

SFCowboy said: "I caught the first performance of Into The Woods in San Francisco tonight, and I'm happy to report that it arrived pretty gloriously intact from New York, with one glaring exception.

I'll start with the problem. There was a foot-high board mounted to the front of the stage running the entire width of the stage. I'm guessing it was there to hide some lights? There were some wires you could see above the top of the board. I was in row G of the orchestra and I could not see below anyone's shins. When an actor (or cow) was prone on the stage, they disappeared from view entirely. I found myself wondering if it's a temporary first-night set-up that gets fixed by the second night??It seems so incongruous with the perfection of the rest of the show. I doubt any seat in the orchestra can see the stage floor.

Other than that, the show is terrific. Stephanie Block, Sebastian Arcelus, Gavin Creel, Jason Forbach, and really the entire cast, were all great. And I could just watch Kennedy Kanagawa all night and be satisfied. I was disappointed initially that Montego Glover was out as the witch, but I was completely won over by Felicia Curry who did some magnificent work. I found myself wishing Little Red Riding Hood had a little more innocence mixed in, but that's a minor quibble, and just a personal preference, and Katy Geraghty was great in the role.And a special shout out to the magnificent orchestra, perfect in every way.

David Patrick Kelly (excellent) as the narrator fell off the stage near the end of Act 1. When he didn't appear for several seconds, Gavin Creel broke character to go check on him, but he must have signaled he was OK, because Gavin went back to his position. David eventually crawled back up onto the stage and ran towards the center but missed his line (? "To be continued!" before the stage went dark to close the act. He seemed fine in act 2, so I guess he wasn't hurt. A stagehand came out during intermission and put white gaffers tape on the edge of the stage."

I’m curious if people at previous tour stops had that foot-high board at the front of the stage, or it’s just something they are doing at the Curran. Because that sounds irritating, not enough to ruin the show, but enough to be a distraction. And our seats will be two rows closer to the stage than yours, although it sounds like it affected everyone in the orchestra. I’ll try not to get too attached to anyone’s feet - or shins.

I wonder if the weird dynamic of the Curran not hosting shows (except for this one week) has them out of practice. That board didn’t help David Patrick Kelly, and for all I know, caused him to lose his balance. Live theater! Never a dull moment.

[jpbran]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 11:15am

The board was there at the Nashville stop too. We were fourth row center and didn’t see a single foot or shoe the entire show. No biggie. Haha But our friends who got last minute first row seats told us at intermission they were having a different experience; they said they saw the show “waist-up” only. I sat in their seat for a sec, and yeah— could imagine the whole thing looked like Sesame Street muppets; i.e. no legs. 

[bear88]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 2:25pm

Good to know. For people who saw the Broadway incarnation of the revival, was there a foot-high board at the front of the stage or is this a tour thing?

I will survive without seeing the actors’ shins, but it sounds annoying if they go completely out of view - however briefly.

[SFCowboy]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 9:49pm

I saw this in New York and there was no obstruction of the view to the stage. You’re right that it doesn’t ruin the show, but it is pretty annoying to pay for a prime orchestra seat for what could be considered a partial view. Having seen it in NY, I was able to fill in the details seeing it in SF. You don’t really miss much, but then again there are entire scenes devoted to Cinderella’s shoe.

I still found the show to be terrific.

[bear88]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 12:10am

Fair point regarding Cinderella’s shoe.

[Kitsune]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 2:23am

I sat in Row F Orchestra (left) tonight, and the wooden beam was there. It was barely an obstruction, even in the Cinderella's slipper scenes, but I would have been annoyed if I sat closer and had paid more.

The production itself was fantastic. As a west coaster I can only see a very limited amount of each New York theater season, and I'm so glad I got to experience this iteration of Into the Woods.

FYI, Felicia Curry was on for the Witch, Marya Grandy for Felicia Curry's track, and Ellie Fishman was on for Cinderella.

ETA: I've really missed seeing shows at the Curran and really hope ATG starts using it more. So many shows just get swallowed up by the Orpheum and the Golden Gate.

Updated On: 6/22/23 at 02:23 AM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 12:20pm

Josh Breckenridge announced he's leaving the tour after this week for a new project. Anyone know who is replacing him?

[auroraspice62]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 1:42pm

He isn't leaving for another few weeks.

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 5:25pm

David Patrick Kelly's recovery after fully falling off the stage was VERY impressive. It seems like he has not missed a performance since - can anyone confirm?

Felicia Curry did great as the Witch...frankly I liked her better than the clips I've seen of Montego Glover in the role. 

[auroraspice6]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 7:11pm

DPK has not missed a performance on tour at all.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 7:43pm

Poor Paul Kreppel.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 7:55pm

MemorableUserName said: "Poor Paul Kreppel."

what happened?

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 7:58pm

Nothing. Sorry--that was unnecessarily dramatic. He's the understudy, so if DPK has never missed a performance, Kreppel's never gone on. (And least on tour. I know he did on Broadway.)

[auroraspice62]

Posted: 6/23/23 at 2:02am

Paul did get to go on as the Steward for Jim Stanek.

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 6/23/23 at 3:26am

Kitsune said: "I sat in Row F Orchestra (left) tonight, and the wooden beam was there. It was barely an obstruction, even in the Cinderella's slipper scenes, but I would have been annoyed if I sat closer and had paid more.

The production itself was fantastic. As a west coaster I can only see a very limited amount of each New York theater season, and I'm so glad I got to experience this iteration of Into the Woods.

FYI, Felicia Curry was on for the Witch, Marya Grandy for Felicia Curry's track, and Ellie Fishman was on for Cinderella.

ETA: I've really missed seeing shows at the Curran and really hope ATG starts using it more. So many shows just get swallowed up by the Orpheum and the Golden Gate."

ATG is mos def considering bringing some of the touring shows into the Curran.  The one that I'm praying for the.most is the tour of Life Of Pi.  Curran is the perfect size for it.  Although I detest Kimberley Akimbo I also believe the Curran would be best for it.  And Girl From The North Country.  And Company.  Pant pant. Out of breath.

[Theatrefan2]

Posted: 6/25/23 at 1:58pm

Has there been any talk of this coming back in to NYC after the tour?

Maybe I made it up but at the back of my mind I thought this was mentioned when it first closed. And with Bad Cinderella flopping may be it could be a good filler?

[bear88]

Posted: 6/25/23 at 5:00pm

That was really fun. 

The Curran, complete with touring Broadway stars, had Broadway-level enthusiasm for Into the Woods. Most of the audience, after all, had bought tickets for the performance on the first days of pre-sale, so it was mostly fans of the show, or Stephen Sondheim, or these performers on Saturday night - and presumably all week. Yes, there's still that barrier at the front of the stage, which did make me very aware of how many times actors (or cows) are prone during the first act - especially when you're in Row E of the orchestra. But I knew what to expect and it was fine.

No one was out. Stephanie J. Block went from breaking Gavin Creel during their encounter in the woods - he tried so very hard to hold it together but finally couldn't - and then she went into "Moments into the Woods." I can't compare her to any of the other famous actresses who have played the role, in person anyway, but it was such a wonderful example of acting a song. It's one of the many times I didn't mind seeing people's feet during the first act.

I've never seen Into the Woods in person, but it's a very different experience live, and with such a high caliber of actors. Montego Glover was very good as the Witch, Block and Sebastian Arcelus had an onstage chemistry that real-life couples sometimes lack, Katy Geraghty was very funny as Little Red Riding Rood, Diane Phelan did a fine job as Cinderella, David Patrick Kelly is hilarious as the Narrator/Mysterious Man (it didn't occur to me until later that he had been Jerry Horne on Twin Peaks), and Creel and Jason Forbach were terrific in "Agony," which is one of Sondheim's funniest songs. To the extent I'm leaving anyone out, it's not because they weren't outstanding.

I will echo what others have said: the Curran is the best of the touring houses in San Francisco, and it mystifies me why ATG isn't using it except for this one week. My wife was commenting that she hadn't been there since we saw The Jungle more than four years ago.

One added bonus: I texted my younger daughter, who was in San Francisco that day, and said she could try to snag a cheaper ticket next to us (prices had dropped close to showtime). She didn't get that ticket, which was occupied by a woman who got it at 5, but she got a loge ticket instead - for free - because someone gifted it. She had one of the best seats in the house and didn't pay a dime.

I wish, indeed.

 

Updated On: 6/26/23 at 05:00 PM