If you could see one Lincoln Center Recording- Page 3

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 12/27/08 at 5:32pm

For those who have seen, are the Grey Gardens and Side Show recordings with their Original Broadway Casts? Mainly wondering about Ebersole and Ripley/Skinner respectively. Thanks again!

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/27/08 at 5:54pm

Well, considering those two shows didn't have any replacement casts, I assume you are wondering if they were filmed while the understudies were on. The only "cast replacement" in either show was Lauren Kennedy in Side Show while Emily Skinner was on sick leave.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 12/27/08 at 6:02pm

Good to know on both accounts. Thank you bjh2114!

[alliez92092]

Posted: 12/27/08 at 7:26pm

What is the website to see what they have?

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 12:52am

I feel the urge to say something in addition to the earlier things I wrote about the Company video: I do think that if someone doesn't know the show very well, it may not be worthwhile to view it, at least not if you're only seeing one.

I have friends who were blown away by it, but I have also friends — Sondheim-loving friends — who could not get involved in it. In general, I think any video there from 1980 or so onward shouldn't have too many issues in regard to viewability, but I'd hate to be responsible for someone choosing to watch Company and being very disappointed and bored.

There are also earlier videos that are apparently fantastic. I'm told that the video of the first Hal Prince Broadway Candide is terrific, having been shot on film, in color, and with three cameras. But most videos of that vintage are not at all comparable.

[jv92]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 1:50am

Is there any footage of the original Night Music at the research library? I never thought there was, let alone that any existed.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 10:17am

"Is there any footage of the original Night Music at the research library? I never thought there was, let alone that any existed."

I've heard rumors that considerable silent footage of Night Music exists, but if it does, I've never come across any of it. And I've come across a lot that I never thought existed. I sure hope it exists. It was such a beautiful production.

In any case, there's none at the library. And as far as I know, the only OBCR performances that were recorded on TV were at least two Glynis Johns performances of "Send in the Clowns" one and D'Jamin Bartlett's "The Miller's Son." They both performed on The Tonight Show one night. And, as you probably know, Johns later did the song on that PBS special that goes by various titles, joined by Cariou to include the monologue in the middle of the song and then the reprise, including dialogue.

I think I've heard that Johns did the song at least once on English TV, but I'm not sure.

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 10:57am

Can someone here go through the whole process again? I still don't get it!

[jv92]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 1:19pm

IF ANYONE, ANYONE, ANYONE(!) has Night Music footage, PM me. I'll love you forever and we'll work out some sort of trade. I'll even try to dub the soundboard in it for everyone if it's silent.
And I never knew Bartlett performed "Miller's Son" on Johnny Carson. Of course, Glynis performed "Clowns" all over the talk show circuit, but I never knew about "Miller's Son."
Thanks for that nobodyhome. There IS hope after all! :)
By the way, Hal Prince was one of the few producer-directors that felt stage producitons should be filmed so it is no surprised Company, Candide and Follies are all there. By Pacific Overtures, it was common practice. Others, like Fosse and Bennett, felt differently. I don't think Robbins ever allowed his stuff even to be performed on Sullivan.

[DidYouReallyHearMe]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 1:47pm

For some reason I've always wanted to see the Raggedy Ann recording.

The plot for the flop musical sounds so dark and odd.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 7:00pm

"IF ANYONE, ANYONE, ANYONE(!) has Night Music footage, PM me. I'll love you forever and we'll work out some sort of trade. I'll even try to dub the soundboard in it for everyone if it's silent.
And I never knew Bartlett performed "Miller's Son" on Johnny Carson. Of course, Glynis performed "Clowns" all over the talk show circuit, but I never knew about "Miller's Son."
Thanks for that nobodyhome. There IS hope after all! :) "

Folks I know who have good contacts have been trying to find it for some time, after having heard rumors about it. I have a friend who is extraordinary at synching sound to silent footage. Good luck, but if someone does have the footage, I doubt posting a request here is going to work (which I'm sure you realize).

But if it does, let me know.

The person who is rumored to have it (not that I necessarily trust these rumors) is not likely to give it to anyone.

[jv92]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 8:26pm

Ha ha, I'm never going to have luck nobodyhome. I just got excited.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 12/30/08 at 1:10am

DidYouReallyHearMe, would you mind elaborating on the Raggedy Ann recording? I tried google but came up short. Never heard of it and now I'm curious as to what made it so dark.

On another note - if I'm not familiar with a certain show, would I still benefit from seeing the recording or is much lost form the stage to the tape? I'm mainly wondering about Side Show and (to some extent) Grey Gardens. I am fairly certain I want to see the original touring production of Company, as it is my favorite of Sondheim's works. But I would like to see one of these as well, since I never got a chance to. That being said, beyond cast albums I know nothing about the shows and am just wondering how good the quality is/whether or not a newcomer will understand it. Again, I've never seen a Lincoln Center recording so I'm not sure what to expect. If it's the quality of some recordings I've seen (Sunday, Company, Sweeney, etc.) that's fine, but I've seen some rather poorly shot bootlegs that made me long for the actual theatrical experience.
So...yeah. Thank you.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 2/19/09 at 5:54pm

Just thought I would bump this thread. I finally went to Lincoln Center. Well, twice actually. Last night I saw South Pacific (y'know I held a grudge that it beat Gypsy for Best Revival, but I now see why - holy CRAP was that beyond stupendous. And even though I got an understudy for O'Hara, Szot is back and oh-so-Tony-deserving) and then this afternoon I went and viewed the original touring production of Company. And even though it was in black and white, was out of focus for a majority of the show, and never really showed any of the actor's facial expressions - what a show to see. I felt so honored for those two hours, sitting there and observing history. Even though I have listened to all three versions countless times, have seen the most recent incarnation on DVD dozens of times, and consider myself a huge fan of this show, seeing the original shed so much light on Company as a whole. It was so mind-blowingly easy to go and see this that I can't imagine why more people don't do it, even if they are just tourists like me. I have lined up Side Show and Grey Gardens for tomorrow and next Thursday so I am beyond excited. Again, I owe all my happiness to the people on this thread and on this board for teaching me all I know. Really people - thank you from the bottom of my theater-loving heart. I never even knew this was possible, and now I have an entire new venue to see such classical shows.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 11:01am

Alright I'm going to give this a little bump. Especially since I'm on my way there soon to see the Off-Broadway production of Grey Gardens. Kind of would like more suggestions (not even necessarily for this trip, since I'm still seeing Side Show after this) and more than anything want those visiting/future visitors to know about this and how easy it really is.

Ooooh and also wondering whether or not Nine was recorded (the Banderas/Krakowski/Benanti/Rivera incarnation).

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 11/13/09 at 6:39pm

So today I went and saw The Wild Party (LaChiusa) at Lincoln Center and was astounded at how great it is. The show is truly amazing with some damn good performances by all involved. How Collette lost the Tony still shocks me. I was going to start a new thread titled "Why did Toni Collette lose the Tony", but I know those types of threads aren't really loved all that much on here. And I'm pretty sure the majority of responses would just be, "Because Heather Headley won". But REALLY (and spoilers ahead for those who haven't seen the show) Collette is astounding as Queenie. I know her mainly for her film work and for United States of Tara, so I've always known she's good. But she made Queenie strong, sexy, damaged, and somehow played her as both the victim and this "sexually ambitious" person who feels no pain. Though I've always liked her on the recording, really seeing it for my own eyes just showed me how great it all was. The last scene, where the cast sings parts of "Queenie Was a Blonde" and she just stands there holding herself, before removing her makeup - so powerful.

So this is mainly a suggestion to go see this production at Lincoln Center. The quality is magnificent. Closeups at the right time, good sound, and even captures some of the cards denoting the "scene/skit/act" titles.

I also saw Grey Gardens yesterday (same goes for the shockingly great quality, though a lot is lot in translation seeing it on film) and took nobodyhome's advice and saw the first revival of Candide (Hal Prince). Definitely correct about the quality there. Although it was obviously lacking compared to the aforementioned post-millennium recordings, it was still much better than I had expected. It should be seen by anyone who is a fan of the show or even fans of mesmerizing staging. The setup for it is one of the most unique I've ever seen, utilizing dropped platforms as bridges, audience space, and things falling down from the ceiling to bring this production to life.

All in all a great bunch of shows and I would recommend them (especially Wild Party) strongly.

[binau]

Posted: 11/13/09 at 6:46pm

mormonophobic, thanks for your information. I'm trying to go to NY Next year and will definitely try to stop off at the Lincoln Centre. Have to decide what I'm going to see though! (Wild Party does sound good).

Just a question, though. - are they actually tapes? Or have they been transferred to a digital format [e.g. DVD]? It makes to cringe to think about the quality losses if they are all on VHS or whatever (Are they VHS though? I think I read they are a bit higher quality/Beta Cam or something).

Second question, what is the actual viewing experience like? Is the TV an old 12" CRT or what :P? And do you wear headphones?

Thanks.


Also, what reasons do you give to see the shows? I am a Uni student which is convenient..but I wonder how specific to each *show* it has to be. And how many shows would be too many to ask for :P.

Updated On: 11/13/09 at 06:46 PM

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/13/09 at 6:48pm

WOW! I am SO jealous!

I can't post as much as I'd like right now so I'll leave it at this: The Broadway WILD PARTY is my favorite score written for the theatre, yes even above FOLLIES or WSS. This show was something so special and unique - truly, the last musical, as much as FOLLIES was. Everything of the past, present and future in theatre was on that stage. Wolfe and LaChiusa rivel Prince/Bennett/Sondheim with this masterpiece.

And I actually prefer the previews version of the show, which had a heartbreaking solo for Queenie that actually constitutes my favorite moment of the score. It occurred after Black's monologue (also cut), right before Burrs enters.

Please post your favorite moments! So much delicate detail in every single scene, particularly when you notice what is going on in the background as the party truly never ended until the fire escape scene and "People Like Us". Bliss.

P

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 11/13/09 at 6:55pm

I'm about to leave to star walking to tonight's show, so I can't really respond as much as I'd like (yet). But qolbinau, I'll go into the details more when I return about what the viewing experience is like (medium-sized TV about 1 1/2 x the size of an average computer monitor) and you wear these big old headphones that also help cancel out the noise around you. But the important part is the excuse. I always assumed you needed some huge, legitimate reason to view these. Last time I was here (the start of this thread) I made up some whole story of a research paper connecting themes of isolationism in Side Show and Company. But it turns out you need the flimsiest of reasons. You're a student so you'd just call ahead of time [phone] and say that you're a student doing a research paper and you can see whatever (within reason) you want. They are very helpful and really, it's so easy to do I can't understand why it wasn't more packed.

I'll write more later.

Posted: 11/13/09 at 7:41pm

I saw both performances- Headley deserved it. And it wasn't even close.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/13/09 at 7:59pm

I say Audra AND Collette deserved it over Headley. And all over Mazzie, who was quite wonderful. And I saw all four, btw.

P

Posted: 11/13/09 at 10:32pm

"|There are so many extraordinary videos there. Of the ones I've seen, if I could have one for myself, it would be the video of the national tour of the original production of Company. But it's one of the earliest videos they shot. It's in black and white and the camera never goes in very close and the cast of the tour at the time this was shot is uneven. Still, it's a thrilling document. But I know some people who've viewed it have not been able to get past the video quality.| |

This is the video I'm most dieing to see as well. The original production of Company fascinates me, and the fact that there's no video record of it really out there (I know there isn't for Night Music or Follies either--except Follies we have those three home video recordings which nearlky everyone has seen now at least--which I believe the Lincoln Cneter Archives houses a copy of as well). When I finally get to New York seriously this is topping my list (I am so obsessed I doubt I'll have any trouble with the recording quality)

There's this fallacy that seems to be growing among younger fans that the original production of Company was too big, Tick Tock and Bennett's choreography in general not needed, the modern scaled back versions bring so much to it, bla bla that I'd really like to see at least partially turned around. but I can't see that happening anytime soon.
Updated On: 11/13/09 at 10:32 PM

Posted: 11/13/09 at 10:41pm

"Is there any footage of the original Night Music at the research library? I never thought there was, let alone that any existed."

I've heard rumors that considerable silent footage of Night Music exists, but if it does, I've never come across any of it. And I've come across a lot that I never thought existed. I sure hope it exists. It was such a beautiful production.

In any case, there's none at the library. And as far as I know, the only OBCR performances that were recorded on TV were at least two Glynis Johns performances "

A few years back the Sondheim Review did an article of what from the classic shows existed on video--preferably in fully or partially staged versions close to how they were seen originally. Next to nothing from Night Music remains--certainly nothing that gives any sense of Aronson's *gorgeous* original designs, etc. It's damn frustrating as a fan (they mentioned the silent footage was basically a myth--who knows, though I likewise have never come across anything from it).

I know this has been asked before, but how come nothing from those early Sondheim shows was performed at the time on the Tonys? We already got some fully staged numbers before then on the awards (Promises Promises and Cabaret both had full on performances toi give just two examples, Pippin got one the year Night Music won a bunch of awards as well). Just bad luck?

Oh and nice to see a reference to Raggedy Ann. The description of this show in Not Since Carrie is so insanely intriguing (how dark it was, the implications of sexual abuse, her mom being seen hung from a tree in the magical world etc) I just would die to see it.

Posted: 11/14/09 at 11:31am

I know Fosse refused to have most of his shows filmed (booo!) for the archive. I know they have Big Deal, I believe they used the bootleg that's floating around (as they did with some other flop shows like Merrily We Roll Along). But does anyone know if they have the 80s revival of Sweet Charity?

I can't for the life of me work the online catalog. I clicked on the link on thefirst page which takes me to the NYPL catalog but from there I dunno where to go to access the archive. Updated On: 11/14/09 at 11:31 AM

[binau]

Posted: 11/14/09 at 3:57pm

I found it confusing too (searching), I thought they used to have a dedicated page.

But I realised that (now at least) you can just search using the standard catalogue

So searching "Sweet Charity Video 1986" it doesn't look like it.

(Just do you trust it works here is the result for "Pacific Overtures Video 2005 http://catalog.nypl.org/search~S1/?searchtype=X&searcharg=Pacific+Overtures+2005+video&searchscope=1&sortdropdown=-&SORT=DZ&extended=0&SUBMIT=Search&searchlimits=&searchorigarg=XPacific+Overtures+%26SORT%3DDZ)

Updated On: 11/14/09 at 03:57 PM