Josh Groban to star in The Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway in September - Page 3

[TerrenceIsTheMann]

Posted: 12/14/15 at 1:47pm

A combination of Groban and Phillipa would be killer.

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 12/14/15 at 2:17pm

I would love to see Soo return to this show! She's fantastic on the cast recording.

[nightcapriot]

Posted: 12/14/15 at 2:50pm

So excited for this. Wonder what they are going to do by way of beverage program in a traditional proscenium...loved being able to drink vodka during this in the tent!

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 12/14/15 at 2:51pm

How did we transition to most people thinking Philippa would leave Hamilton for this? 

[Kad]

Posted: 12/14/15 at 2:56pm

I hardly think Soo's participation is guaranteed; but this is the role that made her notable and it falls in such a way that her return is feasible- how likely it is is another matter. She may be making more in Hamilton, or enjoying Hamilton too much to leave, or simply may not want to return to a show that is moving on without her.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/14/15 at 4:10pm

I don't think anyone was thinking she WOULD leave Hamilton, just that they'd LIKE to see her back.  (I know I would!)

[Cupid Boy2]

Posted: 12/14/15 at 6:10pm

Speaking strictly from a career standpoint, picking the right project to follow up the massive success of Hamilton will be no easy feat for Soo should she decide to ride this momentum in the world of theatre. If she is offered the chance to return to this piece and wants to move on from Hamilton, this will most likely be her safest bet given the critical acclaim with which it's already been met and the presence of Groban. Nevertheless, with the amount of attention Hamilton is receiving, I'm sure she's going to have plenty of other offers in alternative mediums.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 12/14/15 at 6:43pm

I have tried to listen to the cast recording a few times, but have always gotten turned off (I thought what I had heard was a lot of noise). I'm not about 25 minutes in and now I realize it was Blake DeLong's obnoxious (but appropriate?) performance that I couldn't stand. I hope I make it to the end, some of what I've heard is good (and I like Phillipa so there's that).

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/15/15 at 1:09am

Saw the show when it moved uptown to the lot between 45th and 46th. I was quite an exciting night of theatre. With that said, the score worked while watching the show. Outside of that I don't see myself listening to it. I, like gypsy101 am trying to get through it. I decided that I would go back when word came out that it ma hit Broadway. With the announcement of Josh Groban, I will pass. Not a fan.  And Pierre is not really prominent during the show but I will still pass.  JMO

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 12/15/15 at 9:02am

Not knowing much about either Josh Groban or The Great Comet - other than people loving both individually - I watched the PBS broadcast of Josh Groban's show Stages. I love the song choices but was feeling blah throughout most of the program. It was sleepy and not exciting. So my thoughts about seeing him live with screaming masses of his fans encourages me to perhaps wait until he departs the show. His name isn't a box office draw to me. 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 12/15/15 at 9:44am

I did finish the album last night. it was definitely a trial for me, maybe because it was unlike most theater music that I listen to. I didn't hate it and I may try again, but it may just be a piece of theater that isn't for me.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 12/15/15 at 9:48am

Even I, as a big fan of the show and the score, will admit that a full listen through the cast album is a pretty intense experience. Partly because it's sung-through and therefore quite long, but also because the music is pretty bizarre. He plays with cacophony and dissonance and things like that, in a really creative way, but not for easy listening.  I love the score, but it's a lot to take in. Finally seeing the show live brought to life TONS of musical moments that never really sunk in when listening to the album. Similarly, the whole abduction in act 2 was never that fun to listen to on the album, but onstage the sequence had so much momentum and energy. 

 

Just my two-cents. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/15/15 at 9:51am

I picked up the album (free from Amazon Prime) before I went to see it.  Tried a few times to simply listen to it.  Couldn't get through it, either.  But once I DID see, I can't seem to get enough....I keep discovering new things. 

 

That being said, I seldom enjoy an album without having seen the show.  In fact, I seldom even attempt it until after I see it.  The only exception I can think of in the last few years was Fun Home.  Fell in love on the first listen. 

 

Don't give up on it too easy!  The production is dazzling.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/15/15 at 9:54am

"That being said, I seldom enjoy an album without having seen the show.  In fact, I seldom even attempt it until after I see it."

 

Same with me.  

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 12/15/15 at 9:54am

Why do people keep suggesting the biggest theaters for this? with the production design the last thing they want is a theater with a balcony, so cross out the Kerr, Belasco and St James, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it ends up in one of the playhouses on 45th street. 

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 12/15/15 at 10:06am

I would say one of the bigger theatres because of the success of the Hal Prince revival of Candide in the 70s that created a very immersive production in the Broadway. Eugene Lee created a series of platforms and playing spaces all over the orchestra, and I would assume seating was limited or non-existent in the mezz and balcony. If you are going to do something that comes out into the audience, and thus eliminate valuable seating area, you don't necessarily want to pick a theatre that is already on the small side in terms of overall capacity.

[HSky]

Posted: 12/15/15 at 1:09pm

I could never really make it through the album, either, including another attempt on my drive up to Boston, debating whether to skip it and see something else even though I already had a ticket. However, after seeing it staged, I eagerly listened to it twice on the 5 hour drive back. The style of the show isn't for everyone (unless they asked to be reseated in the house, I noticed 2-3 empty spots on stage after intermission) but I'd give it a shot live.

[tazber]

Posted: 12/15/15 at 1:31pm

If you're curious about the score and are coming in completely fresh, go with the highlights album first.

 

It's billed as an electro-pop opera, and it certainly is, but it's also incredibly theatrical.

 

I think Charming was my favorite theater song the year it came out.

 

 

 

 

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 12/15/15 at 4:00pm

Brian07663NJ said: "Not knowing much about either Josh Groban or The Great Comet - other than people loving both individually - I watched the PBS broadcast of Josh Groban's show Stages. I love the song choices but was feeling blah throughout most of the program. It was sleepy and not exciting. So my thoughts about seeing him live with screaming masses of his fans encourages me to perhaps wait until he departs the show. His name isn't a box office draw to me. 

While I personally agree with you, I think his presence will generate a lot of traffic among the Long Island and tourist crowd.  I don't believe commercial success for this production is assured, but is more likely than most.

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 12/15/15 at 4:37pm

Play Esq. said: "While I personally agree with you, I think his presence will generate a lot of traffic among the Long Island and tourist crowd.  I don't believe commercial success for this production is assured, but is more likely than most."

Absolutely! He will sell tickets to a show that his fans most likely wouldn't necessarily be attending...but putting a popular name above the title is supposed to do just that!

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 12/15/15 at 5:05pm

"but also because the music is pretty bizarre. He plays with cacophony and dissonance and things like that, in a really creative way, but not for easy listening."

 

I made it through the whole album when I decided to listen to it. I do want to give it a chance on stage if I can because listening to it as an album all that "cacophony and dissonance" made it sound like listening to trash compactor mauling the orchestra.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 12/16/15 at 12:13pm

So thrilled to hear this news. To think that (unless something closes early, but I imagine both with still be around by that time) "Hamilton,” “Fun Home,” and “Natasha…” will all be playing on Broadway concurrently next year is thrilling. What an exciting time for theatre in general – and wonderful examples that the styles of theatre that can appeal to the “mainstream” masses is expanding all the time.

 

I’m excited about Groban’s casting here – I think he could be very unique in this role.

 

Soo’s return to the piece would be a treat –the timing would be right in regards to her likely year-long contract with “Hamilton,” but I agree that the decision will likely come down to what her options are at the time (as I imagine she might have many offers coming her way).

 

Perhaps even more than Soo, I am hoping for the return of Amber Gray when it makes its way to Broadway. She was deliciously deceptive in the original and I’d love to see her in it again. Has anyone who has seen both the Kazino and ART productions tell me how Gray and Cooper compare?

[Kad]

Posted: 12/16/15 at 12:20pm

I find the score incredibly easy to listen to and very melodic, save for the surreal depiction of the opera.

[Buddy Plummer2]

Posted: 12/16/15 at 12:47pm

I found both Gray and Cooper to be more than outstanding in their roles. However, there's some vocal pyrotechnics that Cooper pulls out in "Charming" that are pretty spectacular. 

[Kad]

Posted: 12/16/15 at 12:50pm

Gray's performance of "Charming" stopped the show both times I saw it- a deliciously malevolent and fierce rendition of the song. It genuinely made Helene feel like a much more substantial character than she actually is in the show. I can't wait to see what Cooper does with it.