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

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

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

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

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).

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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. 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!

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?

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.