Live from the Lincoln Center Discussion Thread- Page 11

[binau]

Posted: 8/21/10 at 5:11am

Well at least you've seen it .

[Myron]

Posted: 8/21/10 at 5:19am

I agree about "Happy Talk". I never cared for the song until seeing it on the live performance. Now, I've been singing it to myself for days and "I can't get it out of my mind". Sadly, the number was cut entirely from the Glenn Close film version for TV which I didn't care for anyway. Glenn Close, although a good actress, was not right as Nellie.

[justafan2]

Posted: 8/21/10 at 9:07am

It will be re-aired in my area tomorrow (Sunday) at 12:30 pm.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/21/10 at 5:12pm

Just a few more thoughts having watched bits of it again ...

Kelli O'Hara really is the glue that holds this together. There's not a false note in her acting (or singing). I wouldn't even call this a drawback necessarily in today's amplified theatre world, but I kinda wish her voice was a little more powerful. Still, it's an absolutely beautiful voice, and she moves so seamlessly between the spoken word and song. She's a real treasure in this.

I loved Paulo Szot, but occasionally both his acting and singing bordered on forced (but never actually got there). And several of his dramatic scenes were terrific.

Still, for me, the night belonged to Kelli.

I have not warmed up to Lieutenant Cardboard at all. He really is almost comical in the role, sadly. His voice is good, but I've heard the songs sung better. And quite often actually. I agree with whoever said he reminded them of one of the princes in "Into the Woods." He has that over-the-top, Robert Westenberg delivery and posturing. He'd be fine singing "Agony," and we'd all love his caricature of a storybook prince. But Cable? Shouldn't be played that way at all.

I also agree with the Bert Lahr comparison for Danny Burstein. And I'd love to see Danny in a Lahr bio-musical. He would be brilliant.

[singalongsong2]

Posted: 8/21/10 at 5:29pm

And surprisingly enough nobody has posted it on the web. Anywhere.

Yeah, I really thought it would be on the net by now. I've only seen one song on youtube. That's it.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/21/10 at 5:39pm

By the way, who is that chorus girl who looks exactly like a 1930s Ann Miller. Wow, that was freaky! She's a spitting image.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 8/21/10 at 8:43pm

this is finally airing tonight here in san diego... i'm excited to watch it!

[Kad]

Posted: 8/21/10 at 9:35pm

I had a teacher that once compared Bloody Mary to Mother Courage, but never fully made the connection myself until I saw Loretta Ables Sayre in the role.

[yankee_fan907]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 2:12am

"To answer your question, backwoodsbarbie, no. That reprise of "Honey Bun" is not initially in the script."

I hate to tell you, wickedfan, but you're just plain wrong. Another poster pointed this out, but you refused to listen. The "Honey Bun" reprise has been in the script. I performed the show back in high school and it was there. It was not added by Sher and Co.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 3:10am

yeah i did South Pacific back in 1996 when I was a senior in high school and we did the Honey Bun reprise

anyway... just watched the production... i'm upset that I don't have HD anymore so I was stuck watching it in standard and i was annoyed that they didn't widescreen it so i was stuck with a bunch of cut off actors on the sides! arrgh

loved the production... loved the tour and it was awesome to see how it was originally conceived with the thrust part... especially how the stage floor just moves to uncover the orchestra.. that was just freaking awesome!

and to point out what others said.. yeah danny burstein was doing some type of bert lehr acting... but either way i thought he was a perfect Billis... quite the opposite of Matthew Saldivar on tour who just didn't make Billis a likeable character

Loretta Ables Sayre.... geez I loved this woman... she made Bloody Mary so different than I've normally seen... so dark and a pimp! haha...

Andrew Samonsky... i agree with everyone... i love this dude's voice... i actually saw him in tick tick boom several years ago in LA and thought he was perfect in that show... in South Pacific... not so much... i mean he can sing but yeah his acting left much to be desired... i just didn't like his cocky walk or swagger... it felt like he was trying too hard to just act... although I found his act 2 scenes to be quite good although still lacking

loved Paulo and Kelli... plain and simple... and is it me... i've seen pictures of Paulo when he started the show... did he look like he gained some weight? just wondering... oh and the way he would sing words ending in "er" sounded weird... but whatever... love the guy's voice

damn i wish this would be put on DVD or Blu Ray!

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 3:41am

i've seen pictures of Paulo when he started the show... did he look like he gained some weight? just wondering...


http://talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=1892011

[NCGuy]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 4:46am

Updated On: 8/22/10 at 04:46 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 6:18am

I saw the show live just last week, and yes, he's gained some weight. It happens.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 8:08am

The Honey Bun reprise has always been in the show, as far as I know. What was so unusual and haunting about it was the staging in this revival. I've never seen it done that way before.

It's usually pretty much "thrown away" as the soldiers cross the stage ("in one" as the set is changing behind them).

There were several moments in this revival when I was reminded what good direction and thoughtful staging can do to something very familiar to me. In many ways (including this Honey Bun reprise), it was like seeing it for the first time.

EDIT: The other major instance was "Happy Talk." I've never seen it staged so darkly before, with Bloody Mary more of a scheming "pimp" than a "matchmaker." The song may be innocent, but nothing else about it is.

Updated On: 8/22/10 at 08:08 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 10:52am

Bloody Mary, I feel, is constantly played as this whimsical, silly, backwards island woman, selling silly trinkets and mangling the English language and thinking that it'd be romantic for her daughter and Cable to fall in love. This is the first time I've seen a more realistic Bloody Mary- one who is very much aware of her station in life, and is desperate for her daughter to get out of it- by any means.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 12:50pm

I've only seen the show once - about twenty years ago with Howard Keel playing Emile. He sounded like Satan and at the end there was confusion among my friends because he seemed to die at the end. It was the St Louis Muny, so it was pretty much guaranteed to be terrible.

I adored the PBS Broadcast. Because I think I'm genetically predisposed to agree with the majority on virtually everything, I have to say that I liked Samonsky.

I didn't think Luther was supposed to be gay, but I do think there's a fine line between doing a thick "Noo Yawk" accident and sounding reallly queeny. The Bert Lahr comparisons are apt.

I've never seen Kelli O'Hara in anything and I found her riveting. I really thought I'd turn this on and get bored after ten minutes, but I thought it was just effing great.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 1:00pm

Wow, yankee_fan, aggressive much? I don't understand why it's such a big deal and why the fact that I was incorrect is such a grave offense. When did I "refuse" to listen? I actually responded to the post saying that the script I had, had no "Honey Bun" reprise. I did not say that I was right, but merely the circumstances of my post. I've never read the licensed script, merely the script that was published in the mid-50's that I inherited from a family member. That's the script I referred to and I assumed that it was the same as the licensed version. In that respect I was wrong.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 1:14pm

Just flicking through a replay, Andrew "Blue Steel" Samonsky is driving me crazy, so distracting in an another otherwise flawless production.

While I don't mind it, I do find it funny that Paulo Szot couldn't escape the inevitable "opera singer gut". I'll still have him.

[theeatah]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 1:27pm

Is it cheaper to film in 4:3, or is it just as easy to use a widescreen lens?

[Kad]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 2:10pm

Even wit any added weight, I'd take Paulo Szot over any of those cookie-cutter gym rat chorus boys any day.

[ErikInTheCity]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 4:34pm

Super annoyed right now. LA's PBS/KCET is supposed to be reairing LFLC at the moment, according to the onscreen menu, but it is not on. There are no more future listings on their site, either. I missed the original airing as I was traveling. Anyone have any luck finding the show online anywhere?

[allofmylife]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 5:13pm

Nowhere. And I have been looking day-and-night.

[MsBroadwayFan]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 10:31pm

I didn't like Samonsky when I saw him on stage over the summer, but he is growing on me with every repeat of the PBS broadcast, and I watched it about five times. I agree with the person who saw the transformation of his character from cocky to caring.

As to Kelli being too bland, I disagree. She and Paolo have the most palpable chemistry onstage that I can recall in nearly 40 years of theatergoing. Her delicate voice is a wonderful complement to his big baritone. I can't get enough of this performance and am just so sad I wasn't able to see it many more times while it was here.

[eponine88]

Posted: 8/22/10 at 11:03pm

Got a chance to watch it today after being there for the taping and I have to say that even thought there is nothing like being there, the taping was actually quite good compared to some I've seen (and it made me cry just as much) Besides which, getting to see close ups of Paulo was well worth it :)

[Eris0303]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 1:24am

I'm watching the Carnegie Hall concert with Reba McEntire and they just did the Honey Bun reprise at full speed.