I was on You-Tube looking for what they had on the revival. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the full original London production was available and that it was a professional shooting.
I decided to watch it to see if it was as good as I remembered. It was not..you can’t repeat reaching the conclusion that a show you violently hated was actually good with the right direction and casting. The first half-hour was a bit of a slog, but it kept getting better. Mark Umbers, who I saw in Boston, set the bar very high for Groff, who I have always liked. By the end, I was fully won over, and am glad that I saw it…to help manage my expectations, I.e., that the first half hour will likely still be a slog for me.
For anyone who is not seeing the production (because it is so expensive or you are not in NYC?), I would strongly recommend viewing it. It is as good as any of the Sondheim productions aired on PBS (in some cases, not necessarily hard…I hated Passion, I hated the Act 2 in the Prince version (have enjoyed it in other productions though, in one case more than Act 1), and I don’t like ITW as much as most people on this board).
The physical production was identical to what I saw in Boston, so I am guessing that it is the same as the Broadway production. (I don’t see the production until mid-October). So, minus the specific performers (which of course is a big factor in the demand for tickets), I am guessing that it is likely to be pretty much the same as currently on Broadway.