Matilda Curtain
Matilda Curtain
Matilda Curtain #1
Posted: 6/29/13 at 3:35amApparently a curtain and overture has been added to the broadway version if Matilda, anyone got a pic of the curtain ?
Matilda Curtain #2
Posted: 6/29/13 at 3:41amI don't think there is a curtain or an overture.
Matilda Curtain #4
Posted: 6/29/13 at 6:29am
Found some pics but very poor quality but gives you the idea!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98178508@N04/9163855683/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98178508@N04/9163855271/
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
Matilda Curtain #5
Posted: 6/29/13 at 7:39amWell, that's unnecessary.
Matilda Curtain #6
Posted: 6/29/13 at 11:20am
They were both added this past Tuesday. The production has been taking too long in preparing the stage, which resulted in delays in opening the house. The curtain was added so they could open the house even if the stage isn't ready.
Updated On: 6/29/13 at 11:20 AM
Matilda Curtain #7
Posted: 6/29/13 at 11:26amAre the lit-up letters that spell out Matilda still there?
Matilda Curtain #8
Posted: 6/29/13 at 12:57pm
That's really a shame. I adored the design without this scrim, and I certainly don't love what's painted on it. (From what I can see.)
A black curtain with the logo would've been a LITTLE nicer. Heck, they could've just used the plain blackout curtain that they use during intermission!
Chorus Member Joined: 7/10/12
Matilda Curtain #9
Posted: 6/29/13 at 1:00pm
http://statigr.am/p/488416731553709947_397136902
Here is a better image of the curtain.
Matilda Curtain #10
Posted: 6/29/13 at 1:38pm
Here's another one. ick. Updated On: 6/29/13 at 01:38 PM
Matilda Curtain #11
Posted: 6/29/13 at 1:56pmSo have they cut the neon letters that spell out Matilda that are there for the duration of Miracle or no?
Matilda Curtain #13
Posted: 6/29/13 at 1:59pmThe lit up letters are still there when the scrim lifts halfway through the overture which is only about 30 seconds or so.
Matilda Curtain #14
Posted: 6/29/13 at 2:05pmI really like the curtain. I think it's cool. For the overture, can someone please describe it? Why did they add this NOW, not during previews?
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
Matilda Curtain #15
Posted: 6/29/13 at 2:23pm
Well, it looks better from the front....and the reasoning makes some sense. The overture gives them even a few more minutes.
Matilda Curtain #16
Posted: 6/29/13 at 2:34pmI don't understand why they would be having problems if the London production doesn't as far as pre-show set-up? As far as I know the London production does not have a curtain.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
Matilda Curtain #17
Posted: 6/29/13 at 2:56pmIt could be because of different union rules. England may allow them more hours without overtime.
Matilda Curtain #18
Posted: 6/29/13 at 3:06pmI guess the Overture expands the possibility of the Broadway casting album? And what songs are in the Overture?
Matilda Curtain #19
Posted: 6/29/13 at 3:08pmA 30 second overture is a reason for a brand new cast recording?????????
Matilda Curtain #20
Posted: 6/29/13 at 3:11pm
The overture was needed to cover the length of time needed to raise the curtain so people could see the lit-up letters. The opening number isn't long enough for that, and raising the curtain without music, in a musical, is just plain weird.
As for why it wasn't done in previews, that has to do with timing and working out the kinks. Nothing has changed since opening night, and it creates problems when the house opens late (and the show starts later as a result).
I don't know what the pre-show set-up is in the London, but here the children are required to rehearse their stunt numbers before each performance (when I grow up, the gym scene, the pigtails throw). And then they set up the stage. It takes time. On matinee days they only need to rehearse before the first show, and they rehearse the understudies too.
Matilda Curtain #21
Posted: 6/29/13 at 3:25pm
If the orchestra is playing for 30 seconds at the beginning of the show, I don't think that's really an overture. It's more like a prelude or something.
I believe that US union rules are that all fights/stunts have to be performed every day prior to the show, just to make sure that everything is as it should be. I remember one of the Spring Awakening cast members saying they had to go through the fight in the second act before every performance, and that was a pretty minimal fight. I think it's a good rule, although it takes time.
Matilda Curtain #23
Posted: 6/29/13 at 3:37pm
"The opening number isn't long enough for that, and raising the curtain without music, in a musical, is just plain weird."
......Ragtime. That is all.
Matilda Curtain #24
Posted: 6/29/13 at 3:41pmWhich is really sad, as Overtures used to both thill and amaze audiences. Give me a 5 min+ Jule Styne or Rodgers and Hammerstein Overture any day. Overtures were actually works of art (Candide, Gypsy, Carosel Waltz, Funny Girl, Follies). It kills me when audiences talk through Overtures and Entr'acts, as they take a lot of work to make and introduce you to the major themes of the show.
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