ONCE ON THIS ISLAND (2017) Previews — Page 7

I've been to the Circle twice: Once, to see THE RIVER and again to see FUN HOME. Was wondering where the "center section" is -- The 100's section? I'm looking for a "full-on" view of the show.

rjm516 said: "Mind you the only thing I ever knew about this show was Audra's rendition of "Come Down From That Tree" which wasn't even in this production!"

It actually wasn't in the original production in 1990 either - it was cut at some point in the development process, but has found new life through Audra's (and Lillias White's) cover.

I do not think you have to worry about understudies. No one will take off unless they're unable to perform.

And there will be so much excitement in that theater all of December 3 the cast will want to be with each other through all of it.

I really enjoyed this beautifully-staged and thoughtfully-directed production. Here's a link to my listing on A View From My Seat:

https://aviewfrommyseat.com/photo/80053/Circle+in+the+Square+Theatre/section-Orchestra/row-H/seat-141/

Updated On: 11/30/17 at 11:02 AM

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this before, but, for what it's worth, and however unlikely it is, casting Alex Newell as "Effie" in Dreamgirls is something that would get me interested in the revival.

^Oh, my........

behindthescenes2 said: "the actors literally have to dress themselves and apply their own make up"

First world problems in a musical about third world problems.

They never took the carpet off the floor on Sunday's Matinee performance. It was really awkward watching them dance on the carpet.

I already got yelled at for not telling the emperor how fab he looked in his box office smash, but I wouldn’t call these producers “cheap” when they are likely looking at losses. Cheap implies that there’s money to be cheap about, and so far there isn’t any. The grosses thus far can’t sustain the show, so reviews and word of mouth are the only hope this show has. By not hiring a ton of extra staff, the producers are doing the right thing because these things add up and could ultimately close the production faster, before they have a chance to see if word of mouth will work. Producing theatre is not easy and making a profit is very difficult. We would all like conveniences to make our jobs easier, but I would hardly call anyone “cheap” who is likely looking at a multi-million dollar loss, lost creating art. That sounds actually kind of generous to these old ears.

Uh I have a friend who is a swing in a Broadway production that is a long-running smash hit that still rakes in over a million a week. She took me backstage after a performance and I was surprised at how, well, run down and cheap the theatre looked. The characters change costumes in a tiny crevice the size of Manhattan kitchen and costumes are piled on top of each other. There was junk everywhere. Actors between scenes have to run down a tiny set of stairs to the tinier backstage area where they re-apply makeup or get their costume change in a common "dressing room" area.

This show isn't hurting for money. But I think if you go backstage to many theatres of many musicals you'll be surprised at how run down and gritty they are. Maybe Bette Midler gets her own dressing room. Everyone else seems to be on their own.

Yeah none of that sounds worrying. And besides Broadway, regional houses are far worse. Or tours. They're fine.

Saw it this afternoon. It's been my favorite musical since seeing LaChanze and the original cast when I first moved to NYC. This production is absolutely stunning and perfectly cast right down to the person.

I have more to say, but I'm still basking in what I saw today. I wish them all a wonderful opening.

I agree with BVD that the show is problematic, but I think some of the evidence he sites doesn't exactly support his case. Those lyrics in "Some Girls" and Daniel's subsequent spurning of Ti Moune are not meant to be taken as good things at all. Daniel is a classist, patronizing a-hole, and the writers deliberately paint him as such. That doesn't change the fact that she dies for him, and is praised for it. On that matter, I agree with BVD.

I think Arden was trying to spin the ending to be more about her effort to bridge class/color boundaries, rather than her subservience to him. The group of children who came in at the end were of many races, all playing happily together. But now, as I understand it, the children have been cut from the show, so I can see why his attempt to spin it has been rendered completely ineffective.