"On the Town" Preview Thread- Page 15

[After Eight]

Posted: 10/8/14 at 7:36am

"Start polishing Tony Yazbeck's Tony right now. The gracefulness, the voice, the hot, heaving sweaty chest."

I wasn't aware they gave Tony Awards for best physique, sweaty or otherwise.

" I also cried at the tender "Some Other Time". "

Terribly staged here, as was "Lonely Town." (Sigh) Both were so beautifully done in 1971,

"As far as the sex goes- there is nothing in the text to suggest that Chip and Ozzie get laid,"

Precisely. You've hit the nail on the head.

"it was a choice for this production, and it works."

Oops, you've just bent the nail. It far from works. In fact, it scuttles the show, destroying the freshness and spirit of innocence inherent to the piece. It was an ill-advised choice, a stupid choice, and most importantly, a destructive one.

It's too bad, because if done right, the show could be wonderful.

But how many of our present-day directors care about doing things right? Their overriding mantra seems to be, if it ain't broke, break it!

If only our theatre and audiences could be free of these directors!


Updated On: 10/8/14 at 07:36 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/8/14 at 7:59am

Actually, it doesn't "scuttle" the freshness and innocence at all. (Does anyone still..."scuttle"?)

In fact, it brings it to life as never before in my lifetime of seeing the 1998 revival (which worked in the park and not on Broadway) and 1971 revival (which was arch and camp in the style that was vogue in 1971).

Of course, I can't comment on the freshness and innocence of the 1944 original, as you can, Old Fellow. But I think we have an opposing view in lovebwy's elderly uncle, who was only a whippersnapper in 1944 and not as mature as you.

Updated On: 10/8/14 at 07:59 AM

[lovebwy]

Posted: 10/8/14 at 9:52am

"I wasn't aware they gave Tony Awards for best physique, sweaty or otherwise."

Listen, my tongue was slightly in cheek about the sweaty chest, but I'm talking about his performance and presence as an actor, singer and dancer as a whole. He is a true triple threat in the classic sense. And the eye candy aspect of it doesn't hoit.

"Terribly staged here, as was "Lonely Town." (Sigh) Both were so beautifully done in 1971,"

The stagings worked for me. To have a cast member standing right behind me harmonizing in a very tender and beautiful way was lovely.

"Oops, you've just bent the nail. It far from works. In fact, it scuttles the show, destroying the freshness and spirit of innocence inherent to the piece. It was an ill-advised choice, a stupid choice, and most importantly, a destructive one. "

The version I saw at Reprise! in Los Angeles in 2005 seemed dated and quaint. Which didn't make sense to me because I was such a huge fan of the 1944 cast recording (which I know was actually recorded some years later). I always found the original cast recording to be fresh, sexy and fun. I think THIS production brings that back in spades. If part of that is that hot little number Chip and horn dog Ozzie getting a little stank on their dicks, so be it. It did not seem wrong or out of place to me. It added to what they were trying to accomplish.

"It's too bad, because if done right, the show could be wonderful."

I've definitely seen it done in a way that was less than wonderful in 2005. This version was miles ahead.

"If only our theater and audiences could be free of these directors!"

All I can say is, while a theater and Broadway aficionado, I have to admit I do not really know much about the technical art of direction. I will have to bow to you on that. I'm talking about my visceral response to the show I saw on Monday night. And I had a fantastic time.

Updated On: 10/8/14 at 09:52 AM

[lynnetoomey]

Posted: 10/8/14 at 10:39am

AfterEight....your fond memories of the "71 production were clearly in the minority as that production ran for a whopping 73 performances. And dismissing Yazbeck's performance as anything but virtuosic is beyond laughable.

[Feste]

Posted: 10/8/14 at 10:54am

I officially love you, PalJoey! =D

[After Eight]

Posted: 10/8/14 at 12:36pm

"And dismissing Yazbeck's performance as anything but virtuosic is beyond laughable."

I did not dismiss his performance in any way. However, his performance deserves to be judged on more elevated criteria than his pectorals and sweat glands.

As for the '71 production, it was high-spirited, charming, touching and superior in every respect to this one. For the foremost reason that it both respected and trusted the material. And if truth be told, the cast was superior as well.

And as you know, a show's run does not necessarily correlate with a show's value. You need only ask the fanatics here who relentlessly shriek the praises of such short-run horrors as Merrily We Roll Along, Marie Christine, The Wild Party, Parade, The Bridges of Madison County, etc. Why, someone on this board actually said the score to Marie Christine was on the same level as Porgy and Bess. Honestly, I did not make that up.

[brucebossa]

Posted: 10/8/14 at 1:13pm

I saw the 1971 production and I think this one is far superior, and they both are superior to the last one The Public Theater gave us.

But that's my opinion. Both of those previous OTT's ran only about 3 months each. Let's see what happens to this one - I can only hope it gets past the January that killed the other two.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/9/14 at 7:53pm

OMG! I hadn't seen this on the @onthetown Twitter feed last Friday, but it's a picture of Megan Fairchild with SONO OSATO (!), the original Ivy from 1944.

https://twitter.com/OnTheTownNYC/status/518178806209978368

Updated On: 10/9/14 at 07:53 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/9/14 at 8:42pm

"This is the penultimate Broadway show.Add the fact that there is no overblown star in sight hogging the spotlight made it all the more joyous for me. "

Tigger, I loved your review, but I had to laugh that you said "this is the PENULTIMATE Broadway show..."

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/9/14 at 8:51pm

I'm almost disappointed--we never got an official A8 review, just some catty replies to the opinions of someone else (when he's the one who claims that he never actually argues other people's opinions.) And speaking of that, I once said that I thought Marie Christine's score was perhaps the finest "opera/musical theatre" score to be performed on Broadway *since* Regina and Porty and Bess. If you're going to use what I say as an example, at least get it right.

[After Eight]

Posted: 10/9/14 at 11:26pm

^

Said you on May 1, 2014:

"I would rank it up there with some of Porgy and Bess--seriously."

I'd say you have a memory problem --- seriously.

I tried to do you a favor by not mentioning your name, in order to spare you embarrassment. But apparently, your gratitude is as bad as your memory.

As for this production of On the Town, I think I've made my feelings perfectly clear on the matter.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/9/14 at 11:55pm

What exactly is wrong with liking Marie Christine as much as or more than Porgy and Bess? They are both very fine scores, and if you looked at the number of times each was played on my iTunes, you would find Marie Christine in the lead.

Why do you always undermine the few good points you make by surrounding them with tangential garbage? It makes you sound like a nut.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 10/10/14 at 12:26am

A8 -

You with all your books
Your taste, your sensivity
I thought you'd understand

The others - well, they're all alike.
Stupidity is their excuse,
As ugliness is mine,
But what is yours?

I've watched you from my window.
I saw you on the day that you arrived.
Perhaps it was the way you walked
The way you spoke to your men.
I saw that you were different then.
I saw that you were kind and good.
I thought you'd understood.

They hear drums
You hear music
As do I
Don't you see?
We're the same
We are different,
You and I are different.
They hear only drums.

All the time I watched from my room
I would think of coming downstairs
Thinking we'd meet, thinking you'd look at me
Thinking you'd be repelled by what you saw.

Don't reject me, don't deny me, Captain
Understand me, be my friend.

Updated On: 10/10/14 at 12:26 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/10/14 at 1:22am

Brava.

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 10/10/14 at 2:08am

Joey! That picture is absolutely wonderful. What a special moment.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 10/10/14 at 4:34am

On the Town feature in Vanity Fair. Tired. TLDR. Fill me in, PJ. Worth reading?
VANITY FAIR: Innocents on Broadway

[Tigger]

Posted: 10/10/14 at 6:10am

Haha! Eric, I laugh at myself as well. I don't know where the "pen" came from! In my zeal of trying to articulate that the show in my mind is the supreme manifestation of what a broadway show should be, I must have tripped over my adjectives.

Updated On: 10/10/14 at 06:10 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/10/14 at 8:33am

Worth reading? You betcha!

It's by Adam Green--Adolph's son (Phyllis Newman's as well) and Amanda's brother--and it's filled with "family lore" about his father's early career, the rise and fall of the Revuers (the comedy group he and Betty had with Judy Holiday, the show: about the writing of the show, the casting (Marlon Brando was turned down), the rehearsals and this little tidbit about the anxiety over the huge size of the theater it was booked into (sound familiar?):

With empty theaters hard to come by, the producers had been forced to book the show into the Adelphi, a cavernous, 1,400-seat house on the undesirable fringe of the theater district—54th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues—nicknamed “the House of Horrors” for its renown as the place where long-running shows wound up when they’d reached the end of the line. “Like they were being sent to the old elephants’ graveyard,” my father explained.

On their first day in the theater, my father called his colleagues’ attention to a portentous still life that had caught his eye: the fading painted flats and backdrops from the sets of the theater’s previous tenant—a revival of a hoary 1890 operetta of Robin Hood, which had lasted all of 11 days—stacked in the alley waiting to be carted off. The first New York performance of On the Town, two nights later, did nothing to allay their anxieties. It was an unmitigated disaster, received with sullen quietude by the traditional first-preview audience of nitpickers, crepehangers, and ax-grinders. During a postmortem at the Russian Tea Room, only Abbott seemed unfazed. “It’ll iron itself out,” he said, cheerfully tucking into his chicken Kiev. “We’re exactly where we should be.”

Updated On: 10/10/14 at 08:33 AM

[Baileyboo]

Posted: 10/10/14 at 11:42am

Regardless of the critic's reviews, and individual opinions on On The Town, this has been one of the most interesting threads I have ever seen on here. Amazing knowledge and passion. Thanks everyone.

[A Director]

Posted: 10/10/14 at 4:56pm

>The first New York performance of On the Town, two nights later, did nothing to allay their anxieties. It was an unmitigated disaster, received with sullen quietude by the traditional first-preview audience of nitpickers, crepehangers, and ax-grinders.

The only thing different between 1944 and 2014 is the folks mentioned in the quote post on the Message Board at Broadway World.com

[Tigger]

Posted: 10/10/14 at 5:06pm

As you obviously do yourself...Which are you? Nit-picker,crepehanger or ax-grinder?

[A Director]

Posted: 10/10/14 at 5:27pm

Tigger -

I don't see first previews, so I'm not in the group.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/10/14 at 7:08pm

Hey, After Eight! What did Betty and Adolph used to consider you, way back there in 1944: an ax-grinder, a crepehanger or a nit-picker?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/10/14 at 7:08pm

Hey, After Eight! What did Betty and Adolph used to consider you, way back there in 1944: an ax-grinder, a crepehanger or a nit-picker?

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/11/14 at 2:24pm

After8--I'm glad you are able to use the awful search function on here better than I (and thanks Whizzer for coming to my defense.) I stand by my statement--I do think Marie Christine has some of the most beautiful operatic/musical music since Porgy. Obviously we aren't going to hang out together and have a listening party, but I'm not quite sure why that needs defending.

That VF article is amazing!