"On the Town" Preview Thread- Page 9
"On the Town" Preview Thread
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
ON THE TOWN previews#200
Posted: 9/27/14 at 5:04am
Bergasse's chroreoghy is strong, I would hardly call the dancers electrifying and virtuosic. There are certainly some incredible dancers up there in quite a number of tracks, but there were also a few dancers who were technically proficient but "dead behind the eyes" as they say and one or two who were consistently off in the performance I saw.
Sing_dance_love,
I absolutely agree that Yazbeck is delivering fine work here, he is just in the wrong role! The Coney Island pas de duex absolutely brings the house down and deservedly so. I think they only moment to surpass it in audience response was Umphress's "I Can Cook Too"
ON THE TOWN previews#201
Posted: 9/27/14 at 4:55pm
I'm seeing the matinee performance on Nov 1st... the day before I run the NYC Marathon, and I couldn't be more excited!! I think it's the perfect show to pump me up before taking on 26.2 miles through the 5 boroughs of this helluva town!
Question: Do they do an overture? I prefer nothing before the the opening number explodes with sound after the quiet quartet.
Updated On: 9/27/14 at 04:55 PM
Broadway Star Joined: 11/2/13
ON THE TOWN previews#202
Posted: 9/27/14 at 5:06pm
EDIT: It's not really an overture, just the preamble to "New York, New York" which I consider to be the opening song for the show.
You don't like overtures? Crazy talk! Yes, they have an overture of sorts and it's very nice.
ON THE TOWN previews#203
Posted: 9/27/14 at 5:32pmDid they change it? I thought I read that they opened with the national anthem at Barrington.
ON THE TOWN previews#204
Posted: 9/27/14 at 5:34pm
No, I love overtures! Just for this particular show, I'd choose to go without one, just because the opening is so exhilarating... I think it would have a stronger impact if that's the first time you heard the orchestra. I'm sure it's fine either way... just a preference.
Updated On: 9/27/14 at 05:34 PM
Broadway Star Joined: 11/2/13
ON THE TOWN previews#205
Posted: 9/27/14 at 6:06pm
Okay, it's not really an overture so much as it is the opening to the actual show which I always considered to be an overture even though it really isn't. You know, the part that begins with "I feel like I'm not out of bed yet"
ON THE TOWN previews#206
Posted: 9/27/14 at 6:22pm
Oh that's the workmen quartet. So you don't actually hear the full orchestra until the opening number as the sailors run on? That's what I was hoping!
Updated On: 9/27/14 at 06:22 PM
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
ON THE TOWN previews#207
Posted: 9/27/14 at 6:25pmThe show begins with the Star Spangled Banner arranged for the full orchestra by Josh Clayton, then goes immediately into the quartet. The entire score is performed in whole, as intended, by the Berstein estate.
ON THE TOWN previews#208
Posted: 9/27/14 at 6:31pmIt opens with the national anthem the same as the original production did in 1944. During World War Two, all shows began with the national anthem, as sports events still do.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/31/03
ON THE TOWN previews#209
Posted: 9/27/14 at 6:36pmAnd the original overture is now played as the entr'acte.
ON THE TOWN previews#210
Posted: 9/27/14 at 6:39pmThanks guys! I fully expect my ears to have an orgasm! =)
Broadway Star Joined: 11/2/13
ON THE TOWN previews#211
Posted: 9/27/14 at 7:21pmYes, it begins with the national anthem, though I don't really consider that to be an overture because it doesn't have much to do with the show.
ON THE TOWN previews#212
Posted: 9/27/14 at 7:25pm
Only in context of the time period the show is in. I kinda like the idea.
Is the audience expected to stand for it, like at sporting events?
Updated On: 9/27/14 at 07:25 PM
Broadway Star Joined: 11/2/13
ON THE TOWN previews#213
Posted: 9/27/14 at 7:27pmIt works with the show being set in NY and the national anthem is always a beautiful piece of music so it's nice to hear.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
ON THE TOWN previews#214
Posted: 9/27/14 at 8:37pm
The audience instinctively stands and sings along. No cast involvement. The show curtain is the Stars and Stripes.
It is very fitting, but a I will say that in a confined space like a Broadway house, it could potentially be off putting as Americans salute and sing and tourists stand and stare. Haha,
ON THE TOWN previews#215
Posted: 9/27/14 at 8:47pmThe cast is singing backstage so a lot of audience members join in.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
ON THE TOWN previews#216
Posted: 9/27/14 at 10:43pmYes, but the set up for the audience, doesn't let them see that clue. From the audience's experience, it is a very abrupt start and organic singing, that really, we have been trained to do since birth.
ON THE TOWN previews#217
Posted: 9/28/14 at 12:31am
Wow, what a great show. I had been looking forward to it for weeks, and I was not disappointed. The dancing, staging, singing, lighting, choreography were all fantastic. The scene where Hildy is driving with Chip and the scene with the dinosaur were amazing, very inventive and funny. Jackie Hoffman got plenty of laughs in all her guises. And of course, that glorious music, played to perfection. I love that the musicians in the pit are visible, at least from the mezzanine. I feel this show is the whole package. This is what I go to Broadway for. The show is long, but the time flew by. If I could make any constructive criticism, it would be maybe to cut some of the various nightclubs. That scene dragged a bit. But overall On the Town is a delight!
I had TDF seats in the fourth row of the mezzanine (which is called the Dress Circle), a bit over to the side. The view from there was great. What a gorgeous theater!
Updated On: 9/28/14 at 12:31 AM
ON THE TOWN previews#218
Posted: 9/28/14 at 12:31amWhat's the stage like for this one? High? Really asking primarily about sightlines from the orchestra...
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
ON THE TOWN previews#219
Posted: 9/28/14 at 12:34am
Actually, the show deck for the show is very low, so it is not a high stage at all.
They have also added a cross aisle between the orchestra pit (which is large and open) and the first row seats, so are set back further and not staring up.
The cab sequence is a riot and the only time where every single element of the production melds perfectly.
ON THE TOWN previews#220
Posted: 9/28/14 at 1:05amI'll be sitting 4th row center Dress Circle. I hear the theatre is huge, so I'm not sure if I'll feel pretty far away or what.
ON THE TOWN previews#221
Posted: 9/28/14 at 7:31amYou'll be fine. It's a big show, so you'll be able to take it all in from there.
ON THE TOWN previews#222
Posted: 9/28/14 at 1:00pm
Saw it on Saturday matinee..TDF row N orchestra on the side...I have seen this show in many versions beginning with the 1971 revival and it never fails to thrill me. This production is one of the best..I loved the three sailors, Hildy and of course Jackie Hoffman. I also loved how this production made it clear that the couples were being intimate. A few minor quibbles like Philip Boykin in the opening (this is not Old Man River!) and Elizabeth Stanley left me cold but all and in all..a real treat and a thrill.. Classic musical theater at it's finest.
ON THE TOWN previews#223
Posted: 9/28/14 at 1:14pm
"You know, the part that begins with "I feel like I'm not out of bed yet"
That's the title of the first song in the show and sets up the whole 24 hours premise. NY, NY is the second song in the show.
Understudy Joined: 5/17/14
ON THE TOWN previews#224
Posted: 9/28/14 at 1:46pm
I wish I enjoyed this show as much as most of the people in this thread have enjoyed it. The orchestra was a highlight as was all of the ballet, but I found the show to be missing something. The woman next to me fell asleep, the people in front of me were restless during the first act and never came back after intermission and quite a few people were talking about it dragging in the middle. I also heard a few people praising the show as I was leaving the theater. It will be interesting to read the reviews when they come out.
This was the first time I've attended a preview. The clapping during the show was constant. At times people started cheering before a number was over. Is this normal for a preview? Are there a lot of friends and family in attendance during these performances?
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