Passing Strange Changes

[barcelona20]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 8:29pm

This is probably mostly for tinymagic, but what changes have they made to the show since it opened?

Songs, dialogue, actions?

For example, I've noticed that some of the songs on the cd are longer than live, and didn't know if they changed it. Updated On: 7/13/08 at 08:29 PM

[gustof777]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 8:38pm

at the matinee today the joke about investment bakers actually sitting in the orchestra rather than the balcony was gone as was Stew asking the person in the front row if they were from in town. Don't know if that's in stone or not but ...

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 8:47pm

Not all that much, except for musical nuances, especially in the number Keys, which, by it's nature of starting out as a ballad, and then turning into a bombastic rock concert-type number, there has been some interpretive Riffs among the musicians and actors on a nightly basis that's THE REAL, for real. The KEYS mid section "all rythmn thing" came about, about 6 wks. ago. Because they're real rock musicians playing in real time, (if that makes any sense).

Mr. Venus's scenes and (song?) are different on CD than in person. The live performance really can not be recorded out of context.

Curiously, the outstanding, and ultra rock out curtain call music is absent from the CD. Why, I don't know.

Also, "Love Like That" now starts a capella (by Stew), which I personally find very inviting, and draws the audience in to a very dramatically important song.

I think the other Scaryotypes may have more info on this than I.

Even though I am a lover of all things old and new in Bway, this particular show does have the LIVE-EST aspect I've encountered in a long time.
Updated On: 7/13/08 at 08:47 PM

[gregj63]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 8:47pm

Tiny has probably noticed more than me, but I'll give you what I've noticed, having seen it quite a few times between February and today.

No real changes I can recall in the dialogue or actions, though Stew did omit the investment banker in the balcony joke today.

The cast album, though it was recorded live in the theater, was not recorded during a full performance, but rather they sat on stage and played the songs, and purposely changed some of the songs for the recording. For example, Stoned has a whole solo section by the Mom that is not in the show. And the entire Mr Venus section is much different between the cast album and the performance. The song that changes frequently is Keys; it now has an acapella section during which Stew talks and tells jokes, with a little James Brown style bit that makes the audience go nuts. The length of Keys has varied dramatically during the performances I've seen.

The big loss on the cast album is that a lot of the incidental music and narrative with background music is not included. I understand why it's not on the recording, but I'd like to have it. In particular, there's a really nice bit where Stew sings about "the music of Mayday" that is not included. That's why I'm hopeful that the upcoming film will capture the entire show.

Anything I've left out?

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 8:49pm

There are certain lines that Stew "plays" with occasionally and that is one of them. Also the Pretzel man story is sometimes slightly diff. Nothing is TOO off the actual script. Depends on the audience and Stew's mood that night, really.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 9:09pm

The fact that the curtain call music is not on the CD really bothers me. At least it will be preserved through Spike Lee's filming of the production.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 9:22pm

Yeah, frogs-, and Stew's (semi-orgasmic?) OoNHHH, OoNHHHH, OoNHHHH, OoNHHHH (spelling?!) shriek towards the end of Keys/Amsterdam better be on there, too. Y'all know what I'm talkin about.

[barcelona20]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 9:29pm

for example, Stoned is much longer on the cd, and includes Young Stew repeating the first verse, but they do not do this in the show.

also, it would be great if they changed mom song to the way they sang it at the tony preview concert.