Passion - WOW.

I ordered the DVD of the professional filming of this from Amazon this week and watched it just now. First of all, I could kick myself for not watching this gem of a show sooner. Second of all, this is seriously one of the most beautiful shows ever written. Donna Murphy gave one of the most heartbreaking and real performances I have ever seen, and Marin Mazzie's voice was just beautiful. The book for this show was stunning and incredibly graceful and worked seamlessly with the score (which I am now in love with by the way). All in all, this show just astounded me. Who here was lucky enough to see this show on Broadway?

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Updated On: 6/3/12 at 12:11 AM

"Who here was lucky enough to see this show on Broadway? "

It was the dog of all dogs, sickening, vile, horrible.

Lucky to have seen it?

Cursed is more like it.

Updated On: 6/8/12 at 12:33 AM

Old, troll, etc.

I'd love to see this done in the round with a chamber type orchestra. I think the smaller orchestra would make it sound so haunting and beautiful.

I can see where people would find problems in the script and story, but I think anyone who has ever been in love or had that feeling of like "I'm meant to be with this person" will sort of understand it.

The shortest running Best Musical winner

There was a lot of inappropriate laughter during that production. I think at that point in SJS's career, based on what people had seen of him before, he was known for the sly wit of his shows. Remember this came right on the heels Merrily, Sunday, Into the Woods and Assassins. I think the audience expected more of the same, and so laughed when they saw things that SJS might have played for humor in previous shows.

This is why, wisely, they filmed this production without an audience.

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Updated On: 6/3/12 at 08:30 AM

i love passion. it's one of my favorite sondheim shows. i love how seamless it was, that you didn't want to applaud in between songs to ruin the flow, which was what happened when i saw it on broadway. then suddenly, after a short silence right after the last note of the finale, everyone burst into loud applause. but what made it really memorable was donna murphy's nuanced performance. every slight turn of head, every slight move of finger conveys something. and that beautiful voice!

i'm surprised no one's mentioned the revival next season @ classic stage with melissa erico and judy kuhn; doyle directs:

http://www.classicstage.org/season/passion/

i think there may even have been a thread about it?

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PASSION is not only my favorite Sondheim show, but my favorite show, period. I wasn't lucky enough to see it live on Broadway, but i have watched the DVD countless times. It just touches my soul so deeply - the themes are so poetic and universal and speak to me in a way I couldn't possibly explain. The score is simply exquisite, and the lyrics make me think every time I listen to them.

This is the show that made me fall in love with Donna Murphy, as well. She is simply stunning in the role - indeed, the role of a lifetime, a combination of actress and role that is just too good to be true. It is a master class in acting. Marin Mazzie is of course wonderful, and despite what people may say, I love Jere Shea as Giorgio.

So yeah, I'm with you. :)

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The Lupone/McDonald production was a concert at Carnegie Hall, that was aired on Live from Lincoln Center for PBS. Although not commercially released, it is widely available.

I am also an advocate for this piece. Whether or not people like the show, I think they tend to have strong reactions because its themes are about the nature of love, and everyone has feelings about that.

I think the material is complex, the circumstances layered and nuanced, that people are drawn to piece.

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I love PASSION for its utter refusal to compromise. The town isn't comic book ugly (a la LI'L ABNER), it and the set are really ugly. The heroine isn't unusual looking for a couple of scenes before she becomes glamorous (a la FUNNY GIRL), she's really and irreparably ugly. (I love both of those other shows and I'm not faulting them, just using them to show what PASSION was not.) There is humor in the book and score, but it's invariably cruel and almost always at Fosca's expense: nothing like making fun of a cripple to win over an audience!

But PASSION simply refuses to be "appealing". Even the gorgeous score rarely falls into traditional song forms that the audience is expecting. The show sets forth a clear point of view (true love = obsession) and follows that view to its logical but unhappy conclusion. Lots of musical theater characters sing about dying for love; in PASSION the heroine actually follows through.

Yes, there was inappropriate laughter at points throughout the evening--because the audience was uncomfortable. And that is no accident--the show wants to make the viewer as uncomfortable as Giorgio is.

I'm very grateful I happened to be in New York during its short run. I was absolutely thrilled by the performances and the sheer audacity of the whole undertaking.

Thanks for the info 3bluenight, I'll have to try and find it.

I agree with those who call the show uncompromising. It's such a grown up, complex show & I think the music is truly gorgeous.

3bluenight, the concert of Passion with Lupone/Cerveris/McDonald wasn't at Carnegie Hall, but it was at Fredrick P Rose Hall at the Time Warner Center, where Jazz at Lincoln Center is.