Riedel's Take on the Best Revival Situation

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 4:08am

HAVE an egg roll, Mr. Laurents. You've given Broadway its first genuine musical hit of the spring: "Gypsy."

Only a week ago, the $8 million revival, directed by 90-year-old Broadway legend Arthur Laurents, looked like a pretty shaky bet. But Friday, the day the critics were tossing their hats in the air (or, in Big Ben Brantley's case, eating them), Momma Rose pocketed about $425,000.

Over the weekend, she scooped up more than $1 million.

"It's starting to cook," says a source, who admits ticket sales were pretty slow in previews.

The show's chief competition, "South Pacific," opens Thursday night at Lincoln Center. Word around town is that the critics like it as well, which should set up a nice horse race for the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.

A third revival - "Sunday in the Park With George" - seems to be fading, largely because Tony nominators and voters think The Roundabout skimped on the orchestra, which sounds as if it's made up of a kazoo and a couple of combs wrapped in wax paper.

"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values.

(...)

ON another front, there's talk that Laurents shouldn't be eligible for the Tony.

-------------------------------------

Love the lines about the SUNDAY orchestra (I agree) and GREASE of course.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04022008/entertainment/theater/gypsy_revives_tony_spat_104605.htm

Updated On: 4/2/08 at 04:08 AM

[Craww]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 5:10am

Isn't it redundant to claim an orchestra sounds like it consists of "a kazoo and a couple of combs wrapped in wax paper"? Isn't the entire point of wrapping a comb in wax paper to recreate the sound of a kazoo?

Such masterful journalistic pith.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 6:14am

It's nice to see someone point out how CHEAP Roundabout is with their Orchestras.

I think a good old snuberoo, at least in the Orchestrations category, is in order for SUNDAY.

The full 25+ piece Orchestras used for SOUTH PACIFIC and GYPSY, could eat SUNDAY's six piece Orchestra alive, and they make SUCH a difference to the enjoyment of the productions.

I also hope that Laurents is eligible for the Best Director nomination. He is clearly the core of what made *this* GYPSY work as stunningly as it is, and he should get recognition for that.

I also hope that the Nominating Committee is somehow given the "OK" not to nominate GREASE for Best Revival. They attempted this with the dreadful THREEPENNY revival a few years ago, but the Administration Committee said you have to fill out the category.

I think all three revivals are STUNNING, and I hope all three win some Tonys this season, no matter what the categories.

This is the year for revivals, and they're all doing beautifully at the box office (even the Sondheim piece!)

I'd love to see SOUTH PACIFIC, SUNDAY, and GYPSY have long, healthy runs on Broadway.

Updated On: 4/2/08 at 06:14 AM

[jewishboy]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 8:05am

Honestly, I think the race is probably going to come down to South Pacific and Sunday. I just can't see the voters giving it to the 4th(?) revival of Gypsy when the other two have never been revived on Broadway. On the other hand, there's a good chance the Leading Actor Tony won't go to any actor in a revival. So, if Best featured Actor and Actress, and Best Leading Actress are all given to the respective members of Gypsy... well it may be hard to stop voters when they are on a roll. Personally, I'm pulling for South Pacific.


Edit for a very stupid misspelling Updated On: 4/2/08 at 08:05 AM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 8:14am

Or even a roll.

One note on the Sunday orchestrations. The original cast recording of Sunday in the Park augmented the orchestration from the theatre, so it sounds bigger than it was. In the theatre, the original was scored for 11 musicians. Now, I'm a fan of big orchestras, and original orchestrations, and I missed a few things here and there in the smaller orchestration for the current revival, but in this case, I adjusted to it pretty quickly, and it allowed a certain intimacy with the material. I think Riedel's claims are bogus.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 8:42am

This is a long-standing gripe of mine. Why MUST the TONY HAVE to nominate four musicals in the revival category (or any category, for that matter) every year, no matter what the quality of the show? Warming to my favorite pet peeve, there was absolutely NO NEED for 3 Penny to have received a nomination for that God-awful revival several years back. Its presence on the TONY awards with Alan Cumming looking/acting like he was on something added further insult to injury. If only two or three shows are worthy, then nominate only two or three. If nothing is worthy, then don't nominate anything. This is Broadway's one shot at getting national exposure (albeit the ratings are dismal). Can't some common sense be applied? Show Broadway's best, not the worst.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 8:45am

You don't have to nominated 4 every year. You have to nominate (correct me if I'm wrong) 75%, since the number of revivals is up in the air. If that is indeed the case, then GREASE can be left in the lurch, unlike 3PENNY, which was the 3rd show.

(And for the record, kudos to Riedel for FINALLY tearing into GREASE. Better late than never. Too bad it only took 9 months. Maybe he was gestating.)

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 8:47am

Or his direct deposit from the producers had run out.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 8:52am

I don't know about the 75% rule -- I may be mistaken on this (I don't have my TONY book handy), but weren't there only two nominations the year of Sunset Boulevard and Smokey Joe's Cafe? And I'm almost proof positive that in 1958 (I know, the rules have changed and changed and changed), only Flower Drum Song and Redhead were nominated in the Best Musical and Best Actress in a Musical category.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 8:54am

SUNSET and SMOKEY were the only two new musicals that season.

Glenn Close and Rebecca Luker were the only two leading actresses that season.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 10:22am

""Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values."

It is Mr. Riedel's delicacy and understatements like that that earned him that Pulitzer yesterday.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 10:28am

my fave line: "its producer, would-be tv personality david ian, is an orange-colored visigoth."

but i must admit my first thought was, "i wonder who he stole those lines from?"

[Roscoe]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 10:58am

>>The Roundabout skimped on the orchestra, which sounds as if >>it's made up of a kazoo and a couple of combs wrapped in wax >>paper.

If only it sounded that good.

[tazber]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 11:22am

I say if there's not enough quality, don't give the award. I think the Best Musical award should be scratched this year.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 11:37am

Taz, are you kidding? Might I remind you, man's greatest artistic achievement is eligible this year? The Tony's this year will be rated "X"


X-A-N-A-D-U!

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 11:49am

I thought the Orchestra sounded great in "Sunday..." I was sitting fairly close to it, and I loved when I was watching the show and the cello would hum into the scene. I thought it was beautifully stripped down, and it suited the production nicely. The theater is fairly small, so having a full-scale orchestra would just overpower the production. I think it was a smart choice, and one that worked well with the production.

[tazber]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 11:49am

doesn't hold a candle to YF, TLM, or Cry Baby joe.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 12:04pm

Taz, I've always enjoyed your posts and will miss you dearly when you are rightfully banned for posting inflammatory comments like that.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 12:46pm

Seriously? Sondheim on Broadway with six musicians?

What is this, dinner theater?

The only fitting punishment is to nominate "Grease" instead. It's basically scored for about that number isn't it?

[EugLoven]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 12:56pm

I'm jumping in to give voice to the silent-majority who loved the sound of SUNDAY, five musicians and all. Lest we forget, the human-voice is an instrument also. There were 14 beautiful instruments soaring in the Act 1 Finale, that couldn't have sounded more wholesome or pure. This production comes to America with a plethora of Olivier and other Awards behind it. It meant something there and it means something here.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 12:58pm

Right, because if it wins awards, it MUST be good.

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 12:59pm

I loved the Sunday revival. But it really does seem like its chances of winning are dying down each day.

I believe it really will be between GYPSY and SP.

[tazber]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 1:06pm

I predict Patti for Actress, but South Pacific for revival.

[Sleeper2]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 1:09pm

SP is the likely winner. It opens tomorrow and if Miss Brantley likes it, I think it's a lock.

[jrb]

Posted: 4/2/08 at 1:18pm

Interesting turn of the tides here.
For the longest time people were swearing up and down that Sunday was the sure winner. It was only on ATC that South Pacific was getting the buzz.
First person accounts say that Brantley was in tears for much of the Saturday afternoon performance. Granted, it could have been dust, or utter dismay at how bad the show was, but I think we know that's not true.