SITPWG Questions

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SITPWG Questions

Posted: 6/10/08 at 10:29pm

I just bought tickets to go see SITPWG (Mezz row GG) and from what I have read reviews wise you either love the show or don't care for it at all.

I don't know much about the show but I hear its really layered and complicated. Is there anything I should read, watch, listen to ect. before I go so I understand the show and enjoy it. I don't want to come home having disliked the show because it looks so interesting!

Thank You

re: SITPWG Questions

Posted: 6/10/08 at 10:31pm

Maybe I'm the exception, but I went in cold and absolutely ADORE it. I didn't find it hard to understand at all.

Experience live theater. Experience paintings. Experience books. Live, look and listen like artists! ~ imaginethis
LIVE THAT LESSON!!!!!!

re: SITPWG Questions

Posted: 6/10/08 at 10:34pm

I think you can see this show without any external context and follow along. Yes, it is a complex, textured show, but the meaning to be found in the show is not unnecessarily obfuscated. You might want to enjoy the cast recording before you see the show but you will be fine if you choose to just go to the show and be surprised, and delighted, I hope.

re: SITPWG Questions

Posted: 6/11/08 at 1:38am

You'll be fine if you read nothing, but since this isn't really a plot driven show, I don't think you'll lose anything to read about it (even the wikipedia article on it is pretty good).

On the plus side, reading about it may help you stay on track in Act II (which can seem superfluous on first viewing which is a fault of the authors and not the audience) and by learning about both Seurat's development of chromoluminarism to blend colors and Sondheim's parallel staccato technique in the score may increase the depth of your appreciation for what you are seeing.

My guess is no matter what, when that final return to the beginning happens, you'll know you saw something remarkable. Have fun.

If the audience could do better, they'd be up here on stage and I'd be out there watching them. - Ethel Merman

re: SITPWG Questions

Posted: 6/11/08 at 5:49am

It is not complicated, but you do have to focus and pay attention. It is not a typical flashy Broadway mmusical comedy. More like a chamber opera.

I find it beautiful and moving. But be prepared, it is a show you will probaly enjoy even more on subsequent viewings. Get the cast album and listen to it before seeing the show. It will help a lot. (I saw the original in 1984 and the OCR had arrived about a month before I saw it.)

Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks."
Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!

I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com

re: SITPWG Questions

Posted: 6/11/08 at 8:39am

I agree get the cast album and listen to it, read some articles on it, but going in cold is fine(a couple of my friends went in cold and they loved it). To me Act I is a bit too long but from Finishing the Hat to the end of Act I it's remarkable. Act II in this production is the big payoff. I love this production, it truely is moving. Hope you enjoy it

"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life. Define yourself"

re: SITPWG Questions

Posted: 6/11/08 at 11:16am

The first time I saw it all I had heard previously was "Sunday," so I had no real background in the piece, and I loved it. But I do agree that it is a show that gets better and better upon multiple viewings.

Read up on the show a bit, as Act I can drag, as violet72 said, up until "Finishing the Hat." Knowing a bit about how the show is split/how the story changes in Act II is definitely helpful and makes it all the more enjoyable.

re: SITPWG Questions

Posted: 6/11/08 at 11:53am

I think that having a basic understanding of neo-impressionism would help an audience member appreciate the show even more. Even just reading a paragraph or two.

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