Posted: 8/16/20 at 2:06pm
Posted: 8/16/20 at 2:26pm
Mitch101 said:
"4. I wish they had talked about the audience reaction when the ceiling came down revealing the heavenly staircase. The night I was there (with a song cut during previews called “Somebody Should Have Told Her” about having a period), someone yelled “Betty Buckley, come on down!” As if she was the next contestant on The Price is Right. The audience laughed quite loudly. Did the actors not her this at all? I can’t imagine considering how the audience reacted."
Buckley mentioned multiple times last night that the audience would call out during the show. So it was addressed.
Posted: 8/16/20 at 2:59pm
I most definitely read the book. That is how I learned about the authors being banned from rehearsals, and how much Debbie Allan was responsible for the debacle. They are quite candid about it in the book.
Posted: 8/16/20 at 3:20pm
Posted: 8/16/20 at 5:24pm
I watched the Carrie Reunion. Bless their little hearts.
The creatives implied except for the Frank Rich review, the reviews were positive to mixed. Nope. Yes, Clive Barnes loved it, but let's go to the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S191a99wUc8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKEm-bI0rpw
Here's a 1985 NY TIMES story about the show. https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/29/theater/broadway-chilling-carrie-in-vengeful-return-as-a-musical.html
Part of the blame for the flop must go to the creatives. The Margaret/Carrie scenes are opera lite and the high school scenes are musical comedy. The creatives didn't have/don't have the talent to make the show work as a whole. "If it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage."
As for the Off-Broadway production, it was directed by a hack.
Posted: 8/17/20 at 2:43am
I do find it interesting that they love to throw Terry Hands under the bus, because yes while the whole conception and staging of the high school scenes seem misguided, he didn’t write those lyrics, those melodies or arrangements. I do think Michael Gore somewhat hinted at the end they were partly to blame because they didn’t get enough time to work on it, though.
I do still get chills watching that “Eve was weak” clip though, despite listening to that recording probably hundreds of times. It’s like “I Believe” from the Book of Mormon except 1000x more scary and powerful. Charlotte describes Buckley’s performance as the best she has seen on stage, ever.
I find it so thrilling. It’s not just a showcase of Buckley’s virtuosic skill but an important, powerful exposition of the terrible impact of religious beliefs on attitudes and behaviours.
“Eve was weak” is Christian republicans who try to impose their values on secular societies. It’s Christian, Muslim and Jewish people that voted against gay marriage in the recent Australian public vote. It’s Islamic theocracies that punish atheists, gays, and free thinkers. It’s religious extremist terrorists. It’s Christian law makers in Africa who punish gay acts with imprisonment, beating and death.
Updated On: 8/17/20 at 02:43 AM
Posted: 8/18/20 at 11:57am
qolbinau said: "Eve was weak” is Christian republicans who try to impose their values on secular societies. It’s Christian, Muslim and Jewish people that voted against gay marriage in the recent Australian public vote. It’s Islamic theocracies that punish atheists, gays, and free thinkers. It’s religious extremist terrorists. It’s Christian law makers in Africa who punish gay acts with imprisonment, beating and death."
PREACH!!!
Updated On: 8/18/20 at 11:57 AM
Posted: 8/22/20 at 8:33pm
Posted: 8/22/20 at 9:35pm
They show them constantly. During the "Carrie" reunion they were all saying "Oh, I have that one". Betty Buckley even knew that her voice was being heard when it was Cook onstage and even when the video switched over to her.
The announcement for the "Pippin" reunion listed the revival cast members.
Posted: 8/23/20 at 6:35am
It was clearly stated it was the revival cast. I was a bit disappointed Patina wasn't there last night.
Posted: 8/23/20 at 6:41am
Just like when I saw the show, go figure.
Posted: 8/23/20 at 12:23pm
I also wish Patina was there. It was a great reunion, but she was definitely missed.
Posted: 8/23/20 at 6:23pm
Anyone else suprised to hear Charlotte say she frequently missed her entrances? Was she bored with the show? Shouldn't she have been fined for this recurring miscue?
Posted: 8/26/20 at 4:02pm
I forgot how great that production of Pippin was. This was such a fun reunion.
Posted: 8/27/20 at 11:07am
CATSNYrevival said: "I forgot how great thatproduction of Pippin was. This was such a fun reunion."
The Original cast was stunning. This was one example of when the first round of replacements came in, the "magic" was no longer there and the show feel flat.
Posted: 8/27/20 at 11:38am
Their "What Makes A Show" concept is great, and I hope they continue to feature behind the scenes people. But last night's guests could barely explain what they actually do, it was so strange! Also Seth doesn't know what a House Manager does? How long has he worked in theater? :I
Posted: 8/30/20 at 1:34pm
Posted: 8/30/20 at 1:46pm
Posted: 8/30/20 at 1:50pm
They said one of the n2n cast members wasn't available due to a workshop, and the reunion is rescheduled to September 15th.
Smokey Joe's will be this Tuesday and Curtains on Wednesday.
Posted: 8/30/20 at 2:42pm
Posted: 9/4/20 at 4:23pm
Stars in the House will host a reunion of ''Flower Drum Song'' tonight (Fri., Sept. 4) at 8 p.m. EST (5 p.m. PST).
It'll include cast members and creatives from the original and revival productions: David Henry Hwang, Alvin Ing, Baayork Lee and Jose Llana.
Plus, there'll be a pretaped performance from Lea Salonga. The reunion also will mark a special reissue of the original cast album as a 2-LP set.
Posted: 9/5/20 at 9:01am
No shows this holiday weekend. Stars In The House will return on Tuesday. Seth says they have more reunions coming up and will also be bringing back some past reunions for a Part 2 series.
Posted: 9/7/20 at 3:11pm
I just watched the Flower Drum Song reunion. I've never read the original libretto. Is it really so bad it needed a total rewrite or was it more the fact the original was simply not written by an Asian American playwright?
Posted: 9/8/20 at 7:17pm
Debating whether to attend Seth's show with Karen Olivo tonight. Are all of them on demand afterwards? How long does concert normally last?
Posted: 9/12/20 at 1:26pm
I know that Dr. LaPook is straight and married to a woman, but I find him totally attractive even though I don't always understand what he is talking about. Science was my poorest subject in school.
Now Seth and James are the most authentic gay couple on the Internet. I thought that they would be ideal as the stars of a "Funny Girl" takeoff called "Funny Boys," which was also almost one of the titles of the potential flop musicals listed in "The Producers" on Broadway. I was very impressed how quickly their assistant responded to my e-mails to Seth, telling me that her boss and James would have to turn down my idea because another revival of "Funny Girl" is already in the works; and they have their own future projects which they want to do. It was the classiest shoe biz rejection I ever received. Thanks, Seth.
